Gingerbread House Icing Recipe + An Etsy Giveaway!

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is making gingerbread houses as a family. Jess already shared a lot of our houses from years ago - think Lord of the Rings, Nativity scenes, football stadiums. The usual type of gingerbread houses. ;)  This year was our first year doing it with Abby and it was a hit! She had a great time and is already asking if we can make another one. :)

Getting ready to decorate :)

We don't buy a kit - just use an empty milk carton and some graham crackers. We use an icing to keep it all together (it's not edible, so don't taste it!). My mom sent me the recipe we've always used, so I thought I'd share it with you all in case you want to join in the fun! Here it is:

Gingerbread House Icing

2 egg whites

2 tsp water

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

3 c powdered sugar

1. With an electric mixer, beat together egg whites, water, and cream of tartar until foamy.
2. Gradually add in powdered sugar, mixing well after each addition.
3. Mix until icing is thick.
4. Place icing in baggies (this recipe was good for 3 bags worth).

That's it! Pretty easy :) Once it's in the bag, just cut off a small bit of the corner to use it as a piping bag. We taped the milk carton onto a paper plate so it wouldn't slide around. Add the icing to the carton and a little on your graham cracker and it should stick on fine.

Here are the finished products! :) They were so proud!

Now for the giveaway portion of the post! :) We are giving away two 8x10 printables from Lilypad Printables!  Our sister Kelly has seasonal prints, quotes, Bible verses, illustrations, and hand drawn prints.  She can even customize a piece to make it perfect for you and your space.  She is very talented and her work is incredibly beautiful!

Come Let Us Adore Him Print

So Kelly, Jess, and I are giving away TWO of her 8x10 printables.  You can choose 2 different prints from the over 100 prints Kelly has in her shop Lilypad Printables.  Go check out her shop for some beautiful and inexpensive decor for your home! The prints are instant downloads, so they are great for those last minute Christmas gifts!

Please enter below to win...and good luck!  

Dream Big, Little One Print

Winner will be announced at the next Tuesday Talk on December 22nd.  The winner will receive two different 8x10 instant digital downloads of the winner's choice from Kelly at Lilypad Printables.  This giveaway is open to anyone over 18 with an email address!

Song of Solomon Print

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! Have a great Tuesday!

               

Ok, on to the Link Up!

One thing before you link up - if you want the opportunity to be featured, please make sure there is a link back to at least one of the hosts in your post, sidebar, or party page.  (You can grab the button below!)  Your lovely blog is being presented on our 13 blogs - we would love it if you would return the favor and link back to us!  Thank you!!!

Check out the Tuesday Talk guidelines here,
and check out the features from every week here!

(Starting from the upper left:)

Beth - Our Pretty Little Girls ~ Michelle - Grammie Time
Keri - Living In This Season  ~ Christina - Waltzing In Beauty
Lauren - Simply Free ~  Becky - BYBMG
Jess and Katie - Sweet Little Ones ~ Whitney - Polka Dotty Place
Laura - Life Is Beautiful ~ Elizabeth - All Kinds Of Things
Sarah - Abiding In Grace ~ Stephanie - Wife Mommy Me
Emily - Morning Motivated Mom

               

I'm linking up with these awesome parties!

An InLinkz Link-up

Preparing for Advent: Our Family's Jesse Tree (A Book Review)

I was given a copy of Our Family's Jesse Tree to review, but all opinions are my own.  This post does NOT contain affiliate links.  Please see our disclosure for more information.


Advent will be starting at the end of the month!

This year, Jim and I are planning to do a lot more to prepare ours and our kids' hearts, minds, and souls for the Birth of Christ. One thing we're really excited about is having our first Jesse Tree, and I've been given a great book to help us!

Over at Faith and Fabric, Jen has a new family craft book for Advent called Our Family's Jesse Tree.  It's filled with activities and reflections on the Jesse Tree for every day leading up to Christmas.  Each of the 25 days has an opening activity relating to that day's Bible story, how the story connects to Jesus, a call to prayer, and then a coordinating ornament. 

I'm really looking forward to going through the Bible stories, activities, and prayers together as a family everyday.  My favorite part of Our Family's Jesse Tree is that each section is completely focused on uniting the family in our Faith:

Each day starts out with an activity that is engaging and fun for the kids (and parents!) and draws everyone's attention to the Bible story.

The section about the connection between Jesus and the Bible story is easy to understand for the kids, but it still draws out rich meaning for the adults - even from stories we've heard many times before!

The prayer section is open ended - it gives you a great start and then leaves each person in the family to add their own intention.  It's perfect for teaching and guiding your children to form their own personal prayers.

I also love how the ornament crafts are so versatile!

Professional crafter?  Well, then you can sew your ornaments according to the easy-to-follow instructions with templates.

All you own are scissors and crayons?  Then, you can print out the ornament and have your child color it.

Somewhere in between?  You can use felt and fabric glue or craft foam and glue to make your ornaments each day.

There is literally something for everyone!

I am really looking forward to growing closer to God as a family by using this book to help us prepare for the Nativity of our Lord for this and every Advent!

               

Would you like to win a copy of Our Family's Jesse Tree?  

Head on over to Faith and Fabric's Facebook page and Instagram!  

She's giving away a copy from each outlet from now until November 7th! 

Or you can go ahead and click here to purchase Our Family's Jesse Tree for the sale price of $5 from now til November 7th. 

Starting on November 8th, it will return to it's regular price of $7.50.  

P.S.  I'd love to know: 
Does your family have a Jesse Tree tradition?  
What does your family do during Advent to prepare for Christmas?  


I'm linking up with these awesome parties!

Snow Ice Cream Recipe

We got 10+ inches of snow this past weekend, and then we got another 4+ inches on Wednesday.  So what can you do with all of this snow when you're stuck inside?  Make snow ice cream of course!

It's so easy too:  5 ingredients and 5 minutes is all you need.  Then, you have a fun, little treat!  (And it's not just for kids - my husband and I love it too!)

Snow Ice Cream
(Recipe from Gimme Some Oven)

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 cups (or so) fresh, clean snow
Any toppings you want!

Directions:

1.  Whisk together milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla in a large bowl.

 

2.  Add snow to mixture and stir until desired consistency.  If it's runny, add more snow!

3.  Add your toppings and enjoy eating your snow ice cream immediately (because it melts very quickly!).

Edit (2/7/15): One amazing topping is...hot chocolate mix!  We tried it the second night we made snow ice cream, and it was to die for!  Trust me, you'll love it!

Adding hot cocoa mix to the snow ice cream is the best...Mmmmmm!

We loved making (and eating!) snow ice cream last year, so after we got all of this nice, fresh snow this week, we knew we wanted to make it again.  This is becoming one of our favorite winter family traditions!

Have you made snow ice cream before?  You should try it if you haven't yet - you'll love it!

Happy Friday!

             

   

I'm linking up with these awesome parties!