Christmas is a'coming

Every year my sis and I take my mum into town to give her a chance to do her Christmas shopping. Because she's not very able bodied I didn't want her to have to do all of her shopping online, so we make a day of it and try to get as much bought as possible. This said, because she only sees the shopping mall once a year, half of the day is spent with her saying 'oo I didn't know that shop was there' and 'where has that shop gone?' which is really funny. 

We spent about a zillion hours in John Lewis before going to the new Turtle Bay which has just opened in our food quarter. DC and I wanted to go for our anniversary but it always books up really quickly and  lots of friends I know have always had a problem getting in because its Caribbean food is so popular. 

I had curried goat and it was sooo yummy. It was pretty spicy but really filling and only £6.50. I will definitely go there again and again because there's so much on the menu that looks tempting. 

We helped mum around to gather up her Santa gifts and then it was my turn to rummage through Topshop, I was obviously not going to miss that opportunity. 

I've had my eye on this since it came into the New In collection at Topshop at the start of the week:

I didn't think they would have it in store because sometimes new things online take a while to come in but here it was and I fell in love. 

So into the basket from Santa it went. I also picked up some dark acid wash Leigh jeans as the Leigh range fit me soooo well. And I picked up the Runway Coral lippy from Clinique too as I fell in love with it in July after buying it for my friends. The only bad thing with choosing Christmas presents early is you have to wait forever for the Big Day to come around, so I'm really excited now. Thanks mum and dad I mean Santa. 

Here's me and my sis enjoying a coffee and half a muffin. Love this lady. 

We had such a lovely day and I think mum will definitely sleep well tonight!! 

Dans x

Time flies when you're having fun

I had such a jam packed weekend I didn't get a chance before now to tell you what I have been up to (or time to do any exercise but I'll list that as an excuse more than anything;))

I was glad when Friday was over as last week was a mega busy one at work. I love being busy but am not particularly fond of the mental exhaustion that comes with it. My bestest friend ever came round on Friday and we drove to Sainsburys to stock up on Christmas decorations. I have completely failed and gone against everything I believe in as I caved I to temptation and didn't wait until 1 December to add to my Christmas collection. But I haven't bought my presents yet so at least I'm doing well there. 

We cooked a prawn korma curry from the November weightwatchers magazine and it was completely yummy. 

It was so simple to make. In a pan went some green beans, shredded carrots and korma paste, before in went a can of lighter coconut milk and if you simmer it for a little while it should start to thicken. It didn't. So we left it a bit longer worrying that we would have a curry soup but once we added the prawns it thickened up lovely. I dry fried some desiccated coconut and sprinkled it over e top before serving with rice. Quick and easy. Not mega cheap, but nice for a one off although I'd definitely cook it again. DC doesn't like korma so maybe I'll do a spicier one for him. 

Saturday was DC and my 5 year anniversary. 5 years, wow. 5 years since DC rocked up in his old car with a plaster on his head from splitting his head open and spending hours in a Sheffield a&e. I kid you not. He also told me he only smoked 1 a day. Yeahhh ok DC!

I was quite upset because DC didn't get me a card. He said he "thought we weren't doing cards any more" which is funny because a) that conversation never took place and b) we have always bought each other a card. 

We went to visit my grandparents as we do every other Saturday and when I got out of the shower these were waiting for me:

Otherwise known as guilt flowers. 

I love how DC was obviously panic buying because he bought me a card that says "on YOUR anniversary" but it's the (late) thought that counts, right?

We went into town that evening to celebrate, went for meatballs and pasta at Ask (after being turned away from 3 full restaurants - so busy and it's not even December yet!) and then went to watch The Hunger Games. It was brilliant. Not enough love stuff in it for me but less gore than the first one which was good for me because I don't like that kind of stuff. 

Sunday I went for an hour long walk at our national park with my sis, which we have turned I to a weekly thing. It was lovely and fresh but you soon warm up after a while. We walked 5.5km and I love catching up with my sis. 

DC and I drove to Dunelm to buy some blinds - we have thought about it for so long and I just said stuff it, let's go. We were going to buy made for measure blinds but weren't too fond of he cost, so we bought 3 blinds for our lounge window and it came to £50 - not bad at all and not too much to be mega gutted if we went wrong on them when trimming them down. 

DC's brother had done the same for him blind so we knew it was doable but my word I did not envisage DC's cutting skills to be so completely dire. Even with the blinds bound and a straight line drawn down for the cut, he couldn't stick to the line. So I took over... And then the hacksaw broke. So we recruited DC's friend from around the corner who brought him hacksaw round and proceeded to cut his thumb open with it. By this point we were a little bit stressed. When they were cut we started to drill into the ceiling - after an hour of measuring - to find that there was a metal plate in the ceiling stopping up from drilling where we needed to. Cue another half an hour of re-measuring. 

It only took 4.5hours...

But now they are done and they look amazing!!! (If you see any uneven lines then it is your eyes and not my cutting skills ;)) we are so pleased with them. We can keep our curtains open now so we don't block the heat plus we can have our candles on all night long. 

We finally finished just in time for 9pm and shared a huge Caramel Sutra Ben n Jerrys ice cream pot and settle down to watch the new Star Trek movie......and I fell asleep 15 mins in. 

Perfect weekend!

Dans x

It's the season to go dress shopping

So I know I did a whole post complaining about Christmas coming early but I put dress shopping for the season in a completely different category. You wait til 1 Dec to start Christmas shopping, but you can start dress shopping whenever you want to. I give permission. 

It usually takes such a long time to find the perfect dress for your work Christmas do, and New Year's Eve, that it's normal to start scouting early. I wanted something different, fashionable and relatively cheap. I know, I know... Hello Topshop. 

But first I checked out Zara online and came across some of the most beautiful prints I've seen all year. 

The problem with my body shape is that I can't buy one size online and guarantee it will fit. Because I'm bottom heavy I tend to fit easily into 8s for flowing or a line dresses, although anything remotely snug and I could go up to a 10 or have that not fit either. The other problem is that our Zara store never seems to stock anything that I spot online. This was the case with all four of these dresses, and it was really disappointing to not find even one because I was so excited about trying them on. Maybe when I go to Birmingham in December I can scout a few out. 

So naturally, I went to Topshop. 

First I tried on this dress and LOVED it. The fabric, the style, the look... But I didn't like the way it looked on me. 

The front looked lovely but with my body shape when you turn to the side, the ruffles make you a) feel like big bird from Sesame St and b) look 6 months pregnant. So for £60 I didn't want to buy it and not feel completely comfortable. But I really did love it. 

The first dress I spotted was the one I ended up purchasing. I looked at it on the hanger thinking it wouldn't fit me but took it in with me because I loved it. 

It's VERY different but that's what I wanted. It's quite snug at the bottom and my lack of squats all throughout my life has led to a 95% chance of me buying some pull me ins and ups to help my bum pull up and body look more streamlined. Nevertheless I am in love with my new dress. It is velvet with a fringe bottom and looks darker without the camera flash, almost a plum colour. It's quite thin but I will team it with black tights and some trusty Topshop boots which will casual my look down a little. 

For £38 you can't go wrong. They also do this in a teal colour without the pattern, which is a great colour as well for the party season. 

I really didn't think DC would like this dress but he loved it when I tried it on. I'm really looking forward to my work Christmas party now on 5 December. I just hope I don't find something I love more in the meantime!

Dans x

How many Christmas crackers would it take to...

...blow up my house... The cul-de-sac... The city??? 

No really, I'm kidding, before this post gets flagged up for the word 'bomb' and the FBI turn up at my house. Honest, no blowing anything up here, move along. 

However, my question does have a point because I rushed to m&s in my lunch hour yesterday to grab some of their Christmas crackers I had spotted a. Few weeks ago. I know I promised to hold off on the Christmas shop but I really didn't want them to go out of stock, because for our bake off Christmas dinner that we host every year it has become quite a tradition for me to bring along some lovely m&s crackers that have a fun game inside that will keep us occupied for an hour after dinner with a stomach full of early turkey and mince pies. 

Last year the crackers included a game of Ludo where you all made a paper Christmas character and played away to your heart's content. 

This year it's the naming game where you write a famous person's name on your headband and have to ask questions to find out who you are, with everyone else only being allowed to answer yes or no. 

Sorry, I still haven't got to my point have I?

Well here it is. 

Me, Dani, aged 25 and 3 months, was ID'd for these crackers. 

Yes, you heard that correctly. Before being allowed to purchase these crackers, I had to hand over my driving license to prove I was "of age". 

I'm assuming the age limit is 18. Who knows. All I know is that I laughed, asked "are you serious, I'm 25" and then handed my license over to the apologetic self service assistant. 

Come on m&s. The only damage I am going to do with these is hit my sister over the head with one if she cracks open the colouring crayons and I end up with the leaping frog. 

Dans x

The name's Bond...

I spent my Friday afternoon on a three hour train to Bristol and spent my Friday evening in a £48m manor house equipped with casino tables, dodgems, and wine. Perfect? Definitely. 

This night was in aid of Whizz-Kidz, our company's charity partner who provide electric wheelchairs and other mobility equipment for disabled children up and down the Uk. They are an AMAZING charity and as charity coordinator for our company I absolutely love ousting the fundraising for this charity. 

But this James Bond themed night was something I couldn't take an ounce of effort for. It was all arranged by our Bristol branch manager, who organised everything perfectly right down to a tee. The venue was Grittleton house in Chippenham, belonging to the family of one of our Bristol colleagues, who very amazingly kindly let us use their home for the evening. 

 

I arrived around 5pm and was shown to my room, which are all converted stables on the grounds about a 5 minute way gravel paved walk away from the main house. The rooms were basic but held all of the original features. My rooms was super warm and had a bunk bed plus 2 single beds, as the grounds feature a private school where a lot of kids come over to England throughout the summer to learn and stay. 

I got all dressed up and we were driven down to the main house in time for the night to start at 7pm. It started with a drinks reception (wine and more wine) before we were seated ready for a three course meal. 

Butternut squash soup, veg lasagne and mascarpone cheesecake = my idea of a three course meal. Can you believe our branch manager organised all of this for 140 people? And even the fact that 140 people paid to come to this event all suited and booted in their black ties and cocktail dresses all for a Whizz-Kidz. 

Here's the super man himself. Between the courses I helped him gather raffle ticket sales, these were the only profit for the night as the ticket cost covered everything provided on the night, and I'm happy to say we raised almost £1,000 - amazing!!!!

An entertainment company were busy setting up casino tables in the balls while we were eating, and once the raffle was over we used the voucher each person got on their dinner table to get some chips and have fun (the chips were all handed back at the end and no money was used, so it was definitely all in the name of fun). I had no idea how to play any of these games and after half an hour I was a champion;)

Then it was time for the DODGEMS. 

As it's been about 10 years since I've been on these I completely forgot how much fun they are. Everyone had a great (slightly tipsy) run around them and no one came off without a smile on their face. I was a bit apprehensive at first about my dress and shoes (must check my borrowed dress for marks later) but I just went for it and I can't remember the last time I laughed that much. 

Here's me and my partner in crime Sales Director. 

We got to bed around 2am and were greeted in the morning to a freshly cooked hot breakfast. 

These cafe bars are the original horses' stables - such a great idea to convert it into a different room without affecting the original features. 

My colleague dropped me back off at the station for a 10:15 train and I made it back home for 1pm. It was the best work event I had been to a long time and was made even better by adding to our annual fundraising amount for Whizz-Kidz. 

Dans x

Is it possible for someone to be double your age and still get asked ifshe's your sister?

My mum used to revel in the glory when someone asked her whether she was my sister when we were out together. A few people were joking, a lot of people were serious. Mum LOVED it.

So now mum is officially double my age after hitting 50 last weekend. Her birthday was on the Thursday but as she was working away she decided not to open anything until the weekend when our family was all together and could celebrate properly. My sis and I had told her a while ago to keep 9 November available as we would be taking her out for the day, but that it was a surprise and we wouldn't tell her where we were going. 

I booked Swan Lake (Matthew Bourne) tickets for our theatre in town on 15 August for mum, me, my sis, my friend and my brother's girlfriend, and everyone knew about it apart from mum. As it got closer to the date it was sooo hard meeting up with mum for coffee in case I accidentally gave away any spoilers. 

So the day came and we drove mum into town and to a bar / cafe for an amazing cream tea. 

Whoever invented the idea of making scones and filling them with cream and jam deserves a medal from my tongue and a slap from my thighs. 

We all relaxed and chatted for a while and mum still had no idea that we were going to the theatre. But then it was time to take her in and we were thankful that there was a Bonnie Tyler exhibition showing on the same day as that's what we told her we were going in there for. I still have no idea whether she was mocking us and going along with it just for fun or whether she guessed that we were seeing Swan Lake right from the start, so who knows!

We made sure we were early because mum is disabled and has limited movement so we didn't want to end up in an accident on the one day Dad allowed her to be out of his sight;) so we had another coffee and when we knew the announcement was near for the show, we decided to take her upstairs ready for the exhibition. Then when the show came on over the tannoy I said to mum "do you want to go and see this exhibition or would you rather see SWAN LAKE". To say she was excited is a bit of an understatement:)

The show was excellent, really moving and great ballet however I did ask my sister in the interval to explain a few things to me because with the no singing and talking thing going on I just had to check that my interpretation was correct;)

After the show we headed home because we had told mum that we were taking her for a small family meal, just the 5 of us with 3 partners. Here was surprise #2 because mum had no idea that dad had been working his behind off to organise a surprise dinner with 30 people including my grandparents and some of my parents' closest friends. 

To say mum was surprised was an understatement. I went to meet her at the bar when she arrived and I took her arm to help her down the steps, telling her that we had already taken our coats off and sat down. When she finally looked up as we were walking down towards the table, you could see her eyebrow twitch as she spotted one of her friends. She looked really confused for a second before looking across and spotting everyone else and realising what this was. She ALMOST shed a tear. And to say that me and my sis were relieved when mum finally showed up without a hitch was even more of one! Dad was telling everyone "I tried to get her out of the house and here on time but she couldn't decide what to wear"! Mum proceeded to going around and smacking everyone on the arm saying "I only saw you yesterday, I can't believe you were in on this!" It really was lovely to see her so happy. 

Mum joined the iPad club (spoilt by dad) and we bought her a case plus a very special present. Mum's birthday was a special one because she turned 50 but this was the first birthday in 17 years that mum has spent without her best friend Georgina, who passed away earlier this year. Every year for mums birthday George would buy mum a Steiff bear. My sis found one on Amazon called Georgina, so this was mum's special present and I think she will treasure it forever. 

Dans x

When was your last good deed????

A couple of weeks ago, the BBC's random stat of the day was:

"48 good deeds a year on average are carried out by each Briton per year"

(BBC.co.uk/news)

So this equates to each Briton doing a good deed almost once a week each year, bar four weeks when they feel like being a bit selfish (I bet on January). 

Do you do a good deed every week of the year???? Do I????

It made me think. I would like to think that I am a generous person, and get told so quite often too. But there are definitely people who are much kinder to people than I am, for example my mum who always seems to put everyone first all of the time without any kind of bother or resentment. She would give you her last £3 for a coffee even if it meant she had to go without one herself. She donates £50 each Christmas to buy chickens (or is it goats) to feed people in developing countries. I spend £50 a year on a mini mani month advent nail polish advent calendar. She is 100% a good deed person. 

So what constitutes a good deed?

You'll be unlikely to see me letting you out in front of me if you want to switch lanes on the roads when I'm either on the way to work or coming home after a stressful day. Does that count? I wouldn't say that is refusing to do a good deed, I just say that you should have been driving in the right lane to begin with. 

I pull my neighbours' bins back in towards their house if they haven't quite made it home from work (or golf) yet after the recycling men have been. But is that a good deed too or is it simply playing your part in the community?

Earlier this week in Wilkinsons I was looking for some nail polish remover when I saw an elderly lady scanning the shelves and looking at the products very closely with a magnifying glass right up to her eye. So I stepped in and asked her whether there was something I could help her to look for. "Well my dear I am looking for something to help my piles", she replied. So I helped her look for something for her piles. I think that was definitely my good deed of the week. 

I thought that people giving up their time / money / efforts / comfort to help someone else was becoming rare. I know that we Brits are known for being kind and patient and helpful but we all lead such busy lives and sometimes it's easy when you're late for work or rushing around or generally just busy, to put yourself first. But I was proved wrong just 5 minutes ago because as I have been sitting here at Birmingham train station waiting for my train to Bristol for a charity event tonight, not one but two separate men have stood up and offered their seats to approaching women. Now that is definitely their good deed for the week. 

What do you do on a day to day basis to make up your 48 good deeds of the year?

Dans x

Santa's got a long shift this year.

Let's talk about Christmas spirit. 

Yes I know it is far too early. 

It is 12 November and Christmas is EVERYWHERE. The big companies' adverts have already been launched, wrapping paper has been in the shops since October, and there are winter bonanza sales everywhere to tempt you to start the Christmas shop early.  

I do admit that apart from my Christmas jumper buy (Primark sell out so early) and scoffing a Boots cranberry and turkey sandwich (it was the only one left promise), I was really hoping to lay off Christmas everything until 1 December. I even avoided the Benefit advent calendar launch (that was hard). I was half tempted to buy a Gregg's mince pie on my lunch break the other day but my friend and I decided to make a mince pie lunch date on 1 December and avoid them until them (that was extra hard).

DC leaves the Christmas shopping up to me, and my friend & I go to Birmingham every year to make a trip of it, shop until our hearts content, and fit in a few mulled wines, but I'm finding it harder to hold off this year. Everywhere you look, there are pretty shiny things and I find myself thinking "oo he will like that" or "oo if I buy her that I might sneak one in for myself too" and I'm so tempted to get my wish list up and running. 

12 November, people. 

I especially feel for people who have children; it must be pretty hard to hold off the excitement for so long. As soon as Halloween is over, the shops clear their shelves and go overboard on the next 'must have' item. 

I know everyone says "it's officially Christmas when the Coca Cola advert comes up" but come on Coca Cola Christmas is a holiday and NOT ONE AND A HALF MONTHS LONG. 

I might sound a bit like a Scrooge which I'd like to stress I am not. I LOVE Christmas. And there's so many great things going on during the season that I do start Christmas early and start celebrating on 1 December. And I do like the feeling of being enticed by mulled wine, cider, mince pies, cheese, cranberry sauce and those cheese nibbles that you always get on the table at your nana's Christmas buffet (yum). I just think it's too early right now. Autumn is my favourite time of year and I like appreciating the cold wrapped up bonfire nights before moving onto the Santa talk. 

The only thing that seems to agree with me is the radio, as I haven't heard a single snippet of a Christmas jingle blare through my car stereo yet. But if I do hear All I Want For Christmas Is You before I am ready, then trust me it won't be pretty. 

What do you think? Is it too early or should we succumb to the commercial pressure and start celebrating now?

Dans x

Let's get back to business

I took 2 weeks off from blogging. And two weeks off from everything else too really. A few personal things have happened I haven't coped with very well so I gave myself two weeks to wallow and feel sorry for myself, because let's face it sometimes it's hard to be happy with the world on the outside when you're not particularly feeling great on the inside. But I did realise that when these things happen, the following are essential:

1) take time off. Feel sorry for yourself. Tell people you are not happy and LET THEM HELP YOU.  

2) surround yourself with family and friends. I have learnt who my friends aren't but I've definitely also realised that if you surround yourself with the people who you care about in life and who truly care for you then you will feel miles better. 

3) eat good food. I.e. Chocolate. It helps, I guarantee it. Even if the scales go up, it feels good at the time. Chocolate, cake and pasta have been my best friends. 

4) don't overdo it. I haven't exercised because I knew that I needed the break. Taking a break from exercise makes you feel better about getting out there and starting again because you know you can take it on. A bad run wouldn't have helped me emotionally but now that I'm feeling positive again I know that tomorrow when I get out on the road it'll be for all of the right reasons. 

5) Topshop. Yes ok I'm fickle. But new clothes make me feel good and when you feel good, you can take on the world. I'm not sure whether my bank manager will agree with me but who said we had to be friends?

But it's not all been bad while I've been away. Here's a little recap in pictures:

There were so many adorable kids at our door for trick or treat. But then we decided to shut up shop early and close the curtains not only to keep the warmth in but so we could raid the sweet bowl too. 

Autumn. My favourite time of year. Hair in buns, jumpers, scarves and layers. And I love my new glasses too. 

New clothes. My new favourite dress from Topshop, which I can rely on through the colder months. Dress up, dress down, tights on, tights off. Versatile, stylish and feel good. 

Nanas. My nana is actually the best. I am going to print this photo and frame it to treasure forever. This night, my nana shouted DC over and asked "when are you going to make an honest woman of my granddaughter?" But then added..... "To be honest I think she just wants the ring." Genius (not denying what she says is true).

I love it when friends add forgotten photos onto Facebook. This is my deaf friend Andie who I caught up with at a party a few months ago. I remember feeling good this night and being happy to be surrounded by my old friends, who I still have so much in common with. 

And last but not all happy birthday Ryan Gosling you fine specimen of a man. No you don't fit in with my recap post but who is arguing?????

Dans x