Excitement!

Okay, I'm excited...probably more excited than I should be about some silly cookies. BUT, my kids are going to LOVE these...yes you read that right...LOVE...LoVe...lOvE! Not just because they are cookies but because they are cookies that they can "play" with (before they are baked of course)! These spectacular cookies are called Play dough cookies. I haven't been able to do much baking this Holiday Season and so I'm even more excited for this project...most of the work or "play" can be done by the kids and the rest by my Bosch which will help my wrist out!
I originally found this recipe at Make It and Love It and then followed the links to here at The Secret is in the Sauce.

Play Dough Cookies

3/4 cup butter
3 oz cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 and 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
assorted food coloring (gel or paste works best)

1. In a bowl cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until smooth

2. In a bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir until soft dough forms. Divide dough into fourths. Tint each with a different food coloring. Wrap in plastic and chill for 2 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape colors into 3 /4 inch balls. For each cookie place one pink, one orange, one green and one blue ball together and roll to make one giant ball. Roll into a 12 inch long snake, and then starting at one end coil roll to make a cookie. Place cookies 2 to 3 inches apart on greased cookie sheet to allow for spreading.

4. Bake for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and store in an airtight container...enjoy!

Traditions

I've been thinking a lot about Christmas traditions in the past few weeks. In the 9 Christmas's we've celebrated together things seem to change every year. We spent our first Christmas with me working until late and then we went to Stuart's parents house pretty much to listen to the Christmas story by candle light. Every year after we haven't really had a set way of doing things. Stuart LOVES eating tamales for Christmas Eve dinner, reading the Christmas story by candle light and waiting until Christmas morning to open ANY presents.

I am all about having a big Christmas Eve dinner, going to look at Christmas lights then opening presents and after all the excitement reading the Christmas story (growing up it wasn't by candle light).

We have sort of tried to incorporate our traditions together. We've always, no matter where we've been read the Christmas story by candle light. I really do love this tradition. Somehow it makes it just that much better. As for presents, we've done it both ways. Food, well...we've had tamales on Christmas Eve. Last year my parents even brought up tamales for Stuart while the rest of us ate turkey. And, we've tried to go look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve as well.

This year again things are changing. I am having surgery on the 22nd on my wrist. They are doing both a carpal tunnel release and removing a "mass"...they aren't sure what it is. So, I'm probably not going to be up for a whole lot. After my surgery we have to go down to my parents as Phillip & Maija have dentist appointments in Ft. Collins...no one around here takes kids under 5. So, on the 22nd Stuart and my mom are going to take the kids to look at Christmas lights (not many people in Rawlins decorate...so sad!).

Stuart is cooking Christmas Eve dinner and we are having some friends over. After that we'll be opening presents and then of course our favorite part....reading the Christmas story by candle light! Then off to bed to await Santa's arrival. On Christmas morning we are getting everyone up early to open Santa presents and then at about 7:30 ish we are going to drive to Idaho Falls in order to make it for Christmas dinner.

I like the traditions that we have, but what I love even more about Christmas is spending time with our family and friends!

What are your traditions? Do you keep the same ones every year?

Santa &Concerts

Last Friday night we had our Ward Christmas party. I fully intended to have my kids all dressed up for pictures with Santa. Unfortunately (for dressing up) I was cooking a ham that had to be at the church at 5, which meant I was pulling it out of my oven at 4:30. Samuel had a birthday party at 4 and we hadn't had the opportunity to shop for a present so we left the house about 3:30 to get a present. I also had to go to the post office and run a couple other errands. My plan was to drop Samuel off a little before 4, pick up KatieJo from Boys and Girls club, run my errands really quickly get the ham and take it to the Church before 5 and then go home to change everyone but Samuel then head back to get Samuel and then on to the Church.

My plan would have worked, except we stood in line for over 20 minutes at Alco to pay. Which put us dropping Samuel off at 4:10 which meant I had to hurry and get KatieJo and run home to get the Ham. Oh, did I mention the birthday party was only ONE hour long...seriously, what's the point in having a party (and it was at McDonalds and all they fed him was a cupcake...maybe it's just me but if I throw a party at McDonalds at the very least they should have served ice cream)? So after getting the ham I ran to the post office and then went to get Samuel. I didn't get the ham to the Church until about 5:15 and had to run home for the diaper bag because somehow I managed to leave the house both times I was home before without it. At that point I didn't have enough time to get all 4 of them out of the van, into the house and changed. So, away we went in the clothing we had on. No cuteness for us...but we have pictures regardless. =
This is Ms. Maija and her "ornery" face. She freaked out when we put her on Santa's lap so I thought I'd post something besides her screaming.It was terribly chaotic trying to get pictures. People wouldn't stand back so I could get a better picture, and I didn't feel good so this is the best I have. Phillip had been on his lap right before this, but Santa didn't quite understand that we wanted a picture with all 4. We had a good time, I just wish Santa had asked the kids what they wanted for Christmas. Instead KatieJo was worried he wouldn't know what they wanted because he didn't ask and I didn't bring the letters they wrote (her plan after he didn't ask what she wanted was to hand him her letter..OOPS!). I assured her that I would mail the letters and that Santa would know what she wanted.
Tonight we went to KatieJo's Christmas Concert. She was SOOOOO excited to be up on stage, but also excited to not have to sing those songs anymore. This is a picture of her and her friend Isaac. We happen to be good friends with his parents and joked as we were taking the picture that we'd use it at their wedding someday. Isaac was baptized this last Saturday and KatieJo is TERRIBLY jealous that he got to be baptized before her. I think she's starting to count down, although she still has almost 4 months left. This was the only good picture I got. I was using my Video Camera to record the singing AND my regular camera just for pictures when they were on stage. However, my Video Camera does a much better job at zooming than my regular camera but it was already in use...so no pictures on stage.

Freezer....paper!

This may sound silly, and I'd divulge what I'm making but Samuel reads this on a regular basis. So all I'm going to say is that appliqueing and freezer paper is AWESOME! I've never appliqued before Saturday, and it went really well...I was a tad bit excited...except for the fact that I didn't have an heat and bond which means I pinned the fabric to what I was appliqueing it to and just sewed away. Then Stuart informed me that I could have used the freezer paper he just bought me for another project to keep the fabric sticking to my project. As it turns out he read the box...guess he was a little bored :0)

I also used the freezer paper to make a stencil for another project...I LOVE it! I think I might be using freezer paper for a lot more projects soon.

Christmas is in a few short weeks and then I'll share the projects that I did for Christmas. I had to limit my sewing this year as I have a cyst in my wrist that is causing me considerable pain. I've had it for about 3 years, however the pain has been unbearable in the last few months. I'll find out Tuesday what the plan is for my wrist. I'm hoping they just take the thing out since it is growing out of my joint, but we'll see.