Snow softly falling...

 When life hands you rain instead of snow at Christmastime , there's only one thing to do. Create a snowy environment on your own. My holiday decor includes many shades of whites and cream and lots and lots of glitter. Glass icicles hang from my tree and I stacked mounds of faux snowballs in my outdoor urns and hung snowflakes and icicles from my porch.

 
But perhaps my favorite snowy finish of all this year is the craft I made with my mum, sister, niece and (of course) Sophie.

 

During our annual crafting session, we focused on crafts the girls could handle making largely on their own. We all share a love of glitter and whimsy so Martha Stewart's snow globe project seemed perfect for us all. I purchased miniature Schleich toy fawns and bleached the colour out of a bag of bottle brush trees, using the tiny ones for our snow globes. The tutorial is here, but basically all you need are some jars, distilled water, some glitter, and glycerin. And of course some tiny treasures to place inside! Sophie and I both used the sweet little fawns, but we have plans to use some more Schleich toys to make more globes. It was fun, easy, and something we have wanted to do for a while.

(the boys helping themselves to a snack while the girls work away)

We also made some other pretties, which I will share later, but here is a pretty wreath project the girls tackled. 

It is from Babiekins magazine, which also features the most adorable Winter Woodland Party, produced by my friend, Debra Norton, of Vintage Paper Parade.

Here is my niece Ella's interpretation of the craft:

Although some accuse me of being "crafty", I really am not. I simply like to do a craft now and again for each of my favourite seasons. Four or five crafts a year hardly qualifies one as a crafter, now does it?

Here is my mum working away:

and my sister:

And here are the other finished snow globes. We think the one with the girl inside looks like she is drowning and pleading to be rescued. Not exactly the effect we were going for:

Just to be sure, mine is on the far left. 

It is okay if you think mine is the best...

Now, get crafting! You will have fun!

I promise...!

I Wanna Hold Your Hand...

School Christmas concerts.

If it wasn't for my little girl, Sophie, they wouldn't be a part of my holiday social schedule. And trust me, my holiday social schedule is pretty weak, at best. So, as I walked towards the growing line-up of cold people waiting to get inside the school (dumb, DUMB idea...but that's another story) and secure a decent seat, my little one reached for the warmth of my hand, a symbol that she is mine and I am hers and that simple connection will keep us bound. As I warned of puddles that would splatter onto her pristine white tights and coat, she skipped along beside me.

There is nothing better than seeing a child skip, is there?

Unless, of course, that child's small hand is clasped in yours.

Honestly, it is moments like that that make me so happy to be a mum.

And that is why I make no Christmas gift lists for myself.

Healthy, happy kids that I can keep safe, warm and fed.

Who needs more?

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(I can't resist sharing these):

O Christmas Tree Farm

I taught an old dog a new trick this year.

My husband, who makes his living by knowing a lot about trees (he's a forest engineer) had become a bit citified (in a small town!) when it came to getting our Christmas tree. Years ago, when I was pregnant with our first child, he took me on a wilderness walk up a steep hill through snow up to my aching thighs -  tired from the early stages of pregnancy - to find the "perfect" tree he had tagged in the woods a few days before. Well, we searched and searched and trudged and trudged; I whined and complained and he cajoled and reassured that we would soon find it and be on our way with "the perfect tree."

Well, what felt like two hours later, we stumbled upon it (the marker had come off!), and let me tell you: it was a Charlie Brown Christmas tree minus any and all charm. I harumphed and marched towards the truck in a pregnancy-induced full-on snit. Sheepish, as even he couldn't remember what he had found so perfect, he placated me by forking out $25 for a tree from the tree lot - no small defeat for a man as frugal as mine.

Fast forward to the present and I now have a husband who is perfectly content to head to our local grocer and buy a tree from the parking lot - one sheared to death and definitely lacking in any and all imperfect charm. Afull 180 from his more natural roots! And too far from even mine!

But this year, I got my way. I convinced my man to head out to a tree farm where the three of us (the boys were sans interest) chopped down our own tree and had a great time doing it!

 We snapped photo after photo (Sophie wanted to go with a kissing theme, hence all the smooching that follows). She thought they would make for a great Christmas card photo, and remarked that she could simply kiss the cheeks of her brothers once home and we'd be all set. Although all this bussing won't make the cut for The Christmas Card, the sentiment behind it is worthy of a mention here...a recording for posterity, if you will.

After all, who needs mistletoe??

I somehow don't think the boys will go for this kissing theme!!

For Real....

Taking a cue from Kimba and her take on showing what really goes on behind the scenes of carefully snapped photos, I thought I'd show you the photos of my perfect-Martha Stewart-inspired cookie-decorating moment. Remember I said I was going to try my hand at these?

You probably had your doubts, didn't you? Because, you know, I am not a baking/cooking blog am I? Sure, I throw out the odd recipe here and there. But known for my attention to culinary detail, I am not.

Who says I'm not?

After all, this is how mine turned out:

Can't tell the difference, can you?

I can explain:

Here are some behind the scenes photos of our cookie-decorating:

Baking them was the easy part...

Especially when your husband takes over once boredom (mine) sets in...

Sophie and a friend helped me decorate them. Of course, Royal icing and I are not friends, so it got too stiff too soon, and the complaints started...

Then I had the great idea of heating the bottles up for seven seconds to soften the icing. Sounds good in theory, except when you hit the three button along with the seven button...

That is what happens when the top of the bottle blows off and the icing starts spewing out of the bottle, decorating the inside of my micro-wave... (I promise I didn't swear, out loud, in front of the girls). Of course, the icing hardened immediately, and I had to chip it off the walls of the micro-wave. Charming...

Did I tell you how much I hate Royal icing? Now I know a few of you are clucking your tongues, thinking that hate is not a very nice word. No, it isn't, but surely it's okay to hate an inanimate object?

Anyway, I decorated six cookies in total. They looked like this:

If you squint, they look really nice!! Squint extra hard when looking at the angel!

**Someone needs to tell Martha Stewart that decorating four dozen cookies all fancy-like, is a really dumb idea. I should march right over to her blog and tell her myself. Only I won't, because it's Christmas after all...and I think leaving mean comments on people's blogs is really nasty!

So, for all of you with secrets to share, cough them up!!

So sweet, my teeth ache!

This weekend will find me busy visiting, eating, and strolling familiar streets with my favourite handyman. Peeking in shop windows, sipping coffee, opening a few gifts and having an early turkey dinner. No more school lunches, early wake-up calls...we are on vacation.

Christmas has begun.

Enjoy all the sweet things that have caught my eye lately.

I am so going to make these cookies..or at least try:

photo: Martha Stewart.com

While I already have my stash of Christmas crackers, these beauties from Cath Kidston are oh, so lovely!

Not to mention these doggy ornaments, too (and I don't even have a dog...):

Oh how I wish I had one of these trucks...at least for the holidays! Can you imagine bringing home your Christmas tree in that??!! It would be great for Christmas card shoots, too...

(above two photos: Sundance.com)

Hoping you all have a restful, enjoyable weekend. Stop buying and start wrapping...unless you're just starting, of course!!

Oh, and watch a holiday movie, won't you??

(watching Rudolph...for the millionth time!!)

Trim the tree and wrap the presents...

Thought I'd show you a close-up of my messy, branches-filled-to-the-brim Christmas tree. Every ornament has its own story and means something to me, and us. Perfectly coiffed and decked out in coordinated splendour? No, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I guess I am proving that I am not one of those sticklers for a perfect "decorator's tree"!!


Here are the ornaments I gave to the kids this year:

An Irish step dancer for our girlie:

A snowboarder for our youngest son:

A basketball player for our eldest:

As for the wrapping, one (child) down, two more to go!!

***Check out We Are That Family's Christmas tree blog tour. If you haven't decorated your own tree yet, you are sure to glean some great ideas!!

Hard Candy Christmas...

photo: BHG.com

Do you know that song? It is one I play over and over each Christmas, and is sung by the ever-so-sweet Dolly Parton (Kenny and Dolly's Christmas). It is quintessentially country in its roots of course, and I think it's title best represents all of the Christmases I have experienced.

Christmas in the country. While I don't technically live in the country, when I think of whether my Christmases have a country or urban flavour, I definitely know the answer. I actually have no real idea what a Christmas in the city entails.
I picture movies like Elf or Miracle on 34th Street, where urban revellers attend grand-scale Christmas parades with "ginormous" hot air balloon characters and elaborate floats that I have seen only on television. I picture buying a Christmas tree from a street corner vendor for a ridiculously high price, and dragging it through the crowded, slushy streets up flights of stairs (right, Mrs. Limestone?). I picture skating at Rockefeller Center, and buying expensive gifts at ABC Carpet and Home, Crate and Barrel, and stocking stuffers at Dylan's Candy Bar. Holiday music piped into subway cars filled with grumpy, weary passengers heading home after a long commute, in an attempt to inspire holiday cheer. I imagine attending cocktail parties in high-rise lofts with well-heeled friends. Christmas in the city conjures up notions of hustle and bustle, indeed.

Christmas in the country, however, is what I know. On Friday night I attended a church variety concert (definitely in the country) in order to watch my daughter and her peers demonstrate their Highland Dance skills. As we laughed at the jolly female minister dressed up in fine form for her intended role as a "country bumpkin granny"; and listened to local musicians and talents get up and casually perform with no pomp or circumstance, I knew I was witnessing Christmas in the country au naturel. As we left, each girl was given a paper treat bag filled with candy canes, chocolate, and an orange - sweet in its simplicity and delivery. We passed a table with Christmas candy and baked goods made by the ladies of the congregation. There are no strict food controls in the country and the prices were as cheap as you'll ever hope to find. The greeters thanked our girls profusely for coming to their little church, and were as welcoming as if we had known them for years.

On our way home, we stopped in to a little country craft market and bakery, and the girls each picked out hand-painted snowman pins which they happily attached to their dress coats. They devoured sugary doughnuts and cinnamon buns ( two for 75 cents) and fussed over the shop's pet cat, all curled up on a chair in front of the faux mantel. They ooh-ed and aah-ed over the Christmas giftware, and chatted up the shop ladies. It was as low-key and pleasant an evening as they come.

So, are you Christmas in the country or city? Do you wish you could switch personas? What are your favourite elements of your Christmas style?

photo: Sundance

Am I way off on my assumption of an urban Christmas? My only experience with Christmas in the city was a quick trip to New York in early December 2003. It was also the same weekend that huge snowstorm hit N.Y., so I did not get to skate outside, and strolling the streets was an exercise in physical suffering from the wind and the snow. I did love the incredible decorations and took in the Rockettes at the Christmas Extravaganza, but enlighten me on what Christmas in the city really entails...please? I love to hear about all of the different ways the holidays are celebrated.