Goodbye 2009

Well, it's the end of 2009. Yep, my last post of the year. I thought I'd mark this important occasion with an 'In and Out' of 2009.

Since the end of January 2009, I've been saying 'I'll be glad when 2009 is over'. The further into the year we got, the more I hated it. However, I've come to realise that 2009 wasn’t all that bad. It's funny how we seem to focus on the bad things rather than the good, isn't it?

IN

• Vampires. I've become obsessed with vampires, shape-shifters and fairies, thanks to Twilight and True Blood. I love the books, the movies and the TV show. Vampires FTW!! Eric... mmm yummy.

• Florence & The Machine. This girl has such a stunning voice, and 'You've Got The Love' is possibly the best cover of all time. I remember hearing 'Kiss With A Fist' on an E4/C4 advert, and thinking that I want to hear more. She didn't disappoint! :) 
  

• New additions to my family - Baby Cousin Leo (9 months) and Baby Niece Eliza (4 months). They're gorgeous. Enough to melt my heart a little, but nowhere near enough to make me broody. Not quite!
  

• Jedward. They were a definite highlight of the year! Who can forget Ghostbusters, and Queen Vs Vanilla Ice? Genius!
  

• Moving house. Mr Lollipop and I moved out of our awful privately rented house, that had faulty electrics, faulty boilers, faulty water pipes, the lot, and my parents moved out of their small and cramped house. Then we all moved into a great big lush house on the beachfront, like one big happy family :) It's been super hard adjusting to life with the parentals again, but it's been the best decision we've made so far.
  

• Passing year 1 of my NVQ. It's nothing major, but it's the next step in my job. It just adds a qualification to my belt and more money in my pocket. The job will be the same though. I'm embarking on my 2nd and last year as we speak. Scary!
  

• Starting the Lipsticks & Lollipops. I am absolutely loving being part of the beauty community. I've had such positive feedback so far and have even had some really nice emails recently. I think the beauty community as a whole is really friendly and welcoming, which has made being a 'newbie' a bit easier. It's been a fab experience and I'm really excited to take my blog into 2010.
  

• Robbie & Take That reuniting. Albeit onstage very briefly for a big huge group performance at the end of the night, but I'd love, love, love for Robbie to do something with Take That. Even if it's just one song! I've loved them since I was a little girl, which makes me feel incredibly old, but I can't help it. Robbie & Mark were my favourites, and I will always have a soft spot for them, but Mr Barlow has been looking incredibly hot recently. He's definitely improved with age! haha

OUT

• The deaths of my wonderful Grampa and my beautiful dog Ivor. The hardest thing of losing them is dealing with life afterwards. That was one of the hardest experiences I've faced this year and it completely drained me. I miss them tremendously every day, but I know that they understood how loved, special and appreciated they were to us. Just goes to show you never know what's around the corner.

• Katie & Peter. Seriously, if I see one more magazine cover, newspaper article or TV show with these two on it, I'll scream. I'm definitely 'Team Peter', but I don't want their relationship woes shoved down my throat for another minute!
  

• The weather. Down in South Wales, we had the most miserable year ever weather-wise. All over the country people were getting glowing sunshine, but us? Rain. June, rain, July, rain, August, rain, September, rain. I've been saying it's winter since March! Here's hoping to a bit of sunshine in 2010!

And that's all the out's I can think of. I should have given 2009 more credit.

Since it's New Year's Eve, I thought I'd share my favourite cocktail recipe with you all. My favourite tipple if I'm feeling particularly indulgent, is Rose Moet & Chandon. Yum bloody yum! My bank balance won't allow me to be indulgent this year though, so I'm having a quiet night in with Mr Lollipop, a takeaway, and Michael McIntyre. It may sound boring but I can't wait. I can't remember the last time we had some peace and quiet to ourselves! Anyway, this is what you need to make a Woo Woo, and it's my favourite colour - pink! If you are anything like me, you'll measure by eye rather than exact quantities, so I take no responsibilites for how quickly you get drunk haha. Enjoy!

25ml Archers (or any peach schnapps)

25ml Smirnoff (or your vodka of preference)

50ml Cranberry juice

And, very importantly, ice!

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve, however you may be celebrating. I want to say thank you to all of you for your love and support since I started this blog. I really do appreciate you taking the time to read my rambles and comment on my posts. I hope that your 2010 is one full of health, good fortune, and above all, happiness! x x x