Have You Guessed What It Is Yet?

One Christmas Eve I sat on our sitting room for a half an hour wrapping this little fella.  It was a present for my son from me and I just knew that he'd get such a kick out of seeing it packaged off like this.  And i was right too.  It was the first present that he ran to on Christmas morning, before he even looked at what Santa had brought him.  He was delighted but informed me that I was such a wally.  Me, I think it's a work of art myself.

Christmas here was a hectic one.  My mother, brother and his girlfriend all came out on Christmas day for dinner.  It's been a long time since I've made a big meal for a few people and even though it was hard work, I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was lovely seeing a crowd around the dinner table again.

Well the New Year is here and I'm not generally one for making resolutions but this year I've decided that I will.  For 2013 I'm going to take better care of myself.....stop the ciggies, which I started again after being off them for 7 years, try and exercise as much as I'm able and to give up on all the sweet treats which is probably my biggest downfall.  So to end 2012 I had two little glasses of wine with my dinner and two massive slices of panettone for dessert.  But unfortunately justice being served, I went to bed five minutes past midnight with two headache tablets and woeful indigestion.  No fair!  No fun for Rosie at all!

Finally I just want to wish each and every one of you a very Happy New Year and I hope that it brings you your every wish and the best of health.

Lots of love,
Rosie xx

That Christmassy Feeling

Unfortunately it's been hard to get in the Christmas preparations this year.  Since coming home from Germany I've been very sick.  I caught a stomach bug which left me totally devoid of any energy for at least two weeks after.
I had such great plans for handmade presents for my family and friends.  I had patterns ready and materials sourced.   So as difficult as I found it to admit, I just couldn't face to follow through with my plans.  This year I didn't want any extra stress and just wanted to focus on enjoying this precious time with my family.

So decision made, I packed away all my material and wool into the attic and took down the decorations.  The preparation is probably what I like most about Christmas.  Dressing the tree with my kids, the dog sitting at my feet and Christmas songs on the radio, singing along out of tune but at the top of our voices.
Going shopping with the kids as we pick out presents for the family.  Going home and wrapping all we bought, sitting on the floor surrounded by ribbons, bow and multicoloured paper.

Preparing the turkey bath...yes we do give our turkey a bath of spices and oranges and we leave it for about 12 hours before roasting.  This recipe that I got from Nigella Lawson and so worth a try.  The turkey never dries out when cooking.

 Lighting the candle in the lantern that gives a warm welcoming glow at the front door, guiding visitors in the thick fog that we've been having lately.
And last but not least, I love the smell of Christmas.  The smell of the bowl of pine cones mixed with star anise, cinnamon and dried orange pieces which fills the air with the most beautiful aroma.
We have a full house for Christmas dinner but I'm determined to relax and enjoy it and not get at all stressed out.
Have you many for Christmas dinner?
What's your favourite preparations?
Rosie xx

Out Of The Mouth Of Babes

This was the conversation between my daughter Lucy and myself at bedtime last night;

Lucy: Mammy how did you catch that thing that you have?
Me: What thing Lucy?
Lucy: That fibrobibo thing that you have?  Who did you get it from?
Me: Well it's not like a cold.  You don't just catch it.
Lucy: How did you get it then?
Me: The doctors don't know.  sometimes something goes wrong in the body and it doesn't work properly.
Lucy:  So why are you in pain all the time.  What's broken?
Me:  When you get a cut on your finger, there is a little signal sent to the brain saying that you are in pain.  But with me it's like a a cd with a scratch in it.  The same message is being sent over and over again.
Lucy: So you're not really in pain.  So if we just distracted you all the time and made you think of other things, then the messages wouldn't get through.
Me: Giggle.  Yea Lucy maybe we could try that!
Lucy:  Well what are the doctors going to do to fix it?
Me:  The doctors don't know how to fix it.
Lucy:  Well then I've got a good plan Mammy.  When I say my prayers tonight, I'm going to ask God what can be done to fix you.  During the night God will tell me and then I'll tell you and then you can tell the doctors and then you can be fixed.  Hey Presto!

All A Little Topsy Turvy

The last two weeks has seen our house turned upside down.  We had to have the chimney rebuilt before the really bad weather set in.  They told us that it would only take two or three days but when they started they discovered that is was going to be a much bigger job than expected.  So I had to evacuate the kids and myself down to my mothers house.  I was lost without my laptop and internet connection.  I couldn't keep up with all of the bloggers.
Then days after the work started I could start cleaning the house.  When i walked in I felt like crying my eyes out.  The dust covered every surface and got into every press and wardrobe.  Four days of cleaning and laundry and finally I think that I'm finished.  The kids moved back home yesterday and they were delighted to get settled back in their beds with their teddies.

But we did manage to have some fun at halloween.  We all dressed up and went trick or treating (I dressed up as a cat and Lucy drew whiskers on my face.  What a wally I looked!)  The hubbie did a fantastic firework display which we watched while a bonfire kept us warm on a very frosty night. There was of course the usual pumpkins at the door which the kids cut out themselves.

 And of course the face painting ....

And essential party party games like the flour dunking game where you have to make a pyramid of flour and put a raisin on the top.  They each have a turn in cutting away a slice of the pyramid and the one who makes the raisin fall has to dunk their face into the flour.....

Wiggly Teeth Scones

Both of my kids are loosing their baby teeth at the moment, ahhhh. They are finding it hard to bit into most things so I have to be really careful about what I give them to eat.  We call these Wiggly Teeth Scones because unlike normal scones the outside is not very hard and the inside is lovely and light and fluffy.  Perfect for lunch boxes.  I got the recipe from a Good Food magazine a few years ago and they called them The Ultimate Scone.  I don't think that I would because they don't rise very high like most scone recipes but they are perfect for little mouths.

Ingredients:
16oz self raising flour
1/4tsp salt
4oz butter, cold
2oz golden caster sugar
8floz buttermilk
4floz full fat milk
2 handfuls of sultanas
1 egg for glazing, slightly beaten
a little granulated sugar for sprinkling

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 220°C
• Tip the flour into a mixing bowl with the salt and butter.  Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Stir in the sugar and sultanas.
• Mix together the buttermilk and full fat milk.
• Pour in most of the milk into the centre of the flour mixture.  Not all of it because it may make it too wet.
• Using a round bladed knife gently work the mixture together until it forms a soft dough.  If it is too dry you can always add in more milk but be very careful a little can make it too wet.  If it is too wet add in another handful of flour and work it in.
• Take the dough out of the bowl and on a lightly floured surface knead 3-4 times to remove any cracks.
• Pat the dough gently with your hands to the thickness of no less than 2,5cm.
• Cut with a floured cutter and place on a baking tray.
• Brush with the egg and sprinkle with a little granulated sugar.
• Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
• Serve with butter and jam to kids with wiggly teeth and watch a lovely jammie smile appear on their faces.

Making Dinner With Lucy

I have to be honest and say that I'm really just a big child.  And one of the best thing for me was when I had the kids was realising that I could let my inner child run wild. I can't resist a game of hide and seek or eye spy or even stuck in the mud.  So when Lucy took out her box of Playdough and asked me if I wanted to play, I was in there as quick as lightening.  We decided to try and make something resembling a dinner.

We decided to try and make something resembling a dinner and we made steak, carrots, beetroot, peas and sweetcorn, tomato and spuds.  It's amazing what you can make with palydough!!

Sewing Lessons for Lucy

 I have not been to my blog for over a week now.  The incredible weather here has kept me busy in the garden and spending time with the kids.  And as you know, in Ireland we learn to make the most of every single ray of sunshine that we get because it may just be another year before it shows itself again.
What I have been doing though is some sewing lessons with my little girl.  I was amazed to watch her as she took to the stitches with ease.  Each different type of stitch that she practised getting neater and neater in a short time. I had bought her a sewing book called Sewing School for Christmas and it was one of the best kids books on the subject that I've found.  It contains lots of easy ideas for little hands and full size paper patterns to cut out.  It was from this that she made her little teddy Daisy! With very little help from me, she picked out and sewed on the buttons and carefully stitched the seams and finally stuffed it last thing before bed. She was so pleased with the result that she even bought it in for her Show And Tell the next day.