DIMyself: Ice Cream Cone Christmas Trees

Sunday the kiddos and I decorated “Christmas Tree” Ice Cream Cones. I’ve seen them all over the internet and being repinned like crazy on Pinterest. Every year, we try decorating a gingerbread house, and every year it looks like crap. I’ve never made gingerbread, so I always buy a kit, thinking it’s going to be easier.

Who am I kidding?

I have tiny kids, they can’t construct something with “icing” glue. They can barely construct something with actual glue.

I figured ice cream cones would be doable, since the project was basically like decorating a 3D cookie. (Decorating sugar cookies is something we do often in our house.) All in all, I would say the project was a success. Of course, Small’s tree looked like all the bottles of sprinkles exploded on it, but she was happy with it, and that’s all that matters.

ICE CREAM CONE CHRISTMAS TREES

This was my tree. I'm very proud of it. :)

Ingredients:

Icing--I used a basic sugar cookie icing recipe:

4 cups powdered sugar

3 Tbsps butter, softened

1 tsp Vanilla

Milk

Green Food Coloring.

*Cream together the powdered sugar and butter, stir in the Vanilla and then add enough milk to make the consistency you want. For this project, I left it a little thicker so that the candies would stick & the icing would harden a little when done.

*Then stir in the food coloring. I used about 20 drops (I wanted very green trees.)

*Note: Since we only did 3 trees, there was lots of icing left over for cookies. :)

Sugar Cones

Assorted Candies for decorating--

We used Mini M&Ms

Twizzler Pull & Peel licorice

Girl Scouts Gummi Berries

& some random Christmas themed sprinkles & sugars I always have on hand.

First: We slathered icing all over the sugar cones.

Second: We added sprinkles and candies to our hearts’ delight.

Third: We ate.

The decorating only took about 30 min after the frosting and other ingredients were assembled. Which is great for short attention spans. This is definitely a project we’ll be doing until the girls are old enough (read: coordinated enough) to attempt gingerbread houses again. Heck, we might even do it again yet this Christmas!

Have a Merry (and tasty) Christmas!

30 Days of Thanks: Day 30

I know that this is very late for 30 Days of Thanks, but it's for good (read: embarrassing) reason. It took me forever to hunt down the "appropriate" pictures to go with this post. (I still couldn't find the exact one that I was searching for.) And then, it took me another whole day to remember how to scan pictures on my printer. But, anywho, without further ado ... Day 30:

30 Days of Thanks

Day Thirty: The Thing You Are Most Thankful For

Without a doubt, I am most thankful for my mother.

And for her to feel the need to follow her dream and come to the

United States.

Some of you know that my mother was pregnant with me when she left her small village in Laos, and that I was born in a refugee camp.

(She was only 18 when she left home!)

I was 14 months old when we arrived in the US. This is the only home I’ve ever known.

I did some research when I grew a little older, and learned what my life would be like if my mother had stayed “in the old country.”

I am so thankful to have all the opportunities being in America has afforded me.

The chance to marry for love.

For a great education.

For modern conveniences.

For my children to know what a great country they were born in.

See that little boy there? Yeah, that's me at 14 mos.

They even gave me a bunch of boys' toys? WTH, guys?!

NOTE: The picture I was searching for was of my mom and me during/right after immigration. If I ever find it, I will definitely post it.