Hi everyone. I hope all your festivities are coming together and the season of excitement is upon you. It has certainly hit this house with a vengeance! The girls are so bouncy and excited, and on the whole it is happy excitedness, but has occasionally tipped the other way. As a bribe to avoiding the end of term disco (which they never enjoy, and ends up costing me an arm and a leg) Sophie and I promised Grace, Ruth, Anna and Ebba dinner out, including dressing up, so last night we took them to Frankie & Benny's for tea. They had a great time, and we shared a bottle of wine, before walking back through town to look at the lights. They all double-skipped home (a new phrase to me, but means skipping with arms linked behind, apparently) and were so happy and giggly that it has infected me too, despite being bunged up with a cold, and doing a very good Rudolph impersonation.
We also put together our gingerbread house, which wasn't as easy as I was led to believe! I did get rather mad whilst I was doing it, and the girls gave me a wide berth until it was constructed! It was an Ikea kit, and the chimney was broken which was probably just as well because trying to put that together could have tipped me over the edge. Anyway, I am pleased with my first ever attempt, and the dining room now smells of gingerbread, so it was worth the effort.
The girls finished school yesterday so we have had a lazy day at home today. I made pancakes for breakfast (the traditional breakfast for the first day of holidays) and we didn't get dressed until 11. We are off out later to deliver all our Christmas cards, and I have even made cranberry sauce today. It was a really easy and fab recipe that I found in the Observer Food Mag, and it goes as follows:
Cheats Cranberry Sauce
500g fresh or frozen cranberries
300g sugar
57ml malt vinegar
57ml port
Mix all ingredients then place in a dish in oven for approx 30 mins at 200 C until sauce has thickened and cranberries are soft. Put in sterilised jars (makes 1 and a half jam jars full). Keeps in fridge for 2 weeks. Easy peasy.
I managed to defrost my freezer last night, and nearly lost several fingers to frost bite in the process. I left it until the Sainsbury's delivery had come, so I put it all the food out in the garden whilst I chiseled all the frost off with a wallpaper scraper. I filled 4 washing up bowls with ice, but now have room for everything with even some space for extras now, so I am feeling very virtuous. The fact that I did it at 11 at night with a streaming cold makes me feel even more saintly!
Andy and I are off late night shopping tonight without the girls, and I am looking forward to sampling some Winter Pimms in front of the fire when we get back. You mix it with apple juice and heat it up apparently. Sounds yummy. I've nearly done all my shopping, but just need a few last minute bits and bobs. I also realised I don't have any wrapping paper so need to add that to my list!
This came the other day from Gill, and was a giveaway I won from her lovely blog. It's perfect for the gift tags I've been making, and I love the little tag that came with it.
Thank you all once again for your lovely comments. I have even had some new bloggers leaving messages which is great. I hope you are all keeping nice and toasty, and your preparations are coming together.
Cathy XX