Preparing Christmas, but…

All my cutting shapes when I was making Christmas cookies with our children.

 

Hello Friends!

Yesterday I baked mince pies for our Christmas 🎄 meeting on Saturday. 

I had the mince meat since last year when our son came for Christmas. It has been travelling from England to Dubai and back to France ! ( not a carbon free mince meat!) 😂 

I made my pastry from my old English  baking book ( from the 80’s) I used half butter and half lard and it is the British touch ! On the net they use butter only but lard makes the difference!

I did my Christmas decoration with traditional colours, but I added a pink ones  on the console for a little touch of fairytale and childhood!  

Last month I should have been to Dubai but i decided to go in January end of January.

( i didn’t tell you but I am not feeling too well for some  months. I’m I having terrible  headaches and troubles with my eyes and I have been waiting long to get better…

I don’t know if you remember but long ago when I was a baby I have been the victim of a car crash and had brain,  eyes damages and cervical vertebra and since my spine cord surgery 

I have a lot of headaches and eyes problems, so December for me will be unfortunately a busy month going to appointments. First the ophthalmologist, then ultrasound sound and MIR the day after Christmas. Anyway, I will be going to visit my son in January and see my grandsons with assistance like I did last time. I have been wanting to see if it was going to be better but now husband doctor’s orders I must do all these annoying things! 16,22, 26 of December.) it is  usually very long to get appointments so December is not too long I have no choice but to go.

It’s not great fun!

 I tasted the mince pies and they have a very good taste, I love mince pies at Christmas !

On another subject. We have a program on tv which is called “ the cleaners” these people are helping to clean and tidy very, very dirty homes. On last Sunday as it was raining I watched an episode of it. I am telling you this because I can hear my husband cleaning the bathroom right now. Each time I watch an episode he is shocked and is cleaning and tiding everything! On Sunday he tidied until late at night! It is very helpful! 😂 ( I must tell you our home is clean and tidy! But he wants it to be perfect!

So he bought their book and clean 🧽! And we finally are both involved in the process…) 🧹 🧼 

Today, I will bake Christmas cookies for our Saturday event. On the picture below there are Italian goodies Panettone we use to have one for breakfast on Christmas Day so good with a strong coffee!☕️ 

( source:ZZZOe)

Thank you for all your visits and comments!

I wish you a good day.

View from my window and very little snow!⛄️

View from my window this morning.

Hello Friends!

Today I will “keep calm and carry on” it’s very quiet here during the cold months. You’ll certainly laugh when you’re going to see the amount of snow on my outside table! But it is reassuring to have snow ⛄️ and not 17degrees C  in November! I remember in the past to have a lot of snow especially for Christmas and it was nice going to church on Christmas Eve.

I found this picture on Facebook on the Normandie site. At the moment this is the time and the place for catching scallops on our coast. There is Saint Michel Mount an abbey, the apples for our cider, Normand cows and typical Normand costume. I found it very cute.

A second one  about our coasts with fields, apple trees, lighthouse, Normand houses and cliffs.

 This is the big cheddar scone to eat with some soup.

Views of Christmas decorations 

Last night I made a butternut soup and found on a blog a big cheddar scone to eat with it. As you can see I tested it… and it’s SO tasty! Then we had grilled salmon and cooked apples 🍎 

Now it is 3 degrees C and the sun is shining! I may go out for a little walk. This weekend my husband is on duty on Saturday and we will see what to do on Sunday…

I wish you a nice day.

Christmas at home.🏠.

Pictures from London sent by my son who is still there until tomorrow.

 Hello Friends!

Today, the nurse came for my blood test and now I am making some soup.🍜 

Yesterday, I started to put some little lights on the mantel and I have some more gifts to wrap.

Nearly ready  for the grandkids arrival on Saturday evening!

I am feeling better, but I have to go to the clinic on Friday for my scan I am not very enthusiastic by that just before the kids arrival but I have my appointment!

I must go shopping this afternoon, the freezer being full but the fridge empty! 😂 

An encounter and Christmas tree

I managed to put the angel on top of the tree!

 

Working hard this morning!

I still have some lights to install 

Our big real Christmas tree 🌲 is now home!

Today the decoration will start . Last night I tried my new decorations bought in the Netherlands, but will have to take them off and put the lights on. Every year it’s a good surprise when I open the numerous Xmas boxes . In one year I often forget what we have so it’s each time a surprise!  

 Hello Friends,

Today, after cooking all day yesterday the freezer is full! So today I must decorate the tree 🌲. My Ninja oven should arrive tomorrow just on time for the chicken’s arrival. 

Last week I bought a  second hand baby bottle sterilizer, because I gave the one I had to the Red Cross thinking we did not needed anymore ( William being 7 months old now) but my DIL continues to use it, so I had to find one on “ le bon coin” ( the good corner site) and get a second hand one.so, I found one 4 kms from home.

On the site chat  💬 the young mother did not say much “ yes” “two PM” our meeting place and that’s all very unusual. When I arrived she hardly said anything even hello. She look very depressed and sad, maybe baby blues and money problems…

I already noticed she was not well in our chats and decided to put all of William’s clothes that were too small for him in my car in case she needed them.

So I bought the bottle sterilizer and she was still not saying anything. She came with me to the car and I asked her how old was her child 4 months old, I asked her if she was interested by the clothes bag and she said yes and I gave it to her. I left and I saw her staying in her car on the car park.

When I came back home I had the nicest message I ever had on the site chat with hearts and so moving words. I was very surprised and glad for her. 

We decided to keep in touch and wished  both of us  a Merry Christmas, we were strangers and by chance our paths met! 

I did not know if I had to tell you my story, but I think in those difficult days something nice in our lives is always welcomed. Don’t you think so?

Cooking and baking day!

I was doing this for Christmas when I was a child. Did you do the same?

With a little bit of oil 

( picture taken from Noel’s traditional book)

Tonight I am relaxing and looking at old Christmas books to look for new ideas.

This weekend was a busy one for my husband.

He decided to sort out all the boxes in the garage , take the old one to the rubbish and get new clean ones, he also built three shelves to put the boxes neat and clean! Now the second garage is in order!

Then we went to the discount shop to get more outside decorations and inside decorations.

Today, I made endive and apple soup with nutmeg.

And carrot soup with ground cumin.

With my new soup maker

I found bigger jars like “Bonne maman” jars

 This is the Guilty! 400 euros to have a new one installed on Friday. 😂 

Now there is a nice smell in the house! Baking a fruit cake for the freezer waiting for the children and grandchildren to arrive next week.

My appointment to the clinic is next week, for the moment I am a little better, but with 5 medicines a day, we will see

Old age 😂 .