Blogmas #16 - Mummy in mourning

This is it - I have officially had my last set of Christmas nails for another whole year :-( but on the up side, they are gorgeous and I get to enjoy them for 2 whole weeks!

I mentioned last time that I was planning on going gold and black for Christmas Day. 

Due to an utterly gorgeous dress I accidentally bought for my work Christmas party, this has now had to change. As the dress is navy and beaded, I decided to get matching nails with silver snowflake stamping and all the extra glitter I could possibly squeeze in. Although not typical Christmas nails, I am totally in love with them and they look amazing with my dress. 

I am however still quite taken with the idea of gold and black nails, so these may have to be my New Years nails - any excuse for a little extra sparkle :-)

Happy Blogmas! X

Blogmas #15 - Look at what we made!

So today we hopped in the car and went to pick up the cups we painted for both Luke's Grannies.

And here they are! I am so pleased with how they have turned out. I was a little be nervous about how the colours were going to turn out - they go quite a few shades darker when they are fired and they were chosen at random and in a hurry as Luke had projectile vomited all over the shop!)

I am also totally in love with the handprints. They have come out really clearly and I kind of wish I'd done one for myself now! Maybe I'll have to take a trip back in the new year. 

I have decided they are going to be presents from Luke to his Grannies  and I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they open them on Christmas Day (I'm secretly hoping that a few tears will be shed!) 

I think we all know what daddy is getting for Father's Day next year... 

Happy Blogmas! X

Blogmas #14 - Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Mince pies are being devoured, mulled wine is warming tummies, fairy lights are adorning houses and shops are buzzing with people buying gifts, goodies and treats. As the big day gets closer, I thought I'd share with you a few of my favourite things about the most wonderful time of the year. 

Log fires:

Although not strictly just for Christmas, log fires always make me feel wonderfully festive. My parents have an beautiful fire place and every year we sit in front of it with glasses of warm mulled wine and a box of mince pies and my daddy roasts chestnuts. 

Mince Pies:

Speaking of mince pies, they are another thing I love about this time of year. I am a firm believer that they should be sold all year round. However as this is not the case, I make up for it at Christmas by eating my years worth throughout December. So actually it's probably just as well they don't do them all year round...

Champagne:

Although not really a traditional Christmas drink, Champagne always tastes like Christmas Day to me. Every year my boss gives me a really nice bottle and I take it to my parents to share with the family over Christmas Dinner (having the whole bottle to myself would be greedy... And end in an enormous headache!)

Presents:

I know this is cliche but I do absolutely love presents. I love giving them, I LOVE getting them and I always have so much fun wrapping them! I've gone for a gold and silver theme with my wrapping this year (with extra sparkle of course!)

Brussels sprouts:

I know they're not everyone's cup of tea but I love them. My daddy does them sautéed with bacon, chestnuts and lemon zest. If you're not usually a sprout fan, I highly recommend trying them done like this. You may well change your tune. 

I could go on but I'll stop there for now. Feel free to say hi in the comments and let me know your favourite things about Christmas. Big or small, I'd love to know :-) 

Happy Blogmas! X

Blogmas #13 - Our week in pictures

So as many of you will have seen from my social media pages, we have had a rather eventful week. 

Luke has been under the weather all week and a trip to the GP on Thursday resulted in an ambulance ride to the nearest hospital. Blue lights, sirens, the whole sherbang. 

Unfortunately Luke was diagnosed with a severe case of bronchiolitis. However I am happy to report that after a few days of antibiotics, steroids and oxygen boxes, he seems to be on the mend and we are back home. 

Due to Luke being poorly and our hospital stay, we had to cancel most of weeks plans. So this weeks photos are a little bit scarce (I didn't think many of you would fancy hideous photos of both of us covered in sick and snot! Plus me without makeup is something no one should have to see) here are a few pics from this week. 

We have been doing a lot more baby led weaning this week and Luke is loving it. One of his favourites is crumpets and jam for breakfast. He gets so excited he tries to put the entire thing in his mouth, before choking and realising this probably isn't quite such a good idea...

We also had a very exciting parcel delivered mid week which contained our Christmas cards! They are a little late going out, but they are finally signed, sealed and will be taken to the post office tomorrow for the elves to sort! 

I just about managed to do some Christmas shopping before our week took a turn for the worse and along the way I picked up this gem of a dress in TK Maxx, reduced to £25! It's gorgeous and will be perfect for my work Christmas party next week - pictures to follow! 

Believe it or not, the photo below was taken the day we were rushed to hospital. Luke deals so well with being poorly that people have a hard time believing he's ill. He was a total trooper and despite being in an oxygen box, he had a whale of a time flirting like crazy with all the nurses! Needless to say they loved him :-) 

And lastly a small and trivial thing - I have FINALLY got round to putting the December patch onto Luke's Seasons calendar.

A friend made this for Luke when he was born and although I love it, I am always forgetting to change the month. It was stuck on October for far too long so I think changing the months will have to be a New Years resolution! 

Unfortunately that is it for this week as we spent half our time in hospital. We have had a lazy day today so should be back into the swing of things tomorrow! We are picking up the crockery we painted this week so in super excited to show you what they look like!

Happy Blogmas! X

Baby in Hospital :-(

Hi lovely people,

I just thought I should write a quick note to say that Blogmas and the blog in general may go quiet for a couple of days. 

Earlier today we were blue lighted to hospital with Luke due to breathing problems and low oxygen levels and are being kept in overnight. 

Hopefully all will be well in a couple of days, but for now the blog may have to take a couple of days break. I will keep you posted on social media. 

Night all. X

Blogmas #9 - Baby's first Christmas card!

So if you follow me on Instagram, you will know that Luke is the star of our Christmas cards this year. We have never been ones to do printed Christmas cards in previous years, but as it's our first Christmas with a baby we decided to go all out.

I actually took the photo myself and have to say I was really please with how it turned out. It was so easy, fuss free and Luke didn't get at all grumpy.
I draped a red velvet throw over a bean bag and Luke was more than happy to lie on it and play with some fairy lights (battery powered of course!). As a finishing touch I decided to scatter some cheapy baubles around him and the end result was very festive. I felt like a very Pinterest worthy mummy!

Luke wore a little Father Christmas onesie from Next which looked totally gorgeous. However it would appear that Luke has a larger than average head and the matching hat didn't fit, meaning we had to improvise and use a sparkly one I got for a party years ago. A little bit feminine and fabulous, but no one minds on a baby!

After some careful googling I chose to get the cards printed with Optimalprint - they had a really good selection of designs and all Christmas cards were half price! They arrived within a couple of days and look lovely. It did come to more than we would usually spend on cards, but it was totally worth it and I think all our friends and family are going to love them!

All that's left to do now is write them... which will inevitably happen one panic stricken evening the week before Christmas!

Are any of your little ones starring on Christmas cards this year? We'd love to have a look, post your pictures in the comments below.

Happy Blogmas! X

Blogmas #8 - My top 5 Christmas Movies

This time of year when the weather is miserable and it's cold outside, there is nothing I love more than lighting lots of candles, pouring a large glass of wine and curling up to watch a festive film. Here are a few of my favourite.

5. The Grinch

I know this is sort of a children's film, but it always has been and always will be a favourite of mine. I'm not a huge Jim Carrey fan, but in this I think he is amazing. It's a great film to watch with the whole family as, despite being a children's film, I always end up in fits of giggles (except at the end where I always get a tad emotional!).  

4. The Muppet Christmas Carol 

I have to admit I haven't watched this for ages. But I love it because it reminds me of my childhood. We would watch it every year around Christmas, curled up on the sofa eating mince pies.  

3. The Royal Ballet: The Nutcracker 

Although not strictly a movie and by no means a traditional Christmas film, it is a favourite of mine and one that holds s huge amount of sentimental value. I used to be a ballet dancer and came very close to becoming a professional before it sadly made me too ill. I used to go and watch it at the theatre every year at Christmas, however it now brings back too many memories so I haven't been to watch it for years. So as a second best option, I will sometimes watch the DVD of it. That way, if I start to blub it's only my dog who sees!  

2. Love Actually 

An obvious choice I know, but that's because it is a Christmas classic! It has an epic cast and will have emotions running high. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel anger, sadness and joy. And I truly think they've worked every angle of love at Christmas. The good, the bad and the ugly.  

 1. The Holiday 

Not only is this number one on my Christmas movies list I think it is possibly my all time favourite film full stop. It is one of those films which restores you faith in humanity and is the perfect accompaniment to a glass of wine while snuggled on the sofa. 
A friend and I have a tradition every Christmas - we drink wine, make Christmas Fettuccine and celebrate being young and alive. If you've watched the film you will understand the reference. If you don't, then I insist you go and watch it immediately! Right this second! 

What is your all time favourite Christmas Movie? Let me know in the comments.

Happy Blogmas! X