Christmas Eve

I'm taking the advice of the article I had shared from DJ.  I am going to start each day with a plan.  It doesn't have to be much, but I need to get up knowing there's something I will accomplish.  

I was up fairly early and had batter going and the oven preheating well before 8:00 a.m.  I had all the baking completed by mid morning.  Jack found a recipe for butter cream frosting on-line and we were in business!  Jake and Annie joined me to frost and decorate the cookies.  We had Christmas music playing and all thoroughly enjoyed it.  And best of all we have decided it will be a new Christmas Eve tradition.  We ran out of frosting so I whipped up some icing for the last few.  Then, I made peppermint bark to complete the plate and then we started assembling plates.  :-)  We made enjoy for our neighbors on the street, a friend of Jake's and several friends of Annie's.

the beginning...

in the middle of baking...

 

what started out in nice tidy rows - ended up in a heap...

great teamwork!

one frosted

one decorated

a table full of sweets!

and peppermind bark, too!

Jake got all dressed up to deliver

the plates of treats.

The kids were getting a little stir crazy so I gave them a gift I hadn't yet wrapped.  It called Ellen's Hole-Y Cow!  A percentage of each sold goes to Toys for Tots.  They are having great fun with them.

A girl and her cow...

and I got shot a second later.

Jake had fun playing catch.

I think I need a nap.  The youth/children's pastor is going to Colorado on the train tonight and I had offered to take her, although it was declined initially.  I just got a text asking if the offer was still available.  Of course I said, sure.  And asked for the details.  The train leaves at 10:30 p.m.  ?  Uh oh!  What have I gotten myself into?  I asked if the family wanted to go along, so we could look at Christmas lights and Jake said, "NOPE!  I have to go to sleep so Santa can come!"  :-)  

Merry Christmas!

xo