Preparing for Christmas... Tips!

I know, I know "Its only NOVEMBER!" but - I like to be prepared for Christmas, and not have to panic at the last minute like hundreds of other people! So here are a few of my tips for Christmas, not only for this year but for future years.

1. Make a List!
I'm not saying make a list just for other people  for what to get you - make a list for yourself!
Normally around mid-late September I start planning for Christmas. What I'm doing for dessert for Christmas day (as I'm normally the one who does dessert), presents, Christmas Cards, Candles, decoration themes & plan. Everything! I normally have a list of presents compiled by mid-October for everyone and have a budget set on how much I'm spending.

2. Spending
Now I have heard countless times of the shock bills we get in January and the impending doom of debt... However I completely avoid this and don't normally have a panic attack of lack of money by 10th January.
What I do, and is one of the best things I do, is put money away for Christmas presents every week of the year, starting the first week of the New Year. This year I saved up just over £300 which was more then enough for my presents and more! It makes things so much easier and less stressful too!

3. Plan Ahead 
Overall the key thing to Christmas is to plan ahead - don't leave anything to chance. Don't wait for the rush of the 1st December to start getting things in. The earlier you start planning and buying things the less panic and rush December seems. I normally go for a waltz around the shops in December after I've done all my shopping for look for myself.

4. Buying after Christmas
So, normally after Christmas is over, everything goes on sale. Last year Balsam Hill had a huge sale and we got an 8ft Christmas tree with lights for £299 when the original RRP was £650. We finally took the plunge and bought a fake tree as we found we could shape them better and have the tree up for much longer!
I normally buy my wrapping paper, cards and other bits and bobs just after Christmas for the next year.

5. Enjoy the Season!
Its one thing I find that so many people are stressing out - that they can't enjoy the time! Which makes me so super sad!!! I love Christmas with all my heart - I love the fake snow, the joyous songs and little children getting excited for St Nick! 

So please enjoy the time, have a cheeky little Baileys, watch a few Christmas episodes on TV while wrapping up presents and writing cards, go out to the local town which has all the beautiful decorations alight at night! (I love going to Oxford Street and Winter Wonderland every year in London, especially at night!)

(P.S I normally love going to see the Choccywoccydoodah Christmas displays in Brighton, and now also London. They are so phenomenally amazing - definitely a recommended visit!)

Emma Victoria

xoxox

Blogmas Day 21: Yule Log Preparation & Tips!

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Okay, so tomorrow is when I start making my Yule Log for Christmas Day - each year we take it in turns to do a different dessert. Last Year we had a Christmas Pudding, which means this year we have a different dessert and again next year we have Christmas Pudding. It just mixes things up a little bit. Seeing as I'm now able to cook (whether I'm good at it is a different matter completely!) My Dad and I take it in turns to do the dessert or starter each year, I normally opt for the dessert as I have a sweet tooth and love super Christmasy desserts! And I haven't made a Yule Log since I did cooking at school... SO I'M DOING IT AGAIN!

Basically... I have tried to devise a plan to make this run as smoothly as I possibly can make it... Me being me I panic when something goes completely wrong and always seem to think that chocolate will be able to fix it (well it fixes 99% of the problems in my life!!) So... 

• Tomorrow - I will bake the sponge in the morning and leave to cool and later add the chocolate buttercream icing (probably my favourite part) I will then leave this to set and cool in the fridge for 24 hours so the buttercream can set!
• On monday I will melt some white chocolate to put over the yule log to give a Christmas snowy log effect (I think its a cool idea but whether it will work is another matter, you'll see on boxing day when I do my picture post if it has or not!) 
• I will then leave this to set until Christmas Day and then I will get it out of the fridge just before our main dinner to get to room temperature!

I've decided to use the baking queen Mary Berry's recipe as I always use and trust her recipes when I bake!

Tips & Ideas

• Someone recommended I put a drop of Cherry Liqueur in the batter mix?
• Use baking parchment below your cake mixture before baking - it will make it easier to lift out the tray!
• Roll the sponge really really slowly!
• Don't worry if it cracks, it just makes it look a bit more rustic!
• Some people recommend rolling the sponge before putting icing in the middle so its more malleable? 

Just have to wait and see won't we!

Chocolate Cuddles

Lots of Love

Emma Victoria

xoxox

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What's Going On In Life?

I always ask myself, "what's really going on?" - so much has happened in these past 2-3 month's with my relationships, work, college, friend's and pretty much everything! I thought I'd do a little life post again, as I feel it's been a while since we've had one. I know I usually do OOTW's on a Wednesday  but today I'm just really not feeling inspired, plus I'm in pain, so I came to the conclusion I'd just do this instead! I don't want to mope and groan, but sometimes its better to just get it all out your system in one go... right?

So where do I start? Okay lets start with probably the most horrendous and hardest part to just get it out of the way... WARNING - here comes the emotional bit.
Relationships and me just aren't really mean't to be. Who remember's the whole relationship/friendship (read these posts to kind of get the hang of it all: one, two & three). Well it's all this pa lava that's getting to me - I mean don't get me wrong, I'm completely over him and how he treated me with the lying and going behind my back the whole time but I just feel so lonely at the moment, like I don't have anyone to just give me a cuddle when I just need it. I wish that my little heart could be fixed, and that I didn't have trust issues now. My friends are being absolute stars and helping me through it all, but I just don't think I can get over these issues of trusting someone with my heart again. Have any of you got any suggestions on what to do? 
Health well lets say I've not been a lucky bunny with health this past year, no matter what I seem to do, it is always jeopardised by my sporadic health. Lets start with September last year, I had a major chest infection, which me being me, decided I'd be fine, until the point I started coughing so much and then I threw up. Only to go to the doctors and find out I had pneumonia - good one Emma. It took me around 9 weeks to recover, in and out of hospital alongside several medications and an inhaler I'm still on now. After leaving college I felt fine, until I then got another cold, which went straight to my chest, again on medication for 5 weeks, I got better. I had a fair amount of time being perfectly well and feeling healthy, until I broke 2 toes, not even a week after my 18th Birthday. I don't even have

the excuse of being drunk - I was messing around with my friend, he pushed me a little too hard and I whacked my foot against the solid corner part of the sofa. Smooth. And on the 5th August I fell down the stairs, and now it's come back to bite me. 3 weeks ago, I started having majorly painful problems with my spine/back. So after 4 appointments at the doctors, I finally had a spinal x-ray at the hospital last Thursday, and have to wait a week for the results. 

College is driving me mad. Don't get me wrong, I love studying, but because of all the problems with my spine I'm missing lessons, and it's annoying me cause I just want things to get back to normal. I've had the day off yesterday because of the amount of pain I was in and having several spasms in my back in the morning alone.

So what's happening in your lives that you just wish would get better so you can live your life like normal?

However, I've bought lots of little bits for Halloween this year, and I've started my Christmas shopping! This weekend I'm getting the Halloween decorations down and the Christmas decorations - SO EXCITED! Which brings me to - Christmas posts!! Is there anything you would like to see in my Christmas posts?! 

Lots of Love

Emma Victoria

xoxo

P.S Friday I will be posting a little Pumpkin carving post - even though I won't be carving my pumpkins till next Wednesday (which I will also blog about too!)

Hair-Care Update!

Being super cheeky today, I am blogging at work!! (Best be sneaky!) So... If you have been following my blog updates on my hair growth and hair care then you would know that I have been using the Lee Stafford Hair Growth treatment products, I had a ritual for while I was growing my hair. I vowed I wouldn't use any heat products on my hair i.e Straighteners, hair dryer, curlers etc, and this already improved the condition of my hair straight away. I used the Lee Stafford products every time I washed my hair, it made my hair feel and look so much better, as it was super brittle and horrible! 

TIMES HAVE CHANGED...

I have now stopped using the Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment as I have now reached my desired hair length (just below my shoulders  its not too long and not too short, and still easy to tie up!) and now I am onto retaining and maintaining my natural blonde hair! I often have many urges to experiment my hair with semi-permanent dyes, but this can also really damage your hair condition but as well as the pigment of your hair, especially with blonde hair like mine! I found that once I had dyed my hair electric blue back in December, I was left with a pale pigmented blue tone on the top layer of my hair, and slowly began to get annoyed with the colour of my hair! So I began experimenting...

 I first began to decide to bleach my hair, yes I was going to strip my hair of the horrible tone my hair had gone... BUT, I spoke to my hairdresser and she absolutely refused to put bleach anywhere near my hair as it would take away my natural light blonde hair! So we had a chat about what I could do... We made a shampoo mix for my hair to a) maintain a good healthy condition and b) remove the top layer of blue tone on my hair. What did we use? We used a mixture of ; Johnson's Baby Camomile Shampoo & Conditioner (yes we used the conditioner in the shampoo!), John Frieda Sheer Blonde Shampoo, and Lemon Juice. Lemon Juice and Camomile are natural ingredients used to strip your hair, without the effect and damages of bleach! Yes it has taken a while, and I am no longer use my shampoo 'potion' for my hair, but now using the John Frieda Sheer Blonde 'Go Blonder' range products. The the shampoo and conditioner are a thick yellow substance, and have a beautiful smell! I always use more then the recommended amount I usually use a large

handful of both for my hair, and massage the products thoroughly into my hair and onto my scalp. I wash the products out of my hair with Cold water and this gives your have a nice sheen look once dried. I find with using these lovely products is that your hair, just like the Lee Stafford products give your hair a lovely silky feel! I love my hair feeling good! Again, with the Go Blonder Products there is no bleach contained in the products, so again no risk of damaging your hair! Fantastic!! I have noticed my hair slowly going back to its normal colour, still a long way to go but its getting there slowly!
I originally bought the Go Blonder Products from Boots at £4 each (£8 in total) but I made the magic discovery that Amazon does a monthly scheduled delivery and it turned out cheaper! I now get 2 bottles of Shampoo and Conditioner every month for an amazing £3.60 a bottle, in total adding up to £14.40, and for the same amount (2 shampoo's and 2 conditioners) from Boots was £16 and Waitrose was an astonishing £28 for the 4 bottles! So if you are like me and cannot resist a free bargain, and your products delivered to your door, then Subscribe upto the Amazon deal! 

Much Love and I shall be catching up on my blogging as I have a big haul coming up in the next week or sol!

Emma Victoria

xoxo