I've got a bigger tree than yours !!

This is my "Real" Christmas Tree

But... until I looked from this angle I never realised just how close to the house it is !

Christmas Spirit is stirring .. even if its just in my vodka

Bloody Mary .. ahhh !! Nothing quite like it ..mmmm.... so so good
Yes well I know apologies first. I haven't been on here for ages.  Too busy, not in the mood .. Hundreds of  excuses.. But in truth I dont know why ..  I just haven't felt in the mood.

I have been reading all your blogs though and enjoying them.

I have totally given up on the "New Path to a New Me"..... I was boring myself !
Boys are home, we have been busy, spending time together .. and choosing gifts.
I love the true spirit of the time ..
I love the movies, the songs..

But  I hate the commercial modern Christmas thing ...
Its the bloody expense of it all, that gets to me. Just opened the credit card bill and nearly did a cartoon faint, and this Christmas was an economy one. The food shopping bills are beyond belief and I haven't finished yet. My youngest child has just had a growth spurt so all shoes and clothes needed replacing. He is now and inch and a half taller than me... How someone with a larger family copes at this time, I do not know. I have been so stressed out by it all.  Just doing my online shop, with all shouting their orders. I can feel the asthma tighten my chest. Yes but I am a bit of a flake, that we know.  But for a woman Christmas equals stress ..
The house must look perfect.
The gifts must be.... Just what they wanted !!
The food must be just right,, and you must look like you have stepped out of Vogue whilst juggling all these things, at the same time.

So I think that is why I have gone into a "Go slow" mode.  .. Christmas Day I will cope with on the day .. I am actually enjoying the lull before .. spending the time with the boys, chilling and trying to relax and forget about the pressure of it all..

Of course there is the help of the odd Bloody Mary
This morning it snowed and today I feel the spirit of Christmas in my house .. and I have just cooked a brunch to die for. along with a few Bloody Marys to wash it down and I feel in the mood...
A walk in the snow now followed an afternoon by the fire.
Perfect.

My Christmas .....

I 'borrowed' this from  Chic Mama and Helena Halme a get to know you at Christmas.

I think its a really fun idea ..

Here's what you're supposed to do...copy this entire post and paste into a new post on your blog. Change all the answers so that they apply to you.This is not a Meme or a Tag. You simply play along if you wish to. Or just read the answers!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper with lots of bows and ribbons, lots of effort.. but I am not very good

2. Real tree or Artificial?  This year artificial .. with long waggy tails the pine needles go everywhere

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually around the 9th as its my sons birthday and he loves it

4. When do you take the tree down?I like to take it down New Year's day

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes I think I do .. cant remember... but have tried it

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Cindy doll and horse.. oh and telephones that my brother and I could ring each other on bedroom to bedroom 

7. Hardest person to buy for? My Husband

8. Easiest person to buy for? My Mother in Law as she likes all things I do

9. Do you have a nativity scene?   Hate them

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Dont send them anymore

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?  I cannot think of one .. but I can't think of many anyway

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Love Actually as I have just watched it 

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?, As soon as I realise I am leaving it very late !!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Christmas pudding.

16. Lights on the tree? Yes .. White

17. Favorite Christmas song?  The Last Christmas by Wham

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Always stay at home. But I would actually love to go to New York for Christmas.. but would miss the dogs and the boys wont come.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?Don't have a clue

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star and an Angel this year two in one :)

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Definitely Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Being over emotional as I cry all the time

23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? Gold

24. Favorite for Christmas Dinner? Turkey has to be .. but nobody except me like Christmas pudding we all have sticky toffee .. This year I have bought a very tiny one as I want a taste

25. What do you want to do for Christmas this year?  I want something I know I cant have, as its not of this world .. So a new mulberry bag would be wonderful

26. Favorite Christmas tradition growing up? Leaving Santa some supper

27. Favorite tradition now?
We invite the neighbours in for drinks Christmas morning which was Darren's family tradition and I love it
28. Favorite Christmas Memory? When my boys were little .. it was wonderful .. 

Wordless Wednesday

A drink free spirit

A free spirited Drunk

My Christmas IOU

I have never been a "It Bag Girl".  Although I have always had an appreciation for a nice vintage handbag. Especially love the art deco era and framed evening bags. I have a couple of lovely ones, collected over the years.

My city friends, with their obsession for the latest bag amazed me, yet left me cold.
I couldn't get exited about a bag for goodness sake... Shoes maybe.
That is, until I saw it ....

Mulberrys new bag...... "The Alexa" .. it was meant for me...

I love the satchel like style, of the Alexa.   An everyday handbag to me, has to be practical, yet stylish and not look like its trying to hard. This one fits the criteria perfectly.

I believe it was designed with Alexa Chung in mind .. it was a photo of her sporting one, that first turned my head. I like the oversized look of the bag.

I had to have one.

It also comes in a wonderful range of colours and sizes .

I am already a huge fan of Mulberry.  Love the fact they are British .. I like to support the British fashion industry wherever I can. I bought their Mitzi Hobo last year, and have used it everyday since. Again I love the casual air about it .. The way it looks great with everything that I wear. It is practical, and looks better with age.
Like all mulberry bags do....

So.  Which one will I buy ?
Personally I think I will be choosing the oversized oak coloured bag. It suits me lifestyle. But if I was working in the city.. I would be tempted by the blue ....
What a fabulous colour !
Also I love the quirkiness of the Leopard print, and then there is a wonderful blush coloured one, with a snakeskin trim...mmmm... Fabulous.
Perfect for all the S/S 2010 Collections which all seem to have that shade in their pallet.
This collection has something for everyone..

I must love it. This is the first time in my life, I have ever been happy with an I O U for Christmas .

Wordless Wednesday...Happy Birthday Twelve Today

George  18 months old

An old friend sent this to me today I thought I would share it ...

The Bridal Suite.. An Unforgettable Experience

Its funny how things digress .. I started to write about friendships, in an earlier post and got distracted, with a memory about sleep walking.
As everyone enjoyed it so much... I thought I would let you in on an unforgettable evening, along the same theme.

It was a few years ago, and we had just moved into this house.  In the process of re-wiring and plumbing, whilst living amongst the mess .. The lime paster was burning my skin and my hair was like an eighteen century wig.  We had a black tie business dinner to go to.  My husband thought, as I hadn't been pampered for so long, we should stay over, in the hotel where it was taking place.. and booked the Bridal Suite.

I have to say it was heaven. I cannot, for fear of being sued reveal the hotels name. But it was a very nice one.
It had recently been decorated, complete with beautiful soft furnishings, and a striking circular bath with curtain arrangement. Cream thick pile carpets throughout, and lovely antique furniture.
I was in heaven. Away from all the dust and cold at home.
Crisp white sheets that I hadn't ironed .. Actually would have loved to just have a long bath and go to bed, rather than go to the dinner.
But that was why we were here.

Fast forward now ... about 2AM.  I leave to go to bed.
I last saw my husband, drinking a pint of champagne, and making speeches that he couldn't finish .. I had to go before I was in the same state.
I left him in the care of my mother in law, she was also at the function. Being a family business, and a good excuse to socialise.  Just getting into bed.  I can hear them stumbling along the corridor, banging from one wall to the other.. Him shouting...
"I am going to bed now to shag my wife" ...
"Yes very nice dear" .. Mother in Law
 You get the picture ....
My husband is a perfect "Old Fashioned Drunk".

Anyhow .. we get him in the room and he slips to the floor. I try to remove his clothes, but after several attempts, just give up.
I just cover him with a blanket and go to sleep....
In the deep dark recess of my mind I can hear some strange sounds, but continue to drift in and out of consciousness .. slightly drunk myself.

Knock Knock Knock !... a loud banging on the door awakens me so I open it .. Standing in the corridor is a half naked  husband.. mine !
All he has on is his shirt and bow tie. God only knows where he had been ..
We get back into bed .. I drift off...

Running water.......... its amazing how a sound in the wrong place can make you wake up bolt upright.  Somehow I knew in a spilt second that there was no running water in this room ... the bathroom although en suite was down a mini corridor
Yup... you guessed it. He was peeing in the wardrobe, luckily into the suitcase.
Managing to catch it all .. I go to the bathroom to empty it .. when I nearly drop the thing in shock......

The once romantic bathroom,  was now a bomb site ... curtains and rail all down .. complete with tiles and raw plugs, out of the wall !!
I nearly fainted in shock ....I say nearly... As there was then a loud... Crash..
I ran back up the corridor only to see that he had fallen like a tree head first into the antique dressing table and smashed his nose which was now bleeding all over the beautiful, new cream carpet....
Thankfully still alive.

The aftermath..
Well the next morning I went to get my Mother in law .. I just didn't know what to do.
I had managed to clean up the pee, and the blood. But the bathroom was beyond me.
It reminded me of a scene from the movie "What's up Doc ?"
Together we hatched and exit strategy...
Saying that he had slipped in the bath.  Being a big boy of 6'2",  had pulled on the curtains to save himself. It had all fallen apart, ripping out of the wall.  Resulting in him, falling and banging his nose... Which was now swollen, with two black eyes.
They were so grateful we were not suing... We were grateful to get out of there, before they checked the room..... phew!

What had really happened...

Well we will never know... we can only surmise, that he had not been able to take his trousers off, and had slipped in his own pee .. pulling on the curtains to save himself ..
Being asleep through the whole thing, he cannot of course verify this

Penis Envy

Well girls! I have found the perfect piece of equipment .. That is if you have ever suffered from penis envy.
Now I am not talking in the sexual sense ... I can honestly say I have always preferred to have my bits neat and tucked in.
But I do envy them in the way, that if they need to pee, they can just go pee....... Anywhere!

Today, during a day out in Betwys y Coed.  A lovely local town, famous for its climber and rambler stores. Buying yet another thermal beanie .. mmm yes I have a thing for hats, almost as much as shoes..
At the checkout, something caught my husband's eye .. At first I thought it was a joke ..
But no its for real..
A Shewee.... Its a plastic tube perfectly shaped, to slip inside your panties. so that you needn't strip down and squat any longer , when caught short in the wilderness.
You can now pee standing up with the rest of the boys !!