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While most of us have been thinking about our autumn/winter fashion, how many of us have extended these thoughts to our accessories? I'm talking about watches in particular. A couple of months ago, I got a new watch to update my autumn/winter style. And not just any watch, but a wood watch from Jord. I have received numerous compliments on my new watch, as you can imagine.

I had seen these Jord watches on Instagram for quite some time. I thought they looked pretty, but a wood watch did not seem very practical. Surely they would be heavy and uncomfortable, and then they would probably warp at the first sign of rain. When my Frankie watch arrived, I was happy to be proven wrong. I chose the Frankie because I loved the zebrawood and champagne combination. It is so elegant. Also, as zebrawood is a stripy wood, it looks quite unique. It is not just one colour, which makes it even more obvious that it is indeed a watch made out of wood.

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Just because I am a mother, it doesn't mean that I've lost my sense of humour. So for Christmas, I would like some gifts that are fun as well as thoughtful. Yes, I wouldn't mind a new jumper or some cosy socks. But there are so many other things that would put a smile on my face. I am a mother, but I also have a naughty sense of humour and am into technology. So here are some much-wanted items, from one silly mum to another.

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Does anyone else get the urge to re-vamp their bedrooms in the winter? I always see people on Instagram who have Christmas bedding and twinkly lights to transform their bedrooms into winter wonderlands. So I thought I would put together a little wishlist of items that would make my bedroom feel warm and wintry without looking like a child's room.

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You may remember that last year we gave our guest bedroom's ensuite bathroom a makeover. The guest room and its bathroom are on the second floor so I don't go up there very often and normally ignore it until we have a guest coming. Last year, when we gave the bathroom a mini-makeover, I felt quite pleased with what we achieved. But then, whenever we had guests, I started feeling bad about giving them our old, mismatched towels. So when Rooi contacted me about reviewing some of their luxury towels, I knew exactly where they would be of use.

These Brampton bath towels are so soft and luxurious. They are made of 600gsm of pure Egyptian cotton. And they wash really well. The rib design makes them look really fancy, so my guests will really feel at home. I am a huge fan of white towels. They just make bathrooms look brighter. And they also make you feel like you're in a hotel.

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Last week, I had a night out at the Roof Garden at the John Lewis on Oxford Street in central London. I was invited to a Christmas party for bloggers, and I got to take one of my friends along too. If that wasn't enough of a treat, we were given the most amazing cocktails from Background Bars and delicious Scottish fare from Mac & Wild. We were then given ideas on how we could Make It Thoughtful this Christmas.

Christmas can be so stressful. Many children have lists of presents they want, which in a way makes life easier. But what do you get your other family and friends? People that you care about, but might not be too sure what they would like. John Lewis are encouraging shoppers to be more thoughtful when it comes to gift-giving. One way to do that is to add a bit of personalisation.

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Winter Party Style

Have I ever mentioned that I love the Tu clothing from Sainsbury's. It was only a few years ago when people used to make fun of mums for buying clothes from the supermarket (me included). But these days, everyone knows that the cool kids buy their food and their fashion at the same time. Even the fashionistas are heading to the grocery store for their affordable but stylish clothes. Well, I'm no fashionista but I love pretty clothes and I love a bargain. So last week I went to Sainsbury's as they were running a 25% off sale on clothes.

I was immediately drawn to their midi pleated skirts. I have tried so many on in the past eight months and have not had any luck in finding one that is flattering and comfortable. Sainsbury's had a gorgeous khaki skirt but they didn't have it in my size so I got his grey one instead. I am debating whether I should order the khaki online. The skirts are sized from size 8-22 and only costs £13.50 in the sale, which is amazing. I've added my black brogue boots from Dune to keep the skirt from looking too girly (here are this year's version of the boot).

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Wowed By Winter Boots

I know it's still autumn, but in the past week it has started feeling like winter. The temperatures have dropped and I'm living in knits and boots. I've had a few outings recently that I would like to look not-so-casual, and nice winter boots would be an asset. I can't always wear trainers/sneakers or Gore-Tex boots. So I was thrilled when my parcel from JD Williams arrived.

The first item were these gorgeous suede ankle boots (first three photos). They are so soft and pretty, not to mention the fact that khaki is quite big for this autumn/winter season. Although you could wear these all year long. I love the cowboy style of these boots. They would look equally nice with jeans or a dress and tights. I'm wearing them with new favourite jeans, which are from Sainsburys. I've been really impressed with the style and prices for the clothing at Sainsburys (the skirt is below from there as well).

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Laura Ashley Has Me Thinking of Spring

Last week I headed to Chelsea to the Laura Ashley head office for their spring/summer17 preview. One of my favourite parts of blogging is getting to go look at lovely fashion and interiors. And I love Laura Ashley. I'm not overly girly, but I do enjoy florals and pinks. If I wasn't married and living with mucky children, I can imagine living somewhere full of flowery wallpaper, a pink armchair with candles all around. Hmmm.

For now, I am making do with lovely accents. I was especially taken with the blush. Even Husband can't argue with a little bit of light pink. And team it with grey for a cool, Scandi vibe. Speaking of grey, I saw some grey candles that looked fab. And only when I got close did I realise that they weren't real. Perfect when you have small children and you don't want to worry about them burning themselves.

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A Place To Write

I've been blogging for three years now, and until a couple of weeks ago I didn't have a proper place to write. We have a desk in the guest room, but as we've only renovated our ground floor, I don't like to be upstairs for too long (rest-of-house renovations should be happening in the next few months!!). So I have been writing on my laptop - on the sofa or at the dining table, which often isn't that comfortable. And obviously it isn't great, ergonomically-speaking. So I was beyond excited when my new desk arrived from Kit Out My Office.

First, I shuffled the living room around (I do this a few times a year anyway, to Husband's dismay) to make room for the desk. Then I kindly left the box that the desk arrived in for Husband to find. I am such a considerate wife, I know. Anyway, Husband put the desk together quite easily and I had an office space in less than an hour.

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These Boots Were Made For Walking

Do you know those women who always wear pretty heels and generally look quite elegant yet cool? Well, I'm not one of those women. I'm the practical one wearing trainers/sneakers. Recently I've started going for regular walks in Richmond Park with various mum friends. Sometimes this results in wet toes. Trainers aren't that great for muddy walks. So I've been wanting to get some Goretex boots for ages. And last week I finally got some.

Along with some other bloggers, I was invited to an event at Hotter Shoes in Guildford last week. Not only did we get to find out about the history of Hotter, we got to go crazy trying on lots of boots. Hotter was founded in 1959 making slippers. These proved so popular that they started making an array of comfortable shoes and boots, and now there are currently 70 stores in the UK. And all the shoes made for Hotter, are made in their factory in Lancashire. That's right, their factory is based in the UK. I became a fan of Hotter shoes last year and was already the owner of two sandals, one trainer and one heeled party shoe, but no boots. Not until last week.

Most of the bloggers were trying on cute heeled boots, and of course Mrs Practical here was looking for boots that would enable me to walk for miles in comfort (and stay dry). The problem was that there were so many comfortable boots - even the ones with heels. But then I found some Gore-tex beauties and I knew that I had to get them. They didn't have the Orla boots in black, in my size, so the store ordered them for me (with free delivery!) and they arrived at my house four days later.

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