I'm the type of person that, when I decide I want to do something, I want it done yesterday. I got an idea a few months ago and couldn't wait to get started. Then, life got in the way and I forgot all about it. Well, a couple of weeks ago I didn't have anything to do.....yeah right....actually, I didn't feel like folding the upteenth load of laundry and unloading the dishwasher for the bizillionth time, so I looked around for something more interesting and that's when I remembered my idea.
We have our attic access on the wall of the kids playroom. It's a big square piece that just pops off and you walk right in. My idea had been to turn it into a chalkboard. All I had to do was paint it. You can literally buy paint that turns anything into a chalkboard surface!!
Of course, I decide to do this on a day when my little shadow was in rare form...
She "helped" me tape off the edges and then "helped" some more when I pulled out the paint
We painted for the better part of the morning.

The finished product....I just love having a project!! Hmm...wonder what I can do next????

P.S. They looooove their new chalkboard!!! :)

After I finished cutting all the cookies, the troops filed back in to put icing and decorations on them. It was a messy job, but someone had to do it...
D needs the aid of his tongue for concentration...

She's not really into it...

Careful, careful..

It was very quiet in the kitchen for this...
so focused!

Let's get back to Christmas stuff, shall we? After the gingerbread, it was time for good old christmas sugar cookies. You know, make the dough, roll the dough, use all the cute cutters...RA had a good time with the few she made..

C and D took turns cutting theirs out...

While I was rolling out some dough RA kept repeating over and over, "Mama, Mama, Mama..."
I look over and..

I took this as her way of telling me she was done making cookies. So, I started to clean her up and get her down.

When I turned around to finish cutting cookies with the boys, I saw that there were no boys....I looked in the living room where all of a sudden there was a game of "football" going on...WHAT?!?!?!? Everyone deserted me and we had half a bowl of dough left!!
So you know what that meant...yep...I got to eat all the raw cookie dough!

Here's how the birthday party for Daddy began....I always hang a Happy Birthday banner up for the kids on their b-days, so I thought it would be fun to hang one for Daddy. Then one thought led to another and...BAM! Homemade Sign!!
I wrote out the letters and the boys traced them...I thought it might be too challenging for a 1st grader and
Pre-K kid to write out all those letters!!

Then, we added dots..

Next, came the cake. Rubye Ann helped with that..

Then all three joined in together to put icing on the cake. This was all they did however, because RA started to dig holes in it!!

SOMEBODY had a birthday yesterday!
We made a cake...

and a sign!

The birthday boy opened presents..

and blew out the candles!!
Nothin' like a birthday party!!!!

Time for our traditional gingerbread train. I found this idea in a magazine several years ago. We made the train that first year for our
Christmas card picture. I had no intentions of doing this every year. Well, the next year Cooper asked about it and said he wanted to do it again, so, we did. We have made it every year since 2006. In the past, I had to make the dough and that took forever. This year, I found a mix and used that instead. I think if we do it next year, I'll go back to making the dough. Reason being, this year was the worst train by far... the pieces didn't bake even and were way too soft. We usually lose the caboose after the fifth or sixth day....we lost the caboose the first day!!! I could tell a difference in the dough after I mixed it....the dough I made was very stiff and hard to mix...this stuff this year... was NOT!! Oh well, live and learn!! The boys still had fun!!
Here's D licking icing off his finger. He spent most of his time doing that...I think he would "accidently" get icing on himself just so he could lick it off!

The caboose bit the dust a few short hours after this pciture was taken!!

The big gingerbread house that the boys made was such a success, that the next week when I went to the store I got carried away and bought a different kit. This one had mini-gingerbread houses. Five, to be exact. In my mind I was seeing a whole little gingerbread scene...the big house, the little houses, the train we always do, and then some people. I was so excited. I was ASSUMING the little houses would be like the big one, pre-constructed. Well, they're weren't. I had to cut the pieces apart and then put them together. I think we only made three of the five houses because when I would cut the pieces most of them would crumble. Let me just tell you this, I will NEVER buy the mini-gingerbread house kit again....
So, here we are putting icing and decorations on three of the houses that survived....

WHAT ON EARTH WAS I THINKING???????

Now that school was out for Christmas, it was time for crafts!! Our first endeavor was a pre-constructed gingerbread house..You will notice that one certain person is not present. Well, it was nap time. She MUST have her nap or everyone is miserable...but don't fret, she got her turn with gingerbread a few days later!

Pretty good for a couple of little boys....

Ok, finally we can get back to Christmas. Here's are some from Davis' party. She made herself at home in his class too. Davis was so proud.

He let her sit in his seat and got some food for her. She wasted no time on the donut holes..

She was having so much fun walking around with Davis until she spotted HIM....and when she did, she couldn't get to me fast enough. Just what kind of evil person could scare such a sweet baby?

This one..