I know I’ve been a little lax around here as of late. Things have been HECTIC with a last minute decision to go to CA for Christmas and all the preparations that need to be made for that. Something had to give! But now look! A whole chunk of posts! Hurrah!
About the time the leaves started to change, Philip began to ask when we would bake gingerbread.
When? WHEN?? WHEN?!?!
“Sometime” just didn’t satisfy him. So you can imagine the rejoicing and excitement – on my part – when on the first day of December they opened Jan Brett’s Gingerbread Friends and heard we were making gingerbread.
“Really?! TODAY???”
Heck yes!
Enthusiastically, they got to work. Now, selfishly, because I don’t really dig gingerbread, we made The Best Recipe rolled butter cookies spice version. Just as good if not better! And bonus: now that Max can read, I just supervise the putting together process.
Everyone helped, even Ellie. She’s the head taste tester, as you will see. Well, everyone except for Philip, the one who demanded the stuff in the first place.
He’s making me gray, I tell you!
As the dough chilled, we made paper gingerbread men. I remembered when I was in 1st or 2nd grade we used paint thickened with salt on brown construction paper. The end result was what looked like frosting. And the squeeze bottles with the paint were soooo fun to use.
Out came the paint and salt and squeeze bottles they have been dying to use.
This time everyone got in the act. Everyone everyone.
Then, a few days later, it was time to BAKE THE COOKIES!
Oh, the dancing! Oh, the shouting! Oh, the arguing over who got to use which sprinkles!
We pulled down all the Halloween and All Saints candy (yes, we still had tons PLUS parade candy) and got to sorting. Gummies were placed separate from chocolate and hard candy had it’s place, too. Everyone got a bag of frosting and then it was
Ready, Set, Goooooo!
I was inspired watching how each kidlet approached his or her art in totally different ways. Tess went for the color and “wow” factor. Philip had a set plan. Max would decorate an entire cookie only to decide he didn’t like the finished project and take it all apart.
Then there was Ellie. She seriously decorated 2 cookies, intent on the business before her. But when she watched Jac put a frosting smeared finger in his mouth (we are very clean and sanitary in these parts . . . ), it was ON. She immediately switched from “create” to “consume” and by the end of the evening was slumped over, glassy eyed in her chair stroking her tongue. It was awesome. It makes me a little sad she won’t remember this first gingerbread experience. But I guess that’s why we have the pictures to prove it.
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