2010, You've Been Fab!

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

Thank you for following my adventures through Blogland :)

[image: tumblr]

Wishing you and your loved ones a spectacular 2011!

XO Laura

My art in the press....

Morning all! I thought I'd pop in to let you know that I've been featured in an article written by Paddy Hintz, a journalist at The Courier Mail newspaper here in Brisbane.

You can check out the full article here. Thanks so much Paddy for the feature.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We had a lovely day, shared with family who joined us here for lots of food, a drink or two and the traditional Singstar challenge which lasted well into the wee hours. I'm sure our neighbours thank their lucky stars we live on acreage, as none of us could remotely be described as singers, but what we lack in talent we more than make up for with enthusiasm! Today the crew have braved the dismal weather and headed off to Noosa, which leaves me with the whole day to myself. I'm looking forward to doing nothing more than mooching around, enjoying a good book and a dvd or two, and after the frantic lead-up to the big day, I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing. 

Hope Santa was kind to you all, and I'm looking forward to catching up with your news over the next few weeks. I have lots of exciting plans for this little blog of mine, and I can't wait to share them with you all. I love the start of a new year - so many exciting possibilities!

Searching For Santa At The North Pole (Really!)

[image: Ric Rac And Buttons]

It started out as a joke.

'Honey, can you believe people in England go to Lapland to visit Santa for the same price as going to the Caribbean in December?' Sounded ridiculous (plus I'm allergic to the cold). But instead I received a 'We should look into doing that' from my husband (!). Um, really? Our oldest is almost 10 years old, so it was now or never. 

So before I knew it, we had tickets in hand to go to Finland ON THE DARKEST DAY OF THE YEAR to visit Santa and his crew.

[source]

I love sneaky surprises, so we kept it a secret from the kids. Unexpectedly I got all misty-eyed from watching 'The Polar Express' which led me to spill the beans that we were going to visit Santa in 2 days.

In those 2 days, a lot happened. England received another snow storm that closed the major airports. My son got a sinus infection. My daughter slept all day with a high fever. Suddenly, I was actually praying that we would go to the North Pole (!).

My daughter also complained of nausea. So thanks to the good advice from my friend Miss S, I had a whole bunch of Ziplock Bags in my carry-on 'just in case' we got to see breakfast a second time. Turned out Miss S had a few Ziplocks tucked away for her son too on her travels.

Although I felt guilty that we would be spreading a virus, not just Christmas cheer, to our airplane mates, it didn't matter because it turned out everyone had a virus to share too. A flying petri dish. I'm not sure there was a healthy child on that flight. How many moms had Ziplock Bags stuffed in their carry-ons too?

Anyhoo, regardless of security breaches, the flight attendants invited all children to the front of the plane to sing carols into their intercom phone. Toy Story 3 played on the screens. We were off to the North Pole in search of Santa for the next three days!

[source]

Okay, not the actual North Magnetic Pole - a moving target due to the changes in the magnetic forces in the earth's core. It is found in the Arctic Ocean, amid floating sea ice (according to Wikipedia).

For this reason, it is a little known fact that Santa has set up shop in Lapland, Finland above the Arctic Circle. Lapland is a northern region that includes Norway, Sweden, and Finland. More reindeer live in Lapland than people.

I'm not going sugar-coat it. It was COLD (-25C / -13F) and it was white. Even the tree trunks were caked with snow.  The Finnish flag pretty much sums it up:

Flag of Finland   [source]

Just snow and sky, like the colors of the flag. I just love flags, and now you won't forget theirs :)

The sun never reached the horizon, so daylight was called 'grey light'. 10:00am sunrise; sunset at 2:30p. The photo below could be a sunrise or sunset - it is hard to remember when they were just a few hours apart!

View From Bus - Truly A Winter Wonderland

The air was so dry, I was gasping for water; the snow was too dry to make a snowman.

All the forests were remarkably dense with trees. The photo below is from our walk in the woods at 3:30p!

Candles In The Snow Light A Forest Path

We were on the lookout for the Northern Lights, but unfortunately we didn't have a clear night.

To prepare for our time in the elements, we were outfitted in special snow suits. I wore a ski parka and more layers underneath the puffy leisure suit. One of the elves nicknamed me 'Miss America'; you can see why ;) I was an American hottie in this get-up!

Me, Bundled

Our Cabin

Sign of Wildlife

I've eaten for many reasons in my life - hunger, comfort, fuel. But never have I eaten just to get warm on the inside. I don't remember what I ate during our trip, but I ate a lot. Because I was very cold.

The purpose of our trip was to see Santa Claus. Our tour guide kept us very busy with lots of activities: sledding, reindeer and horse sleigh rides, snowshoeing, dog sledding, and snowmobiling.

Oh how the husky dogs made us laugh! They barked and howled with such excitement while they waited to pull our sled. Like a child, they were antsy and could hardly stand the wait! And once they started pulling the sled they were focused and quiet.  I felt bad when the ride was over, knowing they wanted to go again and again :) Nothing like a working dog with drive and purpose.

During our activities, we met delightful elves who gave suggestions on where we might find Father Christmas.

Reindeer Sleigh

The reindeer were smaller than I imagined they would be. Their backs probably weren't even chest-high to me.

Snowmobiling

We had outside activities all day. 

Warm fire and hot berry juice at every stop.

Warming Tipi

We visited the Toy Workshop, the Elves' House, and the Post Office. Below are the post boxes that were full of letters to Santa from around the world delivered by reindeer. So cute and clever!

Incoming: Letters For Santa From Each Continent

Santa reading my children's letters

After a drive and snowmobile ride, we finally found Santa's house the last hour of our tour. He had a magnificant view of Lapland from his home (we were sworn to secrecy on his location, so no photos). 

We saw some of our favorite elves again, played games, and met Mrs Claus. She said she knew we were American when the kids told her they leave cookies for Santa every Eve (the English leave mincemeat pies). 

After our chat with lovely Mrs. C, she took the four of us behind a moving bookcase(!) to a secret staircase(!) which led us to Santa. We were thrilled, and quite frankly, in awe.

When the four of us entered his room, Santa immediately greeted my kids by name. He held up the actual letters they sent weeks ago (the kids' eyes so wide!) and gave them an early present from their list! Santa Claus was the gentle soul you would expect him to be. 

The kids went to bed exhausted with smiles on their faces. We had an unforgettable, magical trip to Lapland.

It felt like an old friend stopped by on Christmas Eve Night. And he had.

Honey, can you believe people go to the Caribbean for Christmas, when they could visit Santa?

May the Christmas spirit be with you all year long,

XO Laura

The Various Meanings of Boxing Day

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

Yesterday our Christmas was quiet with just the four of us in the house. We had the typical excitement with Santa's goodies and presents from under the tree. A few gifts still wait at the post office because I was mistaken on the closing time on Christmas Eve. And other presents are still in transit due to the snow storms over the past few weeks. 

[image: Paper Crave]

But the truth was, it didn't matter. Fewer gifts made the kids less overwhelmed. They had time to play significantly with each new present and each other.

Christmas Eve my husband whipped up a gourmet meal (he's so good) while I made cookies with the kids for Santa. Since we've all come down with colds, we had popcorn for Christmas lunch and soup for Christmas dinner. We watched the movie 'The Santa Clause' as a family just before bed. It was a simple yet lovely day.

...

Today is Boxing Day in the UK, a secular holiday celebrated in many countries around the world (not in US). 

Historically employers gave bonuses and 'boxed up' leftover food to employees on this day. It was the time to give an 'Alms Box' to the poor.

It also has been the day for the Boxing Day Hunt. Fox hunting dates back to the 16th century in England. Controversially, fox hunting has been banned since 2004.

[image: Daily Mail]

Today for many, it is the busiest retail day filled with shopping and sales. Think 'Black Friday' in the US after Thanksgiving.

But to us it is another day of being together right here
(with snotty tissues in hand)

Happy Boxing Day!

Content: Wikipedia

XO Laura

Merry Merry Christmas!

Little Finnish Santa

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

This has been a unique Christmas season for us! Not only is it our first Christmas in England, but we just got home last night from visiting Santa in Lapland, Finland!  

Granted it would make THE perfect Christmas blog post, but I have so many photos to share and stories to tell, that it won't be up in time. In the meantime, here are just a few photos from our trip.

Reindeer

It was cold, it was dark, and it was FUN!

We have a tradition of watching Santa on the NORAD satellite as he makes his way around the world. You can track him here too.

Wishing you the joy and magic of the Christmas season this year!

Sending the love,
Laura

Thanks, and Merry Christmas!

As I write this post this morning, I've spent a little time looking back on the past year, and what a year it was. After years of lurking in blogland, religiously devouring all of my favourites each day, I finally took the plunge and started my own little blog. I thought I'd find decorating inspiration and some great ideas, which of course I have, but I've found so much more than that. I've found a wonderful, supportive community of like-minded people, who are so generous with their time, energy and friendship, and it's been an absolute pleasure to meet each and every one of you. Thank you for being so wonderful, for your sweet comments, funny quips, great advice, fabulously inspiring projects......but most of all, thanks for making the last ten months so fantastic.You really are the best.

To end the year, I thought I'd revisit a few of my favourite pics - after all, what better way to wrap up things up than with some serious eye candy?

a little Round Hill magic

just because

my dream art studio courtesy of the uber-talented Steve and Brooke Gianetti

seriously stylish coastal style

I finally painted my kitchen white

the inspiration behind the makeover of my timber ceiling

some Meg Braff magic

the gorgeous home of Maggie Tabberer

...and I'll leave you with some festive season decorating Ralph Lauren-style

So, from my family to you and yours, have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season. I'll be taking a little blogging break, but I'm really looking forward to catching up with you all again soon. See you in 2011!

Last chance!

Just a quick reminder that today is the last day of the 20% off sale in my Etsy shop. Last orders will be posted tomorrow, and then I'll be taking a break until the 18th January. Thanks so much everyone for your overwhelming support, and I can't wait to share all my plans for the new year. I finished my very last original painting yesterday - a new addition to my blue and white Chinoiserie series:

'Ginger Jar in Cobalt'

original watercolour on paper

Right, I'm off to finish decorating the house, ready for Christmas day. Thankfully, the pool is now finished and ready to go, and although the forecast is for rain, rain and more rain, it's actually a beautiful day here today. So I'm going to make the most of it and get the place looking all pretty and festive,  and play with a few ideas I have for zhushing up the table. In general, I plan to enjoy one of the only summery days we've had in ages! 

Hope you all have a great day, and I'll catch you all soon.

'The Holiday' With A Twist

'Tis the perfect time to confess that one of the reasons I moved to England was that I was hoping to live in or next to this...

Iris's Cottage from 'The Holiday'
[from Chalk & Talk Blog]

Do you remember this cozy cottage from the film, 'The Holiday' (2006)? I have visited Shere in Surrey several times [here], where portions of the movie were filmed, but I've never seen this house. (Otherwise I'd be writing from there now)

It's not too late to rent this delightful romantic comedy starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet to put you in the holiday mood. In a nutshell, their characters swap homes for Christmas - Winslet flies to Diaz's modern Southern California home while Diaz tromps off to Winslet's English country cottage. A classic chick flick.

A few yummy scenes / eye candy from 'The Holiday' (via Cote de Texas):

This last photo makes me laugh because I really did sleep in my big parka and scarf just last week! These old homes are so cold and drafty. If I could knit myself a nose hat, I would. 

Now for some photos from the movie set in Shere. I believe a lot of these photos are from the DVD's Special Features. All photos below are from Hooked On Houses.

Blowing Fake Snow For Wintry Scenes

This is the High Street in Shere. If you go for a visit, you'll see the yellow door on the right for The Lucky Duck Tea Room. The pub in the movie, The White Horse, will be up ahead on your right, past the stream with ducks. No need to bring in the Hollywood snow right now - there's plenty of it!

Ready for a little twist? Here are more photos of my old, charming 17th Century cottage, in the making...

Unbelievable, I know - a bit of a heartbreak. Thrown up in just a few weeks in a field (and since torn down). Now I  know why I couldn't find that cottage! But here's the good news. 

There is a cottage in the Cotswolds for rent that may have been the inspiration for this movie.

Slatter's Cottage, Cotswolds

The Lounge and Bedroom 2 are similar to the movie
Slatters Cottage

And the other good news is I know I can hire a movie crew to build me a charming 17th Century English cottage one day :)

Iris's Cottage, 'The Holiday'

Anywhere.

(P.S. For more television & movie homes, visit the interesting Hooked On Houses)

XO Laura

Related Posts: 'Crazy Quaint' Shere, Film Locations: The Holiday & Bridget Jones