It's starting to SMELL a lot like Christmas!!

Yesterday was Darlings wild and crazy 2nd grade Christmas party.  They made apple cinnamon ornaments which smell FABULOUS!!  I'd forgotten I'd made these years ago when I worked in a nursing home.  Let me tell you, THAT is a story for another day... We really loved this as a nursing home activity as it helped cover the raging smell of adult diapers, I digress....

Anyway, I wanted to share because: this is a REALLY easy activity that one can do with kids without wanting to send them outside while you finish it yourself and also because it's Christmas and who doesn't want their house filled with the smell of CINNAMON?!

Go grab 5 things:

1. 1 1/2 cups of ground cinnamon

2. 1 cup of applesauce

3. 1/4 cup of white glue

4. Christmas themed cookie cutters (optional)

5. toothpicks

Mix ingredients in a bowl until it's cookie dough consistency.  Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough and start cuttin'!  Or you can free form a circle and press your child's hand into it! 

(one little note: it will make hands VERY grimy!) 

(we added  little detail with the end of the straw and a toothpick)

To add their name or the date, take a toothpick and push it straight down making the letters out of tiny dots (ha, i just typed tiny dogs!).  Speaking of dogs, you could probably push your dogs paw in it if you're "one of those people" (you know who you are, mom of 5!!).  Use a straw to make a perfect little circle for hanging!

You'll want to let these dry on wax paper for 2-3 days.  I waited a day and then moved them onto a cookie drying rack so I don't have to flip them over to dry!!  They will lighten as they dry.  Once they're dry, string a ribbon through the hole and hang them up!  Easy Peasy!

Now, of course, we could waste ANY of this dough...

and who doesn't love a good fake dog poop joke?

Have I mentioned my BA in Fine Art is now being used to form life like Yorkie dog poop?!  My parents are SO proud!!

and luckily we have the PERFECT dog to blame it on since he's been known to think he's Santa dropping presents off at our house!

We put it in the downstairs "man" bathroom.  When the Mister got home he asked Darling "Did you see what YOUR dog left outside my bathroom?".  Well since we had left it IN the bathroom and now it was outside the door we thought he REALLY HAD pooped in the house... the joke was on us too because Teddy just picked it up chewed it in 2 and dropped it outside the bathroom!  Like I said, WHO doesn't love a good Christmas poop joke?!