Clean Sheets

Letting go...

I have let go of some of the things I would like to have done before Christmas. This is in order to facilitate a leisurely Christmas Eve and a chance to actually enjoy what all this preparation is about!

Coffee with the girls, a walk down main street of my home town meeting familiar faces, a visit to my godmother... I can't wait.

Scratch all but the essentials off your list now and have fun!

We are intending to head to Cork for the day and evening of Christmas Eve I just hope the big freeze allows us.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!

Stretching the end of the wrapping paper

So, you bought the rolls of wrapping paper, it seemed like masses of paper at the time, but one or two bulky gifts later and it's disappearing faster than the pile of gifts needing to be dressed in it's coloured folds. The thought of returning to town, parking the car and queueing for one roll of paper that will not even be finished and probably be nowhere to be found next year is just too much.

Happily I like to keep paper bags and have a shoe box full of bits of ribbon collected for sometime, I have pulled out the plain paper bags with handles, and cut some stars from wrapping paper, glue one on each side of the bag, write the recipients name in the centre of one star.

Lay the bag on a chopping board and using a stanley knife make a slit the width of the ribbon between the handles near the top of the bag.

Put the gift in the bag and slide the ribbon into the slits and tie. More fun than another trip to town!

Christmas cards hung on the stairs with care...

I love getting Christmas cards. I know that I should convert to sending seasonal greetings online for environmental and financial reasons but if everybody does I won't get all those lovely cards in coloured envelopes of all shapes and sizes so I am resisting.

They are so beautiful that it is a shame not to display them but standing around on every available surface they are prone to falling and needing to be rearranged at the first sign of a draught or slammed door or worse knocking precious items to the floor. 

I was inspired after the birth of The Princess, surrounded by a deluge of delicious pink cards to purchase some tiny wooden clothes pegs and string ribbon around the room to fix them too. This worked so beautifully that I replaced the mixed ribbons with some red gingham ribbon and the cards adorn the stairs. I screwed tiny brass hooks in the stairs so it's quick and easy to put up the ribbons each year and I put up the ribbon for the kids birthday cards during the year too.

The clothes pegs can be got in crafty shops and stationers, I have even seen special Christmas ones with angels and santas on them. We have some with lady birds that came from Germany that have become part of our collection in a jam jar.

Original last minute or family gift

Ocassionally, an unexpected gift arrives and I'm caught unawares without a gift to return or you may need to buy something for a family that will appeal to everyone but food gifts seem a little unoriginal.

It struck me looking out at out bird feeders on the bird table this morning, that a feeder, and a bag of peanuts would make a great gift. Even apartment dwellers have a window or balcony that it could be hung outside.

Garden centres offer a variety of these feeders and happily aren't too busy this time of year and usually offer plenty of free parking.

If you want to make the gift a little more substantial a small book of garden birds would enable the recipients to identify their new visitors.

My grandfather built our birdhouse and I am proud to say that The Princess knows a goldfinch when she sees one now!

Now, as you can see from the photo , the children and I need to go feed our finches.

Finally a tick or two on the list...

 On Saturday evening I sat down and gave new strings to all the decorations that had been languishing at the bottom of the decoration box for more than a festive season or two. The box is empty and the tree is full. This is one of the things that was on my frustrating to do list so I derived great satisfaction out of putting the box back under the spare bed and putting a mental tick beside "decorate Christmas Tree."

The novelty has worn off removing the decorations for the Happy One and the Princess, ( this may be related to my losing my cool on Saturday morning when I found decorations in many nooks and crannies not intended for them!) This was not one of my finer parenting moments, David Coleman et al. would be disgusted and it's definitely not what Christmas is all about, but I have mended my ways (for the moment.)

We spent a much more idyllic evening with my cousins in The Enchanted forest that Bishop Lucey Park in Cork City has been transformed into. It was magical and as we arrived only half an hour before it was due to close, we enjoyed it without crowds and queues. The old fashioned carousel with it's painted horses was the highlight for our two charges and if you are in the area after dark suspend your cynicism about Christmas and call in. All the better if you can bring some little people who really do believe in all things Christmas, they may even convert you.

I also made progress on the Christmas cards and they will be done and dusted tonight!

You can do it Bandon!

I was inspired by the traders of Bandon when I visited in November. Their "It's Alive" campaign was visible and created a tangible buzz in the town. The floods struck when the shops were full with stock and retailers full of enthusiasm despite the economic gloom. The background of massive effort made the floods all the more disappointing and devastating, but the muck and water are gone and from a conversation I had yesterday with a town trader the enthusiasm and atmosphere are back, and most importantly the shoppers are coming out in support of their local traders. Well done to all concerned, you deserve great success.

I just want to tick something off!

I assume Santa feels the same, this time of year!

 

I love a completed project so I am being driven insane by my own flitting from task to task these days.

Tree: decorated, but several decorations are sitting around requiring new strings before they can be hung.

Decorations: Candles needed for the mantlepiece so it looks incomplete to me.

Shopping: made a start while spending a lovely day with my Mum in Cork on Monday but there's much still to buy.

Wrapping: have a done a trial run on one gift but until the shopping is all done...

Homemade gifts: Making gifts for several people this year. Only 1 done!

Cards: some written, some posted but can't put the pen away yet.

Packing: we are going on holidays on January 9th and I am not complaining but I had to pull out all the gear to see who needs what, and now it's just there, looking untidy, driving me mad.

So if you've been wondering where I've been this past week, there's your answer. I've been under an infuriating pile of incomplete Christmas jobs.

It'll all have to wait until tomorrow now anyway as The Rugby Player and I are off to Munster v Perpignan this evening in Limerick. Allez Les Rouges!

Recipe of the month: Christmas Cooking

Cleansheets recipe sheets are now available in

Listowel  Download Listowel December 2009

Bandon   Download MC December 2009

Abbeyfeale  Download Abbeyfeale December 2009

and

Tralee  Download Tralee December 2009

Chapped Lips? Burt's Bees is the the best!

All this cold weather is hard on the skin and especially the lips. Lots of lip balms need to be applied often to give any protection at all but after years of trying all sorts of lip balms I keep coming back to Burt's Bees when the going gets tough for lesser lip balms. It may seem pricy but you'll apply it less and it really works. It zings when you put it on and that reassures me it's working!

I got mine in Horan's Helath Food Stores for €3.95 and I've seen it in many healthfood shops and pharmacies. There are very cute little multi packs around for Christmas in a little case. I'd love one in my stocking!They make lip glosses too and I have just purchased their Coconut foot creme and as soon as I've had time to pass judgement you'll hear all about it.

How to cook Spiced Beef

 

If you wish to have a local traditional speciality this year, you need: Spiced Beef.