Yes just eight days left before The Big Day and how are you faring with all the preparations?  As you know all my presents are wrapped and in fact I have delivered all but one to family and friends who we will not see over Christmas.  Our cards have all been posted and I am really enjoying opening our mail in the mornings with all the cards coming back.  Uusually I open the mail every day of the year, incluidng all the bills, so I love it at Christmas opening the cards.

If you love a giggle check out this video on You Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDHTyzBRvAQ

It is done by the Pets Add Life team and we love it.

We went to see family yesterday afternoon in Nottingham and also visited DH’s parents grave in the village where he was born and cleaned it and placed the Christmas wreath.  In the evening we were at the Boys’ Godparents for dinner and there was also another couple there who we have also known for over thirty years and we had the most wonderful evening of great conversation, lots of laughs and good food.  We didn’t get home until 1.30am.

The Cheesy Stars that the Boys love.  The used to take them to school as part of their lunch and their friends loved them, so I ended up making more for them to take for their friends.

Today we have been getting those last jobs done in our home and I have been finishing off the baking and have put mazipan on the Christmas cake.  I will leave it for a couple of days to dry and then ice it. 

The Christmas cake with the marzipan on it.

There biscuits I have created and cut out with a Christmas Tree cutter and when they are cool decorated with edible gold glitter.  I will put the recipe for them up tomorrow.  They are orange zest and cinnamon biscuits.

This is the Cotoneaster in the centre of our garden and as you can see it is full of berries which the Blackbirds are loving.  We have another bird visiting to eat them about the size of the Blackbirds and we think they are Fieldfares but not too sure.  The Blackbirds keep chasing them off but they are managing to get quite a few berries.

Here is the Fieldfare.

Tomorrow I have a bit of work to do and then I will get on with some sewing and also write a list for the rest of the week and Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day as well as the final food shop at the end of the week.  I have an order in to the deli, an order for the turkey and other meat and the vegetables so only need to get the extras and we are then ready for the big day.

I hope you have had a wonderful Winter Weekend and looking forward to the last week in the run up to Christmas. 

Christmas Hugs, Susie xx