A Warm House

Yesterday the four of us ended the day in heap on the couch watching Elf with a fire going, relishing the knowledge that phase one of fixing up this place is over, we've broken the ice on entertaining here, and now it's time to enjoy the holidays.  The open house style party we had yesterday totally worked its housewarming magic.

I do regret not taking many pictures of our party, especially since the food and guests all came together nicely.  Picture bagels on cake plates, donut-and-fruit kabobs, and kids and adults filling this house with friendly faces and happy noise.


To keep our youngest guests occupied I put my mom to work the other day making gingerbread cookies in the shape of houses for the kids to decorate.  I found this recipe for her, and the cookies were quite good--soft like the blogger promised.  (Mom would want me to advise using a silicone mat and rolling the dough on the thick side to make cutting the cookies a smooth process.)  I put Mike to work making royal icing using this recipe just as the guests were arriving.  Despite not actually creating the cookies or icing, I believe my vision, research, and delegation skills deserve full credit for the fun and deliciousness of the end result. I know who will come through!

Sophie decorated a cookie for (with the help of) Mike's best friend Jeff.

Once the kids all finished making cookies, I intended to break out a second craft (paper cup turkeys), but that never seemed necessary.  In fact, we had some cookies left over, so I let Michael and Sophie decorate and eat a couple more after breakfast this morning.

Like yesterday, eating the decorations (mini M&M's, square pretzels, and peppermints) was at least half the fun.

Thank you to the friends who came to visit yesterday.
It really does feel more like home since you came by!