Christmas Advent Ideas: Day 24 - Festive Ice-blocks

We've reached the end of this advent!  Must be nearly Christmas *gasp*.  We have an obsession with homemade ice-blocks in this household.  Recently I tried a couple of new recipes - and - yum.  Perfect for a sunny-side Christmas :-)

a)  Hot Chocolate Popsicle.  We made up a mixture of our favourite hot chocolate drink and froze it.  Very simple, and very yum.  The chocolate sank to the tip, which was an unexpected, delightful side effect.  Ours were mainly sugar-free, other than the sugar in the hot chocolate mix, and it still tasted good.

b)  Christmas Tree Popsicle.  We just made a banana-yoghurt-honey smoothie and added some green food colouring.  When it was all mixed up, we added some red berries and froze it.  Also yum.  We have a new batch in the fridge.  Woop!

Christmas Advent Ideas: Day 23 - Santa Snacks

S is for Santa Snacks.  I thought that we would make Santa a healthy snack this year, especially as we are cutting back on sugar round here.  We made this Christmas Tree fairy bread using a Christmas cookie cutter - with some Vogels, a bit of avocado and some hundreds and thousands.  Eleanor loved it, and was happy to do a taste test for me...

Only one day of this series left...  And then, back to normal posting.

Christmas Advent Ideas: Day 22 - Reindeer Snacks

R is for Reindeer snacks...

I love cutting fruit & vegies into shapes, definitely makes them more fun to eat!  We thought the reindeer might like some fun snacks too, they are so often overlooked - while Santa gets it all laid out...

Christmas Advent Ideas: Day 21 - Christmas Party

We are so lucky to live where we live.  Having a woodland area on our own property is such a treat for us (having previously survived with the tiniest backyard known to mankind).  I have been wanting to host a little woodland party for a while now, and I found it to be the perfect location for a small Christmas party.  Thanks to my sponsor, Pop Roc Parties, I was able to add some gorgeous little touches to this party that made it extra special (those Birch Straws stole my heart). I made all the food the night before, barring the sandwiches which I prepared in the morning.  It required very little set up, and we were ready for our guests long before they arrived.  After the party, the children exchanged Christmas gifts with each other, taking them home to open.  

Details:

Food - Milk in bottles, Chocolate Wreaths, Snowman Sandwiches, Christmas Puddings, Snowpeas (brought by a friend) & strawberries.

Games - Find The Candy Canes.  Zan hid these candy cane sticks in the trees, and the kiddos searched for them.  They also shared Christmas crackers after they'd eaten.

Decorations - Wreath c/o Pop Roc Parties.  Deer & Christmas Tree Toppers made into a snow globe, using this Christmas Snow Powder c/o Pop Roc Parties (the globe was part of the packaging from a gift E received recently.  Never throw away curved plastic ;-)).  Birch straws c/o Pop Roc Parties.  Mini Milk Bottles c/o Pop Roc Parties.  Thrifted tablecloth.  Table and toadstools belonging to Eleanor.  Handmade stool via my childhood.

I took more pictures on my sister's camera, which included our third guest (this guy), but we haven't yet swapped them over...  I may share them here soon.

Christmas Advent Ideas: Day 20 - Snowmen Sandwiches

Snowmen, snowglobes and snowflakes are the motifs of our Christmas this year.  A friend gave me the idea for this, and I have since seen them elsewhere on the net... Oh well, these are the ones I made...

I used soft, dark rye bread (signature Range) and spread it with cream cheese.  Little pieces of carrot (I cut them differently for the actual party, so they didn't look quite so much like beaks), raisins and little twigs.  I considered whether I felt like 'painting' hats on them with melted chocolate, but the baby at my feet decided me against.  Instead I cut strawberries in half, gave them icing 'pompoms', and plonked little santa hats the snowgents.  Lastly, some candy 'canes'.  Done.  Soooooo easy, so sweet.  Eleanor loved hers, even if the other kids were fairly ambivalent.

On the same friend's suggestion, I made these little Christmas puddings.  I loved these, and might make them again for Christmas.  On the morning of the party I woke up to an eery silence downstairs.  Eleanor is usually banging around down there for 1/4 hour before Zan gets up, and things were suspiciously quiet.  I found her with the remnants of one Christmas pudding, and a delighted/guilty expression on her face.  Hmm.

Christmas Advent Ideas: Day 19 - Washi Bunting

No need to explain.

Filled an empty wall just perfectly.

N is for Nest

You would think, with all the Christmas posts I've been writing, that our house would be brimming with Christmas.  Actually, it's been very quiet around here, on the decoration front.  We have our tree, and other adornments scattered here and there, but otherwise our house is very much it's usual self.  The little touches though, they give a glow to our home that isn't always present during other parts of the year.  There's a slowly unfurling sense of anticipation, a hint of excitement.  

When I look at these photos, that kindly leave our messes and heartaches out of them, I think that this is going to be one of the Christmases that we will look back on with good feelings.  And that, is good.

I won that gorgeous Christmas Tree Decal from the gorgeous Ruby in the Dust x