Z Good Life

christmas baking

I always look forward to baking goodies at Christmas time! We love to bake. We love to nibble. We love to share with neighbors and friends! I admit, it's been a little different this year since we have a gluten-free member of our family. (We had an interesting realization at our church communion service this weekend. We should have brought a rice cracker for Erich! *laugh*)

On Saturday, we went to my mom's and decorated cut-out sugar cookies with my sister and her kids. It's fun to be creative with frosting and sprinkles! We listened to Christmas music while we visited and decorated. The boys "ran out of gas" first. Toward the end, it was just the adults working until the very last cookie had been beautifully decorated. 

 

Nope, those cookies aren't gluten-free. I did bake some gluten-free ones for Erich, but they wouldn't have worked as cut-outs. We made do by generously decorating the round drop-cookies! Erich says the frosting makes them taste much better. *laugh*

I've made Rolo Turtles for the past few years. They're easy. They're yummy. And I could make a gluten-free variety buy substituting gluten-free pretzels for regular ones!

 
The regular ones were still warm when I took this picture. That's why they're shiny and the g-free ones aren't.

In lieu of candy cane cookies or some other gluten-infested treat, I made coconut macaroons this year. I substituted 6 T. of rice flour for 6 T. of wheat flour, and they are absolutely delicious. I think there are about 5 dozen. At the bottom of the picture are chocolate-free macaroons for Lily.

 

As it turns out, we have two neighbors who are also gluten intolerant. When we bring a plate of treats to each family, we'll make sure that our gluten-free friends get to enjoy the tasty treats, too!

We haven't made my mom's infamous almond roca candy yet. It's another Christmas tradition at our house. Bonus: It's gluten-free! :o)
  

church christmas program

This is Lily's last year in the "little kids choir" at our church. Erich took these pictures before we left home.

(Actually, I took this one.)

 
(Erich took this one!)

The children sang a few songs: Go, Tell It on the Mountain; Angels We Have Heard on High; and Jingle Bells! Here's Lily, singing and jingling away:

I found the hair bow at "Forever 21." Isn't it the cutest?! I don't imagine my little girl will let me dress her up much longer, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts!
 

santa party!

The family of one of Lily's classmates had a Santa party at their home. The young children just flipped out when he walked in the door!

 
(Lily and Felicity are decked out in their Christmas dresses from last year, with matching ponytails to boot!)

We shared yummy appetizers and treats with other families, then each of the children sat on Santa's knee. They had a chance to tell him what they'd like for Christmas, and he gave them each a gift! Yep, even Summer and Jay wanted to sit on Santa's knee so they could get their gifts! ;o)

 

There was also a neat craft station for the children. They had lots of fun using a salad spinner, small white paper plates, and paint. Very cool spin art!!


 

 

gingerbread house competition

I enjoy the gingerbread house competition held in our city every year. Everyone does such an amazing job! The venue is really too small considering how immensely popular the competition has become, but I put up with the crowds (more like "throngs") just long enough to look at the entries and then scram. Here are just a few pictures. Summer didn't want me to take any pictures with her, so all you get to see are some of our favorite entries. :o)

 
This is a tribute to the firefighters who worked all night long to save Summer's middle school last month. The winner also created a gingerbread replica of the school, but without the flames and firefighters. (We recently found out that the school does not need to be demolished and rebuilt from scratch, which is wonderful news!)

Summer and I both just loved this little bungalow! In the far right corner, there's a tiny froggy sitting on a lilypad! The detail was absolutely amazing.

 
OK, not necessarily a gingerbread "house," but what a neat creation! EVERYTHING in and around this "bag" is edible -- including the "bag!" So creative!

We also enjoyed the gingerbread replica of our city's lovely and historical city hall, and a gingerbread version of the house from the movie "Up!" One of Summer's friends from created a "computer confection," which was a laptop made entirely of edible parts. What a fun holiday tradition!

a pioneer christmas

On Sunday afternoon, we went out to a little pioneer Christmas celebration in a town nearby. This particular town has put together quite a darling historical site to honor and remember "the old settlers" from days gone by. This year we met up with Janet Drew and her family! (Yeah, I held the baby the entire time, even though my arms got tired. I ignored it so I could snuggle him for as long as possible!)

In the little old schoolhouse, the children could write letters to Santa. Then we walked over to the little old post office to mail it! It's so interesting to stand in the tiny schoolhouse and imagine it as it was so many years ago. They had just a small wood stove in the corner to keep it warm! Erich helped Lily spell a few words in her letter. Elijah is sitting behind her.

 

In each of the little cabins, there were various antiques and some type of activity for children. In the photo below, Lily and Jay are making ornaments from recycled Christmas cards.

 
  
Janet and Meshak had to run, so we kept the boys for the rest of the afternoon. Next stop: Hospitality House for hot drinks and cookies!  

 

After we warmed up for a while, we all jumped on the horse-drawn wagon for a little ride through town. (Complete with jingling bells!)

 


All bundled up and ready to go! It was SO COLD outside -- even colder riding in the wagon! Pictured from left to right: Erich, Summer, Lily, Brennan, Jay, and Elijah.  

a new sport!

Jay asked about football this year, but it was too late to sign up when he expressed an interest. When basketball signups came along, he said he wanted to give it a try. Why not? Jay has been playing baseball since kindergarten, but it's great that he wants to try other sports too.

 

Saturday was Jay's first basketball game! What an eye-opening experience for the boys. Fourth graders are allowed to steal the ball, and the red team did just that -- A LOT. It was super competitive! Many of the boys on Jay's team are beginners. You could say this game was baptism by fire. ;o)

 

Remember that it's not all about winning and losing, Jay. You're learning something new, and we are so proud of you for trying! You took a few shots, stole a few balls, and nabbed a few rebounds. I was especially proud to see you smiling, having fun, and cheering for your teammates! Love you, Jay-Man.
  

gluten-free corndogs

It's hard to change cooking habits when someone in your family is gluten intolerant. I had found a few easy things to make, but Erich craves food he used to eat: corndogs, fish and chips, tuna casserole, etc.  His mom bought us a recipe book with easy mom friendly and family friendly recipes. (If it requires 20 different ingredients -- half of which I don't normally have in the kitchen -- it is NOT mom friendly!) 

This is my first attempt at gluten-free corndogs. They don't LOOK great, but they tasted fine. The cornbread is quite dense (as is most gluten-free bread), and the batter "puddled" a little since they were baked, not fried.

 

The kids and I each had one. (They're really filling!) Erich was thrilled when he came home to CORNDOGS! He polished off all four of the remaining corndogs!

I penciled in a few "tips" next to the recipe for next time. The batter was too thin at first, so I added more cornmeal and some gluten-free flour. It needed a little more honey, and I definitely need to buy a finely ground cornmeal.

Summer whipped up a gluten-free tuna noodle casserole a few days later. It got two thumbs up from Daddy! We're going to try gluten-free breaded fish fillets next. Thank you, Linda and Gary, for the wonderful and HELPFUL cookbook. *hug* 

(If any readers are interested in the cookbook or the recipe I used, you can leave a comment or click on the "email me" link above.)

z thanksgiving

(I forgot to post this! Better late than never.)

I like Thanksgiving Dinner. I especially like the fact that we get two every year! The weekend before Thanksgiving is usually dedicated to Z Thanksgiving. This year, we hosted. Huge thanks to Linda, who helped me pull it off without a hitch.

 

I know, my eyes are closed! This is the only picture with ALMOST everyone in it: Jay, Erich's brother David, Summer, Gary, Linda, Katie (2), David's wife Michele, Lily, Dana (8), and yours truly. Thanks for picking up the camera to take a photo, Erich. I'm glad to have it, even if my eyes are closed. :o)  

the train and the tree

One of the things the children look forward to most each year is setting up the train underneath our Christmas tree. Jay takes his soldiers for a ride, and Lily does the same with her Polly Pockets! They think it's hysterical to stand up the soldiers on the train, then make it go really fast and cause them all to fall off!

 

Yes, it's an artificial tree. Yes, that makes me very sad. One of my allergies is to mold, and there are certain molds that grow on pine trees in the northwest. Each and every year, I thought my sneezing fits were from the dusty boxes of ornaments and Christmas decorations. Nope. The culprit was the fragrant evergreen. Fortunately, the really nice pine scented candles don't cause sneezing fits, and they still smell quite realistic! (My favorite is Yankee. Others are too "perfumey.")  

I miss our annual tradition of finding our tree and cutting it down, but we have lots of other traditions! 

felicity's "dresser"

Lily appreciates organization. It's something we noticed about her at an early age. When she was a toddler, she wouldn't go to bed unless all of her toys were put away first! 

Lily also really enjoys playing with Felicity, her American Girl Doll. The problem was storage for Felicity's clothes and accessories. Summer made a makeshift closet using a dowel and Felicity's shipping box, but it kept tipping over and made more of a mess than before. There was no space for the hats and shoes, and it was impossible to hang up the skirts using the hangers from American Girl.

 

I went to Big Lots and found these plastic bins with drawers. They were cheaper than the similar ones at Target.

I used my handy-dandy labelmaker to label the drawers. Now every outfit -- including the coordinating hat, shoes, and other accessories -- is placed in an organized, labeled drawer!

  

Lily thoroughly enjoyed helping me organize Felicity's clothes. When we were finished, she literally giggled with delight as she sat down on the floor to play with her doll! Now THAT is a girl who appreciates organization.