December: Meals, Miles, Books and Looks

Meals:



This month has see lots of tasty meals both at home and out and about.  My goal for next month is to have most of meals home made.

Miles: 4km

I only went on 1 run this whole month and it was a 4km walk/jog around the neighbourhood.  I did go on a fairly long walk yesterday and I really feel it today! 


Books:

I have a small pile of books waiting to be read and I'm still struggling to get into Field of Prey by John Sandford.  At what point should I give up and move on to something else?

Looks:

I have a good few Christmas t-shirts but some seem to have gone missing :(   Here is my pre-Christmas, Christmas Day and post-Christmas looks.


2014 Restrospective


1. What did you do in 2014 that you’d never done before?
I took part in the running of a car rally.  I did paint-balling with friends.  I went to a demolition derby.  I hit a few balls at the batting cage.  I took a few ballet classes.  I started taking ice skating lessons.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Haha! It's always a work in progress!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Heaps of people had babies this year.  My friend Craig has a little girl, my friend Steve also had a little girl, my cousin had a little boy, my nephew had a little boy and my niece also had a little boy.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My cousin.

5. What places did you visit?
The Zoo, Hobbiton, Whangarei, Ohakune, Rotorua, Warkworth, Woodhill Paint-balling.

6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?

I'm pretty lucky in that I don't feel like I lacked anything in 2014.

7. What dates from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
We have done so many fun things this year and celebrated a number of things this year.  Our friends Sharon and Gerard got married.  Our friend Jude celebrated her 40th birthday.  Kane came first in a race.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year
I'm not sure.  I'm pretty proud of decorating the entrance-way and also of the public speaking duties both of us had at the Scottish night at Lions Club.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Last years success was the garden, but this year it has been my failure.  I'm putting it on my resolutions list!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had more that one bought of eye infections and I also had a few months of anxiety which I hadn't experienced before.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
It's a tie between my le Creuset shallow casserole dish and my beautiful new bike.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Kane kept an amazing attitude during his recent redundancy and subsequent contract role.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
During the Scottish Independence referendum, I was greatly saddened by a few peoples attitudes.

14. Where did most of your money go?
I think I ate it :(

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
I got really excited for autumn because I had lots planned - road trip, ghost train, haunted house, toffee apples, spiced apple cider, demolition derby.  Yeah, I'm getting excited for it again!

16. What songs will always remind you of 2014?
Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood, Blue Jeans by Lana Del Rey, Paris NorĂ°ursins by Prins Polo, If I Could Change Your Mind by Haim.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder?
Same

b) thinner or fatter? Same

c) richer or poorer? Same

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Gardening.  The weeds are trying to take over!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Watching repeats on TV and eating junk food.

20. How did you spend Christmas in 2014?
In our home with good food, Pimms cocktail, wine and Christmas movies

21. Did you fall in love in 2014?
Still in love with my husband.

22. What was your favourite TV program?
Psych, Fargo, Grimm, True Detective, Grays Anatomy, Orange is the New Black, Castle, Agents of Shield - I could go on.

23. What did you do for your birthday in 2014?
It was a bit of rainy day so we went to the cinema and watched 2 movies back-to-back! I've never done that before.

24. What was the best book you read?
I particularly enjoyed Enders Game, the Maze Runner, Ready Player One and The Man Who Came Early.

25. What did you want and get?
A fun bike.

26. What did you want and not get?
A dala horse.

27. What was your favourite film of this year?
I think Gone Girl was probably the best, Guardians of the Galaxy was definitely the most fun but watching The Hobbit: Battle of the 5 Armies in IMAX HFR on Christmas Eve was the best experience.

28. Did you make some new friends this year?
I think I was especially antisocial this year so I guess that's something else to add to the resolutions list!

29.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I have had an awesome year, I'm not sure it could have been any better.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014?
Too frumpy!  That's another one for the resolution list!

31. What kept you sane?
Clonazepam and therapy haha!

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
No one.  I was admiring outfits worn by the character Meredith Gray in Grays Anatomy.

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
I got caught up in the Scottish Independence Referendum although I was unable to vote.  I did vote in the NZ elections.

34. Who did you miss?
No one really.

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014.
It's never too late to learn something you always wanted to.  I love my ice skating lessons!

Currently in ... December

Hello! Can you believe it's only 1 week until Christmas?  This month is flying by so quickly. 




Feeling:  Christmasy!  After kicking off the season by going to see the ballet of A Christmas Carol and then reading lots of northern hemisphere blogs, watching Christmas movies and experiencing some miserable rainy weather, I'm certainly feeling in the mood for a traditional Christmas.

Thinking:  About plans for Christmas and Hogmanay and goals for the next year.

Reading:  Field of Pray by John Sandford

Watching:  Christmas movies!  So far I have watched Holiday Inn, Scrooged, Elf and Home Alone.  Still to come are Die Hard, Gremlins, Christmas Vacation and Miracle on 34th Street.  I've also been watching the Grimm, Castle, Big Bang Theory, Arrow and the Flash.

Anticipating:  Christmas eve plans and eating the panettone I bought a couple of weeks ago.

Listening to:  Christmas music!  My favourites are Carol of the Bells, Jingle Bells (the Frank Sinatra version), and pretty much everything else!

Planning:  A few cinema trips, Christmas day meal plans, Hogmanay and new years day plans and I'm starting to think about next years goals.

Wanting:  More days in the week so I can do everything I want to do!  I haven't made any cakes or biscuits.

Loving:  My new Martha Stewart tartan table cloth that has arrived just in time for Christmas!



Grateful:  For all that I have and all that I am able to give. 

Wishing:  Everyone a merry Christmas and that the good weather returns on the 26th!

The Festive Season

The festive season is in full swing now and it's only 2 weeks until Christmas!

* Christmas Cards *

I put on some Christmas music, a Santa hat and got out my red and white snowflake pen (from Kikki.K) and wrote out Christmas cards for our families.  I think next year I may do a photo card and newsletter to mark our 5th Christmas in NZ.


* Tree and Decorations *



We brought out the bags and boxes of Christmas decorations and, again with Christmas music in the background, put up the tree and decorated it and the house.  I had great fun pinning up some extra baubles and bits of ribbon in my hallway to make it look festive.  I was hoping to find a nice garland for my stairs but haven't come across one just yet.  I'm still looking though!

* Presents *

This year I opted to have wine sent out to family overseas.  In my head I see everyone gathered at my parents house raising a glass to celebrate.  But then I realised that we have quite a few youngsters now (and 2 new babies have joined the family this month!) and I thought I should sent some lollies for them to enjoy.  I had fun making my own wrapping paper with brown parcel paper and seasonal themed stamps and ink pads tied up with festive ribbon or twine.

* Home Baking *

I put on a new Christmas singlet and the idea of baking popped into my head.  I wanted to have a go at making and icing sugar cookies, but instead I decided to make a fruit cake.  After we had had a couple of slices I put it in a cake tin in the cupboard, but that didn't really stop us from heading to the cupboard to get some more!


* Christmas Movies *

I made a list of Christmas movies to watch (in addition to the annual watching of National Lampoons Christmas Vacation) and so far we have watched Scrooged and Holiday Inn.  It is very strange to think of the song White Christmas being a new song for that movie as it's become such a part of Christmas.  Like before 1939 there was no such thing as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.







We still have Gremlins, Miracle on 34th Street, Die Hard, Home Alone, Elf and A Muppet Christmas Carol to get through!

* Parties and Events *

There are not enough weekends in December for all the fun parties and events!!  We have had to turn down a few events because of clashes with other events we have already committed to.  We have already been to 1 Christmas meal and we have 2 more plus 2 Christmas BBQs.

We also went to see the NZRBs performance of A Christmas Carol





This was absolutely stunning.  I was so moved by the performances I actually shed a tear, but with all the sniffing going on around me I hardly think I was the only one!  On our way home we got some Starbucks, (I <3 Red Cups!) we went by one of the houses that go all out with the Christmas lights and it all made for a perfect evening.


* Christmas Fashion *

I have been sporting a few Christmas t-shirts and singlets lately and I still have a couple still to wear.  As for party wear, I haven't bought anything new and I'm still trying to plan out what I'm going to wear to the next few events.  I bought the Stylebook app, but as yet I haven't had any time to photograph my clothes but I'm really looking forward to using this app after the new year.

* Christmas Day Plans *

This will involve Pimms cocktail, twiglets, a traditional (vege) roast dinner, plum pudding, ice hockey and National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.  If the weather is nice we might also get to play boules, badminton or wiffle ball. 

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