Beautiful, clever and interesting...
Makes playing the cello look effortless and cool, le sigh...
Friday 30 December 2011
Sunday 25 December 2011
Friday 23 December 2011
Merry Christmas
We are currently manically baking mince pies, wrapping presents and writing cards.
I'm feeling pretty stressed rather than Christmasey so to help me, and any out there also still wrapping, here is a video collage of my all time favourite Christmas movie- it literally still has me laughing until I cry.
I'm feeling pretty stressed rather than Christmasey so to help me, and any out there also still wrapping, here is a video collage of my all time favourite Christmas movie- it literally still has me laughing until I cry.
Merry Christmas!!
Wednesday 14 December 2011
Generosity at Christmas
So I have done a couple of posts about what to buy people this season but I want to also put forward a nice alternative - charity.
This year we decided that instead of sending cards to all our family and friends who are based abroad, we would send a charity e-card and make a donation. For our charity we chose Shelter who help people in need of housing.
I chose this charity because last winter we had a homeless guy sleeping on our steps at work. The cleaner was really horrible about it, saying he had promised to be gone by 6am each day but had overslept (obviously his alarm clock mustn't have gone off). He had frost bite and was in terrible shape and when I rang around trying to find him support and guidance I was surprised to find so little. It was a case of 'we can give him breakfast but we close by 12' or 'we can only take him for a night or two'. It was all stop gap measures and little actual support. Everyday I see a particular hostel with people drinking outside and I think there are people who really need those beds. It may be harsh but I think if you want a bed in a shelter then they need to put their foot down and say you can't sit getting drunk on our steps.
Anyway, backing away from the rant, there are lots of charitable pressies at Christmas.
Oxfam have the unwrapped range which is a way of giving someone a token of a charitable gift. For example a fridge magnet which states that you donated £5 towards school books for an African child - my sister got us this a couple of years ago.
The Eve Brook Scholarship does amazing work providing financial support to young people who have been in the care system and wish to persue careers through education. It is small charities like this that often get overlooked as they aren't there on every high street or putting flyers through your door and it is these charities who are helping people on your doorstep.
So please, this Christmas instead of rushing to your local highstreet consider making one of your gifts a charitable donation, afterall think what your money gets you. £6 to Oxfam will buy a health check in a poor community, you'd be hard pushed to even find a paperback book for £6 and even then it's one read and done.
This year we decided that instead of sending cards to all our family and friends who are based abroad, we would send a charity e-card and make a donation. For our charity we chose Shelter who help people in need of housing.
I chose this charity because last winter we had a homeless guy sleeping on our steps at work. The cleaner was really horrible about it, saying he had promised to be gone by 6am each day but had overslept (obviously his alarm clock mustn't have gone off). He had frost bite and was in terrible shape and when I rang around trying to find him support and guidance I was surprised to find so little. It was a case of 'we can give him breakfast but we close by 12' or 'we can only take him for a night or two'. It was all stop gap measures and little actual support. Everyday I see a particular hostel with people drinking outside and I think there are people who really need those beds. It may be harsh but I think if you want a bed in a shelter then they need to put their foot down and say you can't sit getting drunk on our steps.
Anyway, backing away from the rant, there are lots of charitable pressies at Christmas.
Oxfam have the unwrapped range which is a way of giving someone a token of a charitable gift. For example a fridge magnet which states that you donated £5 towards school books for an African child - my sister got us this a couple of years ago.
The Eve Brook Scholarship does amazing work providing financial support to young people who have been in the care system and wish to persue careers through education. It is small charities like this that often get overlooked as they aren't there on every high street or putting flyers through your door and it is these charities who are helping people on your doorstep.
So please, this Christmas instead of rushing to your local highstreet consider making one of your gifts a charitable donation, afterall think what your money gets you. £6 to Oxfam will buy a health check in a poor community, you'd be hard pushed to even find a paperback book for £6 and even then it's one read and done.
Christmas Shopping - What to Buy the Boy in Your Life
So continuing with my pre-Christmas panic of 'oh my God I haven't even bought a Christmas card' I thought I would get thinking about what to buy the Boy. NOTE TO BOY- DO NOT READ THIS POST!
He's normally not too tricky to buy for but this year I am struggling. Here are some items that are on the possible list
Bargainous mini table football from RED5 - £10 of your English pounds!
A Magic 8 ball pen to help him work out the Suduko. Can be bought at Amazon for £7
He likes cooking. I don't like hangovers; a gift to share. Also available at Amazon and for only £4!!!
If I had the money I'd get him a Kindle, he really wants one after I got mine and for £89 they are a good price, sadly too many pennies for me to buy it.
They aren't on a Kindle but I think he'd enjoy them none the less and for £23 they aren't a bad price for weeks of peace and quiet.
Let the shopping begin
Sunday 11 December 2011
Christmas Gifts- The Nightmare of What to Buy Your Mother in Law
So because I am always so busy and becoming increasingly less organised I have only just considered my Christmas shopping list, in fact I am so unorganised there isn't even a list yet.
We have very few pennies this year so are doing token gifts that will be a combination of handmade and small shop bought items. Sadly as the people who we are getting gifts for read this blog, I will have to keep the actual gifts under wraps until after Christmas (excuse the pun).
Part of the dilema this year is that we want to get the Boy's mom an extra special gift as we didn't really get her anything special to say thanks for her amazing work at the wedding - we even forgot to present her with the flowers, what can I say we were disorganised and tired.
So we thought a nice pair of earrings, something lasting and special. We asked advice from other family members of what she might like and got some very helpful guidelines, sadly everything was well out of our price range, and the ones we could afford got a few thumbs down. So now we have no idea what to get her and are worried that whatever we buy will be no good.
So here is list of what I would love to buy many of the ladies in my life...
We have very few pennies this year so are doing token gifts that will be a combination of handmade and small shop bought items. Sadly as the people who we are getting gifts for read this blog, I will have to keep the actual gifts under wraps until after Christmas (excuse the pun).
Part of the dilema this year is that we want to get the Boy's mom an extra special gift as we didn't really get her anything special to say thanks for her amazing work at the wedding - we even forgot to present her with the flowers, what can I say we were disorganised and tired.
So we thought a nice pair of earrings, something lasting and special. We asked advice from other family members of what she might like and got some very helpful guidelines, sadly everything was well out of our price range, and the ones we could afford got a few thumbs down. So now we have no idea what to get her and are worried that whatever we buy will be no good.
So here is list of what I would love to buy many of the ladies in my life...
These are so simple and so elegant from Bluehourde Designs on Etsy
And this necklace is so beautiful
It's from Minerals and Metals again on Etsy
This lovely Kimono dressing gown from Not on the High Street
Or this velvet gown from The White Company
I love these note books from Not on the High Street
And I am a sucker for Moleskines
This recipe journal is a fab gift idea!
If you want to give something more personal you could always do a 'pamper hamper' where you buy her all her favourite bath/cosmetic products, candles, chocolates and maybe a book she likes. Every girl likes a relaxing soak with a good book right?
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