What's going on in my world

It's been a little busy of late in my corner of the world and I haven't been blogging as much as usual. It's good to take a break now and then and there's no harm in slowing own a little if needs be when other things get in the way. Some of my latest posts have been really well received, such as my guide to where to find Santa in the Midlands and my latest letter to Ethan now he's 18 months old.

This post is a bit of a mind dump to give you a bit of an update on what I've been doing, what I'm liking and generally what's on my mind at the mo.

What I've been doing and what I'm looking forward to

Work has been particularly busy of late with lots of exciting opportunities which have taken a lot of time and effort but which are now paying off. I've been in my element with a few things and I'm really excited about what's been achieved so it's all been very much worth it.

It has left me short on time when it comes to my other roles, though; mummy, wife, daughter, friends, cleaner.

The latter refers to my ongoing battle to keep the house in order and this weekend, for fear of having a small breakdown, I'm going to tackle our house once and for all. It sometimes builds up to this point where things have just been left to pile up and you just have to say 'enough is enough!' and really get down to sorting things out. I've been quite lax lately so it's time to get back on top of laundry and generally get the house in order.

The main issue at the moment is I have Christmas presents coming out of my ears, or rather my wardrobe, and I need to sort these out and put them somewhere out of the way. I've in fact finished my Christmas shopping, as of a couple of weeks ago, which is great on one hand but a storage nightmare on another!

As it's not long until the Christmas decorations go up, I want to get everything straightened out and put things in their place so it's not just one big mess by the time it's officially ok to deck the halls.

Ah, decking the halls. This is something I can't wait to do. We have a small dilemma - which to many people wouldn't be a dilemma at all - with when to put the decs up.

We're spending the last weekend in November with friends at a cottage for our annual Mock Christmas celebrations. This will be about the 7th Mock Christmas and it's a time when our group regroups and celebrates Christmas early with our own mock Christmas presents, dinner and so on. As we don't get to see each other over the festive season itself we make the time to do something special together beforehand and it's always a lot of fun and a great way to kick things off. Last year, it was Ethan's first Mock Christmas, and the year before it was bump's, so in keeping with our tradition, this year we have another new addition to the group - our dog Watson! It's going to be a fantastic weekend but as I say, it's going to delay our house decorating plans.

I am one of those people who has to put up the tree and decorate ever inch of the house on 1st December. The past two years, this has fallen at a weekend but this year it's on a Monday, when we are at work. I know I could just wait until the 3rd to do this instead, when I have my day at home with Ethan, but I don't want to miss a moment. So, inspired by a friend of mine, I'm thinking of booking a half day holiday on the Monday morning so that I can decorate the house fully whilst Ethan is at nursery. That way, when he comes home, the whole house will have been transformed. Ethan is going to be so much more aware this year and I can't wait to see his face when he sees the tree and all the fairy lights I like to hang here and there. I'm a big kid myself at heart but I love this time of year and want to make things as magical as I can. You can read more about our family traditions, old and new, to see the types of things we're looking forward to enjoying soon.

What I've made

Last year, maternity leave and a baby of six months who napped a few times a day afforded me some time to get crafty in the lead up to Christmas. I love crafting and put my time to good use, making a few special things for the house, and as I haven't had any time to get out my glue gun for a long time, I will be sharing these projects again on my blog next week, using the Memory Box app to create what will hopefully be a series of easy to follow 'how to' guides.

What I'm wearing

Have I mentioned I love this time of year? It's been really mild so far but I've now been able to really start working my autumn/winter wardrobe. For me, it's all about big oversized chunky knit jumpers or jumper dresses, set off with a statement necklace, some boots, a pom-pom hat, snood, handwarmers and a slick of berry lipstick. I find that this time of year is easier to dress for - just think layers, layers, layers - and a few new jumper and blanket cardigan purchases have helped me to keep warm and create a comfortable look with flashes of ruby reds and my favourite colour of the moment, mustard yellow.

What I've been using

My latest YouTube video shared all the latest beauty and skincare bits and pieces I have been using so take a look to see what's been helping my dry skin and what spa treats I've snapped up when I went away with my friends for a mini spa break.

What I'm watching

I'm just about to finish watching The Sopranos, which I have watched from start to finish again after seeing it first a few years ago. I love a good box set and to keep my sanity whilst Ethan watches Winnie the Pooh for what has to be the 456th time, I've had this on my laptop / iPad on low volume just to give me something to enjoy.

I'll then be watching the latest season of Sons of Anarchy - love it! - and also Parks and Recreation for some light relief. I'll also be catching up on X Factor this weekend after missing the past two weeks.

Once 1st December rolls around, it'll all be about Christmas movies and TV episodes!

What I'm loving

I'm a real homebody and with the dark nights and cooler weather, I love nothing more than snuggling up at home with a faux fur blanket, scented candles and a cup of hot chocolate. In particular, I'm loving Glade's festive candles - by far the best in terms of value and scent in my opinion, much more effective than Yankee if you ask me (controversial, I know) - and the new roasted chestnut and macaroon and warm spice scents are just lovely. I've also taken my love of Starbucks to new extremes, after my sneak preview of the new red cup, and have bought their Christmas blend coffee to make at home along with gingerbread syrup so I can do best best barista act.

What have you been up to recently? What are you loving?