GG and Gingerbread Houses


It's no secret I utterly adore Christmas and the lead-up and all the trappings that come with it, from the decorating to the baking to the parties and gift buying and wrapping.

I love the music (I have multiple Pandora stations that pretty much all play the same songs, but it doesn't matter because I love them all so much (I'm a sucker for the oldies, notsomuch this new stuff)), I love the smells, I love the sights and the sounds. I love finding the perfect gift and I love sitting back and watching those gifts being opened.

But, most of all, I love the traditions.

I'm a creature of habit who loathes change. I get in a comfortable niche and want to wallow in it, never to be moved from it. I suppose traditions could be viewed as such, but I choose to believe they're more than that. I want my girls to grow up with a love of the holiday season that matches my own.

Sure, we (collectively, all of us) pack more into the three week lead-up to Christmas than we do the other 49 weeks of the year combined. Yes, it can be very stressful and exhausting, especially if you feel pressure to do something and you just don't know how you're going to get it done on top of everything else that must be done.

Which brings me back to me and the traditions I hold dear. I think the idea of something can often be beautiful and enticing, but the reality can be more along the lines of "I'm not having as much fun as I thought I would". The idea of going to CW for the Grand Illumination is delightful and I really want to do it, and start a new tradition. The reality is I'm exhausted--probably coming down with yet another cold--and it's cold and windy and I know we'd be popsicles and Bean would be a whiny mess. So, I'm skipping it this year.

And, for me, that's the key: know when to just let it go. That's how I survive the holidays with good humor intact. I have the mentality of "if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. No big deal." For most things...

There are some things that I won't drop, so I suppose you could say I prioritize my traditions. Cookies and candy-making are right there at the top.
B and his brother and sister grew up eating these ginger cookies (recipe is here, Becky!) and Pop and Uncle Glen before them. The recipe has been handed down from Grandma to Nana to me. It makes a HUGE batch of cookies. Massive. There were about ten cups of flour in there. That's one of the big Kitchen Aid mixer bowls up there.

Another tradition is making gingerbread houses with GG. Brien and Jen and Josh would make gingerbread houses with GG each December and then go to see the musical production/play at Radford University.

I'm a sucker for a long running tradition and wanted my girls to have that, so two years ago we drove to the 'burg and made houses with GG. Last year we were unable to get to Blacksburg and GG had other things going on (boy this is a busy time of year!) so we built houses alone.

Now that GG is here, I was determined she make houses with us. We invited her to dinner and house decorating last night and we had a ball. :o)




I confess here I don't like royal icing. At all. I don't like the flavor. As much as I love looking at beautifully decorated cookies, I don't like eating them.

That is, until I found meringue powder. That stuff's not half bad. And, I mixed in about a teaspoon of lemon extract which made it even better. :o)

Lil obviously thought it was tasty. ;o)

She also decided it was best to use her hands to spread the icing...Oy. Vey.



Here's Lily's house.

And Ellie's. Shocking she'd have ALL the candy...I know.

And, GG's. She was read for Brien to sit down and start decorating and we told her oh no, this is your your turn. :o)


And, Lil's. More is better, right? See the lovely Roy G Biv? I love my child. ;o)

Gingerbread houses are definitely a tradition we'll continue. I'm so delighted it worked out for GG to come and join us this year and hope we'll have her joining us for years to come. :o)

Candy making and baking are also traditions I'll continue. I made a second batch of ginger cookies yesterday (there just weren't enough when you use the dough to make gingerbread house pieces) and filled the Charles Chips can to the top. O.o

I also made a double batch of fondant (the candy, not the cake covering), a batch of peanut butter balls (my girls are candy ball rolling machines!), and a double batch of cream cheese mints.

Sometime this week I'd like to make a batch of java shortbread and one of chocolate butter cookies. Dani will come Saturday and we'll make another batch of fondant, mounds candy, trash and ruggelach. :o)

There's something fun and rather decadent about being able to just open a tin and snitch a bite of something delightful.

I like to front-load my Christmas season so that I can sit back and relax as the day draws near. While Bean's at school I'll begin wrapping gifts. When she's home, we'll bake. What gets done gets done, and what doesn't? Who cares. ;o)

***************************
Sparklies:

1.
Fresh cut and foils. :o)

2.


Okay, these guys just make me giddy with happiness! I ordered them for Brien to stuff in my stocking and just couldn't wait. They're a charger for my phone!!!! :oD

3.
As much as I love eating in the dining room (our Advent tree and Jesse tree are there and have now been moved), I also love the sounds of my husband and children racing slot cars. B brought it out and set it up. :o)

4.
They were sleeping. I called, "Kitty!" and got eyeballs. Fred's on the left in the front, and that's Georgie camouflaged with the blanket and B's jacket.


5.
We've been going out looking at Christmas lights. We passed a house with only this. Right in the front room window. :oP We were all enchanted. ;oP

6.

The CW holiday decor is up!!


Milestone:
You know, there's so much Hannah missed. We never did gingerbread houses with her. I hate that.

*****Elf Watch 2014*****
Thursday evening there was this. I think Jovie was tatting and Fisbee got all up in her bizness and she was having none of it.


Friday there was this. They got into the gingerbread house candy!!!!


Yesterday we found them all cute and canoodling...

...with this.

Oh...my...


These were the house parts B was going to use to make his house. I guess not.

Then, this morning, we found this.

And here I though Jovie was going to be a good influence...


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