Shopping Blues - The Horror Of Christmas

Okay, so I hate to break it you you all, but Christmas is fast approaching. As in 45 days away, kind of fast.

Horrifying isn't it!?!?

Well, never fear, I am here!

As requested, I'll be writing today about presents. All of the troubles we have with presents start from one point, 'What do I get them?!'. From there, we then need to work out how much to spend. Once you have those two questions (almost) answered, we can go shopping. But how do we get them answered?

I've heard the aged old saying 'What do I give someone, who has everything?'. But really, what do you get them?

Well....Many things! So, let me see if I can break it down for everyone:

Girls, between the ages of 0-10:
There are three different types of gifts; girly, boyish, or futuristic.
What are they, you say? Girly gifts are little things like cute costume jewellery, clothes for dress ups, dolls etc. Boyish toys are for little girls, who like playing in the mud, things like skipping ropes, hula hoops, water pistols etc. Then the gifts for the future, are things like, opening a bank account in their name for university, Sponsoring a child etc. 

Boys, between the ages of 0-10:
Boys are a little easier to buy for, mainly because they're just little boys. Generally (And I say generally, in case any little boys, like being little girls), they just like being boys! Things like footballs, cricket sets, basketballs, comic books, ANYTHING with dinosaurs (mainly my 4-nearly-5-year-old nephew), matchbox cars, remote control cars, or lego.

After this age, they become a little troublesome to buy for, but you want to think about what they like. Do they like studying/reading? Why not have a look at the Top 100 Books Of 2013, pick something you think might appeal to them. Or you could go for stationary, things like nice notebooks, a new pencil case, or a daily planner.
Are they arty? What about a set of acrylic paints, a new canvas, a wooden artists model, or why not some life painting classes?
Are they sporty? What about a gift certificate to their favourite sporting goods store, a signed photo of their favourite sports star, or even one on one training for their chosen sport? 
Do they love space and the further frontiers? What about a model of our solar system, a book on the constellations, or if you want to splurge, maybe a telescope to look at the beautiful night sky?

I'm sure there are more, but I don't want to make this too easy for you!

Here are some ideas for adults:

• Village Cinemas gift card
• A set of BBQ tools
• Wind chime
• Decorative light for outside (bonus points if you put a citronella candle in there too)
• Perfume
• A nice scarf
• New bed spread
• Decorative candles
• A punny mug

You can also put together small baskets of goodies, depending on what theme you want to go for. I put together one last year for a friend Jess, who was having a shit time at work, and needed a bit of 'me' time. So it was in a cute little basket, with some make up wipes, nail polish, face mask, lipbalm etc. I could have also put things like moisturisers, bath bombs etc, but because Jess' skin can react to some cosmetics, I left them out.

If you want to put together a basket for someone who thinks they're a bit of a foodie: truffles (they're expensive), macaroons, fresh pasta, flavoured oils (chili infused olive oil), flavoured coffee beans, blank recipe book they can write in, etc.

What about someone who loves to entertain (sound like anyone you know?), things like quince paste, a cheese knife, sun dried tomatoes, gourmet cheeses, red wine?

Know someone who is a chocoholic? gourmet chocolate truffles, fancy cocoa for home made hot chocolates, sultanas/nuts covered in chocolate, blocks of different flavoured chocolate (think mint or orange).

Is someone in your life a bit of a boozer? what about a basket with different flavours of cider, different beers, and some small snacks to go with the drinks? Now I'm talking one bottle of each flavour, don't get too ahead of yourselves here.

Justin loves tea (drinking Tea), so I could do a basket for him with different teas, a fancy tea pot with built in strainer, travel tea mug (yes they exist), and a tea box. Same sort of thing for someone who loves coffee, get them a new travel mug, different coffee beans, a coffee plunger etc. 

I can see you're all sitting there going, well this is nice Jayde, but get to the good stuff!

Now here's my issue, I can suggest a whole heap of possible presents for people, but unless you actually want to get them something, instead of need to get the something, you're gonna have a bad time! Gift giving isn't about who gets whom the best present, it's about being there with loved ones, and exchanging gifts of love. 

I hope this helps, I know there are probably thousands more gift ideas I could have written about, but really, if you can't find anything in the text above, just give up.

Happy holidays, fools.

Jayde xx

Entertaining: Food For Thought

So, following on from my post the other day about entertaining guests, just thought I would show you guys what I was talking about.

Pretty much, we turned my dining room table into a buffet table!

 With treats for guests of all ages!

 A little bit of this

 A little bit of that

 Some chips...

 Some dips...

 Can't forget the cutlery or crockery...

 Or condiments and glasses!

We also had a few different hot foods, like aranchini balls, spring rolls, spinach & feta triangles, and mini hot dogs. The kids were catered for with fresh fruit cut into bite size bits and fresh home made choc chip cookies.

All in all, a great day, filled with fantastic food (even if i do say so myself) and even better company.

So I hope this helps give you guys some ideas for food to serve :)

Happy celebrating!

Love

Jayde xx

Entertaining Guests

I absolutely adore entertaining people, whether its a small gathering or a large party. You see, it's not about the party its self, it's more about having the opportunity to see my friends. 

One of the upsides of entertaining, is being able to supply my friends with food, and plenty of it! 

So Justin and I are having people over on Tuesday for Cup Day drinks and nibbles. We don't follow horse racing (I personally find it rather horrendous and barbaric, but each to their own), it's just a really good excuse to do something. Plus, here in Australia we have a public holiday for it :)

Anyway, I digress, apologies. I originally wanted this post to be an instructional post of sorts, like, 'I want to entertain some friends, but I have no idea where to start', so I suppose I should probably get on with it!

Okay, so you want to have some friends over on the weekend, but where do you start?

Well, the first question you need to ask yourself is: How much effort do I want to put in? Only a little because I am really struggling budget & time wise, or a lot of effort, because I have all the time and money in the world? Pick your position between the two, and there you have it.

Once you have worked that out, everything else comes pretty easily. Just make sure you know how many people are coming, and if there is a reason to have people over. For example, for us, we're loosely basing it on cup day, so we're doing slightly fancier food than normal. Instead of pizza, we're having gourmet mini hot dogs, instead of coca-cola, we're having soda stream. You get the picture.

Make sure you always over cater, instead of under cater, there is nothing worse than being in the middle of a great party, and having to leave to go get food because the starving masses are started to get restless. That being said, if you aren't going to provide food (and don't panic, not everyone does), try to plan your event around the normal meal times. Don't ask people to come over at lunch time, and expect them to be okay when you don't provide them lunch...

Do any of your guests have kids? Yes, well make sure you plan for them too. It will make a big difference to the parents, when they realise you have catered for their precious little one. Because really, who wants a screaming child ruining your day, because you only have caviar and salmon, when all they want is a hot dog?

Chips for the kids, French Twists for the adults

Pretty much the only other thing you need to know about food, is people's dietary requirements. We have a couple of vegetarian friends, and we like to make sure there is a decent selection for them to choose from. Like Missy Higgins said "we have taste buds too" (https://www.facebook.com/missyhiggins October 17th, or http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/missy-higgins-rants-against-qantas-inflight-meals-20131018-2vrag.html). So we include a few different dips and chips, as well as a 'main snack' so to speak. Something that isn't chips and dips, but isn't a roast dinner. Our favourite is arancini balls, which Justin is a pro at making. Please check if any of your other guests have any food allergies, because there is (almost) nothing worse than sending a guest to hospital, because you fed them satay shrimp and they're allergic to peanuts and seafood. Talk about awkward...

We also try to give people a choice of foods, so we include something snacky & salty, like chips, (think of it as the entree of snacks), then something filling, like the aranchi balls (the main course), then something sweet, like home made run balls (dessert).

Biscuits/cookies make a great sweet snack for both kids & adults

Now, onto actual entertainment. We all like to think that our company is the best entertainment, but don't kid yourself, you're not as interesting as you think you are. So, have a back up plan! Pick some 'sick tunes' for the day, to play in the background, this will help with the atmosphere and stop those awkward silences from taking over. Try to make a playlist, so you can know that your music will take care of it's self, and you're not going to have 'Smack My Bitch Up" suddenly start playing. If you have iTunes, use Genius, you just pick a song, and it will make a 20ish song playlist for you, based on your selected song. Pretty handy!

Next, decide if you're going to have some sort of visual entertainment (remember, we already have audio). You could have a movie playing, a tv show, a special event (Melbourne Cup Day). Pretty much anything your heart desires! Just try to make sure it's relevant to what you're doing on the day. 

So, we've covered food, audio and vision entertainment, now onto drinks! Though I suppose I should have covered that after food, but oh well!

Drinks can be a tricky and expensive venture for anyone. You need to decide if you are going to provide alcohol, or just 'soft' drinks. After you've decided that, it makes it a lot easier! Plus a lot safer for you and your guests. Generally, unless it's a birthday/Halloween/new years party, we don't have any alcohol, and if we do, we advise our guests they will need to provide it themselves. 

Soft drinks sound a little boring I know, but you can always spice them up! A mocktail is a great way to add a little non-alcoholic splash to a party, you can garnish them with slices of fresh fruit, or those cute little paper umbrellas. I've put the links to my favourite 3 mocktails. By the way, limeade is just lemonade but it's make with limes instead of lemons. We made limeade with our soda stream, but you might be able to find it in your local shops.

We're almost done! Last but not least, is decorations! I do love a well decorated event. But sometimes doing it at home on a budget, can seem like an impossible dream. Don't despair, not all is lost! You just need to make smart decisions. Firstly, do you want to go all out, and make this the party of the year, or is this just a small gathering that you want to host every month/year etc? Working out this, will help you decide how you want to decorate. For example, if you're hosting a big end of year party, then yes, hiring the jumping castle is a brilliant idea. If you're hosting a simple afternoon tea, then try investing in some nice candles, cloth napkins and napkin rings. Why not invest in some new wine glasses, and each afternoon (say one weekend a month) a different person brings wine for everyone to try? 

I know what you're all thinking now, 'that's all well and good Jayde, but how do I cut costs?'.

I'm glad you asked!

The main two ways you're going to be able to cut costs:

1) Shop Around:
There is nothing worse than buyers remorse. Going all guns a blazing, and buying everything you see, then the next day, seeing all of those things on sale at various stores. It pays to shop around. I know it's pain in the ass, but if you want to be able to buy everything, you need to be money savvy. I personally love Aldi, I can buy almost everything I need, for a fraction of the cost. 
(You can read my blog about shopping smart here: http://adayinthelifeofjayde.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/beating-big-two-end-rant.html)

2) DIY:
Yes, you read right, do-it-yourself. This means, where you can, get your hands dirty and put yourself to work. When you think about it, would you rather pay $10 for a decorated mason jar, or would you rather pay $2 for the jar, 50c for the decorations, and 50c for the glue? Exactly! It's the same principle with food, if you can spend 30 minutes of your time, and spend only $5 to make dessert, wouldn't you rather do that then spend $10 on the same (less delicious) thing?

Justin making home made rum balls.

Action shot!

Alrighty folks, I think I've told you the basics on entertaining guests. So my job here is done!

Here are the links for a few of the thing's I've mentioned:
Rum Balls Recipe:
https://plus.google.com/115579508519657853131/posts/cL3VwbQhz2s

Mocktail Recipes:
https://plus.google.com/115579508519657853131/posts/hQ94BHWw9LL


Thanks for reading, and if you have any ideas or stories, please share them in the comment's section below!

Thanks, 

Jayde xx