Christmas Concerts

I can't believe that 2010 is about out of breath!  

I'll be posting lots of photos today (you've been warned! LOL!) to get you all caught up on our Holiday Adventures.  

Christmas Concerts

As most of you know, Annika is in the Apprentice Singers in the Platteville Children's Choir.  Every year they do a free concert at the Rollo Jamison Museum.  This was our first visit to the museum.

We had no idea they had fun, zippy model trains to watch!

Annika is in the bottom row, wearing a cream-colored scarf.  

It was a fun concert!  It's fun to watch & listen to children who are actually interested in singing.  

The part of the museum the concert was held in had examples of how families in the past might have decorated their living spaces for Christmas.  We learned from the lecture before the concert that Christmas trees came to the USA via German immigrants.  Their Victorian "Ice Cave" was quite interesting and unique.  

And now we come to a different kind of concert...

The Elementary School Christmas Concert.  The music teacher (this is her first year at this school) explained to us that all the songs she had chosen had to do with bells.

Annika's class (Multi-age: 2nd & 3rd graders)

The concert included grades Kindergarten through fifth grade.  The children (for the most part) sang with lots of enthusiasm- even if they were off-key or off-beat.    LOL!

Here, Annika's class played a song using Boom Whackers.  

Annika is in the red dress with red pants.  She didn't want to wear a dress and the only way I could talk her into wearing one is if she could wear it over her pants and shirt she was already wearing.  

All grades singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas".  Where's Annika?  Can you find her?  (click on the photo to enlarge it)

Want a hint?  She's close to the Grinch.

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This just in: Annika places Second in School Spelling Bee!

I'm so proud of Annika!

She came in SECOND place in her school's Spelling Bee!  

There were sixteen kids total competing- from first through fourth grade.  (Annika is in second grade)

I think last year Annika was out during Round Two but THIS year was different!

Just two left!  Annika and her classmate, Caden.

What goofed her up?  The word fracture.  She wanted to spell it with a K instead of a C.  

Happy Girl!

And here are the top three finalists with their medals!

Annika, we're really proud of you!

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Fun Felt Tree for Fridge

Here's an easy, fun decoration for the fridge for Christmas:

A felt Christmas tree!  Complete with felt ornaments.

Here's how to whip up your own:

You'll need a piece of large cardboard, lots and lots of green felt, brown felt, glue (I used Tacky glue and hot glue), medium strength magnetics (I bought a package at Hobby Lobby) and finally felt in various colors for the ornaments.

First, cut out the main part of the tree out of the large piece of cardboard (I just sketched it out first), next cut out a rectangle for the trunk.  Cover the main part of the tree with green felt, gluing it into place (okay, so mine got a little messy on the back) and cover the rectangle with brown felt.  Glue magnets on the cardboard.

 And then place on fridge!  I made one side of the tree flat (as if you're only really looking at 3/4 of the tree- not the entire tree) just to make it interesting and to make it fit better on my fridge.

Then cut out cheerful ornaments out of felt:

   I cut out hearts out of red felt.

 The felt ornaments stick on the felt tree.  Which also makes it fun to play with!

I asked Annika and Ava to create more ornaments for the tree:

(I made the stars and hearts)

Ava made some sort of Santa Claus (I think it's the Santy Claus from "How The Grinch Stole Christmas").

It's fun moving the ornaments around.  And the girls love creating new ornaments to stick on their tree!  I'm planning on making a couple of owls out of felt to stick on the tree.  Maybe we'll cut out some snowflakes out of felt to put on the tree as well.

Sharing this on Skip to My Lou's Made By You Mondays!

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My stick-y Christmas chandelier!

A while back I had a brain storm- a light bulb that went off in my head- on how to decorate the chandelier over our dining table for Christmas.  It involved sticks.  

We stopped at Ikea on our way home from Chicago last weekend and I bought a bunch of these lovely, curly sticks (for $5).  Perfect!

And after a few unsuccessful attempts at getting the sticks to stay on the chandelier (involving copious amounts of too thin wire) I had another light bulb go off...and I went in search of an unused fake wreath that was in my Christmas stash.  I cut the wreath open and made it sit on the arms of the chandelier.  Then I stuck the pretty sticks using the wreath to hold them in place.  I decorated the sticks and the wreath with my plastic red Christmas ornaments and the straw stars I already had.  

I really like how it turned out (as usual, the photos don't do it justice).  I don't think I'm done yet either.  I'd like to get some glittery birds (or more likely- glitter some birds) and hang them from the ceiling using string so that the lights shine on them.  

Taken at night:

Taken during the day.

I love decorating for Christmas!  It certainly is a mood uplifter- which is a good thing this time of year!  The best part....I only spent $5 on the sticks for the entire project!  (although, if I want to create glittery birds I'll need to buy glitter and birds so that will add to the cost of the project).

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Nikolaus and Krampus

Nikolaus and Krampus visited our house this year!  It's pretty darn amazing that they manage to find us here in Wisconsin.  After all, the Krampus we know of comes from the Alps in Austria. 

On the eve of December 4th the girls have to clean a pair of their shoes as best they can and leave them in front of their door.  If they've been good Nikolaus bring goodies (usually chocolates, oranges and nuts).  If they've been bad they get taken away by Krampus.  So far the girls have managed to keep Krampus from whisking them away to his lair.  Good thing!

How on Earth did Nikolaus know that the girls love Mirabell Mozartkugeln?  I do believe it's their most favorite of all!!!!

Thank you (or should I say, Danke?) Nikolaus and Krampus for the lovely & yummy gifts you brought us!!!!!!

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An Amazing Nativity Carving

I forgot to post this photo in the Christkindlmarkt post....We several of these amazing nativity scenes for sale. I should have taken photos of all of them!  Just imagine the amount of time it takes to carve the intricate details....I certainly don't have the patience for that.  LOL!

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There's a Christkindlmarkt in Downtown Chicago!

We were doing some reminiscing of Holidays Past and were wishing we could go to a German/Austrian Christmas Market. 

Guess what?

There's one in Downtown Chicago (at the Daley Plaza)!

Considering that we didn't have to pay a couple of thousand dollars for airplane tickets and spend hours at various airports (not to mention the whole TSA screening issue) I'd say this was a bargain-and-a-half!  We only paid $32 to park in a parking garage.  Ouch!  And that's not including all the goodies we purchased at the market. 

So on one fine Sunday morning we went -->

In front of the giant Christmas Tree

 In front of one of the booths....selling Lebkuchen and other goodies.  Most of the booths were run by Germans selling their wares (they're here for this market and then they go home).

 Hey!  You can't forget the pigeons....they deserve a fire to warm up, right?

 A lovely nativity set.

 The candy shop we waited in a long line to get in...oh the goodies!!!!Many were a blast from my distant past.  Now I know why it's called the Windy City.  Brrrrrr!!!!!!  The cold wind made this outing just a tad bit on the uncomfortable side.  Thank goodness for gluehwein and hot apple cider!

 Another view of the market

 See all those candies/goodies in the Sweet Shop?  Many of them came home with us.  :)

 No...these aren't the roasted chestnuts we're accustomed to getting at Christmas markets in Austria (heisse Maroni).  These are candied pecans.  They were good but no substitute for those roasted chestnuts (that were sadly missing from this market!).  Notice the missing tooth?  It came out when Annika was at school.  I had no idea it was that loose!

 I think Ava is grumpy because I didn't let her hold my bag of candied pecans.  Poor thing.  I'm sure she'll get over it soon!

 Beautiful and very expensive nutcrackers from Germany.

 A wall of Cuckoo Clocks!  Couldn't resist taking a photo of all these lovelies.  They had some gorgeous ones that only cost a few arms and legs.

 I'm not familiar with German Potato Pancakes.  We tried the Crepes- they were more like Palatschinken.  Yum!  By the time we finished these lovely "crepes" we were ready to high tail it out of the market.  My legs and feet were frozen!

So...considering the 7 hour round-trip drive and the out-of-this-world expensive parking I'd say this market was a smash hit!

We meant come on Saturday but a very courteous snow storm came and dumped 8" of snow on us on Friday night/all day Saturday so that plan went down the toilet!  We didn't give up hope though!

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