Posted by Cindy on December 15, 2008
Here’s one of my favorite and super-easy Christmas sweets.
Pretzel and Nut Bark
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup thin pretzels broken into small chunks
2/4 cup salted nuts of any kind (I use mixed nuts)
1/3 cup white chocolate chips or almond bark
2 Tablespoons (more or less) of Christmas colored sprinkles (any style)
Line 13×9″ pan with foil so that the foil hangs over the edges. In a large bowl, microwave the semisweet chocolate chips 1-2 minutes. (Stir the chips after one minute, microwave in 30 second increments until chips are melted.) Stir in pretzels and nuts. Spread in pan.
In a smaller bowl, microwave the white chocolate chips or almond bark for 1 minute or until melted. Place melted chocolate in a plastic ziptop baggie. Snip the corner and squeeze the chocolate over the bark in the pan. Lightly cover with sprinkles. Chill for about 1 hour (until firm).
Lift the bark out by the foil, then peel the foil away. Break the bark into pieces. Keep chilled until ready to eat.
Posted by Cindy on December 12, 2008
We’ve made oodles of cookies and sweets this year – many of them the old standby recipes like peanut butter fudge, chocolate chip cookies and magic cookie bars.
I thought I’d share one of my favorite indulgences this time of year that’s maybe not so ordinary, but very easy.
Cream Cheese Cookies
1/2 pound butter, softened
1 package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup chopped nuts (I prefer pecans)
2 cups flour
Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar. Stir in vanilla, flour and nuts. Roll in a damp cloth (or waxed paper) and place in refrigerator for at least a couple of hours. Slice thin (about 1/4″) and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or just until edges begin to brown.
For what it’s worth, these freeze well and taste just as good frozen as fresh! 
Posted by Cindy on December 11, 2008
Our “math break” continues to bring lively and rich lessons! One of the projects from Hardhatting in a Geo-World
concerned bridge construction. We had to make six different bridges and test their strength.
After completing the activity and filling in the chart provided, I had the kiddos show their findings with homemade graphs.
The book talked a little about why some bridges were stronger than others, but we wanted to know more. I found this very cool site linked from THINK’s blog.
We also decided to complete her Bridge Challenge.
Caleb’s first attempt (not so strong.)
Caleb’s second attempt (much stronger.)
Mahayla’s bridge.
Tomorrow – we’re off to do some Christmas problem solving! You can find some links here. Happy Christmas learning!
Posted by Cindy on December 9, 2008
This was our second week studying nativities of various artists. After seeing this great art project at That Artist Woman, I just knew it would be perfect for our study.
Here are our attempts at nativity silhouettes as we listened to Handel’s “Messiah”.
Posted by Cindy on December 7, 2008
He’s almost two. I guess I should’ve expected it. Eli is no longer a baby. Watch the video to see what I mean. Yes, many bittersweet moments…
