Lots of food, lots of Christmas!

We have fitted a lot of festive stuff into the past week and a half! All of a sudden it is two weeks today until Christmas - that means tomorrow it is a week and something…exciting!!

I  decided this year that I would make us an advent calendar after not loving the contents of the ones in the shops. So filled a basket with numbered bags of beauty products, candles and yummy treats - it's so much fun having a mini present every morning!

One of our favourite companies, Tiffany & Co got major brownie points from us. As we have mentioned many a time, Lauren loves the film Breakfast At Tiffany's, and when I met her just over ten years ago vowed to buy her something from there one day - which ended up being our wedding rings! So we were really pleased to see them post this pic of a male same sex couple and child on their Instagram account. Despite a lot of negative comments, the picture also got a lot of positive reactions, and as many likes as the pictures featuring heteronormative families. We think it's great that a company as timeless as Tiffany's are showing such a modern, progressive attitude.

My mom came to stay last weekend, we started off by meeting her in the city centre at my favourite Birmingham hotel; Lauren and I visited it last Christmas for afternoon tea, we have been to a food fair there, we had afternoon tea here for my mom's last birthday, and I spent my 30th here!

My mom and I arriving!

Love the trees

Smiley and festive!

We had Christmas afternoon tea which was amazing. Sandwiches, mustard dip and bread, warm scones, lots of tea, and my favourite, all the cake!

We returned home very full, but somehow the next day were very much looking forward to our Carvery Sunday lunch (people are often bemused at how much two vegetarians love a good carvery but their meat-less carvery includes TWO huge yorkshire puds, roast potatoes and ALL the veg..what's not to love??!) We were amused to find the pub heavily decorated for Christmas and playing Christmas songs - a much more festive day than we anticipated!

This week we have also pretty much finished our Christmas shopping - and successfully not spent a fortune in Birmingham's new Victoria's Secret!

Yesterday evening we went for a Christmas meal, something that's became a bit of an annual tradition. Back in 2012 we wrote about how we hope this is something we will always do… go out for a really good Christmas meal close to the big day. Even when we have little ones we can send them off to their Grannies house(s) and go out for a very grown-up-only night of good food, amazing company in the form of each other and a cocktail or two together! This year we visited one of our favourite restaurants in the city, an amazing vegan cafe in Digbeth.

This weekend we have another festive date in London which we are so excited for! Our Christmas shopping is pretty much finished, the house is decorated and smelling beautifully festive, we have planned who we are seeing when, and most importantly what we'll be eating! We are all ready for you Father Christmas, hurry upppp!