Make It Monday: Old Fashion Sugar Cookie Cut Outs

It is a must to have old fashion sugar cookie cut outs with my family. My kids want to participate in every step and it makes it a fun holiday tradition. I use my Best Royal Icing Recipe on these cookies.

Old Fashion Sugar Cookie Cut Outs
1 c. butter (softened)
1 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. baking powder
1 egg
2 ½ c. flour
1 ( 3 oz.) french vanilla instant pudding
1/4c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg, milk and vanilla to butter mixture. Mix dry ingredients together and slowly add to butter mixture. Mix well. Roll out to a half inch thick rectangle and cut out into desired shapes. Place cookies on greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Cool completely before frosting.

These were some Mustache Cookies I made for a review that I made using this recipe.

I also made Unicorn Poop Cookies with my kids. To make these cookies, just make the recipe above, then separate the dough in to 6 baggies and add coloring. Allow to chill. Roll out little "snakes". Stack one of each colored snacks on top of each other and roll together.

Green Bay Packers Loom Knit Hat

My son was willing to pose for this picture (below) for just a second because this isn't his hat. It's for a Packer fan in Wisconsin (remember, we live in Minnesota!) Since I grew up in WI and have lots of family still living there, the kids will say that the Packers are our 2nd team, the obvious first team is the Vikings.

Anyways, it is a standard loom knit hat (on the green loom) and is 9" the bottom of the brim to the last row I cast on before casting off.  I used Red Heart Super Saver green yarn (yup, still using up a skein, same skein as the Snake Scarf, but this hat finished it up!) and Loops and Thread Charisma yarn in Marigold.

I used a large Clover pom pom maker to make this pom pom on top. I doubled up the green yarn on the brim and when I got to the body of the hat I used one strand of green and one strand of the marigold.

12 Gifts of Christmas: Elegant Snowman Earrings

I didn't want something over the top and blantently snowman or anything that was a holiday cliche. I was going for elegant and something that could be worn year round with the subtle reminder of a snowman. I decided on two different styles, one using all white glass pearl beads and the other using a combination of white, pink and a grey-white glass pearl bead. You may remember the grey-white pearl beads from the drop earrings that I made myself.

Christmas in a Rusty Sleigh

Rusty Sleigh
1 oz. Amaretto
1 oz Cream de Cacao
1 oz Egg Nog

Mix together and serve over ice. Sip and Enjoy!

Fitness Friday: Take the RunnerBox Challenge

Runner tested. Runner approved. www.therunnerbox.com TAKE THE CHALLENGE:              Mark your calendar! 12/16: Run an extra mile today! 12/17: Hold a plank for at least 30 seconds!  12/18: Share a favorite motivational quote! 12/19: Workout with a friend today!  12/20: Share your 2014 New Year's Resolutions! Take a photo for "evidence" showing that you completed the challenge for the day, and share the photo on Twitter and/or Instagram! The top five participants will receive a FREE box from RunnerBox. Use hash tags: #runnerbox #sweatpink and tag @FitApproach @runnerbox in all of your Instagram photos and Twitter posts.  Use promo code SWTPNK13 for $2 off your first RunnerBox.

RSVP here!

Thrifty Thursday: Gift Packaging from Toilet Paper Tubes

These make the perfect gift packaging for small items like the jewelry I made and will show you this weekend. Guess we'll see if any of the friends above read this post and see the picture with their name on it and know they are getting some jewelry from me. LOL!  I think at least one of them I will be giving them a Christmas present either today or soon.

Start our with a paper toilet paper tube and shape it so it becomes oblong instead of a circle just by pressing down on it gently.

Then begin folding in the sides to the center as show above. You will do this on both sides and on both ends. You might need to press down on the bend to make it stay folded.

 Decorate with markers, paint, stickers or whatever you want. Or roll tube in wrapping paper before folding in sides. Tie with ribbon, which helps keep it closed.

Thrifty Thursday: Holidazzle Parade

The Holidazzle Parade is a FREE lighted holiday parade on Nicollet Mall and if you haven't heard it is the last year of the parade, which is sponsored by Target, and they have shortened their schedule so that it is only Friday and Saturday nights at 6:30pm. If memory serves me correct, the parade is about a half hour long. You have already missed the first 2 weekends, but there are still 2 more weekends to enjoy it and share this memory you may have had with your kids so they can have it as well. Or maybe it was always on your bucket list, so let's get it crossed off!