christmas is coming and I'm not feeling christmassy anymore

I finished my Christmas shopping last Thursday every thing was bought. Even my Dads presents that I leave every year to the last minute, due to the fact he doesn't want for anything.

Then on Friday I woke with back ache,by Saturday morning I was getting stiff, by Sunday night I was in such pain I had to leave Sunday dinner at my brothers early. By Monday morning I couldn't move so I went to the doctors who gave me pain killers, by Tuesday I was bed ridden. Thursday my mum visited and cleaned my house... I love her so much thanks mum. Thursday I've been signed off work for two weeks and been given some very strong pain killers and now today I'm off to the chiropractors.

This back pain comes from working at a residential home while I was at university and lifting heavy old people without lifting equipment. Well you learn by your mistakes.

But I have found I can still knit and sew up seams while lying on my back and I've finished my sea green cardie and I love it I'll be wearing it Christmas day while drinking sherry and snowballs.

I was going to show you the finished item but my damn camera isn't downloading and it hurts too much to sit still and play today but I will post again soon with knitting news I've almost finished the front of pixie then I've just got to make the capped sleeves and I'm done. It'll be finished by next week.

Christmas Ideas and books

I've been meaning to share with you a while a book I purchased before I went on my holidays its The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brockett. You can by it at amazon by following this link http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0340950986

Its not really a craft book but more of an inspiration book its the kind of book I'd like to write one day, every page is a source of inspiration. It does contain a few recipes but mostly its quilting with a bit of knitting. It has even persuaded me to make a quilt in the new year, some thing I never thought I'd do, but I now want to make a quilt as beautiful as Jane's.

You can also read about what she's doing now at http://yarnstorm.blogs.com/knitblog/ where she makes fabulous cakes and takes inspiring pictures.

The other thing I said I share with you today is the pictures of my fire places which have turned out better today than they did on Sunday, but not much better. I'm going to have to sort my digital camera out at Christmas.

I've still not got my Christmas tree up but I'm hoping if I don't get it up today it'll be up by Thursday afternoon when my Mum and best friend are coming round for afternoon tea. I'll be making Christmas shortbread's, ginger muffins and Florentines and lots of good Venetian coffee,as well as a bit of earl grey for me. (I've had tea at the Ritz don't you know, I took my Mum for her 60th)

By Thursday I also hope to have the second half of my new cardigan finished so I can then work out a pattern for the sleeves which I've already knitted once but now have to change as the design has changed so much since I started knitting it... I was going to show and tell but my camera has now decided to stop downloading onto the computer so I'll save pictures for next time when hopefully I can show you an almost finished warm cocoon of a cardigan.

December is here

I've opened the first two squares on my advent calender and started decorating. I've not yet got my tree up a tree base has disappeared into the black pit that is my cellar and I've also lost box of Christmas Decorations, presumably they're in the same place as my Christmas tree base.

I've managed however to get both my fireplaces decorated. Pictures will have to wait till Tuesday morning as they didn't turn out very well today.

I also managed to get my window and door decorated with Snow ball pom poms and Snow flakes.

I've managed to tidy up my dresser and recycle the pile of Junk mail that had accumulated (where does it all come from?). Then I decorated it with my pom-pom garlands and seasonal smelly bits and lots of Christmas fruit as some times you need a change from mince pies, biscuits and chocolate.

All I need now is snow and a truck of presents and I'm ready.

I can't wait to get my tree up I've just got to wait for Mr LCD to get home from work and we'll have and evening of popcorn and tree decorating.

Well this afternoon will now be spent in front of the fire nesting and knitting. I want to get both the jumpers I've started finished for Christmas.

Knitting and Me

A friend sent me this and I just love it;



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6ZjMWLqJvM

its so like me I've been told off for knitting at work before but once I start I carn't stop.

I've decided following ysoldas' http://ysolda.com/wordpress/ lead to swap christmas cards with all my lovely blog readers.

Send me a mail at lupincottagedesigns@yahoo.com including your address and I'll send you out one of my hand made cards.

I look forward to hearing from you

I know it's still November

I've been busy, I know it's still November but last Christmas kind off caught me by surprise so this year I've been very organised. I've written all my Christmas cards, bought and wrapped almost all my Christmas presents and I've almost finished all the hand made gifts I'm giving.

I thought I'd share with you some ideas for quick and easy recipes that every single person I know will be receiving from Mr l.c.d and myself. Obviously not the children we know, they will get the biscuits, not the Vodka.

For the Vodka recipes I used Sainsbury's value vodka, normally I'm quite choosy about the Vodka I drink but once this is made you wouldn't be able to tell between this and the much more expensive brands. I also bought my Berry's from Boots they do 75g packs of blueberry's and cranberry's for 99p which is much cheaper than any dried Berry's I've seen in the supermarkets.

When giving the Vodka as a gift I like to include a couple of shot glasses... as my 20's were quite miss spent, I've managed to collect quite a few which I now like to share out.

The first recipe I made was Blueberry and Cranberry Vodka But you can make this just using cranberry's.

ingredients;

350ml Vodka

200g Sugar

75g of dried berry's

1 orange, grated zest and juice.

Put everything in a sauce pan for 20 minuets heating slowly and not allowing it to boil. Wait for the liquid to cool the put back in the vodka bottle it came in. Making sure all the labels are removed, then label and decorate to your own taste. Shake before drinking..

Vanilla and Lemon Vodka

ingredients;

350ml Vodka
200g Sugar
1/2 tsp of good quality Vanilla essence

2 Lemons, grated zest and juice.

1 or 2 vanilla pods split in half depending on taste

Make up as the recipe above.

Spicy Shortbread

Ingredients;

225g unsalted butter,

75g caster sugar

275g plain flour

1 tsp of ground mixed spice

grated zest of 1 orange

75g of ground almonds

preheat oven to gas mark 4

Mix the butter and caster sugar together until the colour of the mixture lightens. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well. Roll the dough into a ball, you may need to add a bit more flour to do this but don't go mad.. Roll the dough to the required thickness and cut out the biscuits in fun Christmas shapes (I like Christmas trees) and cook for between 20 minutes and half an hour, you know they are done when the edges start turning brown and they feel firm to touch.

Take out the oven and decorate once they are cool, I like using Green and Blacks white chocolate. Seal in an air tight container and distribute to everyone and anyone you know...

Merry Christmas.... I'm getting excited, can you tell. If only finding the perfect Christmas party outfit was so easy. I'll leave you with a picture of Spain which I think looks quite Christmassy

Back from Spain

Hi I'm back off my holiday and feeling all refreshed. we had fabulous weather except for the last day and a half when it didn't stop raining.

The villa we stayed in was lovely, it belongs to a friend of my Dad's and had its own private pool, which was nice, except when you stopped moving your toes would drop off as it was so cold. The pool was lovely in all the pots round the pool there were lemon lime and grapefruit trees.

Spain in November is lovely, I've never really been a big fan of Spain, it was too brown and dried out but then I've always been in the summer before. In November it's green and lush with temperatures at about 20-22 degrees. There's not too many holiday makers except for the older people who spend their summers in Spain.

I've bit of a tan and feel a lot calmer and happier about life. I didn't really realise how much I needed a break, luckily for me my Mum and Dad did.

Thanks parents I do really appreciate it.

Mum and Dad also took me for Nerja for the day which is where they normally holiday in Spain. If you ever have the chance go as it was so pretty, not built up like most resorts are in Spain. Most of the hotels are right next to the beach which is unspoilt shingle. We went for lunch at their favorite restaurant on the beach where we ate paella as you have to while in Spain with a bottle of wine the food was all cooked over open fires and cooked right in front of you. It was lovely but would of been better if I wasn't wearing white trousers as I managed to drop two prawns on my lap so I had to walk round in dirty trousers for the rest of the day, I looked incredibly sophisticated...

I did get some knitting done I'm knitting myself a turquoise cardigan which I've designed myself its knitted in a wool mohair on relatively large needles it'll be v-necked when finished and will fasten with a great big turquoise ribbon when its all finished.

Next time I post I've some quick and easy Christmas presents I'm going to share.

Sorry I've been gone for so long

I'm sorry I've not posted for a while but I don't know where my time has gone recently. I do know however that I've been productive while missing in action, my studios been redecorated and tidied. I'm half way through knitting two jumpers I've made for myself and I've also done the vast majority of my Christmas shopping. I've also been to three Halloween parties and said goodbye to some good friends who've left work this month.

Unfortunately I've no new photos to show as my husband stole my phone and the digital camera doesn't seem to want to down load onto the computer.

But on the positive side I'm leaving wet cold Derby tomorrow morning to visit sunny Spain for 10 days I can't wait I've loads of knitting planned and as we've got our own private pool many lengths to swim. I may also do some sleeping and lying around doing nothing which'll be nice as I just feel so worn out at the moment I need to get my mojo back.