Catching up

Since the update I've had trouble posting pictures and entries have been taking forever to load.  So, I've been waiting until I had some time to sit and wait for the entries to go through.  Tonight's the night.  As long as HSB cooperates I'll be getting all our activities of the last week posted.  Aren't you all excited?

Here are some of the books we read last week.

The Pine Tree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs, Michael Hague's version of The Nutcracker, The Christmas Star by Marcus Pfister, The Legend of the Christmas Tree by Rick Osborne, All You Ever Need by Max Lucado, Corduroy's Christmas by Don Freeman (this was a book given to E on her first Christmas by Aunt Susan, she was only 2 months old :-) ),  How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss of course, Alvin Tresselt's version of The Mitten, Counting to Christmas by Nancy Tafuri, The Tree that Came to Stay by Anna Quindlen, Henry Van Dyke's The Other Wise Man retold by Pamela Kennedy, A Special Place for Santa by Jeanne Pieper, The Night of the Child text by Robert Benson, The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado, The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden.  We also read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever , which we all really enjoyed.

The girls made these ornaments for their piano teacher.  They had fun making these simple but unique ornaments.

We had a Christmas Party with our Homeschool Mother Daughter bookclub.  It was at one of the members homes in the evening where the whole family was invited to come.  We all brought cookies to share, the kids did some crafts and all the girls read their  favorite Christmas book to the group.

R making her baby Jesus

The girls working on a craft.  E. is the farthest on the left in light purple and A. is 3rd from the left in dark purple.

This is a picture of me w/ J at the party.  The background is the girls reading their stories.  I don't think I've ever posted a picture of me from this decade, so here it is.  I'll post another one in another 10 years. LOL I take after my mother, I don't like pictures of me.

We went to a local park w/ some fellow homeschooling friends that is decorated for Christmas with lots of lights, characters and a scale model (I don't remember the technical name) train that you can ride on that takes you through the park and all the light displays.  Dh had the camera, so I don't have any pictures of the train ride!   We enjoyed going out for the evening and having fun with our friends.  The lights were beautiful and the train ride, as always, didn't disappoint.  My 3 yo was especially excited.

We've attempted a few more ornaments that were flops.  None of the glue I own will stick foam together.  I don't know why but it just won't work!  It's been frustrating to me because I'm really not a crafty person and I was only doing this to have "fun" with my girls.  LOL  I scraped the ornaments and we just read instead.

We've also been baking Christmas goodies this week.  I've made Peppermint chocolate bark, which is really, really good and a potato chip/pecan cookie that I got from a fellow FIAR mom.  Tomorrow we're going to bake some other type of cookie, I'm not sure which one yet.   Or maybe I'll make some rock candy.  The girls have been wanting me to make some since they recently tasted some.

A. my 7 year old loves to create things out of tiny little things.  She's the one out in the mud creating sculptors or the one who takes the styrofoam from a package and  whittles it away to create some type of masterpiece.  Lately, she's been seeing things in her food.  Here's her latest creation. 

Any guesses as to what it is she "saw" in her pecans and created this landscape masterpiece on our kitchen table?

Tomorrow I'll post another picture that centers in on one particular part of her landscape and maybe a hint.  That's of course if no one gets it by then.  Oh, and if you're my husband, you can't play.

Leave your guesses in the comments.  Maybe I'll even send the winner a prize.  Oh wow, did I just make my own contest?  Of course, I don't have too many vistors (or at least visitors that leave comments that is!) to my little blog, so your chances of winning are pretty good!   I'll think of a prize and let you all know tomorrow.  Maybe some of our homemade treats.  Yum.

Don't forget to leave a comment and who you are!