Christmas Shopping & Then Some….

I am pretty sure that most of my Christmas shopping is now complete… I hope so anyway – it remains to be seen whether everything I’ve ordered from Etsy arrives in time to be posted off to everyone…!

While shopping for others, I inevitably found things that I myself just COULD NOT live without, and had no choice but to buy for myself; I know Mr Handmade-hater isn’t going to be getting me any lovely Etsy goodies, and Santa is awfully busy this time of year….

My most exciting purchase has been these boots on Sunday – Oh I can’t wait for them to get here! They were SUCH a bargain too - $45 US with free shipping. Free Shipping! From America! Gotta love that.

I was also checking my mailbox hourly for this & was finally rewarded yesterday afternoon!

I bought it along with some other gifties from this shop (I super highly massively recommend – everything came packaged beautifully & professionally & she customised it all & had it shipped out very fast, & she obviously has a grand sense of humour!) – I have been wearing it since I opened the envelope – it has a pleasant tinnie jangle when I move & it makes me smile every time I look at it. It’s a quote from Salad Fingers – probably the creepiest cartoon I have ever seen. Episode one not so much, but from there…. *shiver* It’s funny in that “it’s really weird & I don’t quite know why I like it” kind of way.

 

Seems I’ve been on a bit of a spending spree – Don’t tell you know who! Look at this very happy mail I also got yesterday on the way out to the Post Office;

Every issue of thaw zine & a sweet little handmade Chrissie ornament! I’ve as yet only had a chance to flick through but I can see some quality reading in my future. I was compelled to purchase these… and a subscription… because Jodie’s daughter is the cover girl on the latest issue & she was nice enough to tell us all about it. It’s cool because it’s based in Ballarat which is not all that far from here (we had an opshopping excursion there a wee while ago) & is new & fresh & interesting. It’s got cute “if only I were 18 again & all pretty & waif like” fashion spreads in it too.

 

It’s also cool because lovely Jodie had an adorable softie, Rocket the elephant (look at his braces!), up for grabs if you bought a copy of the latest issue – and I won him! I’m going to keep him for Le Punk’s birthday, she will adore him!

Father's Day is on hold....

...until The Boy gets home this afternoon. He works every weekend, so we knew he wouldn't be here today, but it's still kind of sad.


The upside is however, is that I have had ample time to get things done for his return as today's honoured guest.


His one (reasonable) request was for me to make him a Lemon Meringue Pie. I have never made said pie, or any dessert pie as far as I can remember. My most successful attempts at baking have all been in the vegan arena, not, for example, in baking requiring copious amounts of eggs. Having said that, and also being aware of the notorious reputation this pie has for it's difficulty... I was quietly confident.


I have a tendency to be blissfully unaware of things that can go wrong with undertakings I have never attempted. I have the odd problem of being more nervous about things I should know I can do or have done many times. Take labour, for instance. No matter how many times I was asked if I was nervous about giving birth, or even warned about it, I thought to myself; "Piffle! Birth is a natural part of life! As if it COULD hurt THAT much!". I went to calm birth classes where I learnt to visualise my happy place & breath deeply.


Needless to say, I was quite surprised by the actual event.


Lucky for me, making Lemon Meringue Pie & giving birth are not at all alike, and it seems my confidence this time was not unfounded... it looks damn good! I went just a *little* bit snap happy when I got it out of the oven, as proud as punch as I was, but here is just one of the photos....




Looking at the pie all nice & puffy like it is, I entertained the idea that I was a super wifey after all, and then I realised;

a) I'm not, officially, a 'wifey' at all and
b) Super-wifies are probably still not in their PJs (sorry FLYLady!) while whipping this & boiling that... (underwear on the outside of their clothes maybe, but not PJs...)


All that remains is the taste test, cross your fingers for me! It has to live up to that fabled childhood pie, you know the one, the dreaded pie that "Mum used to make..."!


Have also wrapped everything in Le Punk's gorgeous hand painted wrapping:

(See that big fat red package? Shhhhh.... don't tell anyone, but that is 'Drop Dead Beautiful' Jackie Collins' latest adventures of Lucky Santelago.... he LOVES those books! *guffaw*)

All that AND I managed to win a prize... ;)

I have been drooling over this book online & was super lucky & managed to win a copy! Thank you to Justine over here!

I actually feel quite blessed to have won this book, as I do to have won the purse & tote - I have only entered giveaways which I really, really, would like to win. I don't enter just because I can, or because I love the thrill of winning, but because someone is giving me the chance to own something I quietly, or not so quietly, covet, and, in all honesty, I wouldn't own otherwise.

The truth of the situation is I really couldn't afford to buy this gorgeous book, that stylish purse or original tote, but they are coming to me all the same... that is just amazing to me! I feel so incredibly lucky - and as I wrote in my email to Justine @ mixtape earlier, I have never thought myself a particularly lucky person. I am having to re-evaluate my luck status!

I hope everyone is having a gorgeous Fathers Day with the special Daddy in their lives.

xoxox