Monday, December 19, 2005

Gingerbread Cookies

So Mattie & I sat down tonight and made the gingerbread cookies. She recited a rhyme she said she'd heard on tv: "Children's years go flying by like cookies off a plate, so make a batch with them tonight and maybe time will wait." Or something like that. I hope she's right! We did have SUCH a good time tonight.

Cutting out the cookies went fine, but decorating was another story. I'm used to sugar cookies, just frost and sprinkle. For these we had gotten some of the frosting in the can, and a tube that was supposed to be easy. Neither one of those worked very well at all. The frosting in the can either wouldn't come out, or it came out way too fast. The frosting in the tube would not come out through the decorator tip. So finally we just put the white frosting in a plastic bag and cut the corner off to make a little hole. That method works ok until the hole gets too big.

We were using mini M&M's for eyes, and they looked like the googly eyes on a bobble head dog the girls have. When I used frosting for eyes, the poor gingerbread men either looked angry or worried. That gave us the giggles. There is nothing better than sharing a little silliness with a 6 year old.

We ate some of the cookies, but in my opinion they were dry and too chewy. Maybe I cooked them a little too long.

I think gingerbread cookies were meant to be painted and hung on the tree. Next year I'll do just that.

But for tonight, my kitchen smells yummy, and my little girl is happy. Mission accomplished.

Sunday, December 18, 2005

As long as I'm posting

For some reason this year has been the year for me to get back to some old traditions. I finally sent Christmas cards again. I meant to in 1995, I really did, but it just never happened. So then I was going to do New Year's, and then Valentine's, but I just couldn't get my act together. Incidentally, 1995 was the year my first child was born.

The baking didn't end quite so quickly, and I usually do sugar cookies if my husband doesn't get around to it first, but we have discovered that Pillsbury is easier and yummier (although some connoisseurs disagree.) But the real baking, the pumpkin bread and different kinds of cookies and carmel popcorn, etc., it just faded away gradually.

Well, I'm back. Sent out my Christmas cards by Dec. 1, to immediate family. OK, so it's Dec. 18, and the rest of the batch is still waiting to be addressed, but it's a start. And then the baking. Thursday I did pumpkin bread and mini muffins. Friday I did 4 batches of carmel popcorn. And yesterday I did oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, fudge (not "baking" but...), and gingerbread dough (still sitting in the fridge waiting to be baked, but it will be). Oh, and apple crisp. I think that was my 3rd apple crisp since Thanksgiving!

And since I was in the Christmas spirit, I updated my CD collection: Sandy Patti (ok, that one was old, but I still love it), Stephen Curtis Chapman, Mercy Me, and NewSong (that Grinch song is hilarious!)

So that's what I've been up to. Christmasing. I hope yours is merry.

I've been tagged

A-Z's of Me

A - Age: I don't do age
B - Bed size: double
C - Chore you hate: scrubbing toilets
D - Dessert you love: good chocolate
E - Essential start your day item: diet coke
F - Favorite actor(s): Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan
G - Gold or Silver: it depends
H - Height: 5'2-1/2"
I - Instruments you play: used to play trumpet & French horn
J - Job title: Actuary
K - Kids: Sarah & Mattie
L - Living arrangements: Typical family of 4, plus 3 gerbils
M - Mom's name: Betty
N - Nicknames: Spousal Unit, SB
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: No
P - Phobia: spiders, snakes and other creepy crawlies
Q - Quote you like: "Nothing is worth more than this day." --Goethe (?)
R - Right or left handed: right
S - Siblings: 4, sisters Jonna, Betsy and Cassi, one brother Tim
T - Time you woke up today: 5:30 am, on a Sunday, what's up with that?
U - Unique habit: playing with my Palm in meetings
V - Vegetable you hate: brussel sprouts, beets
W - Worst habit: procrastination
X - X-rays you've had: I don't want to talk about it
Y - Yummy food you can make: beef fajitas, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, DH's grandma's apple crisp, and carmel popcorn
Z - Zodiac Sign: Taurus, for whatever that's worth

I'll tag Karin, b/c she's the only one besides Jonna who's usually paying attention