We've Got Snowdrops Too

A few days ago Sharon from My French Country Home posted this photo of snowdrops in her garden.

Just so you know, France isn't the only place with snowdrops.  We have some too. 

Yep, there's been a lot of snow dropped on us this past month. 

 Whenever there is a lot of snow the kids spend their recesses rolling snow

 into snow forts,

and snowballs that look like an alien lost his marbles all over the schoolyard.

And sometimes the kids look like they lost their marbles - like these ones who were playing soccer in the snow.

Poor tykes - I think they're dreaming of green fields and summer days!

***********************************

Just a reminder that there are only a few days left to put your name in to win a $40 CSN gift certificate.  You can find details about the giveaway here.

What a Difference Six Months can Make

Today I went skating for the first time this season and it was lovely.  I went with my friend Kim and I realized that almost exactly six months to the day we will be going from this - 

to this -

the wild streets of Bangladesh,

 complete with rickshaws, cattle,

and monsoon rains.

Although, in actual fact, we will be staying at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) which looks like this -

I'm excited and nervous at the same time.

Photos source

Snowflakes that stay on my ... Windshield

Today I decided to take my camera with me to work so I could see if I happened to find some snowplows to take photos of - a little odd I realize, but I wanted to send some photos to our friends in France.  He works for the regional department responsible for winter road maintenance in Normandy and I thought he might be interested in seeing some of our bad boys in action.  I see them every winter and I'm still impressed by a convoy of three super-sized snowplows going down the highway plowing it clean.  Anyway .... I got in the car and was floored by how gorgeous the snow was on the windshield.  I just started clicking away and had some fun before I even left the driveway.   

If you recall in this post my new photo challenge was taking pictures of snowflakes, so I consider myself fortunate to find such beauties on my windshield today.

So it was snowflakes not snowplows, but I'm not complaining.

Linked to Good Life Wednesday Blog Hop at A Beach Cottage
White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Let it Snow - On Our Sideboard

It was definitely time to get the Christmas things put away and move on to some winter fun on our sideboard.  I thought a snow theme would be fitting and also meant that I would be able to incorporate some of our Christmas decorations.

So here's what I came up with:

On the right side I tied some white pompom ties around our wooden candlesticks.  I saved the pompom ties from our Christmas crackers last year.  A few members of this family have expressed disapproval of this addition to the sideboard, but then again what do they know.

I bought the metal deer on sale at Loblaws, our local grocery store, that has amazing home decor items.   

I thought these pompom snowballs were sweet.  They likely would be an easy DIY project, but there they were, so I bought them - but only after they went on sale I hasten to add.

They are all covered in glitter and have thin cord to they can be hung from the tree.  The plate they are on was a gift from hubby this Christmas.  It is a little hard to see in the photo, but it has a mother-of-pearl finish to it.

I got this little jug at the thrift store before Christmas and put some pussy willows I had around the house in it.  Did you know that you can keep pussy willows for years if you take them out of water when they are fully open.

I used the silver serving dish, that was given to my parents as a wedding present years and years ago and they gave to us, to hold a candle and some pine cones.  The candle holder in the background is Kate's from her graduation from Grade Eight.  The tables were all decorate with these candles in bowls with sea shells in them and all the students got to take one home.

And this is our view of the sideboard when we are standing at the kitchen sink.  It is well worth decorataing the sideboard as it is such a prominent piece of furniture in our home.

I'm guessing that maybe, just maybe, I was inspired by what was happening outside at the same time that I was decorating inside.  What do you think?

Linked to Show Off Your Cottage Monday at The House in the Roses
White Wednesday at Faded Charm
Boring to Better Party at Savvy Southern Style
Strut Your Stuff Thursday at Somewhat Simple

Festive Snowmen

Back in October I made pumpkin jar lanterns (which you can see here) with the class for students with language-learning disabilities that I work with.  The students loved them so much that they asked to make Santas at Christmas time.  I did a little Google research and couldn't find a Santa, but I did find these adorable snowmen (see photo here).  


The teacher and I loved the idea so we gathered all the materials together and over the past week made the snowmen with the class.  The students had to think up rhyming words or break a word into its sounds or tell us the first and last sound in a word in order to get each piece they needed to complete the project.  I also took photos of the snowmen as we made them, so the students could write a book describing the sequence of steps involved in the project. 


Have a look at our versions of the mason jar snowmen - aren't they adorable.  Ours look a trifle more colourful and flashy than the original, don't you think?

They make me smile every time I look at them. 

Linked to Craft Link Party at Craft Envy
Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors 
Show and Share Day at Just a Girl 
Saturday Soiree at *a little lovely 
Sunday Scoop Link Up at I Heart Naptime 
Sunday Showcase at Under the Table and Dreaming
All Things Merry and Brite at All Things Heart and Home