Bake A Memory Day at Ruthy's Place!

This is our yearly tradition of me, kidnapping all the local grandkids I can get my hands on and having a day-long "Make-and-Bake" session.... It's part of my "Keep Christmas Simple" pledge, to worry more about making memories and respecting the holy day.... while enjoying the holiday! So to pull this off with nine grandchildren, I started by hiring help:

A baking station and a making station, and my buddy Casey is at the making station with Logan and Mary Ruthy... 

And it all went soooo beautifully:

Casey tucking Eli's picture into the ornament he made... We learned from doing it this way that we'll be smarter next year (Light Bulb Moment!) and glue the picture in place instead of thinking we can insert it, envelope style. But it worked... with some coaxing, un-glue-ing and re-glue-ing!!! :)
And this is how they came out: (Logan, Mary Ruth and MacKenzie)

 Casey with the fruits of her labors!!!

 And time to pet Libby-the-Poodle!!!

While that was going on in the dining room, this is what was happening in the kitchen:

Do not ask how many Rolos Finn ate. They'll come arrest me for sugar-overage quotas! :)

MacKenzie, who scared us all with a bout of a rare illness called Kawasaki Disease in October... Best Christmas present ever is having her little sassy self here with us, making cookies and practicing her frog-hop.

MacKenzie can frog hop for longer than I have ever seen a human being frog hop. And she's got great frog-vertical.

We're so proud! :)

And then Casey had to leave... 

And I was here guiding two stations.

But I'm one person.

And... Well... I worked with the newly arrived grandkids and let the others frost sugar cookies on their own:

Come on, you know it's beautiful!!! :)

Imagine about 60 cookies, looking like this!

We made cookie trays for Moms and Dads and each set of parents got two ornaments from each child. One in a round canning jar lid, and one in a popsicle stick frame...

And the reason we did this is right here:

 My tree is decorated in all this fun-ness from the past thirty years of memories (and you can see it here at Cheryl St. John's Annual Christmas Tree Tour, today!

An old tradition, made new!

Merry Christmas, everyone, and may we wish you the happiest of New Year's, filled with peace, love, hope and joy... and may you be healthy throughout!

Ruthy