What are you doing New Year's Eve?

I came across this the other day and thought it was a perfect way to say 'Happy New Year'! For all you fans of 500 Days Of Summer, I'm sure you will love this...

Happy New Year for tomorrow night/Sunday morning :)

Sarah x

Deborah Lippmann Nail Varnish in Razzle Dazzle

This shade is perfect for the festive season! I'd imagine lots of people wore this shade to Christmas parties etc. Although it took 3 coats to get it to look this colour, I've had lots of compliments on it (even from my Grandad of all people!). I know glitter varnish can be a bit of a mare to get off, but this seems pretty hard wearing, especially with a clear topcoat on top, so I think it'll be worth it.

I got this nail varnish in my December Glossybox and it is probably my favourite product of the month!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas day and are enjoying your pressies today!

Sarah x

It's Tradition!

So here we are, it's Christmas Eve! You'd have to be a bit of a Scrooge to not be feeling Christmassy by now! I definitely think the build-up in the weeks before the big day is just as much fun and I've got to admit I still haven't lost that 'night before Christmas' excitement. Christmas Day in our house is often quite hectic, especially when the grandparents are staying, so rather than trek to church in the morning, we go to the crib service the night before. Even though this is aimed at children, it's a great chance to sing some carols and immerse yourself in the festive feeling.

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Christmas day in our house hasn't changed much since we were children, and I love that! My little sis (not so little really, she's almost 18!) still insists on dragging us out of bed at some ungodly hour - while this used to be 7am, we've managed to push her back until 8.30am! I've never exactly been a morning girl, but somehow it seems a little easier when you know that Father Christmas has been!

After presents from Santa and breakfast, we head out to our local beach for a short walk on the cliffs. My friends all say they can't think of anything worse, but I love doing this (especially last year when it was a white Christmas). It blows away the cobwebs and gives you a chance to work up your appetite. We also often bump into people we know, so it's a great time to wish people a 'Merry Christmas'.

The cliffs last Christmas Day

Once the turkey is in the oven and we've had a light lunch (usually soup), it's into the lounge to open all the presents under the tree. My sister and I used to love choosing and handing out the presents and it's become our job for the afternoon. We usually have some nibbles and a glass or two of champagne while we open our pressies, which always goes down well.

After presents it's time for dinner and boy does my ma know how to put out a good Christmas spread!

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas and has a chance to relax and spend time with the people they love. Have a great day everybody!

Sarah x

Book Review - 'All My Friends Are Superheroes' by Andrew Kaufman

A really little book (weighing in at just 108 pages) with a lovely story!

I was loaned this book by a friend and decided to read it on the long journey home for Christmas. Since it's such a short little book it didn't take long to read, but I must admit I really enjoyed it!

'All My Friends Are Superheroes' tells the story of Tom, whose marriage to The Perfectionist unravels when she is hypnotised by an ex-lover into believing he is invisible. As she boards a plane to move to Vancouver and leave her sadness behind, Tom follows her and has until the plane touches down to convince her to see him again.

The superpowers described in the book are a far cry from those normally found in comics and on the big screen - examples include The Stress Bunny (who absorbs the stress from a room), Falling Girl (who can't help but fall off everything) and Copycat (who can mimic someone's personal style so well that her subject ends up appearing as a less successful version of themselves). Although a few of these are a little hard to get your head around, I found myself wanting to hear more and more about the different superpowers! I've never really been a superhero/comic book kind of girl, but I really enjoyed this!

At times 'All My Friends Are Superheroes' is a little heartbreaking, but Andrew Kaufman's novella is a wonderful little love story and it is almost impossible to stop yourself rooting for Tom. This is a short and quirky read...a perfect way to pass an hour or two (or a journey home!).

 

Sarah x

Looking Forward, Looking Back #3

Looking Forward
It seems like an obvious one but...CHRISTMAS! As I said a while ago, I'm not one for getting festive early, but with only just over a week to go I'm now in full present-wrapping, carol-singing mode! I went to a 'Carols By Candlelight' concert last week and it truly put me in the mood. It's easy to see why so many people love the Christmas season and there is always that lovely feeling in the air in the build-up to the 25th.

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Of course, December does have its own little stresses - crossing our fingers we won't get snowed in, trying to plan that perfect dinner, present buying and wrapping and making sure everyone gets along. It's so important not to let those little things ruin such an important time. I know Christmas has different meanings to everyone, but it is essentially a time to have a little break and appreciate how blessed we are. No matter how much they drive us up the wall, it's a chance to hang out with the people we love. I hope everyone gets to have a little time with family and friends this Christmas :)

Looking Back
Before heading back home for the holidays I was able to have some lovely Christmassy time with my friends. We had our own little 'Christmas Day', with mulled wine, party games, a secret Santa and (best of all) lots and lots of FOOD! My best friend is a total domestic goddess and managed to make one of the nicest Christmas dinners I think I've ever had, complete with every trimming possible (although I'm still not convinced by Brussel sprouts). After the stresses that the end of the has brought for a lot of us, it was nice to be able to come together for one day and forget about our problems. As I said above, Christmas is all about being with those you care about and this was a perfect opportunity.


I hope you're all getting ready for a lovely Christmas!

Sarah x

What a Twit

Stay safe online!
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I'm not a total social media addict, but I must admit I like Facebook and Twitter as much as the next person. I think they definitely have their value (especially in the blogging world), and make keeping in touch easier than ever. Despite this though, sometimes social media can go bad. Here is a little story of something that happened to me recently...

One evening I got a missed call off an unknown number. This isn't anything out of the ordinary - a lot of market research companies (all those annoying calls asking if they can just have five minutes of your time) and other businesses hide their numbers so you answer the phone. I thought nothing of it. However about twenty minutes later I got another call, which I answered. I won't repeat what was said to me but it was pretty vile and so I hung up. I then received 17 calls from the same unknown number within the space of 10 minutes, none of which I answered. It was getting late and my phone just kept on ringing, which creeped me out a little bit so I eventually got a male friend to answer and ask the person to stop calling.

It basically transpired that this person had found my number on a Facebook group that a friend made after she lost her phone and tried to get everyone's numbers again. I try never to post any personal details on the internet, but for some reason I'd never really thought about groups like that.

I would thoroughly recommend that people avoid putting their phone numbers or any personal details anywhere on Facebook or other social media sites. I know that the calls I got were just from some pervy low-life with nothing better to do, but it was horrible all the same - stay safe guys!

Sarah x