Did Someone Say Cookie?

The Advent made me do it.
Honestly it wasn't my idea to have 10 kids decorate Christmas cookies. 
With sprinkles.
That's right, sprinkles.
But, the Advent calendar said to invite friends over for a Christmas tea.  Well, since kids don't typically drink tea (I blame it on us not being English), I thought we probably needed to have an activity. 
What can you do with kids that is fun and festive?
Well, decorate cookies of course!

So the day before all the friends were to come over I whipped up a couple batches of cutout cookies.  We like ginger bread and sugar in this house. I went on Pinterest to find some new recipe's. I am always looking for that perfect one that will become the traditional holiday recipe. 

You can find the recipe for the sugar cookies here.  I really like this recipe.  The dough was really easy to work with, rolled out well, baked well, and tasted good! I added a tsp of almond extract to the dough for a little added flavor.  I would definitely use this recipe again.

The ginger bread recipe can be found here.  Hunky Hubby is the Ginger bread connoisseur around this house.  He gives this recipe a thumbs up.  It also was very easy to work with and roll out. 

But this story isn't really about the cookies.  It's about the decorating! 

Frosting is always a challenge.  I really like to pipe the frosting on the cookies.  It gives you more control and enables more elaborate designs.  So, I thought we'd pipe the frosting.  

However, I forgot to give the kids a class on how to hold the frosting bags.  After all, when I asked them if they knew what they were doing they all said that they knew how to pipe frosting! Well, we ended up with a few messes like this:

In case you were wondering, the frosting is not supposed to be oozing out the top like that.  One of the bags actually popped and oozed 'cookie monster' blue frosting all over the plate Wyat was decorating his cookies on.  Thanks to the Mommas that were here, we got the messes cleaned up and decided to ditch the piping method and just let the kids have at it with butter knives.

There was much merry making and I even heard a kid or two say "I'm never going to forget this!" Does it matter if they said it after the frosting explosion? 

Cookies were frosted, sprinkled, and eaten.  I even offered them tea! They had hot cocoa instead.

These girls were cookie decorating diva's.  They decorated at least 2 dozen cookies apiece.  I gotta get me a couple girls! 

My sons only decorated enough cookies to eat before they went outside to play. 

And the results of all that frosting and sprinkling? 

Beautiful, creative, cookie masterpieces.

Now now, I don't want to discount the boys in this group.  They did a fine job too. 

One of them came back inside and started decorating again, sprinkling away to his hearts content.  In fact it's hard to find the cookie underneath all those sprinkles! 

It really was a fun time.  

The kids had fun, which was my goal, and the moms had fun, even with the messes. 

My only regret is that we couldn't have all our friends over to decorate cookies.  

But come on people, I am not a saint!

Didn't you hear me say sprinkles! 

(did you know dogs don't lick sprinkles up off the floor? How annoying!)

We were able to send plenty of cookies home with our friends.  And we still have plenty of cookies left to eat! I have a couple of volunteers to help with that. 

We just might have to make this a holiday tradition.  As long as I mentally prepared for the chaos and mess before hand, I was able to handle everything that came our way.  Although, I wouldn't have wanted to do it without the help of my fellow moms. 

Maybe you would like to host a cookie decorating party of your own?  It doesn't take much, just some cookies, frosting, and friends. 

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Goodies

Here's a question I'd like to hear a few more people's opinions on:
What's your take on all the sweets and treats made throughout the holidays?
Are you crazy for them or do they make you crazy?

They make me crazy.  The holidays already feel so full and rushed.  I like to bake, but everywhere you go, there are cookies!
How are you supposed to keep from gaining 10 pounds in the month of December when there is chocolate and sugar everywhere! 

I'm fairly certain that if I didn't have children, I wouldn't make any treats for the holidays. Why go through all that work when you know you'll end up with a pile of goodies you didn't have to make by the end of the season?
I do it for the boys you know, all the nostalgic memories they will have when they are grown and think on Christmas' past?
I know the holidays are about traditions and stuff.  Making cookies is a part of that.  I even made it so our Advent calendar instructed us that we had to do it.  That way I wouldn't be allowed to skip out on the treat baking.

  So we did our cookie baking.
And this year, I even let the boys help.
(I know, Awesome Mom points for me)
Then I even let them eat some!
(That helps me score major Awesome Mom points)

This is how the pretzels look when I dip them . . .

We only made 2 kinds this year.
We have some other favorites, but I only wanted to invest the time, energy and resources into two.
So we chose dipped pretzels (one of my favorites, and more addicting than crack-cocaine. At least I think so. I wouldn't know from experience)

These are a sticky, gooey, mess with kids, but very simple with little to no instruction needed. I like the white almond bark the best, but the boys like the milk chocolate.
All you have to do is melt the chocolate in the microwave and let the kids dip away.  I did cover my cookie sheets in wax paper to make my life easier though. Incredibly, I'm getting a little smarter, the older I get. :)

This is what happens when the boys get to put on the sprinkles!

Oh, don't forget the sprinkles. They add festivity.  Plus it's the boys favorite part. This part does have to be strictly monitored however.  Otherwise you get a pretzel that is so completely coated in sprinkles, you aren't even convinced there is a pretzel underneath.

Our second treat was ginger bread cutout cookies.  The boys love to do cut outs, and Hunky Hubby loves ginger bread.  I however, do not.  Consequently I am not tempted to eat these cookies, thereby saving me from ingesting extra calories. 
Or it just saves some room for more pretzels. 
If only I wasn't so weak.
I do like to decorate the cookies and the boys do too.  This year they all managed to hang in long enough to decorate at least 3.7 cookies each.  Leaving the other 49 cookies for H.H. and I to do.
Surprisingly to you, because you don't know him as well as I do, H.H. is a pretty darn good cookie decorator.  He displays creativity and 'outside the box' ideas. As fun as it is, I'm really happy when they are all done.
We used a new recipe for the cookies that I found on the internet. H.H. said they tasted really good and weren't as hard as last years.  (he just doesn't realize how hard it is to perfectly bake an already brown cookie!) I'm not a fan of the frosting we used though and we won't be making that kind again.  I like to pipe on the frosting because it's neater and prettier. The frosting kept getting runnier and runnier as we used it! Our warm hands were melting the butter it was made out of I guess.
Fortunately it still tasted good. 
Or so I've been told.

As I suspected, two kinds of cookies were more than enough.  Somehow, there is a phenomenon with Christmas goodies.  They seem to multiply magically overnight.  For some reason, you just never run out.  I thought we only had  a large plate and a large ziploc full of treats, but I looked at my counter top the other day and there were 3 plates of cookies, one huge tupperware full of Cap'n Crunch candy, one bag of cookies and a box of chocolates. 
Plus, I bought peanut M & M's on clearance the other day.  
I just couldn't help myself.
We'll be eating gingerbread men well into the new year.
But, the pretzels are all gone.
Hey don't look at me!
I didn't eat them all!

Merry CHRISTmas!

Another year is coming to a close. With so much to reflect upon it makes me realize we have much to be thankful for. The end of the year offers a perfect opportunity to thank God for all the ways he has provided for us this year. And we are so thankful. A friend of mine was telling me that her sister, who just spent a couple of months in a third world country as part of her schooling, was admitting that this year she thought she would have a hard time with Christmas. Coming from the U.S. and a nice middle class family, she had been sharing a home with a family where the floor was packed dirt and they literally ate beans and rice every day she stayed there. Ususally for more than one meal a day.

The children who lived in the home were getting ready for Christmas and were very excited, as almost all children are. The visiting student learned what the children would be getting for Christmas, the source behind all of the excitement.                                 An orange.                                   They would recieve as their Christmas gift a single orange. And their excitement matched that of any american child who would be showered with gobs of toys. Amazing right?

You know, it makes me realize that yes, the gifts are fun, the food is yummy, but the thing I'm most excited for today is the opportunity to celebrate the birth of Jesus. I wasn't always this way, it used to be all about the presents for me, but the older I get the more I realize that Jesus really is what it's all about.

I was reflecting in church today about this.  We all get caught up in the gift giving and the gift recieving. (except for Troy) But I was struck once again with the thought that if there was nothing else, Jesus is enough. Then I thought, would Jesus be enough? I know Jesus should be enough. My human nature struggles with this. I like stuff!  Giving it, recieving it, even looking at it.  But what does the stuff do for me in the long run?  It clutters my house, it doesn't satisfy, and it leaves me wanting more.

Seth's big bass!

Not Jesus. He is the only one that satisfys the longing of my heart. He is always there, always current, always the same, always knows what I need and even what I desire. Best of all He loves me. And He wants what's best for me. And His best is possible for me, if I just do what He tells me to do.

So I am thankful for this day. And I am thankful for the opportunity I have to teach my sons what this day is truly about. Not the presents, not the toys, but the greatest gift this world will ever know, the gift of a Savior.

Soccer Stud Seth!

                                                                                         Please join my family today as we celebrate.                 This year I'm going to work on not getting caught up in all the stuff, and instead focus on getting caught up in Jesus.  Want to join me?                                              

 Enjoy a few of the pictures of some of this past years activities. The boys played soccer, we all tried out Silver Birch Ranch's new zip line, we traveled to Canada and Illinois, the boys got free tickets to a Brewer game (they are now fans) and we went ice skating on the lake last week, to name a few of the highlights.    Thank you for being a part of our lives. We are greatful for all of the people god has brought into our lives over the years.    We are abundantly blessed. Merry CHRISTmas!

Enjoying the newly discovered Beabers Cove in Canada

Go Brewers!

Two of the NBI girls, Alexa and Megan also known as our daughters.

Chilling in Illinois at the Fall Festival.

We had family pictures taken this fall. I love the results! Thanks Craig!

picture taking is so much fun

Merry Christmas!

This is How We Advent

This is a picture of the advent, or countdown calendar, that my sister made for me. Yes she made it! (sorry for the poor light quality on the photo, my house does that to me) Two years ago she surprised me with it as a Christmas present and nearly had me in tears, I was so amazed. She knew that I had wanted one, but couldn't find a cute one that I could afford or that I really thought would work well for what I wanted to do with it.

She really decked it out with cute papers and doo-dads. It really is adorable. Mine hangs on two different boards. She says she has since found out how to put it all together on one. That would help anyone who has space issues, because it's pretty long when it is hanging up. I actually hang mine on the back of a closet door that is centrally located in our main living area.

So this is what we do with our calendar: I wanted to help my kids remember that the focus of Christmas is supposed to be on Jesus and his birth. I also wanted to do something that would take the focus off of the presents and commercialism and help us focus on good character qualities and putting others first.  But, I also wanted it to be fun, something they look forward to each day.

So as you can see, there are 25 little tins. One for each day. To keep it simple for me and the kids, the tin we open is the same as the day of the month. Inside they may find a couple of things: The tin holds 3 Hershey's kisses, which, if they find those inside they each have to give me a kiss before they can eat it. Yes I do resort to bribery for kisses from my kids if I need to. I'm not ashamed.  They also may find a piece to a miniature nativity set that also conveniently will fit inside. And there is always a piece of paper inside as well.

The piece of paper that is inside has one of two things printed on it. One thing they may find is a piece of the Christmas story, that I typed out in chronological order, but is still in the words of the Bible. I broke it apart into sections, and usually a piece to the nativity is in the same tin as the Bible story. This way, by the time Christmas arrives, we've already read through the story behind Jesus' birthday once. The boys love getting a nativity piece in their tin as much as they love getting a piece of candy. We then set out the nativity, piece by piece, until it is completed on Christmas morning.

The other thing that might be printed on the piece of paper in the tin, is an activity for all of us to participate in.  Because I have a young family, I've kept things pretty simple.  But I plan on changing it as my children grow. Here are some of the activities I've come up with:
* Let's watch a Christmas movie together tonight, Mom will pop the popcorn!
*Draw a picture of your favorite aspect of  Christmas. We'll hang them up as decorations.
*Let's make Christmas cookies today! We'll wrap some up and deliver them to our neighbors.
Then there are others like:
*Give everyone in your family 3 hugs today when they least expect it.
*Use encouraging words when you speak to each other today.
* Let's choose a missionary to pray for during this holiday season.
*Be the person that always goes last today.
I've tried to include both fun activities and things that will force us to think of others and push us outside of our comfort zone.  I also wanted to do some things that encourage positive interactions between the boys. Let's face it, they don't choose to hug each other very often.

If  I want this to work out well I have to be intentional about looking at my calendar and placing the appropriate activity in the appropriate day before we put the advent calendar up for the season. If I don't some things really won't work out. For instance, it's hard to bake Christmas cookies if we aren't going to be home all day. Sometimes we don't do the activity for the day because life gets in the way, or because I don't have the right things already in the house. (Or because I don't want to deliver the cookies to the neighbors without Troy.)  Overall, this little advent calendar has helped our family be more intentional about how we are spending the days leading up to the Birth of our Savior, Jesus. It's been a great way to teach some character traits to our kids in a fun and exciting way. I'm also excited that I can make it grow with my kids and we can change things as the years go by.
But some things will stay the same.
Because they will become traditions.
And I like that.
How do you advent?
I'd love to hear your ideas too.