Sparkly Stars

 An easy re-cycled craft using toilet paper rolls, some paint and a little bit of wire. I hope to do something creative each year and this was something easy and its great to use up things at home!
 Start with just trimming half inch slices off the flattened end of the toilet paper roll. Cut half way through the middle of each sliced piece. With two pieces in opposite direction insert the small slices into each other, to form your star.
 Paint the star white (or whatever) then with glitter paint when dry.
 Loop a wire through to hang on the tree.

Twinkle twinkle little star

Baking and Making Bunting

My Holly, Lake, Violet, and Honey were in the Parade this year!

Well the time of Christmas celebrations has begun. And to be honest I always feel like its pushed so soon in the beginning but then I get right into and miss it when its over. So last year I told myself just get into it right away and it helped a bit. But I guess the part that bothers me the most is the commercialism of Christmas. That's where I always notice it being shoved at me the most. Buy buy buy. I know that I don't need to "buy" into that but it still bothers me that that is the way society goes because of the commercialism.

 Part of my and my families stand against the buy buy buy culture of the eh hem "Holiday Season" is that we do just the opposite and keep spending to a minimum.
I love the bunting I see in many of the British magazines I look at. So I made some in Christmasy colours. This was made from cast off shirts, and pyjama pants. I stitched them into triangles and sewn onto a long piece of yarn.

I finished of my week with a bunch of baking of six loaves of bread, a batch of banana strawberry muffins, and I used up the last of my pumpkin with a pumpkin pecan bunt cake.
I plan on doing some baking for gifts and more sewing for that purpose as well.
Balancing this time of year is tricky, but when I allow myself the same amount of time in the morn. to spend with the Lord but allow myself to spend less time on the things that are not as important. Like the mess in the corner can wait, I'm making a gift. The dishes can wait we are doing advent. This works out so much more pleasantly. Because I don't want to be too stressed out to enjoy the true reason for this season.

Merry Winter Occasions

 Frosty the snow man, who had a carrot nose and two eyes of broccoli florets! Hey, it worked :)  This was what my youngest and I accomplished a mild afternoon recently. Its not too often that its a mild enough temperature for the snow to be packy to make snow men. Along with the mild weather, comes lots of melting. And mucky spots that the kids run into during their playing outside. Does anyone else feel guilty about how little the snow suits go into the wash? Its not until I am sitting beside them at an appointment or on our way to church that I notice the mud smears on their coats and think- oh my, when was the last time I washed those jackets?

 Well I'm happy to say the Valentines celebration I planned turned out great! The meal was good (similar to a traditional Christmas turkey dinner). Dessert was excellent! red and white cake with cool whip and strawberries (thanks mom), pink frosted heart cupcakes (thanks sis) and heart cookies sandwiching, icing and jam, which I contributed. They have been a hit 2 yrs in a row, for class parties.

During the dinner, conversation was enthusiastically centred on questions asked on cards I had placed under the dinner plates. On each card was a fun question. Each one of us had 2 cards. Questions like "What super hero superpower would you like?", "What is your best and worst quality?". It was a great way to have all people included in conversation, kids and adults. I'm gunna make a point of doing this again. Also I have concluded that making Valentines day a family celebration is the best way to go. Everyone is joined together in a loving, fun, and tasty get together and no pressure on the romantic side, no let downs of unfulfilled expectations of romantic dinners or that sort of thing. Do I sound like I'm trying to convince myself? Ha Ha Ha!! (I am) A card would have been nice...at the least! :(  But I did have fun and we all did. That was the important part.