Instagram Recap

These were my Christmas packages this year. I got the great idea to combine a couple ideas I found on Pinterest. Yeah, that turned out to be way more work that I thought. They were gorgeous though. I wrapped each gift in brown kraft paper that I bought in a 30 lb. roll. I will be using this paper for the next eighty years, as I have so much of it now! Then I tied each box with burlap ribbon that is supposed to be used for wrapping tree trunks. It made a bit of a mess, but it was so cute. I have quite a bit of that left too, but not 80 years worth. I used red and white twine to secure the burlap. Then, I donned each present with the recipient's initial cut out of a page of an old book. Of course, my English major buddy tried to read her letter, filling in the missing areas with her own words.

The women in my family made Butterhorns every Christmas when I was growing up. I was jealous because they never waited until school was out. They counted the cookies, divided them equally, and fought over who got the burnt ones. My aunt always accused my other aunt of sneaking more into her bowl. When I was old enough to help, I felt like I had achieved a right of passage. When Grandma's health got bad, we quit making them. My mom & I tried a couple times on our own, but couldn't quite get it right. This year, I googled the recipe to get some better directions. It was a great idea because the cookies turned out absolutely perfect! I can't wait until I add my own daughters to this family tradition!

More Christmas cookies. I didn't even make these until after Christmas, but I couldn't allow the season to pass without my famous iced sugar cookies. AND that's why I'm so fat now. :) I also made Monster Cookies, chocolate fudge, Chocolate Crinkles, and Nutroll. (Many of these recipes can be found in my Recipes tab above.)  We had some good sweet eating during the holidays!








And, a bit more of She's craftiness. I bought a huge box of chocolate covered pretzels at Sam's Club for $9. My intention was to give the entire box to the office staff at the elementary school. When I got home, I realized how many pretzels were actually in that box. I made up a canister for the elementary school and one for the middle school. Still left with a couple dozen pretzels, I decided to wrap up 4 pretzels each for every one of the boys' middle school teachers. I don't usually buy them gifts, since they have 5 teachers each. But I had everything I needed, so I decided to be nice. I even got a hand drawn thank you card from a certain math teacher with a reindeer saying "Happy Mathmas." The crayon colored card made the whole chore worth it!

The kids really enjoyed the massive amounts of snow we received over Christmas break!  We live high on a hill with a winding driveway.  It makes for perfect sledding, as long as there is no traffic on the road.  The kids (and Grammy) took turns standing on the street, letting sledders know when the coast was clear.  I enjoyed standing at the window, warm with a cup of tea, watching them.  I don't sled.  I enjoy the use of both of my legs, thank you.