Calm

 

Today has been my last day at work until the New Year and I can finally relax and hopefully unwind. Yes, I still have a few things I need to do before Christmas Eve, but I now have no need to rush to get jobs done in my lunch break, or quickly before having to collect Lily from school at the end of the day. 

It has been another busy but wonderful day, filled with fun, excitement and laughter. I hardly stopped until I arrived home this evening. And even then it was a quick turn around in order to get Lily to her Karate lesson. Her last one until January. 

I'm looking forward to enjoying some calm over the next few days. I should really have been travelling to Edinburgh tomorrow, but thought better of it, as there have been some severe weather warnings issued. I am a little disappointed, as I always enjoy my trips to the city, but I must confess I am now quite looking forward to a less hectic run up to Christmas Day. 

Tomorrow, I am going to take things easy, for the first time in a while. For once, there's nothing I actually need to do, so I intend to make the most of it. I might make my cranberry sauce or I might bottle up my blackberry vodka. Then again, I might not do either of those. 

J. X

Seeing Stars

 

A mince pie isn't the only new decoration on our tree this year. And no, I'm not referring to the cats - neither has attempted to climb it - so far, at least :)

We actually have twelve gold coloured, glass stars. I'd almost forgotten about them, as I'd bought them on sale at the beginning of this year. But they are really lovely, beautifully made and hung with some gorgeous, soft, green velvet ribbon. I still haven't got round to making some dried orange slices, but hopefully I will find the time at the weekend.

This evening, I've been out for an early Christmas meal with some friends. It was such a  nice and relaxed atmosphere, and the food was absolutely delicious. It's not often that I eat a three course meal, so I'm feeling rather full now. 

Tomorrow night I'm off out again! This time it will be for my work's Christmas celebrations. I'm not quite sure what to expect but I've been told it will be quite different to our usual Christmas party. And also, that I should wear something which will keep me warm!

J. X 

Mince Pie

 

When I said that I had bought this year's tree decoration from Liberty, I don't suppose anyone thought it would be a felted mince pie. Me neither, but we thought it was so cute that we couldn't leave without it. It is also far more suited to our tree than any of the glittery baubles they had there. 

It's been a tiring day. There has been so much going on at work and I've been rushed off my feet. Even so, it has all been rather lovely, but I'll definitely be glad of the rest when I finish next week. 

This afternoon I've been into town to try and finish my Christmas shopping. I'm almost there. Just one more gift to find and another one ordered, which I need to collect in the morning. Then there's the job of getting them all wrapped :) With any luck, I should have everything sorted by the weekend. 

Next week, I'm looking forward to enjoying some unhurried mornings and spending some much needed down time doing whatever I please. In this house Christmas Day itself is always quite a relaxed affair, it's these days beforehand that I find quite challenging. There's always seems to be so much to do and yet very little time in which to do it. 

J. X

The Tree is Up

 

We've spent a lovely evening decorating our tree. Now, which cat will be the first to try and climb it?. 

J. X

O Christmas Tree!

 

Much like our new bauble, I sourced our Christmas tree back at the beginning of the year. And yes, it is artificial. Lily wanted to go big this year, which for us would have meant having to get a cut tree. And as many of you know, I don't like the idea of a tree without roots.

Although I usually prefer a living, potted tree, I do quite like this one, because of its lack of symmetry and realistic shape. It is neither too big nor too small, and just the right width that it doesn't dominate the room. Also, it would probably withstand the attentions of a small kitten should he ever be inclined to give it a closer inspection :)

It is much lower maintenance than a real tree. I don't need to water it on a regular basis, or constantly vacuum up pine needles, although I had forgotten just how long it takes to unfold all those branches. 

If I'm being honest with you, I think I might just have been converted. Although, next year, I might consider a real tree again. Just a small one. In the kitchen. 

J. X

Herdy Bauble

 

Every December I buy a new decoration for our tree, and this year was to be no exception. Only this one I got way, way back in January, and tucked it away safely in a drawer. That was until last weekend, when I took great joy in finally hanging it up on our Christmas tree.

This gorgeous little sheep bauble has been hand felted from actual Herdwick fleece, and he has the most adorable expression. He is sitting beautifully, high up on the tree, in between Peter the Polar Bear and Glittery the Mouse Angel, who are keeping a watchful eye on him Now he just needs a name.

J. X

A Restful Day

 

Fortunately, besides feeling a little tired and achy, I haven't felt too bad following my vaccination. My arm has been a little swollen - unsurprisingly - but I've taken some paracetamol and drunk plenty of water, so I'm sure I'll be as right as rain again by tomorrow.

After yesterday's excitement, I decided a quiet day spent at home might be for the best. Even if I'd had any notion of going out, perhaps only for a short walk, the dark pewter sky and rain lashing against the windows this morning was enough for me to change my mind. It was grim.

Instead, I stuck to my original plan of cleaning out the kitchen and sorting through the cupboards. Never let it be said I don't know how to have a good time :)

Seriously though,  it felt good. I now know exactly what I have in the fridge and freezer , I can clearly see what is in the cupboard, and I'm sure I must have enough wine to last me until next Christmas! 

For some reason, this year, I feel more ready than usual to let go of the Christmas decorations. Everything is beginning to look just a little tired. The wooden snowflakes, which fell over several days ago now, are still lying there waiting to be picked up, and some of the greenery has begun to look far from fresh. I've already taken down the wooden reindeer lights, which were hung beneath the kitchen wall units, and thrown out some of the holly from the coffee table. I expect more will follow tomorrow and I wouldn't be surprised if they don't all get packed away by the weekend. I would probably be tempted to do it now if it wasn't for Lily. 

For now, at least, the candles are lit and I can relax in the glow of the tree lights, while enjoying a glass of my Spiced Blackberry Vodka. We've loved decorating our little tree again this year, but I'm not sure if it will make it indoors next Christmas - Lily is wanting to go bigger!

J. X

Christmas Trees

I had a rather un-festive start to my day, which involved a supermarket shop, cutting my replacement drain cover to size (the last one blew away in the recent storms), and then, just to top it off, I needed to clean the drain pump filter on my washing machine, after it had stopped mid cycle with a drum full of water. Thankfully, after taking an age to empty the machine manually, the problem was quickly rectified and the offending hair tie removed :)  

I've spent a little while tidying and clearing today. I know it won't be long before the clutter begins to accumulate once more, but for now, at least, the house is looking a lot better. The dining table is visible again, which will come in very handy for when I commence the gift wrapping. I feel quite organised this year with my wrapping paper, ribbons and tags etc. all neat and tidy in their own box. Although, I'd be even more organised if I was actually putting them to use!

This afternoon we went out to visit a charity Christmas Tree festival. It is an annual event where you can buy tokens, which you then donate to your chosen charities as you view the trees. It is always lovely to see the displays and it raises some much needed funds for worthy causes. 

I will leave you with some pictures of my favourites. 

J. X

Found Them!

I hardly stopped yesterday.  A last minute rearrangement of plans in school meant that Lily ended up staying with me for the morning, therefore, any plans of my finishing the Christmas shopping were well and truly scuppered. The errands I could still get on with, we did together. Before we set off I prepared dinner in the slow cooker. It's always good to know there is something prepared for when I finish work. 

Some jeans got returned - a little too snug for me - oops! We took a parcel to the post office, then finally we went shopping for our new tree decoration. On returning home, I received a lovely and most unexpected surprise. My amazing friend, who I've known for many years now and who is aware of my difficulties in getting a full night's sleep, sent me the nicest little care package. It contained some spiced apple, vanilla and camomile tea, some chocolates (always welcome), also some lavender pillow spray, bubble bath and oil. What a thoughtful gift. The chocolates have already disappeared :) and I tried the pillow spray last night. It hasn't made any difference so far, but it does smell lovely. I messaged her immediately to express my gratitude.

With Lily then dropped off at school, I dashed straight from work to meet some more friends for coffee, then it was back to work again until 6 o'clock. By this time I was feeling pretty tired and wasn't really in the mood to start thinking about the tree, but I had promised, and Lily was determined to decorate it on the 8th.

Fortunately, once the lights were hung and I began to unwrap all the decorations, it wasn't long at all before the tree was finished and we could stand back and admire our handiwork, complete with the dried orange slices. 

And you can probably guess what I discovered right at the bottom of the decorations box...

J. X

We've Decorated the Tree

I've had such an exhausting day, so I'm taking myself off to bed shortly. But before I go, I'll just introduce you to 'Glittery' the mouse angel. The newest addition to our tree decorations. 

J. X

Bringing Home the Tree

 

This year, we didn't have very far to travel at all to get our tree, as it has spent the last twelve months quite happily in the garden. I've been keeping it in the pot for now, making sure to keep it well watered during the summer months but I expect I will plant it out properly some time in the new year.

My personal preference is for a real tree. For several years, when Lily was very small, and for the first Christmas after we got Mog, we used an artificial tree, but for me it just wasn't quite the same. I love the irregularity of a real tree, the imperfections, the scent and yes, even the needles which always get absolutely everywhere. But...it has to still be growing. With roots. In a pot. 

When I see cut trees, it makes me sad. I know, I know. This probably makes me sound a little bit weird to most people, but it's just how I feel. 

Anyway, with the forecast looking a bit damp for the next few days and Lily intent on decorating the tree on the 8th this year (because that is how old she is, of course!) this evening, after school, between us we carefully carried the tree into the porch to give enough time for the branches to dry out. It is looking surprisingly fresh and even survived being blown over in the recent storm. But regardless, I think most trees look pretty once adorned with fairy lights and some favourite decorations. 

Being a little impatient, we made a start by decorating the small tree instead. This one was looking a little sparse by comparison, but with the addition of a small string of lights and a few simple star decorations (I still need to find the little bells), it is beginning to look lovely and festive. 

J. X

Cinnamon Shortbread

This morning I took another trip into town and I'm happy to say that I've now finished my Christmas shopping. It's always a relief to know this part of Christmas is in hand and that all I have left to do now is the wrapping. This is not my most favourite thing to do but this year I'm going to enlist my own little elf to help me - not that she knows this yet :) As well as my gift buying I posted Lily's letter to Santa, stocked up with brown paper and treated myself to some more mince pies. 

On returning home I hung some dried oranges slices from the tree. I originally intended to use them to make a garland but as I've yet to find the time to make my door wreath, I don't think this is going to happen this year. Not to mind, they look pretty on the tree instead. 

This afternoon I baked some cinnamon shortbread. This is a very easy and delicious bake, perfect for enjoying with a mug of coffee. 

To make these you will need:

60g Caster sugar

120g Butter

180g Plain Flour

½ teaspoon cinnamon

A large pinch of ground cloves

Put all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well together, I like to use a fork. Roll out the dough to approx. 1cm thick and cut into shapes. Bake at 150° for 15 minutes. 

More progress has been made on the jigsaw and I'm hoping it will be finished in the next couple of days.

J. X

Peter the Polar Bear

This evening we've decorated our tree. I had originally planned that we would do this after dinner, with some Christmas music playing in the background and a large glass of Baileys in my hand. What I hadn't accounted for, however, was Lily's level of excitement, and insisting we decorate the tree the moment she returned home from school. Fortunately, the tree was in position, having been brought into the house earlier this morning, and I had already hung the lights, so it was all set for Lily to do the fun part. My Baileys would just have to wait.  

With the box of decorations open on the coffee table, we removed each glass bauble from it's tissue paper wrapping and hung them carefully on the more sturdy branches of the tree. Next we opened the more special decorations. Some which have been bought on holidays or weekends away and others gifted from a dear friend. This year, with not being able to enjoy our usual visit to the Christmas markets, we found our decoration much closer to home, at the farm shop. 

Introducing Peter the Polar Bear. Peter is a lovely little felted bear and he's been waiting very patiently above the fireplace all week, just ready for his moment on the tree,

which is fully decorated, and until now has remained that way. For how much longer, I'm not too sure.........

I think I'll be needing that Baileys. 

J. X

Choosing Our Tree

Shortly after lunch, and following a relaxed morning spent at home, we wrapped up well once again and excitedly headed out in search of our Christmas tree. This felt like quite an event, as we haven't bought a tree for the last few years. Our previous pot grown tree had served us well until recently it, sadly, became root bound and couldn't be revived.

Our first stop was at the garden centre where we'd bought our previous tree. There had been plenty of choice when we'd last visited but this years offerings were disappointingly poor. Had we wanted a freshly cut tree, there would have been no problem, but as we prefer a potted tree which can be used again and again it can be a little trickier to find just the right one. 

The next garden centre had much more choice. There were trees of every variety, shape and size, and it didn't take us long to find exactly what we wanted. Not too big or too small, it was just right. They also had a very nice fire pit where it would have been very easy to while away more time than was strictly necessary. Once we'd made our decision the helpful assistant was quick to bag our tree and I might have even put some mistletoe in our trolley : )

After spending some time watching the little train travel around the model Christmas village, we returned home, where we brought the tree into the porch. Lily has watered it well and we'll allow it some time to settle before we bring it into the house to decorate. 

As promised, here is a picture of Lily's snow globe. It is still, apparently, the 'best snow globe ever'. 

J. X

  

Little Tree

Yet another early start for me this morning and by 7 o'clock I was enjoying my second mug of coffee. Friday is my busiest day of the week, but after a good night's sleep (Mog did not wake me, thankfully) and a bowl of porridge for breakfast, I was ready to go. What I hadn't prepared for, however, was a frozen car windscreen. It had been another chilly night here, and after hurriedly scraping it clear I managed to get Lily to school with seconds to spare.

The day passed by without further incident and before I realised it, I was home again to a cosy house and the warm glow of the fairy lights from our little tree in the kitchen.

We haven't yet been to buy our main Christmas tree this year, but last week, knowing there was limited stock available, I bought this tiny tree to display in the kitchen. It had been sitting in the porch until Tuesday, when I had the opportunity to bring it indoors and hang some lights from it. Yesterday, I noticed the lights were flickering and, realising that it was in all likelihood that they would stop working completely only once the stores had sold out, I decided to replace them. The only ones available in a warm white were some copper wire lights. I was a little unsure as I placed them in my shopping basket, but I can't tell you how pleased I am with them. They are so simple to hang, you can bend them in order to position them how you like and they give off a gorgeous glow. I've still to decorate the tree but for now I'm enjoying the simplicity of how it looks with just the lights on.

J. X

Festive

We've decorated the tree, the gifts are (almost) all wrapped and the cards have been posted. With just one week to go until Christmas Day the excitement level is increasing and we've been taking time to enjoy everything about this most wonderful time of the year. We've visited a Christmas tree festival, seen Santa on his sleigh and enjoyed the school's Christmas celebrations - Lily was a rapping King!

Our little tree is spending it's third Christmas with us and has three new decorations this year. A little robin, a snow covered house and a star which Lily made at school. The living room lamps keep getting switched off, so we can sit in just the glow of the fairy lights. The tree is slightly wonky but to us it is perfect, and I expect I'll feel a little sad when I have to return it to the garden again in January.

In the kitchen I've enjoyed a change from making mince pies by baking gingerbread cookies instead. I use this recipe here but with the addition of some ground cloves to give them more of a festive flavour. Lily assisted by rolling the dough and cutting out shapes of stars, snowflakes, Christmas trees and snowmen, and, just like the mince pies, they're disappearing fast. I've strained (and tested 😆) the blackberry vodka and bottled some as gifts, and also made up some jars of hot chocolate mix to give away.

At the weekend we had the greatest surprise when we awoke to a covering of snow.  Lily had been super excited to decorate the tree but it was nothing compared to the thrill of snow, especially on the lead up to Christmas. Lily made a snow angel and there may have been a brief snowball fight. ❄ We enjoyed a leisurely walk and, although it was a very cold morning, afterwards we were able to warm ourselves with a hot drink in front of an open fire.

As we made our return along the riverside I was lucky to spot a long pine branch on the ground, a suspected casualty of the recent strong winds. I must have looked a bit of a sight carrying it over my shoulder but I knew it would be perfect as the base for my door wreath. I collected a handful of pine cones and also added them to the wreath, together with some holly and rosemary from the garden. It smells amazing.

Aside from the period of calm between Christmas and New Year, this is probably my favourite time of the season. Most of the preparations are complete and I can relax and enjoy myself knowing everything is taken care of, except from perhaps a little food shopping, icing the cake and baking some more mince pies.
Will someone please pass me the Quality Street?

J. X