Mini Madeleine

Hello Dear Readers!

Did you have a nice weekend?  I slept through most of mine!  I am feeling slightly better and I am so glad I had the weekend to rest.  I didn't get much done but I did get up long enough to make some mini madeleine cookies.

Look how small they are!

I used a regular white cake mix and substituted the butter with organic coconut oil. I think it is healthier and it makes the cookies taste much better!

Mae Mulberry! You copy cat!

You can see Mae at work in my next episode of Life in the Calico Valley :

CHRISTMAS AT THE MULBERRYS

I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas!  xoxoxo

Life in Calico Valley

I went to the doctor yesterday and found out I have an ear infection.  No wonder I was in pain lately!  Well now that I know why and taking the right medecine, I am hoping it will get better and I'll be in top shape for Christmas.  I have been working on my Christmas Village and after much delay, I can finally post my first pictures.

 

Since my village will be mostly about Sylvanian Families aka Calico Critters, I have created a new blog to post stories and pictures about them.  You can visit my blog here: LIFE IN CALICO VALLEY

 

I have not been able to work on anything else but the story so I still need to work on the layout, background etc.

My first story has now been posted: A SURPRISE FOR NIBBLES 
 

I actually wasn't ready to post the story yet because I was not totally happy with my pictures but I know I will not have much more time left until Christmas.  And being sick means I probably will be nursing myself back to health this weekend.

 

And to be honest, I'll never ever be satisfied with my photoshoots LOL so I might as well post them :P  I always find something I want to redo or add, etc. 

I want to say a particular thank you to Wyrna from the blog A Fairy Tale Come True because she has sent me gorgeous miniature gift box from her miniature shop!  You can see those box in my story but her display (click HERE to see) is far more beautiful!!!

I hope you will like my Christmas story!

Enjoy your weekend everybody!

A White Christmas

When I first moved down to the South, I felt very homesick for the first two years, especially during the Christmas holidays because it's too warm here to have snow.  So Christmas was grey and boring to me and I missed my white snowy Christmas and my family :(

 

But when I remember the two hours I spent each day shoveling the driveway and clearing the stairs and I felt a little less sad ;-) 

 

My friend sent me a really funny story I would like to share with you.  It's about a guy who just moved to Canada in winter.  Below is  his journal pages.  It's long but so funny because I could totally relate to every single thing that happened to him (except the ending which I didn't experience LOL).

 

Happy reading!

 

Warning: Strong language!

December 8: 6:00 PM. 
It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses Print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!

December 9: 
We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the Whole World? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had. Shoveled for the first time in years, felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life.

December 12: 
The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry, we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbor.

 

December 14: 
Snow, lovely snow! 8" last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so.

 

December 15: 
20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and two extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.

 

December 16:  
Ice storm this morning. Fell on my ass on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.

 

December 17: 
Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for five hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. God I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.

 

December 20: 
Electricity's back on, but had another 14" of the damn stuff last night. More shoveling. Took all day. Goddamn snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower, and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.

 

December 22: 
Bob was right about a white Christmas, because 13 more inches of the white shit fell today, and it's so cold it probably won't melt 'til August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel, and then I had to piss. By the time I got undressed, pissed and dressed again, I was too tired to shovel! Tried to hire Bob, who has a plow on his truck, for the rest of the winter; but he says he's too busy. I think the asshole is lying.

 

December 23: 
Only 2" of snow today, and it warmed up to "0". The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What, is she nuts!!! Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did, but I think she's lying.

 

December 24: 
6". Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the son-of-a-bitch who drives that snowplow, I'll drag him through the snow by his balls and beat him to death with my broken shovel. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over everywhere I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was too busy watching for the Goddamn snowplow. 

 

December 25: 
Merry F!=3D@x@!x!x1 Christmas. 20 more inches of the !=3D@x@!x!x1 slop tonight. Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God, I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's a fricking idiot. If I have to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to stuff her into the microwave.

 

December 26: 
Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.

 

December 27:

Temperature dropped to -30, and the pipes froze. Plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him; he only charged me $1,400 to replace all my pipes.

 

December 28:
Warmed up to above -50. Still snowed in. The BITCH is driving me crazy!!!!!

 

December 29:
10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?

 

December 30: 
Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plow driver. He is now suing me for a million dollars; not for only the beating I gave him, but also for trying to shove the broken snow shovel up his ass. The wife went home to her mother. 9" predicted.

December 31: 
I set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.

January 8: 
Feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

 

Christmas Movies

Only seven more days until Christmas! How did it go by so fast?

 

Despite my home looking very Christmassy this year, I still don't feel it's Christmas yet.  I guess it's time to pull out the Christmas movies and watch them together with the kids! Which means try to entertain baby with something while we watch or wait until she sleeps.

 

I'll share with you my 3 favorite Christmas movies!



Photo from Amazon.com

1) The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

It's a black and white movie by Ernst Lubitsch with James Stewart Margaret Sullavan as main characters.  Hollywood produced a remake in 2008 and re-named it "You've Got Mail" with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.  I watched both versions and while I do like the more recent version, I think it is a fade comparison to its original. 

 

It's a romantic comedy with some drama but the overall tone is rather light despite some very sad events.  The story takes place in Budapest, Hungary during Christmas time.   Our two lead characters work in a shop and do not like each other.  But eventually, fate does reconcile them.

 

The backdrop reminds me of your typical Hollywood inside studio filming.  The acting is beautiful and you immediately root for James Stewart.  I think Stewart is absolutely admirable as an actor and he shines in this charming love story.

 

Margaret Sullavan is pretty and natural.  She pulls off her role with conviction.  Note to Wizard of Oz's fans, you will find Frank Morgan in the role of the shop owner.  In case you don't know about him, Frank Morgan is the actor who played 5 roles (including the role of the Wizard) in the 1939 Wizard of Oz movie. 

 

Photo from Amazon.com

 2) Mickey's Chrismas Carol (1983)

 

This was my favorite Christmas cartoon when I was little.  I love the animated version because it is a lot less dramatic than the movie version.  For a kid, it's a good and light introduction to Dickens' classic tale.

 

I love how Disney has added many characters from other movies into this film like Jiminy Cricket, Goofy and Daisy.  I would totally recommend watching this movie with your kids!

 

Photo from Amazon.com

 3) Little Women (1949)

I have seen 2 film versions only of the famous novel written by Louisa May Alcott: the 1949 and 1993 versions.  I love Wynona Ryder and Susan Sarandon in the modern movie but I still like this 1949 version the most! 

 

All the actresses were gorgeous!  Their costumes were to die for.  The scenery was perfect! And the story was moving and sang to my heart.  I don't have one single bad thing to say about it... except June in the role of Jo was maybe a bit over the top.

Janeit Leigh was so incredibly sweet and Elizabeth Taylor was perfect in her role!  I think the casting was genius and I can't wait to watch it again.  It's one of those movies that you'll never forget.

I have added a Christmas Movie section in my Amazon Shop which you can see on the sidebar too!
 

Do you have a favorite Christmas movie?

Christmas Tree



This is the Christmas Tree set up at the Apartment's Club House

I never had a Christmas Tree at home.  NEVER.  My parents didn't have the money nor the space to afford a Christmas Tree and they thought it was quite unnecessary to purchase one.

But my most vivid childhood memory about Christmas was the beautiful Christmas Tree at one of my cousin's house.  He lived quite far away from us and we drove for about 2 hours to spend our Christmas dinner at his home.  The whole family gathered at his house that year (we had a tradition to spend the day at different houses each year).

Not all my relatives lived in the same city so Christmas was a very special time of the year when we get to see everybody: grand parents, all the uncles and aunts and cousins!  I don't remember what we ate nor the presents I received but I remember two things the most: the joy of seeing everybody and the Christmas Tree (if there was one).

The tree was the first thing I noticed when I entered the living room.  It was so BIG!  Well maybe the tree wasn't that big but I was a child back then so to me it was HUGE!  It was decorated with the usual green and red lights and many shiny ornaments.  All the Christmas presents were placed at the bottom of the tree and my brother and I were in awe of such a sight.

I remember how we gathered around that tree and basically spent the whole day playing games in the living room.  My cousins were all around the same age so we got along really well.

As a mother, I wanted to create a little bit of that magic for my children and their cousins to enjoy.  I didn't intend to buy a big Christmas tree because I just don't have that much space in my home so a little tree was probably the best option!

But then my hopes for even the smallest Christmas Tree were dashed away when we had to unexpectedly change the tires of the car along with some oil change, car alignment, etc.  The whopping $1,500 bill sent my Christmas plans down the drain and I had to make changes.

At first I was a little bummed but past the initial shock, I must say I don't think the Christmas Tree matters much.  My childhood's happy moments were made possible thanks to my loving parents and the fun time I had with my cousins.  The Christmas tree was only an object that symbolized this but still an object and not the actually source of happiness.

I won't have a Christmas Tree this year but I have my darling little children and my sweet husband, my adorable nephews and kind relatives.  I don't think I could ask for more!

Do you have a big Christmas Tree at home?  Does your family have a tradition with Christmas Tree ornaments and decorations?

A Merry Little Christmas: Celebrate from A to Z

Do you know Mary Engelbreit?  Her illustrations are incredibly beautiful and I adore all her books!  She never disappoints and I would like to share with you the latest book I purchased from her! 

 

I discovered A Merry Little Christmas: Celebrate from A to Z thanks to Melissa who wrote about it on Julia's Bookbag and I bought it instantly because it was just too cute to resist! 

 

If you are a booklover, you should totally read her blog!  Melissa is also an accomplisehd photographer and a foodie who always shares her recipes! Thanks to her, I have discovered so many new books, fantastic toys and the prettiest tea cups !  She is a true inspiration for me!

 

The book cover alone would have convinced me to get this little gem!

Look at the tiny mice-elves!  They have pointed ears!

The verses are adorable!

I love this darling little mice family!

 

Mary Engelbreit has a knack for creating a charming and whimsical world where one would love to get lost. Here illustrations are never boring.  Each page is filled with vivid colors and meticulous details.  Each scene comes to life in the most adorable way. 

The characters she has created are all loveable and I wished she could write a book about their adventures!  It is a thin but inexpensive book that is totally worth owning!

 

I am so looking forward to this weekend to finish my Christmas village and to take some rest.  I am totally exhausted!  I wish you all a beautiful weekend!

 

A Day at the Bakery

My evenings have been so busy this past week.  Christmas dinner with the company, attending the boy's school recital, shopping for our first sofa... Can you believe we never had one?  Hubby wanted a  minimum of furniture because our tiny flat is small enough as it is but then he realized it's much more comfortable to sit on a couch than on the floor.

Well, with all these activities, there has been very little time to work on my Christmas village.  Progress has stalled as I am not happy yet with the present setting.  The background was supposed to be light blue sky but my husband came back with dark blue posters >.<  Never send a man on a shopping trip to buy the stuff you need!!! 

But I guess the dark blue will just have to do so I set up a few scenes and took some photos.  I wonder if you can guess what the story will be about :)

Baby showed much interest in the Christmas village.  While I worked on the scene display, I had to give her something to play with because she would constantly point to the little critters.

The Nutcracker And The Mouse King

While looking for Christmas books for my Christmas Books Advent this year, I was surprised and happy to find The Nutcracker And The Mouse King book by E.T.A. Hoffmann and illustrated by Gail de Marcken.  I didn't hesitate to purchase the book.

The pages are filled with gorgeous and detailed illustrations with so many vivid colors!

 

 

 

 

This book is lengthy and not the short version children may be accustomed to.  The pages are filled with text as you can see below and there are many dialogues.  This may take more than one night to finish for little kids.

 

 

I grew up with a somewhat different version of the usual children's Nutcracker book.  It was not the whimsical ballet version but rather the Russian animation from 1973. 

 

The first video is in Russian.

For English subtitles, you can watch this version:

I was enthralled by Tchaikovsky's music and the sad story of the Nutcracker.   The characters were beautifully drawn and the mood was just right.  It had everything: love, beauty, drama and action but it was not too tense for little kids.  This movie became one of my favorite to this day. 

I have seen the Nutcracker ballet in a theatre a few years ago and although I loved the performance, I wasn't as moved as when I saw the animated movie.

My son love this book!!! So far, he has rejected all the books concerning the Nutcracker but he was interested in reading this one!  He also did enjoy tremendously the Russian animated movie!  

What is your favorite Nutcracker book and movie?

A sneak peek at the Christmas dollhouses

Since I will be decorating a few of my dollhouses for Christmas, I thought I might as well create a village to display them.  But it's been so busy at work (December and January are the busiest months!) and at home with two of my sisters-in-law moving to new houses.  

I hope I will have more free time this weekend so I can finish decorating and putting in place all the miniature pieces.  Below are some pictures I have posted on my Instagram this week :)

Most items are from Sylvanian Families / Calico Critters, Li'l Woodzeez and Playmobil.
 

 

Initially, I had intended to use the Playmobil Christmas miniature and hide them in the Christmas Advent Tree Calendar so each day we can add one piece to the dollhouse.  Well it's didn't go as planned because my boy found the Playmobil toys in my closet (I should have hid them better LOL) and so I allowed him to open the boxes and we started decorating right away.  My boy spent about an hour on this project and we had a really good time. 

 

As you can see, the Christmas tree is so bare.  I bought Christmas ornaments from an online shop many months ago and stored them away until now.  When I opened the box last week, I realized I unfortunately ordered the wrong size so they are too big for my mini tree! 

 

I guess I'll have to create some of my own!  I don't mind so much though because it's so much fun to work on miniature stuff.  

 

I am sure they won't be as beautiful as the mini ornaments made by Wyrna (from the miniature blog A Fairy Tale Come True) which are available on her Etsy Shop.

 

I have asked Wyrna her permission to show some  pictures of her ornaments and Christmas bags and boxes!  Look how pretty they are!

 

 

 

I wish you all a fantastic weekend and I hope you will be able to stay safe and warm inside your home!

 

 







The Snow Queen

This is possibly the most gorgeous book version I have ever seen of The Snow Queen from Hans Christian Andersen.  It is illustrated by Mary Engelbreit and it is a delight to the eyes!

My boy first heard of this story a few months ago, but not in its entirety so he asked me if I could get him the book.  There are many many picture books of this story but I chose the one from Mary Engelbreit because I love her illustrations.  Also, this story could be quite dark and scary for a child so I was hoping Engelbreit's adorable and innocent style of drawings would be more age appropriate for children.

If you are not familiar with the story, here is a quick summary: Kay and Gerda are two young children and they are the best of friends. One day, Kay gets an evil glass shard in his eye and heart and he becomes mean and sees the world differently.  He is then kidnapped by the Snow Queen and Gerda goes on a quest to find him. 

The story is full of magic and suspense!  It is quite long, especially for young children, but it was captivating from start to end and I think it will be something that my son would want to re-read on his own.  I can't wait for my baby girl to be old enough to understand the story too!

I ordered the book via Amazon a month ago and hid it for the Christmas Book Advent.  Two days ago, my son opened the wrapped book and he was very glad to read the whole story at last.  He loved the pictures and I couldn't be happier with this purchase.  It is a BIG book and it's worth every penny!

I posted some pictures on my Instagram account this morning but if you don't have Instagram, I am showing them here below.

Aren't those the sweetest illustrations you have ever seen?  Please pardon my enthusiasm for I am such a fan of Mary Engelbreit!

Do you like this story?  I loved re-reading this tale and I must say that I now want to buy all the illustrated Snow Queen books out there!  If you have a different version of this book, please let me know!  Which one would you recommend?


 

Patch and the Pirates

Are you a fan of Playmobil toys?  When I was a child, I really wanted to have some of those cute miniature playsets but they were quite expensive so we couldn't really afford to buy them.  One Christmas though, my parents gave my brother a small cowboy set and it became his favorite toy for many years.

 

Playmobil has changed some of their little figure design since then but the line of toys is still as great as before! I recently found this amazing pirate chest at a thrift store!

It was filled with Playmobil toys and they are perfectly in scale with Mini Lalaloopsy dolls!  I took my Patch doll out and set up a little adventure for him :D  There was a ton of little miniature props like animals, guns,  hats, etc. and I couldn't fit them all in this photoshoot.

My  boy completely fell in love with this.  The chest is now in his bedroom and he and his cousins spent hours making up scenarios with the boy Lalaloopsy dolls and Playmobil pirates.   It's their  first time playing with Playmobil and I think they have now become fans of this line of toys too :) 

Do you like Playmobil?

Inspiration

Carpe Diem!

Hello Dear Readers,

 

I had a conversation with my sister-in-law the other day about internet blogs, especially mommy blogs and celebrity blogs.   She was telling me how unrealistic and picture perfect those blogs are and how she could not connect with them. 

 

Let me say first that blogging is an anomaly in my family.  Nobody blogs or reads internet blogs and they laugh at my hobby which I don't keep secret but which I don't really talk about with them either. 

 

But to me, reading blogs and then embarking in the world of blogging has changed me tremendously.  It helped me better myself, reminded me of being kind and patient with my kids, of being grateful for the things I have and above all, inspired me to beautify my life with the means I have.

 

I totally understand that the reality of other bloggers is not my reality as we all have a different life.  But I am INSPIRED by them.  I think we all feel drawn to perfection and beauty so it's natural to aim for these things!  Reading blogs makes me dream and wishful and it also makes me create and ultimately bring benefits to myself and my family.

 

My life is not perfect and has never been.  Far from it.

 

I grew up in a very poor family.  What you could call dirt poor.  We got even poorer when tragedy struck and we were left with nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, but the clothes we were wearing.  We spend months living in slums, with barely enough food to survive, with the fear of sickness and being killed.  But we made it out of there.  My parents worked so hard to get us back to a normal living. 

 

My home was ugly.   There were no such things you could call "pretty" because all we had came directly from the garbage cans or from donations. Our dinner ware was chipped and mismatched.   My clothes were either hand-made or donated and they were always frumpy or too big.  But we had plenty of love.  And my mom made everything as pretty as she could with the means she had.  And thanks to her, we forgot the holes in the walls and the leaking faucet, the old clothes and chipped plates.  We lived in a Home Sweet Home, as pretty and cozy as you could get.

 

 

She would always be an inspiration to me.  She created lampshades with papier mâché and tea cozy with bits of left over fabrics.  She invented recipes to work with the ingredients she could find and cooked delicious meals only mothers could cook!  She was always crafting or improvising with the little she had to transform our tiny flat into a comfortable haven.

 

 

Nowadays, I live in much better conditions, but my apartment is far from being pretty.  My neighborhood is not an upscale one and the buildings are all decrepit and old.  But some of my neighbors, they tend to their garden, they sweep daily the dead leaves and they decorate for each holiday!  They make and effort to beautify their living space and that makes a huge difference!  The neighborhood is transformed thanks to their willingness to change their environment.

 

 

In the same way, I try to make my home a better place to live and reading blogs inspire me to do so.  Little by little, gradually and within my means, I make it happen.  So I think blogging is really useful!  It depends on how you use the knowledge you are getting.  I say: make it a positive experience :)  Reach for higher!  Even in the most arid deserts, beautiful flowers can bloom :)

 

Cactus Flowers

 

P.S. All the pictures above are shots I took (with ONE hand while the other hand was holding baby) during my morning walk in my neighborhood each weekend (well except for the peonies which was taken in my home).  Baby's hand is actually shown in the first picture :) 

Christmas Traditions

There is something special about the Christmas season that makes me all happy and full of energy!  It must be because Christmas reminds me of  the joy from my childhood, the fun snow scenery and the warmth of my home.

My family had a Christmas tradition to meet with every relatives and exchange gifts.  Each year we held the big Christmas dinner at somebody' house and we would spend the whole day at that house playing games, singing songs and making snowmen in the yard.

Even when times were hard, or when people didn't get along, all the parents still got together and tried to work past their differences and make it a fun and memorable time for the whole family to enjoy.

Now that I have a family of my own, I want to create Christmas traditions for my children to cherish as well because they probably won't remember the presents they received throughout the years but they will remember the way we have lived and celebrated this season.

Here below are some of the things I want to do with my family during this holiday season:

• Read books about Christmas or winter
• Create a Christmas advent calendar
• Create a Christmas village 
• Bake cookies (not just for Santa Claus!)
• Watch Christmas movies
• Sing Christmas carols
• Donate food and toys
• Write Christmas cards

If you have read my blog last month, you probably know I have already started a few of those things.  I hope you won't mind reading my posts in December because it will be filled with Christmassy topics!!!

Now that my boy is a little bit older and slightly more interested in books, I have started a Christmas Book Advent.  I was not an easy task to gather all the books I wanted on my list which you can see in my previous post.  Some of them I already have but I had to buy the others without breaking my budget!  I was lucky to find many of them at a good price in second-hand bookshops and some on Ebay!  Concerning Ebay, my advice would be to look for a used lot so you can get many books in one single purchase and not have to pay so much in shipping fees.  Another option would be to borrow them from the library.

But the hardest part was yet to come: the WRAPPING!   I am a terrible wrapper!  And I had to do it in the utmost secrecy so my boy wouldn't see the books beforehand!  The occasion finally came when baby took a nap and my boy was outside playing with his cousins after a Thanksgiving lunch.  It took me about an hour to wrap everything up and I must say I was very happy once it was finally done!

Above is my little table in the living room dedicated to Christmas!  On the left is the stack of books. The center piece is a musical animated Santa sculpture.  It rotates slowly and every figure moves, including the train and the jack-in-the box!  In the back is a Sing Along Christmas Carols Board Book with a CD.   My boy has requested this book because his cousin has one and he loves these songs!  That tiny tree is Charlie Brown's Christmas Tree which came with one single ornament, Linus blue blanket, and the book you see on top of the book stack.  You can see our Christmas Advent Tree is now painted but not yet complete (the star needs to be painted and a few of the boxes still need to be decorated).

We have started reading the first book yesterday and if you have not seen them on my INSTAGRAM account, here below are the pictures I have posted so far!

I absolutely adore Mary Engelbreit's illustrations so I had to get her version of The Night Before Christmas for my children to enjoy but also for my own guilty pleasure!  I will blog about the other books as soon as I can have some time to take pictures!

Do you have Christmas Holiday traditions?