The Great Debate: Daycare Holiday Gifts

For the last few weeks I have been going back and forth about what I should get the boys' daycare teachers for Christmas. They have taken such good care of them and I really wanted to give them something nice that wouldn't break the bank.

First I thought maybe we would give them Target or Caribou gift cards. But then I got to thinking we could get them a $5 Caribou one but a $5 Target one would seem silly. Or maybe a $10 Target one but they have 8 teachers combined so that would be like $80...way too much as we have already spent WAY too much this Christmas. So I went back to the Caribou but my crafty side wasn't satisfied with just giving gift cards. I really have been going back & forth...Ryan & my sister were pretty over the constant discussions about the dang gifts!

Then I remembered a blog post a friend had shared with the cutest little single serving pies in mason jars. & it was a done deal. Little cherry pies.


Of course I had to document my pie making adventure step by step. :)



I bought jelly jars but if I had planned better I think I would go for some other kind of jar that wasn't so tall and skinny. & store bought dough (because I don't make dough) and store bought filling (because it was already 7:30pm by the time we got home from the store).




So off I went...rolled out the dough and used the jar to make little circles for the bottom of the jar...

& tried to get them in the bottom as nicely as possible. This is when wider, shorter jars would have been nice...



Next, I rolled out the rest of the dough and lined the jars with it- again would have been much easier with different jars...

Then it was time for the little cutie heart cut-outs...& I didn't have a cookie cutter so I just used a knife and did the best I could...




Eeeeeh they turned out ok...




Ok so adding the tops was A LOT harder that I thought only because I tried to keep my cut-outs in the same shape. Yeah no...they ended up being circle vents. Oh well. Popped them into a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.



About halfway through I had to add foil to the top because my crusts were really starting to get brown. [don't judge my crappy cookie sheet- we are in desperate need for new ones].

& just for fun...my spoon rest. I laugh every time I see it. haha.

When I first took the pies out the cherry filling was way up over the top but as they cooled it settled.- I was freaking out that I wouldn't get the tops on.

I printed out cute little circle messages & tied them up with a ribbon.









I dropped them off this morning & they all seemed pretty excited about their little pies. Let's just hope the taste ok.... ;)