A Pause in Advent week 4

The final pause in Advent and how quickly has the past four weeks gone by!

My tree is up with lots and lots of decorations, mainly vintage. I'm afraid I'm not the 'less is more' type and can't resist buying vintage baubles when I'm lucky enough to find them in the charity shops or boot sales. Because of an influx of baubles this year I've had to fill my cake stands and some glass vases with them, I couldn't fit any more on the tree.

I've also got lots of fairy lights scattered around inside and out.

Now I just need to catch up on all the neglected housework, due to my produce market sewing. Then I have to work through this little lot;

- kitchen decorations, clean the fish tanks, write cards, wrap presents, finish a few crochet presents and lots of cooking. I have chutney on the go at the moment then tomorrow/Wednesday I will be making cranberry & white chocolate fudge & cookies, candy cane brittle, Christmas rocky road, mint crisps, gingerbread cookies, mince pies and Nigella's chocolate Christmas cake. The aim is for it all to be done before Mr CB finishes work on Wednesday. Then I can prep the Christmas dinner, cook sausage rolls and roast a ham joint on Christmas eve morning ready to relax and enjoy the festivities from then on and hopefully go into Padstow for the afternoon depending on the weather of course. Now I better get a move on or none of this will be done.

A Pause in Advent week 2

I paused for a little bit too long this week and realised at 1.30 this morning that I hadn't done a blog post on Sunday. It has been a rather hectic weekend with a meeting, a book sale, Christmas shopping and laying a carpet. I usually decorate my house during the first week of December but this year I appear to be behind with everything. Yesterday I managed to get one Christmas tree up helped by my 3 year old, very stressful :) We also got out the Christmas house, which has become a Christmas tradition for us, this is a 1/12th scale miniature house, made about 6 years ago. Lots of the items in it were made using Fimo, which was my passion at the time. The photo was taken last year and not a very good one but the weather is too dark at the moment making it virtually impossible to get a decent photo. I will have to try and take some better ones when the sun comes out, maybe some close ups of the miniature Christmas food.

A Pause in Advent.

I along with many other bloggers have joined in with Floss's 'A pause in advent' We will be posting on each Sunday of Advent or the following Monday, as is the case here. This is a chance for everyone to share their thoughts, traditions etc during Advent. Advent for me begins with books, lots of books!

I like to get out all my Christmas cookery books and write lists of what I'd like to cook during the holidays.

I then like to plan what I'm going to make as in decorations and gifts.

And of course the things to make at home with Lily or at the toddler group sessions.

I suppose I only manage to make/cook half of what is on my lists but I enjoy the planning.

If you have time have a look at the other 'A pause in Advent' posts. The button at the top of my side bar will take you to Floss's blog where there is a list of bloggers taking part and while you're there read Floss's beautiful post about putting things in prospective.

Today is also my daughter Tara's birthday and for me most of the Christmas planning begins

once her birthday is over. Happy Birthday Tara!