Christmas Craftiness, Easy Gifts, Fun Festivities and Creativity...

December 2019

Everything needed for festive and fun...(not to fail to mention comfy cozy) toes this Christmas! 

Cozy Socks, nail polish, nail filer, nail polish remover and some fun creativity to spice it all up with sugar and spice...of course when we put these together we added a blue candy cane. These were so fun to collaborate together for some special gals!!

Then it was time for the annual Gingerbread Homes

 Dad upped the excitement this year with a $100.00 bill for the duo winners to split for the best Gingerbread home this year, (we made these in pairs this year on Christmas Eve and I've never seen so much time and attention to the detail, especially form Ellie and Jarom (who happened to end up winning the contest, they even got out a blow dryer and a syringe...yep' pretty serious stuff!)

Time for the SUGAR COOKIES for SANTA, these two were up for the excitement of making the traditional sugar cookies!

 We made our seasonal Christmas Crack Chex Mix, Bre put together cute Snowmen mugs with hot cocoa, fuzzy socks and a nice bag of Chex Mix for all her Estetician Friends at Beauty School, it was a cute finished product after assembled into cute cellophane Christmas Bags but here's some progress pics that Matt posed for, ha ha!

Ingredients: Stick Pretzels, Corn Chex, Rice Chex, Cheerios, Christmas M and M's and Dry Roasted Peanuts. Pour out and mix on counter top covered in parchment paper then pour melted white chocolate almond bark to coat, mix with large spoon or even clean hands. 

Our fam decided to liven up the Jackson Christmas gathering this year by bringing the mock'tails...some Italian Cream Sodas and Flavored Red-bull Drinks (those for the wanting grown-ups to help stay awake to wrap all those presents later into the evening). We brought red raspberry, green apple and blue raspberry flavoring and used 7-up vs Club Soda since it tastes so much better to make the Italian soda drinks and added in the ice then cream and whipped topping.

Fun times with the yummy drinks!

 Yeh, we didn't make this Gingerbread home (lol) but I saw it and thought it was the coolest ever, it would be so fun to put something like this together...looks like a Grinch Hoo-Ville type of home, so cute!

 To go along with the theme of Lighting the World with the Goodness of Christ, for both sides of the fam (siblings family gifts) this year, we put a picture of Christ (a newer picture that's actually entitled "Light of the World") that I had backed on a wooden photo prop through Walgreens Photo with a scripture that went along with it

then we found a nice light LED candle set that just so happened to be on sale at Costco this past year and it came complete with the batteries to operate them...

 to make it a bit more exciting we got creative with a "Bread of Life Christ Scripture" and attached a Panera Bread gift card to it, so it was fun focusing on the "Reason for the Season" and throwing in useful fun coordinating items for the fams to enjoy through the Christmas Season!

 Yeh, we wrapped them all pretty, looks like no pics to be found of the finished product but it looked very nice with Gold wrapping and ribbon :) kind going along the whole theme of light!

Cowgirl Western Bday Party

Halloween Splash

A good use for Powerade Bottles to add a little color, fun and fall splash for the older boys with the Scouting Court of Honor I headed up this past month, with Frankensteins, Pumpkins and Ghosts.

Pumpkin Bars

Try, them you'll like them...so will your neighbors, it makes a huge batch! (A large cookie sheet)  My sister Tracey's recipe to share with all, I'd been looking forward to Fall so I'd be able to justify making these scrumptious moist yummies.  You can also make the recipe as a cake as well in a bundt pan.

PUMPKIN TREATS

2 Cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 &1/2 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients above in a bowl and set aside

4 eggs (room temperature)

2 Cups of sugar

1 Cup Vegetable Oil

1- 15 oz. can pumpkin or (1 & 1/2 generous cup)

Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy; gradually add oil and beat on high until really light and fluffy.  Stir in pumpkin on low speed and mix in other ingredients (in bowl set aside) just until blended.  Pour into lightly sprayed large cookie sheet for bar cookies or bundt pan for cake.  Bake bar cookies at 350 for 20-25 min or cake at 350 for 45-50 min until done.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

8 oz. Cream Cheese (soften)

1/3 Cup butter (soften)

4 Cups Powdered Sugar

2 tsp. Vanilla

This batch of frosting makes a lot!  1/2 batch is enough for the cake.  Enjoy!

Baptism is the Key to the Treasure of Eternal Life...

Treasures found in each goody treasure box: jolly ranchers (jewels), candy necklaces, gold coins, ring pops and most importantly a picture of Jesus Christ...all encased in a treasure box tied with a key.

The Compass represents the navigation from the "Gift of the Holy Ghost" received at baptism and the map being "The Words of Christ found in Scriptures and direction from our Prophets." We used the treasure box to encase Josh's eight year old baptism gifts being his first set of nice leather bound scriptures (his triple combo) and his CTR ring.

For this Baptism Theme, I took a spin off of the FHE lesson found at: http://fhelessons.wordpress.com/2013/08/08/baptism-lesson/