Christmas time is supposed to be a time of making loads of cookies and having special treats that we don't normally have throughout the year...right?! Every year I find myself looking through the Taste of Home magazine and my recipe box trying to find that recipe that is "just right" to produce the homey feeling that transitions into memories of tradition.
...This year I had lots of aspirations of all the fun things that I'd like to do with the family. After all, Heidi would be home from school, we had a new baby to welcome into our traditions and....well, it just went downhill from there. Between hormones, snotty noses, feeding baby and cleaning up the results of stomach flu, I just didn't get all accomplished that I had hoped. Every day Jessie would ask me what we would do that was Special that day. I was scared to answer her for fear of not being able to follow through. I got so frustrated!
Christmas was fast approaching. We had eaten the only batch of Christmas cookies that I had made the beginning of December. I love to make cut-out cookies with the girls...well, they love it, but it just hadn't gotten done. So, one day the week before Christmas I made up the dough. Then we all got a stomach bug and the dough sat in the refrigerator over the weekend. It was the week of Christmas and I was determined to get those cookies baked before Christmas arrived. So two days before Christmas I figured it was now or never. I got the cutters out and the girls went to work. We got those cookies baked, although not frosted. (That came just last night as we dug them out of the freezer and frosted the remaining sugar cookies.)
We had such good success doing cookies that I decided that my little aspiring Food Network hosts would help me with Christmas dinner. My patience was running thin, so we settled on a very simple menu-ham, twice baked potato casserole, fruit salad, and a cake were what we provided. Our guests brought other side dishes to compliment.
Jessie is loving food preparation as it makes her feel so grown up. I haven't felt comfortable with my daughters using knives. I cringe when I think of the possibilities, but my sister-in-law forced the subject when she let Jessie use a knife to help cut veggies while visiting at her house one day. That made Jess feel so grown up and confident that I just had to let her try at home. Fruit salad was her choice of
cuisine so we had a trial run before Christmas day and she did great.
This picture is of Jess with her culinary creation "Christmas Fruit Salad!" It had apples, oranges, grapes, bananas, kiwi, pecans, and Christmas
marshmellows with a squeeze of lime juice-all by her
chosing. It tasted as yummy as it looked. Unfortunately I didn't get a finished picture.
Heidi made Jesus' birthday cake. Her Red Velvet Cherry Torte was amazing. This was her first time following all the directions to make the cake and then decorate it.
I even let her learn how to pipe the whipped cream onto the top. It started out nicely, but I think it got too warm and lost all it's lift and started running.
Heidi with her delicious Red Velvet Cherry Torte for Jesus' Birthday.
Christmas came and went. I had help. Dinner was shared with family and friends. But the lessons that I brought away from Christmas this year is one that I hope I don't forget.
- All things are memories. We've had some doosies of memories around the holidays these past couple of years. We've had two children born around the holidays. We've been separated due to illness. Natalie had her first open heart surgery just days after the New Year. Even cleaning up puke the week of Christmas will be a memory-although an unpleasant one-that someday we'll look back on and chuckle.
- Let your children grow up. It's hard to do, but they do grow up and sometimes I just try to keep them young missing some precious moments.
- Let it go. I would have loved to come up with some fancy recipe to make, but the memories that we made producing these simple dishes will last for a long time. The Christmas tree was put up and the girls decorated it all themselves. I can say that I sat on the couch feeding Craig and didn't touch an ornament-so hard for my long lost desire for perfection. It all comes down to the fact that the time spent together is eternal.
- Traditions are nice. In the end whether there are lights and decorations, cookies and frosting, or cold dark walls with a lonely person staring at them, one thing will never change. Christ came to save sinners on that day and this is our only hope for PEACE.
Several people gave me fun Christmas outfits. Mommy did a little photo shoot with me on Christmas Eve. I just wasn't in the mood for smiling, even when I was looking at Santa. Mommy said it was too far to take me to Anchorage for a professional shot.
Aunt Daisy had an openhouse for mommy and me at her house on New Year's Eve. Lots of people came and expanded my wardrobe. Mommy said she felt pampered to get birthday presents too.
My oldest sister loves to hug me and carry me around. I think she's pretty special.
Mommy took this picture today when I was on my tummy. It was fun for a little while, but I got bored pretty quickly and wanted to be picked up. I'm almost two months old in this picture.
