100 Fun Holiday Things To Do...

Given that it is the first of December and all...I thought you all might like some inspiration. For links, scroll over the words...

*First and foremost, check out the ROCKING WIP DT GALLERY and oogle over their amazing creations...

*Hands down, favorite yearly neighbor gift...the Edible Snowman.
*Help a teacher at your child's school. This time of year is crazy busy for them, too.
*ADORABLE Lolly Chops printables and recipes for small gifts. Must. Try.
*Bake these yummy Peanut Butter Cup Cookies for your office party...

*Host a Gingerbread House Party for other moms and daughters...
*Make a Tomato Cage Card Holder. And this one is cool, too!So cute!
*Homemade Caramel Popcorn. Oh, my...
*Lift this beautiful Hostess Gift and make them for upcoming parties.
*Create a 2011 Calendar for someone you love and fill it with favorite photos...
*Make a Wool Wreath...
*Package Spicy Gingerbread Cake for a neighbor...
*Make this cute accessory holder for a little girl in your life...

*Check out these 10 different Advent Calendars...
*Create and package Thank you Cards for a go-to gift...
*Create a Photo Card Carousel with your Christmas Cards...
*Send a Package From Home and support our troops!

*Make Christmas cut-out cookies after reading this post...
*Revisit this blog post and lift something...
*Watch something from ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas with the klan...
*Create a fleece cape for that special little girl in your life (and it's NO SEW!)
*Make a Cookie Cutter Wreath...

*Get the drill out and make these adorable Scrabble Tile Ornaments...

*Pick up the phone and call an old friend or family member, and tell them you're thinking of them.

*Kellogg's Rice Krispie Tree Wreaths.
*Make a Paper Wreath from the Dollar Store...
*Clean the sock drawer and use the spent socks on this wreath. AWESOME!
*Create an edible Candy Chain...
*Give a Dog Bone Wreath to your favorite 4-legged friend...
*Check out any of these edible holiday wreaths. Man.
*Create a favorite holiday music CD as a family gift for friends and neighbors.
*Create these beautiful beaded Christmas Trees. My kids will love this one!
*Make a Holiday Shadow Box and display it!
*Make a $1 Christmas Card Holder.
*Eggless Eggnog. Divine!

*Make a child's apron from a pillowcase!
*Try out a new recipe!

*Turn photos into ornaments...
*Really cute, really easy Advent Calendar for the kiddos...
*Use what you HAVE.
*Crochet a cute Headband...

*Make Chocolate Caramel Candy and try not to eat it all...
*Homemade Christmas Crackers are fun and functional!
*Homemade Oreo Cookies. You won't be sorry you did.
*Copy these cool ideas for placemats and painted shutters. Swoon!
*Make a work of art using my children's thumbprints, like the one here.
*And when I'm done doing their thumbprints, I'll do their whole hand for this ornament. LOVE!
*Create an edible garland!
*Frame your child's artwork as a gift for someone special.
*Chocolate Covered Christmas Wreaths...yum!
*Make homemade body scrub for a loved one.
*Elf Yourself here.
*Have the kids make a Fruit Loop Garland like this one. FUN!
*Use the self-timer and get IN the group photo!
*Acrylic Block Ornaments make a great gift!
*Make this really gorgeous urn...
*Make a Cookie Recipe book for the holidays...
*Decorative Soap Dispensers are affordable and FUN with children!
*Turn the TV off and turn Christmas music on...
*Make a fun peppermint milkshake...
*Make several pairs of felt slippers...and share them!
*Homemade Hot Cocoa in cute containers. Get on it!
*Pay it forward and buy someone's lunch...
*Lift an idea from this post and get crafty...
*Adopt a family for the holidays...
*Delight in making a homemade snow globe with your kids...
*Take an elderly family member out for a drive to see the lights...
* Visit Portable North Pole and show and make a video from Santa for your kiddo...
*Start a new holiday tradition of your own...
*Wrap packages in kraft paper and twine...
*Buy an Advent calendar for someone...
*Create a stocking for Santa as a gift of thanks...
* Make Red-Nosed Reindeer Lollipops...
*Give someone an old photograph in a frame this Christmas.
*Create a one-of-a-kind gingerbread cookie like this one.
*Take a ride on a horse-drawn sleigh.
*Make these Sugared Pecans. Wow--those look divine...
*Make this amazing Clip it up wreath by following Christine Middlecamp's awesome tuitorial.
*And when you're finished with the pecans, print out these adorable tags for packaging...
*Write letters to Santa on a Dry Erase Board like this one...
*List a few of your favorite things.
*Read Twas the Night Before Christmas...
*Make Christmas cookies with a friend and swap.
*Create personalized gift card boxes...
*Go caroling with friends...
*Take your children to visit Santa...
*Write a letter to Santa yourself...
*Alter candy sticks and package them beautifully...
*Play Secret Snowman with the kids...
*Make Near Instant Peanut Brittle for that special someone...
*Make your own gift tags...
*Count the snowflakes on your eyelashes...
*Watch The Grinch with your kids...
*Create a glittered garland like Martha...
*Light a candle and say a prayer for someone you love--past or present--every day in December.
*Work on your December Daily, daily.
*Make edible Kwanzaa Celebration Sticks...
*Holiday Cookies in a Jar=DELISH!
*Make these PB Knock-off candles. Cool!
*Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas. PEACE!

Rosa Parks Day ~ Dec. 1st

According to About.com, December 1st is Rosa Parks Day. I was unable to find any other sources confirming this as fact and I did find that some states have established Rosa Parks Days in February which is the month of her birth. Nonetheless, it was on December 1, 1955 that Rosa Parks, an African American seamstress with a "quiet and dignified demeanor", refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, an action which got her arrested and sparked a bus transportation boycott that served as the catalyst in ending segregation in America.

Rosa's Childhood
Rosa Louise McCauley was born in Tuskegee, Alabama on Feb. 4, 1913 to James McCauley (a carpenter) and Leona Edwards (a teacher). As a child, Rosa was small for her age and suffered with health problems. When her parents divorced, Rosa and her brother, Sylvester, moved with their mother to live with grandparents on a farm in Pine Level, Alabama. Rosa's grandparents were both former slaves and strong advocates for racial equality.

During the first half of the 20th century, black and white people in the south were segregated in nearly every aspect of life, including public transportation. When Rosa was a child, the white children in her town rode to school on buses while the black children had to walk to school every day. Rosa remembered, "I'd see the bus pass everyday... But to me, that was a way of life; we had no choice but to accept what was the custom. The bus was among the first ways I realized there was a black world and a white world."

As a young lady, Rosa was forced to drop out of school to care for her grandmother, and later for her mother, after they became ill. At age 19, Rosa met and married Raymond Parks, a barber from Montgomery. Raymond was a member of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Raymond urged Rosa to finish her High School studies and in 1933 Rosa received her high school diploma at a time when less than 7% of African Americans had a high school diploma.  With her husband, Rosa became active in the civil rights movement and in December of 1943, joined the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP and was subsequently asked to serve as secretary for that chapter.

Segregation Practices of the Day
According to Wikipedia, "In 1900, Montgomery had passed a city ordinance for the purpose of segregating passengers by race. Conductors were given the power to assign seats to accomplish that purpose; however, no passengers would be required to move or give up their seat and stand if the bus was crowded and no other seats were available. Over time and by custom, however, Montgomery bus drivers had adopted the practice of requiring black riders to move whenever there were no white only seats left."

As was the practice at the time, if there were any white passengers already on the bus, boarding black passengers were required to enter the front of the bus just long enough to pay their fare then walk around to the back of the bus to enter through the back entrance. On a rainy day in 1943, bus driver, James F. Blake, demanded that Rosa leave the bus and reenter through the back door. On her way out, Rosa accidentally dropped her purse. Parks sat down for a moment in a seat for white passengers to pick up her purse. The bus driver was enraged by this and barely gave Rosa enough time to step off the bus before speeding away.

A Hero Takes a Stand by Staying Seated
On December 1, 1955, at around 6:00 p.m., Rosa Parks was headed home after a long day on the job as a seamstress in a department store. Rosa boarded the bus and sat down in a seat toward the middle of the bus behind the black riders designation sign. As they traveled along the route, the white only seats began to fill and the bus driver noticed three white men standing in the aisle. The bus driver was James F. Blake, the same man who had left Rosa to walk home in the rain twelve years earlier. Rosa later said she did not realize at the time that it was the same driver. Blake walked back to the middle of the bus and moved the "colored" section sign to the row behind Parks demanding that the four black passengers stand up so the white passengers could sit down.

Now, Rosa was tired. Sure, she was tired from a long day of work but that was not the kind of tired that influenced her on that day, she was just plain "tired of giving in", tired of the injustices that she, her loved ones, her friends, and all African American people had been forced to endure. Years later, when recalling the events of the day, Rosa said, "When that white driver stepped back toward us, when he waved his hand and ordered us up and out of our seats, I felt a determination cover my body like a quilt on a winter night." At that moment, as the three other black passengers stood and moved into the aisle, Rosa remained seated and, in fact, scooted in to the window seat. Blake then said, "Why don't you stand up?" Rosa responded, "I don't think I should have to stand up." Blake said, "Well, if you don't stand up, I'm going to have to call the police and have you arrested." Rosa said, "You may do that."

Rosa had not planned to take a stand that day. She had not planned to get arrested. She just did what she felt she had to do in that moment.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Mrs. Parks' trial was set for the following Monday, Dec. 5, 1955.  On the evening of Parks arrest, E.D. Nixon, head of the local chapter of the NAACP began plans to organize a boycott of Montgomery's city buses. Ads were placed in local papers and handbills were distributed asking all African Americans in the area to abstain from riding the buses in Montgomery on December 5th as a protest to Rosa's arrest.  The day of Rosa's trial arrived. It was a rainy day, still the black community persevered in their boycott. Some carpooled, some rode in black operated taxis that charged the same fare as the buses, other commuters walked, some as far as 20 miles. Rosa's trial lasted 30 minutes. She was found guilty of disorderly conduct and fined $10.00 plus $4.00 in court costs.

Wikipedia tells us that, "On Monday, December 5, 1955, after the success of the one-day boycott, a group of 16 to 18 people gathered at the Mount Zion AME Zion church to discuss boycott strategies. The group agreed that a new organization was needed to lead the boycott effort if it were to continue. Reverend Ralph David Abernathy suggested the name "Montgomery Improvement Association" (MIA). The name was adopted, and the MIA was formed. It's members elected as their president a relative new-comer to Montgomery, a young and mostly unknown minister of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

The boycott continued on for 381 days severely crippling the transit company's finances. Finally, on November 13, 1956, the Supreme Court upheld a federal court ruling stating that Alabama's segregation laws for buses were unconstitutional.

The boycott resulted in the U.S. civil rights movement receiving one of it's first victories and gave Martin Luther King Jr. the national attention that made him one of the prime leaders of the cause.

Sources: Wikipedia 1 Wikipedia 2 biography.com

A brand new baby cousin/nephew

My sister-in-law Ana had her second baby this past week. Now she is the amazingly happy and well adjusted mom of 2 boys...only 13 months apart. I would be a nervous wreck, but she has bounced back wonderfully.

Congrats to the proud parents, Phillip & Ana. Here is to a new family of 4 and a long break until the next one. (wink-wink)

Above is a pic of cute baby Jackson, and yes I think he smiled for me. ;)

It's Santa Coloring Pages

It's Santa Coloring Pages

Ten Favorite DIY Christmas Ornaments

The ladies of my family started a new tradition last year. We are doing an annual ornament exchange. So I thought since I was looking for ideas I would once again share my favorite finds. And here they are:

Vintage Cookie Ornaments from: Country Living

These are Easter decorations 

but I thought they could be adapted for Christmas.

Very pretty!

Peppermint Wreath Ornament from: Martha Stewart

 

Crocheted Christmas Baubles from: Meet Me at Mikes

If you know how to crochet, these would be so cute on a tree!

No-sew Quilt Ornaments from: Curbly

Easy and adorable!

Origami Ornaments from: Design Vagabond and MaReRi

I hope these aren't as difficult as they look!

So Beautiful!

Paper Mache Ornaments from: Blue Cricket Design

Sooo Cute!

Ribbon Candy Ornaments from: Portabellopixie

You'll find the PDF tutorial for these ornaments on the right sidebar of the Portabellopixie site.

Yo-Yo Christmas Trees from: Fiona Carter

Icicle Treat Boxes from: Squidoo

and Mirkwood Designs

 

Paisley Power Stocking from: Sew Mama Sew

I love this!

(It says to enlarge the pattern by 400% for a stocking, so I just enlarged it 200% for an ornament).

BONUS! Check out this fun ornament for the kids from: Alphamom

It's a surprise!

Christmas Crafts

I know lots of you ladies are crafters, especially this time of year! Today I thought I'd share a few I saw at a recent craft show...

M&M sleeves with adorable little toppers. Cute idea for a child's classroom!
Beautiful felt garlands. You can see another version here (and Ali Edward's version here.)

Ribbon Trees. Great way to use up your stash, too!

A beautiful mix of vintage and new red and silver ornaments on this wreath. So pretty!!

Homemade potpouri, perfectly packaged for hostess gifts. (I purchased the whole basket!)

And you know I had to get a few of these adorable owls made from felt. Swoon!

Special thanks to my dear friend Debbie Cordes, maker of all the above crafts (except for the m&m's). Feel free to link up your fun holiday craft ideas, too! Many more will follow in the coming days...

Enjoy your Tuesday!

Christmas Decorating

Now that Thanksgiving is over I feel I can really delve into the endless realms of Christmas decorating. There are so many wonderful ways to decorate and rarely is there a wrong way to do this.

My mother's mother was 1st generation Croatian and spoke Croatian and Italian fluently. Her idea of Christmas came from what she knew in Croatia. My Father's Father was 2nd generation Swedish so growing up my mom always decorated with a lot of wheat and red and green colors.

There are so many different ways to decorate. From retro to vintage, Victorian to country, contemporary to traditional. I love all of these styles and only wish I could change up my house each year with a new design idea. But that would take a lot more time and money than I have at the present. ;)

Here are just a few rooms decorated for Christmas that I just love. For more Christmas decorating ideas go to Ideal Home and there are a bunch, you'll be sure to find the one that fits your own unique style.

I love this idea of the jars, so simple and pretty.

Corinthian

History

Sandman

In "The Doll House" story arch, he deserted the Dreaming and went to the waking world. He decided to become a serial killer that had a taste for eyes, but this was not what Sandman wanted (he wanted the Corinthian to show humanity it's own dark nature). After 40 years, Sandman destroyed him. In "The Kindly Ones", Dream created a new Corinthian with some of the memories of the previous one. He was sent to find and protect Daniel, where he battled Loki and Puck and ate their eyes.

The Sandman Presents: The Corinthian

This 3-issue mini-series we learn how the Corinthian I entered the waking world and learned to kill people. Here he displayed the ability to possess people.

The Dreaming

In The Dreaming spin off, the Corinthian II returns to Earth in the "Souvenirs" story arch. He later hunts down Echo, but accidentally killed Matthew. So, he punished with becoming human and begins to understand human nature better and then is let back in the Dreaming.

Abilities

Despite the fact he lacks eyes and has mouths instead, he doesn't appear to have any trouble with sight. When he eats people's eye, he can see what happen in their life. He can possess people, but his victim 's eye are replaced with mouths and gain white hair. The second Corinthian is skilled at hand-to-hand combat. He was seen snapping the neck of a supernatural wolf with out much effort. He is also resistant to damage and is fearless.

Name

In "The Kindly Ones", Puck refused to tell Corinthian if his name is derived from "the letters, the pillars, the leather, the place, or the mode of behavior." This is likely a reference to the Letter to the Corinthians (which has phrase "Dark Mirror", which Dream use to describe the Corinthain), Corinthian style of pillars, Corinthian leather and Corinthian behavior (" indulging in luxury and licentiousness"). Neil Gaiman (the writer of The Sandman) revealed the name came from the mode of behavior.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corinthian_(comics)

The Sandman: The Doll House and The Kindly Ones

http://www.idenise.net/blog/wp-content/corinthian.jpg

Landmarks

Have you ever looked around and recalled memories after looking at a certain landmark? I hope I'm not the only one. Today, I wanted to share two of my December layouts from the Main WIP Kit, and both deal with this very subject...
The first one is a city landmark that means a lot to me.

Journaling reads: Whenever I see this building, it makes me feel nostalgic. The Terminal Tower building in downtown Cleveland, Ohio is a city landmark. Built in 1927, it is a symbol of pride and accomplishment to me. Whenever I see it, I think, "home." My ancestors came here as immigrants before this tower was erected. They walked the streets of Cleveland before they were paved. They built homes, raised families, and shopped at the West Side Market. They found the American Dream here. This city is where I graduated college, decades after their arrival from Ireland. I know it is just a landmark to many. But to me, the tower is a symbol of where my family has come, and where we are going...

The second landmark is from the front yard of my childhood home. I used text on the photo as my title.

Journaling reads: This tree...was much smaller when I was a kid. This tree is one of two trees in my parent's front yard (but not the one Lisa got "stuck" in with her 2 broken arms.) This tree was great to climb and hide in for night-time games of hide and seek in the neighborhood. This tree still gives us a lot of leaves to rake in the fall. This tree got toilet papered 3-4 times a year when we were growing up. This tree was the spot where David Bowman first held my hand. This tree provided shade in the summer so we could play Truth or Dare and Uno underneath it. This tree holds so many memories for me.
Today, I encourage you to look around at your environment, and get a little nostalgic. These stories are important too!
Enjoy your Monday!

The Reason for the Season

Since Jesus Christ is the reason for the season, I'm going to wear my heart on my sleeve today as I post this lovely video in reverence to my Savior and Friend.

Christmas Stocking and Chimney Coloring Pages

Christmas Stocking and Chimney Coloring Pages

Advent Calendars

Many families use Advent calendars as a fun way of getting children involved in the Advent season. Early Advent calendars usually focused on the birth of Jesus Christ as Advent is a time of anticipation of Christmas Day, the day of Jesus' birth. Modern Advent calendars come in every shape and size and feature various Christmas themes from the Nativity to Santa Claus. Many families use Advent calendars simply as a fun countdown to Christmas.

I've scoured the internet in search of adorable DIY Advent calendars. The following are my favorite top ten finds. There's not a lot of time before December 1st to get one made unless you're, dunt da da da...SUPER CRAFTER GAL! (or SUPER CRAFTER GUY!, whichever the case may be). But I'm thinking, it'd be okay to start your countdown a little bit late, there will still be lots of days of countdown fun for the kiddies to enjoy. So here we go:

#10 Pickles.no

#9 Craftastica

 

#8 Sew Mama Sew.com

#7 Rubber Stamping.about

#6 Fiona Carter

#5 All Things Wonderful

#4 My Little Mochi

(Soooo clever!)

#3 Allsorts.com

# 2 The Happy Zombie

and Thimbleanna

#1 Katherine Marie Photography

I love the whole idea behind these darling little advent bags!

Advent

Advent is a four week long observance celebrated by many Christian faiths throughout the world. It begins on the Sunday closest to November 30th and covers four Sundays. For 2010, Advent will begin on November 28th and will end on Christmas Eve.

The word Advent, in Latin, is defined as "the coming". During Advent people remember the anticipation the Hebrews felt as they waited for the birth of their Messiah, Jesus Christ. They also use this time to think of and prepare for the second coming of Jesus Christ, a time when the Saviour will again save mankind from the evils of the world. It is a time of joy and happiness as believers of Christ await the second coming of their King.

The Advent Wreath

In Many churches the beginning of Advent is marked by the hanging of evergreen boughs and displays of evergreen wreaths. The evergreen branches symbolize the new and everlasting life brought by Jesus Christ.

Image: Mom's Party Cafe

The Advent Wreath is a circular wreath made with real or artificial evergreens. It contains five candles, four around the wreath and one in the center. CRI/Voice.org tells us: "Since the wreath is symbolic and a vehicle to tell the Christmas story, there are various ways to understand the symbolism. The exact meaning given to the various aspects is not as important as the story to which it invites us to listen, and participate."

• The circle of the wreath -  God Himself, His eternity and endless mercy, which has no beginning and no end.
• The green of the wreath - the hope of renewal and of eternal life.
• Candles -  the light of God coming into the world through the birth of His son.
• The four candles - represent the period of waiting during the four Sundays of Advent, which themselves symbolize the four centuries of waiting between the prophet Malachi and the birth of Christ.
• The colors of the candles - vary with traditions. Typically, three purple or blue. Purple - the color of penitence or fasting as well as the color of royalty. Blue - also a symbol of royalty as well as the color of the night sky. Rose, to symbolize the third Sunday of lessening emphasis on penitence as attention is turned more toward celebration of the season. The White candle is in the center and it represents Jesus Christ and is called the Christ Candle.
• The Light of the candles - a reminder that Jesus is the light of the world that comes into the darkness of our lives, to bring newness, life, and hope.

A new candle is lighted each Sunday during the four weeks and each is associated with further symbolic meaning which you can read more about here. 

Advent is a joyous celebration which many families observe by lighting the Advent candles, reading scriptures together, baking special treats, and involving children in activities that help them learn more about the Advent.

Sources: Fact Monster  CRI/Voice

miT maT Biscuits

So, keeping on with our biscuit challenge, we are up to miT maT Biscuits.

These are quite rich, so beware of the chocolatey gooey filling!






miT maT Biscuits
Ingredients
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ cup flour
¾ cup cocoa
½ tsp bicarb soda
1 ½ tsp salt
210g butter

Method

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Fold in the dry ingredients until it forms a dough.
3. Roll out between two

Santa Christmas Game Coloring Pages - Santa shaped maze to find his reindeer

Santa Christmas Game Coloring Pages - Santa shaped maze to find his reindeer

Photography Tips for Christmas Photos

I've been busy doing a bunch of family photo sessions for Christmas and holiday cards lately. Today I wanted to share a few tips, and a few links to help you with yours!

*Set your environment up for success. Have the family ready to go and in a good mood (if possible.) Don't schedule photos or take them right before or right after a nap if you have toddlers. You'd be surprised how a little thought and planning will go a long way!

*Be realistic. Your children are not perfect, so their Christmas card photos may reflect that. It is okay. Roll with the punches--sometimes you end up with the best Christmas cards that way! Unrealistic expectations can ruin a fun photo shoot.

This is a good general advice article on Christmas pictures...
And this one is also related to it...
This is a great little article on doing your own Christmas card photos.

And this one is not only good for creative techniques, but has a lot of other links as resources.

*Don't forget the details. The little ring on this girl's finger, the tiny tuffs in her dress, the curl in her hair, and the anticipation of the holiday is captured in the photo above...

*Have pouty kiddos? Work with it! :)

*Bribery works. And not just with the little people in families. I've found that it holds true for pre-teens and teenagers, too (who can be much more difficult to pose in family pictures sometimes!) It is okay to entice them--but communicate your expectations beforehand and stick to your guns.

*Try and convey what you want from the photographer beforehand, and let them do their work. If the photographer needs your help with the kiddos, they'll let you know. Generally, children work better in pictures with strangers who give them direction, and tend to tune out their parents.

This article is great for all-around Christmas pictures...

And this one is on photos for cards specifically.