Merry Christmas !

It's Boxing Day here ...
I hope you all had ( or are having ! ) a fantastic Christmas.

Our Christmas Day was ...

Relaxed.

Fun.

Refreshing.

Cherished.

Appreciated.

Enjoyed.

Celebrated.

Yummy.

Simple.

Special.

Perfect.

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Emma Watson For Marie Claire & Merry Christmas!

I came across photos for this editorial, and fell in love. This editorial is absolutely stunning and my favourite photos i've ever seen of Emma Watson, especially with her new cropped haircut!

I love the neutral colours she's wearing, and how she's been styled in this seasons latest trends!

What do you think of this editorial?
Also,

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It's beginning ...

... to look a lot like Christmas !

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Corner View {Tradition}

Advent Calendars ... A tradition in many families now ... but in ours it goes back three generations ... and has a story ! Let me share with you an email letter my Mom sent to my children a few years back ...

It says ...

" A little story for my Grandchildren ...

Once upon a time there were three little girls who lived in a nice warm house on a nice cozy street. They loved holidays but they loved Christmas best. Christmas is clear at the end of December and it would have been very hard for them to wait, except for a special present that they got at the beginning of December every year. An envelope would come from a far away place called Germany, and inside it would be a special calendar that had doors to be opened every day. The picture on it was different every year, but there were always doors, with little numbers on them. A funny thing about this calendar was that it didn't have a door for every day of the month, it stopped, of all times, on Christmas Eve !

Every year when the calendar came, the girls' mother would hang it in the living room window, just at the bottom of the stairs. Then .... every morning, just after breakfast the girls would gather with their mother and, each in her turn, one would hunt for the little number of the day it was and, with excitement, ... open the door to see the picture inside. They would ooh and aah about the clever thing the door had revealed and would know that Christmas was one day closer. The best day of all was Christmas Eve, when there would be an extra special big door and inside they would find a picture of the baby Jesus, and would know that the next morning would be Christmas !

Well, the oldest of those little girls was your Nanny. The envelope was sent to us by Aunt Hester, my Grandmother's sister, who was a school teacher on an Army base in Germany. It was a custom that was part of the German Christmas tradition. I never knew another family who had such a special calendar in their house, it was something only our family had. Since it was so special, your Sabba and I always tried to find such a calendar, called an advent calendar, for our children to greet Christmas with, and that is why I have sent them to you, as well. Have fun waiting for Christmas, and know that you are the third generation of our family to have such a special treat. I love you very much, Nanny "

Every year, when my children receive their envelopes from Nanny and Sabba, I get out this letter and we read it ... and then I hang it with the calendars. Why ? Because, to me, the important part of tradition is the story behind it, the passing down of special things from one generation to the next ...

Looking forward to seeing traditions in more Corners ...

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Through His Little Eyes

I have often felt somewhat peeved by those who begin their celebration of Christmas too early.  Nowadays stores shelves are stocked with candy canes amidst back-to-school supplies, Santa costumes are on display next to jack-o-lanterns, and the radio starts its Christmas programming before thanksgiving weekend.  The main source of my frustration is that come December 26, everybody is so tired of carols and eggnog that Christmas trees are immediately put out for trash and the occasion is over.  Don't they realize that the Christmas season is weeks long?  For this reason, I try to hold off on Christmas-ing, and focus on preparations during advent...

Until this year, that is.  It is still early November and I have already broken all of my rules.  There is a Christmas CD in my car, and I have stopped to admire the decorated trees at the mall.  My pantry is stocked with red and green candies for holiday baking, and I have already checked off a couple of items on my gift shopping list.

What has caused my insanity?  I can put the blame entirely on the wonderful little person currently living under my roof.

Technically it is not his first Christmas.  Last year we dressed up our little 8-month old in festive pajamas and drove around so he could see the lighted homes in our neighborhood.  He learned how to unwrap gifts, and ate his first bite of honey-glazed ham.  Somehow though, it is very different this year.  And I can hardly wait for it all!

I cannot wait to teach him the words to the french carols I grew up with, and to sing happy birthday to Jesus.  I cannot wait to see him play with our nativity set and let him decorate some sugar cookies.  This year I can teach him about the individual decorations on our family's tree.  We can wish others a Merry Christmas together, and snuggle in our jammies by the fireplace.  I can wake him up on Christmas morning, give him a goody-filled stocking and share in his excitement-- the excitement I remember feeling as a child.  This year, I can experience Christmas through his eyes as he soaks in the love and joy that envelops the world during this season.  This year, the family traditions REALLY begin-- traditions that will hopefully continue for many more years.

So perhaps I am a little more anxious to get to December 25th than usual...  But with advent only 2 weeks away, can you honestly blame me?

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time to take the {tree} down ?

When do you all take your tree down ?
Every year when putting my tree up I think
"oh, I'll keep it up longer this year, it's so pretty."
Then every year ... right about this time ... just before the
new year hits us, I think "It's soooo time to take that thing down !"

I think I'm going to take it down today ....

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Merry Christmas !!

Merry Christmas !
See you all in the New Year ...

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In The Garden, Again ...

Rory and I spent an afternoon in the garden the other day. We did a lot of pruning and planting and transplanting. The hibiscus needed a pruning, so I got stuck into that ! We kept saying we would wait til it stopped flowering but it just hasn't stopped all year !! It was well and truly overgrown and with all the family coming for Christmas we decided to just go ahead and do it ! I did get a lovely vase full of cut flowers out of it !! So pretty. Too bad they only last a day or two once you cut them off the plant ! It's looking good, a bit sparse but it will bush up again in no time !

Rory took a bunch of small pots that we had round about and put the plants into one big pot. It looks really cool ! Just lots of different color greens ... but in a terracotta pot. I love it.

Especially the ferns.
Aren't they soooo pretty ?



We've got more sunflowers coming out.
Little buds too ...




And the snapdragons are delightful.
They live in a little rocky garden along the side of the house.
They were an experiment ... just to add a bit of color.
I'm so glad they've taken.
They are so cheery
and bright.

I don't know how many more times I'll post between now and the New Year. We've got various family members arriving all week long but tomorrow things will get busy and computer time will be quite limited. It's exciting though. I love having people here. And all the celebrations ! Ahhhh ... I just love this time of year ! I spent today doing last minute things. I have a couple more ... like picking up the ham on Christmas Eve. Rory and I started wrapping this afternoon and will finish up tonight after the kids are in bed. And then ... it will be time to RELAX !! Lookin' forward to it ! I hope you all are enjoying this Christmas season ! I'll be round to catch up with all of you as I can ... but certainly in the New Year when things slow down again and become a bit more 'normal' !!

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The top dresses and shoes to wear this Christmas.

It feels like a while since i last posted something on my blog. So i think its time to update! Been very busy lately with revision, essays and so on, plus CHRISTMAS SHOPPING! I've bought all my Christmas presents now, and wrapped them.
What do all you lovely blog readers want for christmas?
So i know what you've all be thinking this Christmas period. I've got a party to go to but what to wear, what dress to buy?!
So I thought i'd pick out some of my favourites to show you and inspire you and hopefully you'll look bang on trend this Christmas!
One of my favourite trends this season is lace. So here are a few of my favourite great value lace dresses!

Metallic lace thread dress from Forever 21, $24.80

Gestuz Lace V-Neck Dress, £79.99 ASOS.COM

Petites Lace Java Shift Dress, £35 Miss Selfridge


Also, who could forget a pair of killer heels to go with your brand new lace dress?

Black Corneli Shoe Boot, £60 Miss Selfridge

Jean Basket Heel from Forever 21. $29.80.

Pop these in your bag for when your feet are hurting a bit to much from the heels and you can dance the night away. Black Stud Pumps, £15 Dorothy Perkins.
Hope you are all enjoying Christmas Break so far!

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Super Cool Christmas Lights

Someone sent this to me in an email today and I just had to share !!

Amazing Grace Techno - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

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Oh Christmas Tree ...

It's stinkin' hot so I can't really say it feels like Christmas but yesterday we cranked our
air conditioner, decorated the tree, and the house, and well ... it's lookin' like Christmas now !



Here's the boxes of decorations ... all ready to be opened, like presents, one by one ... by me !
And then given to each of the children to be hung on the tree !



And they love it !
As much as I do ... maybe.



Every evening now, our house will be dimly lit by candle and fairy lights.




I love the ambiance.




And the stillness.
The (relative) quiet ...




And the reflection.
Of years gone by ... and years to come.




The memories.




Oh ... the memories.




Candles.
I love candles !
This one is Pumkin Pie ...



Our tree ... 2009 !

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