Counting the days until Christmas

The days leading up to Christmas are more exciting than ever now that the gals are older.  I just finished my Advent calendar & activities just in time for December 1st.

I got this quirky Advent calendar a few years back from HABA Toys.--which kinda makes me sad, knowing that my kids have outgrown this fantastic toy company.

Each drawer comes with these nifty little wooden toys.  That used to be enough for my curious toddlers.  However, these grade school gals are craving more.

I started to place notes inside each box, along with these odd array of little wooden shapes that we just can't let go.  We mix the anticipation with giving & receiving.  I wrote these little notes to put in each of the boxes:

If there is not a note in the box, the gals know to look under the tree for a small surprise (thank you Scholastic Bookclub for your cheap books!)

 

Another little thing I do for Marlee is place these little printable holiday jokes and facts that I found on Pinterest in her lunchbox.  She claims that the jokes are lame, but I found out differently.  My class has the same lunch period as hers, and I usually catch her reciting these to her classmates.  It's almost made her have a cultish following at the lunch table with these corny jokes.

 

 

 

You can click here and here for the notes and jokes.

 

I'm sure these days will fly by quickly, so I'm hoping these activities will create some tradition and memories over the years.



Thankful

This year, our Thanksgiving was filled with warm weather, family, great food, nature walks, and works of art :)

 

 

 

 

 

On Thanksgiving...

I've been seeing many month-long celebrations for Thanksgiving and thought I'd give one a whirl.  We actually started this board last year.  I got the idea from www.parents.com

The four of us rotate each day & write what we are thankful for...

We also saved the cards from last year since we thought it would be funny to see what we wrote in the past. This is Mya's from last year:

 

 

I also found this other idea from www.theartfulparent.com These "thankful stones" were a great rainy day activity.  The kids loved melting the crayons over the hot stones.

 



The gals got really into the theme this month and we have many original (and funny) ideas.  Next month we shall bust out the advent calendar and really try to balance the giving and receiving of the winter holidays.

Stayin' in

Our school district had the day off for Election Day.  The gals and I had big plans to return to the Biltmore House on our day off from school/work....I've been feeling the pressure to go and get my money's worth since I got a little crazy and bought that yearly pass.

Things changed quickly when we woke up to 34 degrees and sleet was lightly falling.  We quickly declared the day a double doozy of "no drive day" and "pajama day".

I'm noticing these days are becoming fewer and far between.  The chilly fall days we knew of the past are replaced with 65 degree + days in the past few years. Of course we take advantage of every warm and sunny day in the fall, but sometimes we just enjoy a gloomy day indoors, one where we do not feel obligated to play outside just because the sun is shining.

As my favorite neighbor Rachel and I were having our fence post chat the other day, I expressed my frustration about hearing so many people remark how this mild weather should be the norm every day. Umm, yeah, if we were in Miami.  But since we live in the mountains, I think we need our fair share of chilly days leading to a deep freeze or two over the winter months. 

We did have a very mild winter last year.  I was disappointed that I only pulled out the North Face jacket a handful of times. I was even more disappointed to have not done as many indoor winter activities as I planned.  Who wants to have a movie marathon, go bowling, or play board games when it is 70 degrees every weekend in January?

I reflect on the year past and I'm quite disturbed by the daffodils blooming in January and February only to be dead weeds by Easter.  I was pulling ticks off my kids in the early days of March.  My indoor cats got infested with fleas! Bacterial pneumonia is being passed around our county like a stomach bug (hello..red flag, CDC??) I'm just hoping this year was a fluke. But this may explain why I (and many others) feel so off balance and cannot find a rhythm aligned with the seasons.

Nonetheless, we had a great day today.  Here's to hoping for many more chilly, temperature appropriate, slacker days:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A versatile apron

Since returning to the classroom, even more of my nerdiness has come out.

A teacher I work with had the brilliant idea of  wearing this type of apron to hold some supplies as she worked around her room.  It was such a simple, yet practical idea.  I had to copycat her and whip one up myself.

I thought I'd share this project since I am finding versatile uses for mine, not just in the classroom.  Some of my other uses included:  wearing while crafting (especially running from Silhouette machine to sewing machine), using it as a money holder for working craft fairs, even for small jobs like hanging pictures or decorations....YES!  I am a dork!  Also my kids want one too ;)

Here's what I did:

Cut 2 pieces of fabric 20"W x 18"H.  Pin them with right sides together.

Stitch around the perimeter, leaving 1/2 inch seam allowance.  Leave a 3 inch opening so you can turn the fabric out with right sides facing out.  Top stitch the whole rectangle, making sure to close the 3 inch opening you created.

Fold fabric up about 7 inches from the bottom as shown below:



Stitch the outer edges of your new, shortened rectangle, so you form a pouch. Then decide how many pockets you want and sew straight lines starting where the folded fabric begins, all the way down to the bottom of the rectangle. For this apron, I chose 3 pockets.

I then pinned quilt binding to the top edge to use as my apron strings.  A long ribbon or another piece of fabric will do.  I just liked the finished look of  of the quilt binding and I had some on hand.

 

Then run a seam all the way down the quilt binding (or ribbon or fabric or whatever you decide to use) Make sure you are closing the quilt binding opening and getting the apron in between!

And here's my finished look below:

 

I think I will even make a few as gifts this year.  Oh...I think when I make them for my kids, the dimensions will be 13"W x 10"H

Mya's Applesauce

It seems we have not had enough chilly fall days so far this season.  So when we woke up Sunday morning and found a cool, dreary day, we lit some candles and got right to work in the kitchen.

Mya wrote out this applesauce in her class, so we decided to give it a go.  I just had to make a few modifications, like the measurements of ingredients, cooking time, etc ;)

I've always found making applesauce in the crock pot quite enjoyable; it is easy and makes the house smell great.  It is also a super easy recipe to use with kids, especially if you have one of those nifty hand crank apple peelers. We have an abundance of apple orchards in our area from which we pick our own apples, so we cook frequently with apples in September and October.  The recipe I have below is very basic but delicious.  I found that using a mixture of different apples is what makes the texture and taste ideal.

-12 to 14 medium sized apples, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices--we used a combo of Fuji, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, and Granny Smith.
-1/2 cup of apple cider
-2 cinnamon sticks
-2/3 cup sugar (a little more or a little less, depending on type of apples and sweetness you prefer)
-1/2 t salt

Spray crock pot with non stick oil.  Place all ingredients in crock pot and mix together.  Cook on low for 8 hours.  Mash by hand with potato masher to desired consistency.  Store in refrigerator for up to one week or freeze for 3 months.  We sometimes put the applesauce in mason jars and give them as gifts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Remember September?

So my goal was to blog 3 to 4 times a month.  Before I knew it, September came and went!  Autumn is my favorite time of year, but we seem to be having difficulty finding our fall rhythm partially because of the new job and my bout with pneumonia.

Here's what we've been getting into during my hiatus from blogging:

Our annual trip to Hilton Head Island kicked off Labor Day weekend.  It just keeps getting better and better every year as the gals are getting older. Their adventurous spirits are amazing!

We also did a girls' weekend in Atlanta with our favorite friends: Erin, Emily, and Bailey.  As usual, we had a blast.  It is always a cheap, low maintenance weekend as the gals enjoy each other's company so much that we rarely leave the house.  Here they are at Old Fourth Ward.

We had a day off from school 2 weeks ago and decided to go to the Biltmore House.  The gals loved it and were more interested that I ever thought they'd be.  That led us to purchase a yearly pass...guess where we will be at least once a month ;)  I love living in a city where you can act like a tourist.

 



We wrapped up the month by having Dinner & Movie night at our community park & a chili cook off.  It was a great way to celebrate the arrival of fall, community, and a bonus--Harvest Moon!

Well, I am hoping to spiff up the appearence of my blog page, post some tutorials, and documnet more of our mountain adventures.  I'm thinking by the time I find my fall rhythm, I will be searching for the holiday spirit ;)