Rachel turns 30 - part 4 'Turning 30 - Apprentice style'

So it's been a very long time since I have written my blog, however I need a way to record the last couple of weeks and this seems like the very best way to do it. I love birthdays at the best of times and my 3oth birthday presented a fantastic opportunity to do something even bigger and better. It all started on September 4th with my family party at my flat (part 1), then we had my drinks on the 13th with my work friends (part 2), my actual birthday on the 15th (part 3) and then the finale, an amazing day spent with friends and family on the 17th (part 4 and 5). It's been absolutely fabulous!!!

I'm going to start with part 4 and 5 as they are freshest in my mind and I want to capture alot of the feelings and suprises of the day before I go off on my holiday to Miami and Orlando tomorrow (eep!)

So Saturday morning Kazza and I got up at what felt like the crack of dawn to get ready for our day of activities (most of which it transpires I knew nothing about.) Jenny, Sarah G-S, Kazza and Ali had been very secretively making lots of plans over the last couple of months which all came to fruition is a very spectacular day yesterday. Ali and Harry picked us both up and we headed off to the venue for a couple of hours of setting up. The room looked absolutely amazing once we had finished, the girls worked out a way of stringing the massive paper balls I had bought online across the room, Kazza's meticulously ironed table runners looked fantastic and all the candles and place names added real sparkle!

Then we were whisked off in our first of many taxis for the day to Jen's house in Barnes for a yummy lunch of sandwiches and cakes, just perfect and she had gone to so much effort to decorate the flat - with the boys somewhat lowering the tone with their balloon art!

After a very quick pit stop it was back in a fun bus taxi for a trip into the city and suprise Benefit makeover, complete with false eyelashes and goodies for me!!! Although the makeup girl was somewhat interesting she did a really good job and I was then whisked away in another taxi to the hairdressers! Poor old Kazza and Ali had done their make-up in the horrid public loos at Spitalfields so I was really pleased they got to chill out and do their hair at the salon while Emma turned mine into a gorgeous up do. Kazza loved playing haridresser and Emma even commented on what a good job she had done!!!

By this point I was feeling a bit nervous as to what was coming next, I had absolutely no idea what we were going to be doing and we still had a couple of hours until the party. I think really I was looking forward to getting to the venue and being able to relax and everyone enjoying themselves, but in some ways the best was yet to come! It was such a weird feeling not knowing what was coming, I'm usually the one in charge and planning the suprises so the girls well and truly turned the tables on me! A quick change at the haridressers and we were on our way in another taxi!

This time we pull up at the Andaz hotel - I guessed on the way but Ali did a good job of pretending she didnt know what I was talking about! There the rest of the girls were waiting for us and after lots of gorgeous presents and a couple of glasses of champagne, some mini cupcakes and birthday macaroons from the hotel we were off and out again.

I was the last one to come out of the hotel as I nearly forgot my presents and the girls were all looking at me expectantly as I came out, there was an Addisson Lee taxi waiting for us and....a massive limo!!! OMG I screeched and screamed and jumped up and down. It was absolutely magical! Total karaoke party limo - we drank bubbles and sang at the top of our lungs to Jenny's limo tunes! We drove all through London (including a stop at a fancy hotel for a toilet break) and I loved absolutely every second of it. The girls are still talking about my reaction and how excited I was.

So we were droppped at the venue to start the party of all parties...to be continued in part 5!

Quick catch up

Awesome weekend doing very Christmassy things, not so awesome Monday at work, hey ho. To remember before bed time...

Saturday 4th December - Fake Christmas at Hannah and Matts
Sunday 5th December - Christmas cooking
Monday 6th December - decidedly unchristmassy!

Rach xxx

Christmas Craft

Just realised that I haven't shared my Christmas To Do list book that I made inspired by Dawn. I made two, this one for the lovely Kazza and then one for me too which I haven't taken any photos of and looks a bit knackered after having being carried around in my bag. But I love having something crafty and handmade in my bag and it has proved to be useful too! I'm not sure Kazza will use hers much as I spied a few Christmas spreadsheets when I was up there! Bless her she can't help being an accountant :o)

Anyway here's some pics, I didn't buy anything specially, just used scraps lying about (I have a box of Christmassy things.) I started out with the red and white (which is most of my theme this year) and then added some touches of craft, those have ended up being my favourite bits! Didn't like the thread to hold it all together, need to work on some different binding techniques, a bind-it-all for Christmas maybe :o)

Sorry for the rubbish photos but you get the gist!

F-f-f-f-f-friday!

Wohoo the third day of December and it's Friday. With a day off sick yesterday its almost going to be a four day weekend. had a sleepy morning and then the second trip to the mecca that is Westfield in only a week. Was a bit of a shlep with the rubbish weather but had a lovely lunch with Jenny then went round all the usual suspects to pick up some lovely bits for Christmas. A berry wreath from M&S, snowball garland to either go on the tree or to be put up and put on my Christmas bunting, red serviettes, frames for SJs aforementioned downloads, snowflake paper napkins, some metal star baubles and a star for the top of the tree. Not a bad haul :o) We had a lovely pit stop for some naughty treats, here's the lovely Jenny enjoying her vat of hot chocolate! (having a nightmare with my stupid computer, will have to add it later).

Will take some piccies once they are up, I'm so pleased with the frames, I need to get some of those special hooks for picture rails so I don't have to put lots of holes in the wall. Thats Sundays job, Oxford Street, argh!

Quiet night in tonight, couldn't face the trains to go out again tonight. Candles on, scrapping out and a bit of blog reading, nice! Very, very, exciting day tomorrow, more to come....

December 2nd

Trying to get back on track hence three posts in one day, new record! So today was an odd day spent at home with a poorly head. Snuggling up warm on the sofa with the duvet, taking a guilt free day to rest and think about Christmas. London is frustrating but magical at the moment...

Frustrating cause I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to go shopping as planned tomorrow, magical cause, well really you'd be a bit of a misery guts if you didn't secretly love a bit of snow! Trying to remember my last post and that if I don't get out shopping its not the end of the world, I can just chill, decorate, enjoy the flat!

Have been looking for some old Christmas photos to share on days when there are no photos and boy there are some corkers :o) Dodgy haircuts, suspect presents and too many paper hats to count.

Sleep well, keep warm

xxx

December 1st!

A day late already but I figure this is about showing willing more than about timekeeping :o)



Wednesday 1st December descended very, very snowy and cold with a rather interesting journey to work on the bus and tube (rather than my normal overland route). Normal busy day at work with a fun break to distrubute chocolate advent calendars to the team for a bit of light relief. Finished on time for a second date :o) I let slip on my first date that I write a blog (a bit awkward to explain to someone you've only just met - him 'so what do you write about?' me 'hmmm well...' Anyway I digress, was great to get out of work at a good time, have a nice evening out and still be home by half nine for an hour sofa time before hunkering down in bed with hundreds of layers on.



No good photo for today so similar to Shimelle...



I'm thinking a bit about Christmas, about what I want for December and for next year, I dont think I can capture my thoughts quite as beautifully as Shimelle does, although alot of my thoughts are the same....


Enjoy the moment and don't be scared to take a minute, an hour, a day
Spend quality time with the important people
Show love and say thank you
Nourish and care for other people and myself
Give thoughtfully and from the heart
Decorate and nest
Stir, bake, cook
Tell the story
Don't stress
Enjoy the magic


Very telling that its all about slowing down, taking time, looking after myself and my loved ones...I'm determined its going to be a GREAT month

Journal your Christmas/December Daily

So this year is my first Christmas in my own little flat, I can put up as many decorations as I like and they can be as classy or as tacky as I want! With the uni girls and their other halves coming for Christmas Dinner the Saturday before the big day and then Mum, Dad, Ali and Harry here for the big event there is definitely some serious decorating on the cards.

Was at home with a migraine today (very rare, I hardly ever take time off ill) and have felt a bit better over the last few hours so put up some of my massive paper snowflakes hung above the dining table (have seen these in lots of shop windows already) and dug some fairly lights out of the cellar to go round the bookcase. Next thing is a tree and some decorations and something nice for the table to go with the felt runner from Paperchase. I'm sticking with as much white as possible as I don't know what my colour accent will be in this room yet so dont want to get loads of decorations that I can only use for one year. Thinking a bit of red for good measure wont hurt as its generally Christmassy! I've printed off SJs free dowloadables and plan to get some frames for them tomorrow to hang them along my picture rail and thinking I might make one of these sweet garlands and one of these banners. Can you tell I'm feeling crafty!

For the last few years I've been avidly reading Shimelle's take on Journal Your Christmas and Ali Edwards December Daily projects. I love Christmas and this year am going to give a hybrid of the two a go. I have Ali's daily templates to use to try and keep it simple but am going to be inspired by Shimelle not to necessarily do a story a day (I think thats how Elise is doing it too!). With going to work and coming home in the dark five days a week I think taking a daily good photo might be a bit of a tricky order! That being said I have just spent twenty minutes trying to get Ali's layered template to work in Photoshop with my pictures and I just cant do it, arghhhh, I have no patience. So I'm going to have to revert to good only cutting and sticking, nothing wrong with that anyway :o)

Will be trying to blog a bit more to keep me going and update with progress. Have a lovely shopping day tomorrow, hurray for long weekends :o)

Rach xxxx