The Best Laid Plans : Screening Lists : Food & Drink : DIY Detective Kits : Fingerprint Chart __________________ The Best Laid Plans “Excellent!” I cried. “Elementary,” said he. – “The Adventure of the Crooked Man,” Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes I didn’t think I would be writing another Lunchbox Season post until 2012. The Advent Shadowbox has been set aside […]
Archive | December, 2011
Advent Shadowbox: Merry Christmas!
December 25th, 2011 Advent Calendar 2011: A Shadowbox Spectacular: An Introduction to the ProjectAdvent Shadowbox: Day 1, Baking Cookies: Test-Cookies for Santa’s Plate – Chewy Chocolate Chip Toffee Bit Cookies.Advent Shadowbox: Day 2, Daily Bread Food Bank: Our first “Giving Day,” Making Contributions to the Daily Bread Food Bank in two ways.Advent Shadowbox: Day 3, […]
Advent Shadowbox: Christmas Eve Checklist
December 24, 2011 28th Day of Advent Christmas Eve ____________________ Christmas Eve Checklist ____________________ □ Make Chocolate Chip Cookies for Santa □ Make Gingerbread Cutouts, too! □ Go to Family Mass □ Indulge in the Feast of the Seven Fishes □ Ice the Bûche de Noël □ Drink Hot Chocolate and Sing the Carols You […]
Advent Shadowbox: Day 27, Allons au Cinéma!
December 23, 2011 27th Day of Advent 2 Days til Christmas LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! You’ve done a great job reading the adventures! Now grab your 3D glasses! We’ll catch the new TINTIN movie after school! _____________ The kids, especially my daughter, have been reading Tintin comics religiously after school. When they saw the movie […]
Homebaked Holidays: Bûche de Noël
Every year, I make a Bûche de Noël. This is my mom’s recipe, drawn from some kind of glossy 70’s cookbook that came in a series along with her set of World Book Encyclopedias. Don’t be scared off by the multiple lists of ingredients & instructions! It’s relatively easy to make this cake, especially if […]
Advent Shadowbox: Day 26, “Santa Baby” Cookies
December 22, 2011 26th Day of Advent 3 Days ’til Christmas Make Mama’s Famous “Santa Baby” Cookies Ingredients 1 c unsalted butter, softened 1.5 c brown sugar .5 c granulated sugar 2 eggs, room temperature 2 tsp vanilla 2 c all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda .5 tsp salt 1 c oats 2 c semi-sweet […]
Handmade Holidays: Bookplates for Children
December 21, 2011 We always make a little something for the kids’ stockings. This year, the kids have been confusing their own books with library books quite a bit. And, Bea has started lending some of her books to her close friends. With this in mind, we decided to make the kids their own bookplates […]
Advent Shadowbox: Day 25, Elvis Dog and Reindeer Cookies
December 21, 2011 25th Day of Advent 4 Days til Christmas Lure Santa’s Reindeer and Keep the Dog Quiet Once They Get Here… Elvis Dog & Reindeer Cookies Ingredients 1/3-1/2 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup mashed banana 1 egg 2 teaspoons honey 1 cup whole wheat flour (or pulverized oats) 1/2 cup oats egg whites […]
Handmade Holidays: Great Lakes Handkerchiefs
Over the past few years, I’ve gotten back into the habit of using handkerchiefs. I have a whole collection of vintage handkerchiefs that I’ve received as gifts and inherited from family members. I thought it was time to get my family back into the habit of using them, too. First stop, my husband’s Christmas stocking. […]
Advent Shadowbox: Day 24, Carols to and from the Concert
December 20, 2011 24th Day of Advent 5 Days ’til Christmas Sing Carols To and From Your Christmas Concert! _____________ Today’s Advent Shadowbox Insert: The Shadowbox from afar:
Advent Shadowbox: Day 23, Library in a Box for Haiti (via PlanCanada.ca)
December 19, 2011 23rd Day of Advent 6 Days til Christmas Dear Kids, Last Night, Mama & Papa logged on to Plan Canada (http://www.plancanada.ca). After looking over all of their Gifts of Hope, we purchased a Library in a Box for Haiti in your honour (pictured above). Today, we’ll check out the site together and browse all of the […]
Advent Shadowbox: Day 22, Trim Another Tree!
December 18, 2011 22nd Day of Advent 7 Days til Christmas Trim Another Tree! Another tree needs trimming! Hustle on over to “spruce up the spruce” at your Grandparents’ House! __________ Today, the kids get to go trim the tree at their Grandparents’ house. We’ll package up a few of the Salt Dough Ornaments we made last weekend for the […]
Advent Shadowbox: Day 21, Carol Hootenanny
December 17, 2011 21st Day of Advent 8 Days til Christmas WRITE & PERFORM A CHRISTMAS CAROL! _____________________________ Find a Tune You Like Or Invent One of Your Own Add Original Lyrics And Grab a Microphone It`s Our Annual Family Christmas Carol Hootenanny Be Ready With Your Original Tunes! The Gang Meets Tonight At Seven O’clock […]
Advent Shadowbox: Day 20, Festive After-School “Spa”
December 16, 2011 20th Day of Advent 9 Days ’til Christmas Festive After-School Spa Back Rubs, Foot Massages, Elf Hairdos, Santa Beards, and Washable–Marker Holiday Tattoos, Manicures and Pedicures Of Festive Red & Green, And Fireside “Saunas” With Cookies and Cream __________ Today we’ll be breaking out the washable markers and paints to “transform” ourselves into […]
Advent Shadowbox: Day 19, Rudolph Festival (Design Your Own “Misfit Toy”)
December 15, 2011 19th Day of Advent 10 Days ’til Christmas Rudolph Festival Watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on the CBC, Eat Some Festive Snacks, and… Design your own Misfit Toy! __________ This evening, we’ll be snuggling up by the fire to watch a Christmas classic. Mid-way through the film, I’ll break out the gel pens and […]
Advent Shadowbox: Day 18, Make Clove Oranges
December 14, 2011 18th Day of Advent 11 Days ’til Christmas Turn an orange into a scented ornament by plunging cloves in festive patterns all over the orange’s rind. Then, wrap it in ribbons and hang it in a doorway or place it on the mantle by the fire. _______________ It wouldn’t be Christmas without […]
Advent Shadowbox: Day 17, Christmas Crack-ups
December 13, 2011 17th Day of Advent 12 Days ’til Christmas CHRISTMAS CRACK-UPS Knock-Knock! Who’s There? Santa. Santa Who? ____insert funny bit here!____ Write Holiday Knock-Knock Jokes and Other Silly Sayings Featuring your Favourite Christmas Characters: Santa, the Elves, Rudolph, Frosty, the Grinch… When you’re finished, place your jokes into an envelope and send them to a […]
Advent Shadowbox: Day 16, Have a Tree Planted
December 12th, 2011 16th Day of Advent 13 Days ’til Christmas In honour of your Great Grand Aunt Rose and all of those dear to us who have passed away, have a tree planted near the place where you live now, in your own province. Give to Trees Ontario http://www.treesontario.ca via Canada Helps http://www.canadahelps.org