and... stuff....

I am in love with Meg.

I wish she lived next door to me.
but she doesn't. sigh.

but she does have this killer giveaway going on for clean water. Which I love, of course. Soooooo.... you should go see.
really.
go.

Also, Lisa has not gotten back to me, so the new winner is....
ta daaaaaaaaa:

AMY is the new winner! yaaaay! Congrats. Just send me your address and I'll send it right off!

I sat down to try to write a blog post this morning and couldn't think of a single interesting thing to say.
So I walked away and started the first load of laundry for the day.
And tackled an enormous pile of dishes.

And then I knew what I needed to write about.

Water.

Gallons and gallons of it. Running down the drain as I'm rinsing my glasses, spinning out of boys' dirty socks.

Clean, safe water has to be the number one thing we Americans, and most developed countries I suppose, take for granted. More than enough to drink. to cook. wash my too many dishes, my family's too much clothes. To fill the tub all the way up whenever we want a nice long soak.

Lack of basic sanitation is the cause of 80% of sickness and disease for the
1 BILLION people without access to clean, safe drinking water.*

Source: fairshareproject.wordpress.com via amy. on Pinterest

So in this special season, please consider these organizations for your giving. And since chances are you're doing some shopping anyway, go see all the wonderful things in their shops.

* Water 4 Christmas.
the most adorable Africa tees for kids are in their etsy shop!

* charity: water.
their shop has some awesome tees even the hippest teen or most discriminating husband would wear.

Please, click on over and see how easy it is to help.

Clean water changes lives.


(* source: Water 4 Christmas. )

It's Countdown time!

The Calendar is hung, the pockets are full and this mama has some work to do! There's a whole lot of merry making to get on this month!

Last year I listed our activities, so I thought I would again just in case anyone is looking for suggestions. And of course I'm always looking for more bright ideas!

1. Bake a Pie! I mistakenly read somewhere that it was National Pie Day. Oh well, it's always a good day for pie.
2. Make Paper Ornaments. these look good. and these. and these. which are actually super easy.
3. Holiday Ham and Bean supper at a local Catholic School. Supporting the school and getting to see their favourite (only boy) cousin.

4. Christmas Parade!
5. Get a Christmas Tree.
6. Write to our Sponsor Child, Karthik.
7. Make Cards for all our family and friends.
8. AHA Night downtown.
9. Bake a snowman cake. I'm thinking more like a banana or pumpkin bread this year. loaded with dried fruit and nuts. Almost fruitcake?
10. Birthday Party.

11. Buy food to donate to the local shelter. Add some of those handmade cards to the bag too.
12. Take a ride to go see all the lights.
13. National Cocoa Day! Make coca from scratch and watch polar Express. Yay for this scene!
14. Build a gingerbread house with Uncle Regis.
15. Make salt dough ornaments.
16. LaSalette!
17. Breakfast with Santa at Harry's school.

18. Buy pet food to donate to the Animal Rescue League. And more of those cards in the bag here too.
19. Umm, wait I don't seem to have a 19....really....? suggestions?
20. Make s'mores!
21. National Flashlight Day! I didn't know there was such a day, but the boys have loved this day every year, getting to run around the backyard in the cold dark is just the bee's knees to them.
22. Color and cut out a Nativity scene and read the Christmas Story.
23. Bake cookies for Santa
24. Party with all the family!!
25. Jesus' Birthdaaaaaaay!

So that's our plan. Do you have a special night or activity in your future?

the giveaway

I almost forgot! Okay I obviously did forget.

I promised a giveaway to start on Monday!

You forgot too, didn't you? That's okay, here it is now...

Tadaaa! I'm giving away one copy of this awesome book:



It's got all the most adorable calendars. All kinds of inspiration.

Did you know I'm in there too? I am. It's just one little page, but it's my page. Mine all mine, haha!

AND! drumroll...

I'm also giving away the calendar that was featured in the book!

this one!



( goodies not included... but certainly some other treats thrown in for you :) )

So there it is! TWO giveaways in one. Two winners! One person will win the book and the other will win the calendar. I'll pick names at random on Friday night, November 25th.

All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment telling what your favourite holiday activity is. What really makes it the holidays for you? spend all day baking cookies? Special trip to the Christmas Tree farm? movie night with hot toddies? Wait, that sounds pretty good!

For an extra entry, you can blog, tweet or facebook this giveaway and I'll add your name again for each effort. easy beans.

So I'm dying to know, what's your must-do holiday event?

advent activities.

day eight: decorate foam trees scored on last year's clearance.





They loved this. ( kindly ignore the messy house behind the children. pretty please...) I got a pack of regular little star stickers and a bunch of jewels from the Michael's clearance aisle.

day nine: Bake a snowman cake.



(How do you feel about the low winter light? good different or no-good? I can't decide...)

No icing in the house? That's okay, powdered sugar looks better this time of year. to me. Hazelnut buttons and raisin face. That's what we had in the house... He's cute AND good for you!

And I'm working on this blanket. Anyone remember it? From like...last November?



Yeah, that one that I put down and forgot about. Now it's traveling with me, getting picked up here and there. Like when the bridge is closed. Could I just be putting off the Christmas crochet I should be finishing (read: starting)...?

How are your advent activities going?

flashlight time! !

it's a favourite around here. after dinner, in the cold.

seeing the backyard with new eyes.

searching out anything that's still surviving the weather change.



And a little night work of course.



And coming back in to these still warm.



Espresso shortbread found at sweet tidings.



Mmmmm. make these. they're easy and awesome.

oh well...

I was so proud of myself.

I had all my Advent activities laid out. I checked dates, I bought stickers.

And I couldn't find my calendar anywhere. Anywhere. I scoured the cellar. I checked the hall stash. I tore apart my terrible sewing room. Nowhere to be found.

I had a tiny meltdown.

I love that thing too much. I didn't want to not have one. I really didn't like the thought of buying one. And my sewing machine is still broken.

So last night I cut and hot glued another one together.



I don't hate it. I do think it needs something though. Maybe a border? A big "2010" up top? I don't know. I'm open to suggestions.

The idea came from this one at Craftastica ( via crafty crow )

My pockets aren't as fancy as hers because we're potty training and mama's patience was thin by this point in the day. And, yeah, this was yesterday. Not a whole lot of time to fool around, haha!



Activities this year area lot of crafts, since the boys are currently obsessed with glue. I'm going to go ahead and give you our whole list. Maybe you might like on of them?

1. Build an Advent Wreath( we save our candles year to year )
2. Bake Snowball Cookies.
3. Decorate Uncle Regis' tree.
4. Go Pick a Christmas Tree.
5. Make a wreath to hang.

6. Write letters to Santa
7. Flashlight time outside after dinner.
8. Decorate Foam trees( bought on clearance last year) with stickers.
9. Bake a snowman cake.
10. Write to our Sponsored Child and send a Xmas tree photo.

11. Make s'mores! Did you see Bakerella's yummo looking ones?
12. Gnome Bowling!( I can't even tell you how silly that phrase makes me! )
13. Make Cards for friends.
14. Make salt dough ornaments.
15. Buy food for the local food pantry.

16. Build a gingerbread house with Uncle Regis!
17. LaSalette!
18. Pastry Buffet at a friend's house.
19. Take a ride to see all the Christmas lights.
20. Build a popsicle-stick stable.

21. Paper Angel. Read the story of the Angel first visiting Mary.
22. Paper Joseph Mary and Donkey for our stable. Read the story of the trip to Bethlehem.
23. Bake cookies for Santa.( probably these. I LOVE them.)
24. Visit Family and PARTY!
25. ( there's no # 25 pocket, we'll just fake it. ) Paper Baby Jesus in the manger. Read the Christmas Story.



Do you have an Advent or Countdown Calendar? What kinds of activities are the best received in your house?

merry-making.

we made our gingerbread house with Uncle Regis,







And did you know that bulldozers are excellent gift-wrappers?



They're very helpful like that.



And that nice storm gave us plenty of time to warm up the house by baking and making.



marshmallows from this recipe.





The whip had the prettiest little sugar bits hanging on.

puff candy from this recipe. ( I think the stuff is positively yuck-o, but Paul's family loves it...)





And then of course a couple from that favourite book of mine. Jam shortbread again. And Tiger Cake. Mmmmmm. I think this one is my new go-to cake for carrying over to friend's houses for dinner.


And my google reader is overflowing with inspiration: ( If only I had more time!!)

This tiny spool gnome is too sweet.

These gingerbread housefronts would look so nice lined up on my bookshelf.

These pretty little birds would make the cutest gift tags.

And a cuff like this one would be enough to dress up my standby LBD for Christmas.

This gumdrop tree is on my to-do list for today.

This vintage mosaic is just so great.

Oh and everything at Torie Jayne. everything. Especially this birdhouse!


I may be back with one more before the holiday, but if not,

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

counting down.

We've been having a ton of fun with the activities in our advent calendar!

We've been searching church fairs for treasures, ( and bake sale tables!)



made some cute cards, and secret gifts,



and of course had to get to the cookie swap!



and I thought we'd try some applesauce dough ornaments...



And people, that is some seriously sticky dough! too sticky for the two and three year olds I was hoping to use it with for sure. But it was already made so I floured myself all up and rolled out some little men to send out for Christmas and tie onto packages. And the house did smell great all day.



The little ones got salt dough instead. And we all had way more fun than expected. There were little men and stars and trees. A playground and a, er, odd-shaped snowman.

These are the only two I could save from my guys before they got squished down into something else! Harry's Man and Will's star.





My man cracked and now looks more like a skeleton than anything merry.



not to be confused with my sugar cookie zombie at all.



I couldn't help myself ;)

that secret WIP

Okay, did everyone guess advent calendar, it was a little obvious, right?



This is actually the second one that I started. I had one all cut out and laid out in red and green and white felt, but it just wasn't speaking to me so I scrapped the whole thing and started over.



It's all from my stash and mostly recycled.

There's old lace, bits of sweaters and rick rack from that giant old spool.



So you want to see it, yes?

Here it is!



Can I tell you how in love I am with this. It's all raw-edged and crinkly and wonky and oh my, perfect! I cut into all those little lace bits I'd been saving for the right project.







And here it is filled. ( minus that first week I mostly missed, I was behind schedule of course!)



Our pockets hold activities more than anything else, with candy reserved for days that I have to go to work, and ending with the Holy Mother, a donkey, Joseph and the tiny baby Jesus in the twenty-fifth. And even they're thrifted.



Some of our activities are writing letters to Santa, baking cookies, and driving around to see all the lights, but I think the nights we have flashlight time outside and make s'mores and string mini-mallows for the tree will be the best received! I'm trying to make a pair of ornaments to match each activity so the boys can hang something each morning. I'll be sure to post all about the ones that go best!



I almost forgot to add my inspiration links!

This one is so beautiful and simple.
and this pretty cutwork one.
And this great scrappy one! I love those little tabs!

And a ton more in the creative advent calendar group!

This is what we eat for lunch

Okay,
it's not what they eat for lunch,
but while I'm preparing and cutting and feeding and sippy cup-filling, I forget to make anything for me until dessert time when I realize I'm starving. I only had a couple bites.

This great cake stand was a Christmas gift from my Mum. And since my favourite way to warm up a cold house is to bake, I got to give it it's first resident last night. All that colourful goodness on top is crushed ribbon candy leftover from the holiday. Yum!
I've been wanting a nice stand for so long and this one is perfect.
plain and pretty.

Plus, the knob on top lets you peek in and see anything opposite you in a some stretchy, upside-downy way. See.

finally....

The cookies are baked, and the candy all bagged. The super secret presents are completed, or as good as they will be before they're revealed.

The traveling gifts are sorted, and all that's left is a few quiet hours before the celebrating begins.

God bless it.

(time to wonder what is in that little red Sundance box for me......?)

and God bless all of you on this fantastic holiday.

Merry Christmas all!