Bella Dia

"I like snowflakes, oh so light..."

I have always loved children's literature but when we started homeschooling seven years ago I really started building a collection of books. We now have somewhere around two thousand books and I am a card-carrying member of Bookaholics Anonymous! I especially like picture book authors, and their illustrators, and have a great admiration for their talent in being able to simplify situations and emotions into just a few words and expressions.

I Like Winter by Lois Lenski is one of the books we read for our Christmas Picture Book Advent. I love the timelessness of her illustrations and her jaunty rhyming text. And how can you not be charmed by their little pointed snow hats?

The simple joy of seeing people you love walking towards you...

Advent Calendars

I love advent calendars and have such happy memories of opening that little door and seeing some wee little wreath or elf in the window. With my kids, we have always done the advent calendar from Playmobil. Every day you open a box that has a little Playmobil figurine inside and you place it in a cardboard Christmas triptych so that at the end of twenty four days you have a complete Christmas scene.

We also do a Christmas picture book advent. Each night the kids take turns picking a Christmas story to read, of course saving The Night Before Christmas for our last story. I have put up our list of Christmas books here for you to see. These books are stored away until Christmas time so when we bring them out it's like seeing
old friends again.

Holiday Cheer

Caramel Apple Cider

This is so easy and delicious,
you're going to love it!

What you need:
caramel sundae syrup (I use Smucker's but any brand you would put on ice cream)
apple cider
whip cream (I use Redi-Whip, extra creamy)

What you do:
Squeeze a little caramel syrup in the bottom of a coffee mug, about a teaspoon.
Fill with apple cider and heat in the microwave until hot, then stir.
Top off with whip cream and a drizzle of more caramel syrup.

This is my own version of Starbucks'
Caramel Apple Cider. They use cinnamon
syrup in the bottom instead of caramel topping. It's obviously very easy but it
looks so special and would be great for
a holiday party or someone just stopping by.

I'm already behind...

I got these fabrics to make Christmas pillowcases for my kids and my neice and nephews. I had *planned* on giving them to them on the first day of December but seeing that that day has already come and gone...maybe the first weekend in December? I love the fabric - it's flannel with retro Christmas designs. I'm planning on making a patchwork Christmas tablecloth out of some other fabric but I need a few more fabrics first.