Every year, we make boxes of Christmas goodies for our neighbors. This year, the process was so much easier than it has ever been in the past. Evangeline and Estelle are old enough to be very helpful, and they absolutely loved it. They rolled out dough, cut out the shapes, and took cookies out of the oven.
Stuart was happy with a little rolling pin and a was of dough, but he spent a good amount of time lining pennies up on the baking sheet. He is so eager to be a part of what we are doing, and was so thrilled to have a bit of dough that he was no trouble whatsoever.
And, the best part? He fell asleep on the couch just before we started icing the gingerbread! The icing is tricky, as it involves boiling sugar and water to just the right temperature and then drizzling the syrup in to stiffly beaten egg whites. Once it is mixed, you have to move quickly to ice the cookies before the icing hardens. Last year, he was crawling all over the table, smearing icing everywhere and creating general chaos. Tomorrow we will box up the goodies, and walk around to our neighbor's houses. I am so proud of myself, as I made three kinds of cookies and did not eat a single one! Usually, on these big baking days, I eat too many cookies and then feel sick! It is a nice feeling to have mustered up all of my self control and resisted the siren song of warm cookies!
Isn't it great when they get old enough to actually be a help and not just under foot. This is the first year I haven't sent Ella to Grandma's on the big bake day. It's so wonderful to have her helping this year.
ReplyDeletePaula
It really is nice, isn't it? Things just go so much better when everyone is happy and able to help!I think this is the first year for us too in which no one has gone to Grandma's for a few hours!I am glad to have this job done with no tears!
ReplyDeleteWe so appreciated the cheery visit from the Fordyce's bearing delicious cookies! :) (and...I ate all the peppermint ones before we even had dinner. I have no willpower.)
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