Currently | April 2016

I thought it was about time I did another currently post. I haven't done one since February, but I really enjoy creating them and also enjoy watching or reading similar things by other people. They're a great of finding new things to enjoy and also collecting all the things I've loved through the month and sharing them with all you lovely readers. 

April has been a lovely month and it's really beginning to feel like Spring is here and Summer is just around the corner. I've actually worn sunglasses home from work for pretty much a week now. I LOVE IT. I'm looking forward to making lots of plans through the summer that I can share on here and really take full advantage of being able to get out in the sun in the evening. 

For now though, here's what I've been loving through April.

Food

You drink it more than you eat it, unless like me you use the wrong attachment for your magic bullet and the banana doesn't actually get blended. But I'm loving a coffee and banana shake. We all know I'm a coffee fiend and now the weather is warmer a cold coffee shake or blend is the perfect morning treat. Blended up with a banana adds a touch of sweetness and served cold is the perfect way to start a spring morning. I've been particularly enjoying this on a Saturday morning whilst doing chores and lazing around a bit while poor Jacks slaving hard at work. And the best thing is it's so easy to make

Recipe:

1 cup of cold coffee (coffee of your choice)
1 cup of milk (Almond milk is great alternative in this if you don't eat/drink dairy)
1 bannana

Put it all into a blender and whiz until it's all smooth and combined.

Don't you it was easy, didn't I? 

Reading

I fell of the reading wagon a bit. After 'The One in a Million Boy' by Monica Wood for Love Reading. It was a good book. Just good though. It took me a long time to get into it, to get through and I haven't really thought about it since. I'm looking forward to opening up another TBR star and getting stuck in again. 

Lifestyle

Whilst doing our weekly shop in Sainsbury's the other day I spotted a pack of three muslin cloths by Dirty Works for £3. They were reduced from £4 but even a full price they're a bargain. I currently only have the two that came with my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish and I'm forever wishing I had more because I use them everyday which means they're always dirty. Also I finally sorted out my beautiful Kikki K planner that Jack bought me or Valentines Day. I went for the printable from Crossbow Printables on Etsy and I love them! I can jot down everything I want to and I feel super organised with them and my planner. 

Travel

Now the sun has out its been really good to get out and about and enjoy our home town again. After being away for a while it's been like re-discovering it all again. We haven't really travelled anywhere apart from little towns and villages in Sussex that we love and enjoy exploring. Sussex in summer can't be beaten. The only downside is the wasps. 

So that's my month. What have you been up to recently?

Until next time,

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FYI avoiding spots

A few weeks ago I posted about the best way to pop an annoying spot. Wouldn't it b great though if you could avoid getting a spot all together? The dream, right? Unfortunately, I can't tell you how to never get a spot because everyone, even Taylor Swift's squad, gets spots. However, I can share a few pieces of advice with you on how to try and prevent spots and how best to treat them when you get one. 

(Disclaimer: there is more than one type of spot, but as a base line don't try and extract your own blackheads unless you're really confident and know what you're doing, don't pick anything and don't pop anything unless it's got a white head and if washing your face with a warm flannel doesn't knock it off then maybe leave it alone.) 

When you get a spot the first thing to consider is why it might have decided to grace your face with it's presence? If you've changed something in your diet, have been taking into much fat or dairy that could be one reason. If you're trying a new product or have changed your facial routine that could also be a reason. Also hormones and stress can and will cause spots even when you've passed the hormonal teenage part of your life and there's no getting away from that. 

The best thing you can do to avoid spots is to clean your face. That sounds obvious but it's important to know what products are good for your skin type and what you should be avoiding. If you're using facial wipes STOP. Why? They're easy, quick, no fuss. I know, but stop. They're drying your face out with ingredients that are there mainly to keep the wipe moist but preserved and they're not actually cleaning your face properly, more just moving dirt around. The wipe may look dirty when you've finished but if you go in with another cleanser you'll find you haven't cleaned your face half as well as you thought you had.

Cleansers to look for are lotions, milks and balms. They can work for the evening and morning. They're soft and gentle and can be wiped away with a soft muslin cloth or flannel. Invest in an acid toner as well. It will chemically exfoliate your skin so that it really drinks up whatever moisturiser you are putting on it. Also don't be afraid of oil. Avoid mineral oils, but good quality natural oils are great for your skin. A couple of drops before a topical treatment and then again after will help combat the spot and also make your skin feel a lot more quenched. 

Supplements can help in avoiding spots especially fish oils and omegas. As well as that healthy foods, lots of fruit and veg will keep your skin looking glowy. It's not a myth that feeling good on the inside keeps you looking good on the outside. On that note try and avoid too much sugar/dairy/fat. 

Most importantly try and find products that work for you and your skin. Everyone's skin is different and will react differently to different products. Generally, however, try and avoid alcohol where it's the main ingredient, find a topical treatment and use acids like salicylic or lactic. Just because you've got a spot doesn't mean you have to avoid oil, your skin will thank you for a little oil later. Dry skin is a breeding ground for spot making bacteria, oil is your friend. 

As a general rule cleanse morning and night but go for a deeper cleanse at night. Use a toner day and night and don't be afraid of using an acid toner both times but if you're unsure an acid toner at night and a soothing toner in the morning is fine. Find a topical gel treatment to target spots head on and a light SPF moisturiser for the day and a good face oil for night. Skin care is a good area to splurge a bit more money, but be aware that just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's a miracle worker and will solve all your skin problems. Be aware of ingredients that won't do you any favours and look out for them on products you've not used before.

Until next time,

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Thought of the week #14

People are impatient. We live in a world where things happen instantly so when that doesn't happen we get dissapointed and things that take a while don't feel worth doing. It's true though, good things take time. If you really want to ahceive something set some time aside each day to get that bit closer to succeeding and completing it. It doesn't matter what it is, if it's important to you and it takes a little longer than an hour but you really want to do it then do it. This week try and set an hour aside each day to work towards something good you really want and see how much progress you've made by next Monday.

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Divergent | Review

I picked up Divergent, by Veronica Roth, back in 2014 when the film was about to come out with intention of reading it before the film was released. However, clearly as I'm now reviewing it in 2016, that didn't happen. 

Going into this book I was a little hesitant. It had been compared to the Hunger Games and even Harry Potter by some people and they are big names to live up to. However, this is one of those YA books that seems to have a big fandom around it and that gave me some high expectations. I'll say now this in no way lived up to either the Hunger Games or Harry Potter, but then I didn't really expect it to, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a good book. 

Divergent is set in a dystopian Chicago where people are divided into five factions based on personality traits - 'Abnegation' for the selfless, 'Dauntless' for the brave, 'Candor' for the honest, 'Amity' for the peaceful and 'Erudite' for the intelligent. The story opens with Tris, who is 16 years old and was born into Abnegation. At the beginning of the story Tris is about to undergo a test so help her decide which faction she wants to belong to. Tris decides to become Dauntless. This means she has to undergo the Dauntless initition process which is ruthless, all whilst keeping the fact that she is 'Divergent' a secret. 'Divergent' means Triss had no clear answer for where she belonged after her test, and in Tris' world Divergent is dangerous. 

This book was full of action. It did feel a bit like Triss was constantly training, constantly fighting and literally didn't stop. However, it was exciting and fast paced which made it easy to get through. If you like action packed, full on stories you will love this. The Dauntless training is hardcore and the first two thirds of the book follows Triss and her friends fighting their way through the training and coping with the thought of being kicked out of Dauntless and becoming factionless i.e. homeless. 

Baring that in mind, there was a lot of violence that seemed a little pointless and unnecessary. The real story really starts about two thirds of the way in and that's when I found it got really exciting. Things began to unravel and make sense as a reader. I can imagine how the next two books would be a lot more enjoyable to read as the world is already developed and explained. 

The characters in this were really well crafted and developed. All the characters bought something else to the story and all had a different story to tell. The only downfall of the characters was that they were typical YA characters. Tris is the bland, boring girl that no one thinks will be able to cope with the initiation but ends up being bad ass and coming out on top. There's nothing wrong with that, but how many times can YA authors use that cookie cutter for a female protagonist? As well as that Tris' love interest was very obvious. Good looking, alpha male who just happens to have a huge crush on the quiet child-like looking Tris but can't show her that soft side of him in front of others because 'it's best' for her. It's very typical YA. 

A couple of down sides of the book where that I never felt there was any real explanation or development of the factions aside from the ones Tris was involved in. However, they might become more involved and explained later in the series. As well as that the villainous characters were quite over the top and therefore quite unrealistic. 

Overall the book was fairly good and enjoyable. I can see how it's been compared to the Hunger Games but apart from the faction element there is nothing Harry Potter-esque about this book. I'd been interested to see where the series goes next and that's always a good thing. 

What did you think of Divergent if you've read it? Let me know what you're reading at the moment in the comments.

Until next time, 

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Tips for creating the kitchen of dreams

A few months ago I posted a blog post about creating a five star bathroom, and it went down like a treat. For that reason I thought I'd have a go at another interior post, this time looking at ways of creating a dream kitchen. 

The kitchen is the heart of the home. More often than not it's a social space, a work space and of course a place to cook food and congregate with whoever it is you live with the catch up with each other. For those reasons the kitchen needs to be sleek and stylish but also warm, homely and above all practical and easy to use. 

Bearing that in mind here a few things that might help you to create a kitchen that meets all your needs. 

A kitchen needs cabinets and there's no avoiding that. However, though they're important it's not ideal for them to be over the top fancy or the eye catching part of the room. Try and keep them simple and easy to use, clean and store things in. Large drawers below the counters and cupboards at head height are a good way of getting maximum storage whilst remaining practical and good looking. Also try to keep drawers with drawers and cupboards with cupboards as mixing them  can make the room look jumbled and messy. 

As well as cabinets shelves are good option for things that you use all the time. They also have a more relaxed feel so the kitchen doesn't end up looking too sterile. Good things to use shelves for are regularly used herbs, oil, utensils and plates and bowls. Above the hob where they are easy to grab is also a good option. As well as breaking up the cabinetry they also keep you from collecting things on the worktop which can end up making the kitchen look messy. 

A great place to make a statement whilst keeping the room practical and easy to use is your splashback. Something that is easy to clean such as patterned, geometric or coloured tiles are great but wooden splash backs look very elegant if you're going for a modern or industrial look. Apart from any details such as lighting, plants and things like that the splashback is the part of the room you can really show of your style. 

One thing to bear in mind when designing and choosing your kitchen is to spend more money where you really want to. Bear in mind what is most important to you and how and when you use your kitchen and go from there. However, one item that's a very good idea to spend a fair bit of money on is your worktops. You'll use them everyday and they'll get a lot of knocking and cleaning. Marble and wood are great traditional options and both suit different styles. But something that's being used a lot now is polished concrete surfaces. They're really hard wearing, easy to clean and still look as high end and beautiful as marble and wood options.

There we have it. Four things to consider and think about when thinking about changing or designing your kitchen. Let me know if you like this type of post.

Until next time, 

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Thought of the week #13

Quote of Elizabeth Taylor

Do I really need to write anything about this quote? I don't think I do but I will. Sometimes you get to that point in the week where you feel like you just can't do the rest of the week, but you can and you will. And sometimes the best way to get through it is to treat yourself and make yourself feel good. Pour yourself a glass of whatever your poison might be, put on your favourite lipstick, dress, jeans whatever makes you feel fantastic, pull yourself together and own the week. 

Until next time,

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A wee break

Hello all!

I've made the decision to take this week away from the blog. The reason being I am so behind schedule and it's beginning to feel a bit stressed. If you've been reading this blog for a little while that I like to be about two weeks, if not a month, ahead with ideas for blog posts. At the moment I have nothing planned ahead and it's not doing me any favours because I'm writing blog posts on the day of posting which means they're very last minute, un planned and therefore not as good as they could be.

I'll be back on Monday and back to normal with top notch posts and actual ideas. 

Until then,

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Thought of the week #12

Everyone has got 101 things they want to get done or to do. I know I do, my yearly goals list is always too long. Weeks go by and nothing gets done to make progress and eventually it becomes to daunting to start. This week whatever it is, a big spring clean, that workout programme, or a scrap book, get started. Begin making progress on the project or the goal or whatever it is and before you know it you'll be half way there. It won't happen if you don't begin, so begin and get things done. 

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Hello April

Saying hello to April is a little late this month but I'm still getting over a lovely, long Easter weekend so hopefully you can forgive me. 

I'm so happy that Spring is beginning to show it's face. The sun is out more, even if it is still a little nippy. And the evenings are getting lighter which is my favourite thing. I always do more and am far more active in the evenings in the Spring and Summer. Spring is my favourite season, I think. It feels very calm and refreshing and I think it's a good time to really make head on goals and resolutions. 

I feel like so far this year I've been struggling to find time to do all the things and projects I want to do. I'm no nearer to sorting out a photo album esque thing for my Australian photos than I was the day I landed back in the UK and that is one of my main things I want to do. I hate the thought of those photos being forgotten about. 

Jack and I bought some vegetable/fruit plants the other day so there will definitely be a project around that soon which I'm sure will be featured here. 

I aimed to be organised with everything by the time April came around and I haven't done that either. So I guess I should say by May that will be done? We'll see.

One thing I really aim to get done this month is get back into a workout routine because I had it done to tea before and actually enjoyed it but somewhere along the line that went out the window so I really want to sort that out. 

In general I really feel April is a good month for a big spring clean. Get rid of stuff you don't need. sort out your goals and realise what you want to get done.

What are your goals for April? Let me know. 

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Cheat Week

I haven't posted a TBR jar post in a little while and that would be because I received a book from Love Reading. 

Thought of the week #11

Age is never a barrier. It feels like it sometimes, too old to change something, to old to start something new whatever it is, you're not too old. So what if it takes 3 years, 5 years, 10 years to get there. Those are years that you won't regret because you were trying something you wanted to try to be happier and more fulfilled. Don't let your age stop you from doing anything you want to do. Make goals, have dreams and don't stop. 

Until next time,

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