Family Dinner Book Club

Jodie at Growing Book by Book has started a Family Dinner Book Club.  It debuted on January 1, 2014.

Each month this year, these three women:
     Jodie at Growing Book by Book,
     Jill at Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, and
     Sarah at Daisy at Home
will share a book to read, conversation starters, dinner menu ideas, and arts and crafts ideas.

On the 1st of each month, the title of the featured book is revealed.  On the 15th of each month, all of the details for the special dinner celebration is shared.

The selection for January is Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne.

Winnie-the-Pooh
A. A. Milne

You can view Jodie's conversation starters for the family dinner celebration here.
You can view Jill's arts and crafts ideas for decorating the dinner table here.
You can view Sarah's menu ideas to complement the book here.

I purchased this classic children's book last weekend, and we will be reading about this lovable bear all week.  :)

Winter Lunch

This was T's lunch today.

• snowman-shaped sandwich on hearty white bread with snowflake sprinkles for buttons
• Whole Grain Popcorn for snow
• applesauce with jumbo snowflake sprinkles in white silicone liner
• Pepperidge Farm Snowball citrus cookie
• snowflake-shaped Swiss cheese slices
• Ritz Snowflake crackers

   ...and a spoon with a snowman and snowflakes design!

Linked to:
   Bento Blog Network
   I Heart Lunch

Snowy Lunch

This was my lunch today.

• grilled cheese sandwich on honey wheat bread with the snowman cut-out from yesterday's sandwich on hearty white bread
• Pepperidge Farm Snowball citrus cookies

In case you're wondering...no, I don't eat a grilled cheese sandwich every day!  haha.

Snowman Lunch

This was my lunch today.

• grilled cheese sandwich with a snowman cut-out...made with sharp cheddar cheese and a bit of shredded mozzarella cheese (to make the snowman white!)
• homemade potato soup...in a little bowl with a snowman design

Mmmm...comfort food for a chilly and rainy January day.  :)

Linked to:
   Bento Blog Network

Penguins

I made this penguins meal for T's lunch for tomorrow.

It contains:

• penguin-shaped sandwiches with sprinkles for eyes
• Whole Grain Popcorn for snow
• Penguins Baked Snack Crackers
• "PENGUINS" Scrabble Junior Cheez-It Crackers
• penguin cookie

The penguin cookie is an Oreo.  I opened it and re-shaped the icing.  Then, I added sprinkles for the eyes, beak, and feet.  I found my inspiration at Party Pinching.

And to drink?  Melted Icebergs, of course!

I found this cute water bottle printable at Great Fun 4 Kids.

Linked to:
   Bento Blog Network
   What's for Lunch Wednesday

New Year's Eve

We celebrated New Year's Eve at home.

I made several appetizers for supper:

     ::  Cranberry-Glazed Meatballs
     ::  Party Ham Delights
     ::  Italian Pinwheels
     ::  Sour Cream and Cheese Twice-Baked Potato Bites
     ::  Sweet and Spicy Ham and Cheese Spread (served with crackers)
     ::  Mozzarella Cheese Sticks (purchased)

which we ate in front of the television while watching the Disney movie, The Little Mermaid.

Quiet.  Fun.  :)

Snoopy Tree

We put up a second Christmas tree today...this Snoopy-themed tree.

It's in our kitchen, on an antique red and white ceramic-topped table (that belonged to my Dad's mother) next to our kitchen table.

It's pleasant to see a Christmas tree while eating our meals each day...and the Snoopy ornaments even match our red and white apple-themed kitchen!
;-)

Christmas Tree Decorations

Apparently, T decided this afternoon that our Christmas tree needed a few additional decorations!  I walked into the family room and discovered he had put three of his DVDs on the tree.  :D

Santa Claus

We went to the mall this afternoon so T could sit on Santa's lap!

T told Santa that he would like to receive a [Yo Gabba Gabba] Boom Box for Christmas.  :)

Christmas Program

In December every year, our chapel has a Sunday School Christmas Program.  The children wear costumes and learn songs and their speaking parts for the performance.

This morning, the children put on their costumes and photos were taken for a slide show which will go along with the performance.

     As the wise men continued on their long journey to find the king, they came to Jerusalem, where they stopped to ask King Herod where they could find the young king.  Herod called together his chief priests and teachers of the law and asked them where Christ was to be born.

     "In Bethlehem of Judea," they told him.  Explaining the ancient prophecy, the priests reminded Herod that long ago it was written:

     But you Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, are by no means least among the rulers of Judea; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.

           ~from The Christmas Story by Carol Heyer

The Christmas Program will be held on a Sunday evening later this month.  I'm sure I will have additional photos to share afterward!  :)

Book and Ornament Advent

T and I had such a good time last year with our book advent.  So, we are going to do it again this year!  :)  Here are the books I've selected for this year:

     A Shepherd's Gift
          by Mary Calhoun
     Careful, Santa!
          by Julie Sykes
     Christmas in the Barn
          by Margaret Wise Brown
     Gingerbread Baby
          by Jan Brett
     I Love Christmas!
          by Hans Wilhelm
     My Christmas Stocking, Filled with God's Love
          by Crystal Bowman
     My Merry Christmas and the Real Reason for Christmas Joy
          by Sally Lloyd-Jones
     One Snowy Night
          by M. Christina Butler
     Room for a Little One
          by Martin Waddell
     Saint Francis and the Nativity
          by Myrna A. Strasser
     Santa Mouse
          by Michael Brown
     Sugar & Spice - The Yummy Scents of Christmas
          (author unknown)
     The Christmas Story
          by Carol Heyer
     The Donkey's Christmas Song
          by Nancy Tafuri
     The Little Christmas Tree
          by Karl Rühmann
     The Littlest Christmas Tree
          by Janie Jasin
     The Night Before Christmas
          by Jan Brett
     The Twelve Days of Christmas
          by Jan Brett
     The Very Snowy Christmas
          by Diana Hendry

Actually, this list is all of the books we didn't get to last year...which is most of
them!  :P

I especially want to read the book, The Christmas Story by Carol Heyer.  She (the author!!) was so kind to visit my blog and leave a comment last year!  :D

For the first 18 days of December, T and I will read a Christmas book and make an ornament each day.  Then on December 24th, T and I will read the book, The Night Before Christmas...and hopefully make an ornament!

We will see if we can manage to read more Christmas books and make more ornaments than we did last year!  ;o)

Thanksgiving Day

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We got together with my husband's extended family on Thanksgiving Day.  His cousin hosted the Thanksgiving meal...for all 23 of us!  At least she didn't have to cook the entire meal!  :D  Everyone contributed to the effort.  We were asked to bring mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, and sweet iced tea.

Here is T, ready to eat!  Actually, I think he had already started on his roll.  ;o)

After dessert, the children enjoyed playing together.  T found a toy guitar....
He looks like a natural, doesn't he?

And here he is...ready for his afternoon nap, I think!  :)

I know I was ready for mine when I got home!  :P