Gift Giving

  • Recipe: Sour Spiral Cookies

    Here was a fun recipe we made during our Christmas Baking Day on Saturday.  It was a good one to do in between recipes because several steps required some time in the refrigerator.  Although it does not take up a huge amount of room you’ll need space in your fridge and freezer to complete this recipe.  I doubled the batch so the cookies came out pretty big but they were a huge hit with everyone.  This was my favorite recipe that we made from Favorite Brand Name: Cooking for Kids, Kids’ Party Food on our Saturday baking day because it was unique and tasty.  I made my cookies with red and green spirals for the Christmas Holidays but you can do any two flavors of gelatin.  These are colorful, fun, and have a mix of sweet and sour all mixed into one delicious cookie.

    Sour Spiral Cookies

    • 1 package (18 ounces) refrigerated Sugar Cookie Dough (Here is our recipe for Sugar Cookie Dough if you need one)
    • 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons Lime flavored Gelatin (original recipe called for Blue Raspberry, I did Lime for the Christmas Holiday, however you can do any flavor)
    • 1/4 teaspoon Gel Green Food Coloring (match the color your gelatin mixture)
    • 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons Strawberry flavored Gelatin
    • 1/4 teaspoon Gel Red Food Coloring
    • All Purpose Flour

    1. Remove dough from wrapper; divide in half.  Reserve 1 dough half.  Place remaining dough half in large bowl.  Let dough stand about 10 minutes.  Add lime flavored gelatin and green food coloring to dough in bowl; beat at medium speed until well blended and evenly colored.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

    2.  Combine reserved dough half, strawberry flavored gelatin and red food coloring in large bowl.  Beat at medium speed until well blended and evenly colored.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour.

    3.  Roll green dough to a 10×6 rectangle on lightly floured waxed paper using lightly floured rolling pin.  Repeat with red dough.  Refrigerate both dough rectangles 1o minutes.

    4.  Place green dough rectangle over red dough.  Remove waxed paper from green dough.  Starting at 10 inch side, roll up jelly-roll fashion into tight log. Wrap in plastic; freeze 30 minutes.

    5.  Preheat oven to 350° F.  Grease cookie sheets.  Cut log into 1/4 inch slices.  Place on prepared cookie sheets.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are firm.  (Do not let cookies brown.) Cool on cookie sheets 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

    Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.  I doubled my batch of cookies since we were sharing them with family, friends, and neighbors.  It is a great cookie to make while you are doing other baking since it has time in the fridge and freezer.  The girls helped me make this one a little bit but with all the steps they will need to be older before doing this one on their own.  These cookies were a hit with my kids.

  • Gift Giving: Christmas Baking Day

    I spent several hours on Saturday, December 11th doing a Christmas Baking Day with Ashley from Reflecting on the Simple Things in Life making treats to give to family, friends, and neighbors.  We started about 3:30 PM and were finished around 10:30 PM that night with another hour added for cleaning and packing up the goodies.  Ashley was kind enough to open her home up so we could get the baking done. The house smelled amazing with all the delicious treats we made throughout the evening.

    Ingredients Table
    (You can tell we shop some of the same sales based on our ingredients table)

    Ashley was organized with several tables full of specific items which helped us keep the clutter off the counter tops and island as we were each working on recipes:

    • Baking Ingredients Table for the recipes we had a picked out
    • Cooking Pans, Bowls, and Utensil Table for easy access to items we need
    • Cooling and Packaging Goodies Table
    • Finished Products Table which was full of treats by the end of the evening

    We would pick out ingredients and utensils as we needed them from the necessary tables.  The goodies got bagged in between baking items.  It was a very efficient system and we were able to accomplish a lot in a relatively short amount of time plus we were able to talk, laugh and enjoy each others company in the kitchen.

    Cooking Pans, Bowls, and Utensil Table

    The kids popped in and out, occasionally helping with recipes that intrigued them.  Our husbands had fun hanging out too.  They were kind enough to pick up the pizza for us and an extra bag of powder (or confectioner’s) sugar for us at the grocery store.  Thankfully that was the only ingredient that we really seemed to go through more than expected.  We were both prepared with the ingredients and items for the day which allowed the event to go smoothly.

    Cooling and Packaging Goodies Table
    Ashley packaging the Cinnamon Rolls! Yum!
    Her smashing sticker is compliments of my daughter, Brina.

    Honestly, despite it being really busy and standing on our feet for a long period of time everything went pretty smoothly. Only one minor casualty, my small Christmas Tree cookie cutter managed to work it’s way down to the garbage disposal.  It made a loud noise when it was turned on so nothing was broken and the tree was able to be bent back into a tree like shape.  The only thing that would have made it a little more efficient would be to have two ovens but since neither of us have that we were able to work everything out fairly well.  Her oven was probably ready for a break by the end of the evening, but I am sure it felt very loved.

    Baked Goods Table
    (Starting to fill up)

    It was our desire to accomplish as much as we could in the time table allotted and we did it.  We had up to 17 recipes prepared to make for the event.  We were able to complete 12 of the recipes which is pretty amazing especially since majority of the items were baking ones and we had only one oven. I will posting the recipes for the ones that we accomplished throughout our baking adventure throughout this week.

    The following are the recipes that we accomplished that evening:

    Below is a picture of all the goodies we were able to make over the course of just a few hours.  I am thankful for the opportunity to share in this event with Ashley.  It was a lot of fun, enjoyable and rewarding.  I look forward to doing it again!

    We DID IT!
    I think we were two very tired Momma’s by the end but we had a lot of fun!

    Table full of Baked Treats to Share with Others

    It was so full we almost didn’t have enough room to squeeze everything on it!

    The recipes that we didn’t get to during our baking day I plan to make over the Holidays as well since I have all the ingredients for them already in our kitchen.   I will be posting the following recipes for you next week:

    • Chocolate Crackle Tops
    • Oreo Truffles
    • Orange Dreamsicle Cookies
    • Berry Shortbread Dreams
    • Sugar Cookies/Bears

  • Gift Giving: Baking Christmas Goodies

    It has been a busy week!  Tomorrow I am very excited to have the opportunity to get together with Ashley from Reflecting on the Simple Things in Life and cook up some yummy recipes to share with friends, family and neighbors.  It should be a lot of fun and I am sure we’ll have some funny stories to tell and pictures to share.   I have all my recipes marked and a table full of ingredients to pack.  The girls are licking their lips thinking about all the amazing goodies that are going to be created tomorrow.  They have been asking for two weeks if the “baking” day was here yet.

    Here is what we are looking forward to baking tomorrow:

    Several of the recipes I have never tried, however, they all appear to be fairly easy to make.  It will be interesting to see what we can accomplish in a few hours and if we have any hiccups along the way. No matter what happens it will be a day full of fun and memories.  Since the oven will be full of baking goodies we decided to give ourselves a break from cooking a meal for everyone and will be ordering pizza for dinner.

    While we are busy in the kitchen cooking the men will be helping entertain the kids, enjoying some time gaming together among other tasks I am sure they will be delegated to do.  They don’t get together as often now with all the busy family schedules so they are looking forward to some fun time too.   The kids are really excited about having some time to play together while we cook.  Although I have been told from my girls that they want to taste every recipe to make sure it is good before we give it to anyone else.   So now I am off to pack up the ingredients, sprinkles and all, so we can eat dinner at the table tonight.  I look forward to sharing our adventures with you next week!

  • Gift Giving: Allowing Kids to Give from the Heart

    My husband took the girls out recently to pick out gifts for my birthday.  They had a certain amount of money and found the presents with a little Daddy supervision.  They came up with practical and fun gifts which made my day.  It was sweet hearing about their adventure shopping to find the perfect gifts.

    Here is what they gave me:

    • 2 Christmas Hand Towels – practical and pretty (love them)
    • 2 Jar Candles – Vanilla Cookie and Spiced Apple (they smell awesome)
    • 2 Adorable Bars of Soap – Ice Cream Cone & Gingerbread Man (pictured above)
    • Set of Colored Pens – so I can write notes

    I think the girls were more excited than I was to celebrate my birthday and they had a lot of fun going shopping with Daddy.  It is a great opportunity to teach them about money and giving.  If you haven’t done this with your kids, even if they are little, try it!  Explain to them how much money they have (you will probably have to remind them at the store) and guide them in the choices but allow their creativity to shine through.  We typically stick to one store to make it more manageable for the girls.  They truly give from the heart and love it.

  • Gift Giving: Homemade Handprint Ornaments

    Are you looking for great gifts to give but are on a tight budget?   This is a simple recipe that uses a few items from your pantry and makes a thoughtful Christmas Gift.  Last year for Christmas gifts we made Homemade Cinnamon Handprints for Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and extended family members.  They were inexpensive, easy to do, and the girls had a lot of fun. You probably have all the ingredients already.

    Cinnamon Handprint Ornaments:

    • 2 cups Flour
    • 1 cup Salt
    • 5 teaspoons Cinnamon
    • 3/4 cup Water

    Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.  Stir in water gradually to make dough.  If it is sticking to your hands, add more flour or if it is too crumbling add more water.  Knead dough for approximately 8 minutes until smooth.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Roll out dough to desired thickness (typically between 1/4 to 3/4 inches thick).

    We used a football cookie cutter for the oval (you can use a circle or anything big enough that they can fit their hands in) than lightly floured their hands before making a slight indention on the clay.  We took a stamp and pressed their first initial in the bottom of each palm to help us remember who it belonged to.  Since my girls are twins their hand sizes are almost the same!

    After making the handprint in the clay use a straw to make a hole in the top so you can hang the ornament.

    Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hour.  (Thicker dough will take longer to bake).  They are done when the clay is dry, you notice a slight change in color.  Cool and add a ribbon of your choice!

    Optional: Once cooled you can use spray on polyurethane for extra shine.

    Ours still smell great even after a year.  We made more than one batch since we have a large family but you can do as many as you want.  With the extra dough we made Christmas ornaments so we could hang them on the tree.

  • Gift Giving: 12 Days of Christmas

    This year we decided to spread the Holiday Cheer out at our house this year by doing the 12 Days of Christmas.  Christmas morning can be so busy and this allows an opportunity to spread the fun over 12 days instead of packing everything into one day.  Starting December 13th the girls will be able to open one a day until Christmas.  The cost was less than $20 total, including boxes and wrapping paper.  Most of the gifts were bought on clearance over the past year.  We did a joint stack for both of our girls, however, you can choose to do a stack for each person.

    Here is what our 12 Days of Christmas includes:

    • Day 1:   A Labrador Puppy Christmas Ornament for each (purchased with rewards last year after Christmas on clearance).
    • Day 2: A CD with Songs and Stories – 1 on Traveling and 1 on Classical Stories and Songs (purchased with rewards in $1 section)
    • Day 3: Travel Game for 2 – Connect 4 (found on clearance at Bi-Lo for 49 cents)
    • Day 4: 4 Plastic Christmas Cups – Red with Snowmen (purchased with rewards on clearance last year)
    • Day 5: Books – 1 on “Helping Others” and 1 on “Forgiving” (purchased at Dollar Tree)
    • Day 6: Christmas Craft with Stickers (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 7: 2 Mini Mouse Candy Canes filled with Christmas Tree Candy (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 8: 2 Snowman Coloring Books and 1 Princess & 1 Cars Coloring Craft Ornaments (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 9: 2 Snowman Headbands (purchased with rewards on clearance)
    • Day 10: Rub on Color Pattern Craft (received free with a Buy 1 Get 1 Free Deal)
    • Day 11: A pair of Fuzzy Slippers for each – 1 Pink Set and 1 Purple Set. (Picked Up on Black Friday)
    • Day 12: PJs for each to wear Christmas Eve – 1 with Owls and 1 with Rockets (Picked Up on Sale and used a Coupon)

    Other Ideas for 12 Days of Christmas:

    • Hair Accessories
    • Facial Cleansers or Make Up – if you have a teenager just starting to wear makeup or want to update your collection my Mary Kay contact is doing a 12 Day of Christmas set!  If your husband is looking for something awesome to get you he may want to contact Ann too.
    • Socks or Tights
    • Chapstick
    • Socks
    • Gloves or Scarf
    • Card Game
    • Construction Paper
    • Markers or Crayons
    • Matchbox cars
    • Small Toys
    • Baby Doll Clothes
    • Christmas Underwear
    • The ideas are endless!

    I wrapped them in the original boxes or found ones around the house to put the items into.  The Christmas paper was purchased on clearance last year with rewards.  Many of the items we purchased on clearance throughout the year and / or used CVS – ECBs and Walgreens – Register Rewards.  I cannot remember the price for all the items but with the rewards it may have been under $10 out of pocket for the entire set of 12 gifts and some days had multiple items in them.  We did a joint stack for our girls to save money, however, the items we picked match their individual interests (for example the craft with one being princess and the other being cars).  When the girls walked into the room and saw the stack of gifts they were super excited.  Now they are counting down the days to Monday, December 13th to start the 12 Days of Christmas celebration.

  • Gift Giving: Need FREE Batteries?

    Are you looking for FREE batteries to go with all those great Christmas gifts you purchased?  Check out the Staples and Office Depot deal this week.  Batteries make great stocking gifts especially since so many toys and gifts use them!  Staples did this offer for several weeks last year and we stocked up on enough batteries to last almost the entire year!

    • Staples – get 100% back in Staples Rewards when you buy a 20 count of package of Duracell AA or AAA Batteries.
    • Office Depot – get 100% back in Work Life Rewards when you buy a 20 count package of Energizer AA or AAA Batteries.

    The Staples Rewards come back pretty quickly.  We don’t have an Office Depot very close to us but we have had good luck in receiving from them in the past too.  We go through a lot more batteries in our house with the kids.  Great way to stock up if you are looking at purchasing batteries anyway.

  • Gift Giving: Twice as Nice

    Buying used toys that are in good shape works well for those of us who are on a tight budget.   My girls love books and we rarely buy them new.  Same goes for toys.  If you can find good quality toys and books for an inexpensive price used why not get them as a gift for your kids.

    Recently, Goodwill did a 50% off day on everything in the store and if you got the red tag you received an additional discount.  I picked up a whole stack of books for $0.25 and some clothes (shirts, pants, skirts, dresses) for as low as $0.50.  I was thrilled because the books and clothes will make great Christmas gifts for the kids.  That day the following two purchases were the most fun:

    Princess Baby Doll Bed

    I know a little girl who will LOVE this bed for her babies!  It is in excellent condition and it only cost me $4.

    Lizard CD Holder

    The Lizard CD Holder was a lot of fun.  I have been looking for a place to put their CDs so they can access them without making a mess.  It is going to be hilarious seeing their faces when they unwrap this one.  The best part is I paid $3 for it.

    Both the Princess Baby Doll Bed and the Lizard CD Holder were a hit with several other people at the store that day too.  I was beginning to wonder if I would to make it out of the store with the two items.  I was asked how much they were numerous times, one person took them out of my basket to look at, another person told me that she needs them more then I do, and a guy tried to take them from me while I was paying.  Guess my excitement for finding the treasures made everyone else think they really were special, ha.

    If you are on a tight budget this year, check out some of the local secondhand stores.  You might just find a treasure with a bargain price tag on it that’s the perfect gift for your kids.

  • Artscow: Personalized Photo Ornaments for $1.99

    Artscow is offering personalized Christmas ornaments for $1.99 each including free shipping worldwide.  Create your own by adding your favorite photographs of the kids and family.   These are great gifts for grandparents or you can hang on them on your Christmas tree.  Offer good for one sided ornaments only.

    Coupon Code: ORNTS2010

    Expiration Date: 11/25/2010

    Terms and Conditions: No quantity limit.   Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotional offers.  ArtsCow has the right to terminate this promotion at any given time without prior notice.  Offer applies to single sided ornaments only.  In case of dispute, ArtsCow’s decision is final.

  • Twin Sisters Productions

    Our girls have enjoyed many of the Twin Sisters Productions CDs and products from the ABCs, relaxing, fun, learning languages (German & Italian) and more.  Since we have fraternal twin daughters of our own we are thrilled to support a wonderful business started by fraternal twin sisters. To get an idea of what their songs are like you can listen to them prior to purchasing.  Sing & Learn (Multipacks) by Twin Sisters Productions is a good mix that of songs that the girls have been listening to for several years even though they know their Alphabet, Numbers, and so forth.  These make great gifts for little ones that like music and they have a variety of neat products for a reasonable price.