Adding to the Christmas list...

In addition to smiles from Baby G and some Kailis earrings, I think I want an Alexander McQueen skull calf hair box clutch.

How sensational!

Pity about the price - at 981 pounds it's a tad out of the price range at the moment. Plus it's not particularly practical for a stay at home mum who needs to take a suitcase of stuff with her every time she leaves the house...

Nevermind - a girl can dream, right?

Kitty

Christmas treats.

There are a number of foods we all seem to associate with Christmas - ham, turkey, pudding... But I have a few extras that I only seem to eat around Christmas. They aren't Christmas foods as such, but are treats that I indulge in that seem particularly good during the festive season.

One such food is Artisan du Chocolat's No 1 salted caramels. There aren't words to describe how good these things really are. Originally invented in 2003 by Gerard Coleman for Gordon Ramsay’s menu at Claridges, these tasty morsels are sweet liquid caramel with a pinch of Noirmoutier island’s grey salt, captured in a bitter cocoa dusted shell of intense dark chocolate. They are so bitter, so salty, so buttery, so sweet. So Yum.

I could eat them all year round but that would mean they might lose their "specialness". So I keep them for Christmas. I may share my box, I may not. But I will enjoy every last one I eat, you can be sure of that.

Artisan du Chocolat ship to Australia using Fed Ex so there is still time to get your mitts on a box of these beauties before Christmas. Order a couple - they make brilliant hostess gifts. You won't be sorry. Plus they deduct the VAT from the cost of the item so the 13.50 pounds per box becomes 11.25. I'll take my discounts where I can get them!

And if you are particularly adventurous, they make a number of different flavours. I think the original is the best, but I was definitely tempted by the spiced fig. Very Christmasy!

Do you have a special Christmas treat you don't like to share?

Kitty xx

What do I want for Christmas?

Hmmm... World peace? Nice. An end to the GFC? Perhaps. 10 hours uninterrupted sleep? Where do I sign up?

But if these happened to appear in my stocking, I wouldn't be unhappy...

They are from Kailis - one of the most innovative jewellery brands out there. Kailis made the "O" pearl pendants for Oprah while she was in Australia last year. And at $5650, they are very good value I think! You can even wear the hoops by themselves - two pairs of earrings for the price of one. Bargain.

And the best thing? The earrings come with a matching pendant. Perfect for my birthday.

In reality, I think Mr K and I will talk about my Christmas present in January. We're a tad busy at the moment to organise anything, bar a few presents for G. Plus I already got everything I wanted this year. Baby G is enough of a present for any girl.

What is on your Christmas list this year? I think I'd like the Philippa Sibley book Desserts, a smile from Baby G, someone to cook dinner and some of that sleep wouldn't go astray...

Kitty xx

Fat pugs and cake.

A very dear friend posted this on another friend's Facebook page this week. It made me laugh so much - it captures exactly how I feel about Mr K and Baby G.

I may just have to buy one.

Kitty

Pudding.

Anyone remember this onesie I just had to have from Not on the High Street?

Well, I bought it and it arrived today. The quality is insanely good. The onesie itself is made from a beautiful thick cotton and the colours are beautifully vibrant. It's a smidgey bit bigger than I thought it would be but the rate baby G is growing it should be a perfect fit at Christmas. I promise to post photos of my little Pudding after she wears it!

Kitty

Christmas presents for Baby G

I think it's fair to say I just love Christmas. Love it. I spend months thinking about what to eat on Christmas Day. I love shopping for Christmas presents for people and devising a special outfit for the celebrations.

This year it's all the more special, having a little person to shop for and pamper. I've tried very hard not to buy too many things for her (given she has no idea what is actually going on) but I couldn't help purchasing a few choice items...

Here is what I have bought so far:
A personalised wooden name puzzle - okay so her name isn't Olivia but you can buy a puzzle for your baby with it's name personalised. They charge by the letter (so shorter names are cheaper) and it comes with a great wooden storage box from Mooo.
A Violet rag doll from Alimrose. I first saw this doll on their Facebook page and had to have it. Eventually it was tracked down at The Hip Infant. She looks just like Baby G so of course I was thrilled!

This penguin hand puppet from ChunkiChilli at Not On The High Street. I have blogged about their rabbits before. I have to say I found it very hard to choose a toy from their selection but eventually we settled on this one.

I still need to buy her a book so if anyone has any suggestions they would be gratefully received. Especially something that can be bought online as I am allergic to the shops at the moment!

Kitty

Bonds.

Baby G is growing up so fast. While we were changing her nappy the other day we noticed she had grown out of her first onesies - she's just getting too long too fast! And what with the damp weather we have been having in Sydney recently, our options for drying things - even inside on a rack - seem to be limited. So she often gets close to running out of things to wear - a woman's worst nightmare.

This recent event, and the realisation that Bonds now sells directly online to customers, prompted a bit of a spending spree yesterday. It did, however, take me three goes to get everything into my shopping cart - a few interruptions like feeding hungry babies and making dinner got in the way - but eventually I made my purchases. However, given busy mums are likely to be the target demographic for the Bonds online store, I do wish they wouldn't purge your shopping cart after 20 minutes. I found myself coming back to it again and again to add things to my cart, only to discover it had all disappeared. I would think not many Mums would have the half an hour altogether required to sit and trawl through the site. But it's a small complaint for what was otherwise a fairly easy experience.

As a launch bonus, Bonds are currently offering free standard shipping on all purchases, plus 10% off each item you purchase if you like it on Facebook. Worth doing - between special offers and the "like" bonus, I saved $52 off a $220 order.

Some of my favourite things from the order:
These gorgeous cord overalls. Okay, so I know I am getting ahead of myself somewhat but a few people have told me that when she starts crawling she needs good overalls. So I bought these in the hope that they will be great quality and I can just buy more of them. The green ones are very cute too.

This cuter than cute onesie. I love the divine little birds.

This cool striped coverall. G looks fab in pink so this was a must have for me.

I also bought some practical wondersuits and nappy covers for summer. Hopefully it will start to get warmer soon so I can break them out! I can't wait til everything arrives!

Kitty