I’ve really enjoyed this week. It has felt very festive without the usual rush 🙂 I began the week with some editing, a homemade hazelnut latte and some extremely buttery cinnamon toast 🙂 It felt like the perfect way to celebrate my alone time and my opportunity to write without interruptions 🙂
I called into a little farm shop I go to sometimes to get flowers and eggs. It has opened a bigger shop for Christmas with Christmas trees, wreaths and natural decorations. I got a little packet of dried chillies, oranges and cinnamon sticks and I put them in a little bowl on our table as a decoration 🙂 I got the girls’ advent calendar out. Every year, I fill the drawers with foil covered Christmas chocolates 🙂 After about four days, it becomes a bit repetitive but they get different ones on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 🙂
My dad treated us to ice-cream in Mauds, so I took the girls after school one day. It was freezing so I had some hot chocolate instead 🙂 It was the nicest hot chocolate I’ve ever had 🙂 The girls loved the fact their Christmas foliage had mini jars of Nutella in it 🙂
I made some white chocolate chip cookies and a wheat bread made with yeast from a Youtube channel I like to watch 🙂 I was in the mood to make lots of things this week. I got my new book published. It is called Knotweed and it’s about a plant that takes over and some strange neighbours. It’s available on Amazon on Kindle and paperback now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Knotweed-Keelan-LaForge-ebook/dp/B09MSDXWDC/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=keelan+laforge&qid=1638719684&sr=8-1
My daughter needed a festive hairband for school so I made one with some fake poinsettia we had 🙂 I thought she’d be disappointed I didn’t have a Santa hat for her, but she seemed happy with it. I also decided to make some Christmas earrings for myself. I had Christmas pudding ones that broke last year. So I turned some gold baubles and grape decorations into earrings 🙂 It was a relaxing activity to do in the evening when the girls were in bed 🙂
On Friday, when the girls got out of school, we walked to the library. On the way, we had to stop at the fairy tree that had been decorated with lights. The person that makes the castles, etc for the tree had put up a wooden tree they made with lights on it too. We got lots of books in the library. You’re allowed to get double the number at the moment, so the girls took full advantage of that and I struggled to carry them home 😀
I got them each a Christmas activity books from Home Bargains for 69p. It kept them entertained and my daughter made presents for friends by attaching the gift tags that came in the book to lollipops 🙂
We made pizza and watched a silly film. I love just sitting beside the Christmas tree 🙂 I seem to spend much more time in the living room while it’s up 🙂
On Saturday, we went to the folk museum. The girls were delighted to see the pretend snow there again 🙂 We stopped in the pub for some mulled punch and had a chat with the lady there. We had a walk around the town and went to the cafe for a mince pie/crisps for fussier eaters 🙂 I love the traditional decorations they have there and the fact they use patterned china plates 🙂 It was peaceful sitting looking out the window too. We went into the church and they had the fire lit there for the first time I remember. I love the simplicity of the Christmas tree too 🙂 They were making different foods to sample in a few of the houses. The girls tried some Christmas pudding and crackers with onion chutney and one of them liked them 🙂 We visited the donkeys and fed them some hay 🙂 Then, we called into the printers and he showed the girls how to print pictures and gave them one each to take home. We finished with a visit to a little house where the girls made cinnamon toast over the fire 🙂 We paid a quick visit to the sweetshop and the girls got a lolly each on the way out.
When we got home, I felt inspired to try to make my own chutney. I never made it before so I tried a recipe for an onion one. It worked out really well after I remembered how to sterilise jars 🙂
I’m going to continue this post in another as it’s getting quite long 🙂
The Funky Thrifter 