Down the Hill We Go in a Giant Cardboard Box

Today it snowed a lot!  We got about 4 inches and then it started to sleet but that didn't stop us from walking to the park to do a little sledding down the hill.  OK, so we don't own a sled.  But we had a big cardboard box!  After doing a little construction on it, and spending almost 30 minutes bundling everyone in their layers of winter gear, we were ready to go play.  This is something that I have never done before.  It was so much FUN!

Our driveway...I know it's under there somewhere.

Cute little boy.  All the boys were wearing their rain boots with 2 pairs of socks.  They still managed to kick up enough snow so that it fell down inside their boots!  

The road and our van parked on the side of the road.

That's how deep the snow was!  

Walking down to the park.

Basketball anyone?

There is the hill!

The first attempt.  Josh and Caleb were too heavy to slide together.

Caleb was timid at first but then he really liked it.  Josh had no fear at all!

I love seeing how happy they were!

Josh got going pretty fast.  

I have 6 new videos that I uploaded over at my Youtube Channel.  

You can check them out HERE.

This is the pile of wet shoes and clothes that were taken off as we came in the door.  I will definitely be looking for a "mud/snow" room in the house that we end up buying! 

Recipe of the Week - Snow Ice Cream

We made snow ice cream for the first time today.  It was so yummy!  I thought I would share the recipe so that you could try it for yourself.

Ingredients:

8 cups of clean snow
14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp of vanilla

Josh ready to help stir.

Add the milk and vanilla to your snow and stir.

Serve immediately!  Yummy!

Wreath Christmas Card Holder Tutorial.

In years past I have hung my Christmas cards from the blinds in my kitchen and have strung a ribbon on the wall to hang them from.  This year I decided to take two great ideas that I have seen out their in blogland and create my own card holder.  You may have seen the many tutorials for making a yarn wreath (I wrote a tutorial on a yarn and button wreath HERE ) and you may have seen some tutorials for a card holder using clothes pins.  I just combined these two great ideas and this is what I got.

I didn't take any pictures while making the wreath so this will be a boring words-only tutorial. Sorry about that.

First I wrapped yarn around a styrofoam wreath. I went around twice making sure that the styrofoam wouldn't show through the yarn.

Then I took some Christmas paper, I used two coordinating pieces, and cut it to fit the the sides of my clothes pins. You could paint your clothes pins first if you wanted. I left mine natural. So you take your cut paper strips and glue them to your clothes pins. I used Mod Podge paper glue. It worked well for this project. I smoothed it out and then did two coats of Mod Podge on top, waiting 30 minutes between each coat.

After the clothes pins were dry I used wire (floral wire will work) and threaded it through the spring hole of the clothes pin.  Then I placed the pin on the wreath were I wanted it to be and pulled the wire around the back of the wreath and twisted it tight.  Cutting off the long pieces and pressing the twist down flat on the back.  

I did this 12 times for each clothes pin.  I left a loop of yarn at the top to hang it up and then waited to get some Christmas cards!  

Here is a closer shot of the wreath.  Merry Christmas, may your mail boxes be full of Christmas cards!

Wordless Wednesday - Josh's pants

This boy can't wear a pair of pants
without putting a hole in the knee!

Linked to Wordless Wednesday.

$100 AMEX Gift Card Giveaway at Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House

I enter a lot of giveaways.  I have also actually won a few too.  Here is one that I am hoping to win and you can go enter it also.  It's at a great blog called Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House.  She has lots of giveaways going on right now but a really great one is for a $100 American Express Gift Card.  There will be 5 winners!!  Who couldn't use the extra cash at this time of the year?  I know I could!

Recipe of the Week: Sugar Cookie Icing

It took me years to find a recipe for sugar cookie icing that is as good as this one!  This is a recipe that I have used lots of times for sugar cookies.  It tastes yummy and it is easy to work with.  Plus it dries nice and glossy.  I usually let mine dry for at least 8 hours before stacking or packaging.   

Decorating Tip:  If you add a little more confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) to the recipe below, you will have a thicker icing that you can use to outline the shape of your cookie.  I use a #2 decorator tip.  Then you can use the thinner icing to fill in the shape.  I use the decorator tip #2 or #4 for that.  I use a toothpick dipped in the icing for the small details of things. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• assorted food coloring

Directions

1. In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar and milk until smooth. Beat in corn syrup and almond extract until icing is smooth and glossy. If icing is too thick, add more corn syrup.
2. Divide into separate bowls, and add food colorings to each to desired intensity. Dip cookies, or paint them with a brush.  Or you can fill a decorators bag and use a size 2 or 4 decorator tip to fill in the icing.
   
   
   

Wordless Wednesday-Christmas Cookies

Linked up at Wordless Wednesday.

Snow!

Life is like a blanket of snow. Be careful how you step on it. Every step will show!

 Take time to chase the snowflakes.

 The great thing about snow is it makes your lawn look as good as your neighbors.

 I believe in snow angels.

 Welcome snow!

 Snowflakes are beautiful, pure and white
and like God's children, no two are alike.

 Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

All quotes were taken from this site. Cute and Funny Sayings 

Thanksgiving and Family Fun

I had such a great time during the week of Thanksgiving!  We had family come for almost the entire week and it was so good to have them here.  We did a lot of cooking together and we played a card game called "Golf".  We did a lot of eating too but I'm guessing we weren't the only family in America doing that! 

Here is Simon getting some snuggles with his cousin Phoebe.

Travis and Phoebe are making the rum sauce to pour over the rum cake.  Yummy!

Paige snuck outside for a quiet place to use her phone.

 Uncle Travis, Simon and Aunt Susan are going for a walk.

We are having a leaf race.

We stopped to play on some hay bales.

Sliding down hay bales is a sure way to get hay in your pants...just saying.

Simon really took a liking to his "Uncle Tavis".

 Simon helped Uncle Travis tear up biscuits for the dressing.  

He was so serious about it.

One little...

two little...

3 little Indians!

We went and fed the ducks their Thanksgiving meal.

Simon fell asleep before we could even eat!

After dinner we played in the leaves.

Even the big girls played!

Paige, Josh, Phoebe and Caleb.

Leaf fight!

Aunt Susan and I played in the leaves too.

The girls and I made Reindeer cake pops and chocolate covered cherries. 

We were all sad to see them go.  I can't wait to hang out with them when we go to visit over the summer.  I am so thankful for my family and the times we get to spend together.