Birthday Goodies

My birthday is the one time of year I go berserk. Usually, I go nuts shopping for my kids (see one of these shopping binges here), but as the kids grow older and develop their own personal tastes, it gets more challenging for me to surprise them with something they like. I miss that sweet jaw drop of pleasure and surprise when I get them something. But of late, it’s been more like, can I see what else was there in the shop?

So, on this birthday, I decided to direct that attention to myself instead.

My first birthday indulgence was, of course, a hardcover of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child that I read all weekend obsessively and reviewed here.

Overall, it was a great read, and speed-reading this book was a joy on my birthday (July 31st – same as Harry Potter and J.K Rowling).

My next birthday indulgence was from The Body Shop – I had some vouchers rattling around that were due to expire, so I thought I’d check out if there was something new and exciting.

I picked up the British Rose body scrub because it smelled heavenly. But once I started using it, I flipped for it even more. The stuff works! It makes your skin so soft and smells very lightly of rose petals. Love!

The next indulgence is this bag that I have eyed for the past year. I’d only seen these on the internet and wasn’t sure how much I would like them in real life. So, I tried a cheaper version of the bag (a canvas and leather backpack that I talked about here, and once I was sure I loved the way the leather aged, I decided to add this Mansur Gavriel bucket bag to my collection. Click for larger images.

I won’t lie. It wasn’t cheap. But patience always pays off when it comes to expensive purchases. I set up a watch on eBay, and browsed through all the notifications when bags were available. There were plenty, but it was frustrating because I could never find the bag I liked in a condition and price that was acceptable (looking at pre-loved bags).

Eventually, this one came up, and even though it was not the pink I initially wanted, it was in fabulous condition. And I just fell in love with the bright yellow interior. The price also worked just fine for me. So into my basket, it went, and a week later it was in my house.

And the last, I swear this is the absolute last indulgence, is tickets I was gifted for a day of wine tasting at Grover’s vineyards. We have yet to find a free weekend to go, but you can bet that I am looking forward to it!