love those cupcakes

Bits of our Christmas

Well, it all came together in the end, as it always does.  The festivities were set off with a carol service on Christmas Eve, followed by some last minute preparations (like icing the cake).  There were five of us on Christmas Day and there was much present swapping, eating and quaffing of the fizzy stuff (though I didn't manage to eat my Christmas dinner.  That was a first.)  One of the cats, probably high on catnip, disgraced himself by deciding to run up the Christmas tree, almost to the top, as we were about to have tea, rearranging the baubles on his way.  Boo, on the other hand, was quite well behaved and a stocking filled with treats and new toys kept him occupied most of the time.  Subsequent days have been spent lazing on sofas, having a proper look at presents, watching telly (I'm still catching up on episodes of The Killing 2) and eating chocolate gingers.  Cobwebs were well and truly blown away with a walk on the beach on Wednesday, with a late lunch of bags of freshly cooked chips eaten in the car afterwards.  Last night we had a trip to the panto (oh yes we did!) and a cheese fondue supper, another first.

Yes, it's all been so very good.

Two more sleeps

 

The Christmas food shopping was done in town first thing yesterday and we only forgot the Blue Stilton and Toblerone.  Once it was all put away, I settled down to present wrapping.  

Not including a break for a chip supper, and a trip to the supermarket nearby for the Blue Stilton, Toblerone and yet another roll of sellotape, it took nine hours.  Nine back breaking hours.  

It started off quite well, with tinsel ties and decorations and neat handwriting. 

But enthusiasm soon waned and some presents will need to be opened in very subdued lighting.

I tend to use different wrapping paper for each person (there aren't many people to buy for but I buy quite a lot for each person) but discovered I'd used the same for two people.  Hopefully, the Girlie's betrothed will be happy with any 'intended for aged aunt' gifts which come his way. 

Whilst I was wrapping, the mister was fixing the lights on the outside tree.  This was after I'd suggested we have it chopped down if it was not decorated for a second year, snow having intervened last year.  (Well, it's an otherwise not particularly attractive conifer that hinders the rear view when reversing off the drive.)

Today was designated cleaning day. 

And here I am sitting at the laptop.

 

A couple more ticks

The mince pies have been baked and are now stored in the freezer awaiting the start of the festive feasting.  Of course, we tried some, for the purposes of quality assurance.

We actually prefer a sweetened pastry and this one gives very shortbread-like results.

The little chestnut rolls have also been made and frozen (uncooked).

Using a recipe  from Rose Elliot's vegetarian Christmas book, the rolls were made with buttery rough puff pastry (turned and rolled eight times!) with a filling of chestnut puree, breadcrumbs, soy sauce, grated onion and garlic and a good pinch of chilli powder, all mixed together.  I did bake some but they were polished off before I managed to get a picture. 

The cake is yet to be iced and I usually make rum truffles and peppermint bark (the candy canes arrived today) to nibble when people fancy a change from Quality Street.  We also need to fit in the big supermarket shop and hopefully there'll be a trip here for cheeses and one or two other treats. Not to mention ALL of the gift wrapping. 

Tempus is certainly fugiting.

Cat in a hat

Someone here thinks he looks a right festive treat.   

Edited to add:  Don't be fooled by that hangdog (hangcat?) expression.  Buzz loves this hat (the elf one not so much).  It's having his picture taken that he objects to. Especially when he's having forty winks on the piano stool.

Someone else thinks that hat makes him look a right 'nana.

Getting there. Sort of.

The cards have been written and mailed this morning.  Too late for those recipients overseas but it's the thought that counts, isn't it?

One Christmas cake has been iced and boxed and is ready for its journey to the north west.

The tree has been bought and is currently lounging in its net against the wall in the garden.  We went for a Nordman fir and will be decking it tonight (after the nimble Boy has finished work and been sent up the ladder and into the loft to retrieve the boxes of decorations).

The Ikea trip happened last night.  After successfully completing the giant jigsaw puzzle in the car boot (at one point it seemed likely that I'd be hitching home), an assortment of Expedit units are now piled up in the hall (along with the inevitable impulse buys), awaiting their moment to transform an entire wall in the guest bedroom.

I've also received a couple of surprises in the post this week. 

HM Revenue and Customs awarded me a four figure tax rebate.  Most welcome, thank you very much.

The extremely talented Natasha over at Amelie's House generously hosted a giveaway of her amazing bakes and what do you know,  I won!

The parcel contained iced gingerbread cookie lollies, mini Christmas cakes and chocolate dipped gingerbread sticks (which we've scoffed already and yes, they were delicious).

Just look at that handpainted icing.

You can read more and order here or pop into Selfridges if you're in the vicinity and treat yourself from their display.

Now, shall I have one of those cookies or a cake? 

Oh, decisions, decisions.

 

A not very exciting weekend

• There was a bit of baking:

wholemeal bread and a second, smaller, Christmas cake. (To give away.  We're not that greedy.)

Most of my cake tins were my dad's.  I think this one was bought to make one of my birthday cakes, in the days when all celebration cakes were of the rich fruit with hard as rock Royal icing variety.

• There was a bit of Christmas magazine reading, in the hope of finding inspiration (I didn't) for presents. 
  

• There was a bit of trying on of new winter coats and Christmas outfits. 

Someone was more co-operative.....

.....than someone else,

 

 

who appears to have perfected the art of sulking.

Ticks on the to-do list

• Christmas cards ordered from Cancer Research

• Advent calendars (including one for me) purchased

• Panto tickets booked

• Christmas pudding made (yes, ahead of Stir-up Sunday)

• Christmas cake* baked (well, almost. It's still in the oven.)  

Think I'll just have a little lie down.

 

* Recipe from this book

Putting away

A week into the new year already and we still haven't entirely put away Christmas.  Whilst the decorations are back in the loft and the tree and cards have been taken for recycling, there are still rolls of wrapping paper in the bedroom, gifts are still sitting in their festive bags and, despite tremendous effort on all our parts, there are plenty of goodies yet to be eaten.  I'm thinking that what's left of the Christmas cake will be transferred to the bin before my date with the people at Slimming World on Monday as I want all unboxed temptation (the untouched Toblerone and tins of biscuits can be safely stored in kitchen cupboards for munching later in the year) to be completely out of the way.

Whilst sorting my presents, I've realised Father Christmas was very clever this year, having obviously looked at my Amazon wishlist and very generously giving me everything on it.   I now need to find homes on the bookshelves for all of these.  (I was also given Susan Hill's ghost story, The Small Hand, and Patricia Cornwell's latest in the Kay Scarpetta series but I've been reading those).

The Rona Jaffe novel wasn't on my wishlist but apparently FC had spotted it in a scene from my favourite series, Mad Men.   Nice one.

I'd have to admit that we do go a bit overboard with gifts in this family, probably because there are so few of us (and we're all a bit overly enthusiastic about shopping, if truth be told) so I couldn't possibly show you everything I received but here's a small selection of the rest. 

The person who gave me this tea towel (which I may well frame - after ironing, of course) clearly knows me very well.

As does this person. (In my defence, toast crumbs get EVERYWHERE).

I love fountain pens and was delighted with this teeny one.

These two have been no help with the putting away, clearly otherwise occupied doing their shift on the neighbourhood watch.

Speaking of Buzz and Bea, boy are those two in for a shock if everything goes to plan.

Any guesses?

 

Enjoying the holiday

We're at the stage of really appreciating and spending some time with our presents after the flurry of rather hectic unwrapping on Christmas Day (and, in the case of the cats, after being smacked off their faces on catnip).

Yesterday afternoon we decided to escape the house for a walk along the beach at nearby Saltburn.

Ending with a round of hot drinks in a cafe on the seafront, it was just the ticket for blowing away a few champagne related cobwebs.

 

Christmas Eve

 

Wishing you all a very special Christmas.