Daily December 27: Blue Jeans Week 49

What a week, what a week--you prepare and prepare for this time of year and it goes so quickly, but we enjoyed it.  I hope you did too.

Sunday:  Before Church we had a little bit of quiet time, and Mr J read to Miss E.  Yes, my kids fight like cats and dogs, but every once in a while they get a long, and we have some nice peace.  I try to get pictures of those moments so I can remember them amidst the cat and dog fights :)

Monday:  Christmas goodie plates--got them ready and delivered

Tuesday:  School Christmas program.  Miss E is in the middle black and white dress playing the alto recorder.  I am so grateful that my kids go to a public school and they can sing "Silent Night," "Away in a manger," and talk about the real meaning of Christmas-- their classrooms have a nativity set in them.  I count that a blessing of living in a small town.

Wednesday:  We made big, soft gingerbread men cookies tonight--a favorite Christmas tradition

Thursday:   Around Christmas we always like to go up to the big city for a night to see the lights and spend a night in a hotel with an indoor pool--another fun Christmas tradition

Friday:  Miss A's birthday and her cake.  It is a tradition at our house that the birthday kid gets to decorate their own cake.  My kids love doing that.  They get to do it with their Dad.

Friday picture #2: Another Christmas tradition is the kids always get to sleep by the Christmas tree the night of the 23rd.

Separate posts for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day--how can you possibly have only one picture for those days? :)

Gingerbread men cookies

My kids love decorating anything with frosting, especially when they can use the frosting bags and all the different tips.  Gingerbread men were on our Christmas countdown chain the other day.  So they got busy.

Miss O shows lots of concentration.  She was working hard.

I think the cookies tasted pretty good too-YUM!  This poor guy already lost a leg.

Everyone decorated some.  They looked really cute.

I think Mr J did about 10.  He was whipping them out like you wouldn't believe.  Here is the recipe I used.  I got it off of allrecipes.com, and it was good.  Not too overpowering--a more mellow gingerbread cookie. 

Gingerbread Men

1 small box butterscotch pudding

1/2 cup butter, soft

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tes baking soda

1 1/2 tes ground ginger

1 tes cinnamon

Cream together dry pudding mix, butter and brown sugar until smooth.  Add egg.  Combine the rest of the dry ingredients and then add into the pudding mix.  Mix well.  Cover and chill dough about 1 hour or until firm.  Roll out, cut shapes and bake 350 for 8-10 minutes.  Cool before frosting.  Enjoy!