Nitty.Gritty. Martha Stewart. {Not!}

That's me! Okay...some of you commented and others emailed me asking about the gingerbread village. It's all homemade from the Better Homes & Garden Recipe book that I did some other baking out of earlier this month. Some of you didn't know you could make your own gingerbread, huh? I bought the molasses and traced the templates and rolled out the dough and baked it and everything. =) You can still do that...it's fun. It takes a lot of time compared to doing a kit, but that's the best part about life, I think.
We live in such an automated, take the shortest route, do things the quickest-most convenient way, that often times the part we're missing out on is the best part of all! My girls were so into the baking and cutting out of shapes. Brock was thrilled when we made the frosting to decorate and I totally got covered with confectioner's sugar when my mixer whipped it all over the place. Those are some of the pictures I missed taking. But they are some of the memories I have to cherish evenso.
So, yes, I took the 'scenic route' to making my gingerbread houses and trees and church. But it was well worth it, I think. I'm no Martha Stewart, but, there are times when I think life calls for going over-the-top. For me, it meant the love and time and effort I put into making gingerbread with my family. I think pre-made kits are awesome though, too. They get people doing a project together...for some people that's a big step to take!
I will not claim to be perfect here, or full of the best ideas, or have the greatest talents, or most creativity, or money to spend on the fanciest products...but, I do have time and love and I hope that rubs off on my kids. Not just at Christmas, but everyday.
I have thought a lot this past year about 'what I am good at'. I've really given it a lot of thought, and I think I have finally come up with a good answer. I'm good at 'everyday life'. Nothing extravagant...but I think I have a knack for seeing beauty in the ordinary and loving the simple things in my routine days. I think it's something people miss out on in their busy, stressful lives.
Maybe that will be one of the books I start working on writing. I could call it 'The {Lost} Art of Everyday Living'. I kind of like that...I should google it to see if it's already been done.
One side note that some of you may find funny...I may find myself more like Martha Stewart than I'd like to be. As we all know, she spent some time in a jail cell. Well, turns out that I, yes me, Nitty.Gritty. presidential-nominee wanna-be, may be held in contempt of court. I missed calling in for jury duty a couple of weeks ago. I plan to clear things up right away Monday morning.
My hubby finds it sort of humorous. He told me to go out driving and speed up and down the highways and to get pulled over to find out if I'm wanted. I said, 'Yeah, real funny. I'll get thrown in a jail cell and then I can make my own construction paper Christmas tree to decorate my wall'. Just so you know, I feel terrible about not being a more responsible citizen...
I was in fact looking forward to being questioned in hopes of being chosen for jury selection. Even though with my previous experiences in courtrooms, and my story and link to local prosecutors and all, I likely wouldn't stand a chance to get on the jury. I thought it would be fun to see how far I could get in the selection process.
It may still happen. Til then, I'm going to keep a close eye on my speedometer. I don't think anyone would let me blog from a jail cell. I think I'll stick to staying home and baking. =)