We’ve been busy over here. Putting the finishing touches on shopping, wrapping, baking cookies, decorating gingerbread and making class treats have taken up most of the past week. That plus a few weird illnesses thrown into the mix like 2 weeks worth of giant hives for Emily (we finally figured out that Mr. Bubble was the culprit) and on and off fevers for Andrew. We seem to have this tradition that we just can’t shake. It’s not as fun as light-looking or our annual cookie painting. Rather, it involves some sort of virus that rotates through all of the Miller children the week prior to Christmas. 4 years and counting at this point… Fingers crossed that everyone is on the upswing for the next 7 days.
There was a time when my kids first entered pre-school that I would make treats for every. single. holiday. And while I enjoyed it and it was always fun it ended up becoming very time consuming and more often than not, expensive. This year I wanted to do something fun for Grace since it’s her first year in school but then my guilty conscience kicked-in and I knew I couldn’t make for one and not all three. So I needed something that wouldn’t take up too much of my time since lets face it; who has much of that to spare at this time of year? My cousin asked me to help make some treat bag toppers for her son’s class and I figured if I was making them for him, it was easy enough to make them for my kids too. Thus Operation Snowball Soup was launched. All 65 bags of it.
In the past I have made cute treat bag toppers for homemade goodies. In the year 2010 with three kids in school, I knew there was no way I was printing, cutting and folding 65 bag toppers. I opted for a simple piece of paper inside the bag. I was originally going to tie a tag onto the bag but that was still making extra work for myself. I am all about easy & simple these days. ;) This is what I came up with:
SUPPLIES PER “SOUP” MIX
one packet of hot cocoa
one mini candy cane
one Hershey kiss
a handful of mini marshmallows
clear bag*
*I like the Make ‘n Mold bags that you can find in the candy making aisles of your local craft stores. The 9″ x 4″ bags worked best for these.
Andrew was with me when we picked up our supplies (aside from the bags, all of which can be found at Target or even the drugstore). He opted for some yummy candy cane kisses.
I used to hate marshmallows but I found myself eating my fair share of these when we were assembling our bags.
Here’s our poem that we stuck in each bag. Sized at 3″ x 3 1/2″, it fit perfectly inside the bag.
Text in case you want to do a quick C&P.
SNOWBALL SOUP
Make your hot cocoa & put it in a mug,
Then add a kiss and maybe a hug.
The next thing you will do will be the trick,
Stir the soup with your peppermint stick.
But wait a minute… that’s not all.
Cover the top with some snowballs!
Now the soup is finished and you’re done,
Stir occasionally and sip, yum yum!
Remember this recipe when the
weather takes it’s toll,
And enjoy this magic soup from the North Pole!
Quick, easy, cute & festive! I assembled all of Grace’s, Andrew assembled half of his and Emily assembled all twenty-three of hers.
Other cute class treat ideas we’ve made in the past include Grinch Dust, Reindeer Nibbles, Reindeer Food (we still always plan to make these but now just for ourselves to use on Christmas Eve) and Snowman Pops.
And since I forwarded these pictures to myself from phone to MAC tonight in the hopes I’ll end up scrapping them, here are some of Buddy’s latest antics. I don’t always have time to take a ‘real’ picture but most nights I do try to take a photo with my iPhone’s hipstamatic camera.
clockwise, L-R:
1) Buddy arranges our reindeer collection by the tree and three new members mysteriously show up by morning.
2) Buddy chills in an ornamental bird cage.
3) Buddy steals my coffee and risks banishment from the house.
4) Buddy takes out lots of the kids’ books and leaves a note about the awesomeness of our reading selection.
5) We wake to find wrapping paper and bows scattered about the living room floor. Buddy wears a bow on his head for the day.
6) Buddy is found sitting in our tree wearing a new scarf. He must have been chilly when he hung those giant silver snowflakes!
Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!
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