Books in our Christmas Reading Basket This Month:
Snitzel's Cookies by Jane Flory
Jesus and the Very Best Birthday by Sunny Griffin
Kitten's Christmas by Dick McCue
The Happy Snowman (a board book)
A Very Special Night by Gil Davies
Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost (FIAR)
Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming (FIAR)
If you take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
Grandma's Christmas Tree by Grandma Janet Mary
Disney's Winnie the Pooh's Night Before Christmas
Disney's Winnie the Pooh Jingle Bells


Pitty-pat found one of my cooking magazines with 101 cookies. All three kids "read" it today. Too cute. "Hey, Mom, Can you make this one it looks like a hamburger?"she asked. I guess they never saw a sandwich cookie before. Maybe this summer I will make scooter pies.but not now.

Around the World

 Today I taught them how to say "Merry Christmas" in several different languages while we made cookies, 2 ingredient fudge, and rollo pretzel turtles. Here's our list of Merry Christmas so far
Merry christmas(English)
Feliz Navidad (spanish)
Joyeux Noel (French)
In Japanese, Merry Christmas is メリークリスマス (merii kurisumasu) or just Merry Christmas with more "u"s. I needed my friend from Japan for this one.
 Polish: Wesolych Swiat
 Greek: kala Christougena
Arabic: Colo sana wintom tiebeen. 
German :Schone Weihnachten Thanks to my facebook friend Kasia for these last four.

I gathered all of our Christmas books I could find and put them in the basket to read a new one each night. I didn't wrap them, not sure if I will wrap them this year. I know I am a week late.

Can't wait we are doing the a Jesse tree again this year and we have a couple new ornaments planned  to make for it. I got a fancy metal tree to hang the special ornaments on each night. It is table top size and gold. I think it was originally for mugs but a dollar for it on the garage sale site was a great deal. It has been in storage since I pick it up. One hook for each ornament looks like it was made for this.

I found clear plastic bulbs and stars to decorate for our homemade ornaments this year.

Salt dough ornaments

Recipe for salt dough

• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup water
• 3 cups white flour.
•  preheat oven to 200 degrees

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine one cup salt and one cup of water until the salt has dissolved. 2. Gradually stir in at least 3 cups of flour. To make a stiffer dough add more flour.
If  your dough gets crumbly, add in a little more salt water at a 1:1 ratio. If your dough is just too sticky, add in a little more flour.
3. Sculpt your salt dough and put each finished ornament on a baking sheet.
4. Bake your salt dough sculptures in a 200-degree oven for at least two hours, and it is completely dry. Thicker sculptures will take significantly more time to dry than flat ones.

What my christmas tree means to me

I just got home from work and am sitting in the dark looking at my decorated tree. I lost some of my children and mine handmade ornaments a few years ago and I cried. So a friend gave me little beaded grandmas ornaments, her other Christmas ornaments, and garland so those remind me of friendships gone. This year the little kids and I have made several ornaments and they are so precious to me. The first year Aaron and I spent together he made ornaments with us and they are all on the tree I smile at each one. The kids each have ornaments with their names from the Grandparents and they are on the tree. The red bows are from Jessica's spruce tree that she planted when she was two. We would decorate that little tree every year outside at my mom and dad's house. The tree is taller than the house now. Both my parents are gone but the bows remind me of them. The little bells are from when the cat would try to climb the tree and look like the one in polar express that came out long after the bells made it on our tree. The angel was a gift from Camryn's grandma Nola when she moved to Florida and remind us of her at Christmas. The glass pine cones and Blue bulbs were bought to celebrate out first Chrismas in our new home in 2006. Candy canes never seem to stay on the tree long but I see a couple hiding in the branches. The little red satin bulb is the last one the cat didn't shread from the year camryn was one and we couldn't have any glass on our tree. The small colored glass bulbs are from my trees growing up. There are several gift tags and christmas cards that have tranformed into ornaments with dates on the back. I love my christmas tree memories.

ornaments

I found this little beaded bell ornament at the thrift store and just had to have it. We have been reading a lot of Longfellow this year and so it just fit.

I heard the Bells on Christmas Day

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

Nuts and bolts

Nuts & Bolts

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 box of  Wheat Chex
- 1 box of Cheerios
- 1 box of Crispix
- 1 bag of Pretzel Sticks
- Peanuts 1.5lbs
- 1 botle of Worstershire Sauce (284ml)
- 2 Cups of Mazola or Canola Oil
- 1 tbsp Seasoning Salt
-1 tbsp Garlic Salt
- 4 large plastic freezer bags to store nuts & bolts in freezer (yum!)
-Aluminum pans for mixing and baking (I use two roasting pans that equal the width of my oven.
*The ingredients above filled the two roasting pan size that I used.

STEPS:
1. Mix all the cereals and peanuts into your pans. Use your hands to stir them together.
2. Add the pretzel sticks.
3. Combine your garlic salt and seasoning salt into one shaker. Equally shake the salts onto your pans. Use your hands to stir.
4. Pour your oil in equal amounts over the pans. Mix with a spoon.
5. Pour the Worstershire Sauce in equal amounts over your pans as well. Mix with a spoon.
6. Bake for 2 hours at 200 degrees F. (Bake only 2 pans at a time if you are making a large batch or using more pans.)
7. Stir ingredients every 15 minutes while baking. Yes, I know it’s a lot, but it’s very, very important to stir well and often.
8. Leave the pans to cool down before storing in plastic freezer bags or plastic containers in the freezer until needed.
I was so excited to find this recipe as my mom used to make it for me at Christmas.

Christmas surprises!

My special Christmas surprise came in the mail today and it is perfect! She will never suspect! It wasn't on her list! She will be thrilled. I couldn't believe myself when I found it. Aaron thinks he knows what I got him but he's wrong! Too funny. I love Christmas surprises!

Handprint ornaments

I found clear and frosted glass ornaments at the thrift store for a $1.00 a box so I bought both boxes. Tonight when our friendsmGary and Erica were over with their kids I put each childs hand print in green on an ornament so when E., Z., and R.A. went home they had ornaments to take with them. Ours is hanging on our tree. So pretty but some of the hand prints didn't look like hands. R.A. was clenching her little fist. Little-man's hand looks like a mitten because his fingers are so close together. The kids have loved making our ornaments each night. I bought a couple more for our jesse tree at goodwill yesterday. I even found one with aimee's birth year on it to send her for her tree. I hope she likes it. I gotta get some mail out today to the kids. I love homemade ornaments. I saw another I want to try on pinterest and can't wait till I can go to the store and get the materials. (More clear bulbs)

Light One Candle

Light One Candle

(each week of Advent add one more verse)

1. Light one candle for hope One bright candle for hope 

He brings hope to every heart He comes! He comes!

2. Light one candle for love One bright candle for love 

He brings love to every heart He comes! He comes!

3. Light one candle for joy One bright candle for joy 

He brings joy to every heart He comes! He comes!

4. Light one candle for peace One bright candle for peace 

He brings peace to every heart He comes!
He comes!

Quote for the day

"Each of us is an innkeeper who must decide if there is room for Jesus" Neal A. Maxwell

Christmas Book Basket

We gathered up our stash of Christmas  books when we cleaned and moved the book shelf from the living room to the dining room. I seem to have a heavy set of the Clement Clarke Moore poem The Night Before Christmas this is because I had to memorize it in french for high school. I have loved it ever since I mastered it in both languages.
Here is the list of the ones we found:

1. Jesus and the Very Best Birthday by Sunny Griffin
2. The Night Before Christmas, board book illustrated by Donald Mills
3. A Very Special Night by Gill Davies illustrated by Gill Guile
4. Kitten's Christmas byDick McCue illustrated by Lisa McCue
5. Disney's Winnie the Pooh's Twelve Days of Christmas
6. Disney's Winnie the Pooh's Jingle Bells
7. Disney's Winnie the Pooh's Night Before Christmas
8. The Night Before Christmas illustrated by Jan Brett
9. Grandpa's Christmas Tree by Grandma Janet Mary
10. The Christmas miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski  

Count Down to Christmas

Here is my Christmas 
Bucket List
Do not Stress out about all things I wish I could do and enjoy the ones I do
Deck the halls! Set up the tree and get it decorated
Set out the Navity minus the Baby Jesus until Christmas Day
Buy the Shelby Lynne Christmas album and listen to it over and over again
Make Christmas Playdough for the kids
Mail out Christmas Cards with the kids
Read a Different Christmas Story Book every night to the kids in December
Wrap Christmas presents and put them under the tree
Make a new Christmas salt dough decoration with the kids
Color a Christmas picture with the kids
Make yellow tissue paper Star of Davids and hang in window
Cut out blue tissue paper snowflakes
Make hot chocolate and stir with candy canes
Take the kids to the Santa House
Decorate cut out cookies with the kids
Make plates of Cookies for friends and deliver them with the kids
Drive around and look at the Christmas lights with the kids
Watch a Polar Express and eat popcorn with the kids
Read a story or watch a movie about the birth of Baby Jesus
Make a plate of cookies and leave out for Santa Clause
Recite "The Night Before Christmas" without looking at the book
Enjoy Christmas with my kids

Jesse Tree

This year in a big push to put CHRIST back in CHRISTmas I am doing a Jesse tree. I found a geat explaination at Ramblings of a Crazy Woman . I am using some of her great ideas to make ornaments with the kids. So we will have four of each on our Jesse Tree I needed a rather large tree branch. I am headed to Michals to get the wooden pieces we will need.

Waldorf window star

I so have been wanting to make a Waldorf window star and here is a tutorial with pictures that even I can follow here. I am looking for kite paper locally. I think the craft store in the next town might have some.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas We are at home putting together toys see you next year!

Christmas break starts now!

We are following Cam's school schedule for our "breaks".  School is out until january 4th, 2011. Today both Pitty-pat and Tippy-toe worked in their workbooks they wanted "to do some math". I guess I forgot to tell them they were on break too. It didn't matter they wanted to "do school work" anyway. That is the beauty of homeschooling the kids actually like it. No crying, no fussing ...they beg me for more school work and more activites and more crafts. I actually have a hard time keeping up with the demand for work. I am asking santa for more colored ink for the printer. Aaron has been playing christmas music and teaching them to sing songs for the last two weeks. What a joy it is to call home and hear little voices singing along to the computer. I am blessed. Aaron and Tay went ice fishing tonight. Trent is on leave from the service. He came home last night and now is gone out again. It is always good when at least some of my kids are home. We went christmas shopping today everyone is going to be so very happy! I found a great deal on a family present! The boys may never leave the house all christmas break! We usually get one big family present we all can enjoy.

homemade ornaments

I found these three recipes for dough ornaments.
#1
1 cup flour
1 cup salt
1/2 cup water
2 Tblsp cinnamon
bake 325 for 45 minuets

#2
1 cup applesauce
1- 11/2 cups cinnnamon
1/4 cup glue
dry 2-4 days turning twice a day

#3
 2 cups flour
1 cup salt
5 Tblsp cinnamon
chill 30 minuets before rolling out, then cut with cookie cutters
bake 325 for 45-60 minuets
cool then paint.
I found a gingerbread cookie cutter at the goodwill so we will be making these late today. I think I will have Cam mix, cut out  and bake then we will all  paint them after they cool down.

*remember to punch a hole in each for the string to hang the ornaments before baking.

Christmas cookie marathon continues

We have been baking cookies all day and watching How to Train your Dragon. It's such a cute movie. May be time to study some Viking history. I think I see a lapbook in the making. all for now the oven is buzzing!

Cinderella Saturday

Another Cinderella Saturday-where we dressing in rags and clean the house together. It's more fun for everyone to pretend to be cinderella and I bark orders like the evil step mother. No one complains if I tell them what to do when it's a game. We moved the living room furniture so we can set up the tree in front of the window. The dust bunnies were plentiful and everywhere. Tippy-toe and Pitty-pat cleaned their rooms. The house is getting back into shape from Thanksgiving break.

Camryn measured and mixed up dough for Christmas cookies some is in the fridge to bake tommorro and some is baking now. I used up my left over cranberry sauce in a bar cookie recipe which is in the oven now too. I hope to have a nice platter of cookies to take with me to work on Monday. The rest will go in the freezer till Christmas eve. I am out of butter so no more baking till Aaron gets out of the woods and I can go to the store. the house smells so good now.

I put a roast in the crock pot this morning and bread in the bread machine so dinner is fixing itself tonight[ more time to clean]. Lunch was leftover raw veggies, cheese, and  pumpernickel bread from thanksgiving dinner. Easy peasy.