CHRISTMAS CHEZ BA MANSION

Wow! Your table looks so beautiful, I don't need to ask if you had a good time, I can see you did. What a houseful and everything is so beautifully tidy and festive.
That pretty trug and the plants in the pot are gorgeous.

Glad all went well,Ba,and presume you won the battle with the Turkey,judging by the happy faces.! :o).Lovely family you have there,enjoy your secret eating of that lovely looking cake ...and some very nice gifts there xx.

Looks like you all had a great time ...

.. and wonderful garden-related pressies :o)

Hi girls \0/ I ended up cooking the turkey the night before and soaking the gammon (which I had forgotten to do!) so it was the gammon which was cooked on the day. Naturally, everything was piping hot when served, and at the time I said it would be...I lie...I've no idea how people manage to do that. Still we all had a lovely day. The girls, Boo (Rebecca) and Mitch had helped with the house this year. They're coming round today for turkey and ham pie etc (leftovers). I always buy far too much stuff, can never get it right:-)

Thanks Terra\0/ you sneaked in while I was 'commenting' lol. I don't know how much use the trug will be in the garden but I do love it. Maybe put herb pots or something to grow on the kitchen window sill. Hope you and the boys...not forgetting birdie had a wonderful day;-)

Snap! BA i never get it right either. neither do i serve it on time ~ cant understand those who can!!
your house looks sparkling clean!!!

The camera is very forgiving Sticki, I'm not going to take pics of the mess now am I lol. I must confess that since the kitchen was madeover I have kept it nice and forsaken my slatternly ways...long may it last! ??:-)

i dont believe you were ever slatternly every inch of that house is spotless, i can see!

can you just come and pop round here quickly? someone is coming in an hour who used to live here ~ she had everything immaculate ~ it isnt any more!!!

Oh gosh that once happened to me years ago at my old house.. The door bell rang and an old man was standing there. He told me how he had lived there as a child, and saying he supposed it had changed now. We talked for ages at the door, but I couldn't ask him in....total mess and loads of dogs + cat. I felt so mean. I wish I was one of those women who could ask anyone in without notice, but I'm not...I do love it when it looks nice, but intrinsically lazy:-(

i dont care if things are a mess, maybe its the creative bit in me!!??

i tell you what made me really cross ~ he [OH] hasnt done one bit of washing up or cooking all christmas ~ despite saying in front of his mother that he would. then when these people were coming he decided to wash up and put some things away which he never does. its just all for show and it drives me bananas.

Well Sticki here are some home made remedies ...you can make those people come and live with you so he'll have to keep impressing them with his love of equality...or go on strike and say no more cooking 'til he starts washing up and helping around the house. I'm sure with your cookery skills he'll soon come to heel:-)

yep, have to sort it out somehow.

I'm with Sticki on this BA...The table looks so good. Everyone looks happy and live music! Excellent..New dishwasher in the sales Sticki..?

nice idea, thanks pimpernel.

But there's all that loading and unloading, I'd be tempted to leave everything in until it was needed. It would just become a store. Pimpernel, it would also let him off the hook!:-)

I am a him..BA......I can leave the pots until the last one is used. It's environmentally friendly.

i can do that too!!

I can use them all in one go Sticki...

i can do that too ~ its an art form!!!

Lol

its the one art i am good at!!!

Bah.. you do fine with the food and Photo's Sticki....Wait while I start usin that Canon with lenses..I will post the full progress....Bad and the ugly. I have no idea what F8 means.

ah im looking forward to that. i dont know what it means either but i have found out where on the camera it is!! thats progress!!!
if you find out what it means please let me know.

Congratulations to you, Ba ... your festive red and white themed table looks lovely ... and you coped with the food despite the worries beforehand! ... Now you can sit back and relax ... hope Santa was kind to you? ... :o)

Wow BA looks like you had a brilliant day. 12 for dinner, fun isn't it.

We only had 12 (could have been as many as 17 but we had several people crying off sick and my cousin works).

The prep for cooking then actually cooking is such hard work. Good on for you doing so well there and no I have no idea how anyone gets everything ready for the stated time lol. Although it wouldn't work in my family we are inveitably late or end up running someone somewhere with the car lol.

Dishwasher, it has to be the best piece of equipment in the kitchen. I always missed it so much when I was at uni that I kissed it when I came home lol. I honestly don't know how anyone lives without it. The best way to clean up a kitchen is to hide the dirty dishes in the dishwasher lol.

Pimpernel, I think I can help you with your problem..ahem...I'm reliably informed that F8 is is the same as the G8...only not quite so important:-)

Thanks Shirley, I hope your Christmas was lovely and your problems lessened? I'm going to treat myself to some Cath Kidston, I wouldn't have given it house room a couple of years ago...love it now..must be my age lol:-))

Yes Sam, I do love Christmas, they all came back yesterday + 2 for the turkey and ham pies (left overs) , the veggies made and brought their own healthy looking green chunky looking soupy thing, lots of sprouts in it...I passed on that one:-) They did though also buy some veggie samosas from a brilliant shop in Walsall called the Hargun (think that's how it's spelt) they make wonderful stuff there. I ate those:-)

Well thats one way of using the left overs :) Sounds like you had a lovely day again. I relieved my aunt of a lot of the left overs, on boxing day when we had my nan over for lunch. Only four of us though.

The Samosas sound lovely. I've never been to the place in Walsall, we tend to use a little place called Charlies in Rood End (think its classed as Oldbury) or Dehsi's in Smethwick. Mmmm yummy.

We're lucky in W. Midlands lots of great Asian food:-)

Lol very true.

I loved your christmas table and your room looked really lovely.The garden trug is a great present. How is it , when I've been a gardener for years that the family still don't get me garden pressies!lol.Glad you had a nice day and all the best for the new year.

Thanks Rose...perhaps you don't hint as loudly as I do:-))

Aah, it looks as though you had a great day, BA...your house looks lovely and everybody so happy :))

Never mind the tidying up - it always happens...eventually!

Will it be the other 'caterer's' turn to be laughing maniacally at New Year, tho'? ;))

Possibly Karen:-)

Looks like everyone had a great time, love your table and your nerve cooking for 12, this blog would make a great advet for the Perfect Family Christmas ;0))

your table and house look lovely BA, and looks like all had a great time, lovely photos, happy newyear to you and yours ;o))

Thanks Pansy, it's only family I cook for, couldn't do it for anyone else..not got the confidence, and family are forgiving:-) Have a great 2012:-)

Hi Sandra, thanks...looking forward to a quiet time now...get back to normal and proper sleep patterns. I didn't get to bet 'til 2.30 am Christmas eve (preparation etc) and it's hard kicking the late to bed bed habit. Getting there gradually. Have a very happy New Year:-)

Great festive decorations Ba the table looks so inviting. The photo`s show whats best about Christmas the family sharing laughter and enjoying each others company. You can see you all had a great time, wishing you all the best for a Happy New Year.

A Happy New Year to you too Stroller, I took the tree down today, it really is over so quickly isn't it. :-)