Random bits and bobs

1. My blogging mojo seems to have disappeared at the moment and I'm not sure where it went! I don't really have anything relevant to share and because I have closed my shops for Christmas I can't bombard you with pretty pictures of things that you can buy from me :)

2. Pretty pictures - I have resisted the lure of Pinterest throughout the whole of this year and fingers crossed I can resist next year as I know it will suck up so much of my time! Here are some pretty pictures I have found elsewhere though.

From here

Isn't this cool? Maybe as a funky tattoo? :)

From here

This is just too pretty (even though I don't like snow!) Maybe now that we have a 4x4 rather than a crappy automatic I will like it a little more!

3. We are getting there with being organised for Christmas and we just have a few presents to wrap up. I haven't, however, written any cards yet. Better crack on with that really!

4. My house, however, is not ready for Christmas. It was beautifully tidy on Friday and then we had a party once school had broken up at 2pm. Lots of good food, very good company and well behaved kids but there are now toys everywhere!! 12 kids + toys = a big mess! I wouldn't hesitate to do it again though as it was such a fun afternoon/evening!

5. I have come to the conclusion that although I love a reasonably tidy house I am in fact, too lazy to tidy it myself. I need a cleaner/tidyer. Any volunteers?

6. I think that is enough random bits and bobs for one day. Byeeeeee!

Peppermint bark

If you saw me prattling on Twitter yesterday you may have seen me mention Peppermint bark. I first saw it on Soule Mama a couple of years ago but resolved to make some this year.

And it tastes delicious! I made double the amount and there was enough for 6 gift bags full (4 have been given away to friends already) with a bit left over for us. And 24 hours after making it there is some left - amazing!

*for UK readers the heavy cream in the recipe is the same as double cream in the UK :) Oh and I would recommend keeping it it the fridge - the middle layer melted a bit when left on the side.

I'm going for a walk - do you fancy coming?

Those were the words muttered to my friend Susan on Thursday morning :) She said yes which I *think* she may have lived to regret later!

We walked up to this reservoir which is about a mile from Susan's house and one which I go to regularly. We had a nice walk round it and were on our way home when I mentioned that there was another way home and it would be more picturesque than walking along the road. Admitted I didn't know exactly whereabouts this route came out but I had walked it once before many years ago. So we set off on this path and eventually found the road we wanted. However to get back to Susan's house we would have had to walk up quite a big hill so I suggested that we try and go across the fields. A lady walking her dogs was very helpful at this point and said yes there was a path that way that would bring us out near the golf club which was roughly where we wanted to be. She also said that it wasn't much of a path but you could get along it (Susan stop laughing now!)

Me on 'the path' - the first part anyway. 'The path' is in inverted commas as that is how Susan kept referring to it!

'The path' was so good that it had lots of signs next to it suggesting that you might like to take care as there were steep drops and slopes. All was going well on 'the path' until we walked across a field that lead to the golf course. Then this happened.

Whilst crossing a particular boggy piece of grass I stepped on what looked like a lump of grass and indeed it was a lump of grass but it was perched quite nicely over a bog rather than on solid ground! Luckily as I stepped into the bog I landed on a hefty piece of grass that supported my weight.

Mmmmmmmm mud mixed with what smelt like cow muck! Mmmmmmm :)

I got some stares with that leg when we got back to the main road I can tell you! And please note that Susan took photographs of me in the bog before coming to help (she is a photographer after all) She also laughed but then so did I as it was bloody funny. Especially when only a few minutes before I had been talking about someone else I know who had fallen into a 3 foot hole that her husband had dug in the garden (he neglected to tell her and she was bringing in the washing in the dark!)

 I'm taking Susan and another friend walking on Monday but I have promised to stick to paths rather than 'paths' :)

P.S. Don't forget that my raffle for Japan ends at 12 midday GMT tomorrow so get in before then if you want to get your hands on lots of Swirlyarts goodies!

Cute!

If you follow me on Twitter then you will have seen that on Monday I had a little friend helping me out while his mum had some things to do. I had lots of parcels to pack so he came up with me to the study while I wrote out address etc to send the said parcels to.

He really liked the Fisher Price school desk - especially banging the magnets around and posting them off the side of the spare bed!

He was also entranced when the phone rang as we have one of those old fashioned ones :)

What I had forgotten is how tricky it can be to get things done when you have a little one around - simple things like getting down twisty stairs with packaging and a baby to hold!!