Belated Birthday weekend Part 2: Stir-Up Sunday...

Today was Stir Up Sunday!!! For those who don't know, Stir Up Sunday is the traditional day for making Christmas Puddings and/or cakes. It's something to do with being the eighth Sunday after Trinity or something, idk.

Stir Up Sunday is a BIG tradition in our family and is something that Mum has instilled in Olivia and I to pass down to our families in the future. We stick on the Christmas Carols cd which we all sing along to and make the pudding together, taking it in turns to make a wish during the final Stir of the pudding... Christmas starts here!

Do you have Stir-Up Sunday too?

They were laughing at Daddy's wet shirt... (??)

And we're off! Christmas Pudding 2009 in the making...

Nearly there... can't you just smell Christmas looking at this...

Mum making her wish!

Olivia's turn...

Oh dear... say cheeeese!

Last but not least!

After lunch, a lovely surprise - BIRTHDAY CAKE!!!!! (It was a Me To You bear cake)

So Birthday celebrations are now officially over until next year. I have been thoroughly spoilt this week by friends and family and between my Chocolate Fudge cake from Dad and today's cake from Mum & Co, I have leftover cake coming out of my ears! Would anyone like some?!

I hope you have all had great weekends too!

xx

Belated Birthday Weekend Part 1: Meal, 24th October 2009

I have had an AMAZING weekend! I cannot remember the last time I felt so happy... and it was due to one thing - my family.

Because my Mum, Step-Dad and sister live about 40 minutes away, I don't get to see them as often as I'd like. That's not because we don't have transport to see each other, but because our work schedules make things difficult. My step-dad and I both work full time during the week, and my mum has her own business which often means that their weekends are fully booked away from home.

(I'll do a separate post on this, because my mum is AMAZING at what she does and it doesn't warrant a passing mention).

Oh, I don't like referring to my Step-Dad as "Step-Dad" because I always think the term sounds quite harsh. I think of him as my other Dad, so I'm calling him Daddy in my blog, which is what he is to my sister Olivia and what he gets called most of the time by all of us.

Anyway, the four of us went out for a meal on Saturday evening at my favourite EVER pub, The Hare Arms. It's not your regular run-of-the mill pub, but a gorgeous little place crammed full with all sorts of knick-nacks and curio. Peacocks roam freely outside and the pub cat enjoys plenty of fuss (and nibbles) from the patrons... aaaaah I could go on. And no, they are not paying me to sing praises!

Because the pub is nestled at the top of a little lane in the middle of nowhere, you pretty much have to drive there - thus it's frequented by a really nice clientele and you have to arrive before 7pm to get a table. It is definitely not the kind of place for fighting lager louts, which is great because I HATE it when you go somewhere and there is that undercurrent of tension, and you can't relax because you're aware that trouble could erupt at any moment. (That's why I prefer not to go out haha!)

Me... Birthday Girl!

This "lampstand" was massive! Great idea though!!

Peacock feathers from resident birds :)

A ceiling full of golf clubs...

My sister Olivia and I... guess who beckoned over the resident cat!!

Excuse the quality of some of the pics (there is no flash on my phone's camera).

It's probably just me, but if anybody else likes knowing what people had to eat (no? Just me then!) this is what we had:

Me: Baked Camembert & bread as a shared starter, which was divine. Main: Gammon & pineapple, salad and chips - again perfect, the gammon steak was as big as the plate! Dessert: Mile High Toffee Pie... oh so good!

Mum: The same as me apart from Tiramisu for dessert :)

Daddy: Starter: The same as Mum and I. Main: 14oz Rump Steak with salad and chips (very good apparently) Dessert: Creme Caramel.

Olivia: Preferred bread to start. Main: Lasagne, chips and salad (I think she enjoyed the chips and salad most, but we tried the lasagne and it was yummy!) Dessert: Four Tier Chocolate Fudge Cake... and Olivia couldn't quite believe it when she was unable to finish it... being defeated by chocolate is unheard of!

All in all it was the perfect birthday treat... xx

Oh, I wanted to mention the great giveaway by Shopaholic at Shopping in Suffolk (be sure to check out her blog!!) - what a genius idea for a competition, just the thing to keep your inner child happy! I don't think I'll be lucky enough to win, but thought it was a cute prize. I haven't seen a Caramac for years, I had no idea that you could still buy them! x

Birthday countdown has begun!!

Hello my dears! I hope everyone is well?

I cannot believe that Birthday Time is almost upon me again - it's frightening how quickly this last year has passed. The fact that I'm going to be 32 is beyond scary :|

Now that I'm getting older I find myself re-assessing my life and everything in it and to be honest it scares me a little as I never feel as if I have achieved anything from one year to the next.

My mood wasn't lifted by my Dad's partner, who thought it helpful to state "oh, you won't be having children will you, now that you're going to be 32" I replied that I had plenty of time yet but she just laughed and told me that she doubted it as I am still single. It's no secret that she hates me so I took it with a pinch of salt, but still, thanks a bunch.

Anyway, for some reason I haven't given much thought to my birthday this year - maybe because I usually go away. Well I say "usually" but to be honest it's only been the last couple of birthdays that I've jetted off somewhere. Last year I was staying with my best friend Lisa, who emigrated to Malta earlier in 2008, and for my 30th in 2007 Lisa and I were in my beloved New York (oh, how I miss that city).

I know that I'm going out for a belated meal next weekend with my Mum, Step-Dad and sister but I haven't even made any concrete plans with friends this year... how sad is that?! I'm sure that we will end up celebrating somehow though...!

Today my lovely Dad and his partner came over to see me and bring some presents. My Dad lives about an hour away and sadly I won't see him on Tuesday.

On their way to my house, Dad and his partner stopped off to browse at a car boot sale, and Dad found this and thought of me - and it only cost 20p!! I LOVE Ant and Dec, so am very pleased! It isn't a birthday present, but co-incidentally I did ask Dad for their new autobiography, Ooh What A Lovely Pair!

The three presents at the back are from Dad and his partner (I'm being polite. To be honest, I know that they are just from Dad really), and the little one at the front is from two of Dad's friends. And I have a few cards already! My Grandma always sends mine early so it's sure to get to me on time - she's adorable. I miss her awfully and wish that she didn't live so far away.

I was only expecting one present from Dad, so I was really touched when he gave me the bag containing the others too. I am under strict orders not to open them until Tuesday :)

And if that wasn't enough, he also gave me this:

What an absolute darling my Dad is! He even thought to include a pink candle... I nearly melted! I adore anything with toffee / fudge so this is beyond perfect! Excuse the pun but it really was the icing on the cake :)

Oh, before I forget, I was heating up a lazy ready-made curry last night, and this REALLY made me laugh:

                                     

"Please cut open to serve"???? Oh please. This is insanity. What on earth do they think people are going to do, just sit and LOOK at it???

Have a good week everyone xx

These have made me very poor... but very happy!!

Just a quick post, as I felt like blogging... as promised here are some photos of my recent purchases :)

I don't mean this to come across as a show-off "oh look what I have" post - the point is that I hardly ever buy anything frivolous so I'm still really happy about these!

My new phone - iPhone 3GS, LOVE it!

This was a cover that I got from eBay for something like £2

Not impressed with this cover. It was supposed to be baby pink, and plus it cracked the first time I fitted it (there is sellotape in the top left corner!)

                                               

Possibly the cutest packaging ever!

Self explanatory :) My ghd's!!

HOW did I ever live without them?! I didn't take a photo of the bits and pieces that came with them, as they're honestly not very interesting ;)

Coastal Scents 88 eyeshadow palette in Matte

Another eBay purchase, and a bit of an impulse buy to be honest. I'd seen these all over the YouTube makeup channels that I watch. It cost £20 with free P&P - a lot less than buying direct from the official US website. I thought that it was far more economical to buy 88 shadows this way than spend a FORTUNE buying separates.

This Palette was a lot smaller than I expected - the shadows are TINY. The American YouTubers kept comparing the shadows as being equivalent in size to a Dime coin... but being British and last visiting the US almost two years ago I had no idea how big this was...

On the upside, the colours are gorgeous. Some I don't think I will ever wear but hey, it's nice to have that choice! I don't think I will ever run out of these shadows either. They may be small, but they are also super pigmented and a little goes a very long way - which is all good :)

So that's basically it! I hope that you are all well and have a great weekend - I'm off to catch up with some blogs before bed! Goodnight!

Jo xx

Rant!

I'm writing this blog from my new phone (I hope it works!!)

I'm also writing this while sitting in my car. I'm at the cemetery, I've just tidied Nan and Grandad's grave and left fresh flowers and one of those childrens windmills - Grandad loved the outdoors and the weather and I like the idea of him being able to see if the wind's blowing...

That's not why I'm blogging though, to tell you that. I just wanted to explain where I am.

I'm a little speechless and upset, and angry. I've had a key to the cemetery gates for the last 4 years and have permission to drive my car inside the cemetery because it's so big and I can't walk all that far. Other people have keys and bring their cars round to their loved ones graves too, in fact I can see another parked car.

Today as I drove in, a woman who was walking down the looong entrance drive with her mum kept staring back at me driving toward them. As I got closer, I could see that she looked FURIOUS.

I couldn't work it out - I wasn't going over 5mph and it wasn't like I had music blaring or anything... anyway, she walked into the middle of the roadway and flagged me down.

I couldn't believe it when she accused me of having no respect, and how DARE I have the cheek to drive into the cemetery - couldn't I see how her 84 year old mother was struggling, and if she could put in the effort of walking all this way surely I could? I (too politely) pointed out that both sets of gates are always left open on a Saturday, and she could have driven in too. She laughed sarcastically and said that at my age I shouldn't be so god damn lazy and I should feel ashamed of myself.

They both looked VERY well-to-do and she spoke with that distinctive public school drawl. You'd have thought that she'd know better.

I honestly couldn't believe that this was happening, and in a graveyard too! I reached into my glovebox, showed her my disabled Blue Badge and told her that perhaps she should refrain from judging so quickly.

Imagine my surprise when she informed me that I cannot have a Blue Badge as I was under the age of 65!!! As quick as a flash I said, oh does that mean that you can't have disabilities and illnesses until you're 65? And where did she think I got the hologrammed Badge from? And then I told her that she was being ridiculous.

At this point an elderly lady in a mobility scooter who had stopped to see what was happening told the woman to leave me alone and let me pass or she would call the police.

Without another word, the woman and her mother turned and started walking off into the cemetery, while I sat incredulous. The lady who stopped to help remarked loudly for the women's benefit that she didn't even have the decency or manners to aplogise, then asked me if I was ok. I said that I was and thanked her. She gently told me not to let it trouble me and went on her way.

But I'm so upset. It's difficult enough coming here as it is without something like this happening. Why do some people think that they have the right to say such things to someone? Ok she may be grieving blah blah blah but so am I. It's no excuse for her behaviour. I'm just going to have to forget it or I'll go mad. I'm going to go home now.

xx


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Spending Fairy has attacked me...

Wow, I haven't updated for ages... I hope that you are all well?

I thought it was time for a new background in honour of October - what do you think? I think it's really cute :)

I haven't had as much time as I'd like to blog as I have been busy at work and the weekends have been manic lately too, no rest for the wicked as they say!

I have been a very naughty girl though - I have spent a horrendous amount of money just lately. Well, not a MASSIVE amount, but an awful lot for me as I am usually quite frugal when it comes to spending money and treating myself, especially at this time of the year with Christmas approaching. Anyways, as usual Jo is talking far too much ;)

My lovely friend Gemma came over last Sunday to give me a pampering sesh (basically to force me to sit in front of a mirror and glam myself up!), and she brought her holy grail ghd straightners with her. (I'll really have to do a post on my friends. They are the best ever, especially Gem as we have SO much in common but I love them all loads!)

I have never owned straighteners costing over £25 and I have to admit I was absolutely blown away by the ghd's. They made my hair so soft, shiny and sleek that I couldn't stop touching it... and yes, I couldn't stop looking at it in the mirror! They made my old straighteners seem completely shoddy because they kind of snag on my hair... I just didn't realise how bad they were until I tried the ghd's :S

I did something totally out of character for me. I made the decision there and then to BUY SOME GHD's!! And I didn't just buy the regular ghd's... oh no. I bought the 2009 Limited Edition "Pretty In Pink" baby pink mk IV set! (They're BABY PINK, need I explain further?!) And with some cunning online homework consisting of joining Quidco, scouring price comparison sites and using a voucher code, Gem and I managed to get them for less than the regular mk IV's. RESULT!!!! I got them on Wednesday and they are fabulous! Gem justifies hers as an investment, and it sounds good to me too ;)The box is the cutest thing too, I'll have to post a pic!

I am totally useless and cackhanded when it comes to doing my own hair but even I managed to curl my hair with them on the first try... needs a LOT more practice before I'd leave the house avec curls, but it wasn't half bad! So that was the first purchase.

The second was a mobile phone upgrade as my BlackBerry has been temperemental for months - the phone book keeps freezing so I can't add or view numbers, and I have real problems sending/receiving text messages. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. All very frustrating! Added to that, my contract expired at the beginning of September and I completely forgot that this meant that I'd lose all of the contract allowances (durrrr). I was paying £25 per month for 600 minutes, 500 texts and unlimited web/email. Imagine my surprise at the end of September when the monthly bill was £84!!!! I nearly died. Apparently it's classed as a business phone and so is very expensive to use without any perks. So an upgrade has been very necessary!

I've had my eye on the new iPhone 3GS for ages, partly because I've been used to the email/web benefits on the BlackBerry, and partly because I think the iPhone looks pretty darn cool :D it has been out of stock with O2 for agesssss and in the end I decided to go with the Sony Ericsson W995. I went online to upgrade on Friday evening and made a last check on iPhone stock just in case - it must have been fate because they were back in stock!! So I ordered the 16gb in white :) it cost me £87.11... gulp :O which was the cheapest I could get it for without forking out a phenomenally stupid monthly amount but hopefully it'll be worth it!

So THIS IS IT with spending on myself now!! Anything else will have to wait because Christmas shopping beckons - can you believe it's almost that time of year again?!?!?! Where HAS this year gone??

I'm putting off going to bed (can you tell) as I'm not looking forward to tomorrow morning. I have to go to the dentist have an old filling replaced :( I haven't had to have anything done for a few years so I was pretty disappointed.

I hate going to the dentist. I get really anxious. I have to keep one foot on the floor when I'm in the chair as well as it stops me freaking out completely. I hate the thought of being submissive to the dentist and not being able to escape (not that I would, what with having a mouthful of tools etc, but it helps at the time! Lol!)

I can't tell that the filling needs doing as it's still intact and the tooth doesn't hurt or anything... the thing with dentists is that unless we are in agony with toothache and KNOW that something is wrong, we have to trust them when they say something needs doing!! Does anybody else think that or is it just me?!

xx