1. Favorite gift you’ve given?

I like all the gifts I gave, I always choose 'em with me in mind, is that bad?! Well apart from the moisturiser I gave The Man, who wants boy moisturiser?

2. Favorite gift you’ve received?

I got a LOT of very cool gifts, I can't possibly choose - faves deffo included: a bee-you-tiful pink bag from Miss Sally, a sparkler of a ring in the shape of a star from The Man, homemade jam from Swanks, a pink feather pen from The Man's Mum, a watch from my mumma - it's so gorgeous, the biggest set of make up from The Man's dad, a LOT of CDs and DVDs - Oh, and a balloon ride - I totes forgot, that's a bit freakin' cool, innit?

3. Do you rip open the packages, paper and bows be damned, or do you carefully pick them apart, careful not to tear the paper or mash the bow?

If they're wrapped dead pretty, then I'll try and open them carefully, The Man puts a million layers of sellotape on, so I deffo rip his open!

4. Did you buy yourself a gift this year? What did you buy?

Oh, I always buy myself gifts, is that not the rules? No? oh.
I bought myself a ring when I was in NYC, It's so blimmin' pretty, it's pink and it sparkles, it doesn't matter how much it costs. Fact.

5. Do you like paper wrapping and bows or gift bags and bows?

I like both if they have cute things for me inside!

6. What would be your fantasy gift — the one gift you’d love someone to give you, providing you don’t have to pay for it or live with someone who might be grumpy because they have to pay for it?

A loin-cloth wearing Lee Mead please x

So...what did you get?!!
Not that it's all about the pressies, but it is a li'l bit, right?

I've got lots of goodies - and according to The Man, who is currently in Weymouth with his fam, I've still got more to come - woohoo - I love me an extended present-opening holiday! I shall save my list of gifted treats 'til I've opened them all 'k?

I've stayed close to home this Christmas to make sure I'm here for my mumma, and if I'm truthful, it's been completely bliss-kissed to have a li'l alone time.

Don't get me wrong, I love me the Christmas, in fact, The Man and I had a dee-lish day of pink wine, film watching, dinner-eating and present opening on Sunday but sometimes, the pressure to have fun and celebrate and spend time with people on the 25th can be overwhelming and feel a little forced, especially when every day should be about celebrating, having fun and spending time with the peeps you love, well, it is if you hang out in Pink-world, anyway, so, I decided to hang with my favourite person in the whole, wide world... me!

I did visit parentals - my dad made me laugh lots by presenting me with all my pen-pal letters he'd found from back in 1993 - they're so freakin' funny - I'll take pics later for you to share in their cringe-inducing fabulousness!

I then went to visit my mum and my step-dad which was happy and sad all at the same time - it'd be tough at any time of the year, but at Christmas everything is so much more intensified, including my emotions. So, after being a complete cry girl, I thanked myself lucky that I'd had two Dads for as long as I have, and wrote my step-dad a li'l thank you note for all the amazing things he's done for me. It included: introducing me to the wonder that is Audrey Hepburn when I was 13 (just think, if he hadn't made me watch My Fair Lady, I may never have discovered Audrey and there would never have been a pink-world...that would have been simply awful!), car-park picnics and a love for marching bands - list writing and remembering good things was much more fun than being all teary!

I then ate an entire layer of Thorntons chocolate, watched Top of The Pops - thanks for the heads up Staciee - it was fab - I wish they'd bring it back! Read the Kelly Brook's book of style, had txt convos with Miss L and wrote some more of book 2!

Happy, happy days!

So, how was it for you? Spill!

Happy Winter Solstice!

So, I was basically Santa yesterday - I delivered parcels.

Each stop providing a selection of festive yums, cute babies to look at, a few tears and lots of laughter!

The Man and I also got an arm-full of pressies in return too - we are so, so spoilt - we are going to have to get up at 4 to open them all before lunch, I reckon!

I know most people are kickin' back and watching bad TV for the next week, but in between family visits, present unwrapping and turkey eating, I've got LOTS of Lola goodness to do...

I'm working on some muchos fun stuff to accompany the fiction books at the moment, I really don't know how I get away with calling it work - I'm having so much blimmin' fun!

I also need to work on book two over the holiday, which now has quite possibly my most favourite title EVER - don't think I can tell you it yet, but deffo will as soon as I'm allowed - think retro 80s Jem for an idea!

In between all of that, I need to do my vision board for 2008 - instead of making new years resolutions that you struggle to keep, I make a list with words and pictures of all the things I'd like to make happen in the year ahead - for example, if I wanted to make new friends, I'd cut out a picture of a group of people laughing and smiling and I'd write what qualities I'd like them to have, like; loyal and fun to be with - get the idea?

Last year's vision board included: a book with my name on, a NY taxi, and a beach amongst others and guess what? I had two books published with my name on them, I went to NY in November and sat on a beach in Croatia back in May - can't wait to start visualising the next year - what would be on your vision board?

I'll post mine as soon as it's done!

I have just discovered these...



I am in heart with them, The Man says they look like me with their cute li'l hairdo's and when I showed him the website: www.momijishop.com he made me go through each of them and do the facial expressions - hours of fun!

Please Santa, J'adore and I want them all!

Happy Sunday evening...

I'm sorry I've been a slacker-girl here in bloggle world, but life really isn't particularly pink and fluffy right now, in fact it's positively sucky x a million squillion - my step-dad has now gone into a hospice and there's a lot of tears and a lot of fam hugging, but I don't wanna depress your sweet selves and in an effort to escape real life for an hour or two, I'm sipping pink lemonade, watching the X-factor final on repeat (I'm shocked Leon won, I like him, but not enough to win - poor Rhyds!) and answering questions about Christmas...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper. I'm all about wrapping, I'm not very good at it, but bags are deffo a cop-out...

2. Real tree or artificial?
Artificial. Our house is just too teeny, tiny to fit a real one...

3. When do you put up the tree?
If it was up to The Man, we'd have it up mid November, he LOVES the Christmas, but anytime after the 1st is the general rule in our household...

4. When do you take the tree down?
6th Jan - I get sad coz it makes the house look so bare, but I'm a superstitious sorta gal so I won't risk it!

5. Do you like eggnog?
I love the sound of it but had it when we were in a cold country one year, think it was Copenhagen atch, and I didn't have any love for it

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Fashion Wheel - it was the best present ever - I was convinced I was gonna be a fashion desginer, I used to make entire catalogues with my fashion wheel designs - ahh, happy days!

7. Do you have a nativity scene?
No.

8. Hardest person to buy for?
My BFF Susie - you'd think after 18 years of friendship, it would of gotten easier, but nope, it really hasn't, and I refuse to buy ANOTHER Celine Dion CD...

9. Easiest person to buy for?
Miss Sally - because it's like buying for myself!

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Everything's recyclable so there's never really a bad present, one man's rubbish is one man's treasure and all that...

11. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Deffo Christmas cards - I do care 'bout the environment, but they're recyclable and I LOVE getting real post as you all know, coz I tell you all the time!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Elf - "Santa's coming?! I know him! I know him"

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
I was done by the first week in December - I'm not into all that pushing and shoving malarky...

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Oh yeah - see question 10!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Chocolate - why change a habit of a lifetime at Christmas?!

16. Clear lights or coloured on the tree?
I love lights so we have both!

17. Favorite Christmas song?
Kirsty MacColl and The Pogues - The Fairy Tale of New York - the one and only cool Christmas song.

18. Travel for Christmas or stay at home?
Travel - I used to travel with mum and my step-dad to different cottages around the UK for Christmas, that was cool. I do think The Man and I will be travelling a lot more at crimbo time in future...

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers?
Of course I can! They're Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, Donner and Blitzen and my personal fave, Rudolf.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
A star, although I'm not loyal to tree-toppings, so if I found the pefecto Angel, that would totally take over!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
What? You can open them on Christmas eve? I never knew that! Why did no-one tell me??

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
Is it bah-humbug to say the incessant emphasis put on you to have a good time? Christmas has never been my fave time of year, being an only child with divorced parents all wanting a piece of you, and feeling total guilt no matter what your decision, is not my idea of a good time...

23. What I love most about Christmas?
It used to be Top of The Pops, I used to love that...Now it's eating a roast dinner coz it's the only time we get to do it!

Happy Monday!

I am having and oh-so-slightly smug moment-o because I have bought and wrapped all my Christmas presents a whole 2 weeks before the big day - yay me!

And... I went all Alpha girl and while The Man was away in the week, I went into the loft and got all the Christmas decorations out - I know, get me! I will take pics of my tree and fireplace because quite frankly, I'm really rather chuffed with my creative abilities!

I spent yesterday with my mumma and my step-dad who is fighting Cancer and to see someone you love suffering and in so much pain, is totes heart-breaking. I miss him mocking The Man's inability to shave, I miss him telling me rude jokes and most of all, I miss him being my step-dad.
I'm not normally a preachy kinda girl but this Christmas time be extra nice to your parentals or the people who look after you, 'k?

Yesterday was also sad because I said goodbye to my gorgeous friend, Martin too...
He's got a fab new job in Ireland and at first, I was muchos excited about his new adventure, but after a yummy farewell dinner with him last night, it hit that he isn't just going on holiday, but that he's actually going for good. Boo.
I'm going to miss him so much - love you, mister Martin!



Oh, did you see X Factor on Saturday?
It's my dream final scenario.
Rhydian, Leon and Same Difference - happy days!

As you know, I'm all about the Rhydian - so, so talented, but I LOVE Leon's voice and he's quite cute to look at, but then I feel a certain sense of loyalty to Same Difference as they're from my home town - ohh, I'm so excited - is it wrong to be this excited about a TV show? Maybe I need to get out more!

It's a sad day.

Well, it's a sad day if you're The Man.
Why?
Because I'm in love with another.
In fact, I'm writing this reclining on a Chez Lounge that looks out over the Thames and admiring my fabulous, huge-ass engagement ring, while my new fiance, Gary Barlow sings sweet nothings into my ear.
Happy, happy days.

Okay, okay, so I'm not really engaged to Gary Barlow - rudeness, but jeez, a girl can dream can't she?

So, Swanks, Miss Sally and I went to see Take That last night.

Sigh. Thud.

Most of you know, I LOVE Take That.

Swanks And Miss Sally will now testify that I LOVE Take That A LOT, as I think I screamed my way through the entire concert. Well, I did warn them there was a chance I'd revert back to my 13 year-old self, and I did.

They were increds x 100. Unfortunately, Gary didn't propose to me - boo - but he did look and sound HOT. The set was ah-mazing, they sang all the classics - favourites including - Back for Good and Rule the World and I didn't even complain that my programme was £15.

Our day in London was fab too, coz I do lots of work in London I generally just go to HC headquarters and straight home, so I love a chance to turn semi-tourist girl!
Sights included:
The bare-chested door staff at Abocrombie and Fitch - hello! - so wrong, yet so, so right! Yum.
Carnaby Street - I LOVE it! I especially LOVE the Benever2busy2bbeautiful shop - muchos increds, this vay cute assistant boy introduced me to the joy of pink glitter eyeliner - I also bought a shocking pink eyeshadow - anyone know what lipstick a girl should wear with that? and an adoorbells eye-brush - there is NOTHING I do not love about this shop!
We then went to Liberty - an olden days shop with lots of beautiful, expensive things in it, oh and guess who I saw in there? Only Jacquline - blimmin' idol-lady - Wilson! She's instantly recognisable and very lovely looking in real life. Miss Sally told me to go introduce myself, but I didn't dare, still it was very cool, I should have gone and brushed up against her to get myself some of her amazing writing ability!

I took a few pix of TT but only on my li'l snap-snap... Still, it'll give you a taster...