I’m very excited about an upcoming event I’m attending with my eldest sister. Our favourite book’s author, Paullina Simons, is going to be at a PaperPlus Books and Bubbles evening with Kerre Woodham and we’re going to it! How cool is that? I really hope we get to meet Paullina so we can gush like fangirls tell her how much we adore her work, especially The Bronze Horseman trilogy. Older readers of my blog may remember my frequent Paullina/Bronze Horseman related posts, which is fairly indicative of my level of love for her work.

She has a new book out, A Song in the Daylight (scroll down a bit for synopsis), just in time for my summer vacation. I plan to buy it and spend a few days devouring it after my exams are over. Funnily enough, the Books and Bubbles evening happens to be on the same day as my last two exams, so what a perfect way to round off my first set of university exams!

I finally upgraded my WordPress and so far I’m loving it. The new dashboard design is very useful as most things are but one click away. I really hate having to go to two other pages to find what it is I want! Aside from this brief examination I have not explored much else, yet.

Christmas is only four days away! How insane is that? This year has gone so fast for me and I keep thinking about how it seems like only six months ago we celebrated Christmas. I have been wishing for that childhood state where time just goes on and on and nothing seems to fly by you.

Anyway, this year is my first Christmas being properly vegan, so I am having to plan a bit better what I will actually be eating. Side dishes are usually fine as there are plenty of salads, vegetables (the joys of a Summer Christmas are easy BBQs and lots of salad), breads, etc. made without animal ingredients. However, main dishes are a little different, obviously, because I wont be stuffing myself with any meat.

My family have done a lunch with my mother’s family and dinner with my father’s for years. Since the grandparents are getting older, this year it’s lunch at our place and dinner at my eldest sister’s. So I have two mains to think about and have decided on a nut loaf for lunch (I’ve never had one, but they look easy to make and good for a lunch meal) and cous cous stuffed field mushrooms for dinner. I want to re-create that gorgeous stuffed mushroom I had at a restaurant awhile back — it was just that good! I hope there wasn’t some secret ingredient that the dish can’t be without, or I’ll be, well, screwed.

For dessert I’m making two apple pies, with The Worlds Most Awesome Pastry Recipe, that can be found in Tatiana’s Table by Paullina Simons (Pie Crust 1). No, seriously, it’s the best.

If you celebrate Christmas, or another holiday at this time of year, what are the traditions your family has? What foods do you eat? I would love to know!

I’m doing a list post today because I have lots of little random bits to write about and none are big enough for their own post.

• I am finally making progress on my assignment and it’s going fairly well thus far. I should be done by Friday and hopefully the effort will be good enough for a pass. It’s my second-to-last assignment so that’s pleasing.
• Only three more weeks until we move. Which reminds me that I should start thinking about packing up my room as I don’t wish the professional packers to be doing that. Not that I have anything hide per se, but I’m hyper-private and fussy, so best I do it myself.
• I may have a part-time job opportunity for when I get to Auckland. It’s at a men’s shop which sells, well, lots of stuff for men. Cigars, lighters, model cars, shaving stuff, et cetera. So, depending on when the owner needs workers by, I might be working there over summer.
• For some reason I have become ridiculously excited about Christmas. My youngest nephew is at a better age to understand more and he knows who Santa Clause is. It will also be my nieces first Christmas and, though she will only be four months old on the day, it’s still lovely, and having children around makes it more enjoyable. I want to make cards this year, but I’ll only post out a few of them, to people I wont see or give gifts to. I hope this feeling of wonderment over the holiday lasts—it’s more fun!
• Last night I started re-reading The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons. It’s the first book in her Bronze Horseman trilogy that follows Tatiana Metanova and Alexander Belov as they experience tragedy and loss, as well as their love for each other. The trilogy spans decades and starts in 1941, the day the Soviet Union and Germany go to war. It’s by far the best I have read yet. Ever. I’m really not kidding. The Bronze Horseman is so perfect, so lovely, so sad, so amazing that I have become somewhat obsessed. Ok, I lie; I’ve become a lot obsessed. I will write a post about the books in the near future.

Dinner on Thursday night was lovely. I had spoken to the restaurant ahead of time to let them know I’m vegan and to check if they had any options for me. They were wonderful and I ended up ordering mushrooms (I’m not sure of the variety, but they were large) stuffed with a mix of couscous, red capsicum, cashews and pineapple. On the side were two roasted tomato halves and under the mushrooms was a lovely roasted red capsicum. The mushrooms also came with crispy julienne potato stack on top.

It was the best meal I’ve had out in a very long time, with wonderful service from the staff. I don’t like being a nuisance to people because of my personal ethical, and thus dietary, choices* and sometimes it can still be a bit daunting to go and say “Ok, I don’t eat this, this, this, this or this, or anything container those things. But make me something divine, ‘k?” Some restaurants are not at all accommodating and don’t even want to try. I’ve even been somewhere where I felt like I was being grilled about these choices, which was rude and totally uncalled for. Serve me my food, shut the hell up and go away!

In other news, yesterday I finally managed to create a new design for Bubblegum Fangirl and get that up and running. I spent the first half of today trying to finish The Bridge To Holy Cross by Paullina Simons as it’s due back at the library, but my eyes are having trouble seeing clearly, so I’m on a “break”. Because reading on the computer is oh so much easier and better for my sight, obviously…

It’s raining and seems so dreary, but it’s nice to look out my window and see the cars go by, the rain fall through the leaves and hear the distant rumbling of thunder. A hot chocolate may me necessary soon.

Now I’m about to attempt upgrading WordPress, so I hope that goes well…

*Even though I shouldn’t feel that way. It’s none of their business a part of whether or not they are able to serve me anything I consider edible. If not, I take my money elsewhere.