Christmas Preparations

[przed]

We've spent the last two weekends getting ready for the holidays. All of which has brought home to me how much Ros is growing up.

Last week we put up the tree, and Ros helped decorate it. The last two years, Ros "helping" has meant I did damage control and made sure she didn't break anything, she put a bunch of decorations all in the same place, and then I did the whole tree after she got bored and wandered off to do something more interesting.

Not this year. This year she paid attention to what I told her about how we needed to decorate (unbreakable stuff the cat can't hurt at the bottom, heavy or delicate stuff at the top), then did most of it herself. She sorted all the decorations, hung them at the appropriate height, and got a chair when she couldn't reach a branch. It was awesome!

This weekend it was the baking weekend, and she proved herself able with the baking end of things too. She helped chop up dates and maraschino cherries for the fruit cookies, proved better than the Sweetie at mixing up icing, and helped with the rolling out of gingerbread.

I couldn't resist taking pictures of the gingerbread making today.



I think she started with the eye rolling last year, but this is the first time I've caught it on film. It's usually accompanied by an exasperated "Oh, Mom!" (The teen years are going to be interesting. *g*)


Ros preparing to attack the gingerbread!


Attack commenced!




Most of the baking has turned out well this year, with the exception of the gingerbread. We've unanimously decided that molasses is not the favourite flavour of anyone in our household. After working with the dough for ages, I think I've pretty much had enough.

Comments

[draycevixen.livejournal.com]

Santa's little helper is really putting in the work there. :D

I knew my little brother was growing up when he took over the tree decorating from me without my having to point out where everything went.

I love ginger biscuits but I'm not keen on gingerbread. No, I can't work out that one either.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Santa's little helper loves helping out. Her teachers tell us that all the time.

I was amazed the difference between last year and this year. I only had to direct her once or twice about where to put a decoration.

I'm pretty much with you when it comes to ginger biscuits/gingerbread. I love ginger snaps, so I thought making gingerbread sounded like a great idea. Unfortunately, it runs a bit to the vile side of the cookie spectrum. We shan't be trying it again. I'm going to look for a good ginger cookie recipe instead.

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

Wait. How'd she get so much older?? I swear you just brought her home a couple of years ago...

How brilliant is that, that you can share the holiday preparations fully with her? Yay!

I'm likely hosting the last Christmas in my house, so I'm going all out with all the traditional stuff. It's all kind of bittersweet, but nice, too.

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

Huh. Just to say, i'm glad you two mentioned about the difference between gingerbread and ginger cookies! I adore ginger cookies--to the point of choosing them over chocolate, which is unheard of for me. *g* But I've never actually had gingerbread. I don't think I will.

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

Isn't it fun when they're actually able to join in. I loved doing things with my kids. Little ones are cute but having them old enough to hang out with is very cool.

[nsandik.livejournal.com]

What an adorable girl she is! So perfect in her pink polka dots! You are going to have a terrific Christmas. And from long experience, gingerbread is only edible if made by Russian bakers as a cake. The hard stuff is only good for make decorated houses. :-D

See? If you had asked me years ago, I could have saved you all that grief! LOL

[draycevixen.livejournal.com]

Ginger biscuits taste mostly of ginger which is one of my favourite flavours. As Zed points out in passing, gingerbread tends to taste mostly of molasses. Now I also like a good molasses biscuit, but again that tends to be balanced with different flavours/spices.

[draycevixen.livejournal.com]

The coffee shop I want to every morning makes the most glorious ginger biscuits that are plate sized and just the right degree of chewy/snappy. I have to limit myself to no more than one every couple of weeks else I'd be too big to get through their door. *g*

[graculus.livejournal.com]

She's getting so grown-up, how did that happen so quickly? All the best for you and yours for the holiday shenanigans. :)

[avery11.livejournal.com]

What a charmer she is! And how lucky you both are to have one another!

[przed.livejournal.com]

Day to day, I don't notice how much she's changed, but when I look at old pictures or realize how much she can do now on her own, it's pretty stunning.

It's totally brilliant how much she can really participate. Of course, she's also got to the stage where she thinks she can do everything on her own, which can be...interesting.

Hope you have a lovely Christmas. It's always low key in our house, but it's nice to have those traditions to follow.

[przed.livejournal.com]

I have to say, I'm loving this age. Having a kid who's old enough to do things is pretty amazing.

[przed.livejournal.com]

She's definitely adorable! From her crazy ponytail (she did it herself, of course) to the pink polka dot leggings (picked out by herself).

If only I'd consulted you on the gingerbread front. The Sweetie and I have both decided it is unspeakably vile. (I've had okay gingerbread, but it was clearly not from this recipe.)

[przed.livejournal.com]

She frequently seems to be 6, going on 16. Frightening!

Thanks, and you have a wonderful holiday too!

[przed.livejournal.com]

We're definitely lucky to have her in the family.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Now that is the recipe I need. The gingerbread one is going in the dustbin.

[nsandik.livejournal.com]

By the way, if you want to attempt an edible Christmas house, make your walls out of sugar cookie. The same recipes that roll out for cookie cutting will also make squares and rectangles big enough to use for walls, etc. And one of my fondest family memories was the year we made a decorated cookie house. Probably memorable to me because my brother was home and frankly, he and I did the house with some assistance from his wife. No wonder I love that memory!

[dracothelizard.livejournal.com]

She seems enthusiastic about the rolling pin, so keep that in there! You never know when you need something flattened.

[przed.livejournal.com]

We made our sugar cookies yesterday, though the resulting cookies are fragile enough that I'd be terrified of trying to build a house out of the same material. Still, it might be worth a try next year.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Between the martial arts classes and the rolling pin, I think she's definitely the one to go to when things are in need of flattening. *g*

[dracothelizard.livejournal.com]

See, you need to get this whole 'who does what in the household' thing sorted from an early age on.

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

Good grief, she really is *tall* now! Nice to hear that Santa's little helper is exactly that this year. And I like gingerbread, though I agree, it takes a time to make so it's something I like to eat elsewhere rather than make myself.

[przed.livejournal.com]

She's the smallest kid in her class, but she's also dead skinny so she looks tall all on her own. But she's definitely starting to shoot up more. We're definitely enjoying this stage. Mind you, we've enjoyed all the stages. (I've been giving her extra hugs this weekend.)

I think I'm going to abandon future gingerbread making and look for a good gingersnap recipe for next year.

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Delightful pics - and what a pity the results weren't as tasty as you'd hoped! Ros is certainly growing up - quite scary how they do that while you aren't watching!!

[halotolerant.livejournal.com]

My favourite ginger-based carb snack is the kind of ginger chewy biscuit nom called 'Cornish Fairings' which the Guardian obligingly has a recipe for among other things here: (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/22/biscuit-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall) with the golden syrup they should come out in a mode like a 'cookie' and be yummy *g*

Lovely to see pics of Ros. I do all the pre-Christmas cooking for my Mum (Christmas Cake, Christmas Pudding, Mince Pies), that was my special role for years and I always felt so proud (and it's pretty hard to mess up those things too!) But I think part of the secret of enjoying Christmas is feeling like a provider and I hope she feels that too.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Everything else turned out fabulously, so we're chalking the gingerbread thing up to experience. Ros is definitely growing up while we're not watching. And then every once in a while, we'll just go OMG!

[przed.livejournal.com]

Oh, the Cornish Fairings look yummy. Shall print out that recipe. And my mum used to make jam thumbprint biscuits on that page too! That's definitely worth a try.

Ros is a big one for helping out. (All her teachers have told us that. In fact I think she's driving her grade one teacher a bit crazy trying to be too helpful sometimes. *g*) Baking offers the opportunity to help out/feeling like a provider, and lick the wooden spoons. *g*

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

Oh my, your baby is growing... and getting cuter by the minute. How does she do that? *g* I love her colour sense too - doesn't she look fab in her pink leggings and green top.

I never like the taste of gingerbread, though I love ginger biccies - I see you've had the same conversation further up *g* I wonder if it's the molasses in it? Nasty black sticky stuff. Bleh!

[przed.livejournal.com]

Ros has definite opinions about clothes, and she's not shy about wearing colours.

I'm positive the molasses is what did in the gingerbread. I felt like the smell of the stuff had soaked into my pores. Bleh, indeed.

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

OMG! she's grown so much!

Just came over to wish you a happy birthday as well! Look for some virtual cake...

[przed.livejournal.com]

Hasn't she?!

Thanks for the birthday wishes. And the virtual cake! Would have responded sooner, but got flattened by a nasty cold and am only just getting over it.

Have a lovely Christmas!