Roseanne Byford

I love a bit of baking so I thought I’d get festive and make some mince pies. They made the flat smell so yummy and festive.

I used the recipe that I mentioned in my homemade Christmas treats blog, it’s Slimming World friendly but, don’t let this put you off as they taste just the same as normal mince pies they are just a bit smaller.

Below is the ingredients, method and some pictures I took whilst I was making them.

Ingredients

low calorie cooking spray
227g/ 8oz plain flour
A pinch of salt
113g/ 4oz butter or margarine, cut into small cubes
16 level tbsp mincemeat
1 level tsp icing sugar, to dust

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5.

2. Lightly spray some bun tins with low calorie cooking spray.

3. Make the pastry; 

Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the fat and gently rub it in with your fingertips. Add sufficient cold water to mix to a ball that leaves the sides of the bowl clean.

4. Rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.Roll out the pastry thinly on a lightly floured surface.

5. Cut out 32 rounds with a 7.5cm/3 inch fluted cutter. Use to line the prepared bun tins.

(I couldn’t find my round cutter so I used the bottom of a cup.)

6. Divide the mincemeat between the pastry cases.

7. Roll out the remaining pastry trimmings and make some little stars with a star cutter. Use to decorate the tops of the tarts.

8. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and lightly coloured.

9. Cool on a wire rack and dust lightly with the icing sugar.

Here are my finished mince pies 🙂

They were really yummy especially with a cuppa.

3 days to go!

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

We started doing Secret Santa, in our friendship group a few years ago and for the last couple of years I’ve organised it.

This year we toyed with a few ideas, just a quick present exchange, a meal out but we finally settled on a Christmas party at mine and Tims flat.

Mum picked out the names for me as my name was in there too and it would have spoilt it for me if I knew who had who.

And we decided on Sunday 20th December at 7 pm.

Everyone had signed up to bring different food and we had a good spread to tuck into before we opened our presents.

We also had the Christmas play list belting out Christmas classics to add to the festive atmosphere and everyone came dressed suitably festive in jumpers and hats.

And we had crackers of course…

Here’s us opening our presents:

I got the Harry Potter colouring book from my secret Santa.

After that we all looked at our presents for a while,  ate and drank.

Then we played Bens pass the parcel full of forfeits and a prize at the end.

Here’s Duck doing his ‘act like a reindeer forfeit’

Me attempting to do a handstand…

Sam and Dean getting up close and personal…

It was good to all get together close to Christmas and have a bit of fun! Me and Tim were even good and tidied up before bed so we could wake up to a clean flat  this morning, yay!

What did you get from your Secret Santa?

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

Today’s Blogmas post is all about homemade Christmas presents. As I mentioned in my previous post about homemade Christmas treats, this is all about art & craft ideas, so here goes!

Idea no 1: DIY scrabble pictures

These make a really personalised Christmas present.

I first made one for Tims Nana as she loves scrabble but it works well accompanying a picture too.

For Tims Nanas one I got a large frame and a nice coloured card for the background. On ebay I brought the letters I needed to spell out all the names of his Nanas grandchildren and then fitted them together, the names coming off each other in true scrabble style… It took a few goes to get all the names to fit nicely together.

I liked this idea so much that I used it alongside a picture as a present for my Auntie and one of my friends.

Here’s the one I made for my auntie:

Again I found some nice paper for the background,a picture and the scrabble letters that I needed.

Here’s the one I made for my friend:

My friend had just had her son at this point and she loved this present, it’s much more personal.

Wilko do great frames, all the ones you see here are from there. I LOVE Shabby Chic White Frames and Wilko do them for a great price.

Idea no 2: Santa & Rudolph plates

My nephew is 15 months old now and is toddling around and getting interested in Christmas and all the bright shiny decorations, lights and wrapped presents that comes with it, so I made him a santa plate…

These are really easy to do but are really effective!

All you need is a plain white dinner plate, some sharpies and something to seal the writing on the plate (I used clear nail varnish as it wont get too messy and will  only need a little wipe down once it’s used so this should keep the writing intact.)

I wrote ‘To Santa and Rudolph’ along the top, ‘From Noah’ along the bottom and then in the middle drew on places for Santa and Rudolphs snacks to go. I drew round a glass to make it neat.

I also drew some Holly either side to make it look super festive. Leave the sharpie to dry and paint over the top with nail varnish and your all done! Santa will be really please with Noah this year and when Noahs older he will really enjoy using this to leave Santa and Rudolph a treat.

Idea no 3: Hampers.

I love making up hampers for people, filling them with things you know they will like is lots of fun!

This year I’ve made one for my sister Sarah. She loves Vlogger Zoella and her beauty range so I have based her hamper around this theme.

Super drug were selling Zoellas beauty products 3 for 2 which was great timing so I got her three things to go in her hamper. Some body scrub, a body lotion and a spritz body mist.

To bulk it out a little I also added some cute pink sented candles and a mini rose scented bath bomb.

Great for a pamper session!

I covered the basket in red tissue paper and tied round a gold ribbon, then I filled the inside with tissue paper and shredded paper, placed the products in, wrapped cellophane around and bunched it together at the top, tieing with a ribbon to finish.

I decorated with a few Christmassy themed embellishments and voila, done!

Idea no 4: Homeade cards.

Now this isn’t a present idea but I wanted to talk about homemade cards as for the last 5/6 years I have been making homemade cards.  I make them for all occasions and have a little supply and craft area in our flat to make them, I love it!

I even make them for my mum to give to her friends and some of our family for certain occasions too.

Here are some Christmas cards I have made:

Unfortunately this year I havnt been able to make any Christmas cards 😦
I have been so busy making wedding invites that I havnt had time to make them! It’s all for a good cause though and next year I can go back to normal.

Homemade cards are great and much more personal as people know you have taken the time to make them especially for them.

I hope this has given you a few ideas if your stuck on what to get someone. It’s great to be creative at Christmas.

Only 5 days to go!!

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

I thought I’d do today’s Blogmas post on the lovely Christmas lights around my hometown of Ipswich.

I love walking or driving around seeing people’s lights and businesses all lit up for the festive season. It always puts a smile on my face!

So here are some pictures I’ve taken…

This picture shows the town hall and our Christmas tree! I love all the lights on the town hall, they seem to have put more on the exterior this year. It all looks lovely when its lit up however, I do prefer the more traditional Christmas tree that they used to have as opposed to the modern one that they have now.

These lights are outside the Briarbank  brewery in Ipswich. These ones look so Christmassy, I love it.

Just around the corner from there is the waterfront and it looks lovely with lights most of the time but at the moment Isaacs has loads of extras and it looks amazing.

Day time.

Night time.

Me and the my family went to their pizza place on Saturday and inside looks just as magical.

Pretty fairy lights.

The courtyard.

The Christmas tree.

Cardinal Park has some lovely fairy lights in the trees. It looks all wintery as the trees have now lost their leaves.

Tims dads neighbours, who live opposite, always have loads of lights. It’s like they have a little competition with each other. Unfortunately they don’t seem to have as much this year but I had to include it as they always make us smile when we see them!

I’m starting to feel really festive now! Only 6 days to go!! Exciting.

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

Last night we had our Slimming World Christmas party. It was good fun as we played lots of games.

We got into four teams, me, my sisters Sarah & Charlotte and brother in law Wes were in a team together (with Noah as our mascot) we were team army!

Team army

There were four different games to play. The first one was a classic, 15 items on a tray and you had to try and remember  as many as you could until the tray is taken away and then you write down as many as you can remember.

We remembered 11 but didn’t win unfortunately.

There was also a game where you had to wear a box full of ping pong balls and the box had a small hole in the front. The aim was to be the first one to get all the balls out without using your hands.

Here’s Charlottes attempt…

Another game involved after eight mints. Wes had a go at this one. You had to sit down and have the mint on your forehead. The aim of the game was to be the first one to get it to their mouth and eat it without using their hands.

Wes did really well and won so we had another round and it was my turn…

I wasn’t very good though and lost this game.

I did however win one of the other games, the egg and spoon race! Me and Sarah did this as a team first, then me and Charlotte.

I did the last round on my owm and smashed it! A win for team army!

Look at that speedy finish!!

Here are some of our prizes.

It was good fun and lots of us had dressed up in dresses, sparkles, Christmas jumpers and suits for the party occasion.

Now its time to get serious and stay on track this coming week! Our next weigh in is on

Christmas eve!

Fingers crossed I have a good week, I’m feeling determined as I will enjoy Christmas much more after a good week.

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

So last night me and my twin sister Sarah went to see Krampus at the cinema.

This was the last of the three Christmas films that I previously mentioned that I would like to see.

You may have noticed that I go to the cinema quite alot, this is because I have an unlimited card and I LOVE it! My fiance and sister have them too so we go lots.

Me & Sarah in the cinema.

Here’s the synopsis:

While the holiday season represents the most magical time of year, ancient European folklore warns of Krampus, a horned beast who punishes naughty children at Christmastime. When dysfunctional family squabbling causes young Max to lose his festive spirit, it unleashes the wrath of the fearsome demon. As Krampus lays siege to the Engel home, mom, pop, dad and brother must band together to save one another from a monstrous fate.

I would give the film ☆☆ as it was entertaining but not as scary as I would have liked.

It was comical in places too which is strange for a horror film and the villans  were a bit silly too. They were creepy but what they were and how they acted was wierd.

However the genre is stated as a horror-comedy but I just found this a strange concept. I can see why you wouldn’t want to go too scary with a Christmas film but it was just very Un believeable.

After the film me and Sarah got a drink in the Starbucks upstairs.

A hot chocolate for Sarah and I tried a drink from their festive menu, a gingerbread latte.

It was looking very Christmassy at Cineworld! And with only 9 days to go I’m starting to feel even more festive as the days go by.

Theres only 2 days left at work too and then it’s the Christmas holidays, yay!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my blog, leave a comment if you liked it.

And don’t forget to check out my sisters blog at

http://www.sarahscornerblog.wordpress.com

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

Last night was the After school clubs work Christmas meal and traditionally we went to Ask! We go here every year as we all enjoy the yummy Italian food.

It was nicely decorated inside, in a modern way as apposed to traditional Christmas decorations, but it looked nice all the same.

We had the lovely long table near the back, much better than last year as we were squished in a corner.

My food was really yummy! I was so stuffed by the end. Here’s what I had…

Starter

Roasted vegetables in a tomato and bechamel sauce.

I also had some of Mums cheesey garlic bread which was nice to dip in it.

Main

A delicious pizza topped with cheese, different types of salami, roasted peppers and caramelised onion.

Dessert

Honeycomb cheesecake!!

I had a really nice time and it was nice to catch up with everyone having not been at work for a week!

Merry Christmas everyone!

9 days to go.

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

For the last three years me and Tim have been going to the Panto that they do at The Wolsey Theatre, in our hometown of Ipswich.

The first year we went was because Tims mum had tickets and she couldn’t make it so we went along instead. I was a bit dubious about it originally as I always thought that pantos were a bit cheesy but if you embrace it and have a laugh you really enjoy yourself! It is what it is, some people like it, some don’t.

They are ‘rock n roll’ pantos and feature lots of upbeat songs that fit into the plots of the stories.

Christmas 2013 was Dick Whittington

‘You are there in the sewers with Dick, Taffeta the Cat and Alice Fitzwarren battling the meglomaniac King Rat as he seeks to become Mayor of London.
Among the songs making an appearance this year are The Byrds Turn, Turn Turn, Everything She Does is Magic, Tutti Fruiti, Gimme Me Some Lovin,Holding Out For a Hero & Deadringer for Love and for the fight between Taffeta and King Rat, Eye of theTiger.’

King Rat & Alice.

Dick & Fairy Beau bells.

Christmas 2014 was Beauty and the Beast.

‘Its time to get this Party Started as Prince Promising is about to be crowned his country’s rightful King – there’s only one tiny problem, he needs to find his Beauty. After a Wicked Witch transforms the handsome Prince into a hideous Beast, he needs to Keep On Runnin’ until he finds Somebody To Love. 

Meanwhile Beauty, who is under the thumb of her two sisters down on Dame Bessie’s Suffolk farm, is keen to prove You Can’t Hurry Love. After saving her father from the clutches of the mysterious creature that lives in the castle, will she ever end up Dancing In The Moonlight? 

Join Fairy Fortunate and Company as they bring you Beauty and the Beast! A beautiful traditional story married to some monster rock, pop and soul songs all served up by our brilliant company of actor- musicians – Let Us Entertain You!’

Beauty, her dad, her stepsisters & crew.

The Beast.

Christmas 2015 was Sword in the stone.

‘It’s the end of the war and the Barbarians have been beaten back! But now the time has come to unite the seven kingdoms together by crowning the bravest knight of all as the rightful King of all the Britons. Join Merlin, Guinevere, Kay and the stunning Dame Bernadette Broadbottom to discover just who pulled the sword from that stone!

With favourite tunes including: I’m Going To Rain On Your Parade, You Got The Love, Come On Baby Light My Fire and Backstreet’s Back…

…It’s time to Rule The World!’

Guinevere & Arthur

The baddie! Booooo.

This year we got there early and had a nice drink together in the cafe first.

It’s become our little Christmas tradition that we do together and it’s really good fun. Definatly worth a watch and it’s on until the end of January.
 

10 sleeps to go!!!!

Until Next time,

Roseanne 🙂

Blogmas day 14

Yesterday evening me and Tim decided to have an impromtu date night and we thought we’d go all Christmassy for the occasion.

After dinner at his dad’s we doned our Christmas jumpers and made our way to the cinema.

We had plenty of time until the film started so we went upstairs to the Starbucks and had a coffee together first.

A latte for me &hot chocolate for Tim.

Our film started at 10 to 9 so once we had, had our drinks we made our way to the screen. In keeping with the Christmas theme we went to see a Christmas film, Christmas with the Coopers.

Those who have read my previous blog about the cinema will know this is one of the Christmas films I wanted to see. Here’s a reminder of the synopsis:

A retired couple invite their entire family to theirs for Christmas, little knowing what they’ve let themselves in for…

Sam and Charlotte Cooper have a large family, made up of lots of children and grandchildren. But when all of them descend on the couples home for Christmas, it soon becomes apparent that it won’t be the joyful, chilled out time they were planning…
This toasty-hearted comedy boasts an all-star cast, including The Hangovers Ed Helms, Tron: Legacy’s Olivia Wilde, Captain America: The winter solider’s Antony Mackie, Little Miss Sunshine’s Alan Arkin and – as the narrator – the great Steve Martin. The movie marks the directorial debut from Danny Collins writer Jessie Nelson and is written by Kate & Leopold scribe Steven Rogers. 

I’d give the film ☆☆ I did enjoy it but it wasn’t as upbeat as I thought. For a Christmas film it was a bit depressing!

I’m hoping to see Krampus this week, love a horror film.

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

Blogmas day 13

Here are my favourite festive nail varnishes and nail looks.

1. Colours

My favourite Christmassy colours are of course red and gold.

These go so well together.

I also love the combination of a light icy blue and silver to add a frosty feel.

This ‘sugar coat’ nail varnish by Sally Hanson is lovely for an icy theme.

2. Glitter

There is nothing better than a bit of glitter and sparkle at Christmas! And it looks lovely on top of a festive colour such as red.

Here’s one of my favourite festive glitter nail varnishes. 

It’s a limited edition one by BarryM. It has red, green and blue strands of glitter in it. I like the way this one has long bits of glitter.

This is how it looks on top of red.

‘Amethyst glitter’ by BarryM.

The gold one is BarryM’s ‘Treasure chest’ and the silver one is BarryM’s ‘Hologram’.

These all make great sparkly top coats!

3. Stick on nails & accessories

Red stick on nails are a great base for lots of Christmassy looks.

The little red stocking embellishments are great for an accent nail to add a bit of extra chrismas-ness to your nail look.

I got these Christmassy stick on nails in my stocking last year. They are super cute with Santa hat tips! I’ll keep these for Christmas day.

…And not forgetting a clear top coat to keep your nails looking good for longer.

I use Maybellines Super Stay 7 day clear topcoat.

I hope you enjoyed my christmas nail looks.

12 days to go!

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂