Christmas approaches!

ITS NEARLY TIME FOR THE BIG DAY...
SANTA’S POLISHING UP HIS SLEIGH....
PRESENTS READY AND SHOPPING DONE....
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Hello again and I hope you are all prepared and excited for Christmas!

As it’s a special week I have a guest blogger for one week only to tell you in his own words what Christmas is all about. It’s the one the only SAM TAYLOR (aged 10)....

“Hi people, I think Christmas is all about........... XMAS DINNER of course! it’s amazing especially when it’s from Iceland!!!! :D I would like to receive... Well, get enough Christmas money for an Xbox 360 Elite. Anyway when it’s the amazing day, we are having our whole family round. It’s going to be the best Christmas ever!!!! I have made a board game for Christmas called Christmas Delivery and it’s a bit like monopoly. Hopefully my mum will put a picture of it on the Iceland website. I’m also feeling ecstatic because it is my first ever in my own house - all thanks to Iceland!!!!!“

By
Sam Taylor :D

OK it’s back to me now. An Xbox? He’ll be lucky! I do have something in store for them both that I hope will get the “wow factor” on the big day but it’s not an Xbox so I’ll have to tell you next week how they liked their presents.

Snow

I think most parts of the country have been hit by snow this week. Whilst this looks very pretty at Christmas time it has been causing a few problems. Unfortunately someone must have slid into the back of my parked car whilst I was at work last week and I now have a smashed up bumper that needs replacing. I know accidents happen in this weather but if I had been the one crashing into someone I would have left a note. This means I will now be asking Father Christmas for car parts this year!

I always do a lot of my Christmas shopping online and have always considered myself very clever for avoiding the scrums at the shops. This year however it has backfired on me a bit and I have had an anxious wait to see if my deliveries will arrive in time. I still have a couple of items outstanding so am just keeping fingers and toes crossed now!

Christmas Parties

It’s been a busy week for parties and celebrations too. Unfortunately I have had the winter lurgy bug and felt really quite ill. I keep telling myself at least it means I will be better by Christmas day if I get it out of the way now, but it does spoil things when you sit sniffing and coughing throughout your get together! First it was a Christmas meal with my work colleagues, and then I had a secret Santa party with some neighbours. I love secret Santa and always get so excited about a present when you have no idea what might be inside. Secret Santa was kind this year and got me everything a girl could want: some wine, some chocolates and some smellies! There were about 12 of us at the party and yet again it was an occasion when Iceland party food really came into its own. We all brought a couple of items with no one spending more than a couple of pounds and had enough food to feed the whole street!

Finally this week we also had our annual pre Christmas lunch with my friend Helen and her children. This is a tradition for us that dates back about 6 years. We take it in turns every year to go to each other’s houses and have a full roast dinner with all the trimmings just like the real thing. We exchange and unwrap our presents to each other and it is good practice for the big day. The children are getting older now, but I still forced them all to sit through “The Snowman” and “Father Christmas” on DVD to get into the spirit of things! After complaining, they did manage to forget for a minute they are too old for all that and actually enjoyed it!

So with two more days of work to go and most of the presents wrapped, and most of the food bought, I want to wish you all a very Happy Christmas!

Thanks for reading

Ellie

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The Nativity

IT’S NOT CHRISTMAS WITHOUT THE NATIVITY....
AND THERE’S NOWHERE I WOULD RATHER BE....
THAN IN THE SCHOOL HALL WATCHING THE TALE UNFOLD...
OF THE “GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD”!


Hello again,

It’s always a nerve wracking time watching the school play. I think every parent knows the feeling of sitting in the audience nervously willing them to do well. It was a big one for me this year as Sam is in his last year at primary school, and so it was his last proper Nativity play.

I still remember the very first one when he was at pre-school and very shy. I remember sitting and watching his sad face under his tea towel shepherd’s hat trying not to cry. I had to restrain myself from jumping up on stage and rescuing him as he looked so uncomfortable! Luckily as the years went on his confidence grew and he looked less uncomfortable with each performance.

A few years after the tearful shepherd he had a part as a frog and jumped up and down enthusiastically throughout the whole play so I knew then he was over his stage fright! You may be wondering where the frog fitted into the traditional Christmas story, but remember, teachers always have the challenge of creating parts for all the children. I think they do a great job at adapting the story each year so all the children have a turn to do something, rather than just give every child the part of “sheep number 24” or “Shepherd number 12”!

This year there was lots of singing and dancing involved and whilst I managed to get some film of Sam, Luke made sure he stood behind someone at all times! I think I just managed to get a glimpse of the top of his lasagne box crown in one shot!

The bit that brought tears to my eyes this year wasn’t even my own children but a little boy doing a saxophone solo after only three lessons. Okay I admit it was a slightly wobbly rendition of “Once in Royal David’s City” but for only three lessons it was fantastic! I just thought he was so brave to stand there and play on his own.

The bit that made me laugh the most was one little boy from reception year who obviously has a future in show business. The songs all had a modern feel and this little boy got so absorbed in the music he looked like a miniature member of the Black Eyed Peas as he strutted his stuff!

In the end it all went well and baby Jesus was born on stage, quite realistically I thought with Mary shouting “OW”! I think perhaps she had been watching Holby City!

Also this week, following the Christmas fair, our local papers reported on the opening and called me “Ellie from the Tellie” They also wrote, “Thousands of people braved the wintry December weather at Nailsea annual Christmas street fair which was declared the biggest and best for a decade. A fanfare of seasonal fun greeted the estimated 8,000 strong crowd.” They also put, “Poet Ellie is becoming known as the Pam Ayres of Somerset.” Wow what a claim to fame!

We have also been watching the finals of I’m a Celebrity and X Factor I was of course sad to see I’m a Celebrity end as I was getting used to seeing myself and all the other Iceland Mums in the advert breaks, but was also glad to see Stacey win. She really is a “glass half full” person! I couldn’t believe that whatever they threw at her she just kept smiling and laughing. The only other person I’ve ever met who is always so positive and happy all the time is my fellow Iceland mum Charlene. Mind you, I’ve never seen Charlene forced to eat disgusting creepy crawly things and nasty animal parts so I don’t know if she would still be smiling then. If I was made to put a bet on it though I would say she would!

I have to admit I always get a bit bored of X Factor by the final and prefer the early stage auditions so was glad to see the worst auditionees invited back. Just think, that could be me next year!

Well actually it couldn’t, as I have no intention of even applying but after this rollercoaster year with Iceland I still firmly believe anything is possible!

I hope all your own Christmas preparations are going well, and that like me, you are all enjoying your children’s starring moments up and down the country.

Thanks for reading

Ellie
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The Christmas Fair

THE TIME HAD COME TO OPEN THE FAIR....
ALL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY WERE THERE....
IT WASN’T AS SCARY AS I HAD FEARED...
ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY CLAPPED AND CHEERED!

Hello again,

I am pleased to say that the Christmas fair went very well despite the arctic temperatures. People in Nailsea really make the effort and there was a huge turnout. There were so many stalls this year some people had to be turned away.

Let me take you back to last week when I was preparing to do the official opening. I had been told a long speech wasn’t required but when a member of the town council called round the night before to go through what I would say, I started to panic! He said to me “I expect you are used to making speeches aren’t you?” I replied “NOOOOOOO!”

The only speeches I am used to are at work to customers about different types of lenses! He said he had been asked to write a speech for me but didn’t want to put words into my mouth, I said I honestly didn’t mind having words put in my mouth but in the end we agreed the key points I had to mention and I said I would just talk around those points .He also asked if I could make up one of my poems about the fair but I did warn him I’m not Shakespeare and I’m not sure you could call them poems.

As the evening wore on I decided that I’m a bit of a loose cannon when asked to speak freely and that if I feel nervous it gets even worse. My mouth tends to run away on its own and leave my brain behind, so I decided to write down every word and read it out to be on the safe side.

So that evening I was scribbling down speech ideas as they came to me, cooking the boys tea, and trying to come up with two costumes for the school play all at the same time! It crossed my mind to remember and write this on my CV if ever I needed proof of my multi-tasking abilities! Anyway I ended up making a king's crown for Luke out of tin foil, an Iceland lasagne box and some tinsel. I was a bit stuck on the robes until I remembered we had a gold Christmas table cloth in the cupboard. The hard bit was convincing Luke that kings really did wear robes made out of table clothes but we got there in the end .

I also had to make a “robber” costume for Sam and ended up drawing big black arrows on the only white t-shirt I had in the house. Unfortunately it happened to be mine. He also had to have a mask over his eyes so I adapted a batman mask by cutting the ears off and that was another job done! I’m not sure how many schools actually stick with the original Nativity play these days as I remember there being some kings, but I’m sure there weren’t any “robbers” in my day! It could be worse though, my boss at work said she had been instructed to supply a costume of a “Polish villager” for her son's nativity!

The speech was written in between costume fittings and I felt better knowing I had something down on paper. I even managed to make up a special poem for the fair and it went like this.....

I LOVE THE VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS FAIR....
IT MAY BE COLD, BUT DON’T DESPAIR.....
PLENTY OF STALLS FOR EVERYONE...
CHRISTMAS GIFTS AND LOTS OF FUN...

NAILSEA IS THE PLACE TO BE...
YOU CAN FEEL THE SENSE OF COMMUNITY...
SO ENJOY THE FAIR AND DON’T FEEL DOWN...
LET’S CELEBRATE OUR LOVELY TOWN!

Apparently Sam turned round to someone in the crowd whilst I was speaking and said “That’s not my mum!” but apart from embarrassing my children it seemed to go OK and I was very pleased when people clapped and cheered at the end. I don’t think they necessarily did this because I was good, but because they are loyal friends and I thank each and every one of them for that! We then just relaxed and enjoyed the fair. There were fire jugglers, carol singers, raffles, gift and food stalls, and fairground rides and although it stayed cold it really felt Christmassy. After we got home both Sam and Luke said that they were proud of me really, so that touched me!

I mentioned last week that I had also been invited as a “celebrity” surprise guest to a friend's “Come Dine With Me” style dinner party. Unfortunately this had to be postponed due to illness but I will let you know how that went when it has been rescheduled.

This afternoon I’m off to see the boys in their Christmas play. It’s the second performance today so I’m just hoping the lasagne box crown is bearing up! I always get very over emotional at the school plays so will take the tissues! They usually have at least one or two funny moments too. I’ll never forget the year Mary dropped the baby Jesus and he bounced across the stage, but these are all special moments in the school nativity play experience!

Please come back next week and I can tell you how they got on.

Thanks for reading

Ellie
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Winter is here!

THE BOYS WERE EXCITED TO SEE THE SNOW...

MY FIRST REACTION WAS “OH NO”...
ALTHOUGH SNOW IS PRETTY AND LOOKS VERY NICE....
I DON’T LIKE THE SLIPPING AND SLIDING ON ICE!

Hello again,

I know as a nation we are known to others for continually talking about the weather, but I’m afraid I have to reinforce this stereotype by saying first of all: snow in November?! What’s that all about?! I admit it does look very pretty, and as always the first thing I did when the snow came down was grab the camera and take pictures like a mad tourist who has never seen the white stuff before. It also gave me the perfect excuse to put the Christmas tree up because somehow it doesn’t seem too early when everything is white outside.

I think the way you decorate your tree reflects the type of person you are. Organised people chose a different colour scheme every year and create a work of art with every bauble colour co-ordinated and equally spaced. Christmas addicts really go to town and cover the tree until it can hardly be seen and have light up reindeer on their lawns and perhaps inflatable Santas. Environmentalists have natural holly branches and mistletoe and make their own decorations every year. I think we must be a mixture of all these. Sam and Luke love to decorate the tree themselves so usually I have to secretly move a few baubles later as they end up with big clusters and then bald bits of tree. We also have a selection of handmade dangly creative things that they have made themselves going back to pre school days and I would feel like a bad mother if I didn’t allow these things pride of place every year!

The big argument in our house is usually over what goes on top, star, or fairy. I have just about given up now as the one year I managed to get my fairy the starring role she later ended up head down in a plant pot thanks to sabotage by the boys.

Anyway those are the plus points of having lots of snow early in the year, it looks pretty and you can put your tree up. There are a few negatives too. I absolutely hate having to get up earlier just so you can go and stand outside freezing to death whilst you try and find your car under a big blob of snow and ice. I also hate the feeling of ice skating in my car; I was never any good at doing it on my own feet so it’s even worse on four wheels. They tell you on the news not to go out unless it is necessary, which I’m sure is good advice but I’m always left wondering who are these people who like to go out when it is not necessary? Do some people normally just get up and say I’m just going out but I don’t know where to, or why? If I go out there is always a reason for it, so it is necessary!

The other problem with really cold weather is that things seem to break more easily. Ironically my freezer in the garage broke down this week. It was actually warmer in the freezer than in the garage itself so I would have been better off not putting the food inside at all. This did mean that some of my Christmas party food from Iceland needed eating sooner rather than later so I decided to take it to share with friends. There are a group of mums from school who I often meet up with for a party at home. Usually something is for sale like candles or nice smelly things but really it is always just a nice excuse to all meet up without the children and enjoy a glass of wine and a chat. I decided to take the big fruit platter, mini kebabs and breaded garlic prawns to see what they all thought and to help me with my food reviews.

I have never been a big fan of fish in general so was relying on their views for my official write up on the prawns. They went down very well and I was told they were very juicy and full of garlic and tasted just as good, if not better than the same from a higher priced supermarket! The chocolate covered fruit and kebabs were also well received with everyone preferring a different fruit.

We all agreed at the end of the party that it would be very nice if my time as a general new product tester for Iceland could continue for a long time! With so many willing volunteers you know that the overall opinions will be genuine and unbiased.

As I write this I am also preparing for my role as official Nailsea Christmas fair opener. I have to admit I am getting more and more nervous as I want to do a good job but am really not sure what I will say. If only speeches were as easy as blogs! Perhaps that is how I should think of it and write myself a little note.

Please come back next week when I will be able to tell you how it went and whether I kept my nerves under control!

Thanks for reading

Ellie

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Becoming a minor celebrity?!

WELL I MAY NOT HAVE MY NAME IN LIGHTS....
BUT MY FACE IS NEAR SOME TASTY BITES.....
I’M UP ABOVE THE YORKSHIRE PUDS....
LIFE IS CRAZY, BUT ALL GOOD!

Hello again,

This week I am again writing to you from my conservatory, but there is a difference to last week. I am surrounded by blue fairy lights that track right round the roof. It now looks like a cross between a cocktail bar and Santa’s grotto. When I look down on the roof from my bedroom window the blue glow in the garden looks as if a spaceship has just landed, but this makes me happier than you could imagine. I have always had a passion for candles and unusual lights and always said if I ever had my own house, fairy lights would be a big feature and now I can do exactly what I want. Yippee! Sam and Luke said it looked magical, although I have had to hide the buttons that make them flash and glow on and off, as the effect then looks like a lightning storm and I felt a migraine coming on!

There have been a few other changes this week as well as my new lights. Sam came out of school on Monday saying that when he walked in all his class mates started singing the cancan music. Everyone in the playground has been lovely and all congratulated me too. It really feels like others are sharing this journey with me as lots of the people that have said well done are the ones who tirelessly voted for me every day and put me in this position.

I have always just laughed when people say “you’re famous now,” as I still find the whole idea quite surreal and ridiculous, but since the new adverts went out I have to admit that normal life has started to change too.

I was at work the other day fixing glasses at the work bench when I had another surprise. It all happens at the Specsavers work bench, as that is also where I was when the Iceland team came in with cameras to tell me I had won the competition back in April. This time it was the Nailsea Precinct Manager asking me if I would officially open the Nailsea Christmas Victorian Street Fair next Friday! After the shock, I said “of course I would do it and it would be an honour” as I always go to the fair anyway and love the sense of community spirit you feel there. It is also quite a sentimental occasion for our family as my Granny lived in Nailsea long before me and used to be very proud to invite us all to “her “ Christmas fair. Sadly she isn’t with us anymore but I can just imagine how proud she would feel to see her granddaughter do the official opening. I am contemplating opening it in my cancan costume as it has a slightly Victorian feel, but haven’t totally decided yet as it is December and so not very practical. Also there is a fair with dodgems too which are my favourite, but I think doing the dodgems in a tight corset and huge cancan skirt would just be asking for trouble!

Then as if that wasn’t exciting enough I was reading through my local paper and turned the page to find a picture of myself smiling back at me! They had written an article about the new adverts and the fair opening. I shouted to the boys to come and see but they are so much more laid back about the whole Iceland experience than me. Sam said “oh yeah, but you are always in something Mum,” and went off to finish his play station game. At least I know whatever else happens my children won’t allow my 15 minutes of fame to go to my head.

Even my normal working day is different now. Lots of our Specsavers customers have been coming in especially to say they have seen me on TV, and asking about meeting Jason Donovan. When I go for my lunch break I always sit out on a bench in the precinct and this always used to be a quiet, solitary affair, but now people come up and talk to me. It is a strange feeling when people know you, but you don’t know them, but they are always so nice to talk to that it isn’t scary or intimidating. They just genuinely want to say well done and it’s an amazing feeling.

Even my weekly Iceland shop is different now. All of the “Iceland mums” from the Christmas adverts have their pictures up in store, including me. I am proud to say that I am in the Yorkshire puddings section! I had to capture this particular moment of fame forever and take a picture subtly without letting other shoppers know what I was up to, but it was quite difficult as they were all staring at me anyway. Let’s face it, someone hovering around the freezer cabinet with a camera does look suspicious, even before you notice that it is the person in the picture minus the feathers and corset! I also then had to go and spot all my friends too and looked like a lunatic as I shouted out to my mum “OOO look there’s Eve! And look, there’s Sue in the lasagne!” And so on…

I also found out this week I was part of a pub quiz question. I wasn’t at the quiz but a friend texted me to say “guess what, we just had a question asking which Nailsea mum is in the press again this week after winning the New Face of Iceland competition, and is now starring in the TV adverts?” Needless to say, my friend got the question right. She said everyone knew my first name but she got the point for knowing my surname. The single idea that I had a quiz question written about me is enough to keep me happy forever, long after my 15 minutes of fame are over so even if it all ends tomorrow I will be happy now!

Finally I have been asked to be a friend’s “celebrity” guest at her “come dine with me” dinner party next week. I expect I will have to say “ooo this IS a surprise” lots of times and then dance the cancan as that is what I did on TV. Wish me luck!

To sum up, I can’t carry on saying nothing has changed because it actually has. It’s perhaps more honest to say as a person I haven’t changed, and even if I tried to, my children would ground me very quickly so I don’t think I ever will change. It’s just circumstances that have, and it’s all good.

Thanks for reading

Ellie

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Christmas at Iceland hits the screens!

THE RESULTS OF OUR WORK ARE NOW THERE TO SEE...
THE ICELAND MUMS ARE ON TV...
PRANCING AROUND IN FISHNET TIGHTS....
SHOWING SHOPPERS ICELAND’S CHRISTMAS DELIGHTS!

Hello everyone, and my first question has to be: what do you all think of the new adverts?

Well I sincerely hope that they are as enjoyable to watch as they were to film. The first thing that struck me when I saw the end result was just how colourful and fast paced they are and how so much is jam packed into such a short space of time. I previously described how much effort went into filming and how we all had our moments of tears and overwhelming tiredness, but despite all that I think I speak for the whole group when I say we all just want to do it again now!

I decided to celebrate the first airing on TV with my friends and family again and invited them all round for a lovely roast dinner. I was sent a big box of Iceland Christmas food to sample and write reviews for the website, so it was a good excuse to kill two birds with one stone. We had the stuffed roast lamb which smelt delicious whilst cooking and was very well received by everybody. (Watch out for the full review coming soon to Iceland’s website!)

It really is the best job in the world to be sent new ranges from Iceland and there is never a shortage of friends ready to help me with the reviews. Luke’s school friend Harry helped with the mini fish and chip cones. They were both very excited to find that if you read the printing on the actual cones Steven Gerrard is mentioned as they are both big Liverpool fans and both attend football club with his name on their shirts.

It is so nice to have a big table to eat from in the new house. In our old house we all had to squeeze in round the breakfast bar which was hard work when there were 7 of us! I think eating should always be a social activity and sometimes it’s the only chance to get to really talk as a family when you all have busy lives. We have always had a rule that when we sit down for tea , even if it is just me and the boys, we all have to say at least one thing that happened to us during the day just to catch up with each other.

Well this particular Sunday we had a lot to talk about as not only was it the first time the Christmas adverts would be on TV, The new series of I’m a Celebrity was starting too. Iceland have been sponsors of this programme for quite a few years now and this time the “Iceland mums “have been lucky enough to make all the sponsorship adverts too. These were really lovely adverts to film as we were divided into two groups and made a series of group adverts to open each show. We also then each got to star in our own personal 10 second advert all based on the theme of real mums being stars in their own families.

When the Christmas advert came on everyone clapped and cheered and a few family members had great fun trying on my cancan skirt and trying to do their own version of the advert! Don’t think I should say any more about that one though!

It wasn’t long to wait then until the “I’m a Celebrity “adverts and there I was, discussing my camping trip with Eve!

It really does feel good to think of what we have all achieved this year. Granted, some of it was down to good old fashioned luck, but a big part of it was down to following our dreams and believing in ourselves. I don’t expect any of us really thought by sitting down at our computers and applying to a competition, that a year later we would all be on TV being watched by millions of people - but it happened! There really is a special magic between us all now in sharing this life changing experience. I know that some of the friendships made will last a lifetime.

I have now seen all the individual “I’m a Celebrity” adverts and I love each and every one of them. I think our own personalities, which are all different, are starting to shine through. Sam and Luke have watched them all and argue between themselves about which one is best. Luke is ever loyal at the age of 7 and says he likes mine best. However I’m not sure that he likes me having an extra “daughter” and always has to get close and have a cuddle when it is shown!

Sam says he likes Eve’s best and that is because she is “a very nice person”. All true, but can’t help wondering if it also has something to do with her stunning “Marilyn Monroe” impression! We aren’t far from the start of teenage hormones in Sam!

I really can’t decide which my favourite is because whichever one it is at the time I sit there thinking “Ooooh this is a good one.” Everyone just looks so glamorous too. When I watch my own I just remember what a little sweetie my “screen daughter” was and hope that she is enjoying seeing herself on TV too.

Please come back next week when I can tell you how the adverts have been received in my home town of Nailsea and the changes that have happened to me.

Thanks for reading

Ellie

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On stage with the Iceland Mums!

CORSETS, FEATHERS, AND CANCAN DRESS....
BEFORE WE WENT ON MY NERVES WERE A MESS...
WE DANCED IN FRONT OF A REALLY BIG CROWD....
THE ICELAND TEAM SAID THEY WERE PROUD!

Hello again,

I can now tell you my latest top secret adventure with the Iceland Mums.

As I write this the time has nearly come for the first screening of the big Iceland Christmas advert. It has been kept under close wraps until now that the theme this year is “Moulin Rouge”. All those four days of filming I wrote about previously in London were to produce this advert. We all have the most amazing costumes, feathers, chokers, brightly coloured corsets and specially made cancan skirts from India. We also had to learn how to actually dance the cancan hence why I said at the time the four days were so intense and tiring. Luckily for the adverts we had Simon and Beth, the most patient and professional choreographers in the world! Obviously most choreographers deal with pop stars and professional actors and dancers who pick things up easily and quickly, but apart from star mum Lorraine, none of us had any professional dance experience.

Anyway, we had been invited to perform live on stage at Iceland’s 40th Christmas party for 500 head office staff at a large venue in Liverpool. It meant an overnight stay and this time we were staying at the Hilton hotel! I had to find a suitable outfit for the party afterwards so out of three choices I asked the boys for their advice. In all innocence Sam asked whether it was more important to look pretty or slimmer as one outfit was the prettiest, and another one was the most slimming! I went for slimming!

I was lucky to be travelling up with Babs Parker, another Iceland mum who lives near to me. It was lovely to have a travelling companion this time and she had even made us a little packed lunch each to eat on the train! Thanks Babs! We arrived at Liverpool station to shouts of “Ellie, Babs” and saw a group of the other mums and members of the Iceland production team waving at us and taking photos. For a moment we felt like celebrities as everyone in the station looked to see what was going on.

We reached the venue and had a look around. The stage was absolutely huge and with the extensive pyrotechnics I wondered if we had accidently wandered onto the X Factor set!

The tables below the stage were set with 500 beautiful place settings and glasses rimmed with gold. The theme of the party was “DecaDance” and everything looked lavish and luxurious. The acts before us were all professional performers: stilt walkers, fire eaters and painted ladies to name but a few!



Eve, Me and Alissa

It was really exciting to be together again as a group but the excitement for me was mixed with terror when we realised we were the grand finale and had just a few hours to learn a stage routine! It is very different being filmed as you have lots of chances to do it again if you kick the wrong leg, or fall over or simply forget everything you are supposed to do like me! This was different, this was one chance.

When the time came we waited back stage for our cue to come on shouting, whooping and dancing. My stomach was turning somersaults and doing a mad gymnastic routine even if my body wasn’t! I had a quick reality moment check and wondered how a normal person like me had ended up dressed as a cancan dancer waiting to run on stage and perform to a full auditorium.

I would love to tell you that I was amazing and danced just like a professional from the real Moulin Rouge and that a talent spotter in the room came and begged me to drop everything and join the ladies of Paris, but if I did that I would be a big fat liar!

As it turned out I got my legs mixed up and forgot to turn round and run to the back when I was meant to and was generally quite uncoordinated! The important part though is that it really didn’t matter. Why didn’t it matter? Because I was on stage with my Iceland mums and the whole point of using us all in the adverts is that we are real people with a sense of humour and not polished professionals. Whatever happens, we all smile and laugh and carry on. We look after each other and we are in it together!

Eve and Me

The reception we got from our audience was very enthusiastic and afterwards many people came up and said they had enjoyed our act the best which was very touching. We also had a surprise in store. When we had finished dancing we got to see the Christmas advert together as a group for the first time on the big screens behind us. The thing that came across the most when I watched it was all the colour and energy. I really hope you enjoy it as much as we all enjoyed filming it when you see it. At the party afterwards we watched Jason Donovan and his band perform on stage followed by a “guilty pleasures” disco until the early hours. Everyone at the party kept coming up to congratulate us and say hello and we all felt like stars for the night.

Nick from Iceland and Me

The next day it was time for our goodbyes and we all left hoping to get together again soon.

Babs and I shared the train as far as Birmingham with Eve, Bev, Amira and Charlene, and made the moment last a bit longer by downloading the Iceland Christmas advert ringtone onto our mobiles and singing along on the train! It is always a sad time saying goodbye but as we looked out of the train window at Amira and Charlene on the platform waving, waving their coats up in the air and pretending to do the cancan, we couldn’t help laughing.

Also this week I have a new batch of lovely Iceland Christmas food to test and review for the website. The timing has worked very well as I have invited family and friends round for a lovely lamb roast this evening, followed by nibbles whilst we watch the Christmas advert for the first time on T.V.

Please come back next week to see what they all thought of the food and of the new adverts!

Ellie

X

Settling In

WE FINALLY GOT THE KEYS TO THE DOOR...
I REALLY COULDN’T ASK FOR MORE....
IT’S BEEN SO EASY TO SETTLE IN....
THIS IS WHERE OUR NEW LIFE BEGINS...

Hello,

I am writing the first blog from my new conservatory in my new house and it feels really good! Time seems to have passed very quickly and I can’t believe it is now a week since we moved in.

Our dream came true and I picked up the keys last Thursday at around 4.30. It was an anxious wait whilst the money transfer whizzed around in cyber space before hitting the previous owner’s solicitor’s bank account! I am told by friends this is normal when you buy a house and why people say the whole process is stressful. The thing is when, you have actual cash you know exactly where your money is; it’s in your purse or in your pocket. When banks start transferring money to each other it seems to disappear completely for a few hours and it’s quite an insecure feeling!

Finally when the call came to pick up the keys I set off with my mum to the estate agents. I brought my mum as official photographer to record the moment forever! The estate agent said in her whole time in the job she had never seen anyone quite as excited as me to be collecting their keys! I literally walked through the door jumping up and down like Tigger possessed, shouting yippee!

When we opened the door for the first time Sam and Luke both held the keys and we did it all together.

I was lucky not to have the pressure of getting absolutely everything moved on the same day. I still had a week left on the tenancy of our old house, so Rob and I started loading boxes one by one. On Saturday Rob’s friend came round with a big lorry and moved the big stuff. I had also donated Luke’s bunk beds to another friend, and her husband kindly volunteered to come and help. In the end there were 7 helpful people who all did the back-breaking work of moving all my worldly goods, or junk as Rob calls it!

There was a moment when I looked at all the piled up boxes filling the sitting room and garage and thought, “how on earth do I unpack all that and find homes for everything!” It did look very daunting. I did discover a new passion though: going to the tip. I found it very therapeutic to take all the old boxes and things we no longer need and throw it all into the huge skips at the dump. I am now actively looking for more things to tip and have gone from a squirrel that stores everything to a minimalist overnight. Rob was very happy to see Luke’s first bike go as it had caused many arguments in the past. I know I can be over-sentimental and totally admit to it, but the last time I took Luke’s first bike to the dump I came back with it in the car and it stayed in the garage thereafter as I just couldn’t let it go! It’s the bike he learnt to ride on. Rob says normal people keep their children’s first shoes or first paintings but not their first bikes that are all rusty and just take up space in the garage!

In the end everything did find a new place in the new house and I set off to buy the essential things that were missing, like curtains in a couple of rooms.

My one big extravagance was some beautiful thick curtains and new bedclothes for my bedroom. When you rent houses you either put up with someone else’s curtains or if you buy your own, you buy cheap ones in case you move again and have different sized windows. It felt amazing to choose the styles and colours that I actually wanted. Sam looked at the end result and said it now looks like a “posh hotel room”!

I also received some beautiful flowers from all the team at Iceland. I can’t say it happens very often, but when you open your front door to a person with a huge bouquet saying “delivery for Mrs Taylor?” it is a very nice experience!

I also spent a long time cleaning our old house before handing the keys back. It’s always a strange feeling being in an empty house you have once lived in. You think of all the memories and happy times you have had there, and believe me there were many. After all, it was in the kitchen of that house that I sat down at my computer one night amidst the noise and chaos to apply online to the “New face of Iceland” competition, not realising for one second how my actions could actually be changing the course of our lives forever.

Normally it is a sad feeling saying goodbye to a house, because regardless of whether you rent or own it, it is your home. This time it was different as I knew our new house would be forever. We have been in a week now but already we are totally settled and feel like we have been here forever. Sam and Luke have been out on their bikes and scooters continuously, as we now live on a quiet cul-de-sac instead of a busy road. For the last two years Sam’s bike has sat in the garage as it wasn’t safe to ride it.

Lots of Sam’s school friends are nearby and we have already had lots of new visitors. I have been told we are going to be sent some lovely Christmas food from Iceland to test soon so I have lots of willing volunteers lined up!

Please come back next week when I can tell you about more delicious food testing and also the next exciting engagement for Iceland, which at the moment is still top secret!

Ellie

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A new future!

I AM HAPPIER THAN I THOUGHT IT POSSIBLE TO BE...

TIMES ARE CHANGING FOR THE BOYS AND ME...

SOON WE WILL FINALLY HAVE OUR OWN PLACE...

YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE THE SMILE ON MY FACE!

Hello again,

Apologies in advance if this week’s blog sounds a bit emotional. I feel like it is Christmas day and I have just woken up with the good feeling in your stomach when you know the day will be full of happiness.

Getting ready to move

I haven’t mentioned in my previous blogs that we have been going through the process of buying our own home. There is a reason for this! When you have wanted something so much for so long you get to a point when you realise it is simply a nice dream that won’t ever become reality, and you learn to live with it and focus on other things. However when you start to think, hang on a minute, this dream actually could come true and become reality, it is hard to take in or accept. I am a superstitious fool who can’t pass a magpie without saluting it and have had many a shouting fit when someone has inadvertently put a pair of new shoes in a shopping bag on a table! I did not want to tempt fate by talking about our new house too early.

I worked out the other day that we have actually moved house 9 times in the last 10 years. Most of these times it has not been a conscious choice to move; it has been down to circumstances beyond our control. This is the problem when you rent houses, often the landlord may want to sell their house and you need to move out, or in one case the landlord may decide they want to live there again. I have never had anything against the principal of renting a house, and every house we have ever lived in has always felt like home at the time, but you just know in the back of your mind at any given point you could have a call giving you two months notice to find somewhere else and move on. Two months really doesn’t give you very long to find somewhere suitable and make all the arrangements and I would always worry myself to death about the effect it would have on the boys.

It’s true what they say about children taking everything in their stride though. Sam and Luke have always seemed quite relaxed about moving, it is me that worries about it!

I just feel it is a parent’s job to shield your children from the worries of life. They have plenty of time once they grow up to make their way in the world, and learn how to deal with problems and worries but as children, their biggest worries should only be things like what colour grip tape to put on their scooters, or whether they will look cool at the school disco!

I remember once finding out we had to move just before I went to pick theboys up from school. We had been in the house about a year and just got it how we wanted it and made it a home rather than just a house. I had not had time to let it sink in and compose myself, and still remember standing in the playground trying so hard not to cry as I didn’t want the boys to see that and worry. I also then pretended that I had decided we should move rather than letting them know the decision had once again been made for us. I never wanted them to feel I wasn’t in control of what happened to us as family even if the truth was that I wasn’t.

I am only explaining all this to try and put into context just what it really means to finally have a home of our own. Some feelings are so overwhelming they are hard to put down on paper.

Sam is describing the keys to this house as “The keys to success” and we have already decided that we will all hold the front door key together as we open it for the first time. They understand the difference of this house actually belonging to us and Sam has already interpreted this to mean he can now paint his bedroom any way he wants. I am bracing myself for the discussion if he decides black walls would be “cool”!

Family dinner!

Amongst the chaos, Rob and I took all our children out for a lovely meal as it was Jodie’s birthday. Rob’s children have gone off for a week with their mum on the trip of a lifetime to Canada. He is missing them terribly but knows they will be having great fun.

More boxes!

Two things have made this big dream happen for us. By winning the “New face of Iceland“competition prize money, and with a big help from my family it has become possible to raise the deposit needed to have my own mortgage. This time last year I would not have believed I would be sitting here now surrounded by boxes moving on to a future that looks so bright I need my sunglasses. I would not have believed I would be seeing myself pop up on T.V. eating pizza with a whole group of new friends. I would not have believed I would be stopped in the street by well wishers telling me they had just seen me on T.V. or in the newspaper. I have learnt something here, to never ever stop believing that dreams can come true, however unlikely they may seem.

That’s the beauty of life, you never know what is round the next corner and sometimes it could be the biggest and best surprise of your life.

Thanks for reading

Ellie

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I’VE BEEN TAKING MY VITAMINS AND TRYING TO STAY STRONG.....
EVERYONE I KNOW HAS A COLD THEY WANT TO PASS ON....
THIS WEEK IT GOT ME BUT WHAT COULD I DO......
WE ALL KNOW LADIES DON’T GET “MAN FLU”!

Hello again and how do you all feel this week? I am asking because I think everybody I have seen or spoken to recently all seems to have been ill!

In this modern day and age of new medical breakthroughs and research, it’s such a shame that there still is nothing anyone can do to prevent or treat the common cold. Or “man flu” as it known by certain people!
We have sent men to the moon, made it possible to reach the other side of the world in 24 hours, and have the technology via the internet to communicate with anyone at any time in any country, but still can’t defend ourselves against sore throats, runny noses and stinging eyes!

Anyway, the week started well; I had a lovely evening out with my brother. We went for a meal and then to see Adrian Edmondson’s band “The Bad Shepherds” in Bristol. They play old 70’s and 80’s songs, mainly punk, in the style of folk music on guitars, ukuleles, whistles, and bag pipes! My brother is only 25 and probably doesn’t remember Adrian Edmondson from ‘The Young Ones’ days, but I do and never realised he was also so musically talented. There is a 14 year age gap between me and my brother, but when he takes me out I like to think of it as a nice payback for all the times I used to take him out to the zoo, and to the play park when I was a teenager and he was a toddler! He says it is to keep me young and stop me from turning to bingo in my later years!

However well the week started, I knew that the time was ticking until the germs got me. I was optimistically taking my extra vitamin tablets and trying not to breathe when speaking to anyone at work, customers and staff, but it’s very hard to keep this up without turning blue in the face and collapsing! Especially when you have a job that involves a lot of speaking and contact with lots of different customers.

And sure enough, Rob’s man flu and my cold struck! To be fair, Rob hasn’t actually taken any time off work, but the difference is that he has been going home to his flat and tucking himself up with a lemsip as soon as he finishes, whereas I have been just counting the hours until the boys bedtime, so that I can finally clock off and go to bed too!

I have been making the most of early nights though and have worked my way through my John Hughes film DVD collection, tucked up in bed. Well it’s the best cure I have for feeling a bit cold and miserable! ‘Pretty in Pink’ still has to be my ultimate favourite.

I decided we all needed cheering up, so last night me and the boys had a special ‘Chinese night’. If you read my food reviews you will know that I recently reviewed the “Kung Po chicken” from Iceland and I loved it. I decided to buy this and a selection of other dishes in the Chinese range for the boys. Obviously it all worked out much cheaper than a takeaway and gave the boys a chance to see which dishes were their favourites. I also thought it might be fun to introduce them to chopsticks and see how they got on. Looking back now it was an odd idea, especially as I myself have never mastered the art and always embarrass my friends in Chinese restaurants by asking for a knife and fork!

Well the food was a big hit, especially the sweet and sour chicken pieces which they could actually skewer with a chop stick. Not authentic I know, but it got the job done! The chicken fried rice was also eaten very fast, but by this point they had discovered chopsticks actually make really good drumsticks and lost all interest in actually using them to eat with. I tried to calm them down by telling them that even Phil Collins didn’t drum at the table whilst eating or his mum would tell him off, but it didn’t have much effect.

In fact after the meal they held onto the ‘drum sticks’ and got the guitars out as well and had a full band practice! This is something Sam is particularly passionate about at the moment, as he tells me he has formed his own band with some class mates. Apparently they have actually recorded themselves but when I asked if I would get to hear the recording I was told that I needed to join the fan club and pay £1.50 for the CD like all the other “fans”! The cheek of it!

Thanks for reading this week, and to all those of you that have either a cold, bird flu, swine flu, or man flu or similar; I hope you feel better soon!

Ellie
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Being recognised?!

THERE IS SOMETHING NEW IN MY ICELAND STORE....
A PICTURE OF ME STUCK ON THE DOOR.....
NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD SEE THE DAY.....
ROB SAYS IT’S TO SCARE BURGLERS AWAY!!!!!!

Hello again.

Sam asked me this week “how long will it be until we have lots of people all crowding round us and pushing to take photos of us when we go out shopping?” I just laughed and said “Well hopefully never Sam. I don’t think I would like that would you?” He told me that he thought it would be “cool” so I advised him that if he wants all that, he should stick with his own dream that he will one day be in a boy band and win X Factor!

However, having said that, there have been some changes to our regular shopping experience in Iceland. Now when I walk in I am greeted by the sight of my own face, larger than life smiling back at me from a poster on the door advertising the new autumn adverts!

My first impulse when i saw it was to acquire a black marker pen and draw on a moustache and glasses, don’t ask me why?! Luckily it’s an impulse I have managed to suppress. The other “Iceland mum’s “ starring in the autumn adverts with me also have their photos up in their local Iceland stores and several have had their photos taken next to the poster so that we can all see.

I wanted to do the same but was terribly wary of trying to get the shot and blocking the door and being told off by another shopper just trying to get their trolley home for being in the way! In the end we decided to go up on a Sunday when it was quiet and I asked the boys to stand and pose by the poster of their mum instead. As I have mentioned in previous blogs whenever a camera is pointed in Luke’s direction a number of interesting faces get pulled. At least this time, as I had asked him to point, he didn’t have free hands to pull his ears out as well as go cross-eyed! The result is definitely one for the family album!

I have also had several well-wishers popping into the opticians where I work asking “how does it feel to be famous?!” and many people coming to tell me that they like the adverts. This is really nice to hear, as none of us had any idea of how well the new adverts would be received by people, but were hoping they look as natural and fun as they really were to film.



Me with the Girls!

 Unfortunately for Sam though, and fortunately for me, I am not recognised everywhere I go now, and have so far not needed to hire bodyguards and wear dark sunglasses both indoors and out! It was quite funny when I went for a meal with my friends in Bristol a man tapped me on the shoulder and said something to me whilst we were eating. My friend Zaheera saw this and said to me “did he recognise you from TV? What did he say? Did he want your autograph?” I told her that no, in fact he was just pointing out to me he had accidently spilt some of his drink on the floor and not to slip when I stood up!

As if that wasn’t enough fame for one week we were also lucky enough to have our pictures in “The News of The world”. There is an X Factor special each Sunday in the paper from now up until Christmas and the “Iceland Mums “ will be featured in it. This week was the first one and Eve, Sue and Amira were all there with me. Several of us are making scrap books now of all the news coverage of this special time to look back on in years to come. I always buy extra copies of everything to send to my Grandpa who is in his 80’s now and very proud of me. I only wish my Granny was still here to see it all as well as she was a great inspiration to me, and a firm believer of “If you put your mind to it you can achieve anything”.

I enjoyed being a VIP for the day!

I also attended a big Iceland conference for the store managers this week. I actually found it very emotional as one part was all about the new adverts including the Christmas campaign, and about the whole “New Face of Iceland “competition. They showed some previously unseen first audition clips and some of my new friends talking about what filming the adverts meant to them. There was a huge cinema size screen on stage and I was very privileged to see the Christmas advert for the first time. This is the advert that took us 4 days to film. I have to say the end result was worth all the blood sweat and tears that went into making it! I now can’t wait for everyone to see it and really hope that all the other Iceland shoppers think that we did them proud!

I had another “un celeb” moment at the end of the conference when some of the Iceland store managers came over and said “Ellie can we have a picture please?” “Of course, I said” taking the camera from them ready to take their picture all together. They looked a little confused and said “No, we don’t want you to take the photo; we want you in the photo with us to take back to the store!” That did make me laugh, and I felt a bit daft but I really am not used to people I’ve never met wanting a photo of me!

I think I need Sam to teach me how to behave as he and Luke both seem so much more ready for super stardom than me!

Thanks for reading, and special thanks too for the nice feedback my blogs have received.

Ellie
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My Screen Debut!

THE TIME HAS COME TO JUMP AND SHOUT.....
THIS IS WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT.....
I’M IN AN ADVERT ON THE TELLY....
IT’S PIZZA NIGHT ROUND AT ELLIE’S!!

As I sit in my kitchen surrounded by a rice krispie breakfast explosion I wonder what the word “celebrity” really means. Whatever it is I feel sure that despite my first T.V appearance I am not one! Try as I might I just can’t imagine people like Beyonce or Davina McCall scraping cereal off the chairs and the floor every morning!

The next thought I have is that despite all that I am still very happy to be just me and wouldn’t want to swap places with anybody. Life is not all about celebrities, Iceland have given me and the other mum’s the chance to do something special, and show that normal ordinary people sometimes get to follow their dreams! I really hope that everyone watching our first adverts can identify with us as real people who deal with work, school runs, and getting cemented weetabix off breakfast bowls on a daily basis!

As most people know by now since I was very little I always wanted to be in an advert after seeing the “shake and vac” lady jumping around her sitting room with the hoover. I also used to amuse my friends on the school bus by memorising particular adverts and reinacting them on the way to school; the saddest part is that most of them I still remember: “drinka pinta milkaday”, “watch out! Watch out! There’s a Humphrey about” and “The twin Twix pack is the longer lasting snack” to name but a few! So you can imagine my excitement as the day of the first advert screening approached. I finally had my own advert!
 

Me and My Star Mum!

 All the family came round and we all sat patiently waiting for it to come on. Normally you might go to make a cup of tea when the adverts start, but this time we were watching avidly. Every time an advert started we sounded like people watching a firework display going “oooo, ahhh “and then “no not that one!” Sam and Luke enjoyed saying “oh look that’s you mum” to every single advert that came on including the annoying singing opera man, and the piece of cheese that goes for a swim, and an old lady in a stair lift!

Finally the moment came and I was there, on the screen, clutching my glass of watered down apple juice and having a pizza with Eve, Amira, Alissa, and Sue! Then I saw the words “pizza night at Ellie’s” come up on screen at the end and thought that is really me and I did it! 

Everyone was surprised to see me!


 It felt so surreal to see myself and my friends on T.V and we all laughed and clapped. I then had lots of nice messages sent through by text by people all saying they were proud of me. What was also really nice was the enthusiasm of the other “Iceland mums” who will be shown later in the big Christmas advert with all of us together. They all sent messages to us on facebook saying how well we had done.

There are four autumn adverts in total and I am in two of these but it is just as exciting seeing my friends in the other two. I still shout out to the boys “look there is Charlene, there is Alissa, and Eve, and Lizzie! I know them!” and they say “yes mum we know!”


They are all live on air now and I was even more excited to see the “dinner party at Eve’s” advert for two reasons. Firstly I get to hear my own voice in this one, and secondly Jason Donovan is our surprise waiter! The surprise you see on our faces when he comes in and says “hello ladies” is real because no one at Iceland had told us he would be there. We had practised that shot several times with another person being the waiter, then after a few takes we did the same thing again and there was Jason! We had time to have a chat with him after filming too and he seemed like a very down to earth nice person in real life. I never would have dreamed all those years ago watching neighbours and crying when “Scott” and “Charlene” got married that one day I would be meeting Jason and starring in a T.V advert with him! Life can be funny sometimes!

As if all that wasn’t enough excitement I also had a trip down to Bridgewater this week to attend one of Iceland’s employee meeting and to give a small talk on how it felt to have won the “new face of Iceland “competition. This is yet another time I have proved to myself that I really am capable of more than I thought. I didn’t know I could talk in front of a room full of people without going bright red and fainting or stuttering but I did!

That's me!

I even answered questions at the end. One of the questions they asked was “has your life changed a lot since winning this competition and now being on T.V?”

The answer to this question brings me back to the rice krispie explosion I described at the start, which is still waiting to be cleaned up as I write this. I have to say that rather than my life changing, it now feels more like I have a double life. My normal life continues exactly the same, the only difference is that I now get to go off and do extraordinary things as well. This whole experience and every new “mission” or “assignment” for Iceland is enhancing my life, but not changing it, and to be honest I wouldn’t want it any other way. When I left they said jokingly “do you have to rush back to do another store opening, or meet the queen or something” and I said “no, I just need to be back in time for the school run!”

Iceland picked me, and the other mum’s in the adverts because they recognised us as normal, average Iceland customers. We are all unique and different but all the heroes of our own families. I think rather than aspiring to be celebrities we should all take pride in who we are already and just let that shine through! I also think that applies to absolutely everyone whether or not you get to be on the T.V. We are all stars in our own families and in the end it’s always going to be their opinions that matter the most.

Thanks for reading

Ellie

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