Picture-perfect baking

I've always wanted to do one of those "domestic diva"-type of blogs, with the high-quality photos and amazing projects. But that's not my life most days, so I thought it would be funny to do a bit of a parody with this week's Christmas baking blitz!
First, here's a photo of my super-clean kitchen:

Why yes, that IS a construction hat by the sugar...

I hadn't gotten much Christmas-cookie baking done this year (and time is running OUT!), so when I couldn't get to work on Thursday because of the mega-snow-apocalypse, and school was canceled, and our power came back on after we lost it for a few hours (brrrr...), it was clearly God's way of telling me, "Make cookies with your kindergartener and create a memorable moment!" YES, I thought...

So I gathered Xavier during the toddler's nap time, and got him all excited about making  cookies with me. I even agreed to use the Star Wars cookie cutters instead of the traditional "holiday" shapes...

We were all set! The step stool was ready for X, we had aprons on... and then, as we started to measure ingredients, I remembered that we have to let the sugar cookie and gingerbread dough CHILL for a couple of hours... argh! Well, Xavier was very "chill" about it and kept up his enthusiasm until baking time. He helped cut out some Star Wars cookies for a few minutes, and then lost steam. But we had fun and I managed to snap a picture of him to PROVE that we had a memorable mother-son baking moment:

Nothing says "Christmas" like some Death Star cookies!

Xavier and Daddy magically reappeared after the cookies had baked and cooled (must be in the DNA), and the cookies got two thumbs up! They look pretty good, too, even though I don't have time to frost them like the Williams-Sonoma cookie-cutter instructions show:

Here are some other artsy photos of my ingredients and my kitchen, which all the cool cooking blogs have:

Nutmeg and some artfully out-of-focus measuring spoons :)

Canola oil spray—very helpful for
getting molasses out of the measuring
cup, if you remember beforehand :)

And here's a great shot of our refinished kitchen cabinets; we used reclaimed wood from a 100-year-old barn, hand-sanded them and used a distressed paint finish, and then found vintage knobs that give the kitchen a chic-but-classic feel...

Leo at work on the cabinets...

OK, that wasn't true AT ALL.
I kid, I kid... and I don't want to belittle anyone who has actually done that kind of refinishing, which would actually look pretty good :) We haven't even gotten around to putting knobs and drawer pulls on the cabinets yet (only been in the house 8 years—we need to get settled!). But we do make cute spuds! And until those spuds get a little bigger, the kitchen is going to look like this for a while :)

Merry Christmas, and may the cookies be with you!

Oh, Xavier...

We are amused—usually—at the things Xavier says. But then we figure out that he must've heard it from us...

• "Oh, bother!" (clearly inspired by Winnie the Pooh)
• "I concur" (Jay taught him this one)
• "Pardon me" (much more refined than the standard "sorry"!)
• "Let's make a compromise..." (we hear this one a lot at mealtimes)
• "Fine, fine..." (when he's angry... definitely got this one from Steph!)
• "You've got to be kidding me!!" (again, when angry, just like Steph)

Here are some other random X quotes:

• "Let's play 'Jesus vs. Satan'..." (When I asked what Jesus's weapon was, he pulled out some Bible-themed Silly Bandz: "A dove!" And Satan's? "An upside-down heart!")
• "Mom, I like this voice you're using. It's much better than your 'scolding voice.'"(I guess I have a 'scolding voice'... comes out much too often some days!)

Here's a recent picture of the boys. I think Leo is going to need a haircut soon!! Faux-hawk is starting to get into his eyes--if he were a lady, we could just use a clip or headband :)

Scribble Skin

Jay's text freaked me out: "Sorry but i will need to give x a bath... you will see why when you get home." I instantly jumped to conclusions as I raced home from a church meeting: Was it blood? Poop? Vomit?? Each possibility held an "ewww" factor I wasn't particularly looking forward to dealing with.

When I came in the door, however, I never expected to meet a smiling face like this:

 Here's a photo in better light:

 While Jay was busy with Leo, Xavier had grabbed some of his markers and made himself look like Darth Maul (from "Star Wars," of course... do you see the resemblance?). Xavier calls his look "Scribble Face" and is quite proud of his handiwork--he didn't even use a mirror (does that make it more impressive??). He also scribbled on his tummy, hands and feet... what a squirrel!

Sigh.
So glad it WASN'T blood or poop or vomit... and so, so, so glad Xav used washable markers and not Sharpies. It did scrub right off, thankfully :) A night we will never forget in our house!