A Snap Shot Of Christmas, And Other Stuff!

Just realised I've not included a photo of this year's tree. I love it - this year as for the last couple of years we've gone for a slightly shorter and more rounded one.

I just love decorating at Christmas and this is how my living room looks. I have a very traditional feeling about this time of the year reminiscent of the 1970's I guess which makes perfect sense as I was born in 1968. I love paper chains, I have crepe paper streamers in the TV room and I think these paper honeycomb globes are just fab. However I always look to my very fav book when it comes to Christmas inspiration, Tim Mouse and Father Christmas - still available.

It always has pride of place somewhere at this time of the year; hope you can see or at least get a feel for the similarity....

Inside the house everything is VERY festive but I popped outside yesterday to take photos.

Somebody on Twitter mentioned snow drops so thought I's take a look and....

a bit blury but you get the idea!

Also making an appearance are other things which are overwintering like the tulip and daff bulbs for Spring I planted outside The Snug.

The shallots,

garlic, just,

and onions have popped up to say hello as well.

Also outside and still showing signs of life are some red 'n' green lettuce,

the Spring cabbages seem to be surviving though not that big,

and the chooks and ducks are ok. A few more eggs in the last couple of days; my husband puts this down to him having given them a slug of grit recently, 

the ducks are still free loading. The one in the foreground, A l'orange, is a bit nasty, nearly pecks the food out of your hand, the Crispy Khaki is soooo loud and Duck-chess seems to just go with the flow.

That is it for just now I think. I'm continuing to make mince pies, but bread making has stopped for the festive period, we begin the last week of work and school next Monday and the not too big list for the festive shop is complete; helps we are going away for a couple of days after Boxing Day - looking forward to some fun times in Llandudno and blowing some cobwebs away with a walk on the beach among other things.

Lou.

And So It Begins!

Yes, the weeks are flying by and with outside jobs dwindling there is lots to do, prepare, get on with indoors and, ultimately, enjoy come the big day. YES, I'm getting ready for the Big Ho HO, already my favourite Christmas CD is on a loop and I love the preparation as much as the result to which it leads. I LOVE Christmas; my aim is to make it as yummy a cosy, family time for me and my men as I can. Bring on the snow as we all love the idea of having to stay home by the fire!

Therefore I'm starting off in red as I'm in really in full festive swing because yesterday the decorations started to go up. I normally wait until today but the weekends fall a bit skew this year, plus we have guests to stay next weekend and I want to be totally tinsel central by the time they arrive. Eeeek! I can't wait to get a pan of Gluhwein, cranberries, orange and cinnamon bubbling away so I have a lovely festive smell in the back ground, too. I'm about done apart from a few table decorations. I like to have some of those around but this year I'm trying to make it easier to dust things by the decorations being easy to move if you understand me.

As you may have seen on an earlier post my preparations began about three weeks ago, I think, when I ordered a few craft items as I normally do at this time of the year. I began, as usual, by making some new tags; these are given as gifts, for decorations for people or to go around the house. I have to say I'm totally addicted to making these; I definitely have my own style when it comes to these and this year I've used some fab vintage paper I found last year. A couple of things have come out beautifully including this fab card and then I'm very pleased with the tags. 

When Jon had gone to work and the boys were away to school I began with the paper chains in the living room as these go corner to corner and need to be in place before the tree is brought into the house; I think the tree will be here on Tuesday. Then with the festive tunes blasting out I was bobbing between the kitchen and the living room putting the other decorations up.These are the perpetual advent calendars, the 1-24 garland on the sideboard above the drinks tray, mmmm. and my mantle piece items which include more paper chains and decorated jars. In the kitchen I have the paper chains Alf and I made from some more of the vintage paper. I LOVE the dresser now as I made the banner, too, and I always have a couple of the cards on there which the boys made when they were tiny.

I really enjoy bringing the greenery into the house and always like to have it sit in a bucket for a few days to give it a good drink. This year I'll be decorating with some for our visitors but doing the main lot a little earlier, too, due to us going away for a couple of days between Christmas and New Year. (We have an Airbnb booking for NYE so will be back in time for that.) It is just a gorgeous thing to have in the house and on Boxing Day when we have a little get together with the neighbours I love draping the table with holly, twisted willow and ivy from the garden plus pin lights, of course, between the tasty goodies. Can never have enough pin lights!

A couple of new additions this year will be a pompom wreath and a rag-and-pin-light garland. (There they are again!) The wreath is for the TV room, which has a purple wall along with Marvel and DC comic pictures, and can take something a little less traditional as you see by the colours I'll be using! I began making the pompoms when we lived at our previous house! They were meant for a rug but.... so I'm giving this project a go using a glue gun so will hopefully last a few years. I'm also interested in making some pompom bookmarks as gifts. 

The garland is something I've wanted to have a go at for ages.

I'm really pleased with how it turned out and for once I have something on the banister.

Christmas cake and mincemeat are made, sloe gin is sitting in the cellar brewing nicely (I'm sure that isn't the right word) and I'll hopefully make the first mince pies this afternoon. I've decided on the teacher presents to make this year - some seasonal biscuits and rum truffles - and the calendar is already filling up with school activities. 

Lists and my planner are helping remind me that we pretty much know what we are having on Christmas Day and Boxing Day...

and we're having our mini Christmas this coming weekend full of tasty treats, including mince pies, of course. The boys have their Christmas jumpers, Jon needs a new one and I have festive leggings!

As I sit at the kitchen table I can see this at the window and I feel very festive. Fav word!

Ok. Time to get the brekky sorted, boys out of bed and then later this morning I'm out at our village Winter Fayre which is always a fun thing - Alf love the bottle stall and I get a cuppa and maybe a mince pie.

Lou.

Deck the Halls....

I brought in my greenery from the garden on Wednesday and gave it a good soaking in whatever I could find in the cellar. 

Today I brought them up to the kitchen and set to work.

I love having a dresser in the kitchen I can decorate; I had already put some fake kind of greenery on top but needed a lot more. I had taken some lower branches off an evergreen tree and added some holly.

I also put some leaves on the centre light fitting.

In the living room I always have to put something on top of the bookcase as there is a dip and things just disappear! With the help of a couple of logs I managed to get it looking as I wanted; I just love how the greenery looks against the paper chains. (The one in the photo actually came down so had to re-fix that at the same time!)

I have holly over mirrors and picture frames and on shelves, too, of course.

I decorated our cake yesterday; I went for a simple design including a barmy red snowflake!

Sometimes I don't like bright red and green on cake decorations so went for subtlety.

I also decorated one for Jon and his pals at the sawmill and had good feedback on the taste; hope our supper guests on Boxing Day will like it, too.

And finally I made a little flower decoration with some festive blooms Jon came home with from his Dad's last weekend.

So I think I am now DONE with the decs! I don't think I'll be tweaking anything else.

Do you like to bring in greenery to decorate indoors?

Right, I'm having a celebratory beer, just because I can, as Jon is out on his work's jolly and the boys are back from youth club.

Bye for now. 

Lou.xx

6 Sleeps To Go To The Big Ho Ho!

Good evening. All is cosy here with the Rayburn and the woodburner lit. No going out tonight so looking forward to a relaxing evening as have been busy all day. Bread has been baked along with the last batch of mince pies, I think. Beds changed, washing done and put away or to dry, last gifts for the boys wrapped, the usual.

Sue over at The Cottage At The End Of A Lane was talking about a lovely Christmas book the other day she has so I thought I'd show my book vignette this year.

My very favourite of them all is, as ever, the one with the image of a fireplace and tree is called Tim Mouse and Father Christmas. As I sit writing this I have the fairy lights lit on it. Eeeek!

On the front door I have my wreath; it's been there since the beginning of the month but I just added some extra greenery to it the other day - I like to think it is simple but effective.

When people come through the door this is what 'welcomes' them.

I am itching to get the holly, ivy and laurel inside but leaving it a bit yet as I want it to last. I plan on keeping it in the cellar in water for a day before I put it up so it gets a good drink. 

Once the holly etc are in the house I generally stop decorating but I am always tweaking things as I go along - never happy, you know what they say, more is more!

Right best get off and put the rest of tea on; sausage casserole is bubbling away nicely in the Rayburn. Not sure what I will be having as feel I need to be a bit well behaved this next week before I have a lot of cocktails and treats over the festive period.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

Mince Pie Mayhem and Poly House Protection!

This was the kitchen yesterday.

This was the first mince pie session of the season. I tried a couple of new things - a pecan nut under a circle topping on some of them and also painting some holly leaves; Tracy can vouch for my ridiculous sense of joy over the latter! Eeek!

I actually made a total of 42 but managed to burn a dozen when I got sidetracked by something. Aargh!

Here is me being a little festively naughty, considering I was going to Slimming World last night (still managed to only put on 1lb so still within my target weight after 8 weeks I think.) First mince pie from my kitchen. Mmmm, and Jon said they were better with me having cooked the mincemeat when I made it.

We are pretty much Christmas Central here, just a few more decorations to go up but I'm loving, as usual, the living room with my paper chains and paper globes.

I have this basket display in the bottom kitchen window and I'm very pleased with it. I like to have some things I can pick up and move to other places if I want to decorate somewhere else quickly.

However we are not getting the tree until the weekend what with Jon being back and forth to see his dad.

Now, on Sunday there was a team effort, so no time for action shots,and we got some tarps put over the Poly House. This means that as I find the time to do so I can start and tidy up inside a bit. It already feels better as I can dry out things like pots and tray that are just carrying so much water.

It isn't the prettiest thing in the garden by any stretch but it is serving a purpose until Spring. 

(So pleased that the angle of all these photos means you cannot see what an horrendous state my far veg patch is in just now!)

In other news FIL still hasn't had his op but it is scheduled for Thursday, fingers crossed.

Right, boys home shortly and better be ready to referee the mince pie situation as they are already getting eaten up stupidly quickly, but that is what they are for!

Bye for now.

Lou.xx

Stir It Up Sunday And Practice Christmas.

Good morning.

Yesterday was Stir It Up Sunday when traditionally puddings etc are made. Well I have already made my cake but I did make my mincemeat. I made it with a base of three packets of suet and for a change I added some dried figs - my new fav fresh fruit so thought why not.

I've made extra to use up some of my suet surplus so this is how it worked out.

I have never cooked my mincemeat but did do this time and i have to admit that as the suet melted and coated the dried fruit it made it plump up and the cooking definitely added to the flavour of the mix. 

Not sure how much I made but it was a lot - some jars are big! I was one jar short so there is some in the plastic container in the fridge which might get use in the next couple of days.

It looks a bit funny where the the suet is showing white but I am assured that is ok.

In the last week or so you know I have been getting round to some Christmas papercrafting. Well, I have begun two little projects which is some mini bunting/Christmas garlands. 

These are about an inch and a little more square in size and are taken from the cover of the 12" x 12" papers I bought - waste not want not! 

The second lot are toppers from cards we have received, stickers put onto card and anything else I had in stock that was the right size. I'll string them together but I haven't decided where to put them yet.

I am starting to feel ridiculously Christmassy and I blame Tracy to be honest - but for that I am grateful! Also this weekend we had a kind of pre-Christmas Christmas when Jon's cousin and her fella came to stay. We were presented with gifts to play and eat in this wonderful case/box - I LOVE it! 

We opened it on Friday night/Christmas Eve playing Quizoo, where you have to guess tunes each of you are playing in a kazoo. On Saturday evening we had turkey dinner, well chicken Thai curry, and crackers then played Pictionary. Sunday was out for coffee and a mince pie on Sunday/Boxing day. Just a fabulously, lovely relaxed time and our ideal kind of Christmas.

We've ordered a three-pack of Christmas DVDs and can't wait to start watching those on Sunday afternoon. Friday,1st December, is D Day, Decoration Day, but I think I'll be sneaking a few out tomorrow as the weekend present box came complete with some lovely silver and blue tinsel and lights.

This week I'm starting niggly little cleaning jobs before the main decorations go up. This includes paintwork behind sofas and tables plus bookshelves needing a proper dusting and tidied out in readiness for greenery to be brought in and placed on top of the cupboards etc.

Since I began writing this a few other things have happened. My eldest has come down with a cracking cough so we are off the doctor shortly, therefore the other is suffering with a bit of lacking in attention issue but have that sorted now I think. Also, my mum has managed to fall over and banged her head and broke a bone in her thigh; she will be flat on her back in hospital for some time I think and her dementia will be a challenge for the nurses... We are also visiting Jon's dad who is due to have a heart valve replacement op today so Jon is off to Nantwich on Saturday morning and I will be staying home as we have an Airbnb booking that night! It never rains, however that is exactly what it has been doing A LOT lately, thought not just now!

**********UPDATE, MUM HASN'T BROKEN ANYTHING SO THAT'S A POSITIVE**********

Hate ending a post on doom n gloom but I'm determined not to let it put a downer on things.

Hope you all had a good weekend and look forward to seeing what you have been getting up to.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx