An Addedum to Previous Post

Cost Benefit Analysis...you decide.
3 hours - Total time invested kneading, waiting for dough to rise and baking cinnamon rolls.
2 minutes - Spent eating them.

Tinsel and Trappings

I can't even begin to guess how many hours went into researching and then purchasing Christmas gifts for the girls. At our house, Santa tries hard to find toys that will encourage creativity, inspire thought and problem solving, spark imagination and promote communication. And given the shear amount of toys out there for today's kids, Santa quickly finds him....er...herself lost in an abyss of options. They don't call it Amazon for nothing. Then there's Santa's least favorite chore...wrapping. Santa wishes it came without ribbons and came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags! Santa's heart feels three sizes too small when it comes to scotch tape and gift wrap. The hours put into our Christmas production seem immeasurable. And we pride ourselves on a small scale affair. Then the blessed morning arrives. We go downstairs around 7 a.m. and as the last piece of wrapping gets torn Jerry and I find ourselves sitting amongst a mountain of boxes, the aftermath of Christmas fall-out still heavy in the air...in disbelief that it is only 7:17 a.m. I guess this would be how a Macy's balloon must feel after the Thanksgiving Day Parade...that is if they could actually feel "deflated". It was seventeen short minutes of happy pandemonium. Was it worth it? You bet. It is pure magic.

Above are the girls at Macy's holiday window display.

Christmas came early last weekend. A letter arrived via Scout from Santa, specifically for our Ella. You could imagine our excitement. The letter gave explicit directions on how to get to a secret teddy bear work shop. You see, Ella has been wishing for a "rainbow, striped and sparkly teddy bear" for the last several months. Luckily Santa knew exactly where we could find a little guy like this. He truly is magic. Viv and Ella also spent hours at their new water table from their Mimi. Thinking this may be a new way to get dinner dishes done. Thanks Mom!

Scout is getting more brazen as Christmas nears. Here he was stringing lights in Ella's room while she slept. Later this week he decided to make snowmen in our kitchen.

The only way to survive the retail world the week before Christmas. Can't beat em? Join em.

She wasn't having it. Just five seconds, literally five seconds on Santa's lap so that Mom could get a picture. Look how he doesn't even break a sweat. This guy's got mad Santa-skills.
Later that day, Ella saw the Nutcracker with her Mimi, Viv got to spend some quality time with her Lolo and Lola and Jer and I went to a dinner party. Best yet, the dinner party was hosted by a stylish single couple. They had plenty of time to think up a superb menu with beautiful place settings. Ten adults in all, able to finish sentences, complete thoughts and nary a dirty diaper or chicken finger in site. Sunday night we hosted the first leg (appetizers) of a progressive dinner with our neighbor buddies. Fabo weekend overall...even with laryngitis and a sinus infection.

Aunt Jenny’s Sugar Cookies
1 Cup butter (2 sticks, softened) 1 ½ Cups sugar
3 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla
3 ½ Cups flour 2 tsp. cream of tarter
1 tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt
Cream butter. Add sugar gradually, creaming until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients; add gradually to creamed mixture. Chill thoroughly (3-4 hours). On well-floured surface, roll to 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Cut in shapes. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Cool slightly on cookie sheets; remove to rack.
To make icing, mix milk or half & half with powdered sugar. Divide and add the various food colorings.

"Elf on the Shelf", where have you been all my life? The last seven days of December have been parental bliss. Our elf, Scout, arrived at our house over the weekend. He maintains a pretty hectic work schedule as he flies to the North Pole each and every night to provide a behavioral status report to Santa. Scout does not talk but can hear everything. This morning we found Scout in the fridge. I've caught Ella talking to him. She reminds him daily about her wish for a rainbow teddy bear with hearts, polka dots and stripes. I guess we'll see what happens. My fingers are crossed for her. I've decided to ask Santa if Scout has any more friends. Maybe a "Bunny on the Banister" for the Easter season or "Tattler Turkey" that would oversee the month of November?

Underage labor and a countertop filled with freshly baked sugar cookies. Perfect combo.

I remember being small enough to lie down on the kitchen counter, towel underneath my neck, hair draping into the sink as my mother maneuvered the sink nozzle to wet my hair. What followed was a meticulous hair cut...usually inspired by whatever gymnast or popstar I was trying to emulate. And aside from one small mis-step (aka Kristy Phillips haircut, circa 1984) my hair looked good. I don't have any memories of a hair salon until I was in college. I love that my mom is continuing the tradition with my daughters. She knows how to move swiftly with the scissors without maiming...great for a busy one year old. Here is Viv at her first cut. We decided the hair co-mingling with her runny nose was not her best look. Hooray for bangs.