DIY: Reindeer Gift Bags

I made these cute little reindeer bags for my nanny girls school Christmas parties. We filled each reindeer with peppermints, chocolates and other fun candies! These were fun to make and less than $1 per bag including all the candy! The girls told me that the gift bags were a big hit with their classmates. I found this cute idea from Family Fun.

Instructions

1.        Use a pencil to mark a brown paper bag as shown, then cut along the solid lines to create a rounded top and 2 separate teardrop ear shapes.

2.       Fold the bag along the dotted line, then hot glue an antler (cut from brown card stock) and an ear inside the fold on each side of the bag.

3.       For the eyes, (I bought googly eyes from Micheal's craft store -- much easier than cutting out your own) glue them to the bag with a hot glue gun.

4.       Glue on a red pom-pom for a nose. Let all of the glue dry before placing a small gift inside.

***If your kids are under 10 yrs. old I'd suggest doing all the gluing yourself. You can have little one help with separating and stuffing the bags with candy.***

Homemade Gingerbread Cookies

I made these gingerbread cookies last week with my nanny kids. I love this recipe, it comes out perfectly every time.
Recipe comes from Annie's Eats.

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1½ tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
1 large egg

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices to combine; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the molasses and egg until combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place the cookie shapes onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely. Decorate as desired.

Merry Christmas Eve

Things I'm looking forward to :

Spending time with my huge family at Aunt Bonnie's house tonight.

Singing Christmas songs on the player piano.

Eating WAY too many tamales, enchiladas and Christmas goodies.

Sipping cider by the fire with my man and billions of cousins.

Giving presents, hugs n kisses

and

Celebrating the birth of Christ!

Warm, cozy wishes to you and all your loved ones.

Pictures: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

12 Delectable Holiday Desserts

Oh mama these look amazing.

Here are the best of Martha's marvelous holiday recipes.

Chocolate-Peppermint Profiteroles

Eggnog Mousse



Blood Orange Cheesecake

Almond Crunch Ice Cream Cake

Croquembouch

Hazelnut-Praline Torte

Golden Pear Cream Puffs

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Scandinavian Princess Cake

Baked Alaska with Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Ice Cream

Mascarpone Semifreddo with Cherry-Port Sauce

Pesche Con Crema (Peaches with Cream)

Cute New Years Dresses

For Love & Lemons Scarlet Dress

Zara Sequinned Dress

Rachel Gilber Addison Sequinned Cotton Mini Dress

Forever New Maya Mesh Embellished Dress

Old Wives Tale Tells All: Boy or Girl Pregnancy Predictor

This picture makes me crack up! Last week a bunch of us ladies got together for a Christmas tea party. My good friend Lyssa is expecting her first baby next summer and we thought it would be fun to google an old wives tale to predict whether she was having a baby boy or girl. We tried the test with more than one holder and the results were the same each time! A boy! And guess what...three days later when she got her ultrasound our prediction was true!

Congrats to Lyssa and Chase on their baby boy!

Here's how to do the test -- just for fun:

The ring test is a very common baby gender predictor. Hang your wedding band on a string of your hair, or on a string. Have someone stand over you and hold the ring directly over your belly. If the ring moves in a circle you are having a girl and if the ring sways back and forth you are having a boy.

DIY: Elbow Patches

Learn how to make your own elbow patches at A Beautiful Mess.