Whole Wheat Crackers

Somehow I thought this would be harder than it was. I dreaded trying to make my own crackers thinking that there was some hidden complication or reason not to. This recipe is so easy to make, granted it takes a little time and patients to roll out the dough between the waxed paper, but very much worth it. I was willing to follow the recipe and add butter, but did not have any. So I used applesauce instead and added a Tbsp. of Olivio. When the first batch was done, I called out my taste testers and they emptied the pan. I had to use force to keep them away from the rest so that I had some to go with dinner, which was homemade chicken noodle soup. I made some plain (with a little salt) and sprinkled some with caraway seeds and basil. All were delicious.

More Rice bags

Once again, rice bags were at the top of everybodies list for Christmas. I can not seem to make enough of them. I believe I have forgotten who has recieve one and who has not, I should really keep a list. Although I dont believe I would ever get a complaint about seconds on this one.

Pointsettas

I can't take credit for this idea, I found it on the internet. We made them with the little buggers at pre-school. They painted the coffee filters with watercolor, and due to multiple snowdays I had to bring them home and finish them. There is a bead in the middle and a pipecleaner to attach it to a clothspin. I couldnt help myself, they were so cute I clipped them to a basket and used them for a temporary centerpiece.

Sign your Name?

In my quest to make cool Christmas presents that are cheap, useful and Wanted...... I decided to make Signs. I used old wooden pickets and cut out letters that I printed on sticker paper , used a little spray paint, sandpaper, fabric scraps, elbow grease and Ta-Da! Presents for all of my co-workers.

Crunchy the Otter....

My daughter requested a new cornbag for Christmas this year, her old one is getting stinky :( She also has a new found love of otters. So I decided to kill two birds with one stone. I call this little guy "Crunchy" because thats the sound he makes when you hold him. He is sure to keep her warm and happy.

Re-inventing the Christmas Cookie

This is experiment #1 in re-inventing Christmas cookies at my home this year. I used my Grandmothers basic cut-out cookie recipe and substituted Whole Wheat flour for the White and I substituted half of the butter that it called for with applesauce. The dough and the cookie had the same flavor as the "untouched" recipe just more texture, well worth the convertion. The thought of bringing any of that evil white refined sugar into the house did not appeal to me so I decided to try a differant kind of "frosting". I pureed frozen cherries in my blender with a small amount of the slightly lesser evil brown sugar and smoothed it on my creation, grated a little Chocolate on top and Wa-La. Okay, so it doesnt taste completely like the old Christmas cookie Grandma used to make, but since Grandpa died of an artery clogging stroke and Grandma's in the nursing home with alzhiemers, maybe it is okay to rethink how we feed our families. I think Grandma would approve! Change is never easy.....but I am willing to try. P.S. the family loves the cookies.

Donkey Ornaments-Hee Haw

This was kind of an off the cuff project. The best kind in my opinion :) In the process of coming up with a nativity project for the wee ones I came across a great donkey ornament and decided to have a try at making my own. This is my version of Mary's donkey, much cleaner than the one that she had to ride. Could you imagine, riding a donkey while you were pregnant? Not to mention the dirty stable birth and all. I used fleece for the donkey, very easy and as luck would have it I had a great wool skirt waiting to be cut up into little tiny blankets. Note to self, save , save , save those hand-me-down-come-my-way-free-cloths! The skirt was far to short for anyone to ever wear anyway. Re-purpose

Cloth Napkins

I have a new blog I have been following sewmamasew.blogspot.com and found this great idea under their eco-friendly Christmas Gifts. I loved making these, I made two sets for my secret sister and can't wait to have some extra time to make some for myself.
Napkin Set Tutorial http://http//angharadhandmade.blogspot.com/2008/04/napkin-set-tutorial_06.html