CHRISTMAS: What Isabella got for Christmas 2015

We decided not to go too over the top on the gift front for Isabella because she really doesn't have any concept about Christmas or presents. We picked up some musical instruments and wooden toys as stocking fillers from Wilkinsons, which were very affordable and lovely quality. I'm so glad we didn't get her too much as she was well and truly spoilt by our friends and family! Trying to find space for everything has been the mission over the past few days, but before putting away everything I thought I'd share a few of her gifts from Christmas this year...

VTech Musical Rhymes Book

CHRISTMAS: What I got for Christmas 2015

Firstly, I hope you all had an amazing Christmas filled with love, joy and happy memories. We had a very special first Christmas with Isabella, it was completely exhausting but certainly worth it! Since Christmas day I've been really enjoying watching/reading other bloggers/vloggers 'What I got for Christmas' posts - they're the perfect chance to have a nosey and for those super organised between us you can even get gift ideas ready for next year! I was lucky enough to receive so many beautiful and thoughtful gifts this Christmas - all of which have been put away because we quickly learnt that you can't leave presents out when you have a crawling/climbing baby!

WoodWick Vanilla Bean Candle

FAMILY: Deciding where we spent Christmas Day

This Christmas was the first one as a little family of three, which warms my heart. However it threw up a lot of hard decisions for us. Usually at Christmas my husband and I go our seperate ways on Christmas Eve, to spend Christmas with our respective families, it's what we've always done.
We have our 'Christmas Day' on Christmas Eve, so it's not like we miss out on anything. We both love spending Christmas with our families so it works for us, though I appreciate some may find it strange that we're married yet don't spend Christmas Day together. But this year was different - would we go to one of our families? Or spend the day just the three of us? Or try and visit both families? It's something we discussed numerous times and was such a hard decision.

Merry Christmas!

 
(Photo Credit)
The day we all spend months preparing for, whether it be decorating the house, festive baking or mass present shopping...Christmas is finally here!! I just wanted to put out a quick post to wish you all a very Merry Christmas - here's to having a fun filled festive period with all of our friends and family.

Love, Helen x

FOOD: Enjoying a Vegetarian Christmas

A big focus on Christmas day is the turkey, goose fat roast potatoes and of course the obligatory pigs in blankets (all of which are my husbands idea of heaven) - so what can us vegetarians enjoy over Christmas? You may know from my blog but I'm a big foodie and I'm certainly not going to let a big event like Christmas pass by without lots of delicious vegetarian `food! When I was a child I'd always have nut roast on Christmas day and since growing up I've tried various pies, tarts and roasts all of which have been enjoyed with the usual trimmings of a Christmas dinner. Below I've put together lots of inspiration if you're struggling to think of what to cook for yourself or a vegetarian guest this Christmas. Let the mouth watering commence...

 
 Truffled Parsnip and Broiche Pudding with Hazlenut & Thyme Butter

CHRISTMAS: 20 Last Minute Homemade Gift Ideas

Only a couple of days to go until Christmas Day and inevitably there will be a neighbour/friend/relative that was somehow lost in the gift buying process. It's a nightmare! Last minute homemade gifts are perfect for entertaining children, adding that personal touch and many can be whipped up in less than an hour. Here are 20 ideas for last minute presents that can be made in the comfort of your home, therefore no battling the shops on Christmas Eve...thank goodness!

Hot Chocolate Kits

CHRISTMAS: Rudolph Chocolate Tarts Recipe

What's not to like about a rich chocolate filling, crisp buttery pastry - all with a touch of Christmas added?! I usually enjoy these tarts with melted white chocolate drizzled over the top or with a layer of Dulce de leche on the bottom of the tart, both of which are delicious. But I thought I'd add a festive twist to these firm favourites and in the simplest of ways. Making these tarts into reindeer's is merely the work of minutes!

CRAFT: Handprint Reindeer Christmas Bauble

Adding a personal touch to your Christmas tree, whilst capturing a memory, is the basis behind these cute reindeer handprint baubles. When we have visited our local pottery painting shop I've often seen seriously adorable handprint reindeer pottery baubles, but with a £9.50 price tag for the smallest size they aren't the cheapest. We have actually made one for my Dad at the pottery painting shop, which is lovely and very high quality. But we wanted to make more for other family members and us, making it a potentially very expensive experience!

WISHLIST: Christmas 2015

Christmas is quickly approaching and I am seriously excited this year. Probably because it's Isabella's first Christmas and I'm determined to make it one to remember...for us even if she won't! I've put together my wishlist for this year, which was actually really hard because almost everything I wanted was actually for Isabella. Getting her cute clothes just makes me very happy, so thinking about what I wanted was hard. Time to myself is limited, therefore a lot of items on my wishlist this year are there to make my life easier (or cover the effects of limited sleep)!

CHRISTMAS: Bringing two lots of traditions together

I love traditions, there's something so comforting and reassuring about them. I've been bought up with lots of Christmas traditions, the way we celebrate Christmas is one big family tradition. My parents took aspects of their childhood Christmas' to create the traditions I was bought up on and now my husband and I are faced with creating important traditions for Isabella. 

BABY: Adding a touch of Christmas to their wardrobe

Festive additions to your little ones wardrobe is the perfect way to get into the mood for Christmas. I've been collecting pieces for Isabella since the sales last Christmas, it's never too early to grab a bargain. Though it hasn't stopped me buying some super cute festive clothes and accessories this year....whoops! Recently I've been loving the supermarkets for Isabella's Christmas clothing, the quality is brilliant and it's so affordable. We picked up the TU at Sainsburys in their 25% off everything sale, so there were some real bargains! Below are some of my favourite pieces I've picked up for Isabella to wear throughout December...

TU Red Penguin Slippers (0-24 months) £5.50
 

CHRISTMAS: Snowflake Cupcake Recipe

 

These are the quickest and easiest Christmas cupcakes; you can whip a batch up in well under an hour! Perfect for us busy parents who simply don't have the time to lovingly mould mini snowmen and reindeers out of icing (I miss those days!) Older children may even enjoy being part of making these cupcakes, so one for the whole family to enjoy. The little reindeer cupcake stands were from Lakeland and help to make a relatively simple cupcake look a bit more special, with minimal effort from you! They don't seem to sell these anymore, but there are plenty of other individual Christmas cupcake cases out there for very affordable prices like these, these or this.

CHRISTMAS: Creating a Christmas Eve Box

Last year I saw Christmas Eve Boxes all over the blogging world and was eager to add that to the traditions we would have with Isabella. I love the idea of Isabella opening this special package filled with things for her to enjoy on Christmas Eve, the perfect way to kick of the festivities. I've been thinking long and hard about what Isabella's Christmas Eve Box would include, it needed to be filled with things she would actually use and not just become a box of pointless 'things'. It's filled with some items she'll be able to reuse next Christmas and other things that we can treasure from her first Christmas.

CRAFT: Handmade Footprint Christmas Cards

 
A big part of spreading the joy of Christmas is giving cards wishing your friends and family a merry Christmas. I love this tradition, though coordinating buying, writing, finding addresses and posting them has meant it hasn't happened every year. When we were younger my family would all wrap up warm and walk around the village posting all of our Christmas cards. It was an event I looked forward to every year and hope to start this tradition again this year in the village we live in now.

CHRISTMAS: Getting in the festive spirit

 
So here we are...the festive month has finally arrived and things are about to get very Christmassy around here! Time to appreciate the festive season is limited when you have a baby, in fact time in general seems to fly-by and I am determind to not let Christmas Day sneek up on me. Isabella and I are going to be enjoying an array of Christmas activities to get us both, but mainly me, into the festive spirit and appreciate the run up to Christmas together. 

GIFT INSPIRATION: Miles Kelly #GiveTheGiftOf Book Bundles

Reading to Isabella is one of my favourite activities, it's bonding time away from technology and other distractions. Before bed every night either my husband or I read Isabella a book and I treasure that time so much. Walking past her bedroom and seeing my husband reading to our daughter makes me heart burst with love. So it's probably not surprising that books are right up at the top of Isabella's wishlist this Christmas!

GIFT INSPIRATION: Becky Bettesworth Vintage Seaside Posters

Becky Bettesworth lives in South Devon, where she creates the most beautiful posters inspired by the classic railway posters of the 1930's. The posters are mostly based around various seaside towns around the United Kingdom, with some feel good quote posters added in for good measure. There's something so nostalgic about seaside towns, with their cute beach huts, well loved landmarks, fresh fish and chips, rickety old piers and rustic beaches. Becky's posters encapsulate all of these attributes so cleverly, taking you back to a much simpler time before technology and our every busy lives took over.

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: For Children

The magic of Christmas is all about the children in our lives, making their wishes come true and spending quality time together. This was the easiest of all my Gift Guides to put together, simply because there are so many fantastic, fun gifts out there for children. These are my top picks for unique gifts for children...

BABY: So many cute Christmas clothes...

While I've been searching for festive additions to Isabella's wardrobe I've come across so many options, all just as cute as each other. I thought I'd put together a collection of festive baby clothes, grouped into their similar themes for you to see what's out there too. I can't wait to get the Christmas jumpers out for Isabella, though I'm being controlled and holding off until December!

Babygrow

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: For Her

Today I'm bringing you my Christmas Gift Guide for those ladies in your life. It's all about finding gifts that are indulgent, luxurious and personal because us women need a special treat every now and again!