Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Halloween. Show all posts

Saturday, 3 October 2009

Well, my family are going to benefit from my slightly foul mood this afternoon if nothing else. Normally, well no actually, not normally these days (as I have kids, who hamper my mood loosing abilities these days) but in days past, when someone has aggravated me enough to get me into a bad mood, I've been known to go and stomp the hills for a few hours/miles until I'm feeling fresh as a daisy again, full of lovely clean (ish) air and nature and its wonderful calming effects. This afternoon however, as I have the kids in tow, I cannot do that, (if I did it'd be fruitless, as the whinging a 3 and 5 year old can produce when being asked to walk up a hill to admire a view, is beyond the limits of comprehension) so between random shouts of 'mummy' and screams of 'she did this, she did that' I've attempted to therapeutically bake my way to sanity.

This has mainly worked, bar me just attempting to have 5 mins with the cat on my knee to write this, during which time I've upset dd1, as I asked her to leave me alone, just for a few minutes, so she's now stomping about upstairs very loudly.....

So what's put me in a mood, my dearest daddy of course. The only person in the world who can possibly wind me up so much (although dh comes a close 2nd some times, but I can divorce him right? so he's never managed to hit the mark quite like an errant parent can, dd1 is possibly thinking this about me right now too....) Anyway the issue arose, when I asked my dad to meet me at the hospital and look after my kids for 15-30 mins in the canteen, so I could go and see my gran, his mother, who I've not seen for a week, due to visiting hours starting at school finish time and ending at the kids bed time (which is just about when dh gets home, if he's not working an evening) He said no to meeting me at the hospital............he did say I could travel an hour to his, drop the kids, go to the hospital (half hour back where I'd come from, then back to his to get my kids, then an hour home) surprisingly I said no, or should that be NO!

He is now going to the hospital to visit her, himself with my mum, but has refused to look after my kids for half hour when he's there, so I can see her too. I tell you, WTF is that about then? other than him behaving like a child? a very selfish one at that......my mum tried to offer to have them with him, but he's told her she can't? I don't want to cause WW3 between them, so I've just left it and come to grrrrrrrrr at home on my own.

The result of my Grrrrrrrrr so far has been Apple and Blackberry Crumble for dh, Apple Muffins for the girls and I (and Richard if he wants some too) plus a now rising loaf of bread, which needs another kneed soon, before it hits the oven. (I'm gonna kneed that Grrrrrr right out of my hair)

The house smells lovely and Autumnal now, lots of cinnamon spice (which incidentally was the first smell to hit me, when I got to Meridians this am) The girls had fun baking the muffins with me and coating them with cinnamon sugar, so its not been all bad for them either, particularly as they get to feast on them shortly too!

We also picked up some Pumpkins for carving today too, although its a bit early for that, on Meridians recommendation we went to the farm that sells mainly apples and 'woot' only £1.00 per pumpkin, so we have two adorning the fire place now, I guess its a spot of crafting next then, after all October is the month to 'do' Halloween.

Sunday, 28 October 2007

Halloween Preparation

Seeing as its the Sunday before Halloween, I thought it would be nice to do some fun things with the kids, so this morning ss, the dd's and I have been busy hollowing out pumpkins and carving faces in them. We made soup with the insides.

Pumpkin Soup:

Sweat a small chopped onion, in some butter or olive oil, in your saucepan for 5 mins or so.
Add the Innards of two chopped up pumpkins in our case, use what you have available though.
Peel, chop and add two potatoes to the mix
Chuck in 1.5ltrs of veg stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook for 20mins
Add cream or creme frache to taste, or even a bit of Chilli!

So even dd1 ate some soup, after I threatened to cancel her birthday party, if she didn't try it! (evil mummy) anyway she decided in the end it wasn't that bad (triumphant smile from me!) We also did Candy apples for desert decorated in orange and black sugar strands. It turns out these turn most peoples mouths black, mwah ha ha, and indeed the smallest family member black from the neck down to tummy too!
To top our pre Halloween feast off, we've also created with the help of Super Cook, some gummy sweets, which I'm sure will taste horrible, but the kids can't wait to try them, so seeing as we're off to try out the local fair in an hour or two, I shall insert these just before we go out, so they can run all the energy off!

Dh is in the shop at present, so we shall shortly be heading over to see him, and pick up a few bits for Sunday dinner from coop on the way back. I'm thinking mainly parsnips and possibly broccoli/cauli, we have carrots, hmmm oh and milk and some cream, as my mother, kindly, has taken pity on my new busy working lifestyle and sent me an Apple Crumble home with dh on Friday night this week! So better get cream to go on it, right?