Christmas Cookies

The kids love making Christmas cut out cookies.  I think it has been about six years that we have decorated cookies with our friends.  In that time we have each gained a few kids and the older ones are in school.  So our leisure, messy mornings of Christmas cookie decorating have now turned into a bit of fun and craziness after school.  We have gotten smarter over the years and bake all our cookies first and just decorate together.  Our first year we tried to do it all and it was a bit much for our little ones and for us. 

On Tuesday night we broke out the mixer and got going on our cut outs.  My friend Kathy is the Christmas Cookie Cut Out queen.  I just may have to fly to Washington someday to meet her in person and get a few tips from her.  We met through our blogs and have become friends.  She has been a huge support after Leigh Ann's death as she had walked her own road of grief.  She often had just the right words either in emails or over the phone.  She got where I was and knew the road I would be walking.  Anyway, we use her Sugar Cookie Cut Out recipe and her tips have saved us huge headaches and messes.  Here is a tip for those of you who may avoid Cut Out cookies because of the mess on the counter.  You take two pieces of waxed paper, put the dough between them, roll it out and put in the fridge.  After it is firm you peal back the top piece of waxed paper and cut your shapes and bake them.  Yes, no mess of flour or dough sticking to the counter.  You just put the dough back between and roll again.  I love it because I can put a piece in front of each of my kids and let them have at it without a crazy mess.  So there is my tip from Kathy's Kitchen! 

I love that Shane loves to help in the kitchen.  His wife will appreciate it someday if he keeps it up! 

Max was all over it.  I just let him have his piece of dough and he did what he wanted.  He loved every minute of it.

Emma carefully placing her shapes on her dough.

On Wednesday after the school parties it was time for our friends to come over and the fun to begin. A little more sugar wouldn't hurt on the day would it? 

Alexa got busy frosting her cookies.

I often caught Shane licking his fingers.

Max figured out pretty quickly how to frost his cookie, by himself (there is a lot of "I do it" at our house right now) ...

then add sprinkles ...

and scream with delight over his masterpiece.  By the look of the color of his mouth he had been taste testing a bit!

It has been fun to see these two grow over the years.  They have developed a sweet friendship and are the best of friends. 

I love seeing everyone at work.

Another fun year of memories decorating cookies with friends.  I really should take a picture of the table where it looks like a bomb went of with frosting and sprinkles.  My friend Julie and I sit and finish frosting and decorating amongst the mess as the kids run off to play.  It is always fun for us to have our time to catch up too!