Elf on the Shelf: Sword Fight

Our Elf on the Shelf is ready to battle the nutcrackers for Hershey Kisses!  The truth is, he'll leave them when he heads to the North Pole tonight, and the kids win the chocolate.
This can easily be done with any stuffed animals (you may need a rubber band or glue dot to make the sword picks stay), army men, etc. The sword picks can be found at many grocery and any party supply stores.

Check out all of my other Elf on the Shelf ideas and printables, too!

As always, I encourage you to create some of the "super special" Elf surprises, and then trade them with your friends and neighbors so that the joy (and efforts) are shared!!!

By all means, share this, pin it, print it, blog about it, but please link back to this post. 

Polar Express themed decor

Our 1st grade team does an annual Polar Express themed party, and they make an awesome train that goes down one side of the hallway. I really wanted to dress up the other side with what might be seen out of the train windows.  A town square with a huge 3D Christmas tree, a town hall, toy store, residential neighborhood, Santa and his reindeer flying through the night, a train station with a train schedule, ticket booth, and railroad crossing. 

Pro-tip: If you can get access to a die cut machine with a 1" circle press, it is the fastest way to make all of that snow.  I love my Cricut and Silhouette, but I use several layers of paper at a time with the die cutter.

Elf on the Shelf: Elf-sized Igloo

A clean milk carton, clear plastic cup, about 100 cotton balls, hot glue and a strand of Christmas lights made this Elf Igloo a huge hit in our house!!! Even my husband loves the igloo!
I cut the bottom 3-5" off the milk jug, removed the lid (because it wasn't clear), and created a "door" for the clear (bottom removed and cut/trimmed to fit) plastic cup to fit. I hot glued the cup to the jug, and then went to town with hot glue and cotton balls.  I doubled up with cotton balls in the depressions in the jug near the handle. I tucked a strand of lights inside, and our Elf is nestled inside.
The project took about 30 minutes to complete; just be careful with the hot glue!

Check out all of my other Elf on the Shelf ideas and printables, too!

As always, I encourage you to create some of the "super special" Elf surprises, and then trade them with your friends and neighbors so that the joy (and efforts) are shared!!!

By all means, share this, pin it, print it, blog about it, but please link back to this post.

The VERY Best Gluten Free Waffles Ever (recipe)

After our family went Gluten-Free, our kids really missed simple treats (that were still only very occasional for our family) like waffles.  My waffle recipe below is sweet enough that you really don't need syrup!  You could certainly cut the sugar if you *need* syrup, confectioner sugar, or whipped cream.  Personally, I love these gems with some fresh fruit.  They have the perfect crunchy exterior with the soft fluffy middle.  They do work better in waffle irons that are "thicker" (like Belgian), but I've made them in a super thin waffle iron (almost the thickness of a pancake) and had RAVE reviews and repeated requests for the recipe.  Truth be told, this recipe came about in a search for a great waffle for Chicken & Waffles.  So...here they are, the VERY Best Gluten Free Waffles Ever. 
(I often double this recipe and make some to freeze for lunches and snacks.)

Ingredients

• 2 cups Pamela's Artisan all-purpose flour (not an affiliate of LaIS)
• 3/4 cup (scant) granulated sugar (If you want a less sweet waffle that is able to "take" syrup, try 1/3-1/2 C sugar.)
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs, whites and yolks separated
• 1  1/2 C milk
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted OR coconut oil (and I LOVE it if the coconut oil still has the coconut flavor for these waffles.)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons clear Mexican vanilla (I use Danncy's - not an affiliate of LaIS)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. Place flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt into a large mixing bowl, stir to combine.
3. Place egg whites into a medium mixing bowl, whisk continuously until stiff peaks form.
4. Place milk, lemon juice, melted butter, Mexican vanilla and egg yolks into a large bowl, whisk to combine then slowly stir into dry ingredients. Once combined, fold in egg whites until just combined.
5. Scoop 1/2 cup of batter and place into center of waffle iron, close lid and let cook until steam subsides and waffle is golden and crisp. Remove hot waffles and place on cooling rack. Continue cooking waffles until all batter is used.
6. To serve, place waffles onto serving plates, top with fruit of choice and toppings.

Freaking amazing.  I made 2 batches tonight. 

Elf on the Shelf: Angry Birds - Angry Elf? - FREE Printable

Buddy Kringle isn't actually angry at all, but he took some inspiration from Angry Birds and used our Jenga game and a slingshot to create his own fun with marshmallows and some Gingerbread friends.
You can print my Green Elf Pig targets HERE.

Check out all of my other Elf on the Shelf ideas and printables, too!

As always, I encourage you to create some of the "super special" Elf surprises, and then trade them with your friends and neighbors so that the joy (and efforts) are shared!!!

By all means, share this, pin it, print it, blog about it, but please link back to this post. 

You can purchase all of my Elf on the Shelf printables in the store to the right for easy and immediate download.

Elf hat graphic courtesy of Creative Clips http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/krista-wallden.