Right, so this week it’s even more of a show and tell than normal.
I’ve been prepping for Christmas. Prepping, enjoying the prep, but at the same time trying to keep a lid on my seasonal stress disorder.
I love getting the house ready. I love all the lovely Christmassy things we get to do.
I think I just also get overwhelmed and overexcited and it all too quickly becomes something negative and warped.
So while I try and keep myself in check, I am determined to enjoy myself this year. We never know what’s just round the corner. It’s important to make the most of every day, which I have been.
Firstly I made a start on wreathing. I came to wreathing later in life. Who knows where I would have been with it by now had I discovered it in my teens!
I first found the passion for wreath making a few years back, when Kim and I went to a session with the amazing florist, Jo, at VV Raven Style.
She opened up a skill that I never even knew I possessed. I will always be eternally grateful for that.
This year I made an early start collecting all the bits I need. I invite friends and family round and have wreath making sessions at home. Although this year I have a rather lovely she shed to do it in.
I spent an eye watering amount of money buying dried fruits for it on Etsy, from little artisan sellers.
It was only after I had spent the money that my friend suggested the floristry wholesalers up the road in Colchester.
Well, what I paid £75 for I got for less than £25. So that was a bit gutting. But I know for next time at least.
The floristry supplies shop is amazing!! Excellent value for money. But also a feast for the eyes. The ribbon room is mind blowing.
I bought the stuff for traditional wreath making. And some other bits that I thought I’d give it go.
My favourite part of wreath making is mossing the ring
I’d not tried wicker wreaths before, but I love them
I’m in love with this door wreath! One of my finest works yet. Although I am going to an organised wreath making session in London next week so who knows what I will make there.
If you are in the Essex Suffolk border area definitely go to Jo.
Although I am highly delighted with the wreath, I’ve made already. I may end up putting it on the back door. I’m going to an organised wreath making session in London next week. I’m excited to see what that will be like.
So wreaths are being made. Slowly but surely. I’ve still got a few more to do yet for other people.
Then it’s the inside that needed decorating.
THE LIVING ROOM;
I may have (I definitely did) told a lie about my tree decorations. I saw them and they melted my heart. I really really wanted them. I can’t add up, so I was a right sweaty mess putting them through the till. But even more sweaty when I brought them home and had to hide them from Chris.
Now, this becomes somewhat problematic. How can you hide something that’s designed for displaying.
So I hatched a plan. I decided to tell Chris that they were newly discovered ‘family heirlooms’ from my mum’s loft.
This posed a slight problem, as when I showed them to Kim, she bought a load too.
Now what are the chances of two lots of family heirlooms being discovered in the same year? Hahahahaha
I was compelled to buy them! I needed them in my life. How beautiful they are!!
I also bought new tree lights. 1500 lights in fact. It’s now so bright it makes my eyes water at night time. :)
This actually was a family heirloom. My mum’s priest gifted it to her when she was young and church going. I love it very very much. It is beyond precious.
Chris, not being a moron, saw through my heirlooms plot line. He did point out that as we share a bank account, he could see the money pissing out from it! Hahahahaha
But he is delighted with the tree, as much as a man not particularly interested in home decor or Christmas decorations can be. I think secretly, deep down he’s very happy he has a wife with such good taste. Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself. :)
THE DINING ROOM;
Dress from Matalan, Tights from Tesco, Boots from Valentino - Rockstuds.
In between decorating I had to pop to the doctors. I’m still having womb troubles. I mentioned a few weeks ago that since treatment, the biggest hurdle I have is bleeding because, it’s pointless.
My womb and ovaries were destroyed by radiation treatment for the bowel cancer.
Then during the AP resection to remove the tumour and to create the stoma, my ovaries were removed.
Any bleeding I have now is empty, pointless. An eggless waste of time.
Even now it hurts to think of what I lost.
So when I said five weeks ago I was struggling with the bleeding that occurred the day I got back off of holiday I didn’t expect that over five weeks later I’d still be in the same position.
But here we are!
I went to the doctor to see if she could help. I got myself all dolled up, but forgot that seeking help for this sort of issue may well lead to an examination.
I didn’t factor that in, and we’re well past my summer grooming regime. I was a tad mortified. I said to her ‘I’m ever so sorry, I haven’t shaved my legs or ‘anything’’.
She laughed and said “who does this time of year?”.
:)
She is an absolute star! So calming and comforting.
I need a scan on my womb just to make sure it’s all ok, which I’m assuming it is, because she gave me confidence that it was.
She said she loved my boots and my cervix looked lovely and healthy, I took both comments as a compliment. :)
I came home reassured and feeling positive. And then got back into getting the decorations out.
****
In January this year I Pre ordered a sleigh and reindeer. I picked it up two weeks ago…then realised I am shit at arts arts and crafts projects.
Enter stage left my gorgeous, wonderful, kind, generous, amazing, startling husband… (yes, he will be reading this so I’d better lay it on thick as he did me a huge favour).
He brought it to life far better than any of my expectations…
Just a girl (48 year old, rather plump, grandma) hanging about in her sleigh…
I sent the photo of me in it. She replied “sturdy then?”
Well, yes it is mum but…rude by the way!! Hahahahaha
It’s really solid. Durable, well designed, and yes, sturdy, for being played in. Probably more suitable for 2 and a half year olds, but at least there is growing room built in. :)
I’m so pleased with how it turned out. I really am grateful to Chris for painting it for me. FYI, if you take on a sleigh painting project, and indeed why wouldn’t you, red paint takes hundreds of coats. It’s an absolute pain.
THE KITCHEN;
The little houses and trees are from Neptune in Colchester.
I’m having a bit of a revival of coloured lights on the kitchen Christmas tree. I thought they were white ones in fairness, but when I turned them on and saw they were very pretty coloured ones I felt quite emotional about Christmas’s past.
THE OUTSIDE:
I saw this decoration idea somewhere on the internet. I thought it was gorgeous. So I set about trying to recreate it. We scoured antique shops for an old bucket, but the prices they were asking were unbelievable.
Then I remembered I had one in the garden with plants growing in it. I re-homed the agapanthus, and took the bucket for my Christmas decor.
Absolutely chuffed to bits with it!
There are now three trees, the Amazon man very kindly dropped off a new one to go with these. I heard somewhere that flower arrangements should be displayed in odd numbers. So I really did need the new tree.
On the subject of finding cheaper dupes though, I saw some gorgeous napkins with Nutcracker soldiers on them in Fortnum and Mason. Well, as much as I love the stuff in there I will often buy things inspired by, rather than from there itself.
Case in point. The napkins…
Fortnums price £12 a napkin!! £12!! Each!!!?
Marks and Spencer Nutcracker napkins £12 for four!!!
An absolute bargain. I’m very pleased with them.
I have a few table scapes in the pipeline. These are going to be perfect for one of them.
I feel pretty grotty at the moment. Bladder issues. Womb issues, infected gum issues. I’m living the dream. All solvable, but will take time and inconvenience.
I’m craving comfort clothes, and food, but as my toothache is horrendous I’m steering clear of a lot of foods.
Top from Gap, Leggings from Mint Velvet, Boots from Woden, Coat from Moncler
Snug as a little bug. I have yet to use the boots for actual walking, but I did manage to spill hot chocolate on them so they are a tad less pristine than they once were. :)
Chris and I are now fully boostered. I had Pfizer, he had Moderna. We like to try a vast array of available vaccines. We both had Oxford- AstraZeneca for doses 1 & 2.
It’s nice that I was able to visit the centre I volunteer at as a customer.
I can now fully recommend us!! :)
We are winter ready. Flu jabbed, boostered and good to go. :)
Keep well. Stay safe. Xx