Well I was going to bake up a storm this morning but the storm outside has put paid to that. I got the Oat and Cranberry Cookies (a variation on THIS recipe) done with no problem but during the baking of the Victoria Sponge the lights were flickering on and off and so I decided not to prepare anything else in case we had a power cut........and I was so looking forward to the coconut cake :(
The thing I hate about baking is the washing up but it's all done and put away and the kitchen has had a good clean. Just the floor to hoover and mop when hubby gets up and that is a few jobs ticked off the list.
The meatballs I made yesterday will save me some time at teatime today. They are being served with Garlic and Parmesan Roast Potatoes and sauteed green beans. That means extra minutes to spend having cuddles with me Doodle which are very precious.
Thanks for dropping by.
Sheila-x-
Goodness me.....I didn't realise it was so long since I did a post. The weeks are just whipping by.
I am getting a little behind with list of 101 things to do before Christmas as I have been feeling just a tad lacksadaisical after the rotten cold I've just had. Today though it seems that the mojo is back and I should be ticking things off again.
Unusually for us DD and I have just spent two evenings at the cinema. Sunday we saw The Lady In The Van. It was fabulous and I am still giggling at the lumpy yellow paint. All will become clear if you go and see it. So funny.
Last night we saw Brooklyn and loved that too so I can't wait until both films come out on DVD.
Our cinema tends to show adverts of the kind you see on tv rather than trailers for upcoming films but last night we did actually see one for Bridge Of Spies so that has gone on my must see list.
It's been rather cold here today so I have been snuggling up the cooker. There was veg left on Sunday after our roast lunch so I used it up making a Pork and Vegetable pie. I pulled out a large pack of minced pork and simmered half of it in some stock with some sauteed onions and herbs, thickened the stock and added the veg and a chopped apple then topped it of with suet crust pastry and baked until the pastry was lovely and crunchy. We've just finished tea and it went down very well indeed with hubby who is on nights and needs a full tummy to see him through and DD who has been working out in the cold and wet all day.
The other half of the pork was made into meatballs and simmered in a tomato sauce ready for tea tomorrow so that I can spend the day baking. I've not been that organised for weeks.
Looking forward to cuddles with Ruby tomorrow. She was poorly all weekend but is getting better now. I bet she will be wanting her tomato soup for tea.
Righto......I had best go and wash the pots and clean the bottom of the oven as the pie leaked. I always forget to put it on a tray.
Bye for now.
Sheila-x-
Halloween night is also my daughter in laws birthday so we decided to throw her a party at our house. Just them and us but we really enjoyed it. Ruby was thrilled with it.
We ate spooky food such as Beetle Wings, Slugabeds, Bog Soup with Twisty Bones, Skelly Jelly and Zombie Brain Cake and drank Liquid Sky and Scummy Pond Water. All very normal edibles but so much creepier when renamed.
A ghost in the garden. An empty milk bottle decorated with a friendly ghost face then filled with water and glow sticks.
Didn't want to make the pumpkins too scary for Ruby so cheeky faces were in order.
I do love doing themed parties but I did pay for spending all Saturday on my feet cooking and conjuring up goodies. I could barely move on Sunday and hubby ended up cooking the roast bless him.
Now we get to my favourite time of year........preparing for Christmas.......yay!!!
There are decorations to finish, tiny gifts to find for the quilted advent calendar I have made for Ruby, quilts to finish and another 101 jobs which I have on my list......I am in my element.
Thanks for dropping by.
Sheila-x-
Sock snowmen. Aren't they just too cute for words?
I saw these while having a trawl through You Tube and just had to have a go. These are quite tall (6.5inches) and made from sport socks for men.
They were a bit of trial and error as the first socks I bought were just ladies ankle socks but they were too thin and the rice they are filled with has a very slight yellow tinge and it showed through.
No matter though as I can use those for the hats and get two snowmen from the sport socks.
Just in the middle of a very nasty cold at the moment which has been passed on by dear hubby and I still haven't made a start on layering and tying the quilt for Ruby as when I was scraping up the carpet backing the other day I split my thumb open and have been unable to sew. I can put a little pressure on it now so hopefully I can make a start tomorrow.
Miss Doodle is away at the seaside this week so I won't see her until Saturday when they are all coming here for DIL's Halloween birthday party. Can't wait to decorate the dining room on Friday ready for it.
Right I'm off to bag my seat for Downton. Can't believe there are only two more to go after this one and then the Christmas episode.
Thanks for stopping by
Sheila-x-
These top hats were such a lovely project to make.
The brim is an old CD sandwiched between two layers of felt and I used a postal tube cut into lengths of about 3.5 inches and covered with felt. They are very sturdy.
Honestly.....all the dry days we have had and the day I am planning to go out and tidy up the borders in the front garden it is thrashing it down with rain.
Instead I have been preparing to replace four and a half of the new carpet tiles in the dining room which hubby ruined when he knocked a candle off the side in the kitchen. I told him to leave it to set and that I would iron it up but oh no he has to go and interfere and irons the damn carpet on a high cotton setting....I'll leave you to imagine the mess. It's not an easy job....... I couldn't pull the tiles up so had to wait for him to do it and then half the backing got left stuck to the floor and I am having to soak it off with warm water and then scrape it. I could weep.
My Doodle will be here for her tea today and I shall have to make the most of our couple of hours as she won't be here next week. It's half term and she is off to the seaside with mummy and daddy.
Well back to my scraping and then I need to leave the floor to dry before I can lay the new tiles.
Thanks for dropping by.
Sheila-x-
