Bonfire Night 2012 (by sarah)

Bonfire Night saw m and Jean cooking away - we attempted ice box cookies but it went a bit wrong - Jean ever resourcefull decided to turn them into bone sliver biscuit slivers.

We made some spooky chocolates as well with white chocolate 🙂

Not to mention a Fire Works Night cake 🙂 complete with an icing Guy Fawkes on top 🙂

Once all the cooking was done we popped out the decorations I'd gotten for Halloween which then sort of hadn't happened for us as we were at Cubs!

Jean toasting a marshmallow! A giant marshmallow! Baby scoffing a non-toasted marshmallow 🙂 And a tray of giant marshmallows - we still can not believe the size of these things!

I love my purple spider mug add in the glass eyeball stick that my friend Ulrike gave us and it is perfect for spooky drinks 🙂

Of course Jean's glowing screaming skull straw is pretty ace too 🙂

We had snacks 🙂 Little jelly ghosts, chocolate covered witch biscuits and chilli spider web pretzels.

Then we had indoor fireworks! (it was pretty miserable outside which is why we were not out at a display as planned plus there had been a good fireworks display at Legoland anyway!).

We did do one of them outside though as it was a fountain 🙂

After the in door fireworks we lit a fire lantern 🙂

After the outside stuff we had toffee and chocolate apples 🙂

The cats who should have been hiding from the fireworks - followed us out into the garden to see what all the fuss was about and seemed completely unworried about the fireworks. This being our first fireworks night in a built up area with them we were concerned but it was all fine in the end 🙂

If you want to see bigger versions of the photos just click on them 🙂

Lego Land – Vikings! (by sarah)

Viking Land was were the water ride was with DRAGONS! and also where the maze was 🙂

I really loved these three viking heads 🙂

Pumpkin Soup (by sarah)

The innards of the pumpkin needed to be disposed off - I extracted the seeds, boiled it up and blended it and made bright orange soup.

And the baby pappled it making a great big orangy mess.

The seeds I roasted in a low temperature over with a little bit of sea salt grated onto the top - these were are writing snacks 🙂

NaNoWriMo – the family thing :) (by sarah)

Everyone in the household is now involved in NaNoWriMo - Jean's story is amazing - I don't think she'll beat last years word count but that is fine and I've slowed her down slightly as she is producing the most articulate story and drawing pictures to boot!

Her story is based on the picture on the front of her note book! Mary of course could not be left out and so is scribbling in a little cat note book that I originally got for Alaric!

Alaric has been to his first write-in in Bristol at the Water Shed and is chuffed about his 2000 words plus. I have my first write in tomorrow (as in actual and not me and the girls and pumpkin soup.

We normally get a vat of jelly beans to see me through October and Novembers writing challenges and then through Christmas and a fair way into the new year but instead there was a Jelly Bean mug! The sort with a silicon lid that helps me not tip it all over myself and the laptop. It is purple comes with a few jelly beans and of course a new mug for my foul hot beverages is traditional for my writing madness.

There is also a little lego mascot ready to help me write. I've only managed 4000 words so far but am hoping to drastically up this at the write in - to stick to my self imposed word target I need to be averaging 3000 words a day!

Lego Land part 2 (by sarah)

More Halloween Spookies

More pictures of bits and bobs I found around the park!

We went in to see a 4D film though we did sit in the dry seats which was slightly cheating! We had to wear the 3D glasses for it and though I thought it was a bit juddery the girls loved it - they tried to grab the mug of hot drink as it swung past us! There were wind effects and foam snow falling from the ceiling and a wall of fire which made them squeak! Maurice ended up storing all our glasses on his head as we queued.

We then went to the shop! Where we found a giant lego Ninja which Jean loved so much she got a little keyring version 🙂

We spent quiet alot of time in the shops!

Jean found a Buzz Light Year to hug too 🙂

We then went for hot chocolates to warm up before the fireworks!

We'd bought Jean a light wand which proved entertaining for everyone though I did take it off of Mary as it packed a punch if you stopped it and she was sticking her fingers in it to see what would happen!

We then went outside for the fireworks and discovered that even though we had asked at the beginning and told up by the shop was a good spot it was not and the good area was closed off 🙁 But it was still fantastic!

The girls found themselves a good spot between the notice board and the fence so that all those annoying adults weren't in front of them - it was raining at this point and they had my old camp blanket which had belonged to my grandmother, wrapped around them!

We then went back for some dinner - LEGO FRIES!

Mary and Harry Shaking hands 🙂

More LEGO fries!

Alaric had bought a Darf Vada lego man torch which he was very excited about 🙂

Annabelle helped Mary with her drink and then it was time to go!

There will be more photos and a video at some point 🙂