Christmas Countdown Continues

Our countdown to Christmas continues… We ended up not going to Salisbury Cathedral for the carol service this year. We had planned on going, but in the past few days we have been having plumbing problems and we were waiting around for the plumber to let us know when he was coming. It was kind of up in the air. Also, Brit Boy was finishing up his studying, and that was most important for him to finish, so it was a nice weekend around home.

Our shower has been working and then not working. We get scalded one moment and then we freeze the next and it is just all messed up. Sometimes it decides to be merely a trickle, so it's time they finally authorized a repair. We have had a leak also. It’s been really fun ;-) Thankfully the plumber is going to pay us a visit today. Woo Hoo!!!!! That’s our Christmas present for sure :-)

Since we couldn’t venture too far away, we ended up just chilling out around home. Periodically, Brit Boy took breaks from his studying and we watched Christmas movies or watched music videos on television while we danced around. We enjoyed those study breaks! We love to do our freestyle dancing and then we dance together all elegant…it’s funny. Then I do my Beyonce dance :-)

Later in the afternoon on Monday, Brit Boy finished his final paper and turned it in. And as a bonus, we got our call from the plumber soon after so the day turned out good in the end. We were free to head out. We went into town to pick up some ingredients for my baking and for our Christmas Eve nibbles. We fully expected the crowd that met us, but it was wild in there!!!! :-) We bought my baking ingredients, and some cheese and dips and veggies for our Christmas Eve hanging out. Then I saw them and I was in love ……







These cute little journals/notebooks are my new favorite thing. Usually I always take a detour to the stationery aisles wherever I am. I love pens and journals and notebooks…gotta do the writing thing :-) But I haven’t hit pay dirt like this in a long time. These lovely little books are made of recycled materials, so that’s very good. I just love that the outside and inside are very organic-looking with a bit of flower power on the outside :-) The lady at the checkout was oohing and ahhing over them too, so I wasn’t alone in my love. The best part is that they were on sale. I got two of these mid-size books for £1.75!!!! So a deal on top of everything . Yay!!!! Okay, enough of this notebook swooning! :)

When we got home, I figured that I should go ahead and do the baking so I wouldn’t be rushed. But mostly though, we were just greedy and ready to eat. LOL. I decided to bake us a batch of red velvet cupcakes like I did back in the spring, but with these I sprinkled them a bit to add a festive flair.





We stuffed our faces with a couple after they cooled off and I iced them :-) And then today, we have had one…they seem to get better, like most things after they get a chance to sit. So we are happy people right now with cake in the house :-)

Oh, an update on our shower problems. The plumbers arrived as I was writing this. They just left and they said that we need a new shower. They patched up the leak, so that’s good. I guess that after Christmas when they get the order in, we will get fixed up. So it’s very dodgy showers for a bit longer :-) It's all good though. No sense in sweating it. Hopefully Santa will bring us a new shower for after Christmas.

Anyway, we plan to enjoy a quiet Christmas Eve tomorrow with a few drinks, some finger foods, and cake…what could be better! :-) Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

My Weekend Again

This past weekend was one where we didn’t venture out much, which was a nice change. I like weekends that find Brit Boy and I just hanging around the house...the “Yellow House in England”. (smile) So Saturday Brit Boy and I did venture out for a couple of hours, but only a few streets over to his mother’s house. She was cleaning out her garage and had hired a skip(dumpster) to pile it all into and then it is getting picked up today. Anyway, we went up there for a couple of hours to help her load stuff in. Near the end of the cleanup, I spotted a shelf that had some things still piled on it and saw a skateboard. I asked Brit Boy whose it was since he has a sister and brother also. He perked up when he saw it and said that it was his skateboard. He wiped the dust off and smiled with glee. I almost thought that he was gonna go at it right there and skate down the street. (smile) Awww, my Brit Boy, the skater-boy. (smile) He was so cute. So he brought it home and he says he is gonna shine it up. What a sweet reminder of the joys of when we were kids. (smile)

I didn’t have acupuncture this past Saturday. I am trying to save money and also I am doing pretty well right now. Knock on wood.

After our morning of cleaning and skating down memory lane, we came back home and did our own things. I went upstairs and read, while Brit Boy perched himself on the sofa to watch TV and enjoyed some footie...that's soccer to my American brethren...(smile). He was watching the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. It was a huge matchup in the football world...Portsmouth vs Cardiff City. Portsmouth won in the end 1-0. Brit Boy and I went to Wembley in 2007 twice, once to see the England national team and then to attend the Concert for Diana. Both were fun times, even though I am not a big football fan, but I can watch it okay. It was just great to have the experience and to share it with my Brit Boy. The concert was amazing!!! Loved it. We saw some great musical performances and we saw both princes, William and Harry.

Speaking of Royals, while I was upstairs reading, I was leafing through the paper. I read a blurb in the paper about Princess Beatrice getting a position as a personal shopper for VIP clients at a major London retail store. I visited that store among many when we were in London in April....loved it! (smile) A fun and fabulous job for anyone’s gap year I think. Also Princess Anne’s son, Peter Phillips got married to Canadian Autumn Kelly on Saturday at St George’s Chapel at Windsor. Brit Boy and I have been to Windsor Castle and the surrounding town of Windsor a while back. It was a great day out when we went. Anyway, that was my tiny bit of royal watching. (smile)

On Sunday, we had breakfast together and then Brit Boy studied. I went upstairs again and worked on transferring my music and photos to my new green computer. As you may remember from an earlier post, I got a new laptop. Incidentally, this was not because I am a lover of the latest in technology, but simply due to my five year old laptop packing up on me. My old laptop will still turn on and stuff, but it will freeze up on a whim and after a while it just becomes futile to try and use it. So we reluctantly took the plunge and got me another laptop, which I am typing on right now. Anyway, I spent a while sifting through my music and ended up having my very own little dance party. (laugh) I LOVE dance music, so I was dancing around upstairs with my headphones on as I went through all the music I had saved on the old laptop. I also love mostly every other type of music, but I love my dance music.

After a while I came downstairs and made some lunch/dinner. It was good. It was sort of a “clear out the fridge spicy pasta dish” and it turned out to hit just the right spot on both of our palates. For dessert, we had the last two red velvet cupcakes. Why are the last bits of something always the best? (laugh)

So we ended up the day on the sofa together watching a movie, with the sweet aftertaste of cupcakes on our breath.