My entire Holiday Season is running a little behind this year. It started out with my holiday cheer not quite being what I expected. It turned into Thanksgiving sneaking up on me as if we skipped the entire month of November. As we really got down to the wire I realized I had not done any shopping with just a couple of weeks to go. Last week I realized that I had not yet sent out holiday cards. And by last night, I finally got to making some holiday treats!
So here we are, Christmas Eve, I think I have finally caught up and am (I think) ready for Christmas. Wheeew... just in the nick of time!
This year we did cookies a little bit different. As I was reading the boys one of their new Christmas books about a mouse that lives in a gingerbread house. I saw that there was a recipe in the book for gingerbread cookies. So I decided we would make those instead of sugar cookies this year. They turned out really good! But, every year when we do this, I realize, once again how much more fun this is for the kids than the adult who is trying to keep things under order. Every year I swear I will just do it myself next year. I wonder if I made this process more stressful on poor Grandma Jane when I would "help" her with her cookies???
Cam was killing me... every time I would hand him a cookie I would say "Okay... this one is to DEC-O-RATE... don't eat it! Don't lick it! Don't eat the sprinkles as you put them on it... Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mom"
I look back five seconds later and he is licking his lips with half the cookie down.
"Oops, I forgot" he says!
Oh man, If he wasn't so dang cute...
Cam cut out of the festivities quite early, right after the cookie photo shoot that quickly turned into a who can make the silliest face contest. Zach stuck with me till the end, and we made some very cute cookies together... we had a lot of fun!
No Christmas is complete at my house without making turtles. I have taken it to another level from what Grandma and I used to do. But the basics are the same and it is always a special treat for me to make them (and to eat them) I always feel like Grandma is there with me. I know how she loved her "cute" little turtles.
Is your mouth watering? Mmmmmm~ Mine is!
4 comments:
Okay, so who gets to eat all the little treats? Do you share? I love that you muster up the patience to let the boys help with the cookies. It is hard to do, but makes such great memories for them. Little Cam eating them all up, why am I not surprised? :)
So you said you have taken the "turtles" to a whole new level. What does that mean? I have tried making them a few times, and it seems like they never come out right. How do you screw up something so simple??? I think the caramel comes out really tough or something. Secrets? Hands down, those adorable turtles were my favorite part of Grandma's baking tradition. My very favorite. Bring me some on Saturday?!?! :) Love you, Betty....
Actually, the carmel never turned out right for me either. That is why I had to make a few changes to the old simple way she did it. I don't know how hers turned out so good. I melt a whole bag of carmel down with 2 TBS water and then drizzle it on istead of just placing the carmel on. Everything else is the same except that I use other nuts. (not a walnut fan) This year was almonds and cashews... Yu-u-um!
I made Sugar cookies with my girls this week-we had the same conversation that you had with Cam with the same results. after 2 cookies each I ended up decorating the rest myself.
Good job with the cards, the turtles and the cookies. Very impressed!
My mouth is watering from EATING these yummy treats! Thanks so much for them.
One of my favorite parts of the holiday was asking your kids if they've been good so Santa can come.
Zach: YES!
Cam (smug look on his face & very matter-of-factly): No...
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