Blog

Here I will share my latest blog posts with you.

25th April 2025

Mindfulness, Journalling, Reducing Stress & Me

I have never really struggled with poor mental health before, but this year has been very challenging. I keep being told by friends and family that "I have a lot going on", which I Know is true, and maybe it all happening at once has been too much, partnered with what seemed like a very long, grey winter - things did start getting on top of me a bit

I was told in my last medication review that I have a very busy and stressful life, what with a child with Autism, my brain tumour, a puppy, home educating my son as well as being his full-time carer, and I've not even mentioned my brother in law's terminal cancer. Stress is causing my acid reflux to flare up at the moment, which is resulting in constant burning at the back of my throat.

So, what is acid reflux?

Please bare in mind I am not a medical professional, everything I am writing about has either been researched online or is from personal experience. I will put links to the websites I have used.

According to nhs.uk the main symptoms of acid reflux are:

Heartburn
An unpleasant sour taste in your mouth, caused by stomach acid.

You may also have:

A cough or hiccups that keep coming back
A hoarse voice
Bad breath
Bloating or feeling sick

Symptoms are often worse after eating, when lying down and bending over. There is no obvious reason why people can suffer, it can sometimes be caused or made worse by:

Certain food and drink such as coffee, tomatoes, alcohol, chocolate and fatty or spicy foods
Being overweight
Smoking
Stress and anxiety

To name just a few.

For more information on acid reflux and how to ease symptoms please look on https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heartburn-and-acid-reflux/

I have researched mindfulness, journaling, ways to reduce stress, and diets for acid reflux.

The definition of mindfulness as per http://www.mind.org.uk is

"mindfulness is a technique you can learn which involves noticing what's happening in the present moment, without judgement. You might take notice and be aware of your mind, body or surroundings."

Being completely honest with you, even after reading the definition of mindfulness, I'm not sure how to start mindfulness or if it really works. I did buy the Mindfulness for Mums by Izzy Judd book when it first came out, which I am just starting to read now, so hopefully that will help clarify mindfulness for me.

I have mentioned a website called plumhealthyfine.com before, and thye have produced a list of 12 ways to reduce stress.

Take a long bath
Exercise for better mental health
Read a book
Grab a cup of tea
Clean your house
Build a bedtime self-care routine
Do yoga
Watch a TV show or a movie
Cook something
Spend time with nature
Journaling
Indulge in your favourite hobby

A lot of this makes sense, and some hadn't even occured to me. https://plumhealthyfine.com/ways-to-reduce-stress/

The AI overview of journaling:

Journaling can be a helpful tool for managing stress, improving mental health and promoting self-awareness by providing a safe space to process emotions and thoughts.

Stress Reduction: Journaling can act as a healthy outlet for releasing pent up emotions and thoughts, which can help reduce stress and anxiety.

What am I doing/ trying to change things?

I have never used a journal before, but did buy a self-care journal from Amazon in February but wasn't ready to start it until the beginning of April.

In my last meeting with T's therapist, she gave me the most brilliant piece of advice... Take a lunch break everyday, give yourself an hour where you aren't Mum or Carer - if possible leave the house, even if you just sit in the car and read a book.

I have mentioned before that I meal plan, but for a long time I haven't enjoyed cooking it was a chore! I have started going through my Batch Lady recipe books and found new recipes to try. I have and do use I feel like I am cooking properly again, and I am actually enjoying the process! As well as cooking again, I have started baking again, something I always enjoyed and just stopped!

My house had never been so clean! We do a chore chart, but it is me doing 95% of the cleaning which wasn't the original plan, but I will admit I do feel less stressed walking around the house seeing that it's clean and tidy!

I am currently looking into a new diet to aid my acid reflux, which could possibly mean a seperate meal for my, but I need to get it under control. I have read that having smaller meals or snacks more regularly (5 to 6 a day) is recommended instead of the standard 3 larger ones. I have also read that the Mediterranean Diet is supposed to be good. Once I have researched it more and possibly have a meal plan put together, I will share more.

I have started looking into hobbies I enjoy and possibly starting some new ones. I went to Hobbycraft and bought myself a paint by numbers kit and Deluxe Modern Macrame Kit, both things I have not tried before. I've had a look on Amazon and found some mindfulness colouring books - something I have always enjoyed, in fact I am going to look for my colouring books and maybe treat myself to some new colouring pencils!

Are they working?

I have taken the advice of my son's therapist very seriously and started taking a "lunch break" every day. I stop, sit at the dining table, eat my lunch and read my book - I finished my book which I had been struggling with because I had no time! It was the latest Stanley Tucci book, and I can't recommend it enough! This simple act has made such a difference to me.

Journaling has surprised me! I have consistently filled it in every day this month! The clarity it has given me each evening has helped me relax, not necessarily get to sleep (which is still a struggle some nights), and the organisation on a morning has really helped with the rest of the day. Journaling is definately something I will be continuing with. The journal I bought is Clever Fox Self-Care Journal from Amazon

I know this one isn't rocket science, but I have found breaking the cleaning of the house down into smaller tasks each day instead of leaving it all for one day. Doing this has three purposes:

It's easier to keep on top of things, making it quicker each time.
Our weekends are now free from housework, meaning we have time to do what we want to do instead of what we must do.
It has surprisingly really reduced my stress. Seeing the house clean and tidy is calming.

I'm still researching a new diet to help ese my acid reflux, but the process of cooking meals from scratch has become enjoyable again. We are trying new recipes and I'm even batching meals, so if we have a busy day/ week, I have meals already prepared in the freezer, ready to be defrosted and cooked, again reducing stress.

Along with cooking meals from scratch, I have started baking again - I really switch off and just concentrate on just that, recently I baked enough to fill the freezer with nice snacks and still have enough out for us to enjoy.

I will share the diet I find and the results with you once I have tested it. I am hoping that by my continuing with all of these things my stress levels will lower, and my mental health will improve again.

I hope some of my research can also help if you are struggling to.

10th April 2025

More About Me

At the beginning of the year when I set up copperandme.co.uk I mentioned about the many "hats" I have to wear, but didn't really go into any detail.

Like many other couples out there, my husband and I found out early on in our marriage that having children naturally wasn't possible. We gave ourselve some time to come to terms with that and explored other options available to us and started the adoption process. We were very lucky that where we lived at the time followed the set timescales and our process took six months from start to approval.

Adopting is both the best and scariest thing we have ever done. T came to us two weeks after his third birthday. The first few years went well, we all adjusted to life as a family of three. T enjoyed nursery and thrived when he moved up to Primary School.

Unfortunately, T started to struggle with a few things, so we were referred to a specialist and initially diagnosed with Attachement Issues, we were also referred for some TheraPlay sessions to aid T with the attachement issues. These worked for a while, but he continued to struggle especially with the school system, which completely failed him - I'm not going to go into full details, but let's just say reduced hours, seperated from his friends and not being taught anything for SIX months! Getting T to scholl was getting increasingly difficult, along with his increased symptoms. We were never fully convinced that T had received the correct diagnosis.

This time is when we made the difficult decision for me to give up my career and become T's full-time carer, and for him to leave school and be home educated (something I was doing anyway). Home educating T hasn't been easy, I'm still trying to undo the damage his previous school did and build his self-confidence and self-esteem back up, and we are now years into home educating.

T was eventually diagnosed with Autism - more information available at http://autism.org.uk -which finally made sense of his symptoms. T is still very resistant to his diagnosis. We have had support for T in the form of Play Therapy and were lucky enough for it to have been funded for just over four years. He had his last session at the end of March, and currently there is nothing else available to him due to the Government not releasing any further funding to any adoption agencies and therefore therapists.

You now have a little insight into our background, but that hasn't really told you how I manage everything has it? Two words.... Planning and Organisation.

I have always been organised (which is the complete opposite of my husband). T thrives on routine and structure and does in fact struggle with last minute changes, as do many neurodivergent children.

Meals are planned in 4 week blocks, that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and a morning and afternoon snack. T comes from a background of trauma, so food can be an issue for him without the planning.

We have a calendar in the kitchen (which I know is a bit old fashioned now) that has EVERYTHING on it, my appointments, my husband's work hours, T's appointments and even Copper's appointments go on there! This tool helps T see what is happening during the week/ month. There is also a chore chart on the kitchen wall showing daily, weekly and monthly jobs that need doing, so it is not left to one person, or left for the weekend when we could be doing something fun!

T's home education is planned so he knows what he is doing and encourages him to be self-sufficient in his learning.

Every Sunday I take some time to plan the coming week - this will include looking at the meal plan to see if anything needs to come out of the freezer, or made in advance, like my pizza dough for example that is best made 48 hours before we need it, as the rise is better.

I also check my diary/ kitchen calendar for any appointments in the coming week. I like to make a list of tasks I want or we as a family need to complete, alongside that there is a list of things we need to buy that week. This might seem a bit excessive, but it works for us, and it helps T because he can see what's coming up so there are no surprises.

By doing all of this it allows me time to do the things I love the most - spend time with my family, play with our gorgeous Copper, cook and bake for my family and maybe do one of my hobbies.

18th March 2025

Self-Care and Trying to Prepare for Sleep

At the beginning of the year, I decided that 2025 was going to be the Year of Me, and a big part of that is getting my health back on track. After the last two years and potentially the next the next two years of waiting to see if my radio therapy treatment worked, trying to get my sleep back on track is important, and the first steps I am taking to improve things.

I have struggled with sleep or lack of for years on and off, and unfortunately, I am going through a poor sleep phase again. I either struggle to get to sleep and can still be awake at 1 or 2am, or I get to sleep really quickly and fall into a deep sleep, then either wake up or get woken by something in the early hours of the morning. It can then take a good couple of hours to get back to sleep again, so when my alarm goes off in the morning I'm exhausted! When I am struggling to get back to sleep or even to sleep, it's normally because my brain is racing with thoughts and I do struggle to calm it down, end up getting frustrated which then keeps me awake longer!!! It's a vicious circle.

Now I know stress, worry and anxiety can restrict sleep, and let's be honest, the last two years has been filled with all of those from finding out about my brain tumour, the eventual treatment plan, then finding out about my brither-in-law's terminal cancer disgnosis, a horrendous prolonged house move, plus other minor health issues. It has been a lot for me to deal with and get my head around, but when you have a child with special needs, your first priority is always their needs over your own, which is why I think I am struggling now, especially with sleep.

I am not a fan of taking unnecessary medication, so staying true to form I did some research on how to create a calming bedtime routine, how to reduce stress, 30 day challenges to help your mental health and how to create a self care routine. I'm not going to explore all of these things in one go, I'm aiming to tackle this step by step and I think getting my sleep back on track will help me the most.

plumhealthyfine.com wrote an article 12 AMAZING IDEAS FOR THE BEST SELF-CARE NIGHT ROUTINE. Some of the points are obvious like putting your phone away, read a book and relax to sooting music. Some of the other points I wouldn't have thought of, in fact they didn't even cross my mind! Breathing in some fresh air or taking a shower - I have always found both of those invigorating, but thinking about it now they both help clear my head, so something I will try.

The article is definitely worth a read if you are struggling with sleep. I did say I was only going to tackle one thing at a time, but I did find another article that compliments the best self-care night routine is the https://plumhealthyfine.com/ways-to-reduce-stress/#reduce-stress 12 ways to reduce stress (something that thrives in our house at the moment!) article. I am going to try and incorporate things from both articles to help my sleep.

This process isn't going to be rushed, I am allowing myself a month to get strted and see how things improve. Of course I will share with you what worked best, and what didn't really make a difference.

6th March 2025

Holidaying with a Puppy

In all of the years we had our previous Labrador Storm, we never went on holiday with him, we either used a company called Barking Mad which was a brilliant concept, our dog stayed with a host family, was looked after how we would have done, was picked up and dropped off at home and normally came home exhausted!!! If we didn't use Barking Mad, Storm would stay with my parents which was his home from home, my Mum had everything at her house that we had at home (bed, water & food bowls, toys, treats and his food), yes he was a very spolit dog at his grandparents! So we never really had to take anything away with us for him.

2024 brought Copper into our lives and completed our family once again (it had been five years since we lost Storm) and our first holiday was booked four weeks after we collected him. The plan had been to go on holiday first, and then find our puppy, but we found Copper first, completely fell in love with him, so we adapted our holiday plans. We booked to go to Center Parcs, so knew they were dog friendly. We did end up having to change parc due to no dog friendly cabins being available at our original parc. The cabin was amazing, wooden floors throughout, so if Copper had any accidents, and at 12 weeks old, he was still undergoing toilet training, so accidents were likely! There were designated dog walking areas, and you could take your dog to certain restaurants - we didn't use any of those facilities because Copper still had to wait 2 weeks after his final jabs.

So what did we pack to take away with us? I think we left the kitchen sink but packed EVERYTHING else! All joking aside, I did over pack for this holiday. I wanted to make Copper as comfortable as possible with ALL of his things, so it was a home away from home. So I packed his crate - he didn't even sleep in it! His toys, he played with the same three all week, blankets he didn't want, the list goes on and on.

The things I packed that did work really well - I premeasured all of his food, instead of having to take the huge bag of dry food. I took floor wipes, kitchen towel and poo bags to help clean up the inevitable accidents.

The first holiday with Copper was a real learning curve, and taught me what he really needed. So, packing for Cornwall in November was so much easier. there was no crate, no full basket of toys, no excessive amounts of treats that he couldn't possibly eat. We pcked his favourite 4 toys, premeasured food, towels to dry him off after his beach walks, his lead, his harness, coat (because it was near the end of November), his food and water bowls along with the mat to put them on. It was a lot more streamlined.

The other things I would mention about holidaying with a puppy or fully grown dog is do your reasearch of the journey - how long will it take? Where can you stop safely with a dog? For our journey to Cornwall, I knew it like the back of my hand as we used to live there, so it was a journey I had done many times and knew the best places to stop. I can't recommend Gloucester Services on the M5 enough, they have a designated dog walking area, lots of bins available for dog waste and a fantastic coffee for my husband. I also knew that the journey would take around 7 hours, so made sure to pack food for Copper (only half a portion, so not to overload his stomach), and plenty of water.

Once at your holiday destination, where are the best walks for your dog? Again for us in Cornwall we were staying near to where we used to live, so knew the area really well and also knew that in November dogs were allowed on the beach (there are restrictions during the summer months). That's where we took Copper every day and he LOVED it!

Are there any dog friendly places you can take your dog whilst you are away? Such as restaurants, cafes, pubs or shops? The other thing I would check is are there any restrictions within your accommodation? We stayed in a beautiful cottage, that was dog friendly, but once we got there, we found out that dogs weren't allowed upstairs, which might not seem that big of an issue, but Copper has always slept upstairs with us!

So, to conclude my holiday essentials for travelling with a puppy/ dog are:

floor wipes
kitchen wipes
kitchen towel
food and water bowls
mat for bowls (if you use one)
toys - favourites only
food (pre portioned to make life easier, and safe space in the car)
treats
towels
poo bags
water bottle and bowl for the car
blanket
lead & harness
coat if going away in autumn/ winter
food/ treats for the journey, especially if it's going to be a long journey

I hope this helps you not to overpack like I did on our first trip! If you thinks of anything else to add to the list please let me know.

13 February 2025

15 Lists to Write at the Beginning of the Month

Following on from my last blog 2025 The Year of Me, I wanted to find more ways I could increase my organisation.

I recently read an article written by Korra-Shay (April 4, 2021)https://korrashay.com/2021/04/04/15-lists-to-write-at-the-beginning-of-the-month/ on Pinterest about 15 lists to write at the beginning of the month, because as I have said 2025 is going to be the year of me. The lists included in the article are:

Goals for the month
A running shopping list of things you need to buy
A master to do list
Budget list - include expenses and income tracking
Meal planning/ Meal prepping lists
Monthly cleaning projects
Pantry, Fridge and Freezer list
Any appointments or meetings you need to do
Fitness plan list/ goals
Emails to send
Errands to run list
Bills to pay and when they are due
Books you want to read/ Shows to watch list
Restaurants to try list
30 Day challenge

I actually found that I already used a couple of the suggested lists, but that doesn't mean that there isn't room for improvement! If I can create great habits/ systems, then maybe they will rub off onto my son and get him set up in a positive way before he leaves home (which is a few years off yet, but if I start early...)

The article was more than just a list of lists, it gave a detailed summary of benefits to writing lists. I highly recommend that you give it a read.

By reading this article myself, it has definitely given me lots of ideas on how to expand my list making - I think I might add a list of clothes in my wardrobe with photos, so I can potentially create outfits with out having to go out and buy more clothes, a capsule wardrobe if you like.

Now I am fully aware this isn't going to happen overnight, and for good habits to form, you need to be repetitive for it to become second nature, but I am more than willing to put in the hard work to make 2025 productive and MY year.

The lists I already use are:

4 - Budget List merged with 12 - Bills to pay and when they are due.

5 - Meal Planning, something I have done for years, but will incorporate the Meal Prepping lists

7 - Pantry, Fridge and Freezer Inventory list. I have made a freezer list for years, because it helps with meal planning and keeping costs down when preparing the shopping list. I will nowever, be includingthe fridge and pantry/ cupboard to my list.

The lists I want to try are:

1 - Goals for the month

2 - A running shopping list of things you need to buy

3 - A master to do list

6 - Monthly cleaning projects

7 - Pantry & fridge list

8 - Any appointments or meeting you need to do

9 - Fitness plan list/ goals

10 - Emails to send

13 - Books you want to read/ Shows to watch list

15 - 30 Day challenge

I am looking forward to the challenge, and as always I will keep you updated with my progress or fails.

Hearing Test results from November 2023, showing my hearing has deteriorated.

21 Jan 2025

2025 The Year of Me

2025 is going to be The Year of Me! and whilst that might sound a bit self centered and self absorbed, I am neither of those, but I do need to find me again.

The last couple of years haven't been the easiest for me or my family, and that was down to a shock diagnosis that I received. I started 2023 going to Boots Opticians to get my hearing checked, as I had some concerns regarding the hearing in my left ear, and rightly so after seeing the test results! To cut a long story short, I was referred to ENT, given a hearing aid and sent for a MRI to rule out anything untoward. This is where the shock diagnosis comes. The MRI scan found a brain tumour. After a few scary weeks, I spoke to my consultant, it was decided that as the tumour was small, we would monitor and rescan in 2024.

May 2024, I had another MRI scan, another meeting with my consultant where we were told that my tumour had not only grown, but it had also doubled in size and was now pressing on my brain stem, which brings its own set of challenges! On top of all of that the hearing has virtually gone completely in my left ear. The size of the tumour meant we were passed the monitor and rescan stage! I had two options - brain surgery or a form of radiotherapy which I would have to go to Sheffield for - I opted for the radiotherapy as it is less invasive and a far quicker recovery time.

I had the radiotherapy at the end of October 2024, and after a month of being extremely tired, I feel absolutely fine. I just have a two year wait to see if the treatment has worked.

Now I don't want to come across as though that any of this hasn't affected me in anyway, I can assure you that it did. When I first received my diagnosis, I as a mess! But I have a son with special needs who needs me, so I had to come to terms with my diagnosis quickly and look for the positives - which are this isn't cancerous, it won't kill me, and yes I might have days where I am particularly off balance and very dizzy, but I can have a normal life with this tumour.

This leads me onto why 2025 is going to be the year of me. I need to get my acid reflux under control again, so I will be looking at ways I can do that, and whiclst I'm doing that, I will be looking at how I can reduce my blood pressure. I know reducing my stress levels will help both my acid reflux and blood pressure, so finding ways to do that is essential.

I want to get back into exercise again, it's something I have always enjoyed, and for some reason has fallen to the wayside - time or lack of? For Christmas I actually got a pair of walking boots, an incentive to get back outside again! I am very lucky to live in a beautiful part of the country, with lots of amazing walks on my doorstep, along with The Lake District just over an hours drive away. The best part it's a free activity that the whole family can do including Copper.

I also think I need to induldge in a little self-care, not quite sure how I will approach this yet. Taking myself away to read a book for half an hour? Maybe start journalling? Or restart a hobby? Learn how to meditate? Although I don't know if I have the patience for that!

Once a week I will definitely be doing a face mask, followed by a hand and foot mask, when I find my favourite masks, I will share them with you.

By doing all or at least some of these things I have mentioned I should hopefully get my health back on track.

My other goal for 2025 is to be more organised. I used to be, but over the last few years my organisation has disappered a little. My Mother-in-Law asked me to put together a folder to help her get organised...like me, for her Christmas present, which of course I did, and I accepted the huge compliment she gave me, but I did feel like a bit of a fraud because my organisation has been lacking to say the least. Am I putting unnecessary pressure on myself with everything I've been through in the last two years, probably, but if I can get things back to where they were, life will run so much more smoothly!

So what am I wanting to get put in place?

Number One has definitely got to be birthdays and Christmas. It has been known for me to buy ALL of my birthday cards for the year and Christmas cards in the January sales. I was even know to buy Mother's Day presents and possibly birthday presents in the sales as well. So, to get that back on track I have set up a spreadsheet with the cards I need to get, cards I have and the dates they are needed.

I have a list of post it notes to put in my diary throughout the year to prompt me to get organised. They start in June with put together a birthday and Christmas list and start buying bits for Advent calendars. All of my famliy birthdays are at the tail end of the year, starting in September so by starting in June, it spreads th cost a little more. These post it notes also include when to make the Christmas cake and start prepping the Christmas food.

My son thrives on routine, so I would like to build a routine that includes completing all household chores, his home education and meal planning (I have meal planned for years for a number of reasons - it saves money, stops me picking a food and actually eat a meal! and it helps my son knowing what he has for each meal). If that can be achieved, then it will free up our weekends for more fun stuff!

Another one of my goals for 2025 is to spend one day a month filling the freezer with sweet treats, and another day a month filling the freezer with meals, again this all stems back to being more organised and making my days easier and more streamlined.

It might seem like I have a lot of goals for 2025, and I probably do, but I honestly feel like if I can achieve them, then 2025 will truly be The Year of Me!

I will keep you updated along my way and share with you my favourite products and recipes along the way.

21 Dec 2024

Our Christmas
Traditions

I may be a little late to the party, as it is the last weekend before Christmas, but I thought that I would share some of my family's traditions, this year's Christmas menu including dessert, our favourite treats and this years' table setting.

Twelve years ago we had the best early Christmas present when we finally brought our then three year old son home to his forever home, he was one of the final adoption placements before Christmas. This is where many of our Christmas traditions started.

Let me be perfectly honest, before our son arrived my husband and I didn't even own a Christmas Tree! Let me put that into perspective - we worked in the hotel industry, we would definately be working Christmas Day, and had been "celebrating" Christmas twice a week since the beginning of November with ALL of the decorations, dinners, carols etc., so the thought of Christmas at home as well, well we needed a break from it!

That thought did change when we found out about our son, we bought a Christmas tree, the decorations and a few crafts to do, which leads me onto our first Christmas tradition. I still have the tree topper we made 12 years ago, and much to my son's embarrassment, bring it out every year to put on the top of the tree. It might be a bit tatty now, but it means the world to me and I will use it until I can use it no more.

When I was little my mum made my brother and I a Christmas Tree Advent Calendar each and filled it the pockets with treats and little toys, I don't ever remember having a bought chocolate advent calendar, but I don't feel like I missed out on anything, so I knew that I wanted to carry on the homemade advent calendar tradition with my son. I found a wooden train advent calendar (my son loved trains) and lovingly decorated it (I won major Mum points that year). Each year since I fill it with treats, they have changed somewaht over the years as my son has got older, last year he requested a hot chocolate advent calendar.

We always make a trip to Lidl at Christmas to buy their caramalised almonds (in bulk) and bags of the Lebkuchen, unfortunately they didn't have the almonds, they had peanuts instead, which I'm allergic to, so they stayed on the shelf! The Lebkucken hasn't made it to Christmas this year, but that is the only overindulgence we have partaken in this year...so far!

Christmas Day, I set up a hot chocolate station with the Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser, a selection of hot chocolates (becauce my husband and son like different flavours), marshmallows are a must, along with fancy squirty cream (we discovered the French brand Predident had a can of squirty cream available in this country), and sometimes I'll get a flavoured syrup as well. Alongside the hot chocolate staion, I'll set up a selection of snacks. This year we have Walkers Shortbread (they do the best gluten free shortbread), Cadbury's Roses for me, Celebrations for my husband and son, Nairn's gluten free mini cheese bakes and some Cheddars for my husband and son. Now this may sound indulgent, but it will last a few days, and it means we can all have some of our favourites. It's also not something we do at any other time of the year.

This year we are not going for the tradtional Christmas dinner, none of us are overly keen on turkey, and my husband only has Christmas Day and Boxing Day off this year, so we didn't fancy spending one of those days in the kitchen! So we have been to the butchers and bought the best quality steak we can afford, I'm going to get the deep fat fryer out of it's box and make proper chips, make homemade onion rings for husband and child, and a peppercorn sauce from scratch. This meal is just a special to us as a roast would be, because it's not something we have often. Dessert will be homemade sticky toffe pudding with a homemade toffee sauce, agani I know it's not traditional, but my son doesn't like Christmas Pudding, so I have bought individual ones for my husband and I to have on Boxing Day.

This year I decided that I wanted to invest in a set of "good plates" for when we entertain. Don't get me wrong, I love my everyday plates and saved for a longtime to buy them (we have a Denby dinner service, which I found at a price too good to leave nearly 6 years ago). Along with the plates, I also bought some nice wine glasses, contrasting cutlery and proper cloth napkins with some Christmassy napkin rings.

After A LOT of searching and review reading, I found the plates I like at Next - 12 piece natural spekle Oakley dinner set (B12-802) £48. I aso bought the wine glasses from Next - Green Hollis wine glasses (QL-1017) £28, these are unfortunately currently unavailable. I found the cutlery, napkins and napkin rings in Dunelm. The cutlery is the Churchgate Ashwell 16 piece cutlery (30897312) £20, I chose the bottle green Isabelle napkins £7, and the Christmassy napkin rings are no longer available on the website, in fact I got the last 2 pairs from my local store. The placemats I've used are ones I bought last year (I think) from John Lewis, which really pull everything together. I feel I must point out that everything mentioned above has been bought and paid for using my own money.

However you celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a happy, healthy. and safe one.