My Christmas Gift Hunt!

Ho Ho Ho!

How have you been keeping?
It has been a while since my last blog, but here I am again!

I am feeling Christmas already! 

I am not sure if it is just my subjective opinion or if it is actually true, but I think Christmas has started early this year...

Most shops have their Christmas décor up, bands and choirs are practicing carols, TV channels have switched to their Christmas themes and I am already panicking trying to calculate my Christmas Budget!

And obviously I am looking out for all offers out there, especially since I have to hunt for gifts for my huge family. Christmas (not forgetting the New Year that comes right after) is certainly not kind on the wallet, but when it is time to celebrate I believe we Sri Lankans hardly hold back.

So obviously spending is inevitable this season, and therefore the real question is HOW to spend wisely and manage within the budget.  

And on top of all that I have two weddings this Christmas; and therefore I have the additional problem of managing time! 

Poor me... 

About the gift list; I usually like paying a visit to the exhibitions that are happening these days where I can get good stuff at affordable prices. (Do be careful in your choices though not all stuff in exhibitions are good... look carefully) 

O! and that reminds me of the beautiful crystal candle stand that I got just 6 months ago which suddenly just fell apart! Apparently the pieces were just stuck together! Ridiculous right? And I didn't even buy it from a sale... I paid what I consider a reasonably high price for it too... :/

Lucky I took at least this picture of it... (if you can see it)

So back to the topic, 

These sales at BMICH do have some good stuff, really. 

For example: 

• The cushion covers are awesome - very durable and lots of pretty colours 
• The 'wood 4 kids' stall hosted within the 'wow.lk' stall had really nice wooden toys for kids (their facebook page does not do justice to their collection don't be fooled by it. And you could find them at the Good Market on Thursdays)
• The huge wow.lk stall itself has a lot to offer but be careful what you purchase, the prices are great but you need to be careful with your selection because their is a risk of buying what you really don't need due to the sheer overwhelming nature of the range of products they offer.  

Other vendors who I think have a good and reasonably priced collection include:

• Midaya Ceramics - Kirulapone (I simply adore their collection) 
• House of Gifts - Wattala and Colombo
• Pixy Owl Hampers - Battaramulla 

Surely there are others but the above are basically my choice for buying gifts. 

:) 

Let me share a few pictures here.

I have a lot of little ones to give gifts to so these are just perfect choices for me...

Midaya and Pixy Owl products are handmade which makes it so much more Christmas-y
(if you know what I mean)

You could always gift clothes too :) (for which the choice of vendors are limitless) 

The backstage accessories and the scented oils and soap at odel are also one of my favourite gifting choices.
(And now the new management - 'soft logic' is offering some great discounts for bills above 5k if I remember correct) 

Okay enough for now...

I hope this information helped... or maybe you already knew
and I just wasted your time with this long write-up
ooops!

Do comment and share your favourite places for Christmas Gift Hunting!

O! and I think I should tell you that none of the listed vendors know or have asked me to endorse them in this article. I am merely stating my personal preferences.

Happy Shopping!
Stick to your budget

:)

Love
~Portia~

Married Life of the Average Housewife

So it is 10.00 a.m. in the morning after you've sent your kids off to school, husband off to work, washed the dishes, swept the house, made the beds, washed the clothes and finally settle down to have some breakfast, and you’re thinking; “Now I have to go shopping for groceries!”  By the time you get to town it’ll be almost high noon and as we all know the heat at that time of the day – for the lack of a better expression – is unbearable!

By the time you’re back from town, it is most likely that you've skipped lunch, you might have had something cool to beat the heat (unsuccessfully) – perhaps not even that; and of course you have no intention to cook just for yourself – you’d rather drink a jug of ice-water and throw yourself on to the bed to take few precious minutes of sleep before you have to wake up to go pick the kids from school or hopefully you've arranged a school van to bring them home.

Either way you have to wake up, prepare something for the kids to have when they come home – all kids ask for something to eat/drink when they come home – and then start on making dinner!

The availability of a domestic help might add a few more minutes to yourself but little is different from otherwise.

So by the time your man comes home, you look something like this:

Hopefully he finds this sexy LOL
What a life…  

So ladies, if this story is true about you, let it not be…

“Pft” you say…

Of course it is easier said than done; but Honey, it can be done! 

Here are THREE RULES I've gathered from well experienced women which you might find useful:

Rule Number ONE: Check yourself. When is the last time you went for a facial or clean-up? When is the last time you bought something nice to wear? For most of you, I’m sure the answer is in months. You would fail to see the need for such things when you become so busy with life as a wife and specially a mother. But darling, darling, DaRlinG Please!  Everyone else in your family thinks about themselves first – that includes your children and husband and anyone else at home. So your number one priority is yourself – and I don’t mean it in an irrational narcissistic manner of course. You know what I mean…

Rule Number TWO: Find out your life’s purpose and NO it isn't caring for your children and attending to your husband! – Think about yourself before you got married, what was your dream? What things did you like doing? Find something that you’re passionate about and get to it. Remember, the magic word here is ‘Passionate’

e.g.

·         Drawing

·         Sewing

·         Cooking / Baking

·         Writing Poems

·         Playing the Piano (or any other instrument for that matter)

·         Charity/ Social Work

·         Singing and Dancing

Once you get going, every other duty you have to perform as a Wife and Mother will find a way to fit in to your day’s schedule – trust me it does. Being happily occupied is the best medicine for all emotional problems – I believe. You wouldn't have the time to be sulky and depressed. Even if it is tiring, at the end of the day the feeling of accomplishment more than compensates for the energy spent – or should I say ‘energy invested’? You can even go ahead and make an income out of it! J 

Rule Number THREE: Get out! Ladies do not confine yourselves to the walls of your home, dress up and go out!

Shopping is a good excuse, but it has to be a fun experience – not grocery shopping at 12 noon. Shop for some nice and comfortable but posh looking clothes to wear at home, so you don’t have to look at yourself in the mirror in that depressing nightie/pj you wear day in and day out – you know the one with the huge yellow stain on the stomach? LOL  If you girls love lingerie – that could be a thrilling inclusion to your shopping list.

Join some effective groups/clubs, not the gossipy gatherings but something relaxing and worthwhile, like joining a choir if you can sing! 

***

I hope this helps some of you out there!

Lots of Love Ladies 

Take Care 

~Portia~

au naturel

Sitting under the cherry tree out in the open with my good friend Ravi we discuss our plans for the website while I enjoy a warm cup of tea and a delicious passion fruit tart and he a handsome slice of gooey chocolate cake (the chocolate cake is sinfully rich - believe me it is a choco-lovers orgasm) 


"Hi guys!" says Yohan as he comes out to to say hello and make sure we are all sorted. 

Yohan and his wife Ellie are the Merlins behind the Magic. It is sad that I don't really have a picture of the two... :( 

The English Cake Company (TECC) is one of the finest cakeries in the country without doubt. It is special coz the cakes are NAKED! 
L O L
Keeping true to the "All Natural" promise TECC offers un-decorated cakes, tarts, pies and desserts (they do savouries too) that have no artificial ingredients added. 
"Straight out of the oven!" says Yohan with a big smile. 
No proof is needed to confirm the latter, because as I dig my fork in to the cake it crumbles into soft lumps and as I put it in my mouth it melts instantly sending my taste buds on a wild trip to Flavour - Paradise! 
Believe me there is a MARKED difference in the flavour when natural ingredients are used. 

TECC's desserts are perfect for those who care about taste than looks. I would definitely recommend TECC for Birthdays!
Husbands and BFs, ditch the slab of chocolates and take home a chocolate cake from TECC, she will definitely love you for it! 

I and a bunch of my cake-o-holic friends are not TECC's most regular customers. As a matter of fact I am sure we can't even be called regulars, but the staff always remembers. And it is a nice treat to see them again, not so much as it is to taste the cakes though... 
;)  

My husband gives me this 'look' every time I mention cakes, so I know I cannot indulge in it as often as I would like to.  But TECC is always busy, with an open kitchen area where the guys and girls are happily at work, we can watch as more good stuff get made, the aroma filling the air! 
It reminds me so much of those Enid Blyton stories I used to read where a pixie steals the cakes off the window sill where it was kept to cool down. The cake must have smelt like this, no wonder he was tempted to steal it! L O L

O! and there is one more thing that is special about TECC's cakes; they use veggies in their cakes too!
This carrot cake for example is one of the favourites at TECC. 


They also have Chocolate-and-Beetroot Cake! Now, what would that taste like, you wonder...
I haven't tried it but it is reputed to be pretty good! 
..

Ok, now all this is making me real hungry... 
My husband isn't at home today so I guess I can help myself to some sweet-ness! 

Yippee! 


TC Sweet Readers
Love

~Portia~ 

Escape the Mundane!

Recently I was asked what sort of books I like to read.
I felt a little embarrassed to answer but the truth is I like fantasy, magic and out-of-the-norm stuff.

What topics interest an individual is subjective to the individual and I do not stand in judgement over anyone's taste. And I hope no one judges me! :D

So I'm just going to state why I like what I like:

When I read I like to escape to a world different from the one in which I live. 
True stories, stories-inspired-by-true-stories or real life fiction like novels etc. are touching, heartwarming, inspiring and beautiful but they don't help one escape to the wild and exciting arena of IMAGINATION! 

From the magical folk up the 'Enchanted Tree' to the mystery solving clubs of 5 or 7 by Enid Blyton to the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' (the fantasy novel series on which the famous Game Of Thrones TV Series is based) by George R. R. Martin; Mystery, Mystic, Adventure, Enigma, Super Natural Power, Enchantment and Magic has always released me from my earthly bonds and opened to me the universal possibilities of creation of the human mind. 

Blessed are the imaginative! 
LOL
Haha
Writing about it makes me sound like some mystic right? 

Well I am not - I am a normal woman caught up with the ticking clock and the rushing traffic - a part of the usual hustle of the everyday world. 
I am not Khaleesi who commands the dragons and cannot be killed by fire 
I am not Galadriel the greatest of elven women, immortal and unmatched in beauty and character.
I am not her or she, I am I, and I am You... 

Now you might me thinking that this post is absolutely unrelated to the blog page. 
But it is!

Forgive me if I took too much of your time to come to the point: :) 

Weddings, Parties and Events are one place/occasion where you can actually 'live' (at least one day) in your fantasies. The one day you can create the world as you would like it to be, the day you become Khaleesi or Galadriel! 

Girls, if you want to do it, and you can do it, DO IT! 
Create the craziest atmosphere on your wedding day or your 21st birthday! 
Dress up like Bella of Twilight, have those flowers hanging from the roof, go to a forest, set up the tables and chairs, bring in the flowers, wear a crown or even wings! 
If you are not in to twilight then something else of course! :) 


Live IT! 

Love
~Portia~

After the Diamond Ring...

How I planned my Wedding: 

There were three things I knew for sure: 
1. The man I was going to marry - Randy 

2. The colour of the wedding dress I wanted - Dull Gold - white is a complete no no for me  
3. The theme that I wanted - Forest (something like this actually)


So the first thing I did was raid google and pin all the reference I wanted on Pinterest - Click here to view my board. All brides out there, I recommend you create a board on Pinterest for your wedding planning. Get it all printed on to a paper if possible for easy reference. Take a few colour prints of especially the dress, the hair do, the bouquets and anything that you will have to give to another person as reference.

The Second thing I did was make the Wedding Organizer (WO). Which should look something like the book in this picture. Of course I custom made mine.

I haven't seen most people do this in SL - but many have borrowed my WO and it is something I learnt from my 
mom - the super organized perfectionist. lol 

My husband on the other hand maintained an excel sheet noting down all the expenses. It helps. But nothing interesting about it right? 
We girls want something more personal... :) 

So I sectioned my WO and went to meet my chosen vendors about prices and availability. 
One more piece of advice girls - go alone if you have to don't wait on anyone, including your fiance. 
[Of course a wedding planner would come in handy at times like these]

I had about three people in mind for each service, because as much as you may like one person, that person may or may not be available for you. 
ALWAYS have a back up plan - a principle my husband adamantly follows.

I spent about a month getting all the quotations I needed. Visiting every place I had to. 
My parents drove me around in most cases. Nothing could happen without my mom knowing it. I mean I needed her she is 'the planner' on top of being my mom! 
[btw she worked out some neat discounts with the vendors she always worked with - another perk of having a wedding planner - they're equipped with networks of merchants who honor their patronage]

Once all quotations were stapled in to the pages of the WO - I re-did a background check on all the vendors I had chosen, just to make sure I had chosen right. 
My husband was very helpful in that matter: Being girls we might easily be overwhelmed by all the pretty things and therefore clouded in our judgement. 
Mind you, the vendors in SL know that! They will mystify you by their advertising, their talking, their branding etc. But always read through the lines. Do not hesitate to ASK what is included in their service package and what is not included. If the merchant is impatient or hesitant - do not hire! 
You need someone with patience and passion; NOT one who could do better behind a cashier in a bank.
The more questions the merchant answers (honestly - identifiable by a straight face) the more marks you should give them. 

Anyways, getting back to the original topic: 
After confirming the merchants I started giving them the orders and paying the advances; asking for receipts at all points of transaction and stapling them to the WO. Always ask for receipts. 
[Of course if you're hiring a wedding planner these will get done - rest assured]

O! And I did not miss out on chances to spend relaxing day outs with Randy while in the process. 
Most brides get so caught up in the planning that they do not have time to communicate with their fiance - unless it is something about the wedding itself. 
Not Good!
[Another reason to hire a wedding planner]

Yeah ok, I think I've come to the point where I should say that on the day of my wedding I regretted that I hadn't hired a wedding planner. Honestly, as much as it has been our family business to do so, my mom being the chief planner, it came as a disadvantage that she was the mother-of-the-bride (MOB) too! 

So, all you Very-Creative girls out there,PLEASE get someone outside to help you! 

Not even a wedding planner should plan her own wedding - or her daughter's wedding - or any wedding in which she may be a key participant!

See, my mom being my mom, had to think about me ON TOP of so many other things she had to attend to as the MOB. 

• What everyone in my family was going to wear? 
• Where was my brother's shirt? 
• My father's socks? 
• Where do the photographers settle down? 
• Were the relatives staying over at our place all attended to? 
• Did she have someone to tie the back of her sari jacket? 
• Who was making breakfast? 
• Who was going to see that my grandfather received his medicine on time amidst all the hassle? 

She surely had a 101 things going on in her mind. 

She wanted to be there with me while I was being dressed at the beauty shop - but she couldn't coz she had to receive the guests who arrived at our place in the morning. She had to see that they were fed. etc. etc. 

I on the other hand did my own nails, waxed my own arms and legs, worked my own dress, designed my own shoes... all good but is it needed? Couldn't it have just got done by someone else? Of course I would overlook it all - but did I HAVE to do it myself? Answer is definitely NO. 

I felt less prepared, less glamorous and less fresh on my wedding day when I put on my dress. I was hoping I would feel fresh, clean and rejuvenated - unfortunately not so much, because I had stressed myself out.

I hadn't visited the salons and spas as often as I would have loved to, because I was busy planning! I was walking out in the hot sun along the dusty and narrow roads of Pettah (Colombo) searching for the perfect ribbon to match my dress or the perfect lace to hem my veil. I regret all of that. 

That is what happens to girls like myself who think we can do it all! 
Now I envy the beautiful brides for whom my mom handled the planning. They were beautiful, radiant and every detail had been attended to. 

Ok, I'm going to stop writing here, coz I'm beginning to feel all upset again... :(
My wedding went perfectly, people were impressed, nothing went wrong, all done on time! 
BUT I believe I could have looked much better on my wedding day if I had just left the details to someone else. 

Here is a photo of me and my Hubby 

And this is my Mom - on my wedding day 

I'll share more wedding pictures later :) 

Adios for now 
<3

~Portia~

A Petite Baker

Part of the Blue Roses team is a lovely young lady who most would know for her pretty face. 

But I got to know her first for her pretty-Pretty-PRETTy cakes! 

I searched allover and contacted all those whom I know to find the perfect cake decorator - perfect meaning 'Perfect AND Unique'. Because to be honest there are many perfectly skilled cake artists, but not all of them are unique - at least not like she is.This girl here is a different kind. 

I was standing with my photographer and my husband (of whom I'll write soon) in front of a stone wall and a narrow iron gate next to a cactus. It was almost 5.00 p.m. 

I looked for a board - but saw none. So I gave her a call, not sure if I was at the right place. A couple of minutes later I wad greeted by a guy (her brother-in-law) who walks us in through a narrow passage to a sitting room where she was seated before she stood up and turned to face us...
Her face was so full of excitement. I liked that - I loved it actually - there is nothing like a big smile and twinkling eyes in a person when meeting for the first time. That is far better than any hello. 

So we walked over to where she was pointing - a dark wood table which was laden with the loveliest blush and white madness. When I say madness don't get me wrong it was very neat and beautifully arranged, but the sight would drive any cake lover mad and I wasn't an exception. 

Take a look at these photos.

A feast to the eyes and undoubtedly an indulgence to the palate!

Meet Karandza Fernando of Petite Gateau! 
I typed that in pink because that is her favourite colour :) 

Take a look at this GORGEOUS wedding cake!  

Am I not proving a point here? 

Lots of Love to you K,

xoxo

~Portia~

A sisterhood of pink laces

I was turning pages of a very old album, its pages were coming off, most photos were tiny and they had this neat little white frill running around them. Something like this to be exact: 

Sadly I don't have the real photos of which I am writing about... :/

So, as I was going through this ancient album of my grandparents' engagement party, I saw even through the faded black and white and peeling off surface of the aged photos, how pretty my grandmother was dressed! 
She was wrapped in what looked like a white lace sari, a simple hair do, but she was such a beauty. My grandfather wasn't lying about her charms when he did talk about it with us: I always caught the twinkle in his eyes as he spoke of those early days of courtship... 

So I inquired from her about the sari, and to my absolute delight and surprise she said that the sari had been baby pink! 
"How sweet that would have been" I thought out loud. 
She simply smiled and went about her business as usual. 
A baby pink cotton lace sari! I kept repeating to myself. 

"It would have been quite expensive?" I asked her. 
She smiled as she looked at me and said; "Well, I made it myself, as I do your ones these days" 
"Of course!" why would I think otherwise? 

She is some 70 odd years old, but she still fondles with her old machine, tomato shaped pin cushion full of needles, a huge basket full of all colours of thread and lots and lots of beautiful fabric; making wonderful things! 
It is magical to watch her at work, earnestly bringing in to life images she creates in her head. 
No, she does not refer to anything! 
Just off her head she begins work and ends it so beautifully. 
O, thinking of her brings tears to my eyes... What a wonderful woman... 
'Archamma', I call her.

She tells me tales about her mother, who my mother says was even better than my grandmother. 
Lol 
I suppose grandmothers just become a girl's ideal - at least in our family that seems to be true :) 

My great-grandmother was quite the perfectionist - she was petite, proud, always well dressed and carried herself with poise and purpose - says my mom and grandmother 

My grandmother is humble, sweet and so talented - she sews so beautifully, she is a passionate lover of the art of gardening and she bakes deliciously (O, there is nothing like her love cake! - she told me that she baked a love cake for her engagement too - must have put her in-laws right in the basket! lol) 

My mother again is a perfectionist (traits skip a generation they say) - a neat-o-holic she wants everything just right. She also does the prettiest flower decor I've seen done in SL - of course that may be a subjective opinion, but when was an opinion ever objective? :)

My aunts (5 of them) are also equally skilled in different areas, like doing make-up, sewing, singing, cooking, organizing, managing, teaching etc. etc. 

And I've got a bit of all! 
Lucky Me right? 


~Portia~