Christmas Day

Grandma and Grandpa came over and we had make your own pizza.  

Every year we put together a new puzzle.  Dancer's goal for Christmas was to watch musicals all day, but we didn't get to them until rather late so we only watched My Fair Lady and Chicago.

Christmas Eve Presnet Opening.

Dad slept all day after working a five night stretch.  The kids and I went to a Christmas Eve service in a barn and when we got home Dad was up and ready to open presents.  

Nikki wishing everyone Merry Christmas.  Getting a dog to pose is no easy feat.  She wouldn't put her ears up, I think she might of thought she was in trouble because we kept telling her to sit.

So Dancer hopped in the picture with her and then her ears popped up.  They are so cute together.  After we cleaned up a gift the cat had barfed up in front of the tree we were on to the gift opening.  

Yep, that is a "It's a Wonderful Life" paused on the t.v.  Can't really have Christmas without watching it at least once.

Dancer enjoying a krumkake after she opened her presents.  

Christmas Cookie Exchange

First we had to find our way to the cookie exchange.  There is a town in front of us in this picture.  It was a so foggy we couldn't see any houses from the road.

Over a hundred dozen cookies on the table and who know how many calories.

Round and round we went and 20 minutes later the table was empty.  

Christmas Party!

Another tradtion, again because we did it last year, was the Helmets Required Christmas party.  They were barely in the door before the present opening begain.

We made pizzas in various Chirstmas themed shapes.  This is a snowman in case it isn't obvious.

This is how boys celebrate.  Three chairs lined up playing games for hours on end.  A good time was had by all!

Kissy Pies Christmas Cookies

These I saw somewhere on Pinterest.  We have a cookie exchange so I was looking for something that was fast to make since we needed so many.

Only two ingredients: pie crust and kisses.

I bought pie crusts, but I think with homemade crust these would be even better.  Roll out the pie crust and cut as many circles out it as possible.  If you made your own crust you could reroll, but that doesn't really work with premade so get them as close a possible.

In the center of each circle place a kiss. 

Pinch them up on four sides so it makes a little parcel.  Be sure that you get them well pinched or they come apart while baking.

Bake at 350 degrees until brown.  These are little so they are very easy to keep popping in your mouth and pretty soon you wonder where all the cookies went.  That is my only warning with these cookies ;)

Christmas Hot Chocolate Snapple Bottles

Loved the Snapple bottles we decorated for Halloween so I made a couple with a Christmas theme.

Paint the tops red.  It is now too cold to spray paint so I painted them with those acrylic paints by Apple Barrel.  When dry it was really flat looking so I put a layer of clear nail polish over the top to make them shine.  Then I hot glued on a red ribbon and put a plaid one with a tiny bow tie over the top it.  

Inside the bottle, I filled it about 4o% with hot chocolate mix, a layer of crushed candy canes (make sure the bow is on top of this layer or it won't show), and the rest of the bottle with mini marshmallows.  The first one I put all the contents in the bottle before decorating it and some settling occurred as I was rolling it around to get the ribbon on and I had to add a few more marshmallows.  The second one I had the hot chocolate mix in it, but not the rest so that I wouldn't have to add more marshmallows when it was done. The hot chocolate mix rolled around on the inside so when I put the marshmallows in a few had a dusting of mix on them from the side of the jar.  I didn't think it looked as nice as the one where the marshmallows were pristine white.  

Three Day Christmas

 

The tree with all the gifts.  Notice there are no ornaments on the bottom branches of the tree, that is because of the cats.  They did get a few off the top of the tree but we are going with 'don't ask, don't tell.'  I think I will like them better that way.  They also started to rip open the presents.  Those thugs.

 

My cuties.  They are sitting so nice by each other.

 

Spark passed out the gifts.  We opened on Monday night so that Dad, who had to work the holiday,  could have one night to celebrate with us.  We use to open on Christmas morning when he worked, but it was rushed and he would open his gifts and go right to bed without a chance to enjoy them.

 

Dancer got butter!  (She really got gum)

 

This is a tradition started by Dad's family.  Set out a paper bag and after you open your gift you ball up the paper and go for a two pointer.

 

 

The Christmas puzzle 

 

The furnace went out and we got a new blower fan on Christmas Eve!!!  Just what we wanted!!!  Actually, we were thankful it didn't burn the house down or ruin the rest of the furnace.  The heat from the faulty motor could be felt a couple of feet from the furnace and the fix-it guy said we called him just in time.  Just in time to not freeze to death on Christmas.  Amazing to me is that it happened before Dad went to bed and I didn't have to deal with the guy by myself.   

 

The days were filled with Kismet, minions, 

 

 

Mancala, 

 

and video games.  We also played hours of Mario Kart.

 

 

Just like the cookies, Christmas 2013 is done. 

Christmas 2001

 

Playing with gifts.

 

This was a dancing tree with a face in it and it sang some Christmas song in a crazy voice.  I remember Spark couldn't watch it enough.

 

Spark (14 months), Cousin Kyle (9) and Dancer (4).

 

Playing 6-5-4.  She loved shaken' those dice then and still does!

Grandparent Christmas

 

Went to Grandpa Bob's and Grandma Shirley's last weekend to bring them plates and boxes of cookies along with a couple of gifts.  We ate Snicker's ice cream bars, helped Grandma put up a new puzzle, and ooh and aahed over their new beautiful windows.  Just before getting in the car to leave, we remembered should take a picture to commemorate the occasion. 

 

Grandma Pat and Grandpa Jerry came to our house the weekend before for a little Christmas cheer and no one thought to get a picture. 

Cookie Exchange

4-H Christmas Party

 

Gather round the tree to exchange white elephant gifts.

 

The kids had a blast with this game.  It is a gift wrapped with duct tape.  They have to wear oven mitts to open it and they only get 30 seconds to open the gift, once the 30 seconds is up it is pasted to the next person.

 

It was hard enough to get the gift open, only to find there were three more gift layers to get through until getting to the actual gift.  There was so much laughing and cheering!

 

Our KrumKake won the best decorated/presented/tasting cookie contest.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Whirls

 

This is a festive change to the much loved peanut butter cookie.

 

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

 

Cream shortening, peanut butter and sugar.  Add egg, milk and vanilla.  Stir in flour baking soda and salt.  Refrigerate for at least an hour so it is easier to handle. 

 

On floured surface roll in into a 16 inch by 12 inch rectangle.

 

Melt chocolate chips.  Spread over dough to within 1/2 inch of edges.  Tightly roll up in a log, wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate again until chocolate is hard.  Using a serrated knife, slowly (slowly is the key word here so they don't fall apart) cut into 1/4 inch slices.  Bake at 350 degrees 8-10 minutes.



Apple Walnut Cookies

 

Apple Walnut Cookies

2/3 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
2 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely diced and peeled apple
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Cream shortening and sugar.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Stir in half of the dry ingredients.  Stir in apple and walnuts.  Stir in the rest of the dry ingredients.  Bake at 375 degrees for 13-15 minutes.

Christmas Pine Swags