I hope everyone had a Very Merry Christmas!  We celebrated a couple of days before Christmas with our kids since we rotate each year so they will have time to celebrate on Christmas with their in-laws.  I am grateful that we did since we had a Nor'easter on Christmas Day!

I did want to share the Birthday card I made for my brother-in-law! I saw this on Pinterest and had to copy it for him since he is so handy around the house.  My sister, Connie, always has him doing projects around their house.  I thought this card was perfect for Russ!

The picture below is another picture of our Christmas cards this year! It is a diorama card that is much fun to make!  Each card was a little different.  I showed some others in a previous post. 

My husband and I have decided to spend some time in Florida this year.  We are very grateful that one of our kids can stay in our house to watch and make sure all is well.  I have to say I was a little hesitant with the idea of going but I am up for it now.   The temperature is supposed to be below zero with the wind chill for the next week!  Florida here we come!  I do plan on posting on my blog from Florida since we will be taking our laptop with us.  I am also bringing some "stuff" from my craft room!  I thought I would end this post with some of my favorite pictures from Christmas!  Hope everyone has a very Happy New Year!

Making Clam Dip with Papa

Our Grandkids!  They get along so well!

Everett & Mom

Ezra and Papa snowblowing!

                                                                                                                 

Christmas Cookies

This year I am trying my hand at decorating Christmas Cookies!  I love practicing all the different designs.  The snowflake cookies above are Stain Glass cookies.  You can put Jolly Roger candies in the middle and once cooked - they melt into a stain glass look.  

The cookies are iced with Royal Icing.  Such fun to pipe the outline and then flood the centers.  I used red sprinkles on the stockings since I couldn't quite get a really red color from the food coloring.  The sprinkles really covered the cookie well. 

The Santa cookies are my favorite.  I love the size and their shape.  

I really need to practice on the design for the Santa!   You can see... I forgot the eyebrows!  I think this is going to become a fun hobby!  My husband likes it because he gets homemade cookies!

I thought I would share a couple of Christmas decorations we have at our house. We put the stockings up every year.  This year the kids are coming the Saturday before Christmas so I have to get going on my gift wrapping.  Next year we will have them on Christmas Day!

This is what you see as you enter the house.  

I just love Nutcrackers!  This is in the entry way too!

Here is the decoration on our front porch!  You can't tell from this picture- but we have lights strung on the ladder so you can see it at night. 

My hubby cut up the birch logs that fell in our woods in the last wind storm.  I love how this centerpiece came out.  They look fabulous at night with the tea lights on.  I am going to make another batch of Christmas cookies for Christmas day and finish wrapping our gifts.  I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!

Mini Coffee Cup Tote

I love Dawn's tutorial for the Mini Coffee Cup tote!   I made these at Halloween and my friends loved them.  So I thought I would make some for Christmas!  They hold a good amount of candy or you can fill it with a cocoa packet and some marshmallows.

You can see from the picture I made a few!  I thought my former co-workers would like them and our hairdresser and well just about anyone!

I made some with big bows on the top.  There are a couple that are just totes and don't have any bows.  I really love making these too!!

Dawn does a fabulous job of explaining how to make these totes!  Here is her link-

https://dawnsstampingthoughts.net/2017/08/double-mini-coffee-cup-holder-video.html

Still working on projects for our Christmas stockings.  I will have to post pictures when those are done.  We had our first snowfall today.   !  It is so pretty - I don't even mind it.  Have a fabulous afternoon!