New Year Resolutions

2011 was an amazing year I got married, got a promotion at work and met some amazing people.  But it has also been very stressful, and I know that a number of people in my life have, and are currently dealing with some of life's big issues.

So as I look to 2012 I wanted to make changes that were sustainable, positive and enjoyable, not the usual 'lose weight', 'drink less', 'quit smoking' etc.  I aim to live in the moment more, not to always be looking to the next thing and appreciate what I have.

So firstly, draw, draw, draw everything and anything.

Don't take work home with me, I really need to learn how to switch off my work brain!

Keep making, crafting, and baking.  This is a blanket I'm currently working on for my mum:

Wear more colour!  This year I have been wearing a lot of grey and black, I have absolutely no idea why I used to wear a lot of colour, so to get myself back on track £12 got me these fab pair of yellow shoes I've damaged them in the rain already but I think they look better for it.

So I hope you all have a fantastic New Year *raises glass of champagne in your direction*

Birthday prizes!

We have been celebrating mum's birthday this week, a little early as her actual birthday is the first week of January but as my brother goes home today it was the last opportunity we had to celebrate together.  So after the rich fruit cakes, mince pies, and cream I thought I would make Nigella Lawson's Lemon Syrup Cake as it's really zesty and fresh.

Birthday cards were made using the stamps MozzyMr gave me for Christmas, and presents were wrapped using the fab tape measure sticky tape I found in Totnes on our jaunt there late night shopping.  Brown and turquoise was the card/gift wrap theme. 

Following a meal out we relocated back to Plymouth where we sat around drinking port, did a crossword and watched films, nice and chilled, the perfect way to celebrate. 

Tidy, tidy, tidy!

Back in April whilst stressing about the wedding one night I had a crazy tidy spree and colour co-ordinated the books on my bookcases (last photo of this post).

Well I finally got around to doing the books in our living room:

It's a bit obsessive, and to be honest if you can't remember the spine colour of the book you're looking for it makes things tricky.  But it looks tidier and that's just fine with me. 

All important day away from the sofa and chocolate

I don't know about you but this bit between Christmas and New Year drives me crazy, I get cabin fever really badly but have to fight my own lazy impulses and peel myself off the sofa and leave the house and chocolate behind me.  So today we went to the newly re-opened Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter.  Here is a little of what we saw:

The museum was really, really busy so I think I would like to go back later in the year when things have calmed down a little.  The building is lovely and I love the display of taxidermy, they have an amazing collection of birds and butterflies but on this visit sadly we didn't find the butterflies.

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Thank you Santa

Following Christmas Eve at my folks place, we came home for Christmas Day, just the two of us.  MozzyMr did sterling work on the Christmas dinner in a rather fetching apron.

I got to do the fun bit and dressed the table using Plan B placemats:

my new (but already a firm Christmas favourite) robin cruet set was used:

and then there were the Christmas prizes, some crafted (by very talented sister-in-law Colette Moscrop):

some purdy Cath Kidston treats, a flask for hot soup on the allotment (bliss!):

and some kitsch:

Thank you Santa's you have all put a beaming smile on my face.

Alternative Advent Calendar #24

So here we are, Christmas Eve and the last post of my alternative advent calendar.  I hope you've enjoyed the journey.

The final Christmas touches have been made to the house, the candles are lit,

and the cat is eyeing up the presents under the Christmas tree.  So there really isn't anything more to say than...

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a fantastically Happy New Year!

Love from MozzyMrs xxx

Alternative Advent Calendar #23

Placemat plan B finished, the pale green works really well with our soft yellow formica table and I got to raid my button jar, very happy with the result even if they are a bit wonky. 

So today I'm going to take things easy, I've managed to do my back in.  Stupid thing is I did it jumping around in excitement having just opened an envelope with a tax rebate in it, seemingly now that I am OLD I must complete a thorough warm up before showing displays of enthusiasm or excitement (cue leg stretches).

Alternative Advent Calendar #22

Now, I don't know what photographic delights I thought I would produce with a small point and shoot camera, on a dark, rainy day in Totnes but these photos perhaps weren't quite what I had imagined.  They do in some small way show how lovely the late night shopping in Totnes was though.

Lots of amazing stalls and food to be had, a Lemon Jelli coffee trunk (t'aime).

Compulsory mulled wine was consumed, nom.

When we were beginning to get cold and tired we reached the top of town, turned a corner and found warming fires, funky tunes, and more stalls! 

(Apologies for the blurry photo) but you get some idea of how Christmassy it was!

But this was perhaps find of the night.  A veggie corn dog!  MozzyMr has lusted over a 'proper' veggie corn dog for years so when I found a stall selling them I had to get him one.  Transported home in a paper bag which very quickly turned transparent due to the amount of grease oozing from this battered delight, MozzyMr seemed happy with his corn dog.  I don't think indigestion was part of his corn dog eating fantasy but you can't have everything I suppose?

Alternative Advent Calendar #21

The Big Shop.

I love/hate the Big Shop.  I love the slightly decadent feeling of buying treats and just slinging stuff into the trolley, but hate the nervous feeling of having no idea how much it would come at the till.  Or at least that's what we use to do each year but as I'm sure you don't need me to tell you things are hard these days.  Especially as our wages aren't going as far and we're trying to save up for a deposit on a house.  So a shop that would normally take us 45 mins took an hour and a half as we compared offers, weighed and calculated how much our fruit a veg was going to cost and added things up as we went along.  We a handful of vouchers and some fairly savy offer shopping we got our bill down from £104 to £82 and that included a lot of alcohol and some CDs.  Happy with that, now must stop ourselves snacking before the big day *slaps hand away reaching for the Quality Street*.

Alternative Advent Calendar #20

Party season hangover musts: salad plate from the Plant Cafe (lots of yum puy lentils, leafy greens, courgette and pasta), followed by vegan chocolate cake, and Lego mini figures.  These are the things that make hangovers better as Ruthie and I found out yesterday.  Today is vegan lunch at Cranks restaurant in Dartington followed by late night shopping in Totnes.  Photos to follow....

Alternative Advent Calendar #19

Ok, so the yo-yo project.  As it turns out that was a bit of a fail.  I got bored of making the small yo-yos, so thought I would make one large one per placement, but then the plates wobbled about on them, and I couldn't even find all of the small yo-yos that I had made.  So now I'm working on Plan B, nice rectangular, flat, normal placements.  Acebags.

Alternative Advent Calendar #18

Just thought I would share some of the fair more tasteful Christmas decorations found at my mum and dad's place.  Love the Christmas tree fairy lights!

Alternative Advent Calendar #17

Well look what my mum made for me!  She dropped it off when I was at work, which when arrived home caused some confusion seeing it hung up I thought I'd got the wrong house and had to take a look around me to check I wasn't about to attempt a break in to one of the neighbours houses.

So here I am, day one of my holiday and the social whirlwind that is this week is about to kick off.  This afternoon: DVDs and cider with my brother, tomorrow: drinks with ex-Habitat colleague Bekah, Monday: lunch with Ruthie, Tuesday: lunch and late night shopping with Mum, Wednesday: lunch with ex-International Office colleague followed by dinner with Stoat, Thursday: lunch and lego with friend from work, then Friday: lunch with a friend followed by Birthday drinks for lovely Birthday girl CJ.  Can't wait to see each and everyone of ya.

*Slumps back on sofa*

Alternative Advent Calendar #16

The first presents are under the tree, I began mission present wrapping last night.  I got a little bored after an hour, plus This is England 88 came on and that just deserves all of your attention.

It has been a long ol' week but I've finally made it, my holiday begins here, 18 days to relax, meet friends, read books, do some craft, make some mince pies, and enjoy Christmas!

Alternative Advent Calendar #15

So, the first photo is of a craft project I have actually finished *gasp*, yes no one is as surprised as me, but there you go.  The petrol blue wool was from a car boot sale, £1 for five balls, and the yellow was some left over from another project, so all in £1, ace!

The second photo I'm not proud of, but with some of my friends needs must.

Alternative Advent Calendar #14

I thought I would share this photo with you today, taken a couple of years ago at the local car boot sale.  Early in the morning it seemed like it was actually going to be a warm day but half way around it started to snow really heavily which created absolute frenzy.  People foraged hard and fast like it was the last car boot sale there was ever going to be!

Alternative Advent Calendar #13

Ho Ho Ho!  We had bad Santa in the office on Friday because, that's right it was secret Santa time!  Our Santa has a love of smoking and drinking, and at times he swears quite a lot, but who wouldn't want that kind of Santa??

Alternative Advent Calendar #12

Last night was wrapping paper craft night at mum and dad's.  Since moving from the family home to a flat this year storage has been sparce for my parents to say the least so the red paper table cloth that had been kicking around for years unused had to earn it's keep.  Mum and I went for the basic star design, but MozzyMr used all those skills he learnt doing an art degree and made a snowflake and snowman design.  Love the paper but selfishly can't wait to see what it's wrapping....