1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
I spent new year 2008 in Australia, which was a first.

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next
year?
I don’t tend to make resolutions at new year. If something
needs changing I try and do it when it needs it and not when the calendar dictates.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My brother’s wife gave birth to another beautiful little
boy a couple of months ago. My friends KElly and Suz had their gorgeous baby
girls, and I have more friends’ babies births to look forward to in the next
few months. *ovaries twitching*

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thank god. I’m all deaded out.

5. What countries did you visit?
Australia (Perth), Portugal (Algarve) and England (Blackpool
and London).

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Cwtches

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
10th January, it’s when we flew home to Scotland from
Australia after a scary couple of months.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Sending my beautiful, confident and funny child to nursery
and getting back glowing reports all round. (Not really MY achievement, as he’s
wonderful all on his own, but I do feel very proud of him nonetheless, and I
made him so I’m claiming it)

9. What was your biggest failure?
Diet. Again.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not to any degree. Just the usual winter crap.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My new DSLR cameraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Thankyou Emma!!!!!
x x x

14. Where did most of your money go?
It just went.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Getting my new camera! Going to Blackpool to meet up with
my OLM friends - I was stupidly excited about that. Also new seasons of Lost,
Desperate Housewives and Heroes caused little pant wetting moments for me too.
Simple things…

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Take That - Shine

18. Compared to this time last year, are you richer or poorer?
Richer

19. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Sleeping

20. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Eating

21. How will you be spending Christmas?
I spent it with my mum and my aunt (and callum of course).

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Yep

24. What was your favourite TV program?
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh…… hard one. Lost probably.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No, I don’t really actively hate anyone

26. What was the best book you read?
Chelsea Cain - Heartsick.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
That Take That in 2008 are better than they ever were!

28. What did you want and get?
New phone, new camera, GHDs

29. What did you want and not get?
New waistline

30. What was your favourite film of this year?
I don’t think I had one.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 32, and I went out for dinner with my mum, son and
best friend. Then we came back here for cake and bubbles. My mum took Callum
for the night and my friend and I got absolutely slaughtered. Good times.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Ha! A bit of the other

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Thrifty. (for me!)

34. What kept you sane?
Probably my mother, who has also saved Callum’s life a
couple of times by rescuing him from his hormonal banshee of a mother on occasion
at 5 minutes notice.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Hmmmmmm, probably Josh Holloway. Sorry Gordon Ramsay,
you suck now!

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Obama. I had tears.

37. Who did you miss?
My nephew Cameron<3

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Ohhhhh goodness, I met some really really cool people
this year. I’ll do ti the fair way and choose the smallest cutest one. Her:

Eva <3
Notable mentions also to Kelly, Michelle, Sandie, Emma, Anna, Cathy, Carrie,
Suz. Mel and all the OLM girls I met in Blackpool. Oh and my friend Jen who
I met through nursery.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
This year I learned to be at peace mostly. I’ve spent
the last 2 years feeling like I should be grieving more, and healing myself,
but not actually doing either of those things because I didn’t need to. I’ve
dropped that guilt. I’ve learned to look at what’s important and be happy with
it, and to drop the obsession of panicking about the future (well, not dropped
completely, but it doesn’t consume me anymore). I’m fine, Callum is fine and
there’s nothing to suggest he’ll turn out anything other than a happy well adjusted
young man in a few years.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Stop being so hard on yourself
It’s not good for your health
I know that you can change
So clear your head and come round
You only have to open your eyes
You might just get a big surprise
And it may feel good and
you might want to smile,
smile, smile.

And it’s all over for another year. Booooo!

We stayed at my mum’s on Christmas eve so she could watch Callum opening his presents in the morning, so she came to pick us up in the afternoon (after a mad dash to Sainsbury’s to try and find mascarpone for the cheesecake - talk about leaving things until the last minute). We had some chinese food delivered and then I went out for a walk, and met one of Santa’s elves who gave me a special present for Callum to open before he went to bed. What a stroke of luck - It was some lovely christmassy pyjamas for him to wear to bed! How exciting! Callum looked terrified when I told him I had met an elf though, he was looking behind me incase it had followed me home. It was at this point I decided not to mention the fact a big man would be coming into his bedroom while he was asleep quite so much as I had been doing.

Callum hung up his stocking and left some apple juice, a jammy dodger and a carrot for Santa and his reindeers. According to Callum Santa doesn’t like milk, but wanted apple juice in a spiderman cup as it’s his favourite one.

In the night, SANTA CAME!!!!

8.30am the next morning I woke to a very small boy clutching a bulging stocking excitedly telling me that Santa had been and he had left him prizes!!!! We hotfooted it through to gran’s bed to open the stocking. He was so excited. The only thing he had repeatedly asked for was some Pixar Cars cars, which he already had around 30 of. Santa had managed to find 6 that he didn’t already have, so he was absolutely delighted to find them in his stocking.

We eventually managed to get him downstairs for major present opening. This was his “santa has left MORE presents” face.

Last year, I had to virtually force him to open his presents, but not this year. He was so excited and pleased with every single thing he opened. He had a wee play with or at least good look at with whatever he opened before putting it in an ever growing line of toys/games/books before moving onto the next one.

All for me??

We had strategically placed the big present right at the back so he’d open it last. Aye right! He went for the biggest ones first and just climbed over the pile to get to them.

The workbench was a huge hit - thanks gran!

A few more present opening pics:

Bucks Fizz for Breakfast. (Don’t worry, Callum didn’t drink his, it was just
so he could “do cheers”)

I never managed to get a photo of the table this year. I normally always get one. We were somewhat running behind all day. Anyway, dinner was delicious as usual. This was Callum before the 2 hour tantrum he had which started during the main course. *sigh*

I didn’t take many more photos of the evening due to the tantrum killing my Christmas spirit, but here’s a wee one of Callum just before his proper bedtime. He came downstairs all smiles after a while so we let him play for a couple of hours before going back upstairs to bed. Night night Callum, Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has had a magical Christmas and has a great new year when it comes!