Festive break

After all the eating and presents are done, I like to laze. Lazy days filled with what ever you fancy, eating up the leftovers and if I'm lucky a new jigsaw!

Luckily I had TWO new ones this year, a fantastic Harry Potter one from my best friend and the above vintage style one from my Mum, both were 1000 pieces and the above I did in a day, I had jigsaw frenzy and couldn't stop!

I then also enjoyed making paper rosettes out of leftover wrapping paper to use as a Christmas garland next year. All you need to do is get a rectangle of paper and concertina fold it it along the short edge. Fold in half and secure with a piece of florists wire, then glue the ends to each other to make a circle. I've packed them carefully away and I'll thread them up next year to make a garland.

I'm not a big fan of New Year's Eve so I spent it listening to tunes in the kitchen and making a HUGE (belated) batch of apple spiced pies - these are a favourite of mine, (bit like mince pies but with apple, mixed spice, a few raisins and apricots) and the freezer is now jammed full of them!

You can see my lovely Christmas present above, the Dorset Tea enamel mug, for my favourite brew, I'm hoping it'll get an airing as a proper camping mug this year, if we can afford a tent! I don't what's happened but when I was little you only went camping if you couldn't afford a caravan, it was the cheap holiday, but now, the prices of all the stuff is extortionate. I spent a lot of time watching tents on eBay last year but with no funds to back it up, so fingers crossed for this year!

My other best presents were from my Mum, I'm finally a convert to the 'onesie' and I've spent way too long in it over the break! That and my new Moshulu slippers, mixed with copious amounts of tea and chocolate, it's been good.

I have also been trying to finish off the above quilt, I spent a good children-free afternoon squaring it up (even if the backing is wonky - that'll teach me for not using a simple one piece of fabric) and ironing prairie points for the binding while watching Miss Marple and the Princess Bride.

It's going to be quite hard to get back to work, I wonder if a onesie is appropriate office-wear yet?!

Heading Back to School

Kissing Hands

Last year as my eldest was due to start school I stumbled upon a sweet idea that would remind her that we loved her and were thinking of her on her special day, I think I followed a link from Tip Junkie to 'back to school traditions' from Shauna-na-na for these kissing hands biscuits, which will once again be in her school lunch box tomorrow, to hopefully give her a smile at lunch!

I just used a basic biscuit recipe:

4 1/2 oz plain flour

2oz brown sugar

3oz butter

I halved the quantities as I didn't want to make loads! Rubbed it all in together to make a dough, (I needed a bit of extra flour as it was still quite soft) and rolled it out.

I then drew round the hands on paper and cut out to make a template, then used this to trace round on the dough and cut out, which is a bit fiddly and it pays not to drag the knife but to make small cuts as you run the risk of amputating a finger (a dough one that is!).

The girls then added a chocolate button (snaffling a few out of the packet when they thought I wasn't looking!), I put them onto baking parchment (I love this stuff, I can't cook without it, soo much better than greaseproof paper) and into the oven for about 8-10mins on 160c.

Now I've just got to hope that it survives in one piece until lunchtime! Back to the last minute name labelling now!