Here comes Peter Cotton Tail...

I am a baker. I love to make yummy bread, and cakes and other delicious goodies. But, I don’t like to make cookies. I’m not sure why, but I find it boring! Just the monotony of ball, after ball, after ball, of dough…pan, after pan, in, and out of the oven. Ugh! When will it ever end?!!! Give me a bar cookie any day. Mix the dough, squish it into a 9x13 pan, bake it, slice it, and your done. That’s my kind of treat. Then, there are sugar cookies. (insert ominous music here)

Making cookies in my house is a chore. I have two fantastic helpers that will be master chefs one day, I’m sure of it. But for now, they are 2 and 5. Nuff said. They help turn the mixer on, taste, add the ingredients, taste, roll out the dough, taste. It takes me 3 times as long to make cookies with my two helpers than it does by myself, but I don’t often make goodies for us (and when I am baking for other people I don’t let them get near enough to even smell them)… so I can’t very well tell them they can’t help when it’s for us to eat…. Anyway….

Like I said, I don’t like to make cookies. But, every once and a while I get a “wild hare” (he, he) to create some beautiful sugar cookies. It should be easy, right? A couple years back I bought this adorable cookie cutter and was determined to make cookies for all Xander’s friends. Right. That stinking cookie took up so much dough, it was insane. And then the whole “line and fill” method seems like it should be easy enough, but doing anything with a kid on your lap "helping"brings a whole new challenge.

I guess the few years since the flower cookie was long enough to help me forget the joys of the beautiful stacked monstrosities called sugar cookies, because the other day I bought a cookie cutter for 3D air plane at a killer sale. It was awesome. It was still kind of a pain in the butt, but for the most part not too bad. So my hubby and I looked around online to see what other 3D cutters we could find. Then, there it was… the bunny. It was so cute! I just had to have it… then I looked at the price. Yikes!! I am all for buying American made and supporting small business and what not but SERIOUSLY??? I decided I didn’t need to have it so badly after all.

That darn bunny… I just couldn’t get it out of my head, so I bought it. I know, I know… but it is SO cute (and we would be getting our tax refund soon, so hey)!! I got the cutter and looked at it for days and days. I knew it would be time consuming and I was nervous about the whole sugar cookie thing but I had to try it out. So, Tuesday rolls around and I break down and make cookie dough with the kids. The cookie cutter manufacturer recommends baking the similar sized pieces together so here we go with the pans and pans of cookies thing. Then, life happened. I put the cookie bits and pieces in a gallon sized zip bag and left them on the counter until Thursday, after much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth (from the kids) I decided I better get those darn cookies frosted.

The results? MARVELOUS! They are SO cute, cute, cute, cute. I don’t often (in seriousness) gush over my own baked goods, but gosh darn it they are SO CUTE!!! And, even though they were a week old when we finally ate them, they were tasty too! Completed, they are the equivalent of 5 sugar cookies, but if you notice, they are missing the back leg (which you can’t really see because of the view). I had to let my kiddos eat a cookie so they’d leave me alone till they were completed and photographed. (Cause anything that takes me a week to complete deserves a posted photo)

These were just the trial run, and my focus group (i.e. Mother-in-law, kiddos, hubby and friends) helped me come up with ideas to make them even cuter, (like cotton candy tails) which makes me even more excited. That said, I will be selling these adorable cookies this Easter to try to make up for what I spent on the cutter. $5 for the unfrosted cookie “kit” and $7.50 frosted. I would even ship them (un-assembled) to anyone out of Alaska who is interested in purchasing some. (chocolate flavor also available)

Toilet Paper tubes and "twying".

Did you ever use a bathroom at my house and wonder why there are piles and piles of empty toilet paper tubes? Well, it's amazing what you can make with them, and I couldn't even begin to think of all the things, but I save them knowing that they will get used. I bet Xander has 5 ideas in his head as we speak.

Someone once told me that children who grow up in cluttered homes are more creative than those who don't. If that is true, my children will be creative geniuses. Xander demonstrates this on a daily basis. Give that kid a roll of scotch tape, some paper, markers, and some string and the kid can create anything. Needless to say, we buy scotch tape in bulk at Costco. $12 is a small price to pay for a kiddos love and admiration, and hours and hours of entertainment.

Xander's Toilet Paper Tube Tank

On a different note, Ruby is cuter than ever. She is talking more, which is hilarious. She has her own little accent, and starts every word with a T sound. Clothes is toes, fell it tell and so on. I have especially been working on teaching her how to say feet. She might be twelve and stuttering with the F sound, but at least she wont be telling people to tickle her "tits" which is what it sounds like the way she says it now. It's funny as all get out.

The other night Ken had to work late, then go do his home teaching, so I was getting the kids ready for bed myself. I was drying Ruby off and telling her that we'd brush her teeth, get pj's on and then read books, say prayers and go to bed. She looks up at me all wet and cute in her flower petal towel, and says "I just go to my room and Trwy." Oh Ruby, why are you going to go to your room and cry? "I want daddy sing me Siwent Night." Ruby, I can sing you Silent Night.

Then, I got the look. "I want DADDY sing me Siwent Night." Okay. I put her to bed, but the little stinker stayed awake till daddy came home and sang to her.

Who's chopped liver? Um, that would be me.

Here's a video of Ruby and her cute words.