It's Getting Closer..

Been very busy back and forth to the post office to send jewellery to their future homes. One very nice lady from the USA bought a ring which I had to send to a loved one in England. It was very weird writng a card to someone I didn't know saying 'I Love You', I felt quite privilieged and I thought it was a really ingenious way of doing your shopping for those in other countries. So the shop is emptying, I have a few bits I can list but I think the rush is over for a while. Found time to ice the cake tonight:

Not quite the work of art I had in mind but little pixie face insisted on helping and as I have a feeling she will fast grow into a replica of her recalcitrant 16 year sister, I'm enjoying these moments whilst they last.

Christmas is Coming

Tree decorated...

Christmas cards made...

...and cake marzipanned..

To paraphrase Rolf: can you tell what it's gonna be yet?

Also still listing new items in the shop to replace those flying off the shelves, well shelf actually:

                                                          and much more available here

Making Headway Towards Christmas!

Well, my artificial Christmas deadline still stands (just about). I've finished my Christmas shopping and I'm ploughing my way through my list of jobs that have to be done before Christmas which is Friday (my artificial deadline). My jobs today included sweeping the chimney so it's nice and clean for Father Christmas to come down. I hate this job. It's dirty and I'm always anxious that I'm going to lose the brush up there. I need ten rods to get to the very top; had assembled and pushed up 7, then pulled them back to see how much soot was coming down. As I was pulling the rods down through my makeshift cardboard barrier, they seemed to be coming down much easier than they had gone up. "Gravity!" I thought, until I pulled out the rods minus the brush. I admit to exclaiming a 4 letter word (and it wasn't 'Xmas'), then realised that two of the rods were missing as well - double 4 letter word. I removed my dust sheets and cardboard barrier, thrust my arm up into the dark ( thoughts of James Herriot here) and joy of joy, grasped the errant rods and pulled - hurrah!  I was very brave and reassembled them to push them up another 2 times and with great relief have now packed them away until next year. I'd love to have a proper sweep come and do it, but I have just saved myself £45 for 10 minutes' anxiety. Of course I've now had to have a bath because I was covered in soot which is weird because the room and fireplace remained unsullied.
Next job was icing the Christmas cake. Each year my offspring expect me to come up with exciting creations for birthday and christmas cakes. The birthday cakes have included a wrestling ring, LFC logo, skateboard, sheet music, karate GI according to their interests at the time. The Christmas cakes have been christmas pudding (very easy), snowman, christmas tree; last years was a present:

Which was quite easy to do.

This year my eldest requested I make a christmas cracker. I'm not sure, I think it looks more like a sweet, what do you think? If I'd done it in black & white it could've been a humbug - get it - Bah Humbug! Ho, ho, ho!