Handmade by...

Thought I would share the cards that the boys made for Tim on his birthday. The first three are Toby's and the last is Asher's. Tim was very pleased and the boys were so proud.

After Thanksgiving Christmas Ornaments

After enjoying a relaxing and blessed Thanksgiving, it was time to decorate for Christmas! We have a small decorative Christmas tree that works perfectly for putting up in the playroom so the boys have their own tree to decorate, redecorate, and decorate again. They have such a good time with it! One of my favorite things about their little disheveled tree is that Toby and Asher leave "mommy's tree" in the living room alone because they know they can play all they want with theirs. The small tree was already loaded with ornaments, but Toby wanted more! We often do crafts and activities at the table in the afternoons, so I went to familyfun.com (great magazine and website!) to find an idea for an easy homemade Christmas ornament.

I chose "Pie Plate Ornaments". The idea behind them is to use the leftover pie tins from Thanksgiving to made pretty ornaments. I happened to have a tin roasting pan, so I used the flat lid. The first step was to trace a cookie cutter on to the tin and cut out the shape (I did that part). Then we embellished them with a chopstick - swirls and such. We used buttons and regular craft glue to decorate them, since that is what I had on hand. The finishing touch was a hole-punch at the top and ribbon threaded through as a hanger. They turned out so beautifully that we will be sending some along to the grandmas!

Asher did well decorating at least one star ornament, then he proceeded to put glue all over one arm and adhere buttons to himself! I didn't think to get a picture. :)