Tinknbubb

So it is officially Christmas eve and we usually have a hectic day ahead of us. This year is different though as for some reason we did it all yesterday. Today is a bitter sweet day really, I have the excitement of the next couple of days with family and good food but Christmas eve was the day that I got the very last video of Mum ever. This is hard as I kick myself over videos and pictures of mum but I know that I cannot change that now. Anyway, I have a day of crafts and activities planned with my missy, she has really kept me going and kept me in the festive spirit. I hope you all have an incredible Christmas and have lots of rest and time with family. Make memories and enjoy yourself, thank you for joining me through the 12 days of Blogmas. Merry Christmas xxx

Isn't gingerbread the perfect snack for Christmas, so spicy and taste so yummy. We absolutely love making and decorating these around Christmas. It takes a little while to make the dough but they are well worth it. Here is an easy recipe for you all to follow. Recipe 350g Plain Flour 1 tsp Bicarb of Soda 2 tsps Ground Ginger 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon 125g Butter 175g Light Brown Sugar 1 Medium egg 4 tbsp Golden Syrup Method 1. Sift the flour, bicarb of soda, ginger and cinnamon into a bowl/mixer. Add the butter and mic until it looks like breadcrumbs, then add your sugar. 2. Add your egg and the golden syrup (oil the spoon so it doesn't stick). Mix it all together until it makes a dough. 3. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 15-30 mins 4. Heat you oven up to 180oC/Gas mark 4 and prepare your tray with greaseproof paper. 5. Flour your surfaces, roll out your dough to about the width of pound coin. Use any cutters ...

I have finally worked out what Lilly will be wearing for Christmas, I want her to look smart but be comfy too and Nutmeg have some beautiful clothes in at the moment. I can't quite believe that this will be Lilly's sixth Christmas, it doesn't seem possible at all that she has been part of our world. I am quite envious of Lilly's outfit to be perfectly honest, she has a beautiful red tartan skirt which came with some detailed cream tights, from the Nutmeg range at Morrisons. The top is also part of the Nutmeg range, it is a gorgeous soft feel long sleeved top which says 'Sparkle All The Way'. Lastly I am going to finish the outfit off with some new pink, glittery party shoes from the Lily and Dan range at Aldi. I think that this all together with look super pretty and be a comfy outfit that she can wear all day with ease. Skirt and tights, Aged 5-6 £10 Top, Aged 5-6 £3 Shoes, Size 9 £6.99 I hope you enjoyed this post, I would love to see wha...

Christmas films really do make the Christmas period more festive, we don't start watching till December to make the films more special. And Lilly has started to really get into films this year. I wanted to share my top 5 films with you, this may include a series of films too but I shall get on with it. 1. This has to be The Polar Express, this is such a lovely, feel good, festive film with the songs, Santa and hot chocolate to get you in the mood. 2. The Home Alone series, only 1 and 2 though. I absolutely love these films and always have done, they always make me laugh and at the end feel very warm inside. 3. Arthur Christmas, this is quite a new one, only 6 years old but I think it is going to become a classic, Another feel good film with a modern twist to it. 4. Santa Claus the movie, this is a golden oldie that me and my Mum used to watch together, I will always treasure those memories. 5. The Santa Claus 1,2 and 3, These are so good and make me want Christmas to ...

  So every year since Lilly was about 2 we have done her a Christmas eve box and this year is no different, we don't put a lot in as we do a lot of practical stuff on Christmas eve together too but these things fill in the gaps. Lilly's Christmas eve box consists of: - The Night Before Christmas (Aldi 99p) - Christmas Activity Book (Aldi 69p) - The Snowman DVD  - Her Stocking - Hot Chocolate Cup With a Candy Cane - Snowman poo (White marshmallows)  - Reindeer food (Glitter free)  - Christmas Teddy - Reindeer Wobbly Antlers (Sainsburys) - Small Bag of Chocolate (Aldi 59p) We do use a lot of things again, such as her book and the DVD but its just a nice little extra thing to do for her and gives her something to do whilst we do adult jobs. I hope this has given you some inspiration :) Happy Blogmas x

Last weekend I was lucky enough to travel up to London with Lilly, my Auntie and my uncle to Winter wonderland at Hyde Park. This is a free to enter event in the centre of London which is very family oriented and very festive. There are many rides and attractions for you to see BUT I would advise prebooking for the big attractions online. We arrived at around 2pm and the queue to enter was quite small, we only waited about 5 minutes before we were at the bag check. The staff were so friendly and the atmosphere was electric.  The first thing we did was check out some rides for Lilly (kind of wish we had waited as there were more Christmas themed one further in) and got some hot drinks (hot chocolate)   The children's rides range from £2 - £3 each and the larger rides cost £6,- £8 each. They had such a wide array of rides to choose from. They had more Christmasy themed rides and huge roller coasters too. In the centre there is a large, tall ferris wh...

Another festive recipe for you all to enjoy, these are so simple to make and taste sooo good. These are Candy Cane Lollies which look amazing (I think). Lilly helped me make these, can you tell which one is hers?  You will need: - Candy canes - White Chocolate - Sprinkes - Lolly sticks - Baking paper Method 1. Cut canes down to size to for a heart shape with 2 canes. 2. Place onto a baking tray covered in baking paper and place a lolly stick in the middle. 3. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water. 3. Pour melted chocolate into the heart shapes making sure they are full to thr edge  4. Add sprinkles for decoration. 5. Leave to set in the fridge for a few hours. And there ready! Simple :) *Republished*

At this time of year candles are essential for our house and them being scented is just a huge bonus. The home smells do festive when one of these are lot and I absolutely love the range of scents they have.  I have a few votive Yankee candles that I have, these include normal Yankee candles and the home inspiration yankee camdles too.  Christmas Eve - This is by far my favourite festive scent, this seems to be a mixture of everything Christmas, the fruits, the spices. It is just such a warm and cosy scent perfect for a wintery night. Christmas Memories - Another favourite of mine for this time of year, this one is a lot warmer and spicier than Christmas eve, this reminds me of all the Christmas baking that we do over this time of year with ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Candy Cane Lane - This is a new one to my collection and I really like this. It is a mixture peppermint and vanilla so it isn't too overpowering and doesn't smell like tooth paste. ...

I love reading to, and now with Lilly, I think it makes her imagination work, teaches her things and makes her more aware of everything around her. We have quite a large pile of Christmas/wintery books which we get out every year and add to as well.  I have picked 5 favourites which are completely related to Christmas that we love in this house, I like the more traditional stories that make the meaning of Christmas more apparent and the magic real for as long as possible. The night before Christmas - A complete classic, we have had this book since she was just one, I wanted to make it a Christmas eve tradition to read it together. A Christmas Carol - Another classic story, this one is actually new to our collection (Aldi) but Lilly knows the story due to the Cbeebies Christmas show. When I dream of Christmas - This is an amazing book explaining some lovely things about Christmas. It includes the meaning of Christmas and some traditions that families have too...

I have created a 6 inch round Christmas cake for 2016 which is smaller than normal but this time it is just for me and Lilly. I had a few problems on the way like dropping the cake for one, luckily I managed to scoop it back ito the tin and cook for a bit longer to set it. Here is the recipe and method for you all, it's not to late to make one for yourself. Recipe 700g Mixed fruit 25g Ground Almonds 50g Glace cherries 150g Plain flour 1/2 tsp Mixed spice 150g Butter 150g Brown sugar 1/2 Lemon rind and juice 3 Standard eggs 100ml Rum/Brandy/Whisky Method 1 Preheat oven to 200oc/gas mark 6 2 Line sides and bottom of cake tin with double parchment paper 3 Cream butter and sugar until fluffy 4 Beat in eggs one at a time, if starts to curdle add a little flour 5 Add rind and juice of the lemon 6 Mix flour, ground almonds and spice together 7 Toss mixed fruit and cherries into flour 8 Add fruit and flour to other ingredient...

Wow, welcome to December, I am not quite sure how we are here already. December can only mean one thing, Christmas is almost here! I am pretty excited this year for Lilly but am also dreading it. I wanted to start the month off with The Christmas Tag as it gives you an idea of our Christmas. 1. What is your favourite Christmas film? I absolutely love the Arthur Christmas for a more modern film but I also have a huge soft spot for Home Alone too. 2. Have you ever had a White Christmas? I don't ever recall having a white Christmas, it usually snows in January or February which is a shame really. We haven't had a huge amount of snow since 2010 so quite a while back.  3. Where do you usually spend your holiday? We normally have the morning at home just us three, then go to a family members for lunch and some well needed family time.  4. What is your favourite Christmas song? I think my favourite song has to be Christmas time (don't let the bells ring) by t...