Christmassy things: Our French themed lunch

There was good company.

There was cheese.

There was wine.

There were these brie bites. 

There was plenty of 'cuisine delicieuse'...

like pork and chicken terrine,

 baked ham,

parmasan asparagus,

pommes anna,

corn and chive quiches,

buche de noel,

strawberry galette,

crème caramel,

and of course baguettes!

Joyeux Noel to you!

Christmassy things: Gingerbread house making

A morning of fun with Elara, India and my niece Rayya 

(after 15 hours of preparation - house building is tricky!)

 

  

And here is my version: my first try at decorating a house!

Thanks to my sister-in-law for taking these wonderfully festive photos!

Christmassy things: Thank you gifts

Christmassy things: Festive outfits

I loved this Christmas fabric when I saw it. 

It's not red or green.

Or sparkly.

And the writing is a little bit 'cowboy'.

Cowboy and Christmas? 

Yes, I'm ok with that.

And here are the ruffle skirts that I made for my two daughters and my niece.

This time using some more traditional Christmas fabrics. 

Oh, what's that you say? 

That it just looks like a pile of fabric cut into strips? 

Well, maybe I ran out of time and let it go.

Yes, I'm ok with that.

Christmassy things: Secret Santa gifts

A friendly panda softie...

...for a little princess

Jungle shorts...for a cute little monkey

And a couple of pretty purses...

...for some girly school friends

Christmassy things: Advent

25 days of December make up the normal Christmas Advent.
12 days of December make up the Kelly Christmas Advent.
(Because I ran out of time? Because these itty bitty bags got a bit repetitive to sew? Because I wasn't sure if t-w-e-n-t-y-f-i-v-e would fit, stamped across the front of those little bags? Because I have only 12 nativity characters to hide inside them?)

Whatever the case, it looks pretty, and creates excitement in the kids every morning!
I think that's a win!



Next year, I'll hide some Christmas activity suggestions in the bags.
(If you want some great ideas, check out my friend Melissa's blog)

Report card

She has completed her prep year of schooling.

She has learned to read fluently.

She has made friends.

She has grown 8cm.

She has managed a flip on the hoop swing.

She has received glowing reports from her teachers.

She has had head lice.

She has walked around the playground feeling alone.

She has heard "You're not my friend any more".

She has held her words and not said it in return.

She has danced on parade.

She has sung in the choir.

She has borrowed books.

She has played in the sandpit.

She is a real school girl now.

And I'm very proud of her!

She tie dyes ties by the seashore

Since I'm loving the challenge of making boys stuff lately, I was very keen to try my hand at sewing some ties.

A little boring, you think?

Well, no, not if they are bound for the mailbox of a tie-dye loving elementary teacher in the USA!

The pattern is free, from the purl bee.