pheasants, frogs and banana bread: Christmas making, baking and other stuff

The combination of being ill and Hubby hijacking the laptop in the evenings has meant that I haven't been very good at updating the blog this month. In fact I haven't been good at taking pictures either. Oh well, here is a bits and pieces post of the last week.

I love putting up the Christmas decorations. Here are a few of my favourite decorations.
These are from Germany.

The weather has been very cold recently and the roads hazardous. I have loved the opportunity just to stay in the house with the kids and just 'be'. We have all been pottering, reading, crafting, playing games and chatting.

My Mom made us a handful of cute squishy angels.

And this ornament, along with a number of other shapes, are made from olive trees from Bethlehem.

And these were made by the kids years ago.

The kids wanted to make Christmas decorations with the polymer clay.

more buttons

I am not sure whether it is the weather/time of year that makes me love baking or it may be the fact that I am still on my diet. Well whatever the reason, it makes the house smell wonderful!
Apple and blackberry pie.

Making Christmas cards.
Chocolate chip cookies!
The kids made a double quantity of sugar cookies, make small cut out shapes in the centres,
and placed hard boiled sweets in them.

After listening to the story of the Swiss family Robinson, the girls fell in love with the idea of riding ostriches. So that is what they are playing here.
Christmas panto! We were lucky that we made it to this because snow started falling just as we were leaving.

Obviously I couldn't take any pictures during the show. It was a small theatre and my expectations were low but it was fantastic! It was a full 2 hour show plus a 20 minute interval. The kids were all so involved, shouting, clapping and laughing. :)

We even got to meet the cast after the show.
After a trip to the library where the the older two found lovely books on bird watching, one of which included a CD of bird calls, I have hardly seen them. Here are a few pictures of the birds that they have spotted.