looking back, this year in pictures...

January ~ we made lots of pasta!

February ~ it snowed and I got a nice coat!

March ~ football and dirty knees

April ~ a little man's campfire birthday and seed planting

May ~ a walk through golden fields

June ~ camping, campfires and peatini's 

July ~ a sleepover for 8 boys and elderflower picking!

August ~ blackberry picking and making into yogurt pops!

September ~ photographing a wedding and outdoor cinema night

October ~ a trip to Wales and pumpkin carving

November ~ the chickens are still laying

December ~ more snow and illness wipes us all out! 

Thank you for visiting my little space here in 2010 

Happy New Year to you all! 

here's to a great 2011

Emma x 

the pudding club...

using up the leftovers!

Grey drizzly day outside today, and at last the boys and I have felt a little more human again, although still coughing like crazy! Something a little cheery was required for tea, so I used up the Christmas panettone in little pudding dishes, to make ice cream bombs. Firstly I lined the dishes with cling film, then thinly sliced the panettone and lined the dish with it. I spread a thin layer of jam and added a good quality vanilla ice cream, adding a last layer of panettone on top before pulling up the cling film over the top, squashing down and popping in the freezer. Bring out of the freezer 20-30 mins before serving. 

2010, a whistle stop review...

spent an entire wintery weekend with the most beautiful friends in a Cotswold cottage in January.

had photographs published in Sainsbury's magazine, the BIG Issue magazine, front cover of Stroud Life newspaper, Wildlife Watch and The Wildlife Trusts publications and the book 152 Wild Things to Do.

watched my boy develop a love of playing football with his team, and his dad watch him with such pride.

sadly our village library was closed, the grade 2 building was deemed unsafe! I can't see it ever being open again in this age of spending review and cuts.

held my first ever exhibition in June, ran my first ever family 'picture picnic' workshop in July and had my first ever commission in August!

took one of my most favourite photographs ever (above) taken with my sx-70 and rejoiced with Polaroid lovers all over the world as the Impossible Project started producing film again.

our parish councillors still haven't resolved the lack of allotments and it's now been over 2 ½ years since we asked, despite a site being found a mile away (to be reached by bus - can't wait to try and get on with wheelbarrow and manure!) there are now issues over access and parking!

wiped my tears, as my little man started school, without even looking over his shoulder and as we welcomed our dear friends beautiful baby girl into the world ♥

photographed my first wedding!

I spent far too much time working, the perils of working part time with a great work load, meant I spent my spare time catching up instead of with my boys! This makes me very sad as they are growing up far too quickly and I stay up far too late at night.

in the garden we planted lots of seeds and welcomed Betty chicken and Rosie Red hen to the family!

Spent an amazing week in the wonderful Cornish tipi's again and even got to visit Wales not once but twice!

& made the most amazing birthday cake EVER!

winter ice skating party

isn't this winter ice skating party magical? I found it on the sweetest occasion website and now want to ice skate in a magical woodland clearing, just like this! Lit by candles in jars and fairy lights strung in the trees, with popcorn and jugs full of hot chocolate and hand knitted jumpers to warm you up.

Christmas is...

new needlecase

a time to indulge! Today, I had a winter warming spa treatment, bought for me by my family for Christmas 2009! I know a year, why has it taken me a whole year to take advantage of this gift? Well, I thought I would save it for the right time, the right moment when I had enough time to steal myself away, without guilt! Unsurprisingly, this moment didn't arrive, until now! It was so lovely, especially as I still haven't shaken off the lurgy!

needlecase made by tiny happy

Christmas is also a time of receiving gifts, things that I would never justify buying for myself, things like these gorgeous Hush pyjamas, a pair of fingerless mittens, a good book and the beautiful needlecase, handmade by tiny happy (pictured above). Things like this I will covet. I do hope that you were spoiled as much as I have been this Christmas?

after Christmas...

new (old) 1970's cushion

comes the big tidy! I guess new presents and days spent relaxing at home, make me want to get on with jobs around the house! I start noticing the skirting board that needs painting, the doorknobs that need replacing and the dust on the tops of picture frames! I have just 'pinched' this cushion from my mum's, she embroidered it in the 70's, I think it is perfect for my leather armchair, so that's a start, right?

Christmas is...

full of fun and games and good friends to share it with...

let the festivities commence...

Rudolf's Rocket Fuel Soup

With snow still on the ground we spent the day with good friends sledging and walking through picture postcard scenery, stopping for hot chocolate topped with 'squirty' cream! Then home for Rudolf's Rocket Fuel Soup, a butternut squash soup, with apple, parsnip, carrot, potato and paprika. Throughout the day we have been glued to Norad's Santa tracking website, following Santa across the world, getting excited as he gets closer!

Now its time to leave out a mince pie for Father Christmas and an apple for Rudolf (apparently not a carrot this year!), hang our stockings and go to bed!

Merry Christmas,
Emma

elving...

making gingerbread

I came across the term 'elving' over on Soulemama's blog a while back, such a great turn of phrase. We have been elving today, whilst wearing our 'elf ears' for authenticity! 

We made a huge bowlful of gingerbread dough for the gingerbread house and for some gingerbread men, and two gingerbread foxes to give the chickens for presents! So that's all ready for construction and decorating tomorrow. 

paper chains

And, we have also started making paper chain decorations using newspaper, to string up around the house, inspired by the paper bunting by Toast, this Christmas. 

more fun tomorrow!

roasted chestnuts...

chestnuts

we roast chestnuts in our woodburning stove with our 'homemade' roasting pan, aka a tin with holes punched in! Simple and a perfect fireside winter solstice treat.

how to make a DIY biscuit jar...

DIY biscuit jars

I have taken this recipe from Jamie magazine Dec 09/Jan 10, but adapt it to suit different recipes. 

You will need a clean dry 750ml jar. Layer the following ingredients in this order, starting with flour...

• 115g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 150g raisins
• 165g rolled oats
• 125g light brown sugar

On a luggage label write the following instructions...

the decorate the jar with biscuit cutters, vanilla pods and string!

Christmas food planning...

DIY biscuit jars

am feeling quite unprepared for Christmas, with the last two weeks being full of illness and now being snowed in! So true to form I am list making and trying to make as many gifts as possible.


pre~Christmas Family Baking...

gingerbread house 

gingerbread cookies to decorate and give as gifts

fairy cakes with coconut snow and little deer on top

DIY biscuits jars (pictured above)

mince pies made by the elves

* * *

Christmas Eve...

Rudolf's rocket fuel, carrot soup

homemade bread rolls

mulled cider/apple juice

carol's playing in background!

* * *

Christmas Day...

snacking on gold coins and satsumas from our stockings! 

Porridge with maple syrup and cream

Turkey with bread sauce and stuffing

Roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips

Cranberry sauce 

Brussels sprouts with bacon 

drinking black velvet {guinness and champagne or in our case asti spumanti!}

Christmas ice cream bombe, mincement mixed with vanilla ice cream and a polar bear decoration!

* * *

Boxing Day...

breakfast of bubble and squeak - leftover potato, cabbage and sprouts fried in butter and topped with a fried egg

lunch at mum's 

eve - turkey sandwiches, crisps, pickle, cheese!

* * *

Monday...

turkey and leek pie 

mashed potato & gravy

panettone and a nice cup of tea!

* * * 

snow day...

Snow has fallen overnight, and I have woken feeling better having spent the last few days coughing and spluttering in bed! I am loving this video of snowboarding in Montmarte, Paris, it's so enchanting!

I saw this 'guide to snow' on the Howies website, and have adapted slightly...

Guide to snow...

1cm - light dusting. Can still get to school, work. Unsatisfying

5cm - schools close, people start walking like the marionettes from the Thunderbirds

10cm - wear wellies everywhere, make snowmen, bread starts selling out of local shops as people panic buy!

15cm - driving almost impossible, kettle works overtime!

20cm - put on as many layers as you can until you can no longer move, get sledges, skis, snowboards out and head for the hills!

farmer's market...

an apple a day!

The low winters light shines through the farmer's market at this time of year, highlighting the beautifully displayed stalls, that are piled high with tasty wares! My favourites are Days Cottage cider and apple juices as the bottles glow with golden contents and mountainous piles of vegetables, precariously balanced by Over Farm!

eat your greens!

We buy huge sprout stalks and cabbages, fresh croissant and Days Cottage cider to heat and add mulled spices to. We treat ourselves to Hobbs House bread, goats cheese and fresh olives and sometimes if we're good we stop for coffee and cake at Woodruffs Organic Cafe. Saturday mornings at the farmer's market or 'farmer's supermarket' as Ted says, are my favourite days! 

a winter picnic...

picnic basket

Of our favourite things to do this time of year, is to have a picnic. So many people think picnics are just for summer, but wrapped up warm on a sunny autumn or winter's day, often means you can have a beach to yourself! We pack up hot soup and sandwiches and a freshly baked cake to share and find a hill to climb, wood to walk in or deserted beach.

One of our family's favourite autumn/wintery soups is a very simple butternut squash soup, which I make roughly like this and easily fills the four of us... 

ingredients

1 butternut squash

1 large onion

a knob of butter

paprika

milk or cream

vegetable stock

method 

1. fry onion in a large deep pan with a little butter until it goes clear

2. add in butternut squash, chopped into cubes and add to this one pint of vegetable stock

3. cook until squash is soft, then away from the heat blend until smooth

4. bring back to a low heat and add in a little milk/cream to get your preferred consistency/creaminess 

5. season and add a teaspoon of paprika to taste

my two fat ladies...

Betty chicken & Rosie red hen

I salute these girls who over the past few weeks have braved temperatures as low as -12. They didn't complain once as their water froze {every few hours!} and have even kept on laying us an egg each, every day. We have been rewarding their bravery with a blanket around their hen house to keep the cold wind out, warm porridge for breakfast, and a little warm water soaked bread for supper.

I had thought of putting a hot water bottle in their hen house those nights when it got REALLY cold, which my mum did in my rabbits hutch years ago, but thought they might peck it and burn their beaks! I wondered weather we would peep in one morning and find two chickens frozen on their perch, ready for the freezer! Today the frosts finally went and they have their lawn to peck over once more, happily searching for worms and grubs!

thank goodness for online shopping...

The lurgy has reached our door, and there have been coughs, splutters, temperatures and sleepless nights all week. The little man was too poorly to go to school yesterday and the day before, so for the first time in years, I missed a nativity! My husband and I had taken the day off work to go Christmas shopping in Bath and have lunch at Jamies, but instead the youngest and I spent the day tucked up in bed, taking it in turns to look after each other!

All I can say is thank goodness for online shopping, still searching for gifts I found that Muddy Puddles has got some great presents and offers at the moment, the camo backpack is fab and comes in two sizes, great for different ages, and camo face paints and torch (make great stocking fillers). We get through quite a few torches in our house (many are dropped), but this one is sturdy, good quality and has a good beam - usually children's torches are quite plasticky and rubbish! I have also got the hooded fleece top, which is soft and fantastic for boys at this time of year, and even better it is currently reduced to only £11.50, so be quick! And the best thing for mums of active children is that it washes really well too.

Muddy Puddles has a huge range, and lots of discounts online at the moment, if you order online, use EMMAB at the checkout for FREE standard delivery.

hoar frost...

stew night

beef stew and dumplings for supper tonight to keep us warm. It was -8 when I woke this morning and it didn't rise above -4 all day! The countryside however, looked magical with a hoar frost blanket over everything making it feel like Narnia! Lots of children were off school poorly today, so I am dosing the family with echinacea to ward off those nasty winter bugs!

I started Christmas shopping last night online in a panic that I have left everything to the last minute AGAIN! Found this adorable lamp for my little man, some little mice for little friends, a personalised subbuteo player, a Christmas folk stamp for us to make some wrapping paper with and a book for my boy. I also very naughtily bought some cow bells to decorate the fireplace with, well it was Toast and free P&P! I am struggling with gifts for my seven year old though, his list to Father Christmas contains the same as every other child in his class {conspiracy maybe?} a laptop, xbox, nintendo DS and a Wii! Suffice to say he will not be getting a computer of any sort!

I then discovered this fab new blog about shopping locally for Christmas and now feel guilty about my online purchases!

these hand knitted socks...

these gorgeous Ruth Cross hand knitted socks are keeping my toes nice and toasty today! I wish I could hand knit socks!

December...

created using Blyberg's card generator