Getting Back To 'Normal'

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone so quickly, and that we're all back to school and work already! We had a lovely, relaxing Christmas break, the photos are a little late thanks to blogger having issues with uploading pictures. I've found a way around the problem so enjoy a little catch up:

I've been thinking about all the things we've done this last year and I thought I'd round up my memories, starting with 'Events of 2012':

- My niece Lilly, born 29th February.
- Me and Jay reunited after four years apart. (Missing her too much again now!)
- Another niece Isobel, born 2nd May.
- Ben completed the Ten Tors 35 Miles challenge.
- We loved watching the London Olympics, and it was fun to see how London dressed herself up for it.
- Noah was baptised!

Here are my six favourite Instagrams of 2012:

The photos were taken in Cardiff, Dartmoor, Kingsteignton, Portland, Dawlish, and Dartmoor again. It made me chuckle that they were all pictures of the great outdoors!

Concerts of 2012:

- Coldplay
- Katie Herzig
- The Killers
- Butterfly Boucher (with Katie Herzig)
- Ben Howard
- Imagine Dragons

Thank you 2012, you weren't always great, but we had a lot of fun regardless!

Christmas Mug Shots

It's that time of year again where I make the children stand close to each other and try to make them smile and look at me, all at the same time. Honestly, the things they have to endure so that I can send some photos to family. I compared the 2011 picture with this years photo (same fake tree!) and realised just how big my children got:

I'm slightly concerned that Ben won't ever stop growing, he is fourteen and a half and is five foot ten inches! Can you believe there is only seventeen months between him and Ethan? I also noticed that Rosie's hair grew at a ridiculous rate over the year, and my little man Noah isn't so little any more.

 

Well, now that I've got my nostalgia out of the way, let me wish you a very merry Christmas from the Miles family!

A Word Of Advice...

...don't lose your committee of four the month you have to organise, decorate and cook a roast for a Downton Abbey themed Relief Society Christmas dinner for 69 people. It's stressful. Also, try not to get your budget slashed in that same month. My proudest achievement of the year is that I managed to decorate the church hall for the grand sum of £10.58. It's not quite as grand as I had originally planned but the sisters loved it all the same:

It looked so pretty in the evening with all the fairy lights and low lights:

With the help of some good friends we managed to get the roast out to everyone and enjoyed one anothers company. I love that at Christmas we have a chance to welcome sisters who haven't made it to church all year, and friends that have never set foot through the chapel door. It's truly a privilege to serve the women of the Newton Abbot ward (in and out of the gospel) and I love that we do this every year for them, to show them our love and gratitude for all they do.

(Last tip: get more men to help with the washing up and drying!)

Christmas

The 'don't get up too early' request was ignored of course, I eeked out an extra half hour of slumber but caved at 06:30.  We opened the stockings from Santa on our bed:

Well...the boys got too big and found spots on the floor!:

After a chocolate/sweets sugar rush we took the party downstairs, where Rosie won the 'Best Christmas Face' award:

This is how Noah spent most of Christmas:

Ethan is prepared....not sure what for:

After bacon and cream cheese bagels for breakfast we had a short church service which was a lovely break in the morning to remember why we celebrate.  After our huuuuuge Christmas lunch we visited with my parents and Skyped with Jay and her family (oh, I do miss them all, I can't wait to see them soon!).  I am so thankful for this one day of the year when all over the world families and friends come together (whether they be believers or not) to celebrate love.  For that is what the gift of our Saviour is all about.

Holy Night

Christmas Eve is my favourite day of the Christmas season (yes, I even prefer it to Christmas day) and this year was extra special as James wasn't working!  Hooray!  After pottering about the home all morning we took an afternoon walk to Haldon Forest:

We found some ready-made dens:

And had to explore each one:

Can you see the mischief on their faces?:

Fixing a hole:

The sunset arrived so beautifully:

As is tradition, we attended the evening carol service at church.  It was beautiful.  All my favourite hymns were sung, scripture passages were read, trumpets were played (heaven) and a 'Silent Night' that brought tears to my eyes.  We read the Christmas story from the bible at home with the children and then sent them off to bed with strict instructions to go to sleep quickly and 'please don't get up too early!'  Treats were of course left for Father Christmas and the reindeer:

James and I finished up this (very late) evening with festive films and present organising.  Merry Christmas to you all!

My Favourite

I've made a few of my Christmas tree ornaments over the years but my favourite has to be the 'snowballs'. I made them when Ben was six months old (that's thirteen years ago!) out of wool dipped in PVA glue and wrapped around balloons. They remind me of the huge tree that we had to cut the top off to fit it in the room, a crawling baby's first Christmas, but most of all me and Jay hanging the ornaments from the clothes airer while trying not to get us and everything else covered in glue!

Perfect

Let me just say that the Primary children doing a nativity during Sunday School time is the most perfect way to spend the sabbath before Christmas!

Christmas Photo

Feeling festive:

Puppet On A String

Noah was a puppet in his Christmas production, he was so excited! He's been sporting rosy-red cheeks all week as there have been four shows. Can you spot him? He's much taller than his classmates:

Happy

My house smells like Christmas. Bliss:

Quite Possibly...

...the most hillarious Christmas ornament, ever!

My Favourite Gift

The present that surprised me the most and that I loved, was a book of jobs Ben would do for me around the house:

 Complete with pictures and terms and conditions:

Don't you wish you had one?

Christmas Smile Lines

I love Christmas, but I don't love doing Christmas solo!  Noah and I have passed on our colds/chest infections to James, which has resulted in Man Flu.  It's an actual condition.  An explanation of sorts:

Being left to carry on regardless, I decided to make the most of things and find the joy in the madness that is Christmas in the Miles house.  Last night I found Rosie had wrapped a carrot for 'Dacer the raindeer' and left it in the bottom of her stocking...

...along with cards for the 'Elfs' and Santa.  Oh, and a spiced biscuit too:

After our turkey dinner I sat down with the children to play Scrabble.  My eleven year old chose to use the word porn.  In his defense, he didn't know that was an alternate word for pornography, and thought it was how you spell pawn.  Ben protested that Ethan couldn't use such a naughty word, but I allowed it and tried hard not to die laughing!

Following on from that theme... Noah made a lovely Christmas card for me at school of an angel.  Every time I look at it I see glitter boobs instead of wings:

Finally, Wensleydale cheese with cranberries after the children went to bed was the perfect way to end Christmas day (sorry I can't send it to Utah Jay!):

Hope you had a merry Christmas!

Let's Not Forget The Boys

Today I finished a few pencil cases for the boy relatives for Christmas:

Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot

Dear Jay,
I'm sorry it's taken so long to post about our Christmas festivities! We basically opened presents...

...and played Band Hero all afternoon. Amy was on form singing Kung Fu Fighting (and may kill me for posting this!):

I cooked a gorgeous roast and we ate plenty of chocolate in between.

Boxing Day was spent visiting Leah's family for food and Beatles Rock Band (see a theme here?!). Mum knew all the songs of course and totally relived her concert going days! We missed you guys not being there to share the madness. The day ended with James taking to his bed with Man Flu where he stayed for 4 nights and 3 days.

He arose on the 4th day (probably a stone lighter) in time to welcome in the new year at the Cockram's house. The children managed to stay up all night (James managed to nap on their sofa for a while!) and crashed when we got home at 1:30. For the first time ever they all slept in the next day! I know... my kids sleeping in! Noah and Ben got up at 9:00, and Ethan and Rosie were out until after 10:00. We opted to stay in bed rather than to go to the New Year's Day ward football match, it was much warmer and safer that way!

Happy New Year to you all,

Love Naomi xxx

You're Welcome

Orange & Cream Cheese Mince Pies

Ingredients:
450g/1lb plain flour
150g/5oz icing sugar
350g/12oz chilled unsalted butter, diced
Grated rind and juice of 1 orange
Milk for glazing
Icing sugar for dusting

Filling:
Mincemeat
225g/8oz cream cheese
30ml/2tbsp caster sugar

Method:

1. Sift flour and icing sugar into bowl and rub in butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add orange rind and stir in just enough orange juice to moisten, gather into a ball and wrap in cling film. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to Gas 8 or 230c. Beat together cream cheese and caster sugar. Roll out pastry to thickness of 3mm. Using a 7.5cm/3in fluted cutter stamp out rounds and fit in bun trays. Half fill each with mincemeat and top with a tsp of the cream cheese mixture.
3. Use a 5cm/2in cutter to stamp out lids. Brush edges of the filled pastry cases with milk then set the rounds on top. Cut a small steam vent in the top of each.
4. Glaze the pies lightly with milk. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden. Cool for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar to serve.

If you have time to make your own mincemeat it's really simple:

Mincemeat

Ingredients:
1 ½ lb cooking apples
8 oz vegetable suet
2 lb mixed dried fruit (e.g. sultanas, raisins, currants)
10 oz brown sugar
Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
4 tbsp orange juice
½ tsp mixed spice

Cook sliced apple with no water until mushy. When cool add remaining ingredients and leave overnight before use. Freezes well.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

...your branches green delight us! It's finally Christmas in the Miles household, all is well.

Getting The Christmas Spirit

This morning I watched Ethan's class Nativity. (He's behind Mary's left shoulder slightly shadowed!) As the children attend the village Church of England school they get to use the church along the road. I always feel there is something special about being in an old church with stained glass windows, sitting on a hard pew listening to carols echoing from the tall ceiling. As much as I love them, LDS churches just aren't built the same! Today I finally felt festive.

Yesterday Noah had his Christmas production (I guess that's what they call them these days) and it focused on Christmas celebrations throughout the world before ending with the traditional Nativity. His class had the country of Australia and after singing 'Kookaburra' they finished with 'Sun Arise', complete with actions. It was the sweetest thing and it really touched me... maybe because I used to sing it when I was a child!

Bah Humbug!

I love to put up my Christmas tree on the first of December, but until the ceiling gets fixed and the carpets replaced I can't. But I did not spend the last few weeks sewing tree decorations for nothing... here's my sad little contribution to the festive season: