Today is the first day of December, and, for many, the easiest day to think of as the first day in Advent. Of course, we started our annual online Family Advent Calendar on Sunday. But, there’s nothing wrong with having a second kick-off event on December 1st, is there? And, what would be better for […]
Archive | Gifts
Inspired by Amnesty International…The Kids Illustrate The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
This year, as a way of closing out The Lunchbox Season and getting ready for our Summer of Funner, I wanted to give the kids an illustration project that they could use for Teacher Cards and for Father’s Day. Of course, the project has grown exponentially…. The kids have widened their horizons this school year by […]
Easy Locker Magnets
Bea is attending a new school this year. And, for the first time, she has a locker. To make her feel comfortable, I thought it might be a good idea to give her a few pictures of her favourite friends, stuffies, and animals to post inside her new space. While I struck out trying to source magnetic […]
Framing Gulliver’s Travels
Happy New Year! As is our way, we took the first few weeks in January to re-group after our outrageous 2013 Family Advent Calendar escapades. Of course, we haven’t actually had much time to rest. We’ve had the usual back to school rush, albeit with a bit more snow and ice to tackle along the […]
Ginger Cognac Cranberry Sauce
We knew it would be hard to beat last year’s amaaaaazing Whisky Fig Cranberry Sauce….but we think we’ll do our Thanksgiving Dinner proud with this Ginger Cognac number. You start out by making the beginnings of a ginger syrup…simmering bits of ginger in sugar and water or cider. Then, you pop in your cranberries, and, […]
Stuffed Animal Candids: Photo Cards for Overnight Camp, Birthdays, or Just Plain Fun
Because my oldest is only getting older, this is probably the first and only year I’ll be able to get away with this…and so I’m doing it proudly. With her class, Bea’s going away for a few nights to an awesome camp up north. She opted to take an alternate stuffed bear than her normal, […]
Book Cover Re-Design for Kids, Workshop II: Teacher’s Favourite Book Cover Thank You Cards
To go along with the bottles of wine we purchased for their teachers this year, the kids are making Thank You Cards featuring cover re-designs of their teachers’ favourite books. Earlier in the week, they asked their teachers, “What’s your favourite book?,” and they came home and reported just a few of their teachers’ answers. […]
First Communion Fun
Today is Toby’s First Communion, and so we thought we’d share the fun we had preparing for the big day with our Easy Hand-Drawn Gift Wrap and our Marbled Oreo First Communion Cake. Easy Hand-Drawn Gift Wrap First off, here’s a little photo gallery of the wrapping I did for some of his gifts! Toby loves […]
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas! Thanks for joining us for our Advent Shadowbox 2012 Calendar! __________ Here’s a recap! Advent Shadowbox 2012: An Introduction: We (re)introduce our Advent Shadowbox Calendar Tradition and include some tips for how you might create a similar tradition of your own. Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 1, Have a Tree Trimming Party, Make Cinnamon Glitter […]
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 24, Christmas Eve Checklist
□ Make sure there are enough cookies for Santa. If not, make some more! □ Prepare the Cannoli Buche de Noel for tomorrow’s Christmas dinner. □ Go to Family Mass □ Indulge in the Feast of the Seven Fishes □ Drink Hot Chocolate and Sing Carols. □ Leave Cookies, Milk, and Maybe Even Some Reindeer Biscuits by the Fire
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 13, Learn “Who” to Knit, Beginning a Family/Welcome-Guest Scarf Project
I really enjoyed reading about my friend and former colleague Nathalie’s experiences knitting with her son in the September 2011 issue of Today’s Parent Magazine [see her blog post: Teaching Griffin to Knit for a quick precis]. I thought it would be fun to get my own kids started by introducing a family knitting project: […]
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 8, Holiday Canning & Test-Cookie Party! Kid-Friendly Thumbprint Cookies, Carrot Cake Jam & Cranberry Sauce
Today’s the day when we whip up some last minute items to place in jars and send off as holiday gifts. We’ll also try out these treats and use up any left-over jams from last year by filling up some special thumbprint cookies. Unlike other thumbprint recipes, which require pressing or re-pressing your thumb into […]
Advent Shadowbox 2012: Day 1, Have a Tree Trimming Party, Make Cinnamon Glitter Ornaments & Favourite Photo Ornaments
Technically, it’s the day before Advent Begins….well, unless you go to Saturday night mass, as my grandmother would have said. Let’s just say we’re taking my granmother’s advice…. This morning, the kids woke up and ran downstairs to see if I had gotten their Advent Shadowbox out of storage. They found the image above in […]
Whisky Fig Cranberry Sauce
If you’re going to make your own cranberry sauce, you might as well make it worth the effort. We’re always trying something different for our annual Thanksgiving feast. This time, I was inspired by one of my favourite fall cocktails: Apple Cider & Fireball Canadian Whisky [Cinnamon Whisky]. We just went apple picking, so there’s plenty of cider on hand. And […]
MARCH breAK! 2012: Irish Soda Farls, Lime-Berry Jam, and Popping Mustard
We’ve got three recipes on the go today: Mrs. Houghston’s Famous Irish Soda Farls Lime-Berry Limerick Lower-Sugar Jam & Popping “Pot o’ Gold” Mustard Mrs. Houghston’s Famous Irish Soda Farls Mrs. Houston is the housekeeper in the story I wrote for the kids this week, A Study in Emerald, (we’re currently reading Chapter Three). She prepares her […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]