Christmas, for the 4 & under set

As promised... pictures! First, the cookies. Even though the cookies themselves were from a new recipe, the egg yolk painting is something I have done before. All the way back to when I was a little girl, I'm pretty sure. I really like that method because it makes such vibrant cookies, and I think it is not quite as messy as tinted powdered sugar. I did use a powdered sugar glaze for the snowmen and on the wreaths & trees, but still. Here is a small sampling of our afternoon's work (not that there are that many still laying around): Yes, there is one Rudolph the red-nosed/red-tailed reindeer. And yes, Mr. Green Hat Frosty originally had 2 mittened hands. We didn't go to great pains for bee-utiful cookies. It was all for the process, you see? The journey, not the destination. Because some of those cookies had a very short life. :)

Moving on...
I want to show you some pics of what has to be one of the most pitiful Christmas trees I've seen. Doesn't look that bad, eh? Click on the pic. Go ahead. I'll wait.
Did you see that big wad of lights right there in the front? Did you notice they weren't even all lit? And how about all those ornaments at the top? And never mind the tree is oddly... caged.
Poor Angel. Beautiful as she is, she seems rather sad to be reigning over this mess.

Okay - yes. This is our tree. But before you start feeling sorry for us, you should know there are a couple of boxes of wonderful ornaments that won't be coming out this Christmas. I just didn't feel up to constant monitoring and hand-slapping. So, our tree is pretty ummm... hands on this Christmas. Dale and I made the salt-dough ornaments a couple of weeks ago, and I went ahead and hung a few icicles to fill it out and give at least a little continuity. Because as much as I am trying to be laid back, that tree was really bugging me. Now it is at least tolerable. :)

Oh, and the play pen: that's to keep the thing standing up. We did it the year Dale was 16 months old and it worked great. I actually decorated the tree that year. Maybe there is a difference in understanding 'no' between 13 months and 16 months? Who knows. So maybe we can't lay under the tree and look up through its branches at all the pretty lights, but hey - at least no one will find themselves laying under the tree as it tumbles down on top of them, right?


On to more holiday fun at our house...

Found this website from this entry at my blog-friend Keri Mae's site. (look! They made cookies, too!)

Dale loved it! He got right to work building all sorts of snowmen.
But my favorite, hands down, is the one Dale named "The Fighting Coach".
(as in: he coaches fighting, not as in: he is a coach that fights).

Not sure if this has something to do with boxing or weight lifting, or what, but any way you look at it, this is a snowman with personality!