Merrily we roll along...

December is in full swing, and it's beginning to look a bit like Christmas 'round here :) I gotta say, I loved the magic of Christmas as a child, and after a bit of a 'break-up' with C-mas-time during college/twenties (I left her for an anti-consumerism stance) I am loving watching Chloe enjoy the magic. We set up our tree last night, she was so excited by the lights and hanging our first 4 ornaments from the advent calendar, it was so fun!!

A bit about the tree: I love Christmas trees, I love the idea of bringing some of the great outdoors inside, dressing it up, and mixing the magic of nature with tradition. I don't love tree-farming, and the waste of resources involved with cutting down trees. I also don't love the idea of a manufactured plastic tree (not that I am knocking them--they're beautiful in their own right, and sometimes the greenest/most practical choice)...We kicked around the idea of buying a live tree with a root-ball to plant after the holidays, but our yard isn't quite right for that type of tree. So last year we got this little potted fir tree, and it spent the spring/summer/fall outside. David repotted it several times, watered it, and dragged it around the yard to various locations, trying to find just the right balance of sunshine to keep it happy. And here we are, it's our second Christmas with the little guy :)

 

And this is what I get when I ask D to smile with the tree...mmm, tasty! I don't know how we'll move it in and out once it gets a bit bigger, but for now, it's our answer to the tree-dilemma.

In other festive news, Chloe and I made salt-dough ornaments earlier this week. SO easy and fun! Mix 3 parts flour, 1 part salt, 1.5 parts hot water and knead, roll and cut!

 Chloe loves this kind of activity, and I'm looking forward to the day all three of my littles can for participate. For now, we use morning nap time to sneak in a little Mommy-Chloe crafting fun.

 We had a lot of dough; after filling to cookie-sheets with cutouts, we experimented with other types of creations--here she is adding beans and lentils to her own design.

They take a long time to bake--about 2 hours on 250...but once they cooled, the painting (and glitter) fun begins! Chloe could paint all day. Only problem is she goes from painting her project to her hands, the table, basically whatever is in reach. I do love her artistic side, though!

 They look almost edible, no? Sugar cookies are on the agenda as well!

 Thanks for stopping by! Hope your holiday preparations are cheerful!