cinnamon ornaments

i made a decree this year (as i am apt to foolishly do) that all the ornaments on our tree would be homemade.

thus, it's december 10th, and our tree remains un-adorned.

but never fear:  the wheeler girls do have several projects in process, and we hope at least some of them make it to decorate our evergreen eventually.

up first, the cinnamon ornaments:

being the crazy, uptight, "hands-on" person/mother that i am, it's hard for me to find projects to do with my kids that i'm not all over and in their face about. as in, "no, no! not like that! there're going to be cracks! it's going to be sloppy! how old are you?? were you raised in a barn?? i'll just do it myself!" 

so....

i decided to make my own gingerbread ornaments one evening after the girls had gone to bed (that i could do myself) and then have a cinnamon soiree with the girls the next day where they could just go at it (and i could learn -- please, someone teach me! -- to relax).

it was great fun. (success!) and it turns out, summer is somewhat of a cookie rolling, cutting, excess-dough-removing prodigy (tear). and cutie-pie afton is well on her way.

recipe: 3/4 c. applesauce, 1 heaping c. cinnamon, 3 T. white glue. mix, roll, cut, and bake for 2 1/2 hours at 200 degrees and voila!

christmas cheer!