Baking the Blues Away

What do you do when you reach the point of "overwhelmed"?  You bake of course!!

I was just about at that point today.  I can't say for sure just why... accept the enemy doesn't like a happy home, happy packers, or people who can get along!  I know the house will be packed in time for the BIG DAY (and all the little days in between).  We were blessed with everything working out Saturday for phase 1 of our move (shelves into mini-storage for quick access needful things and move around of major furniture and appliances where we will be staying).

Yet my house is eternally messy and people keep coming by for estimates and I am looking sooooooooooooo forward to being completely packed, moved, and settled! 

But...

Christmas is 12 days away (my kids are good trackers!) and NO cookies are baked.  We love to bake... especially at Christmas.  One tradition we enjoy is delivering tasty goodies to neighbors and friends on Christmas Eve.  I was going to be up at my mother-in-laws baking with my niece and my kids today... but God had bigger plans ;-)  So we will be up there tomorrow.  Today I have the privilege of tying up loose ends around the house (of to-dos) and preparing my cookie dough for tomorrow so the kids are ready to cook-n-roll!!!

This brought to mind baking of Christmases past, and I had to take a break from the busy day to share a few memory snapshots....

In my mind, you are never too young to bake...

Cutting out Christmas cookies 2001... Ashley was such a ham!!

By the way, those are NOT beer bottles sitting by Ashley... they are soda pop!!  We don't drink beer!

Me and Brooke Christmas 2005ish

NOT Christmas baking, but still cute!  Brooke getting messy!  2006ish

 We did graham cracker gingerbread houses in 2008.  I am allergic to ginger and can't even stand the smell :-(  This alternative was great fun though.  My only regret... I can't find the picture I had of Brenden making his.

Ashley's was complete with sidewalk

Brooke LOVES to bake and has no particular order of operations!

Brenden and I made a church :-)

What is Christmas baking good for (other than giving to friends and family)?

Giving to Santa of course!

Ashley leaving treats for Santa (and reindeer) in 1999

Have Merry Christmas baking memories :-)