The Final Countdown…

Christmas is quickly approaching.  I think I’m done (OK, to be honest I have a couple of presents to wrap for sister and BIL).  I boxed up all the cookie tins and they are ready for delivery.

I still have to clean up all the nonpareils that are coating my floor.  But I’m happy that I had Ella’s help with the cookies this year.

I’ve missed her help these last few years.

 

As usual, Ella did a great job on the tree.  It’s nice not to have to climb up and down on the chair any more.

And of course, with Merry here for her Christmas visit, we never know what we’re going to find.

The night before we got the tree, the elves thought Ella missed a spot when we moved the cubby.

Then hanging out with Ella’s new gnome decoration that we found at the Pakenham General Store on the way home from the tree farm.  By the way, if you watch the Halmark Christmas Scavenger Hunt movie, you’ll see ‘our’ tree farm a number of times (including their covered bridge).

Then last Saturday while Ella was at a sleepover with her girlfriends in Arnprior, the elves had a serious looking meeting with all the stuffies!

And finally, last week we FINALLY got some snow.  It looks like Christmas.  Everywhere looks like a Christmas card.  Though we didn’t need the sudden drop to -32C (-25F) windchill that we had the other day.

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Crafting On -19 December 2017

Crafting On this week is my poor scarf with yet another pattern.  I really wasn’t ‘digging’ the Versailles pattern.  Looked around and actually found a pattern that I had purchased a long time ago but never used.

The elves have been up to their usual mischief.

Though one day they tried to help dust.

And just when you think they’ll be helpful this Advent…

They get into Daddy’s Turtles!

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Yarn Along -11 December 2013

Yarn Along this week.  Another finished Christmas present.  Some fingerless gloves for my sister.  This is my favourite pattern for fingerless gloves.  Fairly quick to knit because the lace pattern is easy to memorize.

And here’s the continuing sweater.  Luckily there is only 5 inches left.

In between I’ve been getting some work done on my shawl too, which is good because the cold weather is coming.

Here’s what we enjoyed reading this week:

Berenstain Bears –Meet Santa Bear

Bear’s First Christmas

The Mitten

The Very Fairy Princess -Merry Christmas

Little Drummer Mouse

A Star for Christmas -how I would love to live in a Trisha Romance painting

Merry Christmas, Little Mouse

Santa’s Toy Shop

Wild Christmas Reindeer

Berenstain Bears -The Nutcracker

Cordoroy’s Christmas

Merry Christmas, Mr. Snowman

Trouble With Trolls

The Hat

Frosty

Merry has been having a lot of fun while we are sleeping.  Today we discovered that she had a Christmas party with the Calico children.

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Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real -5 December 2013

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real this week is about my happy girl.

Ella and Daisy are very happy Daddy has started building Mt. Ella.

Daisy is loving the snow.

Guess who’s come for her annual Advent visit?

Ella’s little elf friend Merry has come for Advent.  She likes to play and she’s gathering ideas for Santa.  Ella doesn’t usually have much of a list for Santa, so Merry keeps her eyes open for the little things Ella likes.  Mostly she’s just some fun company, though elves do get into some mischief when no one is looking:

Last week we visited the Big Guy.  It’s so great to be able to go during the day mid-week.

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Farm Girl Friday -9 December 2011

Another lovely week of Advent almost over.  Again, we’ve lost a couple of days to Ella being sick.  This time it was a bad ear infection.  The medicine seems to be working and Ella’s feeling much better now.

Sunday was the Sunday of Peace.

Since this was also Santa’s list day, Merry arrived for her Advent stay.  Ella tries extra hard to be good now that someone is watching  🙂  We read The Story of Christmas and the Littlest Angel (and yes, that was one of mine).

Monday we delivered the treats for December.  It’s one of the easiest Christmas presents ever (especially for mother and sister-in-laws).  I try to deliver close to the first of the month, but it’s usually whichever grocery day is closest (since his sister doesn’t live in Cobden).  I did groceries for the MONTH!   I am avoiding the stores as much as possible.  I’ll have to run in for milk and veggies, but that’s it.  We are really enjoying our daily stories from the Advent Storybook and the Jesse Tree.

Tuesday Ella was at Grandma’s again.  The doctor is over in Beachburg so Grandma took Ella home with her so they could get her ear looked at.  And yes, an ear infection.  Got to get my girl healthy for Christmas.  Ended up not doing anything for St. Nicholas day since Ella felt so miserable.  We read Santa Mouse and Santa’s Surprise and the Berenstain Bears Meet Santa Bear.

Wednesday we put our Christmas candle in the front window.  It’s a nod to our Irish roots (which I’ve discovered both sides of the family have lots of, need to look into more traditions).  We’re not having much luck with the Christmas lights, but Daddy’s working on fixing those.  We read The Night Before Christmas and Reindeer’s First Christmas.

Thursday was National Brownie day so baked some yummy brownies.  Daddy was very happy when he came in for coffee break.  We also wrote a letter to Santa.  Well, Ella dictated and Momma wrote -too many words (ha ha).  Ella’s creche came out of storage today.  I was going to bring out the people as they appeared in the story, but soon gave in:

It was either let her have all the people and play or else she wanted to ask for another one from Santa.   We read the Berenstain Bears Get Ready for Christmas and A Star for Christmas.  I love Trisha Romance prints and this book is gorgeous.

Today we went skating in Pembroke.  They have children’s ice time Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 11-12.  Since today is Christmas card day, we headed to the post office to get all our Christmas cards into the mail, especially a certain special one that needs to go all the way to the north pole.  Tonight we are reading Little Women, a very short, little girl version.

Go and check out the other fun going on with the other Farm Girls.

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Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real -8 December 2011

Joining the Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real fun this week.

My pretty, funny girl is happy that Merry the elf arrived on Sunday for the Advent season.  She keeps an eye on Ella and reports back to Santa.  She’s a very mischievous elf, we never know what she’s going to get into overnight.

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December 16 -More Elf Mischief

Uncle Stefan, if you are reading this stop now!!!!!  Come back tomorrow or after Christmas please!

We woke up this morning and found Merry had been up to some more elf mischief.  Ella discovered her peeking out from Daddy’s stocking.  Not sure what she was doing in there  🙂

Our Advent activity today is to make a shirt for Uncle Stefan.  We need to get out Momma’s folk art paint and make some hand prints on a shirt.  We’ve made a number for Daddy over the years and thought Uncle Stefan would like one this year.  I’ll post a picture later.  We also need to get at the Christmas cookies, I didn’t get any made yesterday.

 

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Toronto Santa Claus Parade

We took Ella to Scarborough last weekend.  Grandma, Ella, Auntie Belinda, Uncle Stefan (who came back from US shopping early) and I headed downtown to attend the 106th (I think) Toronto Santa Claus Parade.   We had a great location -right out front of Auntie Belinda’s office building (corner of Yonge and Adelaide).  Auntie Belinda had picked up a security pass so that we could have easy access to a bathroom.  This was Ella’s first Toronto parade.  I’ve been a few times (we lived in TO till I was 3).

It was rather cold and very windy, but luckily we didn’t get rained or snowed on.  We had so much fun!!  Uncle Stefan spoiled Ella by buying her reindeer antlers, jingle bells, candy floss, and hot co co (as Ella says).  He bought Momma a coke too  🙂  It was funny seeing the kids playing in the middle of Yonge Street.  Usually you are taking your life into your hands crossing the street without the light.

The start of the parade was a pipe band of course.  Ella jumped up and was dancing along.  I think she danced with every band.  It was very cute, you could tell her feet wanted to do her highland steps, but she just doesn’t know them yet!

The floats were great.  So much better in person than on tv.  Ella was disappointed because they don’t throw candy like at the Cobden parade.

Here’s another site I didn’t expect to see on Yonge street.  A John Deere tractor!!  Daddy was disappointed there wasn’t an International one too.

 

The parade was very long, but really really fun.  The crowd was good.  Lots of people but not too many people.  Ella had great fun.  The family beside us had 4 girls.  They let Ella play with their sidewalk chalk.  Ella has always wanted to use sidewalk chalk, but we don’t have any pavement or cement.  Not even Grandma’s house in Beachburg.

Ella’s elf friend Merry arrived last night.  She was so excited.  Now she’s going to try to be extra good  🙂

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