Blogmas Day Fourteen - Snowball Girl, Llama Lad and Fruit Pastilles

 

So, that's where Snowball Girl went to!!

She was lurking in drawer number fourteen of my recycled calendar from last year.  From this years I got dark marmalade and some fennel seeds.  Now I don't really like fennel as a herb or seasoning, but they will be sown and put at the back of the beds in the garden as the birds and insects LOVE the tiny flowers.

Why is there a jar of fruit pastilles in the photo you might be asking yourself ... well they were on offer at just one pound a bag when I ordered some Christmas sweeties from the Conscious Candy Company so I treated myself to four bags and tipped the contents into an empty jar.

This was one of the last of my ordered things to arrive and now it's time to wind all purchases down ready for next year.  It's nice to have a splurge every now and then if you are able but it's even better to know when enough is enough

Bought at the same time as Snowball Girl and from the same shop was Llama Lad, seen here peeking out behind one of the nightlight holders.  He's lucky that he was too tall to fit into the drawers!!

Sue xx

Blogmas Day Thirteen - Jugs, Radishes and a Pasta Bake

 

Today's Advent calendar offerings are my little Emma Bridgewater jug, a packet of radish seeds and some lovely dark jam.

My gorgeous little jug will go near the top of the tree in pride of place.

It's been so cold that I've not been fancying salad at all , so two whole packs of tomatoes were still in the fridge from a couple of weeks ago.  Last night I decided to roast them along with the oldest of the onions and a couple of garlic cloves from the freezer and make myself a nice warming pasta bake for my tea.

After forty minutes in the oven I tipped them into my Nutribullet cup and whizzed the lovely tomatoey, garlicky mixture up and poured it over some dry pasta along with some frozen spinach pellets and another cup of water

Half an hour later I had a gorgeous pasta bake and some garlic bread, with enough over to be able to repeat the meal tomorrow.  So garlicky and so tasty.

Sue xx

Blogmas Day Twelve - Health and Safety for Santa

 

Photographing my Advent calendar goodies in a different place for a change.  

This feels like it's getting too samey ... anyone fed up yet?

Today seeds as you can see are Kale and the jam is marmalade, and in the Christmas tree recycled decorations calendar I have some little acorn type things, I can't remember what sort of tree these come from but they are real.

The little tree is starting to fill up nicely.

Meanwhile, outside the lodge the pavements are sheer ice, although the roads, once you are off our little cul-de-sac, have been gritted.  It was the Santa Run in town yesterday, downscaled to a Santa Walk for health and safety reasons.

We can't have two hundred Santa's breaking their legs now can we. 🎅

Sue xx

Blogmas Day Eleven - Oscar Wilde, Ballerina Mouse ... and an Overflowing Trolley

 

Day eleven of the Advent calendars, and I now have Tarragon seeds, another mini jar of jam and my little wooden stocking bought from the gift shop in Llanrwst when we lived in Wales.  I always like the tree to be decked with things that bring back memories.

To quote  Oscar Wilde ... 'I can resist everything except temptation.'

Wandering around Aldi, getting the few bits and pieces that I needed and buying some more treat type shopping for the Foodbank trolley I spied the Ballerina Mouse, one of Kevin the Carrot's friends and decided to treat myself.

I know, I'm just a big kid ... but a happy one.  😁

And I was even happier when I took my purchases to add to the Foodbank trolley and found it overflowing.  I went and got a cardboard box and piled my things into it and left it alongside the trolley.  People in our town are so kind-hearted.

Sue xx

Blogmas Day Ten - Lights, Fires and YouTube

Todays Advent calendar offerings, the usual jam, some chard seeds ... and somehow I managed to fit all that tinselly garland and it's battery pack into that little drawer.  No wonder it was such a tug of war to get the drawer open!!

And here's Mavis sat in front of the 'fire'.  I wonder if she realised she wasn't getting any warmer!!

Now for a change here's some Weekend Watching.

Just a few channels from YouTube that I'm enjoying at the moment.  This first one is hilarious and most of her other videos are similarly honest, sarcastic and amusing.

https://youtu.be/8E41wJnMc30

And one of my current real favourites - Freakin Frugal

https://youtu.be/SmUdxmgDSzw

I'm always amazed at how much food is thrown away, but at least with Frugal Mommy and Daddy on the case, some of it gets used by them and donated forwards.

And a recent find is Little Mountain Ranch, a large family living on a ranch in chilly Canada, with lots of cooking, lots of snow and lots of fun.

https://youtu.be/b7pqhbxSzoc

I'm just glad I don't have look after animals anymore or step outside in those sorts of temperatures.

Hope you have a lovely weekend.

Sue xx

Blogmas Day Nine - You know it's Christmas when ...

 

You know it's Christmas when ... it suddenly feels totally acceptable to have a mince pie or two with your first coffee of the day and simply call it Breakfast!!

I got out some of the more Christmassy of last years Advent Calendar socks yesterday ready for action, but when I got up this morning my feet were so cold that the thermal 'normal' socks were put on instead.  Most of the socks have been in constant wear all year but these four pairs I saved for this Christmas once last January had passed.

You can see the full array of the socks that I got in the 12 day sock Advent calendar last year on THIS post.

And here are todays offerings from my jam and seed Advent calendars, well actually today it's orange marmalade along with the mustard seeds.  

In the recycled Christmas decorations calendar, todays contents were quite special.  The tiny Welsh love spoon that Alan put in my stocking a couple of years ago and a holly sprig and tinsel saved from a Christmas cracker.

How would you finish the sentence - You know it's Christmas when ...

Sue xx

Blogmas Day Eight - Parsley, Chocolate and a Very Festive Cat

 

Today's Advent calendar offerings are a jar of jam and Parsley seeds.  

Now I have never successfully managed to grow parsley.  I've tried it in a greenhouse, in the polytunnel, on various kitchen windowsills ... facing in all directions and even from scratch outdoors.  It germinates, takes one look at me and then keels over and dies.  

I really do think it's just me that it doesn't like as I bought a potted parsley plant from Aldi a few weeks ago brought it home, it took it just over a day for it to start looking very sorry for itself.  In a fit of 'bugger off then you ungrateful plant' I planted it roughly in the tin bath outside the front door and said 'There I hope the frost kills you' and shut the door on it ... it's flourishing!!

I will follow the instructions on this packet to the letter and see if I can break this vicious cycle.

Also in the photo are my current two favourite chocolates.  The Vegan Blonde bar from Aldi and the NOMO Reindeer, which would be an excellent purchase for the stocking of any of your children or grandchildren that need dairy-free goodies ... and for me any day of the week stocking or no stocking, just because I'm a grown up and I can.  😁

And for your delight and delectation, a very festive pussy cat.

Like all cats, Ginger does love a good box or basket to sit in at his leisure.

Sue xx