Wonderful Wednesday #193

{I'll just be here if you need me...}

I'm trying to distract myself from the slight tingle of panic in my tummy that comes from the realisation of quite how close we are to Christmas now and how little thought i have given it.  Tell me it's not just me?!  It's notoriously my very busiest and most stressful time of year {retail workers unite - c'mon don't leave a gal hangin'} and even though i know this should make me more organised; what it actually does is push me into denial!  I want to be that person who hand-makes everything and spends hours and hours thinking up genius Christmas giving gift ideas.  In reality, i never will be.  And that's okay.  We're not all perfect are we?!?  I know i'll get there, that it'll all come together and that i'm listing the longest list of Christmas-shaped cliches that there ever was BUT does anyone else {even more so than usual} feel like they've been scooped up out of Summer and dropped head-first into Winter and Christmas and a mild delirious panic?!?  If you could let me know that it's not just me well wouldn't that be kind?!  

I'll just be over here denying all knowledge if you need me.....hiding in all of the very best bits of this week here {you have all been here before, you know it's a #wonderfulwednesday dontcha?!?} and not looking at the long list that is growing by the very second....

LET'S LIST!

1. Pukka 'Elderberry and Echinacea' tea.  Just the most soothing 'now' kind of tea.  I've got quite a collection of tea and this one is easily one of my favourites as soon as the temperature starts to drop.  It essentially tastes a little bit like hot Vimto but instead of being packed full of artificial things that i can't pronounce; it's jam-packed with all of the good stuff:  Liquorice, aniseed, elderberries and echinacea.  They do say {whoever 'they' are - maybe i should find this out.  They're clearly wise whoever they are - maybe they've got some Christmas ,motivational 'somethings'} that both elderberry and echinacea are two things that are naturally meant to help support your immune system and help protect it from cold and flu bugs.  I try and drink a mugful after my walk up home in the cold each evening and if i'm feeling a little under the weather or like something is brewing {ho ho ho!}, then i swirl through a teapoon of manuka honey once my tea has cooled and is ready to drink.  It's DELICIOUS!

2.  Frost.  Is there anything more magical than waking up and peeking out of the curtains to see a pretty white and crispy blanket of frost covering everything and only slightly lit by the first rays of the sun.  If only each day come this time of year could be so.....right...?!  

3.  Perfume on a scarf.  Because happiness definitely comes from snuggling your chin into your very favourite over-sized scarf after it has been pulled out from the big box that lives under the bed all summer long, washed and lightly sprayed with your favourite scent.  You can't beat that cosy feeling on what feels like the longest walk home after the longest day when all you really crave are your slouchiest clothes and to wrap your little hands around a mug filled with your favourite hot drink.  

4. Salted caramel and chocolate porridge.  Okay now this porridge recipe is still being sort of tested and tweaked and i don't think i'm quite there YET but i just know i am on the brink of greatness!  This week's breakfast porridge has been made with hazelnut milk, one mashed banana {the ripest most caramel-y flavoured one i can get my hands on}, a teaspoon of Maca powder{very rich in vitamins and minerals - also great for balancing hormones and slightly toffee-y in flavour}, two teaspoons of raw cacao powder {again jam-packed with vitamins and minerals but also the richest, purest form of chocolate flavour minus any additives or sugars} and a teeny sprinkle of pink salt.  All topped with a zig-zag of maple syrup and as many seeds as i can also cram on for extra crunch.  I'm a hop, skip and a jump away from getting the texture just right and i am very much enjoying the testing stage....

5.  A satisfying grocery shop.  One that was a 'from one end of the supermarket to the other' kind of a one, ticking and crossing as we went and the whole weeks meals all sorted in less than an hour and only one little thing to pick up elsewhere.  If i hadn't been in a public place i'd have totally high-fived my organisational skills!

6.  Mittens and Whitney Houston.  Because nothing says a successful walk to work better this week than the cosiest pair of mittens that there ever was and Whitney Houston's greatest hits up loud!

7.  Sofa, blanket, tea and candles.  I'm not even ashamed to say it's been our 'every night' this week!  It gets to 'Now' and i could quite happily become my most unsociable {without the odd nudge in right direction} because these shorter days, longer nights and snowball of busy-ness as people start to Christmas shop at work just has me wishing i could hibernate!  In our defense we were out all last weekend.  But lately i love nothing more than curling up on the sofa watching something on Netflix or reading a book.  I think i might have been a dormouse in a past life....

8.  Kale and Spinach-shaped yumminess!  I am huge lover of fruit and vegetables.  But mostly vegetables.  It seems i've come full circle since growing up as the girl who would have to chop vegetables as small as they could possibly go in order to mix them into something else just to be able to eat them and so i forgot they were there!  Now i often say i could be a vegetarian and it really wouldn't bother me at all.  We tend to only eat meat maybe once a week and more often than not eat fish or veggie meals.  This week i have been really craving greens.  I've piled wilted spinach into everything imaginable and sauteed kale until it's crispy and delicious and topped as much as is....toppable {?!} with it too!  I've also been enjoying cramming any leftover greens into a big nutty salad made with leftover quinoa, tenderstem and shredded spinach and kale and a big handful of toasted almonds and  zig-zagged with a tamari and tahini dressing.  I've even been stuffing extra greens into little balls of leftover risotto and baked in the oven.  I'm wondering if there's a green porridge recipe that i'm missing here..... {just joking! Turns out there are some things that shouldn't be green!}.  

9.  Snagging a little piece from the Erdem and H&M collaboration at the end of last week.  It arrived at the weekend and i still havent opened it!  The whole collection had pretty much sold out in an hour and i didn't get my first choice item BUT i did pick up what i hope will be a beautiful floral silk blouse.  I'm a bit scared to open it incase it's not as beautiful as i'd imagined!  I'm generally not someone to follow trends too much but Erdem has forever been one of my favourite designers and it's as close as i'll ever get to one of his pieces.  I'm calling it an early birthday present....

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And just like THAT i'm done!  All happy-listed out for another whole seven days!  These weeks are careering forward at such an alarming rate that i fear that if i just so much as blink suddenly i'll awaken and we'll be knee-deep in *whispers* Christmas and all that comes with it.  I'm trying my very hardest to not get overwhelmed and and to take some deep breaths.  This time of year is the busiest and most stressful for me and it's moments like these above, that keep my two feet on the ground and stop my thoughts from floating away to who knows where!  Do join in and share the very best bits of your week below - don't tell anyone but your kind comments, allbeit on here or on Twitter or Instagram are the best bit of my whole week.  Also please go and check out the rest of the #wonderfulwednesday gang - they're GEMS each and every one of them and i wish i could meet them all for tea and cake each and every week!  Hop on over to  Jo, Helen, Michelle, Sarah, Kate, Cat, Sam, El , Kerri's, and Peta's  blogs and see what's been keeping them sane this week!  Remember you can chit-chat with us all using the #wonderfulwednesday tag always.  Remember i'm always @sallytangle!

Until next time...