• Mincemeat and marzipan loaf {a brilliant way to use up mincemeat}
    baking - Christmas - homestyle

    Mincemeat and marzipan loaf {a brilliant way to use up mincemeat}

    January 30, 2017 - By 

    We can’t be the only family who still has a freezer full of leftovers after Christmas. Yep, we still have some homemade sausage rolls and mince pies in the freezer! Not to mention all the boxes of chocolates… Every time I open the fridge I saw a massive jar of mincemeat which I was meaning to use up. We didn’t need any more mince pies but I knew it would go really well in a cake. Today I’m sharing my mincemeat and marzipan recipe which is perfect for using up leftover mincemeat. Mincemeat and marzipan loaf ingredients: 8ozs Self Raising…

  • Holly and berries winter sun catcher
    Christmas - crafts - Winter

    Holly and berries winter sun catcher

    January 17, 2017 - By 

    My 6 year old has been off school for the past few days with chicken pox. He’s been quite poorly and Minecraft has been the only thing to cheer him up. To scrape him away from it we re-used our cellophane sweet wrappers to make this fun holly and berries winter sun catcher. We used: white card, green and red cellophane pieces, contact paper, scissors Holly and berries winter sun catcher First I drew some holly leaves and berries on a sheet of card. Then I cut them out using my Swann-Morton scalpel. If I made this again I would only…

  • 24 Elf on the Shelf ideas that work
    Christmas - Elf on the Shelf

    24 Elf on the Shelf ideas that work

    January 1, 2017 - By 

    Apologies, this is going to be a picture heavy post. For the last few years we’ve been visited by an elf. He arrives on December 1st with our Advent crate and disappears on the 24th, leaving us a Christmas Eve crate. I see a lot of negative press about Elf on the Shelf and I’m not really sure why. He is not there to shock the children into behaving. In fact he’s a little silly and tries to do something different every day to make them smile. My children are 5 and 6 so I’m not sure how long they…

  • Simple Thank You cards for kids to make {free printable} from the gingerbread house blog
    Christmas - crafts - free printables - handmade - Handmade gifts

    Simple Thank You cards for kids to make {free printable}

    December 29, 2016 - By 

    I love making homemade Thank you cards. Every year my children receive lovely Christmas gifts and I want them to put some effort into the thank you cards they send. When they were younger we sent homemade photocards but now they can write their names (and my Year 2 son can write a lot more!) then I want them to make their own cards. This year I designed my own card. They are super simple but there is some scope for creativity! Simple Thank You cards for kids to make I added the words Thank You in large letters to…

  • 6 things to do with kids on Boxing Day
    Christmas - crafts - gingerbread house

    6 things to do with kids on Boxing Day

    December 28, 2016 - By 

    Christmas can be hard for kids (and adults too!). The build up is immense, often starting in November with school fair’s and rehearsals for the Christmas nativity. We try to keep calm and enjoy the build up whilst not going overboard. This year we visited the Playmobil Santa’s Grotto at our local shopping centre, visited a National Trust house which had been transformed for Christmas, as well as taking a ride on our local Santa Express. We squeezed all these around normal weekend activities and swimming lessons! Since the children finished school things were a little more relaxed. We had…

  • DK ProduKtions and London Borough of Hillingdon presents Dick Whittington 2016
    Christmas - Family Life - Hillingdon - Local Review - London

    Boxing Day panto – Dick Whittington {Compass Theatre}

    December 26, 2016 - By 

    Last Christmas we went to the pantomime with some friends which we all really enjoyed. It’s nice to get out of the house on Boxing Day and if it’s too cold for a walk then the panto seems like the next best thing. This year I was organised and booked us all tickets to see Dick Whittington at the Compass Theatre in Ickenham. According to Wikipedia pantomime (informally panto), is a type of musical comedy stage production, designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is still performed throughout the United Kingdom, generally during the Christmas and New…

  • christmas paper cut
    Christmas - Lego - mindfulness - Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy List – Week 118

    December 26, 2016 - By 

    Happy Monday everyone. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are doing something nice for St Stephen’s Day. I know it’s Christmas. Time for my weekly Monday Happy List blog post. Last week was pretty hectic trying to get everything ready for Christmas. We are spending Christmas at home with my mum but it still felt quite busy – last minute present shopping, buying food and cleaning the house. We were busy with a Christmas party at Beavers, my children had a karate lesson and I helped my daughter and her class walk to school for a church…

  • ideas for a North Pole breakfast
    Christmas

    8 ideas for a North Pole breakfast

    December 24, 2016 - By 

    Now my husband has finished work and the children have started their school holidays it’s beginning to feel like Christmas. It is so lovely to be able to relax knowing that everything is in hand for a wonderful Christmas. As you know, we’ve had some fun adventures with our Elf on the Shelf and as he will soon be disappearing for another year. I wanted to make the final few days extra special. Yesterday we found he had delivered a North Pole breakfast for the whole family to enjoy. What is a North Pole breakfast? I’ve only recently heard of…

  • How to make a Christmas Eve crate
    Christmas - crafts - Pinty Plus Ambassador

    How to make a Christmas Eve crate {Ikea Knagglig hack}

    December 22, 2016 - By 

    Christmas is all about the children in our house. I always enjoyed Christmas but seeing through the eyes of my children is even more fun. We started off a few Christmas Eve traditions and this year I wanted to make something to hold everything in, so I made a Christmas Eve crate. I wrote a little about things to put in a Christmas Eve crate and I really enjoyed making ours and putting everything together. Our Christmas Eve crate holds Reindeer food, hot chocolate, new pyjamas, a DVD, a letter from the Elf and our stockings – things to help us enjoy Christmas Eve…