Monthly Round Ups

December 2019

Happy New Year! Not only the beginning of a new year, but also the start of a new decade; I hope 2020 has got off to the best possible start for you all, and you’re feeling refreshed after a fun-filled festive few weeks. My final Monthly Round Up for 2019 is here, and I’m really quite proud of myself for making it through a whole 12 months of blogging twice a month religiously. I set my own deadlines at the beginning of last year, and I promised myself I would keep to them, no matter how busy I was. One of my more stubborn qualities!

BUSINESS

At the beginning of December I spent a day working in London for a change of scenery, and caught up with the lovely Anneli Marinovich at Granger & Co for coffee whilst I was there. It was so nice to catch up about how this year has been, and to discuss 2020 (how are we in 2020 already – it just seems madness?!). I’ve admired Anneli’s work for a long time – if you haven’t come across her work before – go and take a peek at her Instagram account for swoon-worthy content! Anneli also offers lifestyle and branding photography for women in business, which has been a huge success – so if you’re looking for some fresh brand imagery for this year, she’s your girl!

I also had the most wonderful lunch meeting with Isabelle of 2 Brides Photography at the Coppa Club in Streatley. Isabelle is just such an inspiration, has the kindest heart, and I am just in awe of her beautiful work – she shoots dreamy destination weddings across the world, and I’d love to see more of her work in the UK, so if you’re planning a beautiful celebration here in England, I highly recommend taking a look at her work – you won’t regret it!

I enjoyed a 1-1 Wreath Workshop with Sarah Harper at her beautiful studio in Oxfordshire, which was so much fun. I’ve done workshops before, so had an idea of what I was doing – but Sarah is the best teacher, and I thoroughly enjoyed rummaging through her gorgeous selection of foliages, berries, pinecones, and other treats to build my own wreath. Here’s my finished wreath, which has hung proudly on my front door since – I don’t want to take it down!!

FAMILY & HOME

I started the month with dinner at Mowgli in Oxford with my lovely friend Hollie, who I just don’t get to spend enough time with, and it was such a wonderful evening of catching up, giggling and reminiscing about our past University stories – Cringe!

I’ve been wanting to go to a gospel choir concert for years, but haven’t been able to find the time or one which was close enough to us to go for an evening, but this year I came across the Oxford Gospel Choir who were hosting a concert at a beautiful Church in the centre of Oxford, so I booked two tickets for Bella & I. We both absolutely loved it, and it was such a treat to see them perform. It gave us all the Christmassy vibes, and was a great way to start off the festivities!

We hosted our first ever drinks party for our neighbours. We’ve lived here for just over a year now and we thought it would be lovely to get everyone together for a pre-Christmas gathering. It was so nice to meet everyone who has recently moved in nearby. We made Mulled Wine and lots of homemade nibbles for everyone to enjoy, so it was a huge success!

Over Christmas we visited the Blenheim Lights, saw a Pantomime, and enjoyed plenty of time with both of our families in Oxfordshire and Nottingham. Christmas is all about the children, and they had just the best time. The joy on their faces on numerous occasions makes all the preparations and hard work totally worth it! We love making memories as a family, and this year was full of special ones to treasure :-).

Over Christmas we’ve also managed to find a few days to decorate both of the children’s rooms, and also our en-suite bathroom. This is our first spell of decorating, as we haven’t been able to until now as our house was newly built and we needed to wait for the settlement of the house before decorating. It’s been lovely having a crisp white house this past year, but recently I’ve been desperate to inject a little colour and more of our style!

I’m incredibly jealous of Bella’s bedroom; it’s a 6 year olds dream!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas & a wonderful beginning to 2020; a new year, decade, and an exciting fresh new leaf to turn…!

Jeni x