Project 365 : Week 1

RIP Madiba

Zapiro

It is a very sad time for our nation.

Nelson Mandela was the embodiment of love and humility. He stood for what he believed.

He inspired others by being.

Today South Africans are 1 nation. 

Twenty Wishes - Recap

I suddenly realised that it was a year ago that I committed to these 20 Wishes.

I seem to have fallen off the wagon a bit and I am embarrassed that I have not done more.

1. Fall in Love -Still waiting
2. Buy a nice fitting blazer - Due to point 20 - I am managing my budget better, so no space to buy any blazers just yet
3. Buy a cool pair of Converse 
4. Go overseas  CHeck & CHECK! Japan and Mauritius (I flew over a sea to get to Mauritius - it counts)
5. Read a great book - The Perks of Being a Wallflower perhaps - I watched the movie. Dammit, it doesn't count, does it?
6. Watch a classic movie - I have never watched Mary Poppins, Sound of Music etc
7. Cook/bake more I have 2 awesome Le Creuset mugs to show for this!
8. Do another wine tasting trip in the Cape - I went to Mauritius instead.
9. Drink more water 
10. Go to a live concert - Justin Bieber
11. Get my weight below 70kg - then lose a further 5kgs- Let's not go there
12. Work towards a better toned stomach ...........
13. Get rid of the people in my life who drain me 
14. Buy a dining room table 
15. Go on a photography course: Budget constrictions
16. Have a wall full of frames with my photographs from all my trips etc 
17. Work less - Overall I did do better in 2013 than I did in 2012. I aim to improve this even more in 2014
18. Be a happier person
19. Do something totally spontaneous - I bought One Direction tickets in London without having any plan other than knowing I want to be there.
20. Manage my budget more diligently - being a homeowner means I need to be alot more careful 

50% success rate. Meh.

I will do better in 2014.

New list to be posted before Christmas.....

Tick Tick Tick.... Ho Ho Ho!

Source

How cute is the gift tag in the above photo?

My Christmas Clock is ticking.

There is so much to get done before the jolly fat man rewards us for being good little boys & girls.

As I posted about my Christmas on a Budget, I read Ms Van Vee's post on gift wrapping ideas she found on Pinterest. This has made me even more excited to get creative on budget.

I found some really cute gift wrap ideas and posted them to a Pinterest board here

I will be wrapping my gifts in brown paper and brightly coloured ribbon (R10 a roll at the chinese mall) with pretty printed gift tags off the computer.
I will take photos once I have wrapped gifts and hope it turns out well.

I have helped the whole family choose Christmas gifts for each other & even bought on their behalf. Now I have to give serious attention to the gifts I have to buy and make some time to go shopping!

I have to buy a gift for my dad, aka the most difficult man to buy for because he is not phased about getting gifts. We used to be able to make him happy with chocolates, but since being diagnosed as a diabetic, it's thrown a spanner in the works.

Dad spends most of his spare time working. He travels for work alot. He doesn't really read. Except the newspaper. He doesn't need to wear a suit & tie. He likes being in the garden. Walking the dogs. He has a wallet. He has a hat for outside. He has new shoes. He doesn't feel the cold, so doesn't need a jersey, scarf or socks.

Previous gifts that we have tried:

• MP3 player and speaker - he doesn't have a car radio. He forgets to charge the speaker
• A man-bag to keep all his crap together. He forgets to use it
• Vouchers for clothes. He hates shopping so forgets to use the voucher.

See my dilemma? It's like Mission Impossible!

I thought I would try my hand at online shopping, but after a while I gave up - I can't see the products properly on a computer screen, I need to touch the product and make sure it's right.

What is on your Christmas shopping list this year?

Travel Tuesday: Italy, Venice

One of my favourite places of all time. 

The culture and the food. 

The romance of  the warmly lit narrow walkways.

Venice is a place for lovers.

Venice is also listed as a World Heritage Site.

Venice is built on wooden piles and is prone to flooding on Spring time.

When travelling through the canals on gondola - the water and algae marks the tideline over many seasons.

I have heard many people say that Venice is a very dirty city, but while there we saw no dirt or refuse and there was no small from the canal water. Perhaps my nose was frozen off! 

Even the worst weather of our holiday;  -5 degrees Celcius ("This weather is so unusual", say the locals) with icy wind and slushy snow could not deter me from falling in love with this city.

Bridge of Sighs

The prisoners walked across this bridge to be hung and it is said that even now you can still hear the sighs of the long dead.

Santa Maria della Salute

A very popular cathedral - Saint Mary of Health -  presiding over the Grand Canal, it was built as a thank you for those who survived the Plague in the 1600s

Pigeon Whisperer

Have a bag of bird food in your hand and before you can say tweet - the birds bombard you. 

It felt like they were everywhere and yet when you see the photos, it isn't the same as the Hitchcock scene you imagined it to be

Food? Food, food, food, food!

The Grand Canal

Masks

We trawled the dimly lit streets looking for the "perfect mask". I found a black lace mask in the visage of a cat, but the shop was closed. I was beginning to despair when I came across a silver and blue mask. I have never worn it. But I will one day!

At the end of the day after getting extremely lost in the maze of narrow streets, we found our way to a cosy little coffee shop and ordered Cappucinos to warm up. Sitting inside the restaurant and watching the snow gently falling outside I remember thinking that 1 day I would return for my honeymoon.
Making our way to our collection point - the Belltower, I had to stop and take this photo. It took a few tries with my little point and shoot - I had to try to stand very still so as to avoid the camera shake. I eventually managed to capture the warm glow that I always associate with Venice in my head.

The snow was falling and all around us, the sounds of the city were muted - lending to the air of romance and magic.

St Mark's Campanile

Manicure Monday: Pink Bling

I am afraid time has gotten the better of me these past few weeks.

Today's manicure is fairly simple. It does have sparkles - my NYC Pink Bling nail polish courtesy of Christina (Snail Mail Collective) all the way from Texas.
If you know me, you know I am always game for sparkles/glitter/shiny things!

Pink Bling

Using my Ralo Cosmetics Matt Pink polish, I added a little bit of the Pink Bling from the cuticles, half way down the nail for a subtle sparkle.

Simple. But Effective. 

Christmas on a Budget

December already? Where has the time gone!?

The age old question now gets asked; What do you want for Christmas?

I've said it countless times before - Christmas is my favourite time of the year.

However, Christmas is going to be on a tight budget this year.
No bonuses and an overseas trip pending, I am pre-planning this year's bash in advance and not leaving it until the last minute, which I did last year!

Once again we are continuing the tradition where all the the adults buy a nice gift for 1 person - max R300 and the rest get a stocking filler gift - limit R50.
With just the immediate family, we are potentially only looking at R500ea spend on gifts (excluding my 2.5 year old nephew who gets a nice present from all of us)

In the spirit of keeping within the R300 limit, these are on my Christmas wishlist.

For my home

For Me

>> The Docking Station was a "wishful thinking" which seems impossible to find anywhere!

When you have the less fortunate asking for Deodorant and school supplies, it kind of puts things into perspective a little bit, doesn't it?

Thanks to Tee, I have my DIY Cracker Kits on their way.

It has been tradition that I always buy the Crackers.
To get anything that doesn't contain cheap plastic bits of uselessness, I usually spend around R300 for 6 crackers. The contents are better - but still not worth the money.
This year I am determined to make my own.

6 x DIY Crackers with snap: R25
Contents:

• Candy Cane Sweet: R30
• Corny Jokes: Free

Gifts: 

• Dad: Magnifying Card (when he can't find glasses in a restaurant) R20
• Mom: Lip Balm R40
• Nephew: Spiderman facecloth R27.50
• Brother: Also a Spiderman facecloth (he is the worst to decide on something for) R27.50
• Sister-in-law: 30 x Hair bands R25
• Myself: 30 x Hairbands  R25

Total for 6 quality crackers: R220 SCORE!

What are you doing to save money over Christmas?