Elves in the Kitchen & Package in the Mail

Last week the story of my life was “Performances” (thankfully not my own). This week it was baking in the kitchen! 

There were so many things to prepare… cookies for teachers and friends,

Cupcakes I call “Ghost of Christmas Present” (inside joke) for the orchestra bake sale raising money for Haley’s trip to play at Carnegie Hall this March!  Lindsay’s friends pay her a dollar a cupcake after begging when they see these come out of her lunch and some offer to pay more in price wars.  She sells them off if she knows there are more at home she can have later!  These were sold for a bargain .50 cents each and they were GONE!

Cookies for the “Bunte Tellers” in German Class!  This is supposed to be a cookie exchange.  They ended up being the ONLY homemade thing on the plate!!!

Zillions of delicious Buckeyes (very popular in the “buckeye state”) and Amish Cider Bread for the “Ohio Feast” as the culminating activity for a unit on the history of Ohio.    I had soooo much bread dough the only thing that could hold it was my Great Bowl… and it was full of pumpkin, applesauce, eggs, cinnamon, etc.  FULL!  This was NOT a holiday celebration of any kind, the teacher made sure to let us know. 

Then to bring it all in on Friday!  I had two heavy trays loaded with sliced Cider Bread, a shoulder bag loaded with tins of buckeyes and bags of cookies and cards for teacher gifts, one child holding my coat, another child in my hand, and a cello on my back for the performance.  We made it in from the parking lot and up a couple flights of stairs.   Thankfully the girl holding the side door open near the parking lot “looked the other way” when I came in since I had such a big load.  I didn’t really want to walk around the whole school to the front door with all that just to sign in at the office.  Phew!

FINALLY last night I finished up my homemade Christmas gifts and today wrapped and boxed them.   HOORAY!  They are In The Mail!  I was worried but priority shipping at this point still gets them there in time.  These elves have been hard at work this week.