birdsandtrees

Tree and things

 This past weekend we went with some friends to a tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree.  The weather was perfect - cloudy and chilly.  Add a hay ride and some hot chocolate, and we were good to go!  Although they had fresh cut Frasier firs at the farm, we all decided to go with one of the varieties they grew at the farm - the Leyland Cypress.  It is gorgeous!  I coudn't wait to come home, turn on my Christmas mix, and start decorating.  Hanging ornaments on the tree is a big deal in my family, and it's engrained in me to hang slowly, thinking and talking about each ornament that you hang. 

For the past few years, I've been trying to make new ornaments to add to the tree.  Last year, I made some paper globes (tutorial here) out of Christmas cards we received (especially with the ones that had beautiful papers), and I'm definitely going to continue to make some of those each year. 

I'm looking for some ideas to make for this year's ornament, so if you have any to share, please let me know!  In the meantime, I'll be waiting, curled up in a chair next to the fireplace, taking in our tree! 

Happy St. Nicolas Day!

Since we include the Christian calendar as an important part of our school year, today we read about St. Nicolas.  St. Nicolas would secretly leave gold or presents for the poor and needy, sometimes in their shoes or stockings.  I knew I wanted to leave a little something for the kids.  So while I was reading the story, Dawn (the other teacher at our school) left these little treats in their baskets to find! 

I've seen these Candy Cane Mice on Martha for a long time and thought this was the perfect opportunity to finally make them.  They were simple to make and the kids loved them!  

Next Monday is St. Lucia Day - we'll be making these for the kids to wear.  I'll be sure to share some pictures of them!