a peaceful morning

As I am writing this, peace and quiet is but a distant memory.









I stopped work on Tuesday evening. Well, more or less. It is always good to start the holidays with a clean house because little time and effort is spent on cleaning during the holidays and constant presence of the children increases the overall mess and stickiness. On Wednesday morning I started cleaning like a woman possessed. By nine, both bathrooms were clean. By ten, the hoovering was done. By 10:30 I was exhausted and I sat down with a coffee. What was missing was a Christmas biscuit to dunk. I always make a few batches in the run up to Christmas but a lack of kitchen seemed like a good excuse not to make any. Fuelled by caffeine and a smattering of insanity I decided to try out the new oven and bake some Christmas biscuits straight away. I made my two favourite kinds, Mailänderli and Spitzbuebe, both traditional Swiss Christmas biscuits. I have written about the Spitzbuebe before, they are really just fancy jammy dodgers. I spent a pleasant two hours getting myself covered in flour. I like to fill my Spitzbuebe with jelly. I was disappointed to discover that our jam supply is dangerously low, the only jelly to be found was a rather old blackberry one. The biscuits look different with a dark jelly filling, a bit sinister actually. They are meant to be dusted with icing sugar to look particularly pretty but I thought that would make them look a bit like something the Walking Dead would enjoy.

I lost interest about half way through the second batch of biscuits and decided to freeze the dough for another day. It was also time to drink another cup of coffee and dunk a few of the biscuits. It has been a long long time since I had a half day to myself and it was just perfect. I often think I should like to have the house to myself for a couple of hours a day at least, I really enjoy my own company. I listened to music nobody else would listen to (1980s Italian pop) and pondered life. It ain't bad I suppose.

Thus refreshed, I went to pick up the boys from school. It is only the second time since the summer that I have done that myself. I am not sure how I feel about that but I'll ponder this another time.

With two days to go until Christmas I feel quite relaxed. We are pretty low key here. Would you believe that we haven't decided on a dessert for Christmas day yet? And I guess we'll have to get those crackers tomorrow...

Right, I am off to bed. Wishing you a super fantastic Christmas weekend! I know Christmas for some is not a joy filled time. I'll be thinking of you specially.

Thanks for stopping by and spending a few minutes here. xxx

Comments

  1. A very Merry Christmas to you and your family, your cookies look delicious!!!

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  2. Your cookies look delicious! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas. Pat xx

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  3. Wishing you and yours a merry christmas and peaceful 2017, your biscuits look yummy not at all sinister

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  4. Happy Christmas, Christina. I've been reading regularly but not always commenting recently and have enjoyed hearing about your family life and kitchen renovations. Our extension happening soon as we've got the planning oermission through. I too love to have the house to myself for a while which happens less often these days with husband having retired. He does disappear for hours on his bike so I do get peace to potter around listening to the radio. Your biscuits look great. I've been doing a bit of baking too - a chocolate log like my mum used to make and this morning doing a last minute Christmas pudding.

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  5. Such a festive way to test the new oven and I'm sure those biscuits went down a treat. There was gingerbread house making (not by me) going on here yesterday which means there's now a kitchen to degunk (by me). Hope that relaxed feeling continues. Wishing you a very merry Christmas.

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  6. Excellent biscuits, I love that you have your traditional recipes. And well done on all that cleaning. I did a bit of cleaning and baking yesterday as well. We now have gingerbread sausage dogs. All we need. CJ xx

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  7. Hey Christina,
    I don't get stressed out by Christmas either. Olly requested Vienetta for pudding, and I've bought frozen sprouts. I love having the house to myself, and if I'm honest I start to feel claustrophobic and moody when everyone is home for any length of time.
    Have a wonderful Christmas, and a very happy new year!
    Leanne xx

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  8. Merry Christmas Christina! I think your cookies look wonderful! And I know just what you mean about having the house to yourself for an hour or two. I feel like I can hear myself think when I'm here all by myself. Have a wonderful holiday with your family!

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  9. Your sentiments on preparations mirror my own. We haven't decided on pudding but I have cream, endless eggs from our chucks, fruit, yoghurt, lemons.. there has to be a pudding in that lot somewhere. I don't do Christmas faffing, it is, after all, just Sunday dinner but with the vegetables in dishes instead of on your plate!! Happy Christmas sweetheart. Jo x

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  10. It's so nice to read about your Christmas preparations, and the photos of your cookies (as we say in the US) are mouthwatering! Wishing you a merry Christmas, and thanks for sharing your life in Glasgow. Our Christmas is different this year because we lost our youngest son/brother in May.

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  11. Time for yourself is a delicious moment. The fact that it happens rarely makes it extra special. I can imagine your pleasure baking in the new kitchen; delicious smells wafting everywhere. Have a wonderful Christmas with the family. B x

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  12. Wishing you all a happy Christmas... And some moments of peace and quiet! Xx

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  13. Everyone needs time to themselves. I need a ton of it yet never seem to get any. However right now Little B is sleeping and the older men are out watching a football game, probably yelling and carrying on. I am so glad it is quiet for the moment. I am trying to catch up on blogs, I should be cleaning! Merry Christmas to you and your wonderful family.

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  14. Those biscuits look really delishous xx Have a wonderful New Year!

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  15. I love to dunk my biscuits too. Yours look especially Christmassy and delicious. Have a fab New Year's Eve! x

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  16. I greatly enjoy time alone at home. I am fortunate that in term time I am alone during school hours, though I adapt well in the holidays when we are all at home together and enjoy having everyone around me X

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  17. Oh yes, a few hours alone in an empty house to clean - I totally understand how pleasing that is. The solitude, the (brief) sense of order and calm, the radio playing in the background. It sounds like you had a great Christmas. I think your dark-jellied jammy dodgers look pretty good actually. :-) xx

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Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment, I love to hear from you, I really do. I sometimes reply by email but I am not all that reliable... Christina xx

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