Life | New Series Alert!

I haven't blogged since April? And it's now July? How did that happen?

I think by now we've all established that I'm an "all or nothing" kind of girl. For whatever reason finding a healthy balance with this blog seems to have evaded me (personally I blame the house). But as always, I miss blogging! And what better way to throw myself back into it than a new series?!

As some of you know, my beautiful friends Tia and Rob are getting married in just over five weeks (OMG), and have asked me to be one of their bridesmaids!

Having recently returned from a very fun hen-weekend (what happens in Amsterdam, stays in Amsterdam), my attention has now shifted to the actual wedding. And me.

Umm, what? "Isn't the day all about Tia and Rob?" I hear cross your minds. Well technically yes, but also me.

At the moment I'm experiencing what can only be described as a crisis of "body confidence". When I look in the mirror everything seems to be a bit jelly-esque. And by "seems" I mean, it is. Those 10lbs I lost on the 21 Day Detox? Seven of them are currently residing on my ass and thighs, and it don't look pretty.

As is traditional for a wedding, Tia and Rob have paid for a lovely photographer to come and capture their Big Day for them to look at for all eternity, and I'd rather not pose for all the bridesmaids pictures wishing I could hide behind the nearest tree.  See where I'm going with this....?

Having discussed my concerns with JP (also a Bridesmaid), we came up with a plan! A "Mission" if you like, and it's called:

Five Weeks To Bridesmaid!

The Mission involves the following - losing mass (I don't necessarily believe in weight as a good  measure if you're working out - muscle weighs more than fat and all that jazz) and toning up!

And how might we hope to achieve this? Well as I mentioned, we have a plan - it's called Eating Healthy Food and Working Out (whilst trying not to consume too much Prosecco). Revolutionary huh?

Much like my Detox Diary, you get to follow our progress, woop!

So the initial measurements have been taken - thigh, belly, hip and arm. Let's see where we end up......who's coming on this roller-coaster with us?

JP and I in Five weeks time..... (insert winking emoticon).

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Life | I Miss You!

You guys, life has been crazy.

Moving house sucks. It's official. And I don't say that lightly; you know I'm usually a "glass-half-full" kinda gal.

As excited as I am to finally be in the new house (and get to bombard you all with about a million photo's), something about the moving process of the last couple of weeks has just totally stressed me out.

Do you mind if I have a whinge?! (You guys are like Therapy, except free! Haha, lucky you...!)

Here's what's really ticking me off.....

1. The house is still not finished.
2. We need to build-in our storage (pantry, open-shelving in the kitchen, understairs, master bed solution) so things can't actually be put away at the moment.
3. We have discovered four (yep four), things leaking since moving in.
4. The dishwasher isn't working (I know, I know #firstworldproblems).
5. The gas hob isn't connected - living without a hob is surprisingly annoying.
5. I have zero patience and want everything done yesterday.
6. There are no more funds for the time-being - things cannot be done yesterday, tomorrow or the day after that....

Property renovation is amazing, I love the transformation process so much but it's this stage right now that's the most frustrating! You're so close to being done yet also so far!

Aaaaaand to top it all off I haven't blogged in over 3 weeks!! Gah.

I just wanted to say a huge Thank You for sticking with me and checking in even when there's been nothing new to see. I love this little blog and can't wait to share more with you - that being said, I have no idea where my camera is so you'll have to make do with phone pics for now......

Taking a few minutes to write this post has made me realise just how much I've missed blogging.

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So glad to be back! x

Life | Friday Favourites

Soooo, what put a smile on your face this week? Here's mine.

1. Dan has been away skiing and he's back this weekend, hurrah! Before he left he bought me these beautiful flowers, they smell amazing and have been making me smile all week long.

2. Some days I buy lunch, some days I buy Nail Polish. This week I bought Mint Candy Apple by Essie. Perfect for Spring Days!

3. The Cali Countdown Officially Begins! Six weeks today, we will be touching down in San Francisco for our Roadtrip!! Soooo excited....!

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4. I picked up this Wildfox Couture Sweater in the sale on ASOS. It's so soft and cosy....and if I wear it often enough I think Dan may just comply with the oh-so-subtle message...!

5. The Sky TV at the flat is broken....clearly not a reason to smile (and a very good reason to move into the new house!), so I decided to give Netflix a try. I know, I know....seriously late to the party. I'm now completely hooked on Modern Family! It's so easy to watch, perfect for winding down.

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Hope you all have lovely weekends planned! Happy Friday! x

Life - Friday Favourites

Happy Valentines Day!

I can't believe Friday has rolled around again so quickly, not that I'm complaining!

Here's what made me smile this week.

1. My February Birchbox arrived (thanks JP!), and it looks like a good one. I can't wait to start trying everything!

2. I've missed baking since my recent health-kick but these Gluten Free Chocolate Brownies from SkinnyTaste look the business. I'm going to try and squeeze in some baking time this weekend.

Photo Source: www.skinnytaste.com

3. I painted my nails a bright, red colour in honour of Valentines Day. Love! Although by Saturday they will look like this. The shade is 325 Hot Gossip by Rimmel.

4. The Winter Olympics! These athletes literally blow my mind; they make everything look so easy when in fact, it's soooo freakin difficult. The BBC Sport Coverage has been fab....I can't get enough!

5. All week Fearne Cotton has had Brit Award Nominee's in the Radio Live Lounge which has been so good! On Wednesday one of my favourite bands London Grammar covered Pure Shores and it was ah-mazing! I can't get enough of Hannah's voice...... #girlcrush

What do you guys think?

What are guys up to for Valentines day? I'll leave you with this.....whether you're in a relationship or not, love starts with you x

Photo Source: www.pinterest.com

Life | Fighting Fit

The last few days I have been fighting what is affectionately known in the UK as the "Common Cold". Uggghhh, there's nothing like not being able to breathe, feeling like you may cough up a lung at any second or your head may explode from sheer sinus pressure to make a girl feel particularly, blah. Actually make that blllaaaeeeuuuuggghhhhhhhhh.

However much you may feel like burying yourself on the sofa and making your final requests to your nearest and dearest there's no better time to properly look after yourself in the hopes of a quick recovery.

Here's a quick disclaimer. I am not a medical professional, nor do I have any formal nutritional training or background. This is just stuff that I do when I feel like crap and it seems to help so I'd thought I'd share.

I'm not really a conventional (or unconventional) drugs kind of girl. There's something about cold and flu medicine that hurts my tummy, and I find it just heavily masks the problem but doesn't actually fix it.

If you're under-the-weather but able to get to a supermarket I would buy the items below. Failing that you can always text a little list to your BFF, boyfriend, Mum etc.

1. Soup. You need to eat well whilst you're poorly but the chances of cooking yourself a meal are slim- to-none. Fresh soup that you can just heat-up is a dream.

2. Honey and fresh lemon. Hot Toddy's are guaranteed to help pep you up. Just boil the kettle and in a cup add lemon juice and honey to taste. Sometimes I add fresh ginger, and sometimes I add brandy/whisky if I'm having one before bed.

3. Herbal Tea.  I try to steer clear of caffeine most of the time anyway, it just doesn't agree with me. However, when your immune system is busy fighting those cold bugs it doesn't need the additional "stress" of caffeine. So stock-up on herbal tea's in place of regular tea and coffee. There's lots of really palatable green tea around these days, and as a bonus it's choc-full on anti-oxidants to help get those bugs out of your system.

4. Innocent Veg Pots. Along the same lines of soup, you're not going to be cooking up a storm anytime soon but need to keep your diet nutrient-rich. These are great as a quick dinner option.

5. Multi-vitamins. A good quality multi-vit should be a regular occurrence in everyones day but if you don't normally take one now is as good a time as any to start. I take Every Woman by New Chapter, it's the bomb.

6. Vitamin C and Zinc. Rather than drinking loads of fruit juices and smoothies you can up your Vit-C in take with one of these effervescent tablets in a glass of water. Fruit juice is good for you in moderation but similar to any type of sugar it can cause an imbalance in your blood glucose levels. This means that your blood sugar levels will spike and crash (you'll feel "better" for an hour and then terrible again). Drinking a boat load of OJ is not going to help this situation.

7. Instant Hand Sanitiser. Obviously not something you eat! But if you're busy coughing and blowing your nose it's nice to sanitise those hands before touching common items like the remote control, kettle etc. Way quicker than washing your hands.

8. Bread. I don't have any wheat/gluten intolerance's but try to keep my bread intake minimal on the regular. A wholewheat/seeded loaf is really helpful though when you're not well. You can dip it in your soup, eggs, or toast and top with mashed avocado/banana as a quick and easy snack.

9. Satsumas/Clementines.

10. Eggs. For boiling, dippy eggs and soldiers are so comforting, or scrambling on toast.

11. Blueberries and Cashew Nuts. For snacking, along with the satsumas. If you have a handful of nuts when you eat fruit it slows down the absorption of fructose preventing those blood sugar-spikes I talked about above.

12. Ripe and Ready Avocado's. For mashing on toast. And just because they are my favourite super-food. 

What do you mean no drugs at all?! You have to do what you need to do. For me, they're a last resort. I do regular steam sessions when I'm ill to help unblock my nose and clear my sinuses. You can keep them super-natural by adding fresh Thyme or Rosemary to a bowl of hot (not boiling) water and then inhaling the vapours by breathing in the steam under a towel. Or if you don't have any of those to hand I find a few drops of Olbas Oil or Tea-Tree oil in the water really helpful. Just a little note on this one - if you steam whilst wearing mascara you will emerge looking like a Panda. I'm not saying don't do it but you know, it's an interesting look. I also rub Vicks VapoRub on my chest and feet (and put on socks afterwards) to aid nighttime breathing/coughing.

Possibly the MOST important thing you can do for yourself isn't in this picture above.

WATER.....drink it like it's your job, Your body needs fluids anyway to get rid of toxins, cold bugs included.

Sleep and rest is really important too. I know the world doesn't stop for a cold but if you can stay home, do. I'm really lucky with my job. I work in hospitals and no-one wants to see a big old mess of coughing and sneezing in that environment so it's understood that I can work from home when I'm ill (where I'm likely to get better quickly and not spread my cold).

Other things that help? Sofa, blanket, magazines, chick-flick, zzzzzz.

What are your tips when you're ill? Sharing's caring!

Life | Boy Bedroom Makeover

In fairness to Dan the title of this post is slightly mis-leading; his flat is so lovely, I have absolutely nothing to complain about. But when I moved in over the summer I couldn't help but make a few tweaks to the space to make it feel like home.

Fear not, this isn't about to be a re-hash of the very scary scene in "How to lose a guy in 10 days", (watch the trailer at about 40 seconds in), if you can't because you're at work just imagine frills and tampax EVERYWHERE.

Anyway, I already had a great neutral canvas to work with. I actually chose the wallpaper because when we first got together there had been a leak in the roof which had ruined what was already there. After a little trip to the end-of-line bin in John Lewis we were all sorted.

Before I got my little mitts on it, this is what the roomed could look like on any given day. Pretty messy and blah, huh?

Seriously, how much aftershave does one boy need?

After a little tidy up and some accessories it now looks like this! And I love it. Still neutral but more cosy and interesting.

I added some pillows and a throw, that's it. The throw (£14.99) and stripy pillows (£6.99 each) are from TK Maxx, and little miss "ooh la la"(£7) is from Asda.

Total makeover cost: £35.97.

A (free) tidy-up of the bedside tables keeps them looking pretty.

Oh, and then I added this heart to the wardrobe door.....I don't think he's even noticed, yet!

What do you think? When is it too soon to "make-your-mark" on your boy's pad? Never?! I can't wait to decorate our room in the new house. It will be still be neutral, as much as I love vintage and shabby chic I can't handle anything too patterned and floral (Dan breathes a sigh of relief).

Speaking of the new house. It's all starting to come together, finally! Phew. A little update on that coming soon.

On a side note - why do I have such a good memory for cheesy music and films circa 2000?

Life | Drink Art

On our last night in Athens, we stopped by an über cool bar in Kolanaki on our way home. 

Now do you want the good news or the bad news first?

The good news is that Soral and Tia were feeling very creative and made some very cool (free) art. The bad news? I can't remember at all what the bar was called, and it was so freakin' cool. My design head was on high-alert taking in the bare brick walls, tables, lighting, bar..... I can totally picture it, aaah!

Anyhoo, look at the cool art they made with our yummy drinks. My favourites are the 2nd and 4th.

Which ones do you guys like best? Do you ever get all arty when you're out and about? 

Life | Five Friday Favourites

I haven't done one of these for a while! Despite a busy and frustrating week, there was definitely a few things that made me smile...

1. This little man melts my heart, bath-time and a good old catch-up with his Mum & Dad = perfect chill.

2. The start of a month means new foodie magazines! I literally tore the Waitrose Kitchen one to pieces this month, so many good ideas and recipes in there, and scrap-booked them all for future food related fun. There's something about the cutting-out and sticking process that is entirely therapeutic.

3. I completed level 97 on Candy Crush, don't judge, but it did feel like a pretty major achievement at the time!

4. On Wednesday the weather felt cool enough to wear my J.Pumilia inspired work outfit, there's just something so American about a shirt with a vest jumper over the top. I loved it, but then it got way too warm!

5. This weekend I'm meeting up with my amazing friend Anna (Mrs. S to those in the know). We're heading to Ardencote Manor Spa and I can't wait. I think I'm more excited about seeing her than the Spa though, it's been too long!!

Happy Friday, and have a fabulous weekend x

Travel | Mdina, Malta

For our last adventure, we drove inland to the Citadel of Mdina, Malta's ancient walled capital.

The citadel dates back as long ago as 1000 BC and has obviously changed a great deal since those times. In the 9th century Arabs arrived and built these big strong walls and deep moat that we see today. Medina in Arabic means "walled city".

The moat has been landscaped but the big stone walls remain and give the Mdina a very peaceful atmosphere.

Similarly to Valletta, there is a huge Cathedral (St. Pauls). 

Whilst we were here, we took some time to understand the rich history of Malta and the Knights of St John. It really is quite amazing and whether you follow religion or not, The Knights fought to protect Malta because they believed in Jesus' Commandment to "love one another as I have loved you". 

Make of that what you will, but you cannot escape a visit to Malta without noting the strong Catholic Faith. 

With the sun beating at our heels and one last afternoon by the pool beckoning we said our goodbyes to the Mdina.

As we were leaving I found our new home....I wish, but seriously. She's a beauty, no?

Travel | Gozo & Comino

After an amazing day strolling around beautiful Valletta, we were ready to head further away from home and took to the open-seas. We went to explore the smaller islands of Gozo and Comino.

This is Mgarr Harbour, where the ferry point is on Gozo.

From here we decided to drive "up-high" so we could get a birds-eye view of pretty Gozo. First stop was the small town of Nadur, and another ornate building, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. There are beautiful Churches scattered all over the island.

The view from Nadur is amazing, you can see for miles. 

Next up, we wanted some beach time. Malta & Gozo are not known for their beaches, but there are a few that are worth a visit. We went to Ramla Bay. The sand is so different here, the colour is a pale terracotta, and the waters edge is scattered with large pebbles. The water was so warm and clear. We relaxed for a while, swam and clambered around on the rocks. 

When our tummy's started rumbling we went in search of food. I would not recommend eating at Ramla Bay, the food is aimed purely at tourists and completely un-imaginative with not a fresh fish in site. 

We headed to the pretty bay of Marsalforn, and a great little bistro called Otters. We ordered Octopus Arrabiata and Fresh Tuna with salad and fries! The food was delicious, Dan and I both agree the Octopus was the dish of the holiday. Whilst the food was incredibly tasty, it didn't look so pretty, hence no photo's! It was kind of just plopped onto the plate, and the tuna looked sad and grey....the presentation just didn't do the flavour justice. So you can admire the view instead....we'll save the food-porn for another time.

You can't move two-feet in Malta without hearing about the Blue Lagoon at Comino (the smaller island located between Malta and Gozo). We'd heard that it gets over-crowded with tourists during the day so we caught the last boat over to see what all the fuss was about.

Well, it is pretty spectacular. The water is so clear and the most perfect shade of aqua.

Sailing boats passing through the Med anchor-up for the day, and unload their passengers into the water. It has quite a party-vibe to it, and even though it was late in the day it was still pretty busy.

On our way back to shore, we were taken past some caves.

And then it was time to go back to our hotel, although we managed to squeeze in another pretty bay and photo opportunity on the way back. 

Malta, we're both completely smitten with you.