Gingerbread (what another food post!)

Before I do anything Rebe wanted me to show you her new slippers. They're from here. We'd gotten Benny a pair of the tractor ones a month or so ago and they are so great we decided to get Rebe a pair in the hope that she'll actually wear them as slippers! She loves them and so far they are ON HER FEET :-)

I also quickly wanted to show you this...

A few nights ago Rebe found an actual ladybird in her bed, I have no idea how it got there, but she really wanted to keep it as a pet. She kept it in a jar for a few hours, but as it became less mobile and happy she decided she wanted to put it outside. She came back in tears because she had wanted to keep it so much, but she said; 'I'm sad because I miss my little guy, but I'm glad I gave him his life back'. So, to replace him I have borrowed a button from one of Joa's cardi's, and Rebe made this beautiful habitat for it to live in. I think that's a pretty good compromise.

So on to the gingerbread...

A few weeks ago Rebe started bringing home little Christmas cards from her class mates. It seems that they give a card to every child in their class. This just doesn't sit for me, it seems pretty meaningless for a start as Rebe has no idea why people were giving her cards and she couldn't remember who they were from, never mind the cost both financial and environmental. And as you may have guessed I just don' t go in for consumerism! So instead we decided to make a gingerbread house for her to bring on the last day of term for the whole class to share.

The day before yesterday we mixed and baked the gingerbread. Oh, it was so christmassy, the smell of ginger and cinnamon. The heat from the stove and I brought down the tape player and we listened to Here Comes Christmas. We had this LP when I was a child and we listened to it every Christmas growing up. My dad kindly taped it for us last year, there is nothing else that gets me into the Christmas mood than listening to this.

Lots of gingerbread Mio Gingerbread

Lambie (with a funny eye)

That evening, with many sweary words, I cobbled it together. I have made 3 or 4 gingerbread houses, but never before had so many problems sticking it together! But finally I did it and yesterday afternoon Rebe decorated it (very gently).

We took it in to her school this morning. To my pleasure she reported to me that the WHOLE SCHOOL got to share it. I love that! It was a great success and I think this is a tradition we may do every year.

Still with food, here is my little cooking helper preparing the veg for dinner in a very novel way...

Check out the 'tools face'.

Lastly this little boy has been teething. Red , red cheeks, drooling, grumbling, chewing, but it's been worth it....

HAPPY TOOTHDAY JOA!