Rolling in dough

We spend a lot of time indoors. I know we should get out more, but lugging two kids around by myself is kinda hard. Don't judge me! I feel super guilty about it. Lilly loves getting out and so do I... but we live upstairs and I am weak and carrying these two, a diaper bag and a carseat is crazy difficult. I'm getting better at it, but some days, I would rather stay inside our apartment coloring or doing puzzles or baking cookies. In sweatpants. I'm the laziest person alive.

Anyway, that whole paragraph was just my way of telling you that I like doing crafts. Lilly does to. The other day I was trying to think of something awesome for us to do when it hit me... homemade Christmas ornaments! I didn't have anything fancy to work with, but I knew I had flour and water. Of course! Homemade clay! Every kindergarten teacher's secret weapon! I immediately began searching for a simple recipe and I found this: 4 cups flour + 1 cup salt + 1.5 cups water = clay! Easy peasy. You just mix it all up, knead for 15 minutes or so and then start creating. We used a rolling pin, our hands and a few cookie cutters.

 

Lilly thought it was hilarious when she accidentally hit me in the head with the rolling pin. So hilarious in fact, that she had to do it ten more times.

I made handprints of both of the wubbies. We also made bats and a spider web. That's just the kind of family we are.

Once we finished playing with the dough, we let it bake at 300 degrees. I checked on it after about 30 minutes and it still had a way to go, so I baked it for another 30 minutes and then I let it sit out over night. It hardens as it cools.

Fun story alert: As the ornaments baked, I went to change Addie's diaper and I left Lilly at the table snacking on a cookie. I went to check on her and found that she had rolled the extra crumbly shortbread cookie up in her shirt. She thought it was the best thing ever. When she stood up, a million crumbs fell out of her shirt and all over the floor. "Mess! Mess? Messssss...." she started crying. Haha. I told her it was fine and I would clean it all up. Now, this kid is scared to death of the vacuum. We bought a pair of noise-cancelling headphones for her to wear when we take her to shows but they are now her official protection against the villainous vacuum.

She wasn't too psyched about the vacuum break or her wardrobe change. Anyhow, she recovered and the next day we painted our ornaments.

Squeee!!! Have you ever seen a handprint that adorable?! Best ornaments ever? You know it.