Holiday Happenings

We have had a lot of fun this Christmas Season, but to be honest it has gone by so fast and I find that every year I do a little less! Hopefully, it isn't that I am becoming lame since I am tired and overwhelmed with life, but in fact, it is because I am trying to just enjoy and savor the holiday (read: hopefully). So far we baked some cookies, but they were gone within two days, so I don't think that counts. Usually we have cookies to last us into December and give many away. I planned on making more today, but the clock skipped a couple of hours on me (it has been doing this a lot lately) and I couldn't get it done.
Lucky for me, this year I didn't have to sweat over a favorite family tradition of making homemade gingerbread houses. When we started this tradition I was a mom of 3 under 4yrs. and somehow I found a way to make at least 5 homes for our friends to come over and decorate with us. Every year, the tradition has tapered down a bit. The next year, just one friend came over, the next just our family.....and last year, I think I stooped to buying a kit from the grocery store (only to be saved by an invitation from friends to decorate houses at their home)! Anyway, this year we hit the jackpot! Grandma and Grandpa Halverson took Brad's and our family to the Farm Kitchen. This place is great! They are a working organic farm that has a beautiful backdrop for many local weddings. Every 1st Sat. of the month they have a breakfast they serve that is just amazing. At Christmas, you can sign up to come and decorate homemade gingerbread houses (I forgot to ask if they were organic)! It was perfect; there were gobs and gobs of candy for the kids to eat, I mean decorate with. The best part was that I didn't have to clean up when we were done or worry about candy canes getting stuck between our bamboo floors.