Fave Fives before Xmas!

Where has this week flown to??
Here we are at Susanne's Friday Fave Five meme again.
If you would like to play along simply click here and join the fun.

OR.....let me know via comments what YOUR favorite things from the past week have been.......ENJOY!

This novel I took from our town library. I leave the classroom 2 days a week at 11 a.m. and about once a month I head to our library to return and borrow books. It gives me 30 minutes of solitude and peace. I enjoy browsing through the latest books or looking up old classics. This book caught my interest because of the title. It is an excellent read. It involves a set of twins, their single mom, their aging grandparents, homelessness, poverty and the difficult topic of emotional/verbal abuse perpetrated by the grandfather. I am loving the fact that although it is bitter cold here in NYS this week, we have had 3 evenings since last Friday to just stay home and read......one of my fave things to do! Add a mug of steaming hot mocha latte and I am content!

This picture of Claire is actually from last Thursday but I didn't have time to have it make my fave 5's for last week. This is just before leaving for her school's Winter Concert. Because it is required in our district that all 5th and 6th graders be in Chorus, there were LOTS of people there. Claire is in the Orchestra as well, as she studies violin. The orchestra sounded wonderful and the chorus was fairly good. It is always a fave moment to watch our children perform. The Christmas and Hannukah songs chosen were especially well done. There were also a couple of classical pieces and generic, secular winter songs. It is required from 7th -12th grade that all members of the Junior High Orchestra and the High School Orchestra wear black and white for concert performances. Claire is getting a head start! And no...she did NOT go barefoot for the concert...she wore black ballet flats (what else?!) and her hair was pulled back in a pretty silver and pearl barrette.

My 3rd fave thing from the past week occurred on Sunday afternoon, after a morning at church. We came home to eat soup and sandwiches and then started a baking marathon. I asked Claire if she wanted to do pressed cookies (Spritz). She was thrilled and I discovered she was so good at it that I could go and sit and do some devotional study and read the Sunday paper!! She made green almond flavored Spritz Xmas trees and pinwheels. Yummy!!

This was Monday afternoon after school. My oldest daughter had wanted PINK Christmas lights for her little pine tree, shown here in our backyard, up against the neighbor's fence. This was planted on Earth Day back in 2001. We have had fun watching it grow. My husband bought her the pink lights (groan!) and I began to string them on the tree. She did not like how I was doing it so I told her to take over. She did! She had a little help from lil sis.......I have to say they do look pretty in the dark.....but don't tell her that! :) The reason it makes my fave five is because I loved watching out the family room door at how they were helping each other and how much fun they had afterwards swinging in the snow. Unfortunately for them, but I sure don't mind, the snow is pretty much gone except a couple of piles, due to warmer temps earlier in week and some rain.....but .....now we are having a bitter wind and cold spell. Either way, it warmed my heart to see my daughters working together. Always a mom's favorite thing!

Christmas cards from friends near and far. I love getting snail mail! We, as a culture, sure don't use snail mail much anymore do we? But...at xmas time it seems so nice to be able to send a special family portrait or card to loved ones. Our list has been cut way back due to time and expense but....it is still something I plan on doing for a long time to come. I love giving them as much as receiving them. I keep them all in a special Christmas shaker style hanging basket. They are so pretty peaking out from the top!

This will be my last fave five post until after Christmas......enjoy the holiday season and may God Bless you in the coming year......

now...what is at least one thing you did this week that was a favorite?
Is there a favorite book you are reading?
What about a favorite meal you are enjoying?