Holiday Baking with Kids Part 1

Today Riley and I did some baking. Since she was with me when I bought all the special cookie ingredients,  she was anxious to get started. We made Red-Nosed Reindeer cookies that I had pulled out of the December issue of Parents magazine several years ago.  I have several cookie exchanges to go to this month and I thought they would be really cute to take and as a bonus they would be really easy to make. I planned to make them last year but when I couldn't find the mini chocolate covered pretzels for the antlers, I gave up and made something else instead. I was so happy this year to easily find all the ingredients.

Initially, I wanted our cookies to come out looking just like the picture in the magazine. I was bummed to realize that the mini M&M's that I bought only had red and green when we needed brown for the eyes. The white icing that I got didn't create a small enough dollup of frosting, so I had to pull out my Wilton Dessert Decorator to create a smaller amount of frosting to place the candies on.

As we continued to work though I realized that we could make a small amount of cookies and use them as our practice ones so really what did it matter except making time for my daughter and having fun. Who cares if ours don't look like the picture? They are still cute and better yet they tasted great!

I included the recipe below for you to try with your little bakers! Have fun!

Theirs

 

Ours

 

Red-Nosed Reindeer Cookies:

1.      Slice pieces from peanut butter cookie dough in half (we used Pillsbury's and you could use the sugar cookie kind as well.)

2.      Shape into 1 1/2" triangles and place 3" apart on cookie sheet.

3.      Bake 8-10 minutes.

4.      While cookies are still warm, push a mini chocolate pretzel (Flipz- found them in the candy aisle) on each side to resemble antlers.

5.      Let cool completely.

6.      Have kids decorate the face: attach brown M&M Minis for eyes and a red regular sized M&M nose with frosting. (Make sure you get the bag that has more than just holiday colors!) Makes 24 but the great thing with this recipe is you can make some and put the rest of the dough in the frig until later. Enjoy!

Devotion #5- Thanksgiving Blessings

 

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

 Teachers know that there are some students who touch your heart and you are never the same. All it took at the beginning of the school year several years ago when I was still teaching to hear about a student who had come to this country who could barely speak English, and my heart instantly went out to him. When I met him on the first day of school all he could do was smile, and it was a smile that could fill a dark day with hope. I loved this boy instantly and as I learned more of his difficult journey to this country as a young teenager my heart broke for him and his family.

That year I made him my project. Each day I worked to help him learn basic survival English. I met with all of his teachers coordinating units that we would all focus on in order to continue to help him adjust to life in a totally different culture. We assigned student buddies for him in each of his classes who spoke Spanish as a first language.  A friend of mine who spoke Spanish fluently was recruited to be a liaison of sorts between his mom and his teachers. It was a slow and at times frustrating task with few rewards that could be seen except one, Samuel's big winning smile each and every day when he would come late to class because he just couldn't understand the concept of class bells. He had barely even been to school in his native country of San Salvador. School culture was as foreign to him as being in another country. I could not imagine his daily struggle. Inevitably, the year came to an end though and I thought that I might never see Samuel again even as I wondered if I had helped him in the slightest.   

This past Thanksgiving, several years after teaching Samuel, my church partnered with some other local organizations to put together Thanksgiving meals for families who may not be able to have one otherwise. I was so excited to hear that Samuel's family had been selected and would be getting one. I immediately volunteered to deliver it.

Have you ever noticed that things have a tendency to get crazy when you agree to do something that should be simple in order to help someone else? First, the dinner delivery group had issues coordinating a time to pick up the meal due to our kids' schedules. Then, after we were finally able to pick up the meal we realized that there was a gift certificate for the turkey. We knew that the family did not have transportation and to expect them to go out and get a turkey the day before Thanksgiving seemed a little unlikely to happen. We also noticed that the meal didn't seem substantial enough for a family of four when three of the four members were growing boys, so we decided to make an emergency trip to the grocery store.

After navigating the grocery store with five kids in tow, late in the afternoon just a few days before Thanksgiving, it was no surprise that we arrived at Samuel's apartment later than we had anticipated. The youngest brother, Jose, opened the door partially and then Samuel quickly came to the door to let us in. Samuel still had the same big smile. But this time he kept saying my name and "thank you" over and over again when we brought the food inside and placed it on the table in his small, simple apartment. It was as if he was trying to make up for the school year of very few spoken words. He seemed genuinely delighted to see me again and I of course felt the same way.

Once outside about to leave after having had the chance to catch up, I saw Samuel's silhouette illuminated in the two story window above. I waved and smiled one last time as I offered a silent prayer that he would look back on this night and feel the presence of Jesus in this small, simple expression of kindness. There are moments in life that will never be forgotten. Moments when you know that you are exactly where you need to be. Moments when you know God is working in ways you can't even begin to understand.  Moments filled with blessings indescribable. This was one of those moments.

I drove home in the dark that night listening to my sixteen month old yell and cry the entire thirty minute ride home. Her dinner time had been disrupted by the fact that we were late in dropping off the meal. The warmth of God's love made the dark ride home cozy despite the noise. God communicated His pleasure to me by the peace I felt even through the crying. The joy surrounded me and could not be taken away by such earthly inconveniences. I wondered how I could ever want more than this? I counted my blessings: a comfortable home, a happy family, loving people in my life, reliable transportation, a full pantry, and most importantly a God who loves me. My blessings are bursting and it felt so good to share. So very thankful.

 

 

 

 

Devotion #4- Traditions

 

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and will all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 6:4-7

 

During  this past Halloween I thought about my Dad taking me trick-o-treating while watching my four year old go door to door holding my husband's hand. At times she had to be carried when she saw a scary costume, a scary decoration, or a dog barking inside a house. I love how being a parent forces me to have a foot in the past and in the present all in the same moment.  I love looking back and remembering.

Remembering is Biblical as well. In Deuteronomy God through Moses told the Israelites to remember. The word remember is used something like sixteen times in the book of Deuteronomy. Feasts and celebrations were instituted just so the people would look back and remember God's faithfulness and mercy to them over the years. He is still calling us to remember Him today. Sometimes when the present seems uncertain and lacking hope, if we will look back and remember the past and God's unfailing deliverance, we can face the present and the future. We will find the strength to go forward.

Traditions can help us do just that- remember God and all He has done for us.  As a parent of two little ones I think about traditions quite a bit. What traditions from my family growing up do I want to continue? Which new traditions do I want to begin with my family? As a Mom it is especially easy to get caught up in holiday traditions and make them something stressful.  If all the activity gets in the way of remembering then maybe the tradition needs to be scaled back or eliminated all together.  I don't want my girls to say, " I remember at our house mom stressing out about the turkey at Thanksgiving and yelling at us every December in order to get the perfect Christmas card picture." That would be so sad to me. The traditions we choose must be meaningful and purposeful.

The big seasonal memory making traditions can crowd out the simple everyday traditions. There is power in the simple. Somehow the simple slips into our busy over-filled lives and causes us to pause and take notice.  What if we focused more on daily God honoring traditions like a family devotion time or making family prayer a priority? Ultimately, the most important tradition that needs to be passed down from generation to generation is the knowledge of how to have a personal relationship with Christ and how much He loves us. The relationship we model with our Savior will be the legacy that will last for generations. It will be the tradition that stands the test of time and lasts for eternity. In the end how beautiful and perfect our family looks on the Christmas card this year in their matching seasonal attire and big happy smiles is not going to matter one little bit.

 

 

 

 

My Soul Must Cling

I am a people pleaser by nature. That is to say that I am by nature a liar and a coward. I have been carelessly flirting with the father of lies for most of my life. I don't know how to be apart from the lies. Lies to make others feel good. Lies to cover up my true feelings. Lies, lies, and more lies. A foundation of them built on sand. So when I finally decided or I guess when I finally listened and obeyed God in this matter and spoke the truth to a family member, it came across as heartless and cruel because it was the truth not candy coated and easy to swallow as my past confections have been.

 Add in the fact that I have made an idol out of this person and our relationship, and things quickly go from bad to worse. I have craved this person's approval most of my life, allowing it to become oxygen to my soul. I gave the devil a foothold and he took up residence in my already wayward heart.

The funny thing is that even though it was hard to speak the truth, I felt lighter. Even though I don't know where this relationship goes from here, I feel strangely peaceful. I don't need this person like I once thought I did and there is a quiet strength in that realization. Most of my life I have feared the loss of this person's love and I have fought to hold onto it at all costs. Now my hand is open and that love can go. And I'm okay with that. There is peace in the truth. There is liberation in knowing in my heart that the only love I need, the only love I must have, is the love of my savior. His acceptance is the only validation I need now or ever. I will never lose His love or approval. I don't have to work for it, or earn it, or jump through countless hoops to obtain it. He is my portion forever. When all others have let me down, He never fails. He is the only certainty I have in an uncertain world. And whatever has to come in order for me to draw nearer to Him, bring it on. It is all worth that cost. He will never change. My soul must cling to Him now and forever more.

Sanity Saver (Mommy Tip)

My girls were driving me crazy when I was trying to get meals on the table. It didn't matter the time of day even. Somehow, everyone was always under foot and not only that but crying!  I was able to find this kitchen on Craig's List for $15 and now it sits in the corner of our kitchen. The girls love to make me something while I make their meals. Sanity restored! Smiles all around! Oh and in case you are wondering...the towel is under it because we had hosed it off and dried it off but still wanted to make sure that it didn't drip on the wood floor. We couldn't wait a minute to get it inside the house and try it out!