Ella's Prom Night #Project 52

Friday night was Ella's Prom, celebrating the end of her GCSEs and of secondary school life.  She chose an understated but elegant Little Black Dress to wear and looked stunning.

Before Prom started, Ella's friends all descended on our house.  There were shoes, bow ties and jackets strewn around as her friends got changed into their outfits.  The atmosphere was so upbeat.  I was honoured to be a part of their preparations in my role as unofficial pre-prom photographer. 

Her friend Jeff bought her a beautiful corsage to wear on her wrist, a gorgeous hairpiece and a cuddly toy.  She was thoroughly spoiled and treated (quite deservedly) like a princess.

I love how down to earth her friends are.  They all looked gorgeous and scrubbed up well, but didn't go down the OTT route.  Proms are becoming so huge in the UK with kids arriving in stretch limos, wedding cars or by horse and carriage.  Some of the dresses worn would rival those worn by brides on their big day.  I wonder what Prom will be like when Kizzy and Freddy are sixteen?!

Ella's friends are truly a lovely bunch of teenagers.  They look out for each other, are supportive, friendly and loyal.  I am so proud of her for choosing to be part of such a great friendship group.  They have helped her through some tough times.

Come September, Ella will be going to a new college in another town, but will always have her hometown friends.  

It was lovely seeing Ella and her friends so happy and having such fun as they waited for us parents/chaffeurs to take them in convoy to the school where the hall had been transformed  into a perfect prom venue with flowers and balloons. Thankfully the torrential rain subsided and the sun shone down on them as they arrived making it all perfect.

Everyone had a fantastic time.  This is such a milestone in my daughter's life.  I am so proud of her and absolutely adore my sweet sixteen year old.

Planning A Baby Shower??

Sudocrem's New Baby Shower App on Facebook

I'm thrilled to bits that in a few months time I'm going to be a granny to my son Joe's first baby with his lovely girlfriend Jade.  It's an exciting time for our family and we fully intend to celebrate every step of the way.

Baby McDonald

Baby Showers are becoming really popular in the UK and it will be lovely for Jade to have one for our families and friends.  Knowing my future daughter-in-law, who is very creative and loves a good party, she will want to be in charge of planning her own baby shower!  However, the last thing she will want to do is spend hours trying to organise all the details of sending invitations, managing guest lists and sorting out a gift list.  This is where the new Sudocrem Facebook App comes in, allowing you to do all your organising from one place in just minutes!

It's so easy to do!  You simply enter the event details, filling in the time and place, then send invites to your friends and family via Facebook.  The guests can RSVP directly and also can send messages on the useful comments board.  Guests can also have access to a gift list, making sure that the mum-to-be does not end up getting ten of the same present!!  I know that Jade has a wishlist of some beautiful, quirky baby clothes...this is a great way of letting those who want to buy a gift know exactly what she wants for Baby McD!  The app let's you see all the events you have organised or have been invited to at a glance.  It is very simple to navigate and nicely designed.

One of Jade's Must Haves from Redbubble.com

Use the Sudocrem App and You Could Win A Phil & Teds Verve Travel System

To make using the app even more attractive and to celebrate its launch, Sudocrem are giving away a Phil & Teds Verve Travel System worth a whopping £650!  What a wonderful prize for a mum-to-be! To be in with a chance of winning you simply have to arrange a shower using the app.  The winner will be randomly selected from all users on August 20th 2012.  Ten runners-up will also win a Sudocrem goody bag.

So if you are a mum-to-be or if you know a mum-to-be and want to throw a baby shower for them, it is definitely worth using this handy app and being in with a chance of winning the amazing prize!   Good Luck!

The Happy Parents To Be!!

Make Your Party One To Remember!

After the Party

Balloons x

Rainbow Birthday Cake #Project 52

Today Ella is 16.  She wanted a Rainbow Birthday Cake so last night after Blogcamp I made a four tier sponge in different colours helped by Fred and Kizzy.

This morning we decorated the cake!

The finished result!!

Feeding the Hordes this Christmas

I was lucky enough to be chosen as a Morrison's Tester to host a Christmas Party!  Receiving a box of goodies, vouchers and a shopping list (adapted as the majority of us are vegetarian), we set about preparing a little soiree for my parents to attend, in order to test a selection of buffet food, cakes, wine, decorations, crackers, party poppers and gifts.

Morrisons have a huge range of Christmas goodies instore and available to pre-order.  My parents were impressed by the Mini Fish and Chips which are little potato slices, topped with minty, mushy peas and finished with a piece of battered fish.  They were good quality and quite impressive to look at!  But at a pack of 8 for £4 or two packs for £7, they aren't cheap as chips!  The cheesy bites, fingers and mini pizzas were good for us vegetarians and the kids really liked them. They made a nice change to the stock veggie buffet offering of Indian snacks.  Morrisons have quite a few veggie bits this year which is nice! We sampled The Best Chocolate Cluster Cake which was a rich fruit cake topped with chocolate pieces and chocolate covered dried fruit and nuts.  It was a great alternative to the usual marzipan and icing topped seasonal cake and everyone who ate it said it was moist, packed with fruit and delicious.  It costs £8 but it went a long way as it was so rich.

Morrisons also have cards, gift wrap, decorations, crackers, party poppers and tableware for all your festive needs.  They also stock a great range of toiletry gifts for him, her and the kids which are a bargain at 3 for a tenner.  Definitely worth popping a few under the tree for any unexpected guests!

We enjoyed having an early taste test of the Morrisons festive party foods.  Definitely a few items in the range that will be purchased for our Christmas and New Year parties this year.  Take a look in store or check out the website for more details of their festive food.

Something to Smile About :)

Although today has been a sad and reflective day, I thought it was only right to end it with something life affirming and positive.  On Saturday we went to my sister's first anniversary party to celebrate with her and her family.  We sang bad karaoke and I did some terrible dancing with my two left feet.  My lack of spatial awareness and my inability to distinguish between left and right really doesn't help me with taking direction in how to ballroom dance...social foxtrots, tangos and waltzes all look like the dance of a demented tin soldier when I do them.  I am not a dancer.

However, great food, wonderful company and a fun atmosphere resulted in an enjoyable few hours.  The best thing about the party though was the fun that my little boy had.  From running around with helium balloons, to chasing the disco lights to wearing a matching shirt to his daddy, Freddy just made my heart melt with his antics.  He is suddenly a little boy. His surfer dude hair and his more refined features have given him a more grown-up look.  My little baby is turning into a gorgeous little lad.  He finds such pleasure in the world around him and is a little ray of sunshine in my life.

With everything that has happened this week, I am reminded to enjoy every moment.  However busy I am, whenever I find myself wishing the days away...I will always stop, smile and count my blessings.  I am so lucky to have wonderful children and I adore my husband.  I will make sure my kids know how much I love them every single day, I'll never leave an argument unresolved and I'll make sure I remind myself just how fortunate I am whenever I'm in danger of letting myself slip into any self-destructive mood.

I'll leave you with some pictures and a little video that I hope will make you smile :)