Snow, Birthday Cake and Shopping....

Hello everyone, I hope you are all okay and have had a good day!

We have actually had a light dusting of snow overnight, it did thaw slightly during the day and Danny man and I went to the village shop and then built a teeny tiny snowman!
He's crashed out in bed, and Jamie came home from school and has gone to bed too! she has that really chesty cough and is feeling a little rough.... I will see how she's feeling tomorrow she may stay home.

Danny Man's Birthday
It was Danny mans birthday on Saturday and he requested a Lorry cake......
I am not naturally gifted at cake making, and I have been informed by someone that it is not something you can learn you are either good at it or you are not!

I am not!

So I cheated!

I bought all manner of cakes from Lidls, Somerfields and Tesco and cut, moulded, covered and pasted together with a tub of Betty Crockers ready to spread icing!

I am not embarrassed by my lack of ability,
I totally excel at so many other things that I can deal with not being a complete domestic goddess, we can't all be Nigella!
I wouldn't mind her figure though....lol!

well here is my Chocolate log lorry!
What do you think?

I had a blast making it!

I slightly over catered,

there was only Daniel, Jamie, Mr P's mum and dad and Mr P and myself..... my Mum and Dad had a family occasion in Poole to go to, everything always seems to happen at the same time.

Daniel had a lovely day playing with all his new toys, it took ages for it to sink in that all the gifts were just for him.... being so close to Christmas I think he thought he had to share them!

Shopping!

Now I have tried to win so many giveaways that I am resorting to buying the things that I covet!
I know it is very naughty but I can't help it...

I bought 3 little birds from Patchwork Pottery
they arrived Saturday all the way from Canada!
They were beautifully wrapped and I also received an extra parcel!

Mr P thought I was mad taking photo's of all the different stages of unwrapping, but it has to be done so that I can get all excited when I look at the photo's again and again!

I received my three little birds, which are beautiful and each little bird had a thank you card with a magnet button, these magnets are so handy, I have two of the birds hung on the magnets by my laptop in the kitchen, and the duck egg blue bird is hanging on one of my cupboard door handles in the kitchen. The extra parcel was a little swatch of fabric with 3 herbal teas....

My beautiful felt picture from Fi at Marmalade Rose arrived Thursday, the postman caught me as I was walking with Daniel down to the Village cafe, I was so excited I nearly died!
Now I know this is suppose to be my Valentines present but as I was on my way to the villlage cafe I thought it rude to sit there and not open it!

With a crowd of onlookers I worked my way into it through the many layers of bubble wrap and cardboard.
Finally there it was in all its beautifulness!

I was so pleased with my first ever purchase of a piece of artwork by someone else and spent all morning showing everyone!

It astounds me though, that some people commented that I could have made it myself, okay with training and a little time possibly I could have but why keep trying to do everything yourself?
why not embrace those that already have those wonderful abilities and purchase their work, and revel in their talent! It seems to be a habit of creative people to see something and think
" pah I could do that myself"
and then you find you never get around to it and you still have nothing beautiful and inspiring to look at!
Thank you Fi! I love your work and your hair raising ordeal to fetch it from the shop will be told to my children and their children as it is passed from generation to generation!

I am one very lucky gal!
Thank you Mr P for letting me splurge!
I am feeling much chirpier now, surrounded by my lovely new things

Bye for now
Alex
x

Chilly Tilly.......

Chilly Tilly indeed.....

The lamp in my garden is garlanded with cobwebs that have been bejewelled by Jack and his frost fairies.....
The seed heads look like snowflakes and the branches and twigs seem to have sprouted ice flowers and buds.
I so love the cold dry days as apposed to the cold wet days but if the forecast is anything to go by we will have rain later this week.
As we only have the open fire in the lounge and an oil filled radiator at the top of the stairs I am quite proud that I have managed to keep the house at a tepid 13 degrees c so far today..... Yeovilton air base registered the temperature as -8 this morning so I am more than happy with 13.

Well Christmas is over and Jamie has returned to school, due to the flood they have brought in 2 temporary classrooms and they are hoping to get years 1 and 2 back to school on Monday (12th) as I understand it everything is in a bit of a muddle and a little of a tight squeeze but I am sure it is an adventure for the children.
As they have no hall to do PE in and very little playground that isn't covered with skips and workman's vehicles they are venturing out on a lot of welly walks, needless to say Jamie is very tired when she gets home from school.


Christmas seems like a dim memory as everything slips back to reality, I received so many lovely gifts this year that I felt wonderfully loved, Mr P spoilt me rotten and showered me in gifts which all fitted me and were things that I have seen but never felt deserving off. Jamie and Daniel had a lovely Christmas and Daniel being 3 wondered out loud on Boxing day morning why Santa hadn't left more gifts under the tree!

I didn't have to cook a Christmas dinner this year as we visited my Mum and Dad's, unfortunately I awoke Christmas morning with the threat of a chesty cold, I survived till the end of father in laws birthday on the 27th whereupon I succumbed to the inevitable, curled up on the settee and died!
Everything I seemed to eat made me dissolve into coughing fits and with the sneezing and shivering I must have been a sight to behold.... I am still coughing and feel a little spaced out but hey ho! 'tis the season to cough and splutter!



As its a chilly day I think its got to be porridge for us, breadcrumbs, grated cheese and stale cake for the birds, carrot, fresh water, dried food and cabbage for the guinea pig and some biscuits for the dog and the household is fed.



I am looking forward to a cup of tea and a slice of my Christmas cake,
I followed a recipe in the Christmas Good Food magazine for a light Christmas cake and it is really nice and nutty. I have never made a Christmas cake or even iced a cake before and I loved doing it, what a fantastic excuse to be creative with icing and marzipan. I may well start making birthday cakes instead of buying them.

Its Daniels birthday at the end of the month and it is on a Saturday so we are all off for the day to Haines Motor Museum (he is a typical boy and loves anything with an engine), I can't remember the last time we went out for the day as a family but I have decided that I am making all efforts to reclaim the traditional family weekend.
Instead of trying to cram the shopping, DIY and all the other mundane stuff into the only 2 days we are all at home I am going to try my best to do at least one fun thing as a family.
Perhaps fly a kite, or go to the beach or visit a stately home, it doesn't have to cost money but we need to make good use of our time this year as Mr P may be working in the states every other month. Jamie's birthday is in February so I will have to search out something fun to do on her birthday ....
I am planning our first family holiday too!
I am going to try and book a beach hut holiday, I have found some lovely beach huts at http://www.beach-huts.com/
and some of them have sleeping accommodation, I think it would be a fantastic adventure to sleep practically on the beach, Jamie is very excited at the prospect...

I hope you all had fantastic Christmas's and I wish you health, wealth and happiness for the New Year.

*A*