Easy Teacher Gifts in Jars

*mason jars*

*fabric*

*string*

*gift tags*

*& some kind of sweet treat*

{like Chex Mix Muddy Buddies}

 *quick, easy, inexpensive, and SUPER cute*

Snowman Waffles

I pulled out my waffle maker this weekend and whipped up some fun and easy waffles to help get us in the Christmas spirit! I've made waffles for almost every other holiday there is, so I figured it was time to make some for Christmas too! These waffles would be so fun for Christmas morning or even for dinner on Christmas Eve if you don't have big family plans! And the wonderful thing about these cute Snowman Waffles is that you can even use a little help from the store and use frozen waffles instead of making them homemade!

 I started with a stack of three warm and yummy waffles.

 I got out my sifter and my {huge seven pound} bag of confectioners sugar.

 I simply laid the waffles out to look like a snowman and then dusting them liberally with the confectioners sugar.

 After your snowman is all covered with snow, all that's left is to decorate him!

 a couple of chocolate pieces for buttons

Twizzlers for his mouth and scarf

an orange Tootsie Roll for his nose

Banana slices with Sixlets for his eyes

I just used the candy that we had on hand...mostly stuff from the Christmas parade that we went to a few weeks ago! The fun thing about this snowman is that you can pull out all your leftover gingerbread house decorations {or parade candy} and let your kiddos use their imagination to make Mr. {or Mrs.} Snowman anyway they want!

Linking up here..

Tatertots and Jello

Serenity Now

Someday Crafts

Skip to my Lou

Thoughts about Friday

I worked on a couple different projects this weekend...and I had intended to share one of them with you this morning. But when I opened up my blogger dashboard, I saw that quite a few bloggers are taking the day to remember the victims of the horrible event that took place in Connecticut on Friday...so I decided to share my thoughts and feelings instead of a crafty post today. 

When I first heard the news, I was mostly in shock that another shooting had taken place. It seems like this kind of stuff is happening more and more often lately! I {probably like most of you} started trying to find out a little bit of information and completely forgot what had and was going on during the day for me. I read, and tried to hold back tears thinking of all the innocent lives that were lost in just a few minutes. So unthinkable!

It also made me think of my own kids...made me wonder if it was possible that something like this could happen to them. Because you know that not a single parent in Newtown ever in a million years thought that something like this would happen to their kids, their school, their community! I went on about my day with a heavy heart. 

The strange things is, I was at Grant's school at almost the exact same time that these horrible things were happening, and it took me almost two days to realize it. I don't know why...maybe I was blocking out the what ifs. Because really what if...what if this had happened at my kids' school. What if I had been at their school working on a fun activity with Grant's WINGS class just like I was on Friday. What if some crazed man came into the school with a gun. It's hard to think about the what ifs.

I just happened to be at the school that day, but my mind keeps going back to all the teachers that are at school everyday. I know that their minds must be full of what ifs. Because you really don't know how you would react in a situation so terrible. I am heartbroken to hear about the teachers who lost their lives trying to save their students, but I am also so proud of them! To know that they were willing to lose their lives for their students makes me smile, even though I'm crying that they had to make that terrible choice.

I will be thinking and praying for the families that lost their precious children this week as they have to do what no parent ever wants to do.  

**I'll leave you with a few pictures of what I was doing on Friday: making marshmallow snowmen with Grant's WINGS class. Oblivious to the evil things that were going on...just enjoying spending time with some really smart and sweet kids!**