My weekend: Snow, baby snuggles, cake and bubbly!

 



Snowy socks, snowy garden!

 

I haven't done a "my weekend" post for a while. I must try harder to do more this year. Another new year resolution maybe? I suppose that would also require me to get off my derriere a bit more and actually do something interesting enough to tell you about. Well, more that eating at least.

Last weekend I felt really productive and like I did quite a lot... but really, it revolved around sitting on my sofa and only moving from that position to eat food that didn't originate from my kitchen. Friday a girlie birthday dinner at a cute pub, Saturday an impromptu family dinner and Sunday and hangover brunch, without a hangover.

My Mamma Bear, her gorgeous god daughter Liz and Liz's amazingly beautiful baby, Samuel

This weekend was in a similar vein, with all the sitting and eating but there were other activities involved. Mainly sitting down activities, but still, activities! Friday was meant to be a puzzle night with Caroline. We achieved very little puzzling, unfortunately, but a lot of guzzling. Guzzling of naughty chocolate treats, and gallons of tea.

mmmmm, cake, at Earl Grey and Rose

Saturday started early with a slow snow drive to south west London to visit a new little buddy of ours - baby Samuel. We enjoyed some yummy food in a cute vintage cafe, tea and cakes on the sofa and then, most importantly, THE. BEST. BABY. SNUGGLES! He's just the cutest, snuggliest, snuffliest, squeakiest little bundle of joy. He was only meant to arrive a week ago, but put in an appearance at the end of 2012, because, as a Londoner, what better year (clearly I'm talking about the Jubilee and London 2012) to have in the DOB section of your passport?

Katy making snow willies...

Sunday was where it all went wrong for Dry January and I fell off the wagon. We had friends over for Sunday lunch and kick started the afternoon with wine and bubbly all snuggled up in the conservatory Orangery watching the snow trickle down and then more over lunch. We then tucked in to some tasty red with the cheese and a little bubbly toast to a snow day or two next week (as if!) whilst Katy and Claire made an evil snow man and a snow willy in my garden. I wonder how long it'll take my neighbours to pop a note of complaint through the door...

Claire making a scary snow man

All in all, a rather wonderful weekend!

A pretty good weekend

This weekend I didn't leave the house from Friday night through to Monday morning.

 

I spent the whole weekend inside, in my fluffy slipper boots and various dog jumpers, stuffing my face with finger sandwiches, cake, macaroons, lemon meringue and Christmas cupcakes and miniature fairy cakes, drinking gallons of tea out of super special china, surrounded by loved ones chatting, gossiping and having some long-overdue catch ups.

It was a pretty good weekend!

Afternoon tea for five on Saturday

Afternoon tea for two on Sunday

Buttery, jammy, creamy scones!

A girlie weekend

Where last weekend was full of colour, this weekend, although also full of colour, was full of girls!

My Friday night humbug outfit

We kicked off on Friday night with a girlie dinner date to celebrate Caroline turning 30. We all got dolled up, and headed off to Zenxi in town for cocktails, fizz, Chinese food, cupcakes and presents!

Pre dinner cocktails

Saturday was mainly spent sewing my costume for Caroline’s big Story Book themed birthday party that night. I love a bit of fancy dress, and if I’m doing fancy dress, I do it properly – face paint, sewing, accessories, the works!

The Birthday Girl

On this occasion I was dressing up as Jadis, The White Witch from The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe. I mentioned my costume inspiration here, but, due to unforeseen circumstances (i.e. me forgetting that I’m not a Hollywood costumier) the costume took a slight detour and I ended up re-using the corset that formed the basis of my Katy Perry costume from Katie’s 30^th in October.

Cutest ever cupcakes

Mr G got all over-excited (he’s probably the one person in the world that loves fancy dress more than me, so I’ve recently discovered) and dressed up as an Oompa Loompa, and I’ve been finding orange facepaint all over the bathroom ever since…. I know I’m from Essex, but still, I don’t want anyone thinking that’s my make up everywhere!

After a night of dancing, singing, stuffing ourselves with fairy tale themed cupcakes and admiring each other’s outfits, we rolled home, scrubbed off all our facepaint and I tried to comb out the backcombing and various “pouffing” products out of my hair (unsuccessfully) before collapsing in to bed. Fancy dress is so tiring!

Tinker Bell, Dorothee, The Frog Princess, Wilma, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood,
a Disney Princess and White Witch!

An Oompa Loompa and The White Witch - a good match!

Sunday morning we got up early, and did our best to make ourselves presentable (removing the last traces of face paint, we missed in the small hours and trying to get my evil witch/crazy candy floss hair in to some kind of human style) to pop back to see the house we’re in the process of buying. I was super scared that I wouldn’t like it as much, now that we’ve done the deed and committed to buy, but on seeing it again I loved it and I can’t wait to get the ball rolling and move in! Perhaps we should have facepaint and crazy hair themed housewarming party!

After that, we did a spot of shopping and I managed to pull together an outfit for the second of the three weddings I have coming up with a lucky spot in Warehouse, and then I took myself off home to get ready (my "Malibu Barbie" outfit of pink jeans, green shoes and a spangly jumper) for a lunch date at TheBlue Strawberry with my Luvvies… which, as per usual, resulted in us being ushered from the restaurant half an hour after closing time, at 7pm. Only the Luvvies can make lunch last until 7pm!

My Malibu Barbie Sunday lunch outfit

A busy weekend often equals lots of mess, and a fancy dress weekend means even more mess so this evening I spent a good hour packing up my dressing up box and sewing kit and returning everything to its rightful home, Mary Poppins style (how appropriate) before settling down to some blogging, a cuppa and some Sunday night telly (Harry Potter, Titanic, Homeland) while I wait for my orange-tinged boy to come home from work.

What a weekend! And to cheer me up about it coming to an end – a short week at work, a Hunger Games date with Laura and Game of Thrones starts Monday... YAY!

My month: February

So I’ve been naughty, and lazy and a bad blogger. I haven’t blogged for an age! Sorry.

I thought about doing a "this weekend" post, but I thought I’d do a “this month” one instead and wrap up the last few weeks.

February is normally a quiet month, but this year, February went OFF! More birthday celebrations that you can shake a stick at, hen dos and catch ups. It was probably the funnest February on record, and also the most expensive...

This month:

I signed out of my twenties, with six rounds of celebrations. So spoilt!

I helped my buddies, the Birthday Belles celebrate the arrival of their fourth decade with more birthday parties.

The hat I made, whilst supremely hungover!

I
 helped Sarah celebrate her impending nuptials with parts three (Vintage Patisserie) and four (a TOWIE Party) of her Hen Tour 2011/12 (Part one being the Ugly Bug Ball last October, and probably two more parts to come!)

I tipped the scales too far in the wrong direction after numerous Tea and Jaffa nights, coupley catch ups, girlie lunch and dinner dates, cocktail sessions, some family catch ups, a Pancake Day extravaganza and a rather lonely Valentine’s Day pizza and prosecco fest. Time to start the healthy eating plan again

some February Food snippets

I got properly addicted to Words With Friends. Add me - I'm Vikihalo!

I spent some time thinking about the amazingness that was Rio Carnival, this time one year ago.

We got our house move underway (yay) so I paid homage to our new address (fingers crossed) with lots of tulips in the house!

some new purchases

I bought some hot pink trews, as instructed by FlorenceFinds. I might have also purchased some bright tees (seeing as spring is almost sprung), a stripey skirt, a short and a long colour block dress, and I finally overcame my fear of floaty pleats with a midi, hot pink chiffon pleated skirt.

hello hot pink trews!

I spent the last of my birthday money on a Lulu Guinness lips clutch.

hello Lips clutch

I planned some fab outfits for some up-coming special events, including most of the items above and also my handmade (by yours truly) hat!

getting matey with Twist and Pulse and "Queenie"

I met Twist and Pulse  and The "Queen" at my buddy Lucy's (she of Birthday Belle fame) first big event at her new venue The London Film Museum. It had an I Heart London theme! That I do!

I got started on the Big Faberge Egg Hunt. I love collecting!

I went all Girl Power with my iPod. Adele, Jessie  J, Lady Gaga were at the top of my most played list and then along came Lana. Enchanting!

I got inspired to re-read The Secret after Laura turned her career around with a bit of positive thinking...

Laura's always there pushing me to stay positive!

I got some much-needed baby squidges with Luke and some catch-up, sticker book, Duplo, silly voice time with Isabelle, Ollie and Gracie, oh, and their parents!

And finally I enjoyed one whole well-deserved lie in!

Phew!

Looking forward to what March has to offer...

xoxo

This Weekend: Victory Rolls, fascinators and a "celebrity" party!

So this weekend saw the close of the Thirtieth Birthday marathon with two birthday celebrations, a hen party, some girlie lunching and (not nearly enough) sofa surfing!

It all started at lunchtime on Friday when I headed over to Sarah’s hen celebrations part 3 (or 4, I’ve lost count. I love how birthdays and hen parties are no longer just a single-event event in my world! Part 1 is here) which was a Vintage Patisserie tea party.

In case we got lost...

At about 2.30pm I was announcing myself to the reception team at her office and at 2.34pm precisely I was sitting in the make up chair, holding a china teacup filled with prosecco having my hair curled in to Victory Rolls listening to vintage tunes, being served  cute sandwiches and homemade cakes and scones, waiting for my faux beauty spot to be placed delicately on my cheekbone and deciding which scented oil to choose for my hand massage.

Beautiful Katy Boo

Rocking my Victory Rolls

Claire looking Stylish!

I was in my element, and I can neither confirm nor deny that I went all crazy fangirl about meeting Angel… (OMG – I got your cookbook for Christmas, OMG – I love your hair/make up/outfit/music choice,  OMG - I loved you on Dragon’s Den, OMG – which was your favourite Dragon, OMG – can I work for you, OMG – can I friend you on Stalkbook, OMG – I have the same crockery as you… etc etc)

I wish I could do it every Friday. I’ll tell you all about it in more detail in a dedicated post.

Eventually Sarah’s boss kicked us out and we proceeded to take ourselves, in all our forties glory, on a bit of a bar crawl around various areas of London, chatting drunkenly on squishy sofas (now we’re house-buying, I’m checking out sofas everywhere we go!) at The Oyster Shed, sampling the lychee martinis and gin-based cocktails at The Waterloo Bar and Grill and The Book Club, respectively and then taking ourselves rolling in to a cab and trying to remain upright en route back to Claire’s house for some much needed sleep.

So much for our chilled out post-patisserie pyjama party plans!

Saturday morning saw me wake up with The. Worst. Hangover. I’ve ever had. Actually – I tell a lie, I think it was actually the third-worst hangover I’ve ever had. Either way, it was a bad-un!

Some cheese and ham croissants, a shower, a team hug, some prosecco for the pain (which didn’t really help) and we were ready to go on our private fascinator-making party – my birthday present from my Disney Princesses, my buy-one-get-one-frees and their Mamma Bears! So, essentially, this was If Carlsberg did Birthdays: Part 6. Again, I’ll do a full review in a separate post!

Our tutor arrived, set up her materials all over Claire’s (rather Stylish) lounge and we spent the next five hours cutting, stitching, ironing, bending, stretching, edging and modelling various bits of sinamay, feathers, netting, and ribbon whilst stuffing our faces with Magic Cakes and prosecco!

Probably the best hangover cure ever. All that craftiness made me completely forget about my banging head and shaking hands! Considering how hungover we were, I was really impressed with our creations!

On completion of my hat (to be worn at Sarah’s wedding), I packed up my stuff and took myself out in to the freezing cold to prepare for the final 30^th birthday party of the most packed birthday month of all time!

the colour shcme!

The last of the Birthday Belles, Anna, had her party in Chelmsford, with a black and white theme – and so, obviously, the last Birthday Belle was dressed in her favourite colour: bright red! We spent the night dancing like crazy people, in clothing highly inappropriate for the temperatures (how old is too old to dress like Sally Bowles?), posing with inflatable numbers (it never gets boring!), trying to match up all the boy banders with their fellow members for “band” photos (got to love a famous person mask – especially when it’s Gaga!), and generally feeling like we can’t possibly be this old… or maybe that was just me!

Guess who's the Birthday Belle tonight?

At 2am (two hours later than I expected, or needed!) I rolled in to bed, sporting various injuries and finally got a hug with Mr G after not seeing him for what felt like weeks, and I slept like a baby until Mr G had to go to work.

Two fifths of Take That

So Sunday saw me do nothing more energetic than meet Kim B at our fave brunch place for a long hangover lunch, and tea and cake session, before a spot of dress shopping (lots of weddings come up – I need to plan plan plan my outfits!) and then some unashamed sofa surfing.

I have lots of personal admin to deal with and a list of about a hundred chores, but they’re all just going to have to wait whilst I recover from the last month of partying with a cup of tea, a hot water bottle and some Sunday night telly.

I am getting on a bit now you know… I just don’t have the energy for housework and partying. Something has to give, you know!

Sally Bowles outfit, Gaga face. Time to go home!

This weekend: birthdays, fringes and snowbombing

I met up with my Tea Shop Luvvies for what was meant to be a normal Friday night Fish n Chip and Cosmopolitans date, and turned in to If Carlsberg did Birthdays: Part 5 when they produced two boxes of presents.

Fish n chips for five!

Box one, from Jennalicious, contained the cutest books, a “make and do” book called Everything Alice – I can’t wait to move and make and do everything in it! The other, an Edward Monkton book about the Shoe of Salvation, and a cute Union Jack pin (for all the parties that I'll be having - obvs!). I love Edward Monkton’s barmy ramblings – so much in fact that we had one of his books, about dinosaurs, as a reading at our wedding.  Box two one that was so big it required two Luvvies to carry it! Obviously the whole pub turned to watch as I opened the largest Selfridges box I’ve ever been close to, let alone been the recipient of. Inside was a teapot, milk jug and sugar bowl and two tea trios (a teacup, saucer and cake plate) from the Royal Albert 100 Years collection, a collection to celebrate their centenary with remakes of the popular designs from the last ten decades. The Luvvies chose me the Polka Rose design from the 1930s (pale green and white polka dots on the outside, white with pink and red roses on the inside) which couldn’t be more lovely – or more me!

I can’t wait until we start setting up home and I can start using them!!

We spent the rest of the evening eating our favourite fish and chips, drinking French martinis and Cosmopolitans, chatting and giggling until we were the last table left in the restaurant and, as with every time we go there, the staff ask us to leave!

Saturday I let Mr G sleep off his night shift in preparation for the big night ahead and took myself off in to town to my fave hair salon ever to be reunited with my fringe. Oh how I’ve missed it! Mr G however, has not. For some reason he hates the fringe, despises it even. When I walked back in he actually reeled and sighed "ohhhhh, friiiiiiiiiinge". No joke. Unfortunately for him, I like it, so it's staying.

The re-appearance of the fringe!

A spot of window-shopping to pass the time saw me succumb to what every magazine/fashion blog/stylist is telling me to do – I accidentally purchased a pair of coloured skinny jeans. They weren’t as bright as they could have been, in fact they’re a bit tame, in a mulberry colour. But I’ll have to work up to the bright green and blue pairs I've seen…

When I thought Mr G had had enough sleep I returned home, packed my bags and we set off for Uxbridge to celebrate Natasha’s (one of the Birthday Belles from last week’s celebrations) 30^th birthday. Unfortunately I hadn’t spent enough time packing my bags, and ended up with a rather risky outfit choice, and no back up, in case I changed my mind on the green dress/polka dot tights/blue sparkly peeptoes/pink bag mash up. I added the tights when I realised that my idea about bare legs wasn’t a good one – I’m from Essex, not Liverpool. On reflection in the car, en route, I realised that my choices would actually make me look a bit like a children’s TV presenter. Too much of the crazy, not much of the classy!

We celebrated with cupcakes, cocktails, pink balloons, old school garage and a spot of late night snow bombing.

I laughed so much during our 2am snowball fight I could barely stand up… but I still fared better than a few others, who shall remain nameless, who spent a lot of time flat on their backs/faces in the snow!

Sunday Brunch

A skid and a slide back to the hotel  (sparkly blue peep toe stilettos are not conducive to remaining upright in snow) and we slept right through until check out, missing breakfast, so we packed the car up, drove home through the melting snow and got home to find a clearing party shovelling snow down our road. I love how the snow unites people! I grabbed some more sensible shoes from home (having forgotten to take anything other than heels with me) and we headed out for a late breakfast at our favourite brunch spot in town, then went shopping for baking ingredients and I spent the afternoon making cake pops whilst Mr G snoozed on the sofa in front of the rugby and the local kids made snowmen in the road and in our gardens.

Snow at home

Tea sets, afternoon baking, and Sunday snoozing - how very grown up. Snowball fights and bundles at 2am in the street – less grown up!

Life is about balance after all!



keeping my balance - just!