Thursday, December 24, 2009

Better Late Than Never...

The girls and I finished our baking today, which proved to be a great way to pass the morning and afternoon for two excited girls.

They both were a big help to me. First we made some sugar cookies (more on that in a bit), then we made Russian Tea Cakes, one of Steve's favorite cookies. The girls had a blast rolling the cookies in the powdered sugar.









I laughed out loud when I caught them doing this! Anticipating eating the yummy treats we'd been creating. LOL











To avoid the cheesy, forced smile they are prone to give me these days, I made Amy laugh.












Then we had to tickle Jessica...













Here are some of the other goodies we made...Honest to goodness, this breakfast bar WAS clean earlier this week, for about 5 minutes. LOL The bane of my housekeeping existence. Anyway, brown globs are what I grew up knowing as chop suey candy, but you may know them as haystacks. It's chow mein noodles and peanuts covered with melted chocolate chips. The other day we made a batch of butterscotch ones. My mom made them every year at Christmastime. They take me back to when I was a girl.

The other cookies are store-bought sugar cookies, and we added mini M&Ms. I saw the idea on a blog or the Real Simple cookie emails I signed up for. (I can't remember which).

I was struck by how cute they looked with the M&Ms making a picture of some kind, so I had the girls go to town.


Here you can see better some of the ideas they came up with on their own. I only suggested a tree (which is what I saw when I saw the idea). You've got a wreath, Santa's hat, a couple of trees and a snowman. Just goes to show how creative kids can be. These cookies spread a lot more than I anticipated (is it the thin air here...I dunno), but they sure look cute, don't they?
 (Edited to add...we also made plenty of Spritz cookies in red and green, too!) Steve really likes those, too!



We finished the afternoon watching Santa Claus is Coming To Town. I told the girls that I watched it when I was a girl, but on tv, so I only saw it once a year. They were quite impressed with that. LOL

The impromptu hugs and smiles on the girls' faces with their excited chatter about Christmas was all the gift I needed. I think my heart grew three sizes bigger today. It almost made me want to cry. (My mom has been on my mind a lot, as she often is around the holidays and special days...I still miss her so! That probably had something to do with me feeling super sentimental today, too)

I thank you for stopping by and for all your encouraging words when I post. It means a great deal to me that you care to stop and share a thought or two along the way. May your Christmas be filled with magic.

Hugs and Merry Christmas!
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7 comments:

AaronB said...

Merry Christmas to you and your family. Thanks for always stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. You are awesome!

Sharli Schaitberger said...

Jeanne,

Love the fun you've created with your darlings! You are a wonderful Mom, must have learned that.

I lost my Mom 5 years ago - I miss her so much - especially at the holidays. But there are traditions and ornaments, and little things here and there surrounding the holidays that bring her closer to me as well. I treasure those memories and they bring me comfort. I hope they comfort you, too.

Merry Christmas!

Barb said...

How fun and yummy looking! I know it smells wonderful in your house!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Hugs,
Barb

Heather said...

Merry Christmas, dear Jeanne and family!

Jena said...

Fun pics and fun treats!

Kathi Carlson said...

What a perfect way to spend Christmas Eve Day with the girls. Their smiles tell the whole story. You are a great mom, my friend!

I know about missing a parent at Christmastime. My dad, while he didn't cook, made fudge. No recipe. Just put a few simple ingredients in a saucepan. Remarkably, it always turned out. I don't know anyone else who could do that.

Carolyn said...

How fun! What precious memories you are making...
I miss my mom too. We use to bake together. :)

Be Blessed in this coming New Year, my friend!!