Drawing

My parents bought me some wonderful new pencil crayons for Christmas. I never thought that I had any imagination to be able to draw...but what do you know :)
I think I need to add more colour to the toadstool
Grabbing the first bit of paper to hand (Christmas card) I sketched a fairy.
and Kiki felt that she needed a purple dress :D
Harry Potter inspired sketch
Coloured in. And yes, I do realise that the perspective of the shelf is off big time :) but the kids love it.
Now I need to learn to draw my two little fireside elves...

Christmas eve and Christmas day!

Driving to my parents house on Christmas eve we passed the frozen reservoir and I had to get out and take a picture.

Driving through the hills

Once there, the kids couldn't wait to get stuck into the food, it is a big part of Christmas after all :)
The now traditional Christmas Guinness cake :o)

Googs was halfway through shouting 'merry Christmas'
The girls found the costume jewellery
and the kids tracked father Christmas online.
Oma knitted
Kiki danced with Gran
Grandad recorded the evening
and I was admiring a phone :P

Uncle S just looked confused :DAfter going to church, the kids were eager to get home and climb into bed as soon as possible in the hope that Father Christmas popped in.
And surprise, surprise, the next morning we found gifts from old St Nick!





Then back to Gran and Grandad's house for lunch and then Christmas dinner and some more presents!
It was the first time that I have ever made trifle! I think that there may have been a little too much sherry though :P very yummy!
Lol I remember doing this as a child.





Since Christmas we have just spent days together inside by the fire; playing games, reading and chatting.

4 beeswax Jesuses and a monster bread roll!

This December has been full of days in with the kids and occasionally the Grandmothers.
Here is Kiki playing dolls with her great grandmother.
I have found an amazing JO bread recipe. Uncle Willem, I think you will like this one.
Make a basic bread dough with 1kg of bread flour, 2 tbsp salt (I used half the salt), 625ml warm water, 2 tbsp sugar and 3 packets of yeast. Or use whatever basic bread recipe you like.
Make dough, knead until smooth, place in oiled bowl and leave to rise (about an hour).
Then the fun part, roll out to a metre long by about 20 cm wide.
Fill with what you like. Here I used parma ham, three types of cheeses, tomatoes and black pepper. Last time I used roasted lamb, spread the dough with mint sauce and mustard, cheese and tomatoes yummy! roll over and form into a ring and leave to rise until doubled in size.
Then bake 180 oC for about 35 minutes. The boys always flock to the kitchen when it comes out the oven.
Should feed about 12 - at least! It tastes delicious just out the oven but also the next day when the flavours have developed even more.
Since it is Jesus' birthday soon we decided to make beeswax Jesuses. Making them in front of the fire helped to soften the wax.
Kiki needed a little help with her Jesus which she has insisted is a girl :) Only 2 more sleeps!

4 more days!

Our paper nativity. Yes I know that Jesus shouldn't have made an appearance yet but it would be cruel to pry him out of Mary's arms :P
Mary and baby Jesus
The stockings are getting full! Only 4 more days left!!!
Everyone needs 7 twiggy Father Christmases to watch over the nativity :)
Another one of my Christmas delights from Germany
Snow football
And today we lit our first fire in the house!!! We have kept the fire going for 8 hours now and it is WONDERFUL!