Happy things

I think it's crucial to surround yourself with things that make you smile inside your home. So I thought over the next few weeks I'd share a few of the things I have that just make me happy whenever I notice them.

This summer I decided it was time to replace the Hubsters long lasting reliable Corelle tableware with something that would bring me pleasure whenever I used it. So I used birthday money to start off a collection of ..... Fiestaware.

If you were to come into my home you'd guess pretty quickly that I love colour and use it liberally everywhere. When we bought our home it was a standard cream throughout, but now every room is a different color and I mean colour not some faint touch of colour. I can admire the cool creamy perfection of monochrome homes from a distance, but I wouldn't want to live in it, it's just too bland for me personally.

So Fiestaware was just a natural choice for me, I adore the vibrancy of the colours available and the different effects you can create with all the combinations. If you are also a fan of Fiestaware or just beautiful tableware, then you NEED to go HERE for some major inspiration on table settings from a fabulous blog.

Some collectors of Fiestaware stick with one or two colours and get a full dinner service that all matches, but that wasn't for me, I like to mix and match to my hearts content.

So now when I open the cupboard doors to reach for a dish, this is the joyful splash of colour that just makes me smile everytime.

And the big added bonus - MADE IN THE USA.

Gains and Losses - Pt. 2

So as I celebrate the first anniversary of becoming an American this week, here is a sometimes irreverent look at the things I have gained by moving to the USA and Okieland in particular.

The Gains:

Cowboy hats and boots are now just a part of my wardrobe. I can go out in a Cowboy hat here and nobody will assume I am a) at a hen-night (bachelorette party), b) gay or c) attending a fancy dress party. And I love Cowboy boots, not only are some gorgeous but they're also comfortable and practical.

I have the right to shoot someone if they enter my home illegally and uninvited. I can even say to them "C'mon make my day" in my best Clint voice as I shoot them and not get into trouble, because it's known as the 'make my day' law - bizarre but oddly comforting. Now if I just knew how to shoot the gun.....

I can go off and leave my home unlocked and more than likely it will remain unharmed even a week later, probably in part due to the above! Despite this being truly smalltown USA I won't ever try this.

I could park my car, leave it running with the keys in the ignition and pop into a store and nobody would touch it. But again old habits die hard, so I lock it everytime and continue to be amazed at the madness of the locals who do this.

It's nice to have complete strangers greet me and smile as I go about my day. There's none of this standing 2 feet away from someone and pretending they're not there, as seen on the London Underground for example. I have no doubt at all that if I needed help here, someone would always offer it quickly.

Complete strangers call me "M'am" regularly, in fact daily. I think the only person a Brit would address as "M'am" is the Queen.

Country music is a whole new appreciation for me. Before I moved you really only heard the classic country artists occasionally on Brit radio, like Dolly and Kenny. But I have noticed now when I listen online that many of the newer acts like Sugarland, Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum are heard over there. I now really enjoy country music mainly thanks to Brad Paisley.

I could go out locally any night and enjoy a plate of Calf Fries otherwise known as Bulls testacles, however I think hell will freeze over first.

As opposed to England where you have to ask for ice in a drink, over here I have to ask for "easy easy ice" just to ensure I have any actual drink in my cup. And let's not even go there on how many times I've been a victim of the dreaded 'ice slide' and ended up with it all in my lap.

I am often in contact with 'real' men in big cowboy hats, tall boots, driving huge trucks, calling me "M'am", who know how to shoot a gun, and it's ACTUALLY my life not just a Mills & Boon Western romance.

The Hubster can pretty much fix anything or do anything around the home and vehicles himself, there's no need to have a plumber, electrician, mechanic etc come in and do it for us. Men here are impressively self sufficient.

Body weight - sadly what I have lost I have gained again, in part due to the excellent Mexican cuisine in our area. If only one meal a day was compulsory Calf Fries, all my weight issues would be a thing of the past.

New Mexico as a bordering state - the 'Land of Enchantment' has me completely won over. In fact I am already planning our retirement to Taos, just don't tell the Hubster.

I can say outrageous things and get away with it, because a British accent just makes everything sound better - apparently.

I can drive on the wrong side of the road and people just think it's funny.

Blue skies for probably about 90% of the year.

ABSOLUTELY NO TRAFFIC, or at least nothing that anyone who has ever driven on the M25 in rush-hour would consider traffic.

Four cats, I may have left one behind but over here I seem to keep acquiring more.

Access to mainly clean toilets everywhere. I love that just about any store, or garage (gas station), or institution I enter will have a public loo and it's usually alot cleaner than those back home.

A happy content life with the man of my dreams.

What's your scent?

Most of us will never meet, but whose to say we can't know each others scent?!

Although I have quite a few perfumes in my bathroom cabinet, there are two I tend to gravitate to most of the time for daytime and evening wear.

For daytime wear I have been a Chanel No. 5 girl all of my adult life. It was my paternal grandma who introduced me to it in my late teens and I have loved it's clean, slightly soapy smell ever since. I keep a spray in my bathroom cabinet and one in my desk drawer for touch-ups late in the day.

Since my late twenties I have loved Givenchy Organza for night time wear, I think the Hubster is also a fan of this as he will often comment on how good I smell when I have it on. It has always struck me as more suited to night time wear, as it's much more exotic and sultry smelling. I also happen to love the shape of the bottle.

My first reserves are: for daytime Very Valentino a delicious light citrusy scent, and for night time Calvin Klein Obsession a spicy opulent scent.

So if we were to bump into each other, what would your scent be?

Alive and kicking - but a bit knackered!

Thank you for your comments and messages, yes I am still out here in the wilds of Okieland and the whole clan is fine and dandy. But school started back on Monday and this year has been especially crazy as we prepared to restart after the summer holidays.

I now have a new Principal and boss, who I like very much, but the change has mean't I have had more responsibility for getting the school and its systems ready, as it's all new to her at the moment.

I am now starting my fourth year as a small town Elementary School Secretary and I still love my job, even on the stressful days, which have been many recently. But the new boss is a very upbeat and positive lady and this combined with her appreciativeness of my work, is making it all bearable.

After three years it appears I have earned the moniker of 'Miss' Sarah all over the local area! Even when I meet people who know what I do but may not have children in the school, that's what they call me. I find it all very amusing and kinda nice too, as I really feel I have been accepted by the community here.

It was great to welcome all the students back on Monday and I am now reaching the point where I remember them as babies in Pre-K and now they're in third grade, time flies for sure with children.

These first few days are always entertaining as we welcome in the new tiny four-year old Pre-K students and then have the challenge of teaching them the cafeteria routines. It can be entertaining at times watching them try to respond to commands, walk, balance a loaded food tray and avoid being flattened by oblivious fifth graders. But they get better each day and at lunchtime today as they lined up, many of them were feeling confident enough to wave to me as they waited - so adorable and it makes all the hard work so worthwhile.

So just tomorrow to go and then a restful weekend and hopefully a slightly more settled week as we all get back into our routines. For me this will also include being a better Blog Mom :-)

Hope you are all well and have enjoyed your summer, tell me what you've been up to please?

Now this is a motivation!

Whilst I have been gone, we saved ourselves $40 a month and switched from DirectTV to cable and with no loss of channels or quality. In addition we gained a few channels, including one that has made my life in the USA complete with happiness.

We now have Fox Deportes, the Spanish language sports channel that features football (that's the proper kind - aka soccer) 95% of the time. In particular they show many live games from the Barclays Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup competitions.

This means in the past 8 days I have got to watch my team, Manchester United live twice, something I couldn't even do back in England due to 'tv rights'. I also got to watch Arsenal & Spurs in Europe and tomorrow Man Utd once again, also in Europe.

Some might say the downside is it's all in Spanish. But you know what I don't care at all, in fact I have got a Spanish language course and am now motivated to learn some. It will be handy at work too as we have quite a few Hispanics in our area and it can sometimes be a struggle communicating.

Watching in Spanish is no hardship as we know the game inside out and most of the players, so we know what's going on and the more we watch the more phrases we pick up.

I have only been able to see a handful of games in the past five + years and Manchester United (and #11 Ryan Giggs) has been a passion of mine since childhood. I spent the whole of last week looking forward to the Man Utd v Arsenal FA Cup game on Saturday - and then we won too.

My love of our national game and my team is one of the things that makes me so quintessentially British and I am chuffed to bits to have it back in my life.

Sometimes you only realise what you miss when you get it back.

My ongoing project of love

So this is what I have been up to for quite awhile now in the evenings, a Christmas Quilt. There are a group of us at work making them, originally we hoped to finish for Christmas 2010, but now it will be 2011 when I finally get to use this!

The blocks are appliqued and then I am hand quilting around everything on each one, double click the piccie to see this better. When it's done, I will have the whole thing hand quilted by the ladies quilting group who originally introduced me to this wonderful craft. I hardly ever sewed a stitch and never sewed an item before I moved to Oklahoma!

This is just the centre section. It has a border around this and then one more row of blocks on each side featuring Christmas style trees and then a Gingerbread Man in each corner, and then the bound edge.

I am just putting the finishing touches to my Santa row at the moment, eyes, noses and something to finish out the hats on the end, which I am still trying to decide on.

Although it's taking many months, I really enjoy quilting and the detail and design involved. We have now just started our next project, which is a Queen size friendship quilt of Cupcakes and plan to exchange our blocks in April. We hope to finish out our Christmas quilts in March sometime, so I have plenty to keep me busy on these dark, cold winter nights!

Do you have a craft or hobby like this you enjoy?

Why I love my job

Everyday at about 2:45pm I call through to the classrooms and announce over the loudspeaker if there are any changes to the way a child will get home.

Yesterday I called through to the 2nd grade and said "(childs name) you need to ride the bus to your grandma's".

His immediate response was "I love you Miss Sarah"!

I replied "I love you too (childs name)".

I then realised the whole class was listening so I rapidly said "actually I love you all"!

To which the response was "I love you Miss Sarah" multiplied by 14.

And that's why most days I go home smiling.

Kindleitis

That's what I think I have these days, it's a new ailment but highly contagious and hard to shake off once established.

I received my Kindle 3 at the end of November and I am not sure it's been further from my person than about 4ft since then! It literally goes everywhere with me, even in the loo!

It has already seen the inside of a many handbags, slept next to me in 5 different beds on 2 different continents, flown at 30,000 feet, taken a train, taken a monorail, been to school, been for a chinese, been to see the Doctor, been through immigration, been xrayed by the TSA, been on numerous car rides, been passed around by friends and family, been photographed, been slept or stood on by Bon Bon a few times (she seems to have a thing for the texture of the leather cover!)...basically wherever I go my Kindle goes.

I am whizzing through books at an unbelievable rate of knots, in 21 days I have read 8 books and two of those books were over 700 pages long! It's just so handy, if I get a spare few minutes anywhere, I whip out my Kindle and read.

The biggest downside is I no longer want to read an 'actual' book, if it's not on my Kindle I just don't want to mess with it! I have book club reads I have acquired ahead of time and now I have to force myself to read them, or stop myself from downloading them too, that's how bad my Kindleitis has got. And remember, I was the woman who thought I'd never want one, because I loved the 'feel' of my books!

The fact I have still only spent the 99c a month on the daily Free Kindle Books blog and $10 on actual downloads isn't helping either. I now have 100 books downloaded, nearly all free and so it's not even costing me anything.

This may just be the greatest invention since sliced bread, seriously. All that's left is for me to name my Kindle and my addiction will be complete!

Any name suggestions??

(Now plodding off to bed depressed because I have to read an actual paper book for the club)

A visual feast of stunning beauty!

One weekend back in the Autumn, we had fellow blogger Pam OKC and her Brit hubby to stay and we all went sightseeing to Canadian, Texas.

We walk into this smalltown museum and art gallery and were gobsmacked to be met by the sight below!

(I am about to break my own 'not too many photo's rule', but I think you'll understand)

Please 'Double Click' pictures to see more stunning detail

The art gallery of the museum had an exhibition of Linda Leyendecker Gutierrez ballgowns, which quite literally took our breath away.

Linda says she has a God-given gift for designing the elaborate hand-beaded gowns for the annual Society of Martha Washington colonial ball held in Laredo Texas, and I have to agree with her!

The beadwork detail on these amazing dresses is just staggering and unbelievably gorgeous.

Each dress weighs approximately 80lbs, the girls who get to wear them are all teenagers and are the only women with the right tiny proportions to fit into one.

In 1939, on a suggestion of the local Monsignor in Laredo, a ladies’ Society of Martha Washington came into being, and the first 13 debutantes - known as “Marthas” - were presented at the Colonial Pageant and Ball.

The Ball has happened annually ever since and every year most of the local debutantes can trace their lineage back 5 or 6 generations.

The name of each “Martha” is called out as the double French doors on the stage of the Laredo Civic Center are opened and the girl appears with her escort. Local families will save for these dresses from birth and are fully involved in the design of the "Martha" dress for their daughter.

Everyone waits to see the grandiose costumes of the young ladies, supported by a lattice of hoops, the hand stitched elaborate silk, satin and velvet gowns are coated with beading, sequins, lace and ribbons from all over the world.

Linda refuses to dignify requests for the prices of the gowns with an answer, but estimates have ranged from $12-30,000 and having looked at them close-up I would say she earns every penny.

This was my personal favourite, I just adore the colour and style of this stunning gown. I only own one dress, just not into them, but I'm not sure any woman could resist donning one of these beauties just once!

I wish my waist was tiny enough to wear it, this could be just the motivation I need to diet!

I think Pam and I could have floated around this display for another hour happily dreaming and admiring, even our Hubsters were impressed for awhile.

My pictures don't even come close to doing these gowns justice, so if you ever get the chance to see them anywhere, do not miss it.

So which one would you want to wear?

Shameless!

When the temperature drops down to 0F in our neck of the woods, there's one place you can bet on finding Bon Bon. On the shelf in our closet, protecting my large handbag collection from exposure!

The other two head up there regularly as well, but it didn't take the pesky baby long to catch on to this 'hot' spot and claim it as her own.

Now this face might make you go "awww" but let me tell you she is like a terrible teen around here and regularly in trouble.

We blame ourselves for not being stricter with her when she was kitten. So she'll dig soil out of the indoor plants, knock over the odd ornament, strut along the countertop like she owns the place (which she does apparently) and hijack the other two regularly. She will even jump high up on the bookcase and sit there apparently laughing at us!

Then she'll climb on the bed and sleep stretched full length to about 3ft on top of anyone who gets in her way.

Expensive toys are wasted on her totally, her absolute favourite is a 'twisty' for tieing up things (see below). She steals them when we're not looking and then spends hours chasing it all over.

The other morning I retrieved it from the water bowl 3 times before I went to work, each time throwing it further away and each time it was back in minutes! If I leave a hair band out anywhere in the house she will sniff it out, steal it and plonk it in the water bowl.

She just loves water and has no fear of it. She always follows us in whilst we shower and walks along the edge talking at us.

She likes to stick her paws under a running tap and washes them daily in the water bowl. Hence all the little water marks I have to wipe from the floor (that's vinyl 'wood' flooring) around it. We change their water twice a day, as the bits of cat litter washed off her paw in the bottom are offputting for the others!

But pictured above is her 'piece de resistance'! Yes that is what it looks like on the dining room floor, we found it this week just sitting there.

A couple of weeks ago the Hubster went to put a shoe on and could feel a lump in it. Guess what he found! And we're in no doubt it's her as she is the only one with the claws to flip it out of the cat litter. Apparently a hardened turd is something else she can just chase around for hours!

But would we be without her, heck no. She makes us smile, laugh or shake our heads everyday at the nerve of her, and that freckle is adorable!

'Cocoon' - the topper!

So it seems I am having a week for recommending things and next on the list is our new memory foam mattress topper from Serta purchased from Overstock.com.

There is a bit of a long saga behind our reasons for buying a mattress topper, I won't bore you with the whole sorry story, but I will just say this. Don't EVER buy a Sealy mattress set, do NOT believe the 10 year warranty they offer is worth a dime, and be prepared to have a huge ridge down the middle of said mattress only to be told it's a body imprint! (And if you look at comment #13 on this post, it seems we are not the only ones with this problem)

After no success with Sealy and not being ready to invest in another mattress just yet, we decided to try adding the memory foam topper for the timebeing. I would also add the Hubster and I are now of an age where various body parts stiffen up overnight (no sniggering!) and we wake easily. It probably doesn't help that there are 5 of us in our bed every night, including a total of 36lb of felines!

After airing it out for the required 3 days to get rid of that memory foam 'smell' we finally got to sleep on it Sunday night.

Wow! What a difference it makes, we are both sleeping like babies, no aching or stiff bits when we get up and we don't disturb each other when we move around during the night. The only small problem is trying to get the fitted sheet to stay on our very tall mattress now, we may have to go to an unfitted sheet, but who cares when it's so comfortable.

I did make the comment as we 'climbed' into bed Sunday night, that I felt a bit like the old fairy story "the Princess and the Pea' our mattress set is now so high!

Not long ago we also changed to memory foam pillows, so I would say we are now converts after some initial skepticism about it's merits. I would best describe memory foam as extremely forgiving, very supportive but comfortable, and it almost seems to cocoon your body which is very comforting.

So highly recommended for a great nights sleep. End of plug, before one of you thinks I'm trying out to be a QVC presenter sometime soon!

Happily proved wrong!

When Amazon launched its Kindle I was one of the purists who insisted I would never be happy reading from a machine. I am an avid reader, have been all my life and I just love books, the smell, the feel, collecting them....I could go on and on with reasons why I would never want a Kindle.

But there was one gaping hole in my argument, I always read in bed before I go to sleep and the required light would keep the Hubster from sleeping soundly. So when I saw the Kindle 3rd generation lighted cover, I could see an end to my nightly wrestling with various book lights and a better solution.

At first I downloaded the Kindle app to my PC and started reading some free books to test it out. I just found it so incredibly handy, it bookmarked where I was up to, I loved the dictionary and soon the Hubster had it on his PC too and we were both using it daily. We then looked into various ereaders available, but the Kindle was the first and by this 3rd generation the kinks have been worked out and it's widely viewed as the best. I did not want a colour screen as scientific studies have now proven the Kindle screen does not stimulate brain activity like colour does, and therefore it doesn't keep you awake late at night.

So I bit the bullet and received my Kindle in late November and was immediately hooked. I signed up for the delivery of the bestselling blog Free Kindle Books and other tips for just 99c a month and so far I have downloaded about 50 FREE books thanks to its excellent daily newsletter. To date I have only paid for one book and a few low cost games, but have numerous books to read and the free ones I have read have all been good. As a regular user of Paperbackswap.com where books are free, this had been another reason not to get a Kindle, but free Kindle books are available daily from Amazon and other sources.

The main thing I love about my Kindle is it's just so darn easy! I carry it with me everywhere, it's light (even with the cover), I never lose my page, I love the dictionary feature, you can easily read more than one book at a time, you can change the print size or even have it read the book to you, there are some great word games available to play, you can access the internet (I have the wireless version) and I can read in bed with my lighted cover.

I bought the Hubster one for Christmas and he keeps telling me how much he loves his Kindle! And as of this week we can now loan each other books to read as well. Most evenings you will now find us next to each other reading our Kindles or playing Scrabble together on them. When I took mine into work it resulted in everyone having a play with it and as a result two colleagues got them for Christmas too and are also in love.

So if you have ever been tempted by a Kindle, or even dismissed it as something you'd never want because you love your books, take it from me....if you love reading you will love a Kindle!

A gift from the heart

The Hubster surprised me with a gift on Sunday, it was to celebrate the anniversary of the fateful date we met, which was Feb 10th. I am a life long admirer of Jane Austen and all her works and so he thoughtfully got me this beautiful paperweight from the BBC America shop.

It is a french glass paperweight, with a faux brass finished frame and inset is a portrait of Jane and one of her famous sayings:

"Wisdom is better than wit, and in the long run will certainly have the laugh on her side".

Jane herself was very much a lady who lived up to this belief and had wisdom way beyond both her years and experiences. I always think it's so sad she died young, as the world may well have been blessed with further wonderful works as she grew older and wiser.

So this is a perfect gift for me and the Hubster knows how much I will treasure it and garner pleasure from it.

Whilst on the subject of all matters 'Austen', I must unashamedly plug the current Masterpiece Theatre series on PBS. The last three weeks they have been showing a new adaptation of 'Emma', which I loved as much as  the movie 'Pride and Prejudice'. Johnny Lee Miller (aka Angelina's ex and Eli Stone) was brilliantly cast as Mr. Knightley, I swear I fell for him a little myself.

This week they are starting 'Northanger Abbey' on Sunday night and it also looks very promising. This will then be followed by Persuasion. If they're anything like 'Emma' - beautifully cast, located and clothed, they will be well worth catching.

Why I'm the good little wife!

Would you mess with him?

Look at those boots! All he's missing is the holster, six-shooter and his horse!

I have a sparkly little secret!

I am a Magpie of the first order, if it sparkles, shines or blings, then I will probably covet it! So it's high time I 'come out' of my extra large jewelry closet. I really ought to be the founder member of JAA, aka Jewelry Addicts Anonymous!

It's not all my fault, family & friends know all about this addiction and feed it gratuitously. After all they know they're on a safe bet if they give me some bling.

I rarely throw any away, after all everything eventually comes back into fashion. So what I have has been collected over 30yrs, including some inherited pieces from family. When I moved here I finally bought one of those 4ft jewelry wardrobes to house it all, as before it was a mess. It's still a little untidy, but at least it's all in the same place.

I would feel bad, but one of the great weaknesses of many women in NW Okieland appears to be bling, so I fit right in. We often joke that we should have a jewelry pool at work and we'd have endless choices between us!

I am not a jewelry snob, my yellow gold I no longer wear regularly, so I keep it in the safe. Most of what I wear daily is costume/fashion, but with a few good pieces mixed in. I love turquoise as you can see, and I'm now living in the right area for it. I also love bracelets and rings, all of which I wear daily.

Now I know I'm not alone in this particular,closet, so anyone else want to admit they might need JAA?!

Classic moments I always react to...

Tonight I was indulging in one of my all time favourite movies, The Sound of Music. Which I am delighted to see is also considered essential family Christmas viewing by the networks here. Anyway, one scene got me thinking about those moments in movies that have continued to touch me or connect with me, no matter how many times I see them.

And so I worked me up a little list!

First the moment that inspired the list, from The Sound of Music - 'Sixteen going on Seventeen' the duet sung in the summerhouse with rain falling, by Leisl and Rolf. Why - because it epitomises young love, it's innocence and the thrill of that first kiss.

Next to pop into my head was the infamous scene from Pretty Woman. The one every woman dreams of re-enacting with some snotty shop assistant, because we've all run into at least one sometime!

Vivian: Do you remember me?
Salesperson: No, I'm sorry.
Vivian: I was in here yesterday. You wouldn't wait on me?
Salesperson: Oh.
Vivian: You work on commission, right?
Salesperson: Ah, yes.
Vivian: Big mistake. Big. Huge! [turns away] I have to go shopping now!

An iconic role and movie next, I love this whole movie, but two scenes standout. The last scene in Breakfast at Tiffany's where they are trying to find 'cat' and then Audrey singing 'Moon River', the one I chose to share.

The final scene from Never Been Kissed has one of the greatest movie kisses ever, is just so wonderfully romantic and has a guy to die for in it. It never fails to bring a tear to my eye, plus it has one of the best Beach Boys tracks playing throughout it.

And the last one for now is the ending to Thelma And Louise, the ultimate movie about an unbreakable female friendship. They stand by each other through thick and thin, whatever life throws at them. A tearjerker ending, but in a strange way still positive, as they never give up on each other.

Thanks to You Tube for enabling me to share these moments, I think we can glean from these, I am a hopeless romantic!

Care to share your unforgettable movie moments?

Cute and practical

I was given this little cute teapot by a friend for Christmas and it's perfect in so many ways.

It holds enough for 2 large mugs of tea, just the right amount for me. It doesn't leak at all when you pour, it keeps tea warm, it comes apart to clean.

The filter you put the loose tea in is very fine, meaning absolutely no tea grains get into the tea. I use teabags and loose tea, but I may well use more loose now as the taste is always better. And of course mine's pink :-)

We love it so much we have ordered 2 more, one for each of us as we drink different teas, and then I can keep this at one at work.

It comes in 8 colours and is available HERE at very reasonable cost. I will guarantee if you're a tea guzzler you will love this little tea pot.

Ahhhh....civilisation - My World!

I got to recharge my 'city gal' batteries on Saturday, when we made a flying visit to Oklahoma City for some much needed retail therapy on my part. Please remember, I am more than 100 miles from the nearest mall and that's not even a decent one!

So we made the slightly less than 6-hour round trip to my destination of choice, Penn Square Mall. It is very much like the mall I used to live a 10 minute drive from back in the UK, so it feels just like home.

In the interests of marital harmony, the Hubster and I agreed to seperate and do our own thing. In the past I have constrained him to staying closeby, which has resulted in some major marital dischord!

The store he dreads the most and I love the most is Sephora, the girlie equivalent of the Bass Pro shop or Brookstones. Previously he has been driven to distraction at my ability to lose all track of time in Sephora and not reappear for well over an hour or two.

In my defense, I used to have one of these in my local mall, and so could get regular 'hits' and not need to replenish so drastically. This girl can't just go into a Sephora and not be dazzled by all the choices, colours, offers, play stations to test stuff and be out again in a few minutes!

This time I excelled myself though! Not only did I shop successfully for friends, but I also set-up my wishlist with a consultant. She collared the Hubster (easily identified by his black cowboy hat) and steered him in the right direction, the moment he stepped in the door to shop for me for Christmas. I heart Sephora!

After much successful shopping, we met for lunch at the smart Mexican restaurant on site and here I succumbed to another thing I heart - Guacamole!

I love the green stuff, always have and I am loving this trend I have seen in a few restaurants, where they make it to order at your table!

It's so nice to have something made to order like this with fresh ingredients. It's also an excellent compromise for us, as the Hubster loves Salsa in the same way I love this. He gets all the Salsa and I get all the Guacamole which he really dislikes.

So I enjoyed a nice healthy lunch of Guacamole with grilled shrimp and clams in a lime vinegarette, before heading back to finish the shopping. It was a highly successful day, I got all my Christmas shopping done and we were back home by 8pm.

I commented to the Hubster on the way home about what a pleasant day we'd had and thanked him for being patient and not having one disagreement. He just smiled and replied that he knew I had been badly in need of some decent shopping. What a very discerning and smart man I married!

To join in the fun go to My World Tuesday

Just the coolest gift ever!

An elderly lady here in town, dropped off with the Hubster what is without doubt the coolest gift I have EVER received!

I don't even really know them that well, but they are longtime friends of the Hubster. So when they found this in their garage they decided I would be the only person they knew, who would really appreciate having it.

Well they were not wrong, I am totally thrilled with their surprise gift.

Beneath this very aged binding, is a little piece of British history, which is now mine to love.

But before it came to me, it was originally gifted to Thomas Huleatt on September 19th 1884, from the 'Brethren'.

It's the Illustrated London News from January to June 1867, bound in one volume!

Of course 142 years ago, images of the news had to be illustrated with engravings that were then printed. So this huge volume has 2 full pages of text comprising of news, deaths, wills, marriages, worldwide events etc; and these alternate with 2 pages of amazing illustrations that are wonderful in their detail and imagery.

The picture above illustrates the ' terrible disaster on the ice' as it was known then, when skaters in Regents Park fell through the thin ice and died in 1867.

The adverts are interesting and amusing, I have only scanned them so far, but still found this classic. Checkout the advert addressed 'To The Ladies of England' which gives out 'full directions on getting-up the face and eyes in the most brilliant style'!

At the start of every month is a fashion plate of the new styles for that month direct from Paris. Looking at these more than anything else, made me realise just how old my new treasure is!

Of course in those days the Royal Family and their activities were of the utmost importance to the nation. So every week 'The Court' circular appears, even when they really aren't doing much, as can be read in the piece above. Queen Victoria was on the throne in 1867 and so throughout the volume there are many references to Prince Albert and immortalising his memory.

The final picture here really delighted me. This illustrates the construction being undertaken by the Metropolitan District Railway in the district of Westminster. With Big Ben in the backgorund, this shows the construction of what's now the London Underground, something I have been on many times over my life!

I have already checked out every page of this amazing gift and been enthralled. But then I am the type of history lover who never has enough time in museums to read all the old papers.

But now I have my own little piece at home to take my time pouring over. Many interesting things happened in 1867 and I will be sure to share the best and most entertaining of them with you over the next few months.

Now I have to find a special safe cat free area to store it in, and stop any further damage. I'm thinking maybe inside our backgammon table, where it would be air-tight and under glass.

I am totally out of superlatives and awestruck, so I am off to bed with a big smile on my face.