December 2010 Advent – December 24th – T’was the Night before – snowflake dipped oreos

This is such a fast and easy treat. We took a box of sandwich cookies and dipped them in almond bark (I added peppermint flavor to it too). I used my Pampered Chef Double boiler to melt down the bricks of Almond Bark.

We let them dry on wax paper.

Then after those were cooled and “dry” the girls started decorating with frosting making snowflakes and trees.

Both Shelby and El had so much fun. I picked up the Pampered Chef easy decorators for them to use.

What are your plans for Christmas Eve? I have a few pies to make  – a Cherry and a Pumpkin. We are going to go to the Heights Church Service and have our annual Eve Lasagna. (Jen is making white Chicken and mom is making red ). The kids will get to open one present – Clean new PJs. And I am sure that it will be a chore to get all of them to go to bed after reading the Nativity Story and the Night before Christmas.

December 2010 Advent – December 23rd – In Search for a Leg Lamp

Tonight we had a blast… everyone in the car in their PJs, a pillow, a blanket and the doggies and off to drive around our town in search for a LEG LAMP.

We had a few desires tonight.We wanted to see a house decorated entirely in white, we wanted to see a lit Nativity and we wanted to find a Leg Lamp.

We found everything that we wanted to see while singing Christmas Carols at the top of our lungs.

Take time with your kids to sing songs of the word of God. Observe the lights that represent the birth of our savior.

December 2010 Advent – December 22nd – Make yourself another Nativity

I believe that you can never have too many Nativity Scenes up for Christmas time. I have started adding a new one every year to our “collection”. This year, I made one and was inspired by one I saw at my mom’s group, Vital Moms at the Height Church. I was sad to not know WHO made the one there to give proper credit to my MUSE. (If it is you, let me know!!)

These are fun to make and do not take up a TON of time… although you can get lost in detail.

You will need:

• 2 small clay or wooden pots,
• 2 large wooden balls for the “heads”,
• a clay or wooden plaque,
• scrap felt in white and 2 other colors,
• brown paint,
• flesh paint
• white paint,
• raffia,
• hot glue gun.
• Optional: gold paint, crackle paint, black marker to draw on faces, fake snow paint, wooden star and staff.

1. Paint the balls flesh and the pots a brown color(I also “crackled” the bodies with my crackle paint). Hot glue together. Add the colored scraps on to make clothing and ties with a piece of raffia each, Mary around her neck and Joseph around the head.
2. Paint the disk white (or brown) and add the “people” to it.
3. Create a “bunching” of raffia to make the hay manger and hot glue to the base.
4. Swaddle the white cloth to make a “baby”. Glue to the hay manger.
5. Optional: add texture snow around the base – This MUST dry overnight!!

Here is the sample that inspired me:

And here is my finished nativity:

December 2010 Advent – December 21st – Time to make that family tradition recipe

Every single year, the week before Christmas, our family and my sister’s goes over to my dad‘s PARENT’s house (My mom said that she felt neglected) and makes our family recipe of FUDGE.

I can’t share the recipe… only because it is the bestest recipe and a family recipe that I am sword to secrecy.

This year, Jason became the honorary STIRRER!…And he did such and AWESOME JOB!! It turned out amazing as always!

What recipes did your grandmother make? Is there something that you have wanted to try but haven’t yet? Today is the day!!!

December 2010 Advent – December 20th – Finish up your decorating

Because we wait until after El’s birthday on the 16th to do our inside decorating, it takes a while to get everything up.

We put up all of our Santa collection (My grandmother collected these before she passed away – our family ended up with a handful of that collection to add to for our own to put out every year in her memory), our angel tree and our nativity scenes that are in our living room (we have several of these also and add to them each year.)