Friday, October 28, 2011

Tagging our Christmas Tree

The years that we can fit it into our schedule we like to tag our own Christmas Tree.. surprisingly there aren't very many places around to cut your own tree, never mind pick it out early and tag it to cut down early!  Unfortunately they are only open for two weekends in October for tagging, one of which is Head of the Charles weekend which is generally very busy for us!  So mother nature has to cooperate with us for the other weekend.  This year we lucked out with great weather, and a soccer schedule that allowed us to fit in the tagging between games!  yikes!

Tagging your tree is an event in itself!  You bring decorations to decorate your tree so that everyone knows it is no longer for the taking!!  This year we (okay I!) decided to make birdseed ornaments with the kids!  I found a recipe on-line and we got to it!


We pressed the concoction into cookie cutter to make shapes and poked a hole to tie a string once they dried.





Our masterpieces drying... 

The morning before we left we released the ornaments from the cutters and tied strings on... unfortunately most of the ornaments crumbled!! I later looked up more ornament recipes and found most of them had one key ingredient... gelatin!  Of course I picked the one without it :(  But we did have a few that made it.. and the rest we just scattered over the branches.  I am sure the birds will appreciate it no matter what form it is in!

Caden scopes out a prospective tree...

Cora gets tired of trudging through the tree farm

Cole and Cora really loved this Charlie Brown tree... but unfortunately it does not meet our height requirements :)

We found our tree.. and the kids fought over who would spiral the tagging ribbon around the tree

We decorated the tree with the few ornaments that survived the journey.






Here is one of the ornaments that made it, and then there is what the rest looked like!

Our Tree!  Unfortunately with very few ornaments. next year we'll have to make it spectacular!

On the way back to the farm stand for lunch Cole decided he wanted me to take pictures of him!  I've never denied anyone this request!


Some fall foliage to affirm that it is not Christmas time yet.. thank goodness!!

Recipe for Birdseed Ornaments! (These ones shouldn't crumble as it is a different recipe than the one I used)

Homemade Birdseed Ornaments

4 cups Birdseed
3/4 cup Flour
1/2 cup Hot Water
1 pkg unflavored gelatin
3 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup

 
1. Mix the birdseed and the flour in a large mixing bowl.
2. Heat the water in the microwave (you want it hot enough to dissolve the gelatin).
3. Pour the packet of gelatin into the hot water and stir to dissolve.
4. Add the 3 tablespoons of corn syrup to the gelatin mixture (I did all this right in the measuring cup)
5. Pour the gelatin mixture into the bowl of birdseed and flour.

6. Stir until everything is well mixed.

 7. Scoop some of the birdseed into each section of a cupcake tin. (or cookie cutter... or whatever you are using for a mold) Use the handle of a wooden spoon to make a hole in each of the sections. This will allow you to put a string through the birdseed ornament for hanging.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Beautiful photos! I love that Cole asked to have his picture taken.

Ethan & I were just talking about how one of these years we would like to tag a tree. We always think of it when it's too late!