Photo of the Day

February the 28th

If I said I was tired I would be lieing. I'm totally and utterly shattered. My mother arrived home from Nice last night and asked for me to pick her up from the airport. As usual, when flying with Easyjet, the flight was delayed so we didn't arrive home until gone 12.00pm. 

     I failed to go for a run today, not because I went to work, but because I spent the afternoon with Jamie in Brighton eating tasty Burritos and failing to find any decent items of clothing. Not forgetting the endless amount of time sat in the car trying to get into Brighton. Every shop we went into had their spring/summer collection in already even though outside it was 7 degrees and pouring with rain. All I wanted was a perfect knitted polo neck jumper, but none were to be found. 

     I have never had a burrito until today and God it was good! I would tell you the name of the place but I can't remember to save the life of me. 

    For now ladies and gents I'm off to bed and I shall stay there for as long as possible.

Happy blogging!

Water and running challenge

Day one

Most people in January say "New year, new me!" In my case I'm two months late, but it's better late then ever. I recently read in Cosmopolitan that Rosie Huntington- Whiteley drinks a litre of water, first thing, everyday (of course after some form of caffeine intake). I took this as some inspiration for my 'change' and decided to also start drinking one litre of water everyday. I drank my first litre yesterday morning. I felt no different apart from needing to go to the loo every five seconds!

     Today is day one of my running routine. Il be sharing with you how far I run and how long I take as well as telling you how I feel afterwards. I'm off for my first run now so il let you know how it goes when I get back...

     I'm back and I'm totally knackered. Here's the stats: I ran 3.96km in 17minutes and 11 seconds. Hopefully I can improve upon that! I found it quite hard to keep pushing on and found myself walking to allow me to gain my breath. We will see how tomorrow goes! I'm going to relax now by having a cold shower then do some French lessons, some knitting and reading!

Happy blogging!

Photo of the Day

February the 25th

It's been only two days since I stopped doing my 'Photo of the day' and yet I miss it already so guess what, I'm bringing it back! 

    Today's photo was taken on my way home this evening. I love the area in which I live, especially the sunsets and the views towards The Downs. I drove across Ashdown Forest to try and capture the outline of The Downs as the sun was setting. Enjoy..

PAY DAY!

There's nothing better then waking up and finding you've been paid a lot more than expected! My first thoughts were 'Save, save, save,' but after heading into town to get my MOT done, I popped into Superdrug to see what goodies I could get my hands on.

    I didn't go too crazy, in fact I only spent £5! The two items I bought were Miss Sporty (don't diss it until you've tried it!) Morning Baby Cream Blush and Simples Clear Skin, Oil Balancing Moisturiser. The moisturiser I used before was also Simple and worked wonders for my skin so decided to try out another one of their moisturisers and see if it has the same great effects. I've never really been a fan of applying to much colour to my face. A BB cream and foundation are all I really use, but recently someone commented on how pale my skin was! I'm not sure if I should have taken it as a complement or not. Either way I decided to try out a liquid blusher to add a bit of colour to my cheeks. Once I've had a chance to use both products I will let you know my verdict.

    Happy blogging!

Chicken, Broccoli and Homemade Pesto Pasta

Just the thought of this recipe makes me hungry. I'm such a huge fan of pesto and anything pasta related. I've tried many a time to grow my own herbs, but no matter how much care and attention I give them, they always die. I think my Mother feels bad about my constant bad luck and so at the weekend replaced them all with fresh new herbs. With the fresh basil, and mums recent obsession with buying a range of cheeses, including Parmesan, from the cheese counter in Waitrose, I decided to make some pesto in which I instantly knew I would pair with some spaghetti.

     My mother likes to cook a chicken on a Sunday for us to all pick at throughout the week so I tore some of the breast off and added some steamed broccoli. Quick, easy and extremely tasty. More vegetables such as spinach, kale and peas can be added for a healthy balanced meal. Not only does it make a tasty dinner, but it also makes a great lunch!

   If you're interested in making your own pesto then click this link or carry on reading to hear how I made mine!

Pesto ingredients:

Basil

Pine nuts

Parmesan 

Salt 

Pepper

Olive oil 

Garlic

As always I never cook by the rules. Not once have I ever taken note of the measurements or how much of an ingredient is needed, instead I cook purely by taste. 

   To start off making the pesto I used one small garlic clove and crushed it in a pestle and mortar with a drop of olive oil. I then added the basil and pine nuts. First off I added approximately one hand full of basil and two tablespoons of pine nuts. I crushed them all together before adding the parmesan. Whilst mixing I constantly taste the pesto to decide what needs to be added next. It's all about personal taste. I think unless you're making enough for about three people, 1 garlic clove is slightly too much. Next time I plan to use only half.

Gap Year Planning

Seeing my Dad always inspires me to do something productive with my gap year. I looked at my to-do list and at the top was Pilate classes. I had been looking into them for a while and after reading a fellow bloggers post I decided it was definitely time to book a class. However I do have a question for all my Pilate-class-attending- readers: How much do you pay per class? Most classes I have been too charge £5, so when I found that most Pilate classes, around East Sussex, charge £10 I wondered if that was expensive?

      Secondly I started looking at best ways to learn French, and fast. I've mentioned that I have used Duolingo before and now I've downloaded it onto my phone is definitely become my new best friend and from now on I hope to do at least three lessons a day. Once I feel my French has improved I hope to start and read books written in French.

       Third on my list was to find a suitable holiday destination for May. After about two hours of searching I finally found the perfect place so all we have to do now is book it! 

     The last thing I looked at today I stumbled across without meaning too. I was trying to find a programme I wanted to watch and found a programme called "The Great British Sewing Bee". Already 

after half an episode I feel like I have gained a handful of knowledge on how to create clothing. It's so good I might even take a few notes when watching it.

Photo of the Day

February the 22nd

Once again my favourite day of the week arrives along with the unhealthy breakfasts and the numerous hours spent infront of the television. I must say, I was slightly productive today and ventured out to Tunbridge Wells for an afternoon of shopping. All I bought was a book, but one I've been wanting to read since I finished The Rosie Project. It's called The Rosie effect and is the book following The Rosie Project. 

    For dinner my father took me and my sister out for dinner. The only half decent restaurant where we live is Pizza Express so that's always our first choice destination for dinner. We were all clearly feeling healthy as we all opted for the salad option, but that didn't last long as we all finished with a salted caramel and honeycomb cheesecake. Delicious! It's always lovely to see my father and we spent some time discussing potential travel plans. 

     I think this will be my last 'Photo of the Day' and as of tomorrow I will be starting my 'Photos From My Week' post. Here's my photo of the day- a photo of a drawing at Jamies house created by his sister.

Happy blogging!

Photo of the Day

 February the 21st

Take two (reason being my blogger app deleted all my posts!) 

   You know you're rapidly ageing when the main topic you bring to a conversation is the weather. It's sad, it really is, but in this case I simply can't deny the weather a mention. I woke up this morning and took one look out the window to see that it was snowing! Normally we know when to expect it, but not today. Unfortunately the excitement didn't last as it didn't snow for much longer, plus it didn't settle which means really it was a huge dissappointment. However I got half way to work when suddenly everything turned white and there was about two inches of snow on the ground. This made my day! I haven't seen snow in what feels like forever and as much as it can be a pain, everyone loves it secretly. (Excuse my poor photo below. My car was steamy and I didn't want to open the window in fear I might freeze!)

Today I promised my mum a night in and a tasty meal for dinner. As usual I headed straight for the Waitrose Recipe Card collection I have and pulled out one I knew my mum would love: black bean and beef stir fry. It took no time at all to make and beat any possible take away we could have got. I will be sharing with you the recipe on my Recipe page, so if you fancy making it yourself you can!

Photo of the Day

February the 20th 

Today was an eye opening day. I spent only three hours at work so had a lot of time on my hands. Typically when I start work at 1.00pm I spend the morning lounging around watching numerous episodes of Gossip Girl. I was on my second episode when I suddenly thought 'why am I wasting my gap year?' There were so many little things that I wanted to do this year like learn french, learn to sew  and do a photography course. So far I have done none of the above. Not one bit. I've got as far as getting a sewing machine and making a dummy cushion cover. That's it. So instead of continuing onto my third episode I pulled out my iPad and headed to Duolingo. It's possibly the best app to get if you want to learn a language. Plus, it's free! It uses different techniques to help you not only learn but remember the language. I will be doing a post on the best ways to learn another language and can keep you updated with my learning, as long as I stick at it and don't get distracted by Netflix!

     After a few tests I decided to read through a book I got recently on dressmaking. It's got loads of patterns and has absolutely everything you need to know to be able to make clothing. It's the perfect place to start. Once my material samples arrive from John Lewis I can then get started on actually making something useful. I really really want to make a tote bag as well which will be fun to blog, providing it looks half decent!

      I just want to thank everyone that visits my blog! There's nothing more I enjoy then posting my life for you all to read and in turn read your comments. Im going to be revamping my posts soon, firstly by changing my Photo of the Day to Photos from my Week. This hopefully means I can post a wider variety of topics and an addition to my posts will be Outfit of the week. I hope you're all as excited as I am!

Happy blogging!

Photo of the Day

February the 18th

On the odd occasion I find myself sat thinking about where I want too see myself in the future. Truth is, that image I create in my head changes each time and I never know where I want to end up. Many people say that you should do what you've always dreamt of doing, but I wonder if that's wise. Having one dream and focusing your whole life on achieving it could end up with a lifetime wasted and a whole lot of unhappiness. If you think about it, maybe you're better off not knowing what to do with your life because that way you're never totally disappointed. So next time someone asks you what you want to do with your life and you say "I don't know yet", think of it as a good thing, not bad. 

     I was never great at English language. Mainly because I found every single class, that didn't involve a substitute or a film, the most boring thing known to man! I could never concentrate and therefore that explains why my grammar and spelling might be so appalling in places. I used to read lots when I was younger, but as I grew older I had less and less time to read. More recently I've been reading more, but if a book isn't really gripping I find it hard to continue. The photo below is of a book I recently started reading. When I say "recently" I mean a few months a go. I quite enjoyed it, but as it got closer to the end I just forgot about it. That's why I read only exciting books because they never leave my hand and leave me wanting to read every second of everyday.

    I recently got a sewing machine and hoped to teach myself to sew. Finding time to do this has proven an issue with all the work I do and my recent Netflix addiction, but today I ordered some material samples which I hope to use to make pillow cases. Once I've had a bit of practice hopefully I can start making tshirts and dresses which is what I long to do.

   Today I posted a recipe on my blog created by Waitrose. I tried it out the other day and was super super yummy! It's slightly unusual, but is cheap and quick to make so is perfect as a last minute dinner.

Happy blogging!

Benefit Mascara

Roller Lash/ Benefit Mascara

I mentioned in a post recently that I had received the sample for Benefits new mascara in Elle magasine. My eyelashes have always been very temperamental. Either one eye will look great and the other awful, or simply both eyes will look terrible. I've always had short stubby lashes and I've tried endless types of mascaras to try and lengthen them. I'm also very fussy when it comes to separating the lashes because I hate hate hate lashes that are clumpy, no matter how long they are.

   Eyelash curlers are most definitely my saviour. Along with my MAC curlers I also use two different masacaras. These are Maybellines Colossal Volum' Express and Collections Lengthening Mascara. Both are waterproof and work great along side the Roller Lash mascara. I never spend too much money on makeup because I believe it's not so much about the product, but how you apply it.

  Here is a photo of my eyelashes before and after application..

I must admit, this photo looks super creepy! Everyone mentions how tired I look without any makeup on and now I see why! My eyes, without makeup on, look so small and tired in comparison to when I have makeup on.

   Of course when it comes to applying mascara not all techniques I use may suit you, so in order to work out a routine that's best for you you just need to sit down and experiment. 

    Firstly I apply a thin layer of mascara and let it dry before I curl my lashes. This stops them from breaking and adds a little protection. To curl them I put the curler round my lashes and hold for ten seconds. I then release the curlers before squeezing and releasing the curlers continuously. By doing this my lashes curl extremely well, but if you feel that yours can curl even more then repeat the process. I now apply the mascara. I start with Benefits mascara Roller Lash and apply a few coats before combing through my lashes with the Colassal mascara. This helps to seperate the lashes and add more volume. If ever I feel I need to comb through my lashes to seperate them I use the Colleciton Lengthening Mascara to break them apart. By having mascaras that do different things you can use the one that suits you best at that moment in time. I do believe I could create great lashes just using the one mascara, Roller Lash, but I've always used more than one because it allows me more control over my lashes.

    What I like about Benefits new mascara is firstly the brush. The brush is curved and has a comb end. Comb ends are my favourite because they're great at seperating the lashes. The bend in the brush is what allows the wand to curl your lashes as you apply the mascara. The actual mascara its self is also great. It isn't too thick, but is thick enough to coat your lashes and hold them in place for a good 24 hours. The best change I noticed once I started using this mascara was the fact my lashes actually held their position. Before I used it my eyelashes would look great for approximately 5minutes before losing their curl. Over all I think Benefits new mascara has earnt a place in my beauty essentials!

Any questions about today's post then feel free to comment! Happy blogging!

Photo of the Day

 February the 17th

Pancake day has finally arrived! There's nothing better then an excuse to eat as many pancakes as possible. I promised I'd share a pancake recipe with you all so here it is! It's all thanks to Waitrose and their delicious recipes. If you don't get a chance to make it today I would definitely  save it for another day.

    Today has been one long, tiring day for me. I had work at six till one and then forced myself to stay awake through a few episodes of Gossip Girl before I gave in and went for a nap. It will be after dinner that I scoff down some pancakes, but the only bad thing is that they're so filling so no doubt we will have a proper pancake eating session on Sunday morning.

   My photos from today were taken a few seconds before I nearly crashed into a tree (don't drive and try to take photos!) It's a photo of a road I love near where I live. I detoured there on the way home from work seen as it was a lovely day. My other photos are of our tasty pancakes! 

(Leaning tower of pancakes)

Photo of the Day

February the 15th

I don't know what it is about Sunday's but they're just so god damn relaxing. I remember when I first met Jamie we would spend hours and hours in bed, usually sleeping until about 1 in the afternoon! Now days we wake up a lot earlier at about 8 then spend half the day wondering what to do with ourselves. Today of course we woke up and watched a few episodes of Breaking bad, taking us into series four already. Naughtily, we ate a tub of Ben and Jerrys for breakfast, forgetting about the pancakes we had planned and prepared for by stocking the shelves with golden syrup and nutella. For lunch we made homemade pizza. Jamies family have a secret recipe for the tomato sauce topping which taste so so good. Il share it with you, but keep it a secret! They use tomato purée and the secret ingredient, pesto! For the topping we had bacon, onion and plenty of cheese. We even made a cheese stuffed crust. Super yummy. After a trip to my house and a few more episodes of Breaking Bad we decided the best way to make use of the left over dough was to roll it out, smother it in nutella, roll it back up, then cut it into slices. Perfect use of dough if you ask me. We have then spent most of the evening watching even more Breaking Bad. Now I think about it, 90% of my day has been in bed watching TV. Could be worse I suppose. 

   I have a few Photos for today that you all must see! I love jamies house and the way his parents keep the place so cosy and welcoming. 

Happy blogging!

Photo of the Day

February the 14th- Afternoon tea and homemade burgers

I have never been one to make much of a fuss on Valentines day. A bunch of flowers is sufficient and just a cosy night in front of the television. 

   Today me, my mother and Jamie went to a place in Alfriston called Deans Place for afternoon tea. It was a close family friends birthday so we all went there to celebrate. The sandwiches and endless tea and cake has totally filled me to the brim and even after a good four hours, I was to full to even think about dinner! That's the thing about afternoon tea, you starve yourself all morning so that you can eat as much cake as possible but then afterwards you can't eat anything for hours. However, I have no regrets as both the cakes and sandwiches were super tasty! I will be sharing my outfit choice for today once I get my photos through, but just to fill you in I wore a polo neck, loafers, black jeans and a grey cape.

    Me and Jamie love a good bit of cooking so made some homemade burgers and chips for our valentines dinner. Of course we added all the extras such as bacon and 'fake' cheese, not forgetting a special lettuce dressing from the Jamie Oliver cook book. I had to eat this in stages due to my major lack of hunger, but I eventually managed to finish it. We're yet to move onto dessert but we've got ice cream at the ready once we've gained some hunger. We're now just sat watching Take Me Out before we head to the bedroom... To watch Breaking Bad. Hey what did you think I'd say? Here's today's photos. Enjoy!

Photo of the Day

February the 13th

It's now been two weeks since I visited Paris! This year, time is flying by, which is in no way a good thing. I'm sure many of you agree. My gap year is zooming by and my uni start date is getting closer and closer. I've been wanting to do so much, but just don't have the time! (Or the money).

     I've been lucky that from birth I have had a savings account set up in which my parents have paid money into on birthdays etc. I've also had a job since I was 16 so always had a bit of an income.  This year I wanted to save as much money as possible for university, but still enjoy my year out. I didn't realise how hard this would be, especially after looking at my ISA account details and seeing I have so far saved a poor amount. Money has always unfortunately been a key component in my life especially because my parents have seperated so I constantly have to put up with arguments over money. Until I stop work, I've decided I need to put away a certain amount of money each month and promise myself not to touch it. Anyone else have saving issues?

     After my trip to Paris I came home and set up a Netflix account. It was probably the most awful decision to date. I've found myself spending days watching episode after episode of Gossip Girl and me and Jamie have been glued to the TV every evening to watch two or three episodes of Breaking Bad. Safe to say, I'm addicted. Even though it has taken over my life I would definitely recommend it to people. In the long run il probably save lots of money as it will replace the many DVDs me and Jamie buy. Hopefully it will also reduce our many expensive trips to the cinema too! The only bad thing is you don't get the exciting wait for the next episode or series as you have them all at the touch of a button!

      Yesterday was my younger sisters birthday. She's now reached the age of 17 meaning most gifts were money for driving lessons. In fact, I and her boyfriend were the only people that gave her a present that wasn't money! Isn't that awful! People used to give gifts all the time, never money but due to, what I believe as, laziness money has become the easiest thing to give. Long distances also make it the easiest thing to send to friends and family. I'm not dissing those who give money as a present because who doesn't these days! Yes, money is very beneficial, but so meaningless. The reason I bring this up is because her boyfriend gave her an extraordinary present, one that I had never even heard of before. Firstly, for Christmas he gave her a necklace, but not any ordinary necklace. It was made in Brazil and was made out of meteor rock. Now at first it sounds weird, but the fact it's made of meteor is the most significant fact. They both shared an evening star gazing when they first met and joked about how Tasha(my sister) owned a star. He bought her the necklace to remind her of that evening and the memory of that night. So for her birthday the theme of stars continued, but the gift was even more inspiring! He bought her the gift of naming a star! Now if that doesn't inspire you to give a good gift, then what does? Goes to show that a little internet browsing can give you some great present ideas that mean a lot! A simple and small gift can mean a lot. I love things like photo frames with photos in as gifts or one year me and my friend even made a duvet cover with photos on it! Safe to say, it was one of the best presents I had ever given!

Here's my photo of the day. I've always always always loved photography and so a few years a go, for Christmas, my mum got one of my photos put on a canvas for my bedroom. I've always loved photographing flowers; the still, beautiful models. 

Happy blogging!

Paris

Paris- Final Day

On the last day of any holiday I think it's best spent relaxing. However when in Paris you have to make everyday count so we crammed my last day full to make the most of it.

    When we woke up I peaked out the window to inspect the weather and saw a thin sprinkling of snow across the garden. I tried to get some photos, but by the time I had jumped in the shower and got dressed it had mostly melted! Just before we headed out for the morning we squeezed in an episode of Gossip Girl which Bronte was desperately trying to get me addicted to (which has worked!)
   Instead of heading to Paris, we took the train in the opposite direction to a gorgeous place called Sait Germain en Laye. Bronte wanted to show me this place due to its beauty and calm atmosphere it holds. We wandered round in search of a quiet cafe to sit and grab lunch, but ended up walking in a circle so settled for the cafe next to the station. We spent a while there eating and chatting and we were joined by an Au pair from Canada. I must say, it was nice to sit inside in the warmth instead of rushing around in the cold outdoors.
   Once we arrived home I had the struggle of repacking my suitcase. As I might have mentioned before, Easyjet only allow one bag for handluggage so I had to squeeze my poor Michael Kors bag into a suitcase only just a bit bigger then itself! I ended up repacking about four times due to me forgetting the many items strewn all over the floor as well as accidentally packing my phone inside my camera case which was buried at the bottom of my bag.

    Me and Bronte, for the third time in a few hours, took the long walk back to the train station. I got the train back to the airport, having to sneakily jump through the barriers behind those who we're sensible enough to buy a ticket. I arrived at the airport rather early, but it gave me enough time to draft my first Paris post and enjoy my last Pain au Raisin. I maybe had to much time on my hands, but I did discover, whilst waiting at the boarding gate, a new arist which I've fallen in love with. The best way to describe her voice is by saying she's a cross between Ed Sheeran and Birdy. Her voice is to die for so everyone take to Spotify, listen to her angelic voice and give her some support.                  

      Finally I want to say a massive thankyou to my friend Bronte for not only showing me the wonders of Paris, but for also putting up with me taking photos of everything every five seconds! I also have a second thankyou and that's for all my readers! I've been working extra hard on all my content and I really appreciate all of you that have taken the time to comment with such lovely messages. I have a lot planned for my upcoming posts so I hope you click the follow button!

Here's the rest of my holiday photos, taken all on my camera. They're not just from the last day, but from day one to day three. Enjoy!