wrapping paper and snowscapes

This year we've tried out some of the crafts over at the Creative Christmas Countdown, as I've said in an earlier post. It's been good for me to have intentional craft/baking/Christmas cartoon watching/etc time with the kids. This season can get away from all of us, so being intentional in this area has been great as a reminder to slllooowww dowwwwnnn. We have used some of the ideas as inspiration and some as is. It has been fun and very low stress, including decorating wrapping paper with acrylic paints in the floor of our galley kitchen. We had paint in lots of places, but I got it all cleaned up before Daddy got home! I am slowly learning that a mess is worthwhile if I'm enjoying my children and life. I'd rather have a little bit of a mess than be high strung and snappy because my house doesn't look the way I feel like it should. I feel like I am learning this lesson over and over again...guess that means I haven't mastered it yet! No worries. 

 We bought craft paper and used acrylic paints and cookie cutter to stamp Christmas-y designs

 This is where is got crazy. We hand stamped the paper and it was all over Hb! Zeke did a great job staying relatively clean, but Hb, eh eh. My freak out moment was when I found some in her hair, because as you know, her hair is glorious, but time consuming to clean and style. I don't have time for acrylic paint in Afro-puffs!

Another day we used very watered down Mod Podge to paint white tissue on the window for the little gel penguins and snowmen to play on. Easy cheap and very easy to clean up. I failed to take an after picture. Whoopsy. On a side note...I love that Hb is wearing footie pajamas. She loves those things and they're just so darn adorable!

Creative Christmas #2 and just plain Merriness!

 I have been wanting to make these for a couple of years and just haven't gotten around to it until this year. Cinnamon applesauce ornaments. I made them when I was in first grade and they still smell cinnamony! So we did it! It was super easy, festive, and our house smelled amazing. Here's Hb helping roll out the cinnamon dough...crazy how applesauce and cinnamon are all you need for the recipe. Note Zeke in the background eyeing a bag of Red Hots. We are addicted to them around here!

Here's our finished project! 

What do you think Linc?

 I love how the kids are so into Christmas this year. I love that Zeke was so eager to help decorate the tree and asked all day to hang the star. I love that our tree is full of fun Hallmark ornaments and that the kids think they are so very fun and hang them in clumps at the bottom of the tree. 

 My fabulous sister did something really wonderful for us this year. She made an Advent ornament set for us. Each day we open up an ornament that she made with one of Jesus' names on it, read a verse, and hang it up. She made 26 ornaments in all and they are all so wonderful! I have such an amazing family. 

 The Joy Boy happily looking on

The Moose is four months old this merry week! I cannot believe it! It's just going too fast! I could just eat him up. He is so very yummy!

Creative Christmas Countdown

We are ATTEMPTING to get our craft on this Christmas. EmPHAsis on the ATTEMPTING. I am totally addicted to Pinterest and love trying out the things I find on there whether it's recipes, crafts, clothes, or going to my "HA!" board when I need a good laugh. I found this blog via Pinterest that sends you easy crafts to do with your kids during Christmas time. This sounded like a good idea for me since I am trying to spend more intentional time with Z and Hb since "the Moose" has come home to us.

 So here's our first one: cute little gingerbread men decorated by the kids...

A sparkly princess one and a Ninja Turtle one...ha! I love it. 

 I told them to go stand behind their gingerbread people, so she did! That's funny. And yes, that is a Santa suit Zeke is dressed up in. 

Happy Birthday HB!!

Can't believe this little girl is 4! She is sassy, so loving to her family, has such a cute voice, is brave and fearless, gushes joy, and has such a sensitive heart which at her age comes out in the form of whines and tears  a whole lot. What the Lord has reminded me of lately is she will not likely grow up into a whiny, emotional mess of a girl, but instead one full of compassion and passion who learns what to do with all those emotions. I have had to learn and am still learning how to do that and I can see how the Lord is using Hb to tweak that side of me through my emotion-full daughter. So privileged to get to be her mama.