"from now on our troubles will be miles away..."

with Christmas only 5 days away the holiday spirit is in full swing around these parts. the light poles are boasting wreaths and ribbons as well as doors at local establishments. there is the familiar sound of Christmas music playing across the loud speakers at every store we enter and the sweet tidings of someone dressed as Santa ringing a bell as we leave. every coffee house in town smells like peppermint and chocolate and everyone seems to be dressed in red and green. this time of year brings with it traditions and memories of all sorts. one of which i have already began to share with my daughter. that is the memory of baking for what seemed like the whole month of December when i was younger. i remember it starting the week after thanksgiving, like clockwork every year. we would bake cookies first, then a cake, then a pie, then we'd make divinity or fudge or chocolate covered pretzels (my favorite). and this would go on and on until all our baking supplies were no more and Christmas was upon us. i've done my best to carry this tradition on with Kailyn this year, as much as my schedule has permitted, but i think i've done a pretty good job of showing her how much fun this tradition is. her favorite was sugar cookies cut into Christmas shapes. she was so big, rolling out the dough, cutting the shapes out, and laying them on the cookie sheet all by herself. all i could do was stand back and thank the Lord for this wonderful child to share the holiday wonder with. i love this time of year!

my baby girl baking.