what i love most about the festive season is all the hugs!

everyone is feeling a bit happier and soppy

i don't do cards, i give out hugs

some people are great huggers and some aren't

so this new year's eve, hug as many people as you can whilst they're all feeling groovy (and drunk) and get a dose of the best (and free) medicine

HAPPY HUGGY NEW YEAR!

2012

we have been thinking about what we can expect in 2012

it's a leap year so ladies can propose marriage to gentlemen

it is the chinese year of the dragon

the olympics are in london

(and apparently they are bringing back vintage red double decker buses for the occasion!)

the queen has her diamond jubilee so we get to put up bunting, dress in union jacks, drink tea, eat cake and have a day off work

United Nations International Year of Sustainability for All

my dad is going to be 70

i'm getting married

ellie is leaving home

lottie is going to be cheerful
(ok, so the last 3 aren't going to happen but i remain hopeful!)

secret santa

whilst watching trashy dvds in bed with lottie and egon, a package was dropped through our letterbox

bike lights from santa!

(the only person who knows i leave for work at 1.30am or 3.30am or 5.30am is my neighbour who also is on her bike then whilst taking her dog for a run...i don't have lights on my bike as i am dressed in sainsburys high-visibility orange so figure i can be seen...but the fact someone 1. noticed and 2. cared about my safety and 3. acted on that thought)

or it really was santa!

fantasy lesson

today's imagination exercise

it is nearly midnight, new year's eve and you can kiss anyone who lights your fire

mummy's choices:

mr eddie izzard

sir bob geldof

lottie's choices:

spencer from 'made in chelsea'

(what crap do i let my kids watch?)

derren brown

(she knows he is gay but says he's so amazing that he has to be on her list...and actually i agree with her)

ellie's choice:

nathan from 'misfits'

she also understands the derren brown thing

so have a think and smile whilst making your list!

old couples still wholeheartedly in love

tis a lovely thing

i want this job!

confetti testers for new years eve in times square, nyc

yuletide felicitations

boo waiting for FC with his grandma on xmas eve

stocking time on mummy's bed

pressies under the tree

an excited puppy opening his stocking

jaycee and boo with full tummies from treats in their stockings and turkey dinner

sleeping it off in front of the best fire in the world

we hope you had as lovely a day as we did full of magic, fairydust, snowflakes and love

best card ever!

lottie received this in the post from a home-schooling friend

isn't it fabulous?!

festive baking

festive coloured play dough cookies with edible glitter

cool yule

starry mince pies

gingerbread for the big man

apple pie

a very productive afternoon for lottie and ellie

(with a minor detour midway as mummy didn't have plain flour for pastry)

the power of words

someone made my day/week/month/year/decade

upon discovering i was single, they were shocked "because i'm lovely"

give someone you know a compliment today...

(you might just make them as happy as i have been since hearing it)

hear, hear!

spain

i have decided that i would quite like to visit spain

this is the crystal palace in madrid...pretty impressive architecture on the outside

but look at the magic inside!

then barcelona has great offerings too

lottie hates architecture, ellie is too hormonal...anyone want my kids for a weekend?

we are on boo and jaycee alert

christmas gifts

penguin and snowman glycerin soaps smelling of candy canes!

our christmas cake

is super mario

what else?

lottie's lush party

for my secondborn's 10th birthday she had her her done at the salon, out to lunch with grandad, pizzahut with everyone for dinner then to her party at lush

cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda and glycerin, dash of orange oil

squished together

shaped into bars

wrapped and left to dry

makes one very creamy, smelly bubble bar

then we all got £10 each to spend except lottie who got £30 because it is her birthday

a great day

lush cupcakes

for her party at lush for her birthday we made

2 lots of cupcakes shaped like lush bars

gingerbread house

ruby red slippers

(alas discontinued)

on a bitterly cold day as today, what should we do?

watch 'scrooged' and make smores by the fire

christmas glitterfest

lottie had a friend round and they had an afternoon of crafts

all made from toilet roll tubes

and smothered in glitter

you should have seen the state of my floor

she is a winner

the library were having a 'name the bear' competition and lottie decided to guess 'lottie' as the name

we got a call later to say she had got the name right and she is now the proud owner of lottie

2 lotties in my house...can i cope?

got the tree this weekend

but it's sat in the garden until the shed is built to put the bikes in that currently take up all the room in the lounge so there's no room for the tree at the moment and we don't put it up until 18th after lottie's had her birthday but if you leave it until then there's nothing left but sparse 3ft rejects

christmas can be a bit complicated

charlie and lola

we adore charlie and lola

we especially adore the magazine

every halloween and xmas we get it to do all the festive stuff

the xmas mag this year shows you how to make a snowy scene

and a patchwork quilt for lola

lottie and i had a lovely peaceful relaxing hour making these

martha bakes

martha stewart is now appearing on food network

she made mile high apple pie and lottie wanted to do the same

8oz plain flour

4oz butter

pinch salt 1 egg

cold water

bind to make pastry and chill for 30mins

10 apples peeled and cut into big chunks

butter

cinnamon

1 tablespoon flour

mix to make filling

roll out pastry and fit tin, fill with mix, top with pastry

bake 30mins 200C

oh my!

"the bell still rings for me"

hokey pokey

200g sugar and 4 tablespoons syrup

heated for 4mins until becomes coppery-coloured

add 1 tablesppon bicarbonate of soda

pour into a buttered tray and leave to harden

great covered in chocolate for a home-made crunchie

or

crushed into vanilla ice-cream to make honeycomb flavour!

lottie learnt about how the bicarb whooshed lots of air into the mix to make it fluff up