Happy New Year!!
Monthly Archives: December 2013
Aww, Santa you shouldn’t have…
{The gifts bearing my name this year included a pair of classic short Ugg boots, the Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palette, a Diptyque Baies scented candle, a scarf from American Vintage, Jamie Oliver’s latest cook book and a pair of slippers from The White Company.}
As we tumble headfirst into 2014, Christmas Day is already starting to feel like a distant memory. Our Christmas tree and decorations are still up but by this weekend they will be packed away again for another year. While the festive season is all about being together, enjoying each others company (well mostly anyway – Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the little arguments that seem to rear their head after the turkey has been polished off), it is always nice to find a few presents under the tree. Judging by Santa’s generosity, I must have been a very good girl this year…
Now we’re off to battle the crowds and indulge in a bit of Sales shopping as well as exchanging a couple of gifts. With less than 12 hours remaining of 2013 I wish you all a very happy New Year! X
Our Christmas in Pictures
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. Ours went by in a flash but it was wonderful and definitely one that we will remember and treasure for many years to come. Since having children, we have always spent Christmas at home or at our parents’ houses (which are less than half an hour away) so I was looking forward to going away to celebrate both Christmas and my father’s 70th birthday together with my parents and my sister’s family. From the moment we arrived at Moonfleet Manor in Dorset I felt all the stress from the run-up to the festive season melt away. The Georgian manor house was beautifully decorated with Christmas trees in all the downstairs rooms and mantlepieces heaving with pine and cone garlands. No meals to cook, no house to clean and no need to worry about entertaining the children as there was a swimming pool, games rooms and a huge indoor play area with room to play football and tennis as well as a soft play area for the younger ones. I even had time to read a book and, after a busy Christmas Day with stockings in the morning followed by a treasure hunt which ended in a truly magical Santa’s Grotto, my sister and I booked in for a relaxing facial and massage on Boxing Day. And of course, lots and lots of food, including a six course Black Tie gala dinner on our last night – so healthy eating is definitely on the agenda for January!
Back home there were more presents to open under the tree (with only a small car we couldn’t bring any big gifts with us) including a dolls house for Clemmie and a new games console for the boys, which they were up playing early this morning. We managed to drag them away for a few hours to go to the zoo and enjoy the sunshine (a welcome change from the horrible rain and wind).
The boys have just gone to bed and when I said goodnight I asked what they thought was the best part of Christmas. I expected them to say ‘Getting a Lego set or an Xbox’ but they both replied ‘being together at the hotel and seeing our cousins’ which made me so happy because, to me, that is what Christmas is all about: family and togetherness.
There are still a few more lazy days to enjoy before reality kicks in again and I, for one, intend to make the most of them by doing not very much at all! X
A Very Happy Christmas to One and All
Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas full of love and joy!
This Week’s Favourites
Hello there, First of all I just wanted to say a big thank you for all your lovely supportive comments on my previous post. It’s very comforting to know that I’m not the only one to be hit by bloggers block! How are you all bearing up under the Christmas stress? I finished the wrapping last night and today has been a mad dash (in the pouring rain, of course!) buying new shoes for the boys, haircuts for all the kids, and packing our bags for three nights away. We leave tomorrow morning and although it feels strange not to be spending Christmas at home, we are all very excited to be trying something new. We (hopefully) have a fun packed few days ahead and I’ve been cramming the suitcases full with fancy dress outfits, Black Tie attire, wellies and swimming costumes.
It may be a day late but I wanted to take a few minutes to do my weekly round up:
1. It seems like ages ago now, but Cameron was off school with a tummy ache last Monday. Once I’d finished work in the morning, we played quite a few boardgames including Junior Monopoly.
2. Luckily he had recovered by the following day and was able to do a reading in church at his school’s carol service.
3. Amaryllis = Christmas and ours is now in full bloom.
4. Christmas wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the big guy in red himself. The boys were happy to pose with Father Christmas (a really good one this year who took his time to chat to all the children individually) but Clemmie preferred to stay close to Mummy.
5. She did manage to divulge that she wants a dolly for Christmas and enjoyed the visit to the playground afterwards.
6. Another festive tradition is making gingerbread biscuits. I buy the dough ready made from the Swedish food shop, so much easier than making your own. I had planned to buy some writing icing to decorate them but the kids managed to eat every single biscuit before I had time. Note to self: Buy two batches of dough next year.
7. As we’re away over Christmas (it’s my dad’s 70th birthday on Christmas Day no less so we’re going to stay in a hotel for three days), we enjoyed a traditional Swedish Christmas lunch with my parents, sister and family and the in-laws yesterday.
8. Clemmie and her cousin are only six months apart in age and get on really well, chatting away in a mixture of English and Swedish. It will be lovely to spend three solid days together over Christmas.
9. And finally I just had to share my latest purchase with you – the Nars At First Sight eye and cheek palette. My mother-in-law bought me a voucher for Space NK for my birthday and this week I managed to nab the very last palette in stock!
Right, back to the packing it is and in case I don’t get a chance to post in the next couple of days: A very merry Christmas to you all! X
When words don’t come easy…
Somewhere between the Christmas stress, starting a new job and a couple of exhausting nights looking after a sick toddler, I seem to have temporarily misplaced my blogging mojo. It’s not that I’m short of ideas or inspiration, I just haven’t got the energy to sit down and string the necessary words together. Tomorrow is the last day of school for the boys before Christmas and I’m sure the two week break will do us all good. At the moment, even getting out of the house on time in the mornings is a struggle, let alone keeping on top of the Christmas preparations and all the usual household tasks that mount up, regardless of whether it’s the festive season or not.
So, for tonight this is all folks. I hope to return in a few days with something more interesting to say! In the meantime, hope you all have a great weekend. X
Add a Scandinavian Touch to your Home
As some of you may have gathered by now, I am a big fan of Scandinavian design, both for the wardrobe and the home. So you can imagine my excitement this week when I discovered a new interior website stocking beautiful vintage pieces as well as some of my favourite Scandi brands, including House Doctor, Tine K and Ferm Living. Design Vintage has a store in Brighton as well as an online shop selling all manner of wonderful things to spruce up your abode.
Here are some of my favourites:
1. Industrial desk lamp by House Doctor DK, £150
2. Pink Bambi bedding for a cot or cot bed from Scandinavian designers By Nord, £44
3. Set of three large storage boxes by Tine K Home, £35
4. Zinc wire mailbox by House Doctor, £14.95
5. Dragonfly porcelain votives from Bloomingville, in three different designs, £8.95 each
6. Dark grey and white tie-dye cushion by House Doctor, £35
This Week’s Favourites
My lovely husband offered to wash up even though he cooked dinner so I’m earlier than usual with my ‘weekly favourites’ post. It’s been a great week – busy but not stressful – and even though there are only nine (!!) days until Christmas I feel quite organised and in control (a definite first for me!). So without further ado here is the roundup I know you’ve all been waiting for!
1. I finished off the last Christmas shopping this week and of course no trip into town is complete without a Gingerbread latte at Starbucks to keep the energy levels up.
2. Cameron’s school Christmas concert was a delight: the children looked angelic and sang so beautifully it almost brought a tear to my eye!
3. Casper was not to be outdone and sparkled as Roman in his school nativity the following day.
4. As I mentioned in my last post we have put up all the Christmas decorations and I’m already dreading taking them down in the new year. January and February are my least favourite months and the house always seems so dark and dreary when the Christmas lights are packed away.
5. The little nativity set is a favourite with the children who love playing with it and moving the figures around. I don’t mind as long as it all stays on the mantlepiece!
6. The Christmas tree has a real mix of old, new and homemade decorations. It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but there’s plenty of time for an immaculate tree when the children have grown up.
7. We went to a 1960s theme party last night so I wore false eyelashes for the very first time. Luckily my friend was on hand to help with hair and makeup as I think I would have struggled to glue them on by myself.
8. All ready to go in my 60s dress bought on eBay for £20! I didn’t take any pictures at the party but there were some fabulous costumes, includng Twiggy, Audrey Hepburn and the 1966 World Cup winning England football team.
9. After last night’s party a lazy Sunday was in order. I’m trying to make more of an effort to sped one-to-one time with the boys so Cameron and I went to the cinema this afternoon to see the new Disney film Frozen (and I managed to not fall asleep!).
Hope you all have a fantastic Sunday evening! X
We’re getting there…
The tree and all the decorations are up, the Christmas cards have been written and posted, the presents have been bought (and some are even wrapped). Apart from a couple of minor mishaps (nephew’s present going missing in the post and granddad unknowingly buying the same gift for Casper that I had already ordered), this year’s festive preparations have (dare I say it!?) been remarkably plain sailing.
The hardest thing this week has been getting the kids up in the morning and delivering them to school on time. Having notched up no less than six Christmas concerts between them in the last week, they are just plain exhausted and in need of a break from the daily routine. This weekend could not have rolled around soon enough but at least there are only five more days of school to go and most of the after school activities have already finished for the term.
On a different note, I’m after some Christmas movie tips. My all-time favourites are Love Actually and The Holiday but my husband finds them too soppy (can’t think why?!) so I’d like to find some films that we can enjoy together. Do you have a favourite Christmas movie?
Have a great weekend. X
Post note: I just realised that The Holiday is on TV tonight – yay! – and husband is out at a Christmas party – double yay!
Currently Coveting #15: The Perfect New Year’s Eve Dress
A dense blanket of fog has covered our part of the world all day, making driving difficult and halting some flights in and out of London. It has been cold, damp, grey and miserable so I’ve cheered myself up by looking online for the perfect New Year’s Eve dress. I don’t actually know what we’re doing for New Year yet – we have been invited to a 1920s themed party, which sounds fun, but it’s grown-ups only and finding a babysitter is proving rather tricky…
Last year we had some friends and their children over for a three-course dinner and it was one of the best New Year’s Eves I’ve had for a long time (I’m almost ashamed to admit it but since having children I’ve been known to go to bed before midnight on December 31st…) But I think that even if you’re ringing in the new year in the comfort of your own home it is nice to dress up and wear something special. I would be more than happy to step into 2014 in any of these little numbers.
{All dresses from Anthropologie. Clockwise from top left: Eclat dress, £178; Honeyed Lace dress, £178; Cabled Garonne dress, £138; Orla Kiely Oasis Hearts Dress, £348; Amalie dress, £198; Glissade dress, £128}
A Spoonful of Style 