Cookie and Kid Day!

December 13, 2009

Oh, what fun was had! It is a toss up deciding who likes it more, the little kids to get together and play and decorate cookies or the adults who visit and cook a little and "wrangle" kids.

It is certainly a time for making memories, and I have to stop during the day and breath deeply and enjoy that moment...From telling me about the upcoming Christmas program to the monster dream. Also in a sweet voice (and from more than one voice) "could I please make them an apron too?" I promised them one for next cookie day.

Speaking of aprons...The Farmer's Wife had this wonderful idea last Christmas to make aprons for Cookie Day 2009. She had the material and the pattern. So I took down the number and said I would make the other aprons. I got it down to an assembly line and made them easily after a little "reverse sewing." ("Reverse sewing" is God's way to keep me humble and remind me He has a great sense of humor!) The first one I made I got one tie on the bottom edge. Like I said, Bill and I had a great laugh!! Back to Mary, I called to remind her to bring her apron and she told me she NEVER got it sewn. She did tell me she always has "good ideas" but maybe not always to follow through... So now we know!

I had 17 pictures I wanted to post, so now I have to decide how to cut them down to a reasonable number and that wasn't even all the pictures I took yesterday and Mary took lots too!!
Jen is making caramels. "We" are trying a new recipe. I helped as I peeked over her shoulder from time to time. She made them last year too! Yum! Yum! Nothing like homemade caramels!

Jolene and I enjoying the "fruits" of our labor...

Here are the apron girls! Mary is modeling Meghan's who could not be here this year! We were going to have Tristin model it, but she was sick, studying, and sad she could not come. We tried to get Granddad to take our picture, but these new fangled cameras are hard to understand. He pushed the button down, and then he lowered the camera and then the picture "took." So I took this picture.

Bonnie was the one to discover that we have to be VERY careful going to the powder room because of the long ties on the aprons...AND then I forgot...

Here they are getting a good start...Moms giving guidance...


Cari helped out by taking care of Javon who had no interest in decorating cookies. A nap to both sounded good but it was so darned noisy!! Cari got Javon asleep and then tried dozing herself. That was nearly impossible!

Girls aren't quiet...











Look at those busy little hands!

The creativity just flowed and spilled out all over!

We threw a little yellow in the mix. This year I didn't get any angels made and they wondered where the angels were to decorate! Next year...











Here is an example of what one of the creators did. He shall remain unnamed, but after all he is the only one! He was pretty pleased with his decorating and what the heck, why not take a quick taste!

That is called pretested and ready for distribution. Mom kept his on a very special plate and we kept having to ward off takers. We told they had already been "licked!" He came back later and cleaned his plate and left the parts that weren't frosted!




Since Angus is the only grand boy, Cowboy PopPop figured Angus could have one of Cowboy's old felt hats.

Little Miss Javon came up the stairs sporting it after Angus took it off. She wants to be a cowgirl too!! Me thinks Cowboy better get busy and sweat up a few more hats!!!
Cari took over the supper menu and did meatballs and artichoke/spinach dip to go with all the other foodstuffs!

I am sure you noted no pictures of the menfolk! Barry had the good idea that they (the men) should cut wood for Grandma. Bill, Barry, Joey, and Wayland went and got her a load of wood. It was pretty darned chilly too. Cowboy said it was too bad we didn't bring Angus down because they built a big bonfire and enjoyed that. What with cell phones I wondered why there was no call... (Too many girls???? Then we would have wanted to roast marshmallows and what the heck, they decided this is really "our" time!!)

As you can see we have two grandies with Cowboy PopPop's hats. There was a melt down earlier when Maggie cried her heart out (sorry, I didn't get that on film) and went running up stairs to Cowboy PopPop crying that she didn't want to be a farmer, she wanted to be a COWGIRL! She had me in tears too! We told her that she could be a cowgirl at times and she could be a farmer too, that she could be whatever she wanted to be. She didn't have to be any one thing. The upshot of the story, she got her OWN hat! Like I said, Cowboy better get to sweating!!

Oh, earlier in the day the girls asked if they could get out the stick horses to play with. Being a Grandma who has been around the bend (more than once, dang!), I said sorry, no! Too many kids, too little stuff to break! Ha!

Talk about a QUIET house when everyone left! What a fun day!! We got lots of hugs and kisses and even a few sticky ones! For us this time is Christmas in that we are together (whomever can get here) and it leaves Christmas Day to plan what they wish. I heard from several that this was their Christmas celebration with us.

Another year of special memories...Thank you God!