Happy Holidays!

 

Merry Christmas to you, dear friends!

We had a lovely Christmas lunch with my cousins. Paul and I had our photo taken in their beautiful leafy garden.

I'm wearing my new Ralph Lauren dress from our Hawaiian trip for the first time :)

 

 It was a warm, humid day and the children jumped in and out of the pool. I kept cool with champagne...

There were 14 of us for lunch and it was a fabulous day. (The gratin we made went well! It was de-lish.)

It's boxing day here now: a day to relax and rest. This afternoon I can be found on the outdoor sofa reading a book sipping an icy cold glass of water.

 

~~

 

Last weekend Micky dog had his Christmas groom, and his lovely groomer Roberta put a festive bow in his hair. Sooooo cute!

 

 

He is always the happiest dog after a bath and haircut.

 

(But on Christmas Day he wore his festive tie :)

 

 

~~

 

This year I had the most magical week-before-Christmas ever.

Even though I had things to do, I have still felt peaceful and relaxed. Here in Hawke's Bay it's not as busy as bigger places, but the shops are still as crazy as anywhere else. I went into town once and allowed extra time to park before an appointment.

I can thoroughly recommend giving yourself the gift of a peaceful holiday season if possible!

We did not travel for Christmas day and I know travel can be stressful with the sheer quantity of people involved.

But my experience of this past week has made it even more of a priority to me to continue shaping a peaceful life.

I wish you an unhurried season of festivities - and beyond - too.

My very best wishes to you for an enjoyable Christmas break!

xx Fiona

 

PS. You can find all my books here on Amazon if you need a little sneaking-away downtime during the holiday period 😉

 

 

And, just for fun, I have enrolled '100 Ways to be That Girl' in the Kindle Unlimited program for the next three months. This means you can read it for free if you have a membership.

That girl is who everyone wants to be. She has it all going on! Others wonder how she does it so well. In this book I share all her secrets.

Her message is about how you can stand out from the crowd by harnessing the power of how ‘she’ would be, to instantly:

- Become unforgettable
- Feel happier and more confident
- Stop worrying about what others think of you
- Power ahead in your own life
- Feel unshakeable

That girl is our alter ego, the one who has more fun, makes more money, and is better looking!

Let’s cultivate our that girl persona and see how fabulous life can get. Age or body size are no barrier to creating our dream life, with the help of our inner that girl. We are going to be that girl in our own life, the leading lady in our own movie!

It was so fun to write this book. I got to be a little over the top, but as usual with my writing, it is also grounded in reality. It always pays to have the best of both worlds I believe!

You can find it here on Amazon.

If you have a friend who you think might enjoy this book too, please share this with them:)

~~

(My Amazon link is affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thank you if you choose to use my links!)

Christmas week happenings

 

Hello chic friends,

It's the last week before Christmas! In order to feel peaceful and relaxed, I am planning to be less busy than other years. I want to mostly stay at home, and keep a simple daily schedule of writing and playing, and keep away from the shops as much as possible.

I've just finished reading a book called 'The Wake Up Call' by Beth O'Leary, and although it took me a while to get into it, I did enjoy it. I even had happy tears in my eyes near the end. I love books like that!

So my reading schedule is wide open for my next read. Yay! Let me know what you've enjoyed lately. I do have a long, long list of yummy books to dive into, both on my shelves and my Kindle but am always open to new titles. I think that's 'why' I have a long list to read :)

I do still have a few errands to run though, so it's fun to dress nicely and enjoy them. Even though it's a busy time for people, it's a jovial atmosphere.

I am not hosting Christmas this year, but my contribution to Christmas dinner is a potato gratin. So, so delicious. I have a three kilogram bag of potatoes and will probably use all of them. I think there are at least 14 people attending, and extra gratin never goes amiss. There is rarely any left over!

~~

 

We are currently having our house re-roofed after many issues with leaks this year (it’s been a rainy 2023 in Hawke’s Bay).

Micky dog is a sensitive boy, and jumps at the slightest noise. Opening a can of fizzy drink is scary, and once he even took fright when I was putting hand cream on and there was a tiny squelching noise. That was his best one, haha.

So you can only imagine his poor beating heart with all the drilling, hammering, and crashing going on above our heads last week and this week.

In this photo I was doing my Pilates class and Micky moved ON to the mat for comfort. Amazingly I could do pretty much everything I needed to do, and it was quite lovely to cuddle into him doing a child’s pose or side ways kicks :)

 

At one particularly loud-roof-noise point I had ALL THREE dogs on my mat. It was getting ridiculous! Anyway, I got through my class fine, and it was only half an hour to play doggie Twister through.

Shout out to ‘Move With Nicole’ on YouTube for such amazing classes. There are tons of them (beginner, intermediate and advanced – I am on intermediate classes). She is friendly and smiley, and gives the best instructions. They are clear, and the classes are enjoyable. She provides an incredible free service. Thank you Nicole!

And we are all looking forward to our roof being finished this week. Yes, a new roof for Christmas. Aren’t we lucky? Father Christmas will have to land his sleigh on the lawn this year. We don’t want to scratch the paint on our new roof :)

~~

 

A lovely dinner outside :)

It always amazes me how the simplest things can make an everyday meal more special.

Here:

- A rush table mat
- French linen dinner napkin
- A napkin ring
- Fabric coasters
- Sparkling water
- A glass of wine
- Yummy and fresh salad and protein dinner
- Sitting outside on the patio

And of course, jazz music in the background. My husband Paul has curated his favourite jazz tracks into one big playlist, which we listen to on shuffle/random just about every night. You are welcome to listen to it too if you are a jazz fan! It's here on Spotify, free for anyone.

And even if you're not you might find some new music to enjoy :)

~~

 

Christmas lilies in the hall make the whole house smell beautiful

~~

 

The stockings are up!

Doggies Chloe, Micky, and Daphne are all waiting for their stockings to be filled with treats for Christmas (they love Duck Tenders or Chicken Biscuits).

I didn't buy a stocking for Nina cat because she has Temptations for a treat and they would get lost in the bottom, haha. Also, she likes to differentiate herself from the dogs. She refuses to use the same water bowl, and has even started waiting at the door to be let in or out, rather than use the cat door because the dogs use it too.

Nina said she is not a diva, just a lady with high standards :)

I hope your week is going well and that you get to enjoy the season as well as getting everything done.

xx Fiona

PS. If you need a little Christmas inspiration, check out my book 'A Chic and Simple Christmas' on Amazon here. It's not too late to add a little sparkle to your mindset!

 

(My Amazon link is affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thank you if you choose to use my links!)

'Visiting' the Savoy at Christmas

 

Hello chic friends :)

I was just wondering, how many times so far this month has someone asked you what you're doing for Christmas - maybe a million? Oh well, small talk makes the world go around!

It's business as usual here - festive walking tours on YouTube, candles and lit ornaments galore, cheesy Christmas movies on Netflix and fun get togethers with friends.

I've been writing this week too, on my next book. Such fun. Try and stop me :)

~~

 

As mentioned, one of my favourite relaxing sofa-time things to do in December is to watch walking tours - and bus tours! - of the Christmas lights and decorations in big cities.

The Wanderizm channel has a wonderful double decker bus tour of the festive lights in central London.

They just happened to pass the Savoy Hotel too...

 

My cousin Sam was lucky enough to stay there only a week or two ago and sent these fabulous photos he took of the Savoy lobby. How beautiful is the Christmas decor?

 

 

And, he also happened to see Prince William in the lobby followed by his entourage, on their way to an event. What a fun coincidence!

 

 

I hope you enjoy these photos, they truly are magical, and check out the London bus tour too. It's so fun to be riding along, waiting at the stop lights, turning the corner, seeing new decorations...

 

 

I know, I really need to get a life :) but truly, I love being a happy homebody. One day I'll travel to London myself, but not today. Today I'm cozy and snug at home, enjoying the inspirational fruits of others labour. 

 

 

 

~~

 

 

And it’s another candle and lightstravaganza - Saturday night at Chez Ferris :) (not quite the Savoy but still pretty!)

 

 

 

Wishing you a fab rest of your week, and I'll see you next week for my last post before Christmas :)

xx Fiona

 

PS. I'm thrilled to see my latest book has been so well received. No. 1 bestseller in multiple categories! Yay! And thank you :)  You can find it here on Amazon if you haven't seen it yet. 

 

(My Amazon link is affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thank you if you choose to use my links!)

Embracing the festive season

 

Hello chic friends,

 

We went to my husband Paul's work Christmas last weekend, and it was so lovely. The weather was good and we were treated to a delicious dinner and drinks at a local winery. It was a wonderful evening and I am very grateful!

 

And then the next day was cozy and drizzly, just perfect for staying in with movies and books :)

 

~~

 

Festive treats

 

To celebrate the beginning of December I couldn't resist a treat... I love Christmas themed goodies!

 

 

 

(I also saw gingerbread flavoured popcorn but managed not to put that in my basket.)

If you don't live in New Zealand and cannot get Whittaker's chocolate I feel for you! It's the best :) They've never cheapened their brand and have a consistently high quality product.

 

A friend that lives in South Africa loads her suitcase up when she returns home from a visit here :)

I buy their 72% Dark Ghana flavour for 'everyday use', and the others as sparingly as I can because they are just too easy to eat.

Are you like me and have to manage what you keep in the house? I've found it's the best and easiest way for me!

And, if you're a Whittaker's fan too, please let me know your favourite flavour. My all time favourite is Jelly Tip, omg it's so good. But again, highly dangerous!

~~

 

Our festive front door

 

I love the Christmas vibe and really wish I could keep my favourite Christmas goodies up all year round! They make me so happy to see.

 

~~

 

Festive dinner

 

A festive themed outdoor dinner for the last night of November ✨
 

My husband Paul asked if there were enough candles on the table (there were six...)

What can I say, I’m a high maintenance lady!

 

~~

 

I saw this bright star in the sky that night too, and it turned out to be the planet Jupiter!
 

 

 

I have the app SkyView Lite and it’s so fun to peruse the sky sometimes . I also love the music that plays in the app when I’m using it. It’s very peaceful and calming.

 

 

I saw the constellation Aquarius close by too.

It was a good night for stargazing!

~~

And this is my ‘sweet Daphne’ standing on the outdoor sofa as if she is allowed up there :)

Daphne wears her heart on the outside and her spirit is one of love and pure neediness… both for me, and food.

She is 7-8 years old now and we adopted her when she was 2, from the SPCA where she was taken from a puppy mill.

She loves life, loves her doggie and people family, and loves her walks down the road. She trots down the hill and RACES back up.

Home is where the heart is she said, and I agree ☺️✨

 

~~

I hope your festive season is starting off nicely as well. I have my Christmas tree up and almost decorated. Playing Christmas music. Diffusing Christmas blend essential oils. Switching on all my lit Christmas decor each morning.

Love it ❤️💚❤️💚❤️

 

 

It's so nice to be feel festive in December. What I've found though, is that we need to make it happen for ourselves: seek out the lights, the decorations, the fun, and the fizzy happy feeling.

I do this with books and December issue magazines, browsing the Christmas section in stores, viewing homes that are decorated for the holidays (it's slim pickings around here but I can't complain!), watching YouTubers’ Vlogmas creations (current favourite: https://www.youtube.com/@newyorkplease), playing Christmas music at home and lighting Christmas candles (I have a cookie-scented candle burning at the moment).

I don't do holiday clothes or earrings, but I know they are popular :) I love red or plum coloured nails in December though.

There are so many ways in which to bring the pretty, sparkly, magical feeling of Christmas to your everyday!

Please let me know some of yours, and what you’re up to with regards to Christmas decor - minimalist or maximalist? I am in between but always like plenty of payback for my effort!

xx Fiona

PS. You can find my book 'A Chic and Simple Christmas' on Amazon in paperback and Kindle, along with all my other books, which are focused on living a fabulous life without spending a lot of money. 'A Chic and Simple Christmas' is all about celebrating the holiday season with ease and grace, and includes all my best tips to achieve this.

 

(My Amazon link is affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thank you if you choose to use my links!)

Big book sale ends soon + your author dreams

:: Holiday Cheers ::

 

Hello chic friends,

 

I took a little time out to celebrate my new book release this past weekend :)

Rugged up with a cozy blanket in my satin pajamas loungewear. As you do.

It is SUCH a nice feeling to have a book completed and put out. You all know the satisfaction when you have finished a project!

And onto the next one! I love the boost that finishing one gives me for another.

I hope my US friends had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend. Even though we don't celebrate it here in New Zealand I've enjoyed all your festivities on social media, so thank you for that!

~~

 

 

 

If you have ever wanted to take my online home study course ‘Create Your Dream Life as a Successful Author’, I have a super-fun special offer for you. For Black Friday/Cyber Monday, I am offering 60% off, which makes it $199 instead of $497.

The course is delivered over six weeks, and you get to keep everything forever – all lessons, audio tracks, bonus PDFs etc.

I created this course in 2018 and have pondered updating it over the years, but I haven’t because there are many things in this course that I have forgotten the finer details of now. I do much of what I do almost by autopilot and I know there is a ton of goodness in this course exactly as it is. I don’t want to mess with a good thing!

There is a money-back guarantee for the first two weeks, so if you receive the first two modules and two weeks of bonuses and decide it’s utter rubbish or just not for you, I will happily refund you, minus a small fee that is taken for payment processing (9%).

If you want to give yourself the best chance of success and get serious about writing and publishing your book, join me today and learn how you can create your dream life as a successful author!

(And I also want to say, it's not really 'serious' work. As with my books, this course is fun, playful, light-hearted, enjoyable, and inspiring. If you are like me and can't be bothered doing hard, difficult, dry things, I think you will love my course!)

You can see more details here, and of course enroll if you like.

Use the coupon code SUCCESSFULYOU for your special pricing.

 

~~ 

 

 

I don't just have followers on social media, I have them at home too!

These three doggies trail behind me everywhere.

When I am writing in my office they are there - Daphne and Chloe in their bed under my desk and fluffy white Mickydog sleeps in the doorway like a protective bouncer.

And while I am in the ensuite having a lovely long shower and moisturising session they all lie on the bedroom bench waiting for me. So cute! We will have to have the top of the bench seat recovered one day but that's another story... so many paw prints!

You'd think it would be relaxing being a dog but no, they are always watching me to see what I'm going to do next. If I do an about-turn in the hall because I've forgotten something we all collide!

And when I go out somewhere they can't go I have the three saddest faces looking at me. Even if I'm only gone an hour they give me the biggest welcome home too. Micky runs and gets a toy for me.

They really are adorably co-dependent!
 

My friend Jennifer talked about 'Velcro dogs' haha these ones certainly are! Do you have Velcro dogs too??? Tell me a cute story about them :)

 

~~

 

And, it's the final days for my big once-a-year book sale too. Prices go back to normal on the weekend for both paperbacks and Kindle/eBooks.

 

 

You can make some last minute purchases to set you up for a fabulous 2024. What better person to invest in and work on than yourself? I love self-development and that's why all my books have personal development principles running through them, in a fun, feminine, soft way of course. It's my favourite way :)

You can find all sale books here on Amazon, Kindle and print.

And for an Amazon alternative you can download all titles in eBook format from my eStore here.

My books are on various topics, but all come under the umbrella of living a beautiful life without spending a ton of money. They are a blend of cultivating a fabulous mindset, and of elevating our daily life and surroundings with luxurious touches. Plus, everything has to be fun and easy, because why would we want to do it any other way?

I hope you enjoy the sale, and if you have any friends that you think might like my books, please share this message with them!

And, let's all go for our goals and create our dream life!

xx Fiona

PS. My Amazon link is affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thank you if you choose to use my links!

New book out now!

:: NEW BOOK OUT NOW ::

 

Dear chic friends,

 

Yay! I'm so happy to announce that my newest book is out now, in paperback and eBook.

'100 Ways to be a Chic Success and Live Your Dream Life' is all about going for your goals and living how you'd really love to live, but in a soft, gentle, feminine, enjoyable way.

In it I share all my little success tips - both mindset and practical - on how I have created my dream life. Don't worry, you won't have to become a homebody self-published author if you don't want to! But you will find out what you DO want and how to get there. And above all, you will enjoy yourself as you do so.

I hope you join me in this book. It was fun to write and really motivating too :)

If you need a boost of inspiration, you can find the paperback and Kindle copies at Amazon here.

And for an Amazon alternative the eBook is in my eStore here.

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend and happy reading!

 

xx Fiona

(My Amazon link is affiliate which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through my link. Thank you if you choose to do so!)

My latest podcast interview!

 

Greetings from springtime in New Zealand! Can you see my herb planter box behind me? It's doing so well with mint, thyme, coriander, parsley, rosemary, oregano and spring onions.

And in another raised garden around the back of our house I've just planted two types of tomato, cucumber, courgette/zucchini, broccolini and perpetual spinach. Wish me luck!

I've given up on mesclun and lettuce even though they grow really easily from seed, because before too long they are covered in caterpillars eating them :( I've tried covers and netting but they still get in, and I don't want to use slug bait.

If you have any magic tricks to protect lettuce, please let me know your secrets! My sister suggested cos lettuce which I will try. Apparently the bugs hide less easily... Added bonus that it's my favourite kind of lettuce!

 

 

 

And I'm so thrilled to let you know that my second interview with the lovely Annemarie Stolting is out now on her fabulous 'Let's Slow Down' podcast.

We had such a fun chat about living a chic and simple life and how it's possible even during the holiday season. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

You can find it at any of your usual podcast places, and you can also watch it on my YouTube channel below:

 

 

Or listen to/download the audio from Soundcloud here.

 

Plus you can enter Annemarie's holiday giveaway to win a copy of my book, 'A Chic and Simple Christmas'.

Happy listening!

Beautiful peonies at my mum's house

 

 

I don't get out much (by choice!), so I thought I'd change that yesterday. It was a lovely day so I took myself on a solo date to view Christmassy stores in Napier, browse the Black Friday sales, and have a Gingerbread Latte too. It was actually really nice, not too sweet. I was only in town for an hour but it was a fun little jaunt, and I did some errands too. Yay for me!

 

 

If you are a Starbucks fan, please let me know your favourite holiday drink. I might try another one soon :)

 

 xx Fiona

PS. ALL of my books are on sale for my once-a-year November sale, you can find them at my Amazon link here.

~~ Kindle and paperbacks are both included in the sale ~~

 

All Kindle books are $3.99 and paperbacks are reduced a decent amount too (they vary in price due to page length).

Or for an Amazon alternative, all my eBooks are in my eStore here.

My 20+ books are on various topics, but all come under the umbrella of living a beautiful life without spending a ton of money. They are a blend of cultivating a fabulous mindset, and of elevating our daily life and surroundings with luxurious touches. Plus, everything has to be fun and easy, because why would we want to do it any other way?

I hope you enjoy the sale, and if you have any friends that you think might like my books, please share this post with them!

(My Amazon link is affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thank you if you choose to use my links!)

Biggest post ever! And the once-a-year sale :)

 

 Hello chic friends!

Gosh, today's post is so jam-packed I don't know where to start. Shall I begin with what we did on the weekend?

This is my husband Paul and I at the Robbie Williams concert. Robbie played at a local winery - how lucky are we to live ten minutes down the road! We got there really early to get a good spot, and there was a little waiting around... six hours... until he started. But it was the most beautiful sunny day, plenty of sunscreen on, and other acts played before him.

We met lovely people around us and had a chat. We also had yummy gluten-free pasta for an early dinner from one of the food caravans. And a couple of glasses of bubbles plus LOTS of water. I went through a 1.5 litre by myself and refilled it again.

And Robbie was a superstar! What a show. Laser lights, fabulous visuals while he sung, and he can sing. What a voice. He promo-ed his Netflix documentary quite a lot :) Oh, do you have a Netflix show Robbie? But it was all good fun.

And I went to bed soooo late for me (midnight) and had to have a little sleep-in the next day. There were a lot of very happy people with many drinks and I'm glad I wasn't one of them!

Moderation seems so dull at the time but you are very happy about it the next day :)

~~

 

And in home news, our outdoor area is now complete! It has been a long journey which we began a couple of years ago by dreaming about a resort-style patio that we could use year round.

 

 

 

 

One day out at lunch at a local restaurant, I saw they had this metal structure over their outdoor area with pull-down clear sides. There was a small plaque with the name of the company who'd made it and they were also local so... I rung them to come around and do us a quote.

 

 

We also took the opportunity to paint our house and have outdoor tiling laid. Our previous patio was concrete with small stones in it which hurt your feet. There was also a large crack the whole width of the patio from the earth moving over time since it had been laid twenty years ago.

 

 

It was lucky everything took so long to come into place as it gave us time to save up along the way, which was my goal (not to go into debt for our plans). And the final, finishing touch, we had our new outdoor furniture delivered a few weeks ago.

 

 

Thank you for all your solid advice - I chose dark cushions for our outdoor sofas!

 

 

We wanted to make a rule of 'no pets on the outdoor sofas' as they drop hair, but you can see how well that went...

 

 

 

 

Oh well :)

 

 

Sweet Daphne's leg scar from when she injured herself earlier in the year.
She is as good as new now :)

 

~~

 

My friend Tanya came around for lunch the other day, and we dined outside on the new patio area. We try and meet once a month, alternating at each other's house.

But we do something a bit different in that the person who is coming to lunch brings the lunch, and we always have sushi :)
 

 

 

I made a sweet for afters, a delicious Lemon Bar recipe from the Starbucks website.

I don't bake a lot, just when I have people around (which actually has been quite a lot lately!) And I love that home-baking is completely customisable. I can use gluten-free flour (I am celiac), and I also lower the sugar a little.

Here is the recipe here if you want to take a peek:

https://athome.starbucks.com/recipe/lemon-bars

I learned new things such as 'what is a quarter sheet' (amazingly I had one and I have hardly any baking gear) and translated the quantities and oven setting.

It's always lovely to catch up with a friend!

 

~~

 

And finally, to end this post on a fun note, I'm thrilled to share with you that today is the first day of my BIG ONCE A YEAR BOOK SALE!

 

 

 

Once a year, in November, I hold a book sale and this year is no exception.

For a short time all of my Kindle books are only $3.99 (many are priced up to $9.99 usually), and my paperbacks are reduced as well, around 40% off for my longer books and the smaller books have a dollar or two off.

It's time to stock up on any titles you might not have and really set yourself up to be a chic success coming into 2024!

You can find all sale books here on Amazon, on Kindle and in print.

And for an Amazon alternative you can download all of my titles in eBook format from my eStore here.

My books are on various topics, but all come under the umbrella of living a beautiful life without spending a ton of money. They are a blend of cultivating a fabulous mindset, and of elevating your daily life and surroundings with luxurious touches. Plus, everything has to be fun and easy, because why would you want to do it any other way?

I hope you enjoy the sale, and if you have any friends that you think might like my books, please share this post with them!

xx Fiona

PS. My Amazon links are affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Thank you if you choose to use my links!

Here are a few of my 20+ book titles available :)