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!)

16th January 2011 - Hugh Grant is the same in every film I have watched

Today I watched 'Did You Hear About the Morgans?' - Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker? He is a lawyer, she is a realty bod (high end american estate agent!) and although married, they have separated but witness a murder and get put in a witness protection programme? Ah well, anyway... Hugh, lovely to look at Hugh, is once again, playing Hugh. Well, maybe not the real life Hugh Grant, but in every film I have ever seen him in, he has played every single character in THE same way. 2 Weeks Notice (with our most fabulous Sandra Bullock), Music and Lyrics (with gorgeous Drew Barrymore), Notting Hill (with Julia Roberts) - he is ALWAYS the same.

However, I will stop moaning and compliment lovely Hugh on his comedy timing. Playing Paul Morgan, this is one of the funny bits -

Emma Wheeler: Here you go. Sunny-side eggs with bacon, sausage with bacon, home fries, homemade biscuits and country gravy. Can I get you anything else?
Paul Morgan: No, thanks. Just the angiogram. 

Anyway, can anyone name a film where Hugh is actually doing some acting outside of the norm? I would be interested to hear. Muchas gracias.

15th January 2011 - Appreciate Miniature Beauty

I fell asleep putting my youngest to bed (or rather waiting for him to fall asleep so he wouldn't just clamber back out of bed and down the stairs to play) yesterday, so am writing this blog post today (Sunday 16th). Slacker, yes I know.

Anyway, I was chatting via MSN Messenger about things I wanted to do when I were young (said in ye olde voice) and one of those things was trying to grow a bonsai tree. Bonsai - the japanese art form of growing beautiful miniature trees in a tub/container. How gorgeous they are. I love them. I got a kit for a birthday or Christmas and as much as I tried to follow the instructions that came with it, it just didn't grow. I really love looking at them though and it may seem a tad freakish, but I get a feeling of peace when I study a photo of one. Might try again soon.

14th January 2011 - O Facebook, Facebook, wherefore art thou Facebook?

Inspired by a lack of Facebook this morning to go with my usual first cuppa of the day, I thought I would write a little ode to Facebook type poem. I was going to do a spin on the 'O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo' as in 'where are you Facebook?' until I did a bit of searching and discovered that the famous phrase from Romeo and Juliet isn't actually meaning 'where are you Romeo?' but 'why are you/what is it like to be Romeo?'

Well, that was a shocker and in my defense, we studied The Merchant of Venice in our class as our selected Shakespeare classic.

13th January 2011 - Tell me the truth

I am a big girl now. I am 33 years old and have had more ups and downs than the road to Aberysywyth. You don't need to spare me, I would much rather hear the truth than be treated with kid gloves. They may be gentle lies to spare me but come on, isn't it time to get real? I hope am wise enough to be considerate to each and every person that I know, even if I don't agree with what they do, say or think. Each to their own, but don't lie in case I don't like what I will hear.

(climbs off soapbox for today)

12th January 2011 - Bring on the lurve!

If you don't already know, I work for The Dream Bag and recently we have diversified into personalised stationery, you know, birth announcements, party invitations, that sort of thing. Well, in a moment of really early organised madness the other day, I did some more Valentine's Card designs! I am quite pleased with the results. Last year a lot of parents bought a card for their children. Some mums even bought them as a little gift from their child to their husband (To Daddy - I Love You, type thing), which I did find quite odd at the time but the printed results were so cute!

Come and take a look, I've even stuck my own fizzog on a couple of them (shocker!) and bring onnn the lurve!

11th January 2011 - I just want to go to bed!

Another frazzled headache/migraine day, unfortunately for those around me, as I become some evil woman who snaps and is generally vile if there are shrill noises - why does my oldest insist on trying to get high pitches from playing water glasses when I have a throbbing bonce? I want the day to be over already. Bring on Wednesday. I know it is becoming a theme but this IS my thought of the day - when will the day end?! I slept, or rather didn't, badly last night so tonight I would quite like to be out for the count like this little bundle of gorgeousness! Guten nacht!

10th January 2011 - Plan something exciting!

Oh it does wonders! My friend has booked a hotel for our trip to Cardiff later in the month, so we can stay in the city after we see Alexandra Burke in concert (I bought my daughter tickets for her birthday and her name is also Alexandra, so Alexandra will be seeing Alexandra perform on her 8th birthday! It amused me anyway...) and I am so excited! I don't really go out so this will be a fabulous treat, even if it will be us two cronies surrounded with a bopping sea of 7 and 8 year olds!

I should really invest in her CD as concerts are much more fun when you can sing along with the lyrics (badly) and shimmy about and totally embarrass your children at the same time! Where did I put my flashing light teeny-boppers?!

9th January 2011 - Whatever

Another day of headache/migraine. A very bad mood. Grotbags. Nothing to say apart from I hope tomorrow will be a better day.

8th January 2011 - Stock up on aspirin

Headache/migraine all day. I am sat here like a muppet wearing very dark sunglasses to dull the intensity of the light as it is really hurting my eyes. I'm not staying long, so I will be brief. Aspirin seems to work normally but today it isn't touching it. Going to bed, to the dark and hopefully rid the pain. I hate suffering from migraines. It is always on the right side, through my eye, across to my temple. Nighty night.

7th January 2011 - Prove that you can do it

I am petrified of once again learning to drive but I am determined, more now than ever, that I can do it. There is a world out there and I am stuck inside my four walls, day in day out. Normally, I am happy with that. I like my own company and I am most content when I am inside my four walls. I don't know what has changed recently but I just want to get out and the biggest thing that will help me do that is by learning to drive (again). I need to prove to myself that I CAN do it and that I have the balls to get over the fear of being in a car crash (vivid recurring dream) and just sort out my provisional license (still in date I think, 15 years after I first got it), resit the theory test and get those lessons in. People keep saying that I should have done it years ago, but I know that. Time to get on with it and prove to myself I can do it - I am focusing on the elated feeling I will get (if) when I pass.

6th January 2011 - Too bee, or not to bee

I must show you my new bee slippers. They are supposedly special ones that make sure your feet don't smell. My feet never smell (honest) but I thought I would mention that anyway.


I also have a pair of ladybirds and also have my eye on some cow slippers! They are all on sale too!

My friend, Marjorie, thinks they are awful. Well, I LOVE them. I am 33 years old and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!

5th January 2011 - Get a very early night

Oh it works wonders! It is also how I am slightly delayed in my 5th January blog entry ;-) After a day of work, injuring my foot and generally body adjusting to the early mornings again, I had fed and watered all three of my children by 6pm. By 7pm I was so ready for my bed. Result? Up like a lark at 6.30am. Okay, ever so slight exaggeration - I wouldn't exactly say lark - anyhow, it is true, your body deserves a very early night once in a while. Sweet dreams!

4th January 2011 - Help an old lady cross the road

Figuratively speaking! I just remembered that on Christmas Eve, I helped an old lady down the town main street. I had been in the queue in the local card shop behind her and was right behind when she was leaving the shop. It had been snowing the entire weak and everything had just started to melt a little; you know when slushy ice is so awful underfoot? She was obviously very cautious and a bit distressed as she took an absolute age to transfer her balance to the one foot that had made it outside of the shop. Anyway, as I could see she was not coping very well, I offered her a hand and asked her where she was going. She was very nice and she was headed my way, so I said I would be happy to help her get to her destination. She was so thankful, bless her.

As we gingerly made our was down the busy street at a snail's pace, she told me that she was ever so grateful for my help and that she would never normally go outdoors in such weather but she had some personal business to take care of at the post office, so has to venture out. It made me wonder how many people don't have anyone to help them. I, very sadly, no longer have any grandparents and if I thought she wouldn't find me a complete freak, I'd have offered to go and do some jobs for her, but once we got to the shop she was adamant she would be fine and that she was sorry (sorry?!! I ask you!!) that she had taken up my time. I could have cried. What is a few minutes out of a day to help someone who obviously needed it?

Anyway, I still wonder if this lady is okay and I really wonder who she was. I was too shy to ask. It makes me wonder how I can go about getting involved in volunteering some help for the elderly, even just visiting people for some company as it made *me* feel like I was worth something, just to be able to help for those few brief minutes. Poor lady. There must be so many people out these who need a little help...

3rd January 2011 - Treat yourself to flowers occasionally

The tedious post-Christmas clean up happened yesterday and today. I spotted a lone vase on my windowsill and whilst out grocery shopping I decided to treat myself to some tulips. I don't often think about buying flowers as they are a luxury item but today I couldn't resist. I don't really know what came over me, I felt quite radical! They have added a lovely splash of colour to a mostly boring cream/magnolia lounge and I feel quite cheered up by them. I hope they survive a few days as once spotted by my two year old, I am sure they will be 'rearranged' in more ways than one. Cheery though and worth the £4.

2nd January 2011 - Beware of cocktails that taste like milkshake!

Enough said! A great night out, besides the entire town being SHUT for dinner, so we dined on steak and onion crisps and cheddars at the Cymro Inn, Brynmawr. I tried the range of 3 ninja turtle cocktails, followed by 3 or 4 double frothy bad angels that tasted like strawberry milkshake and wow, I am no longer sober (juding my how many typos I have had to correct. Beware! Scrummy though :)

1st January 2011 - Eat your curry slowly

Happy New Year cyberspace! Today, I have not done an awful lot. I surfed Facebook for a while, went out to visit an old friend, went to visit my parents, then came home and couldn't be bothered to cook so ordered a curry. I am a spice wuss but when the mood takes me, I quite like to get on that phone and order a takeaway from Brynmawr Tandoori - a dingy little curry house here in Smallsville, that produces the most lush spicy grub!

I often opt for a chicken korma but today I was feeling a tad adventurous and I liked the sound of a chicken tikka mushroom balti. Love chicken. Love mushrooms. A balti is a little hotter than I normally dare but I ordered it anyway. I was 18 when I tasted my first curry. We were brought up on chips and *something* or potatoes and *something* and still curry to me is rather exotic. My mum frowns when currys are mentioned - they are HOT - she says, but won't actually try a mild korma or similar, just to experience the taste. That is IT.

Whilst I devoured my very flavoursome dish, helped by my 2 year old who tore pieces off my plain naan and dipped it in the balti sauce, I thought of how many people, like my mum, miss out because they just think of curry as hot, and not full of loveliness.

Next time you have a curry, remember to eat it slowly and savour the different textures and flavours in every single mouthful.