Almost Ready for Christmas

 

The weather this morning was horrible. Wet, windy and about as un-festive as you can get. Fortunately, I didn't have anywhere I needed to go. Most of my Christmas preparations are done now, so I've spent the majority of my day in the kitchen, baking even more cinnamon shortbread, icing the gingerbread house and mixing together the dough for the no-knead bread, to be enjoyed with  some baked camembert tomorrow evening.

I'm considering our gingerbread house a success. I always use this recipe here. It's a very simple make, which means there's more fun to be had in decorating it. That said, ours has minimal icing and sweets, just the way Lily prefers it. I added cinnamon and cloves to my mix as well, which enhances the flavour. And another thing I would say is that the recipe makes far too much dough than you will need, but I've put the excess in the freezer to bake cookies with at a later date. Our gingerbread house is iced now but it needs a good dusting with icing sugar, which I've promised Lily she can do tomorrow, so I'll post a picture of the finished house then. 

This evening we've been playing some games, including  Prickly Pile up. A Christmas present for Lily a couple of years ago, it is now a firm favourite and one of those which I'm sure we will enjoy playing for many years to come. 

We have some plans for tomorrow which are dependent on the weather, but first there are presents to wrap. I'm just waiting on a certain little someone to fall asleep. I'm not sure I can remember a time when I felt so relaxed on the run up to Christmas. I'm sure there is a lesson in there somewhere. 

J. X