Thursday, December 18, 2008

So many cookies...

I love my traditions.  This year I was able to make my traditional Santa cookies.  322 of them.  I always think that I can cut down the list, but who wants to be cut off.  The most I've ever made was 465.  A few years ago I timed myself to see just how long it really takes to make them.  It averaged out to about 10-11 minutes per cookie.  What a 'crazy labor of love' - as my SIL, Lindsay says.

Here are photos I took of the decorating process.

Santa- fresh baked and cooled.DSC03646

Santa with his mouth and cheeks colored and hat with sprinkles.

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Santa with beard frosted and coconuted.DSC03648

Finally, piped frosting for the mustache, pompom, hat trim, and eyebrows.

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Here's one of the batches I did.DSC03650

And here's what I look like after finishing late one night.  Exhausted mommy.

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This year I did a few variations.

The normal cookie with coconut beards.DSC03649

Sprinkle beards for the kids' classroom treats.DSC03718

Jesse's -end of the dough - tiny santaDSC03666 DSC03665

And, by request our Auntie Megan wanted -- abominable Snowman.

DSC03661 Which, I might add, are delicious.  I had to sample one to make sure they were edible.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Happy Birthday Keeley!

Today is Keeley's 8th Birthday!

Keeley is my green eyed beauty.  DSC03395

She is in second grade and is finally liking school.  She loves to read now, and often spends time laying on her bed absorbed in a book. She is a great helper when she wants to be.  She often asks me what she can do to help me.  I love that!  Keeley loves to sing, make up dances, read the scriptures by herself, and evidently she really likes to clean her room - because she spends a lot of time doing it.

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Keeley shared her hair in January with Locks of Love and sports a short do.  She can't wait until it grows back in, and often tells me how much she misses her long hair.  I think that she is wonderful to have donated it to someone else who needed it more than she did.

Keeley is learning to play the piano.  She is really, quite good. She loves to sing while she plays.

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Here she is at her recital this April.

She played T-ball on the same team this year and loved it. She can hardly wait until she can play machine pitch in the spring and was very upset that they raised the age for playing basketball to third grade and up in the city leagues.  There's always next year.

DSC02420DSC02428 Her team won the best banner contest in the season's opening parade and got to have a pizza party.

DSC02563 Keeley is a very versatile girl who loves looking pretty, playing in dirt, wearing sparkly clothing, going camping, fishing and everything in between.

DSC02808 She had so much fun this summer with my cousin Emily.  They were fast friends.  Here they are in a driftwood fort they build together on the beach in Bandon, OR.

DSC02917 Keeley loves Andee.  She loves to take over the mothering of her and will spend time playing with her.

 DSC03431 Keeley got the Star Writer award earlier this year in school.  Her teachers love to have her in class because she is a model student.

summer face

Happy Birthday to my sweet Keeley.  Mommy and daddy are so proud of the girl you are.  You are so special to us.  We are so glad that you have decided to follow the example of Jesus Christ, and be baptized.