Happy Christmas & Fairy Dust

I think I mentioned that things were going to be a little slack around here... I hadn't realised that a shed load of other stuff would happen.... Some of this post might be a bit bah humbug but I thought I'd explain the absence. There is a recipe for Fairy Dust which I think more than makes up for it. Ho Ho Ho...

December was taken up with a lot of making for the school Christmas Fair, I neglected to do most of the fun stuff and present making I'd wanted to make and do for my friends and family, even for myself. I'd had great plans for food making and blogging too. Things didn't sell well at the Christmas Fair. I was a little peeved by this and I'm ashamed to admit felt like crying when the fair finished and I returned home. I think I might take things too personally, which is why I would never want to be in charge of anything like that. We made less than £2000.00. A much smaller school in the next village raised £10,000.00 - I'd best button it on this now.

Little got bronchitis in early December, he then got better only to be struck with another viral thing plus an ear infection, when he gets a temperature over 102 his legs buckle and he can't walk very well. This brought on yet another staphylococcus infection, something he has been battling with on and off with for over a year now. It started just before Christmas last year.

Nan (Great Nanny to Little and Small) fell and broke her hip in three places. It sent her completely mad. She really did talk of blue mice laying eggs in her mouth. She seemed to be better a few days later but then a day or two after that she was talking nonsense again. "I should be in hospital, I have a broken hip." "You are in hospital Nan." "Well, if I'm in hospital, why have they left me in this uncomfortable chair and those two ladies over there have beds." "Nan, you are in a bed." She looked at me with utter contempt. I just stroked her head and this seemed to soothe her worries. That was last Sunday and I haven't been back as it was on the Sunday evening that Little became ill.

It was then Smalls turn, he got a really bad cold. Soon followed by his mummy (that would be me). As I write I'm getting over flu, not man flu, or even a very bad cold, I mean good old proper bed ridden flu. My bones still feel like they've been through a mangle and my heart feels as though it's encased in a really tight bandage. HOWEVER, it's Christmas Eve and I have to get my act together because my children will have happy memories of this Christmas.

I have a lightly spiced fruit cake to make in the shape of an igloo and some lovely polar bears who will live on a little patch of sweet snow until the cake has been eaten and then the polar bears can retire from duty to live in the large box labelled ANIMALS. I will post a picture and the recipe later.

We're off to a party at about 4pm, only for an hour or two as thankfully my Mum and Stepdad arrived on Saturday and I want to spend as much time with them as possible. We don't see them very often. New Year 2007 was the last time. They're staying in a hotel nearby (our house is currently too small for guests to stay longer than one night). Today Mum will be cooking us Dexter Roast Beef and Yorkshire Puddings. We should have had this over the weekend but with everything going on it didn't happen.

We'll be having the usual tukery and all the trimmings on Christmas Day. Although having watched a few cookery programmes which have involved geese I'm a little sorry that we didn't think to have goose this year.

In the meantime I'm doing my best to coax the Festive Fairy to sprinkle her magic dust on me.

Tonight just before Little and Small go to bed in their new brushed cotton pj's, we'll sprinkle fairy dust (recipe below) outside. This helps FC and his reindeer spot our house easily. We'll also leave out some hay for the reindeer. Not forgetting the mince pie and sherry for Father Christmas.

Fairy Dust Recipe: equal amounts of white flour and glitter. Mixed with love and magical happy thoughts. Put into a beautiful container ready for small hands to gather some and sprinkle over the garden. If you can't muster the love and magical happy thoughts then obviously the flour and glitter will remain just that - flour and glitter and when you're trying to clean it off the patio you'll be cursing Little Foodies for suggesting such a ridiculous thing!! ;)

Amazingly, just writing something for the blog this morning has made me feel a lot better. I hadn't realised that this blog was possibly my therapy too.

We wish you all a wonderful Christmas. xx