Two Nicolas(es)

We celebrated today the feast of St. Nicholas, who is my Nicolas' patron saint. Some years I have baked special homemade buns, this year with had donuts(not very ethnic but all I had time for). The kids woke up to find mugs filled with chocolate coins and other St. Nicholas related candy by their places at the table. We read the story The Miracle of St. Nicholas by Gloria Whelan and, I got a lot of teasing from the children because reading the story I cried AGAIN.

The Season for Purple

or how to solve a difference of opinion. Mark always complains of Christmas starting too early and Advent getting the short end of the deal. True to his beliefs, he always has refused to get a Christmas tree until the third Sunday in Advent (Gaudete Sunday). Until this year. Torn between his opinion (which I share), and the kids, who want to have the Christmas tree up when everybody else has theirs, I came up with a compromise: An Advent Tree. I found some purple lights ( I promise they are purple, however pink they might look in this picture)

some purple ornaments

And made it into an Advent tree!

Gabi added some more touches of purple throughout the house

And now we can be festive without forgetting that the waiting is not over, and the time to celebrate is not here yet.

Obviously, I am NOT Going to Make It

The goal was picture a day, 365 pictures total. Well, somewhere along the line I fell off the wagon and never got back on.
One of my readers have encourage me to continue. He even sent me so pictures to spur me on:




Maybe I'll pick the camera back up.