Daily Archives: December 7, 2010

Gingerbread House – Like We Used To Make

07 Dec 2010

Are you ready for a sugar hit?
Nanu made the gingerbread pieces at home, which was genius because it saved time. Traditionally we use a recipe from a Christmas book, cut out the pieces from a template – then bake. Chief made the house a little wider this time, but this is basically the same house we’ve grown up making. Nanu brought over some candy, then we made a “candy run” for even more. The frosting/glue is Royal Icing, made from 2 egg whites, 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar, and 3 cups of sifted powdered sugar. Sweet Kiera stepped in to add beautiful attention to detail. (she made the whole roof with breathtaking efficiency!) Oscar did a lot too. He saw the project to completion, and contributed original projects such as the welcome mat and path, and many of the rows of gumdrops, red hots and the like. The only real question is, how long can we go until we eat it?

Click to see these large and luscious!:

Ps No, you can’t eat the pig.

Behind the scenes shots:

Nutcracker & Christmas Shopping

07 Dec 2010

Maria and Isabella treated Oscar and me to a terrific holiday outing on Saturday: ballet and shopping. Delightful!

We saw a performance by the San Francisco Youth Ballet, held at Mercy High School’s auditorium. It’s kid friendly, and had some very sweet and funny moments.

Oscar’s favorite part was the soldier and mouse battle. Of course.

After the dancing, we drove over to Fillmore Street, my favorite old stomping grounds. I miss that street! I used to walk it A Lot, 10 years ago.
We practically attacked the boulange Bay Bread for some must have snacks. Outside of France, they are the epicenter for the macaroon craze. We bought a few. I also dragged the group up to Peets. Mmmmmm. “Properly caffeinated” and so happy!

Maria and I noticed how easy and fun it was to just have our oldest kids with us. No strollers, no diapers. But more than that, it was nice to just have some quality time with the big kids.

Last we hit our main destination: Paper Source! No one did any major damage. (This night anyways).
The kids were running on sugar fumes at this point:

We will miss the Kellys over the holidays as they are off to Australia until the new year. This was a terrific chance to share a little holiday cheer. Thanks Mama!

Christmas Tree Lot

07 Dec 2010

We went to a new place for our tree this year.
In past years we’ve hit big box stores like Target and Home Depot,
because the price was right for our height requirement
(hey, I’ve got 11 foot ceilings and I intend to use them!).
Here’s last year’s outing.

As the garden centers at Target have all been closed, Mark did some research and found MK Christmas Trees. They’re in Daly City/So. San Francisco. And I am so used to leaving the city limits for our tree, I didn’t bat an eye when no longer recognized my surroundings.

We even got to stop at In-n-Out on the way! Tradition Upheld.

At the lot, the people were really nice, and the trees were super fresh. I loved the “non-big-box” feel. It reminded me of some of the lots I went to as a kid. Plain. Well, they did have a selection of trees with white flocking, but that’s kinda fun to see. It’s “throwback.”

We picked our tree, “Millie”. (I’ve never even thought to name a tree before.) This one may not be the tallest or straightest we’ve ever had, but so far, she has the most personality.

And if you are wondering, we are still considering whether to get a small tree for Oscar this year. He votes yes. The Judges are convening. Stay Tuned.