I am starting to think about getting packed and ready to go to my parents’ house for Christmas tomorrow but before we pile the car high with presents and tins of sweets I thought I’d share a few photos from the last week.
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| Me and Sarah // credit SW Bloggers |
Last Sunday I went to The Birdcage in Bristol for the South West Bloggers Christmas Party. It was amazing to see so many of my favourite ladies in one place, plus there was cake, presents, goodie bags, tea and champagne – what more could you want from a day out? If you want to see more photos check out Sarah’s post, or Gina’s (who very kindly organised the event along with Bee, Lyzi and Hayley – massive thanks to all of them for making it such an awesome day). It was all to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support which is a really important charity close to a lot of people’s hearts (mine included). The prezzies were all donated by companies so I owe a special thanks to Batiste and Macadamia Oil for my haircare goodies, and The Birdcage for the vintage scarf!
On Wednesday morning I went to Southampton to get a section of my shin and foot tattooed. I already had a swallow on my foot (bonus points if you can name the album cover) but I wanted to add more so I’ve added a ship and some waves. I’m getting a lighthouse on the other shin next week (if I can convince myself to go back for more pain!) This is just a crappy instagram photo of it so far, I’ll take a proper photo when they’re both done!
Since then I’ve spent lots of time with my foot elevated watching rubbish TV, along with wrapping presents and generally getting ready for Christmas. It’s still so sore I can’t really wear closed shoes or boots so I went to Christchurch this morning wearing deck shoes in the torrential rain and it was horrendous! I don’t know whether it’s because I can’t wear boots or my fleece-y slippers for a few days but I’ve been daydreaming about buying some Ugg boots, are they still considered a mega fashion faux pas? I think these would be so cosy!
Tom’s Mum, sister, niece and nephew came round today for a day of presents, party food and Bucks Fizz so we got the house looking nice and got lots of yummy food in.
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| Tom playing an impromptu concert for Bodhi |
The lovely Rob Ryan plate comes courtesy of Not The Usual. I featured one of their items in a recent gift guide and they kindly got in touch and asked if I wanted to review one of their items. I really love their site so I jumped at the chance and picked this plate. We’ve recently moved the table into the lounge from the conservatory and it looks so lovely on the table (almost too nice to use!) I highly recommend you check out their site, it’s full of quirky little gifts (and lots of things I want myself!)
Talking of buying things for myself, I may have been a bit of a naughty little sausage and treated myself to a few pre-Christmas presents. I had an Amazon voucher so I bought some DVDs and books to take home over Christmas. Along with the DVDs below I also got Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Tangled and Jack Frost. Cannot wait for lots of sofa and movie time, I never allow myself to do that normally (always too much to do!) but I think I need some chillout time over Christmas.
I had some money left over from my Yourvine/ASOS voucher so I picked up some things in the ASOS sale too, the highlight being a 15″ Cambridge Satchel for £61.50! It’s out of stock now unsurprisingly but it’s so beautiful, I keep stroking it! I also got some pajamas and loungewear, I’ve packed them in a box with my DVDs so I have a little ‘cosy Christmas kit’ to take to my parents’!
Not all of my early Christmas presents have been bought by me however, I also received a lovely little surprise courtesy of Ladbrokes who are celebrating the launch of their Christmas slot games. They very generously sent me some Cath Kidston mugs, a candle and a subscription to a home magazine; obviously I picked Country Living! Can’t wait for the first issue to come.
I can’t wait to see everyone open their presents on Christmas Day, I am so excited I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep the night before! My favourite present is the hamper I made for my Dad. It’s in a vintage wine box and has so many treats I know he’ll love in it, foodie treats like ales, chocolates, nuts and chutneys and also things like a Titanic ice cube tray, a mug and a cheeseboard set. I can’t wait to see him digging around and finding all the things hidden in there!
In case you missed it, I did a round-up of my year in weight loss over on the Where Are My Knees blog. I’ve lost 23 lbs this year so I wholeheartedly deserve every Matchmaker, Chocolate Orange and mug of mulled wine I consume over the next few days (back to the diet on the 2nd!)
I’m now off for a long bath with a Lush bath bomb and some candles, most likely followed by some puppy cuddles and an early night. How are you all getting on with your preparations for Christmas?
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