22nd January 2011 - Buy a Perfect Present!

As previously mentioned, it is birthday season and I would like to tell you all about one of my most favourite online stores. Perfect Presents is run by Alison and I don't think that I have shopped anywhere that can top the quality of the gift engraving, or the level of customer care given. If there is a birthday or wedding anniversary approaching, I have stopped by to see what personalised engraved gifts and other sterling silver and fashion jewellery goodies are in stock.

Our lovely friend Fred had a special birthday a couple of years ago and I could not think of the perfect present to give him, the person who has everything, until I stumbled on Alison's store. Fred, a very proud welshman and ex-coalminer was going to be 75 years young and I wanted to buy something special, something with quality and so, I bought a coal miner personalised pocket watch, with his name and date of birth engraved on the back.

Another very clever thing that Perfect Presents can do is engrave an image onto one of their gifts - either a photo or a sketch - how awesome us that?!

Dads take note - what mum or grandmother wouldn't be absolutely bowled over with a pendant or keyring engraved with the face of their child or grandchild or with a sketch drawing they have done? A Perfect Present (see what I did there?) for Mother's Day (or indeed Father's)!

Last, but certainly not least - ICE Medical ID Jewellery and tags - an essential way to notify emergency sevices of medical conditions when needed most. Perfect Presents have a wide variety of medical bracelets, pendants and accessories.

I would not spend the time writing a blog post about a service that I would not wholeheartedly recommend, so I hope you will take a visit to see what Perfect Presents has to offer :)

21st January 2011 - Plan something nice!

I think I live my life in stages, all gearing up to something/an event to look forward to. If I don't have anything to focus on or plan, then I get very downhearted. It has always been my 'thing' and now the beginning of the year is here, I am happy because birthday season has started! Firstly, there are my daughter and oldest son's birthday, then it is mine and then it is the turn of my lovely younger sister, Hazel. She will be 30 this year. I can't ever remember her having a big party, although she assures me she did, but when she was 18 and 21 I had already embarked on motherhood and have lost some brain cells and memory capacity along the way.

Anyway, we have managed to talk our Haz into having a party to celebrate her reaching the grand old age of 30 and I am mucho excited! All I want to do now is design her birthday party invitations! I love doing them for work, but it is even more exciting when I can create something fabulous for family and friends. My sister is all about the colour blue, so I shall design something lovely, now that we have a date for the party.

Exciting. Very very exciting!!!

20th January 2011 - Meet The Parents 2 : The Little Fockers

I went to our local market square cinema to see The Little Fockers and it is the kind of Ye Olde Cinema where the floor is wooden, the paintwork is heavily chipped and your legs can't be put straight out in front of you else you damage your knees. We go because it is the only cinema in walking distance and you can have a family ticket for £12 (1 adult, 3 children or 2 adults, 2 children) which is a cinema bargain! The snacks there are also so much cheaper compared to big cinema venues and it is always important to comment on the snacks!

The film itself was funny in places but don't go out of your way to see it. The funniest bit was the ending credits of a Youtube rap, which says a lot about the film I think. The only other highlights were Jessica Alba jumping around in her skimpies and the bathroom injection scene.

19th January 2011 - I love 1950's style clothes

Oh, please take a look at these 1950s vintage / retro beauties! I just love love love 1950s style dresses and in particular the pinafore look. J'adore! Check out the upcycled bag! Confession - I have met the designer, but I didn't know she made 1950's style items like this! I am in love!

Another dress in cyberspace that has caught my eye recently... I love how it hugs your curves!

and I really really love this, but it is a tad much for walking around town! I would like to dress up more and go to posh parties, as this is divine!

18th January 2011 - There is something about new pants that cheers me up

Oh this is a funny one. My mum insists on buying me new pants / undies / knickers. Why?! I have no idea. She will buy them for Christmas as if it is some kind of absolute must. Maybe she still sees us as little girls (my sister and I, I am 4 years older than her) as she also buys us pyjamas. Some people would be horrified if their mother bought them underwear but I think it is kind of endearing. I do appreciate new underwear - there is something about it that cheers me up. Maybe it is the feeling of having something new, something pretty, I can't quite put my finger on it. Having said that, she does not buy me the sort of underwear I would buy, if that makes sense. She buys me the pants she thinks I should be wearing - nothing lacy, racy or slutty and definitely not from Anne Summers! I just see it as funny and have told her time and time again that she does not need to buy me pants, but she does insist. Go figure.

17th January 2011 - Is each apple from the same tree?

When sat on the sofa, I sometimes completely zone out. The whole world carries on as normal and I sit there wondering about daft things. I sat there wondering if every apple, in my bag of apples from Asda, came from the same tree. I would like to somehow track every apple from a tree and see where it ends up. Draw a map, that sort of thing. Where did each apple come from? Was it the same orchard (my guess is yes, if it ended up in the same bag) and where did all the other apples from the same tree end up? In the same branch of Asda in another bag? Perhaps my next door neighbour is eating apples from the same tree. Perhaps they ended up in different boxes and are sat in Buckingham Palace waiting to be eaten by the Queen - although I very much doubt she shops at Asda! Would I be a very sad person to Google and see if anyone has actually tracked a tree of apples? (Yes, you would!)