Christmas crafts

I have been rather neglectful of this blog the past few weeks. I have a list of things that I wanted to blog about but the madness of the season got to me and all the things that I wanted to blog about got left behind in the wake of the madness.

So here they are the Christmas crafts I did with the kids this month. I want a disclaimer out there that though I appear crafty, I only play one on this blog. In truth I can barely sew a straight line, wield a glue gun without burning my fingers, and drop so many knitting stitches that I have to get creative. So really these are easy crafts to do and require NO talent whatsoever.

1- Nativity Wreath

Okay so as a teacher I knew the greatness of Oriental Trading. I bought so many things from them- pencils, bouncy balls, toy cars. It is amazing what a 17 year old boy will do for a die cast car. As a mom I have found they have some great crafts for kids. We have tried several different items from them and each one has been a hit. This one I did by myself and then gave them to the kids to hang up. It was simple and easy and I only got one blister from the hot glue gun.

2- Friends gift
Another Oriental Trading find. It was a simple glue the sticks together and glue on the face. The snowman was supposed to have cheeks but I thought it was easier to put together without them. After putting them together I went to the store and found some awesome Christmas Push Pops and tied the pins on. The girls loved giving these out to their friends.

3- Chocolate Caramel Pretzels
I wanted an easy neighbor gift that the kids could help me with this year. In the past I have done fudge or caramel but both are hard to have kids help you with. So this time we went the pretzel route. The girls loved helping with these. They dipped them in the caramel then waited and dipped them in the chocolate. They also came baring sprinkles to add a bit of holiday cheer. Even James got into the fun. I was impressed that we were able to use all 5 lbs of caramel.

4- Chocolate covered Oreo's

I started making these last year and realized that I needed to get a lot better. This past Halloween I worked on my technique and started using multiple colors on the same mold to great success. This year I made these for James's preschool teachers and coupled them with a small Christmas mug and candle. These were so much fun to make and James was able to help. Expect more chocolate colored oreo's coming out of the Bradley kitchen in the coming months.

I'm going to be killed by a Christmas tree

There is a great episode of Doctor Who (remember I said I was a sci-fi junkie) in which it is Christmas and the world is dire straits. At one point a mechanically controlled Christmas tree is let loose and tries to kill the inhabitants of the flat (it is not as hooky as it sounds, I promise. Come over sometime and we will watch it, it is one of my favorite episodes). While the tree limbs are spinning around, breaking through walls and furniture, one of the characters cries out, "I'm going to be killed by a Christmas tree." I felt this way this weekend.

This weekend didn't get off to a great start, I was just grumpy from the get go. I tried to shake it off by attending a visiting teaching brunch but even the company of good women and wonderful food couldn't shake the grinchy feelings I was having. I came home a bit excited I got to have a date for the rest of the afternoon with my husband only to find the Christmas tree had toppled over in my absence. Now usually this would be something that I took a picture of and then blogged about. I was a bit to angry and sad and furious to take that picture.

Instead of the lovely afternoon date my husband and I had we ended up trying to fix the Christmas tree. There came one point where I was lying under the tree trying to get it centered in the base when I gave up. I decided that we just needed to take the tree down and cancel Christmas. Luckily my husband kept pushing. Eventually with some help from my dad we were able to get the tree back up. It is bent and the lights are a tad out of control but it worked out.

Of course with a Christmas tree toppling there were a few casualties. Below is a list of the maimed whose prognosis will be determined when I get the glue gun out this week...

Wiseman #2 (I don't know his name but it wasn't Balthasar)- decapitated. His head was recovered though.

Hermione Granger- hand and wand lost. Location of hand and wand still unknown.

Mickey and Minnie- Minnie arm broken off. Arm has been located.

Owl- one foot broken. Foot has been recovered

Cinderella- top gone. It is somewhere on the tree but location still unknown.

So yeah this year it won't be the bills that get to me. Or the crowds. Or addressing all the Christmas cards. Nope it will be the Christmas tree.

Holidays- Bring it on

Tonight after helping the kids make gingerbread sleighs we decided to indulge in a bit of a gingerbread treat. I decided to place my cookie in the milk and let it soak for a minute. I looked down and had to laugh. There was a lovely cookie looking up at me from a bath of milk.
I wasn't sure if the cookie was basking in a nice warm milk bath or trying to commit some form of cookie suicide. It reminded me a bit about the holidays. For years when I worked at Deseret Book I hated this time of year due to crabby people and the crazy amount of work there was. There was one year that was the worst. We had put in computer system the spring before and by December it still didn't well for us. I spent my days imputing internet orders by hand so people may or may not receive their order by Christmas. I spent hours upon hours at work. There was one day I pulled a 26 hour shift. I wasn't alone, there were some great women there with me. We had ten pm dance on the table time and chocolate and Diet Coke IVs. It was honestly the worst Christmas ever.

Working there I began to realize that I had to get my Christmas bought, wrapped, and under the tree by December 1st or wouldn't get done. This year I am enjoying taking my time shopping and wrapping. I feel I can write Christmas cards this year rather than just send out the family picture with a generic message. I have time to help the kids make decorations for the house and make fun Christmas treats.

I don't feel like I am in a rush and can sit back and enjoy the holidays. There maybe kids gone crazy with excitement but I can do that. So holidays- bring it on!

Oh Christmas Tree

Growing up finding a Christmas tree was the pinnacle of Thanksgiving weekend. I remember driving from one Allied tree lot to another looking for the perfect Christmas tree. This would take a full two days. Rain, snow, or sub-zero temperatures we would trudge out and drive from one end of the valley to another looking for a tree that would fit our needs.

Then came the year that for one reason or another I decided that I would start naming the trees we looked at. You have to give me a break- I was nine or ten and very silly. I named every tree I ran across that year. One of the saddest moments was when my then six-year- old brother decided that he needed to use the restroom thus ruling out Arthur as a family tree choice for the year.

As the years went by we changed our traditions. Instead of one tree we started getting three to put next to each other creating a forest. Then we started going to the forest service and cutting down our own trees. But the naming of the tree has always continued. I have cycled through many names. Names from literature, names of British monarchs, names from kids at school, and one year names from The Magic School Bus.

This year we started a new tradition. I love having a fresh cut tree in the house. Since I put the tree up so early I like having something that will last to the New Year. Christian likes the ease of going to the tree lot. This year we decided we would go to a tree farm.

This is the perfect idea for our family. It just works for us. So without further ado I introduce you to our tree...
He is a wonderful Spruce but he is a tad prickly. When I texted a picture to my dad the first thing he asked was "What's its name?"

Now here's the thing. I hadn't even thought of naming the tree yet. But my husband and kids left me alone with the tree so when they returned it did have a name. So I present to you....

Brem the Christmas tree.