Not So Bad

I quickly learned that Ella being sick was not so bad. Our Mondays are usually really busy with her dance class, running errands, etc. But this Monday, it was nice to spend a day inside and do a Christmas craft! It was nice to slow down and enjoy the season.I had wanted to make Applesauce Ornaments with Ella and took advantage of the Colin-is-napping-and-Ella-needs-to-stay-inside rare moment. In fact, my mom had come over for the afternoon (we were supposed to have gone to her house that day to bake cookies after Ella's dance class) so I had extra help. Baking Applesauce Ornaments was such a fun activity!!

Pouring in the cinnamon

Measuring out the applesauce

Dumping it in

Patting out the dough

This was a fun way to use Mommy's super heavy marble rolling pin

Ella cut out every single ornament. She really did the entire process with minimal help; that is why I loved this activity so much. She could be so independent:)

Mommy's turn to put down the camera and help my sweet girl

All of her ornaments are ready for the oven!!

 I am including the recipe I used. I used a toothpick to make the holes for hanging the ornaments instead of a drinking straw. I also baked them in the oven on about 150 degrees for a couple of hours (I checked on them every 20 minutes) instead of letting them air dry for two days. A couple of days later, we used pearlized craft paint to add detail to our ornaments. Then Ella gave them out to family members as special handmade gifts.

Cinnamon-Applesauce Ornaments

This recipe is too simple to make only for the winter holidays
 -use it anytime or anywhere you want your house to smell warm  
and inviting.  (Note that these ornaments are not edible.)
                                                                                                                  
The ingredients 
1 cup cinnamon
3/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup white glue

How to do it
Mix all ingredients well until they form a dough. Flatten the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.  Keep in mind that the dough will be quite dry, and can be tricky to work with.

Use cookie cutters to cut out festive holiday shapes. Use a drinking straw to punch a small hole in the top of each ornament if you plan to hang them. Keep them flat and move them to a warm, dry spot for 48 hours to allow them to dry. Turn each ornament over every few hours to dry on each side.  Alternatively, put them in a warm (not hot!) oven for several hours.