Good morning! I’m up early and the house is very quiet, so different from back when the children were small, but this feels good. For the most part I feel like I’ve got it right this year; Christmas will be more about family, than the gifts.

As I sit here I realise that our house, for once, is not overrun with stuff.  There are a few cards, a few presents and just enough food. I feel very lucky and everything feels a lot simpler.

Have a wonderful and safe Christmas time. See you next week.

Merry Christmas is a post from: Move to Portugal

This post is inspired by saving for travel’s post about loving her forever cottage and the treasures in it.  

A few of my treasures (and the things that survived the de-cluttering!)

1) The Gates.  A print that we bought in 2005 on my 40th birthday trip to New York.  Central Park was filled with snow and deep saffron gates.

2) Mugs. A confession: I sort of collect mugs!

3) Home Sweet Home.  A house warming gift from my mum. It’s my lucky tile.

4) Bread Bin. I’ve had this bread bin for years and years.  It was a gift from Habitat (again my mum) and I can’t imagine ever replacing it.

5) Babies. My little darlings all dressed up about ten years ago. It was rare to see them not covered in mud from playing football back then, so I treasure it.

What treasures do you have?

Around the home is a post from: Move to Portugal

Well it’s almost here and I’m glad.  If you celebrate Christmas, you’re perhaps like me and happy when the day finally arrives and you can actually sit down and spend some time with your family and loved ones.  This year we have all three children at home for a few days and we’re going to make the most of it; it’s a rare thing now that they’re getting older. 

On the to do front, I still have to pop out to get a few fresh food items, pick my eldest daughter up from the train station….snow permitting, finish wrapping a few bits, and then I’ll be done…..well apart from the cooking! 

Every year I try to get closer to the simple Christmas that I crave and reducing our waste is included in that.  This year, instead of buying Christmas cards, I bought goats - I let everyone know what I was doing first, as I didn’t want to upset anyone.

I’m signing off until next week.  Have a wonderful and Happy Holiday! 

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{photo source}

Have yourself a merry little Christmas….. is a post from: Move to Portugal

If you follow me or some of my fellow blog friends on Twitter you’ll know that we talk about TV programmes quite a bit; we like watching TV. So instead of a post about why you should save money by cancelling cable and ditching the TV, regular advice on frugal/simple/finance blogs, here’s a lighthearted one that says the opposite :-)

Pay for cable is you want to. TV is great. Simple/frugal living to me is about doing what you want to do with your time and your money; there are no hard and fast rules. Now if you have NO money and can’t afford to eat, then yes you should ditch the cable, but if you have money for entertainment purposes, which TV is, then why not, if you want to, use that money for cable.

I’m not saying that you should sit in front of the box every minute of the day, although if you want to why not, people have a right to do whatever they like. I’m just saying that there are many good reasons to have a TV, news, documentaries, sports, The Wire, The West Wing and the man on the left in the picture above^ who is the real reason for this post {I wanted somehow to get a picture of my favourite dream man on my blog and make a confession}

Joshua Jackson, is the real reason you should own a TV. I loved Dawson’s Creek  because of him and now Fringe is unmissable;  the smile, the laugh, what’s a girl to do; you knew I like younger men right?

Your turn, make your confessions; favourite actor/ favourite TV programme, good or bad. You could even list your top ten favourite programmes {which could be a follow up post}

{photo credit: starbright31}

TV or not TV? is a post from: Move to Portugal

I think the first thing that bought it home to me that another child was moving out of the house, for his second year of University, was the lack of shoes on the hall shoe rack. What was as overflowing pile of size 11 trainers, is now a well organised, half empty rack of work shoes and flip flops. I’m a little sad that he’s going, but I’m a great believer in children learning to be independent, and I think it’s what he needs.

This week, apart from helping my son to move into his flat, we’re also moving my daughter into a different flat. So much for the first week of my two week holiday from work! I also have several little jobs that I want to complete around the house, paint the garden fence, put some extra shelves into my pantry cupboard, paint the bathroom ceiling…but I’m not sure if any of these will get done. Never mind, it’s the break from work I really need.

We’re off on holiday Saturday, to Washington and then NY and I’m so excited; but first I have lots of organising to do.

{photo credit: fiveless}

A {practically} Empty Shoe Rack is a post from: Move to Portugal