I've really been having a lot of fun making cute Christmas-y things for gifts this year. The kids have been able to help with a couple of them, and they are really getting into it, too!
One of the gifts is this bag of hot chocolate mix, crushed peppermints, and mini marshmallows. It came out so cute! I still can't believe that I saw the same thing at Michael's, priced at $4.99!! Although mine are cuter, of course. ;-) 
These are foam sleigh ornaments (I got a kit at Hobby Lobby) that Oliver helped me make for his classmates. They're really cute, and of course we covered them with glitter glue when they were all put together! 
This last one is my favorite so far. It's so easy to make, and Oliver was able to help with every part of it (except stirring the hot candy melts).
--First, heat candy melts in the microwave (I used about half of the bag for 20 marshmallows).
--Then, stick a craft stick into a large marshmallow.
--Dip the marshmallow end into the melted candy, then dip immediately into a bowl of sprinkles.
*I cut slashes into a cardboard box so some could stand up while they hardened, but it turned out that they looked the same (and were a lot less messy and time consuming!) if you just set them sprinkle-side down on a sheet of wax paper. 
I can't recall where I found this recipe, but it is goooooooood. I made it for our Sunday school class on Saturday, and I wish I had made another one just for us!
It's a little more involved than most of the recipes I try, but well worth the time and effort.
Streusel:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup regular oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbsp pecan pieces
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp frozen OJ concentrate, thawed
1 tbsp canola oil
Cake:
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup fat free sour cream
2 cups fresh blueberries, halved
1. To prepare streusel, combine whole wheat flour, oats, brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon. Add OJ concentrate and oil, stir until crumbly.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. To prepare cake, spray a tube pan with cooking spray. Combine oil and melted butter in a medium bowl. Add sugar, vanilla, and eggs; beat with a mixer until smooth.
4. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture and sour cream to the egg mixture. Stir in blueberries.
5. Sprinkle half of streusel into the tube pan; spoon half of the batter on top. Sprinkle on the remaining streusel, then top with the remaining batter. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack, run a knife around the outside edge. Cool completely in pan.
We haven't been doing any letter lessons lately, but every couple of days Oliver gets out his dry-erase letter writing tablet and works on writing his letters. One day he even sat down and copied out all of the letters!
Last week, he was working on the letter G. He'd had some difficulty with it, because he would automatically draw a circle instead of stopping the marker to write a G properly. Well, it's hard to blame him since his first name starts with an O and that's his favorite letter to write!
On this particular day, he sat down and concentrated so hard that the marker was shaking, lol! He traced several Gs properly, and then he tried a few freehand. We were thinking of G words, and I said that gum (one of his favorite things!) starts with G. He wrote a G, then he sounded out the following 2 letters and wrote them by himself! This was only the second time that he's sounded out, spelled, and written a word by himself (not including his name!).
Can you tell that he was just a teensy bit proud of himself? :-) Good job, buddy!! 
My hubby and I decided to treat ourselves to Christmas gifts early this year (hey, we're not going to turn down a big sale!). He got a 40" flat screen TV, and I got a nice digital camera. I haven't quite figured out all of the features yet, but I've been having fun experimenting!
This morning the kids and I went on a nature walk and I took these first two pictures:
I love the fall colors!
During the kids' naptime, I played with the Smart Portrait mode, which is really cool. The camera detects a smile on the subject's face, and will automatically take a picture by itself!
So here's me (yes, I'm wearing makeup, I was bored). 
And here's my cutie pie. I think we kind of look alike. Maybe just a little. ;-)
P.S. I totally wish I had her thick, fine, stick-straight hair.
Look at that sweet baby girl!! I love her!!!!
