December Daily 14

Today was yet another busy day but it was fun. We love to do programmes at our local library and today was the holiday craft programme. There's a really nice group of children and parents who frequently our library as "the regulars" and we have become quite a community. It was fun to go and spend time with everyone today and Pk was over the moon to get to see her friends.

We started out by singing Christmas carols. One of the favs with the littles set is "Must Be Santa" as performed by Raffi. Our librarians has a flannel board set that goes with it and it's really helpful when we get to the later verses with so much to remember.

Pk loves this friend, who she knows from daycare. This friend is 11 and we are hoping that in a couple of years, she will be our "go-to" babysitter. She's sweet and responsible and most of all, Pk adores her. It made Pk's day when this friend walked in with her younger sister.
There were three crafts - making little candy cane mice to hang on the tree, making little wreaths using craft foam and stickers, and icing and decorating real gingerbread men. I am sure you can guess what was the favourite activity!

Once we got the kids home and settled, I was off again. My s.i.l. sells Pampered Chef and Silpada and she was having an open house. I didn't buy much - money is tight and it's hard to justify spending money on non-essentials as long as I am on mat leave. I did pick up a couple of things though - a great mini-muffin/tart pan which will be perfect for making mincemeat tarts for Christmas and from Silpada, a lovely little bracelet for Pk. I like some of the beaded stuff from Silpada (I am not a huge fan of sterling silver, it just doesn't look great on me) but I do find it very expensive and I'm not a huge fan of big jewelry, I tend to like more subtle stuff.

We finished up with one of our absolute favourite meals. It may not look like much in the photo but mussels or Moiules Mariniere (as per the vintage Joy of Cooking) are an absolute favourite around here, especially with some kind of nice crusty bread which can be dipped into the juice. Yum!

Moules Mariniere

1/4 c butter

6 chopped shallots

1 minced clove garlic

1/4 c dry white wine

1 bag of mussels, enough to feed two generously

Melt the butter and for 2 minutes, lightly saute the shallots with the garlic. Meanwhile, rinse the mussels under cold water and discard any that are open or cracked. Add the wine to the skillet followed by the mussels. Turn the heat down slightly and cover. Simmer for 6 - 8 minutes until all the mussels are opened. Pour everything into a big serving bowl, including the juice and eat along with crusty bread. Bon appetit!