Coffee Good, Morning Bad

I am resolute

Last year I made one official, proper, write it down and shout it out goal. It was to move to Brighton. This seemed impossible at the time. We had 101 things left to finish the house, Toby needed a lot of attention and, as ever, not enough money. But we did it, without sacrificing too much of Toby's time with Mummy and Daddy. I picked one word to concentrate on and it was 'reach' - stretching, growing, aiming and  working towards stuff. I didn't even have it as a mantra on a conscious level. I scrapbooked my thoughts but mostly it was just an attempt to adopt an attitude of 'attempting'.

This year, my word is 'create'. I have lots of ideas and new ventures on the go now and I need to create with them - create physical stuff, create copy and create opportunity. And, conversely, I need to create less stress for myself, create routines to tackle house stuff now I'm working and create peace in my 'hood.

My goal is to grow Poppy Copy into a sustainable little business, with new clients and new projects. It is barely a seedling right now but I hope by this time next year it will be in full bloom.

What I Did For My 2007

And so as 2007 draws to a close, the interwebs blogosphere come together in a heavy hymn of favourite albums, gigs and places on Earth.

Me? I have barely listened to a new album all year. I do rate Charlie and Lola's music record though. I don't think I went to a gig and I definitely didn't travel.

This year for me was defined by In The Night Garden, Bob The Builder and Thomas. Tragic but true. Okay not wholly true but this was probably the majority of my (very slender) TV watching. I did enjoy myself some Mitchell and Webb on both radio and TV. I mourn the loss of tv-links.co.uk but have found other sources for retro comedy series.

I didn't scrapbook as much as I wanted. I moved house twice.  I met lots of lovely new people I am  delighted to call friends. I listened to a lot of radio 4. Looking at last year's resolutions, I met a reasonable percentage of them.
I also have just a little over 200 days to tackle my 28 things to do before 28. These are going less well.I have managed a meagre 4.

Christmas foibles

So, Toby was pretty sick over Christmas so it really wasn't as festive as it might have been at all. It has made me more determined to have a festive January.

Requirements:
Gingerbread latte (buy syrup from Starbucks)
Baking and making mincemeat
Carols recorded in a cathedral
Red, green and sparkly things
Snowflakes
Snowmen in one form or another
A party
Penguins
A welcoming house.

With that last one in mind, I'm off to unpack some boxes. I'd like the house to be mostly normal by January 1st.

Is it Christmas?

Turkey eaten  - check
Presents opened - check
Sherry consumed - check
Bad Christmas music on - check
Toddler in throughly unfestive mood due to conjunctivitis and laryngitis - unfortunately, check.

Merry wotsit to you and yours.

Let's talk turkey

I have only one thing to say on turkey preparation. Nigella.
Here is a link to Nigella's seriously FABULOUS juicy moist turkey. Down with dry, boring turkey!
I have made this twice and it is so delicious. I really hope my mum is doing it this way again this year.

oh noes! Christmas illness

My annual Christmas illness has come to town and it won't bloody go :(
moar funny pictures

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I've been a really good girl this year. I have only bought 2 pairs of shoes. I have moved house twice and not killed anyone either time. Toby mostly gets more than cookies and milk for supper. I have committed no felonies, in fact nothing that would have me rack up major points in a GTA game, and donated money and possessions to charity.

With all those disclaimers and recommendations in mind, here is my list:

A lie in on Christmas morning.
Some nice warm fuzzy socks and some new M&S knickers
My cricut cartridge and design studio arrive on time.
Toby to have a fun day and get lovely gifts and actually eat some Christmas dinner.
Some craft vouchers so I can pick up some new bits
Some lovely new clients in the New Year.

Thanks awfully,

Relly x

Festive FAIL

Perhaps it was a bit too much to think I'd unpack a 3 bedroom house 10 days before Christmas and complete all the shopping and still have time to decorate, bake, entertain, journal, make gifts and scrapbook. I cannot, CANNOT, believe it is 5 days to Christmas and I'm nowhere near ready let alone enjoying the perks of the season.

But I refuse to be unbowed, I shall stave off the disappointing non-Christmassyness by being Christmassy in January. Bar the decorations, I don't see much reason I can't do everything I would otherwise do. I shall have a housewarming party and bake wintery goodness. I shall give out small gifts of snowman soup and sweets when people go back to work. I shall leave the diet until February. I will venture back into the kitchen and make Proper Food. In short I shall have my usual month long burst of Domestic Goddessliness a month later than planned.

Having made that promise to myself, I feel better about having not done much festive. As we are away for Christmas it will all be festive enough come Tuesday even if the advent calendar has been neglected, the gifts not yet wrapped and us still living out of boxes and cleaning the old house (which we are shot of tomorrow Thank God). I do have a couple of gifts left to sort out but I've mostly done the Stuff For Others. I can spend January Pleasing Myself. After all, just because Starbucks puts away the gingerbread syrup doesn't mean I should. I think baking, cooking and scrapbooking wintry goodness might be the way through the dark few months until spring and the promise of sunshine.

Mah blessings, let me show you dem

I am truly grateful for my blessings. So, allow me a saccharine moment here while I list just a couple of things I would daily count as blessings, if ever I remembered to count them.

In fact in true kitteh-speak: Mah blessings, let me show you dem.

My little family My bigger family My cats My away friends My Brighton friends (not pictured, lots of people)

Visit my city and help me build a benign dictatorship on the web ;-)

http://annettbaker.myminicity.com/

Check out my city! I plan to rule on high. Mwahahahahaaaaaa!