Advent Chain Day 14 and 15

Oops...fell behind again.  And no pictures either.  Bummer.  I promise to be better tomorrow.  Yesterday's activity was to drink hot cocoa and listen to Christmas carols.  A great activity for snuggling!  Today's was to bake a goodie and take it to a neighbor.  The baking got done a couple of days ago, but as for the delivery, well let's just say that I hope that it will happen tomorrow.

I only have 1 more day of school and then vacation.  I am really looking forward to a little break and still have quite a bit left to do before the 25th.  One major thing being the Noodle's 5th birthday, which is coming up quickly.  Yikes!  Need to get my act in gear!!!!!!!!

Advent Chain Day 13

Today's activity was a nice low-key one.  Since the weather was cooperating, it was even better.  What was it, you ask?  Why to take a walk around the neighborhood and look at the Christmas lights and decorations!  It is always nice to see the lights from the walking perspective, rather than just through the window of the car.  Even driving slowly, there are some houses where you just want to linger.....but linger too long and people start to wonder who the nut-jobs out on the street peering at their house are.  Ha!  The last thing we want are the police to be called.  Eeek.  No, walking is a great change of pace.  Besides, it satisfies that nosy inclination that we all have, though some choose not to admit it, to see how others live!

Advent Chain Day 12

Thank goodness today's link was an easy one!  Coloring Christmas cards was right up our alley tonight.  I wasn't so sure that it would even happen earlier today...not when I had a crying, runny nose, out-of-sorts little munchkin who kept dissolving into a puddle every time I turned around!  Whew!!  After what felt like forever, it got strangely quiet.  I didn't think too much about it since I was in the middle of cooking dinner, but then thought better of it.  Good thing.  The Noodle had fallen asleep, sitting up against the heater vent in the living room.  Poor thing--she was obviously exhausted.  After a good dinner she perked up enough to color in a few cards before collapsing into bed, even amidst cries of  "I'm not [yawwwwn] tired!" .  Hopefully we'll get our cards in the mail by the middle of the week and that a good night's sleep will work wonders :).  

Advent Chain Day 11

What a special day we had today!  Our activity for the 11th was to go have a proper tea somewhere, and that's just what we did.  Girls only, of course!  Lollie, Grandma, the Noodle and I all went to church together and then we headed out to a quaint little tea room for a high tea luncheon. 

Sigh.  It. was. delicious.  Nary a calorie, carb or fat gram to be found.  Ahem.

The selection for the ladies.

The selection for the little miss.

This little tea shop does a high tea for ladies and then one a bit more specialized for the pint size crowd.  Both brought oohs and ahhs from the 4 of us.  For little finger sandwiches and bite sized desserts, you certainly fill up fast.  The copious amounts of tea (or lemonade) helped us coax down just a little bit more. 

The warm sunshine, Christmas decor, pretty holiday music wafting through the air and lovely company made for a very enjoyable afternoon.

Advent Chain Day 10

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas"..."Deck the halls"..."It's the most wonderful time of the year"...!

Today we got to decorate the house and set up the Christmas tree.  Always such a fun day!  I love taking that trip down memory lane as each and every ornament is put up.  They always bring back such a flood of memories.

There's the angel tree topper that we made our first Christmas as a married couple, the delicate ones that my grandmother made all those years ago and the old reliable ones that hung on our trees as children, like J's red Corvette and "bonga" cars (no surprise there!) and my glass angel and silver bell.  Then there are the ornaments that represent our family of 3 like the sand dollar from our beach vacations, the cross from the Noodle's baptism and all of the precious hand-made ones that the C.N. so carefully and lovingly crafted.  It is certainly not a thematic tree, but I wouldn't change it for the world.  It soo represents us.

 It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

Advent Chain Day 9

Today's activity was to drive around and look at Christmas lights.  I remember doing this as a child and always loved the fact that we were all ready for bed, wearing our jammies in the car.  Wild and crazy times!  When we were discussing it at breakfast this morning, the Noodle was most emphatic about how she would wear her jammies, slippers and robe tonight too.  So, we got all bundled in the car, cranked up the heat, turned on the pretty  music and by 7:15, not 15 minutes after we had started, somebody, was gently snoring away.  That's o.k.-- J and I enjoyed finishing our tour and admiring all the festive sights.  Tomorrow we're decking the halls...I feel so inspired!

Advent Chain Day 8

When the Noodle ripped off the chain for today and read it, she got a little twinkle in her eye.  "Make peppermint milkshakes...Mmmmmmmm!"  The girl knows a good thing when she reads it, that's for sure.  The shakes didn't disappoint, either--even if we did make them in a less traditional way ala Dana at Made!  Delish!!

***Notice the clenched-teeth-smile?  That's what candy canes in your milkshake will do to ya ;)