We had our annual cookie baking marathon last night. Last year we made 136 dozen cookies. This year we had a goal of 150. I thought this was insane, it is really hard to add that many more cookies.

Well, not only did we meet that goal - we SHATTERED it.

This year, we made 2085 cookies. Um, that is over 173 dozen cookies. Now, a lot of those were the "spritz" cookies, which makes a lot. But, still - so many!

At the end of the day, we made 17 trays, 11 square boxes, 8 small plastic buckets, and 5 large buckets. Plus, of course just what each of us grabs to bring home to our own houses. And, and the end of the night - there were still tons of cookies that had not made it onto a plate or tray.

I will add the ingrediant list soon - just easier to have everything in one place. But, for now - here is what we made. No real order, just how they were made. We made a lot of varieties of chocolate chip. Each count may include several batches. Feel free to check my math :)

They get counted as they come out of the oven. So, things jump all over the place lol

Cherry Chocolate Chip - 88
Red Sugar Cookies - 30
Chocolate Cherry White Chip - 55
White Chip Peacan Chocolate Cookie - 26
Non-Pariel Sugar Cookie - 64
Peanut Butter Cup/ Peanut Butter Cookie - 53
Sugar Cookie - 30
Reeces Pieces Chocolate Cookie - 72
PB&J Cookie - 44
Thumbprint Cookie - 87
Peanut Butter Blossom - 39
Oatmeal Raisinette - 116
Peanut Butter Cookie - 48
Chocolate Chip - 75
Butterscotch Chocolate Chip - 63
Green Sugar Cookies - 39
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie - 77
Chocolate Chip Rice Crispy - 170
M&M Chocolate Chip - 63
Spritz Cookie - 106
Andes Candies Cookies - 40
Chocolate Chip - 24
Green Sugar Cookie - 34
Green / Red Spirial - 30
Spritz - 108
Flower Spritz - 22
Chocolate Chip Raisinette - 24
Cranberry Shortbread - 12
Chocolate Chip - 47
Chocolate Peanut Butter - 7
Oatmeal - 60
Chocolate Chip - 63
Chocolate Chip - 9
Cranberry Shortbread - 36
Spritz - 67
Chocolate Peanute Butter Chip - 15
Sugar Cookie - 12
Oatmeal - 14
Thumbprint - 48
Cinnamon Spirial - 36
Cream Cheese Spirial - 32

Like I said - I will add the list of all the supplies soon - just waiting to get a full list from everyone.

And, here are just some notes for myself for reference:

~ I got there at 8am, the sisters were already there (arrived around 7:30)
~ The last batch of dough was made at 3:30 (LOTS in the fridge, lots of backup)
~ The last batch went in the oven at 7:00
~ I started making baskets at 5:00 - did not finish until almost 8

I want to share craftiness

I want to share what I have been working on, but can't LOL

I wanted to make a bunch of gifts this year, in addition to any gifts that I purchase. I have been busy!

I still have lots to do, and it seems like I am running out of time.

Can't wait to share

Allergic to Peanuts

Elsie has had reactions to eggs and to peanut butter. Obviously, after she had the first reaction, I didn't give it to her anymore. But, I really wanted to know for sure if she was actually allergic to them.

We changed insurance, and bla bla bla, but we finally went. I was actually surprised that they did not test for many things - ONLY what we already knew she had reactions to.

Anyway, this pic was taken about 1 minute after the start of the scratch test. She had a mild reaction to the egg, but a large reaction to the peanuts.

The reaction got much worse - but she would not sit still for a second for me to get a non-blurry pic.

We went and got additional blood work to check levels and were given an Rx for an epipen. Fun times.

gotta love the back rolls lol

Yo Yo Christmas Tree Ornament

How cute is this - I made a Christmas Tree Ornament out of fabric Yo Yos. It was time consuming, but the end result came out really cute.

I will post a tutorial soon!

Getting a special visitor tonight

Justin lost his first tooth. Guess the tooth fairy will be coming tonight. I hope she doesn't wake up the rest of the kids when she walks on the super creaky floor lol.

This tooth has been loose for a LONG time. I really thought for sure it would have been out weeks ago. I told him that if it was still there that I would have my dad pop it out.

Casual Christmas Outfits

I made some casual outfits for the girls. They will wear them to see Santa, and then some of our christmas parties.

I will share a tutorial soon. The skirts are really easy and the shirts are just an applique, which I will also do a turorial soon.

i hope to see the jolly man this week. So, I will post action shots in the outfits soon :)

Measurements for Girls Skirts and Pants

I have googled the measurements for girls skirts so many times that I figured I would just add it here so it is easier for me to find.

These are the averages of measurements that I found over and over.  I have used many sources and my own experience to create this chart.  The waist is the actual waist size, I cut my elastic about 1/2 inch smaller, and then overlap to sew about 1-1.5 inches.  The waist is not too tight but totally not falling down.  Plus, it gives it a lot of room to grow.  The length is to the knee.  Remember, this is the FINISHED length - so depending on how you make your seams, you will have to add inches to your pattern for the bottom hem, and the top casing for the elastic.

For me, I like to cut my fabric about 1.5-2 times the waist size.  This makes a size full skirt without being too poofy.



I can tell you that these sizes are pretty accurate based on my girls.

*Actual waist size, I cut elastic 1/2 inch shorted than the listed size, then overlap about an inch

** FINISHED length - add additional inches for bottom hem, and top casing for elastic.

Here are some skirts using these measurements

And, when making a tiered skirt - I like to use this calculator to figure out the measurements for each tier. But, you can also just use a multiplier of 1.5 for each row.