Feliz Navidad

I was so very excited when I found out IKEA carried premade gingerbread houses. We enjoyed constructed them last Friday afternoon and then the kids really enjoyed eating on them Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and well you get the picture. The set didn't come with icing, so I followed the recipe on the back and melted 2c of sugar on the stove. To ensure "stickiness" I added a bit of powdered sugar. It worked, but not too kid friendly since the sugar was at the temperature to make candy. I had to return to the stove every 2 minutes to remelt the sugar. Next time I'll go with the powdered sugar icing that doesn't need cooking.
Monday we made my mom's famous Christmas cookies. I grew up eating these and am having a really hard time not devouring the entire container. My mom uses a tea cake recipe for her sugar cookies:

Linda Meador's Tea Cakes - Celina, TX

Cream together

1 c shortening

2 c sugar

3 eggs

Add

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 c milk

Sift together

4 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

Combine all together gradually and then chill in the refrigerator.  Roll out in flour, but not too thin. Cut (in shapes or the shape of your pan). Put in pan. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400F until lightly browned (for cookies about 7-8min).

 Although Christmas without family isn't the best, we are still in the Christmas spirit despite wearing flip-flops and tanktops.  :)  I'm had about 20 moms and kids over on Thursday for crafts and pizza and then a missionary family is coming over on Saturday evening for a traditional Christmas meal and a time of singing Christmas hymns and carols. It will be my first time to cook a turkey!  The main ingredient missing for a traditional (or at least my family's traditional) Christmas meal here in the DR is yams/sweet potatoes. They have a sweet potato here called a batata, but I haven't gotten the hang of cooking it (the flesh is more like a root than a potato). Plus, I'm just needing a good ole orange yam :)

Our craft time included 3 stations.  Here they are making wreaths. 

 Darton hard at work at the angel station.

 We also had a star station, but the picture below is of the older kids and some moms making snowflakes out of paper.

 A paper snowflake!

I put each of the kids' names on a plate and as they finished a craft, they put their work on their plate. 

Diggin' in to pizza

Matthias and Scarlet are only a week a part in age.