I make New Years Resolutions every year.  I break most of them before the end of January but I love to make them as I love the positivity they bring you with a new year, new start kind of mentality! 

I plan to post a new Mission Statement of the Day, every day in January- until I run our of ideas! 


Oh and all the best for the New Year- hope 2012 is a fab one for you!
x

I had an image in my head of how Christmas would be- perfect! A dreamy white Christmas with my children wearing their new pj's, opening the lovingly wrapped gifts. Me and hubby sipping bubbles, relaxing and eating a fab Christmas lunch with the little darlings. I was on course up until the night before Christmas Eve, when my 2 year old, started with sickness and diarrhea. After chucking up on bedding, pj's, the carpet and me we spent Christmas Eve nursing a very weary little man. Christmas morning arrived and Alfie was still struggling to hold a smile not having kept anything down. The washing machine had not stopped and my little buddy didn't even want to look at a gift! On the other hand Harry, my enthusiastic 6 year old, developed wrap frenzy and couldn't stop himself from opening everything- his own gifts, my gifts, hubby's gifts and he even attempted to open Alfie's gifts until we removed the temptations from his tunnel vision- MUST OPEN WRAPPING PAPER NOW!!!

Dinner was fab, we drank bubbles and by the afternoon Alfie even picked up enough to eat a bit and open some gifts (Harry was literally foaming at the mouth watching Alfie as Harry had already opened everything!). We Skyped family and the World seemed a slightly smaller place.

One major factor we had almost counted upon was the White Christmas element.  Everyone said that it was a given that it would snow here at Christmas!  We had been sold a duff deal!  No snow!   Every Canadian we speak to thinks this weather is great, as a short winter is preferable to residents who have lived through the -30 temps year after year! 










Putting out the Reindeer Food




Boxing Day arrived and it was Harry's turn to spend the night throwing up on pj's, beds, the floor and hubby!  I led in bed thinking what a bloody disaster Christmas had been! 

I woke in the morning and over my coffee I was angry with myself!  I had built up in my head what I thought was a perfect Christmas and I realised its not about that.  My children had a great time this week, all in all.  They got some fab gifts and we spoke to all of our family via the computer.  We chilled out with no obligations to go anywhere or do anything.  We stayed in our pj's and the kids played with their new toys happily.  We had no snow but it didn't rain constantly.  The North of England sees lots of rain- all year round!  Think grey and damp! 

One very special part of Christmas was watching some old movies, snuggled up on the sofa together.  I associate these films with my childhood and Christmas.  The kids loved them and I did too!  Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks- Absolute Classics!! 

Christmas is not about a perfect image.  Christmas to me is about family and my children.  They loved it, so that must be a perfect Christmas. 

Hope you had a fab Christmas?
x

I read other blogs and they like to give things away.  It may be a voucher or a homemade item.  Bloggers also like to give away parts of themselves.  I see answers to imaginary questions and snippets of the things they like and dislike.  It's the getting to know you part of blogging.  You may never meet, but by sharing a part of you there is a connection.  That connection may lead to a new follower on your blog and so it continues. 

So my virtual friends (I feel I can call you that, as you are reading this now), what to give away?  I could tell you things about me?  I could share what I am wearing?  I do love outfit of the day posts, its like people watching from my own home and I love seeing what people wear.  I don't own a crafty shop to give away my home made treats, so what can I offer? 

The two things I am good at is collecting cookery books and being a Master Butcher.  So what I give to you is my knowledge.  Need a recipe for that random ingredient in the cupboard- let me know, I might be able to help you find it?  Ever wondered where your steak came from or which part of the pig a pork butt came from- and before you try and answer, its not it's actual butt!

I may get no questions, but hopefully if I do I can help and for now thats my idea of a giveaway- until maybe I actually have something to give away.

The Butcher & Recipe hotline is now open! 





I set up that counter, if you were wondering.

This is what a random Sunday in my house looks like.........

To start with I would like to say that I don't mind wrapping gifts.  They may not be perfect with straight edges that line up but they usually look good when they are the right way up- don't ask me about the bottom where all the folds and tape are!  I like a nice bit of string and ribbon and this year even adorned my packages with festive stickers that match the labels.  My issue is with what I have to wrap.  Has anyone else noticed that companies have created a whole new style of packaging that is set on different angles with sharp edges and big bits stuck out at the front and back!  What is this about- do they take pleasure knowing the hassle it will cause us happy wrappers? 






I know that you should always buy good paper- cheap paper is more hassle than it is worth with ripped corners and hard to fold edges once it is applied to any package.  I also know it helps to be organised with all of the wrapping supplies easily to hand.  So armed with my good paper and supplies I set off to cover the gifts and its not long before you find a strange corner on a box or a sticky out bit that just tears through the paper- this all leads to one thing, WRAP RAGE!! 





After taking a few deep breaths, I calm and resume wrapping.  You then come to the gift that no matter what you do it is obvious what it is, even covered in paper, wrapped in a bow its bloody obvious its a Toblerone.  Its a small triangle box, what else is it going to be!  You ask yourself, why am I wrapping this?  What is the point? 

I already know the answer, the point is the joy on my children's face as the paper is torn in a frenzy from everything within grabbing range.  I lost the right to open my own gifts when I had children, as it always seems they volunteer to take paper off anything regardless if it is for them or not!  I suppose its why pass the parcel is so exciting- you always knew whatever was in the middle wouldnt be the most exciting prize, its the anticipation and excitement of taking the paper off.  I loved pass the parcel and I love Christmas so I will just have to make more Mulled Wine (this is a must in the wrapping supply list) and remain a happy wrapper.  I will think of the smiling faces tearing my hard wrapping work up on Christmas Day and its not so bad after all!

I have been reading Christmas stories and poems to my children at bedtimes and I found a book that I had as a child.  In it I rediscovered my favourite poem- sure you will remember this one too Mum:

For fifty weeks I've languished
Upon the cupboard shelf
Forgotten and uncared for
I've muttered to myself
But now the year is closing
And Christmas time is here
They dust me down and tell me
To show a little cheer
Between the plaster snowman
And little glassy lake
They stand me in the middle
Of some ice covered cake
And for a while there's laughter
But as the week wears on
They've cut up all the landscape
Till every scrap is gone
Then with the plaster snowman
And little lake of glass
I'm banished to the cupboard
For one more year to pass

© Colin West

• 280g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 75g sugar
• 1 egg
• 240ml buttermilk
• 60ml water
• 90ml vegetable oil or melted butter 
• 12 teaspoons of mincemeat
• Few pinches of cinnamon

1.  Prepare 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases and heat oven to 190 C/ 385 F
2. Mix flour, bicarb, salt and sugar in a bowl
3. In a separate jug/bowl beat the egg and add the buttermilk, oil and water
4. Mix the wet with the dry till all the flour is incorporated, but do not over mix- gentle and lazy is the way to go with muffins!  It will look lumpy, but this is good- trust me!
5. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases to come just under half way full
6. Spoon a teaspoon of mincemeat into each one (see picture)
7. Then spoon more mixture over the top (just like next picture)

8. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, tops will be slightly brown and the muffin will spring back when pressed gently. 















9. Once out of the oven simply pinch a sprinkle of cinnamon on the top for a truly festive flourish

• 1 bottle of drinkable red wine (don't go wild but you should never consider cooking with wine you wouldn't like to drink by itself!)
• The peeled zest or 1 orange
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 4 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 4 tablespoons of honey

This is a fabulous English pudding that is a miracle of low effort, high reward cooking. 

• 600ml double/heavy/whipping cream
• 140g sugar
• 1 lime- zested finely and juiced
• 1 lemon- zested finely and juiced

1. Prepare your serving dishes- I like to use either shot glasses or small coffee/tea cups.  This is a very rich dessert and I like to serve it in small portions with a thin, crispy biscuit- homemade or bought, tuile or ginger for preference.  This will fill 6 ramekins (large portions) or 10-12 teacups or shot glasses.
2. Place the sugar and cream in a saucepan. 
3. Over a medium flame, heat the cream and sugar till just under the boil whilst gently stirring.
4. Take off the heat and whisk in the zest and juice.
5. Pour into dishes and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours till set. 

• You put your best hand towels in the bathroom
• You buy way too many drinks
• Your fridge is stuffed

I love parties, especially when I am hosting them.  I love the planning, the preparation and more so I love the cooking.  I love the gentle flow of the days running up to a party and seeing it all come together at the end. 

I honestly didn't think we would be hosting parties this soon after moving to a new Country, as building enough friends up to actually have a party is pretty impressive in itself!  We have been very lucky to meet people who have accepted us into their friend circle and our party was for them.  It was the very least we could do for all they have done for us. 

I will post some of the recipes this week but here is what I made:


START
Red Pepper, Cucumber and Feta Rolls
Seasonally Spiced Nuts

MAIN
Christmas Glazed Ham
Luxury Mac n Cheese
Red Salad
Christmas Coleslaw
Garlic Bread

SWEET STUFF
Lemon & Lime Posset with Almond Tuile's
Chocolate Mousse with Hoky Poky

The evening was fab.  We ate, drank and laughed a lot. 

I would like to add that we had such a good time we forgot that our little darling children love to see the sun rise in a morning and with us having gone to bed at 2am, I was less than delighted by Alfie, who at 5.30am decided he had slept enough and apparently so had I?!?  Oh the joys of being a parent! 

But it was my hubby who ended up back in bed by afternoon with a slight headache! 

No sympathy here!

Owners of children have no doubt experienced the delights of the indoor play area.  For the uninitiated its a locked, padded cell in which you release your children to burn off as much energy as possible.  They may vary in size, equipment and facilities but the padded cell element remains, this way you can sit back in the knowledge your little darlings cannot escape and you can take your well trained eye off them for a few minutes. 

Its hard work keeping your eye on children all of the time.  Try talking to a person behind a desk when your child is running away from you or pay for something as your child happily pulls at the contents of the shelf behind you- its hard work and at times you actually require your eyes to be looking in two totally opposite directions.  This is why parents turn to the solace of the indoor play area- they can bounce off the walls, climb up, climb down, slide and generally run around and you are comforted in the knowledge that they cannot open the door to escape. 

The one thing you will find in the indoor play area is the child who has a little too much steam to blow off.  They bully, push and run around like they own the facility and your child may fall victim to their boisterous ways.  You watch as they push your child off the toy they were happily playing with and you quickly check to see if bully child's parent also witnessed the event- of course they never do!  This leaves you a choice- march over and tell off bully child or usher your child away from the evil one whilst talking loudly about how some children are naughty and we don't play with them, in the vain hope that bully child's parent hears you and rushes over to get their child to apologise?  Bully child's parent never hear you!  So what do you do?  Is it right to tell off another child?  I have never done it yet and am not sure I would.  Should you go to the parent and explain what their child has been up to and that they are reigning terror on others?  I avoid confrontation at all costs so this very idea makes me uncomfortable just thinking about it. 

I have tried to think how I would feel if it was my child in the bully child role.  I would have them apologising left right and centre whilst explaining that their behaviour was very wrong.  But just maybe the reason bully child's parent came here was to have some time when they didn't have to watch their nasty child do nasty things?  Perhaps their time in the padded cell is the only sanity they get?  Either way I just make sure my trained eye is casually on my little darlings so I can check its not my child that others are looking at thinking how awfully behaved they are!

They are perfect angels of course so no need to worry! 
Perhaps ignorance is bliss!

The alarm goes off- ding, ding, bloody ding!!!!

No matter what I change the ring to, no matter that it chimes into life with my favourite song- I don't like alarm clocks!  As a matter of fact I cannot blame the alarm clock, its actually being woken up I dislike no matter what the method.  I rather prefer to wake up under my own steam than to the beeping drone of a forced wake up. 

There is another kind of wake up call in my house and it is the culprit of many of my before schedule wake ups- the children!  Firstly I must say that I have no room to complain on the whole, my children have always slept well and my insistence on a strict bedtime routine has worked its magic.  They go to bed between 7 and 7.30pm every night- apart from Friday film nights for Harry then it will be a late one!   They usually don't scream and shout in the night and peacefully sleep till morning.  What time in the morning is questionable, as I sit writing this at 6am on a Saturday morning- thanks Alfie. 

In my youth (I used to think only old people said that!), I would just be getting out of a nightclub now as they open the doors into the dim morning light and we do the walk of shame in our short skirts and less that straight makeup after 7 hours of dancing!  I would fall into bed, nursing my aching feet from silly shoes and happily doze under the covers till nearly tea time!  My vampire weekend routine was great fun but the idea of going to bed after 10pm now makes me feel grumpy as I know one of my little treasures will be up, bright and breezy and want to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with me.  My hubby and I shy away from watching films and programmes after 9pm as it will be getting late when they finish and hit record to watch them at a sensible hour! 

I suppose it happens to us all.  It's that getting old, growing up, getting responsible thing.  Thinking about it now I don't think I would thank you for taking me to my old nightclub destinations.  They were dark, noisy, smelly and I don't think I ever saw a wine list there once! 
Its official- I grew up into a sensible person!!  I am happy in my dressing gown and a cup of tea at 9pm.  I am happy to have a nice meal with my hubby with a bottle of wine to share in front of a cheesy film.  I will even take watching Mickey Mouse at silly o clock in the morning, but only until I can teach him to switch it on himself and leave me in bed on the weekends- just for an extra hour at least!