Huge!!!! big...... huge!!!!!

Warning warning lots of photos ahead in a big old catch up post!!

Whos been watching Kirsties Vintage home? I am really enjoying it. I like to sit down with a nice cuppa and watch it the next day.

What are your favourite beauty products? My all time favourite moisturiser is Palmers cocoa butter. I use lots of others but this is a long term fave. I cannot live without batiste dry hair shampoo and i really like body shops coconut hair shine. Liz earles cleanse and polish products are fab and soap and glorys body scrub is my favourite that i've tried. I like clinques moisture surge face moisturiser and my long term most loved perfume is L'occitanes cherry blossom:

I love walking to the high street through the park. There are lovely views of the church and the windmill. I must take my big camera so i can get some zoomed in shots. On this walk i was off to lunch with friends - well had to work it off didn't i? :)

There is a garden centre near me that has some lovely gifts in it. It looks lovely at Christmas:

I took a trip to Chelmsford to do my Christmas shopping. Here are a few things i came away with for myself. Wool from the pound shop, a lovely bauble and tin of notelets cards from M&S and a pretty bowl from Tkmaxx:

I plan to frame 4 of the cards. Aren't they just so gorgeous? M&S have really lovely things lately.

The best washing and drying has to be when its embroidered cloths:

I am a fan of Mary Engelbreits lovely illustrations  - i got this gorgeous quote/picture a day calendar from Amazon.

A very cute advent calendar and fairy decoration for my mum:

My advent calender:

Rayleighs light switch on - complete with fake snow. So so pretty.

We had a lovely time listening to carols, drinking hot choccie, the boys ate candy floss and went on rides. They saw santa, played lots of games and even had a professional photo taken for a fiver. After we watched the lights come on we went to santa lucia for a lovely dinner.

Walking back late after dinner, the streets had cleared and we were able to really appreciate the lights and our lovely town 

Mmmm the cold weather certainly makes me want to drink lots of hot choccies:

Lovely hubbie suprised me with some sea salt caramel chocs:

The boys advent calendars. I am happy for the boys to have chocolate calendars (even though i prefer pictures) but they have to have a christmassy picture!! I do not understand the point of just getting a spiderman one for instance.

What a moody sky:

Hmmm someones been playing with their new toys in my room!!! excuse hubbies shirts waiting to be ironed in the mirror

We decorate our tree on the first weekend of December. We play songs. This year we love the legends at christmas and a very she and him christmas albums. We all put up the tree in the lounge together and then i do the dining room one. We break for mince pies and hot chocolate and santa hats have to be worn at all times :) The star is put on by both boys being lifted by their dad.

This decoration belonged to my great grandparents. 

Well hello Moose-stuffa - nice to see you again!

I suprised the boys with special glasses that makes the fairy lights look like this when you wear them: 

The lounge tree is very special as it has decorations bought from special places or handmade ones by the boys. The tree in the dining room has decorations that i have bought over the last couple of years like felt toadstools, glittery fairys and candy canes on it.

The Autumn books have gone in favour of christmas stories

A new decoration this year. I buy a few new bits each year. We have quite a collection now since we bought our first tree about 14 years ago. I love the Next Christmas range this year.

A Christmas night out with friends:

I had to scour through my sons cars to find the right sized vintage looking one to make this decoration. Most of his toy cars (and believe me there are 100's!!!) are modern ugly looking things.

We went for a lovely meal at one of our newly favourite restaurants. The food here is local and delicious. It is always presented beautifully too.

The views are rather lovely too

I had never noticed this house before. There were lots of little cactus in pretty teacups on the windows.

Mince pies

A new book to read which i am loving so far:

I have been enjoying picking up this book every now and then. It has lots of facts about christmas in it:

The advent parcels i sent to crafts at home . Organised by Lynda. This is such a fun swap to take part in.

Mmmmm one of my fave dinners ever!!!!!

I bought a club (if you like a lots of chocolate on your biscuit join our club!!!) i have not had one for years!!! i have to say i was a little dissapointed. They are not as good as i remember :(

Mmmm melted stilton, chutney and salad baguette

We had snow!! only heavy for one day. The boys school closed so we had fun playing in it.

The eldest boy bugsed the first steps:

Before i ventured out in it i sat watching them with a cuppa

My son made his first snowman by himself. We didn't have any carrots so we used an onion for his nose.

The boys enjoyed carving pictures in the snow on the patio - something we had never done before

We made a cute little snowman outside the front of our house.

We have quite a big front drive. It was hard work clearing it. I needed a hot choccie and mince pie after.

The little one was cold so came inside with me. But the big boy wanted to stay out making more snowman, so i took him his drink and oreos outside.

I have recieved a secret santa swap parcel that i took part in on instagram. We will be having a mass opening on Christmas eve.

Every year we go to the scouts carol service at the lovely church at the top of the hill. It really gets me in the christmassy mood.

I started wrapping some gifts last week whilst drinking tea and watching the sky christmas movie channel. It took ages. Literally almost thw whole time the boys were at school

How great are my nutcrackers? i got these from Lake Garda in the summer

The boys cards they made at school.

Mmmm cosy bathtime

Find out what i've been up to this week and at the weekend next week!!


xx