Post Christmas reflections

Hi everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day. We had a lovely quiet at home. 
I promised to show you the photos of my Christmas cake this year if it turned out OK. Well it did apart from the fact that I think the sneaky ice cream companies have changed the make up of the ice cream to have more milk or water in it than cream. This therefore meant that it melted really quickly and it was more icy than last time. It was still thoroughly delicious and I will be making it again. Well I have to keep making it till I get it right, don't I??

So I started by making my triple chocolate brownie slice. Then when cooled I sliced it up and lined a pudding bowl with cling film, then pressed it against the sides to form a bowl inside a bowl.

 Here is my brother in law chopping the marshmallows for me with my husband looking on

And here is what was left of the brownie slice, well for a while anyway. It was quickly eaten.

In a separate bowl I mixed the slightly softened hokey pokey ice cream with chopped marshmallows, violet crumble, and frozen raspberries. Mixed it all around and then put into the bowl, covered the top with baking paper, folded over the cling film and froze.

So this is the finished cake...... Sorry it is a bit blurry but I was in a hurry to cut and get it on the table before it melted.

and here is the slice...... yum yum! It was perfect for the warm day we had.

The boys have grown up so no early morning wake-up which was good, but sad in a way. As Tracey has said in her post Christmas post, it was a realisation this year that things have changed. 

No more Christmas lists are written to Santa, no more hiding Santa presents; this year there was even no shortbread and beer out for Santa and his reindeers. 

Yes, I know my boys have been way to old for that for a while now, but I have liked holding on to that little bit of Christmas magic. 

But you know, really it is not as if something is lost forever, it is just a change in how we make that Christmas magic isn't it? 

We are evolving as a family and I do love seeing the way my kids have grown into wonderful young men. My youngest son has just received his drivers licence and I am such a proud Mum. This of course, means that no-one is dependant on me now to get them to and fro. It is a big change and a scary one at times. It is like a new phase in my life.

So that said, it has me thinking of my word for 2012. I am tossing up between two or three at the moment so I had better decide in the next couple of days. If you choose a word for the year have you thought about yours yet?

2012 is shaping up to be an exciting busy year for me so far and I am really looking forward to all the wonderful experiences that the universe has in store for me. I am in the process of making my first vision board for 2012 and have signed up for Flora Bowleys online course and Effy Wild's Book of Days. I am just hoping that I have not overcommitted myself and can keep up. I think that the Book of Days will keep me more committed to art journaling on a more regular basis.
Before I go I would like to show you some more bags

This bag is using Jo Sonja paints in Pthalo Green, Prussian Blue Hue, Yellow Green and Aqua. Stencils are Crafters Workshop 6x6 Daisy Cluster, Cosmic Bubbles, 12 x 12 Cosmic Swirl

 This bag was painted with Jo Sonja Prussian Blue Hue, Pthalo Blue, Brilliant Violet and Diox Purple, Crafters workshop stencils, 12 x12 Mums, Gathered Flowers and 6x6 Harlequin.

 Various stamps were used in each and a Bic Black Marker.

 My quote today comes from one of the stamps that I used on the bags.

Hope you are having a lovely week everyone, see you soon before my little holiday up the coast.

namaste

Lee