Christmassy Weather and Ginger Snap Cookies

Last night as we turned out the lights to settle in for a long winter's nap , the light glowed into the window. Inside the house in our beds, we were warm and cozy. But outside, a huge, severe winter storm was raging and the moon reflected the bright white snow into our window.

We slept soundly through the blowing, billowing snow as it swirled and drifted, covering the shoveled walks and driveways.

We awoke when the phone--first James', then mine, then the home, rang with a message from the school to make our children's heart's fill with glee--School was cancelled!

We snoozed on only to be woken again 3 more times each per phone with the same message. I have to give it to the school--they are thorough.

The little boys have been begging and begging for us to put up our Christmas decorations early this year. I'm not sure what it is, but they are prematurely excited this year. In a way--so am I.

Christmas is that "special" time of year that makes my heart race and butterflies flutter in my stomach. The feeling is also known as ANXIETY! I am doing everything I can to calm myself but I can see tiny ways that my attitude has crept into my older children's. They don't seem to be as excited about winter and Christmas as in past years. This year, I am smiling brightly and keeping my disdain for the cold and snow more to myself; for mothers have a great influence on their children's feelings of well-being.

Somehow this year, the swirling snow has glittered and sparkled and surrounded my heart and is tickling a tiny feeling of Christmas magic there.

Jenny Oaks Baker is gently playing her violin to the tune of Ave Maria on the CD player, and homemade ginger snap cookies are baking in the oven. Tonight, in my home, Christmas is in our hearts.

Even if you don't have snow, and you want your home to smell like Christmas, bake a batch of these cookies to share with family, friends, and neighbors.

Bishop Baumgarten's Ginger Snap (Sogs) Cookies
Bishop B. always called them ginger sogs because they are so soft and yummy.

3/4 C shortening
1 C brown sugar
1/4 C molasses
1 egg

Beat together til' fluffy

Sift:
2 1/4 C Flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Stir together. Form balls. Roll in sugar. Bake 375 degrees for 10 min.

*High altitude: Add 1/4 c flour and bake an additional 4 min.

Harry Potter and the Hole in the Wall

Harry Potter is a big deal in our house. We all love it, from the oldest members listening to the books on their Ipods, to the youngest members playing the Lego version on the Wii.

So, it was no surprise that we planned on seeing Part 1 of The Deathly Hallows on the day of the premier.

I knew the children of appropriate age would be giddy and on their BEST BEHAVIOR all day long in anticipation of Dad and Mom allowing them to tag along on their date.

I get a call at work from the youngest child tattling that the babysitter (oldest sister) is torturing the other brother.

I calmly put out the fire.

I call on my way home and tell them to be ready and waiting outside for a quick pick up for our rare and amazing adventure at the movies.

I get a call 2 minutes later. Everyone is crying and there is a hole in the wall.

I ignore the hole in the wall comment and ask if they still want to go, they assure me they do and promise to be better.

The movie was amazing and satisfied every one's high expectations.



We get home and I walk down the hallway to find a TEN INCH HOLE IN THE WALL. When asked why, the guilty party said that her sister drove her to it.

Hindsight.

My Winning Angel

After he stayed up the entire night working on his presentation, I have to say how proud I am of Alex (and myself). After all, behind every great and amazing kid is one exhausted mother, right?

After coming home late from a girl's night, I took one look at the panic on Alex's face and decided that he needed his Mom to pull through for him.

I wondered through the long night if I was truly helping him, or if I was truly hurting him by helping him. There is a fine balance in there somewhere that every mother must weigh.

I realized at some point between burning the pointer finger on my right hand and my thumb on my left, that he is so much like me. I like to say that we "work better under pressure." That seems easier to swallow than "always waiting til the last minute."

The next day upon entering the school, I was greeted by an angel with the biggest grin on his face.

Alex won FIRST PLACE on ALL THREE categories that he entered at Drama Districts.
Yay, we get to do it all again for STATE.

Way to go, kid. You are one amazing Angel! (You too Mom)!

Maybe You Should Fly a Jet! Maybe You Should be a Vet!

Last night, I stood next to my tall son who was wearing a wife beater tank, white pants, and white dress shoes, as he worked on his "mouse trap" auto--spring angel wings prop to complete his Drama Districts costume. Drama Districts will be on Saturday. The wings were started on Wednesday after "the mom" ran around two different towns compiling supplies for him.

Tiny shards of wire and bits of foam core board cluttered the counter table and floor. He held the wings out and as he popped the trap, the wings snapped open. I marveled at the clever apparatus made out of wooden dowels, foam core board, a mouse trap (of course), various nuts and bolts, and lots of hot glue.

"You are so talented," I said. "You should be an engineer!" I wondered how a brain could even come up with such a contraption!

He looked at me with a half smile, then started listing off several careers that he's interested in; Fire fighter, actor, costume designer, blacksmith, Coroner, and Rock Star. His interests are varied.

The sing song way his voice named the careers made the words to Theo Le Sieg's (AKA Dr. Seuss') book, Do You Want to Fly a Jet, immediately come to mind.

I began quoting the book to him and we laughed. It was a frequent read from his childhood, and memories flashed through my mind of a brown--eyed boy with a damp blond bowl cut, smelling of baby shampoo, cuddling with me on the couch. . . .

This career talk is new and strange and a little frightening--at least for me. I am learning how difficult it must be for mother birds to push their babies out of their nests and let them fly. I want to grab my boy and put my arms around him and protect him and keep him safe and cozy. But if I do that, he'll never learn how to SOAR!

Tonight, when the windows reflect the dark night, Alex will once again be in my kitchen furiously working and creating and hot gluing and carefully and meticulously gluing feathers to his mouse trap wing contraptions.

And when he dons them, I will think . . . exercise those wings, flap hard and prepare because very soon you will be leaving my nest,

and what I wish most for you is to SOAR.

All Photos by Laura Walker Photographies