Christmas Eve

So today we finally decided to try out the shuffleboard on our side yard. It worked pretty well once we got the corn meal sprinkled down. We played on the front yard and had some photo sessions in front of the Christmas tree.

(And yes, Sydney is wearing a summer top as it's about 76 degrees here today!!) Despite the weather, we are trying our best to get into the spirit of things...

Men of Ginger

Well this year we finally had a nice new kitchen in which to make the men of ginger. There was enough room on the counters for the cookie sheets, the cooling racks and a rolling dough spot. Then there's the convection oven which means that I was able to stack the pans and still have them cook evenly! Last year I could only bake 6 at a time!!

So, we ended up with 107 men this year, plus a few other shapes for the kids to decorate. We gave most of them away as Xmas gifts but we still have a few lingering about. It took all weekend, but it's a labour of love you see.

Here are some pics of our favorite custom ones...

Madison's Art

Madison recently got her art hung in a restaurant. She was so excited and proud of herself as were we. It's a program at her Elementary School called Hands On Art. Parent volunteers attend a workshop led by a particular artist and then come into the classroom to teach it to the children. The kids then produce a piece of artwork in the style of that artist.

Santa Photo 2007

I didn't want to be in the photo, but I could tell as soon as we neared Santa's village that Sydney was not going to have anything to do with it. At least we got a smile out of her...