Happy New Year for 2016 with the Happy Ramblings blog

This year has gone by so fast it is hard to believe that we have almost reached the year 2016. For some reason getting older makes the time go faster and faster.

It has been an eventful yet stressful year for me, so my New Year Resolution is to relax more and enjoy myself.

I went on a 6 week stress management course, 2 hours a week, which was great. It made me stop and think about my goals and priorities as well as how to manage stress. I learnt about the art of mindfulness...living in the moment...which is very useful for keeping things in perspective.

I also discovered Colouring books for grown-ups which are great fun. I have quite a collection now, plus a colouring in calendar for 2016.

My vegetable garden has been resurrected from waist-high weeds. It was sadly neglected in the Spring and I was 2 months late in getting it started. But now I am happy with progress again and waiting for the moment when I can harvest my goodies.

I hope that you had a fun-filled Christmas-time and that your New Year will be the best ever.

Chat with you again soon.

Hugs

Rose x

Our scrumptious Christmas Eve dinner

We had a lovely hot summery Christmas Eve here in New Zealand. Just perfect for having a cold collation of Christmas treats for dinner.

We buy our favourite foods each year. This year we added marinated mussels to our assortment of goodies. There was smoked salmon, salted herrings and roll mops as usual

Cherry size mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, green olives stuffed with feta and Guzzardi Kalamati marinated olives.

A selection of Italian cold meats.

And a cheese selection which was yummy. Dad and I enjoyed sampling the different cheeses at the delicatessen. We selected quite a range this year including fromage de meaux, fromage d'affinois (delicious!), Munster (too smelly for me but dad loved it), Mount Scott Havarti, Whitestone Lindis Pass brie, Old Rotterdam gouda (my favourite) and English stilton.

We had fresh fruit for dessert...melon, mango and cherries. Plus mince pies and homemade pfeffernusse biscuits.

It was a very enjoyable evening. I love this tradition we have.

I hope that you are enjoying your Christmas holidays as much as I am.

Love Rose x

Santa sack reveal - I couldn't wait!

It is the night before Christmas Eve and I couldn't stop thinking about my Santa sack. I kept looking at it, but resisted the urge to peep inside for hours. But after an extremely busy day at work, and feeling sad about it being my final day today, I succumbed to the temptation of opening it.

Inside my Santa sack was a lovely selection of things that I had collected that put a smile on my face:

- A selection of Bennets chocolates, including reindeer noses, chocolate Christmas trees, 3 chocolate truffle Christmas puddings, and some delicious handmade chocolates.

- A large Scent 5 Pomegranate and orange candle.

- A Bonne Mere L'Occitane soap.

- A box of Belgian cherry liqueur chocolates.

- 2 heart soaps.

- 3 hand embroidered padded coat hangers.

- 4 Scent 5 pomegranate and orange scented tea candles in glass holders.

- L'Occitane lavander scented bubble bath

- L'Occitane peony scented soap

- A bag of chocolate coated cherries

- A lemon scented soap

- And last but not least a really big surprise, mum had snuck a lovely T-shirt into my Santa sack, all wrapped up nicely, without me knowing :) Mum is so sweet.

I am really happy now, especially after eating the chocolate coated popcorn reindeer noses while writing this!

I hope that you are enjoying yourself too. Do you still have a Santa sack for Christmas?

Looking forward to seeing you again soon.

Hugs Rose x

Christmas wishes from the Happy Ramblings blog

I hope that you are having a great time preparing for your Christmas celebrations and have had a good year this year.

Things were rather hectic for me this year with one thing and another, so I temporarily put my blog to one side, but I am still here and ready to start blogging again :) I really missed your lovely comments and sharing with you what I have been up to and what makes me smile.

My Christmas present shopping is completed ahead of time, so no battles with the mad Christmas shopping crowds. I just need to wrap everything up which is my favourite thing while listening to Christmas music. My family are now asking me what they could buy everyone else for Christmas. Do you find it easy thinking of what to buy everyone?

I didn't buy things for my Santa sack during the year like I normally do, but I decided that I will have one after all and have started filling it. I really need to get into the Christmas spirit and I think that this is just the thing to help.

Looking forward to hearing from you again.

Have a wonderful Christmas.

See you again soon.

love Rose x