Dear Santa.....

I have often been told that I am a very difficult person to buy for because I have very particular taste. This year when I was asked by my family what I would like for Christmas I really didn't know, I am quite lucky in that if I really want something I will usually just go out and buy it for myself. I said to my Aunty 'but I don't really need anything' and her response was, 'Christmas isn't about what you need it is about what you want!'' This made me take to the internet to design my ultimate christmas list. 

I had heard of the app wantfeed from watching The Michalaks weekly family vlogs (highly recommend) but I had never used it before and I have actually become obsessed. It allows you to put in the links of items you like from anywhere on the internet and keeps them all in your own feed. You can also scroll through other peoples feeds, which I really enjoy, because I am nosey like that!

Obviously I don't think christmas is just about presents, I love when my whole family gets together to eat and drink and relax and as I have got older I enjoy giving gifts more than I enjoy receiving them. But that didn't stop me finding a fair few items to lust after online....

 You can probably sense a bit of a rose gold theme!! I am also aware that this list is very unrealistic and I can assure you I will not be getting a Kitchen Aid for Christmas as much as I would LOVE one. Sometimes it is just nice to do a bit of window shopping!

If you want to know where any of the items are from then go to my wantfeed page where you can click on any item and it will take you straight to the website where you can buy it.

Happy Shopping 

Autumnal Getaway

Last week, myself and Phil descended upon Center Parcs Longleat for a week of rapid riding, pool sliding, bike riding and general fun. I had never been to Center Parcs as a kid so I had no idea what to expect but Phil had fond childhood memories of the place that needed living up to.

We were both well in need of a relaxing week away and that it definitely was! It is so nice to be able to go somewhere, not have to worry about anything and completely please yourself. We booked the Aqua Sana spa for our last day there and it was absolute bliss, it wasn't over busy and there were 15 different spa experiences to choose from including a heated outdoor pool.

The only downside of the whole week was the price of eating out, we really enjoy food and eating out together but it wasn't realistic to do it every night (both of our bank balances have taken quite a hit). If we were to go again we would definitely take more food to cook ourselves as the accommodation we stayed in (Redwood Apartments) had all the facilities you needed to be fully self catered.

Phil about to cycle down the boardwalk 

My delicious blueberry pancake stack from The Pancake House

Firework display for Bonfire Night

Really it was just nice for the two of us to get to spend some quality time together and enjoy each others company. It was back to reality this week though...

Lemon and Blueberry Cupcakes

It is no secret that I love to bake and I spend hours of my life scrolling through the internet looking for new cake ideas. This was one of my favourite recipes from the summer. I made these cakes for my Parent's 30th Wedding Anniversary and they were a big hit. 

Ingredients:

6oz of caster sugar

6oz of margarine or butter

6oz of self raising flour

3 eggs

1 punnet of blueberries

2-3 lemons (depending how lemony you like it)

softened butter, cream cheese and icing sugar (for the frosting)

mint leaves to decorate 

Method:

pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees/ gas mark 6 and line a 12 hole cake tin with paper cases

cream together the margarine and caster sugar until light and fluffy

beat in the eggs

sift in the flour, add the zest of one lemon and two tablespoons of lemon juice

mix well until combined

fold in the blueberries slowly (leaving some to decorate) being careful not to crush them

spoon into cake cases and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown

while the cakes are cooking, prepare the frosting

I did this by eye so I don't have the exact measurements but you can find cream cheese frosting recipes easily online.

once the frosting is to the consistency you want it add lemon zest and juice to taste

remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool

once they are completely cool pipe or spread the frosting onto them

to decorate i put a couple of blueberries on top and finished them off with a mint leaf, i love the pop of colour you get from the blue and green!

Paris

This year, for the first time in four years, I wasn't doing exams in May. So to celebrate this, and my 23rd Birthday myself and my boyfriend went to Paris for a long weekend away. I had never been to Paris before and it is safe to say I absolutely fell in love with the city. I wouldn't say it was the most relaxing holiday I have ever had because there was so much we wanted to see and do that we were on our feet pretty much the whole time, but I wouldn't have changed it for the world. 

The highlight for me was definitely the dinner cruise down the river Seine which my boyfriend organised for me as part of my Birthday present. The food was as amazing as the views were and we finished the evening off with crepes under the Eiffel Tower which were so delicious!

I was also very excited to go to the bridges with all the locks on as I had seen them so many times in movies and I have always thought it was such a romantic thing to do. Not long after we left all of the locks were removed as they were too heavy and damaging the bridges so I feel lucky to have my own photos of them. 

Sunday Morning Juicing

After a recent visit to WholeFoods where I became addicted to their tropical green juice, I decided that in the long run it may work out cheaper if I bought my own juicer. Following a little bit of research and a visit to the Amazon website it arrived on my doorstep this week and I couldn't be happier. Yes, there are a few downsides to juicing, (cleaning the thing to name one) but I am loving being able to make my own fresh juices whenever I want. This morning I decided to raid the fridge and made a green juice out of some fruit and veg we had left over from last weeks shop.

I went for apple, spinach, lime and cucumber and it was so refreshing. I have put the rest in the fridge ready for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Throw Back Thursday - Plymouth

A few months ago I went to visit my Brother and his Girlfriend at University in Plymouth. Although it looks like the middle of summer in these photos it was absolutely freezing but I couldn't help getting my camera out and taking a few pictures. These are just a few of my favourites.

What's in my Makeup Bag

I love reading these kinds of posts so I thought, why not do my own? I don't tend to carry much makeup around with me but these are my go to products when I do:

Maybelline Baby Skin Primer

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in 100 Ivory

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium 3

Rimmell Stay Matte Powder in Translucent

 Sleek Blush in Rose Gold

Primark Brow Pencil

Maybelline Colour Tattoo Cream Eye Shadow in On and On Bronze

Rimmel Kohl Liner in Black

Revlon Lash Potion Mascara in Blackest Black

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Liquid Lipstick in Frambourjoise

The Ultimate Triple Chocolate Cookies

It is no secret that I love to Bake, so when I found this cookie recipe it was one that I had to try! They are super easy to make and absolutely delicious although definitely not suitable for the calorie concious among us!!!

Recipe:

200g Unsalted Butter (softened)

150g Caster Sugar

1 Large Egg

275g Self Raising Flour

75g Cocoa Powder

3 Large Bars of Chocolate (1 White, 1 Milk and 1 Dark)

Splash of Milk

Preheat the oven 200°C, line two baking trays with baking parchment and put to one side. 

Mix the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamy.

Crack in the egg and mix some more.

 Add the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder and chocolate) making sure to leave a few squares of chocolate to one side.

Mix until it goes into a dough - this may take some time, add in a splash of milk if you need to. 

Make the dough into balls using your hands and place them onto the baking trays leaving plenty of space between as they will spread.

Press the remaining chocolate squares into the middle of the cookies.

Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Leave to cool for around half an hour - if you can wait that long!!

Good Thoughts

I have made a promise to myself to be more positive this year, this quote really sums that up for me. I think we all spend too much time worrying, being stressed and negative but I have started to realise that allowing yourself to be more positive allows positive things to start happening to you.

Breakfast in Clevedon

One of my favourite things to do is go out for breakfast on a lazy Sunday morning, so a few weeks ago we decided to head down the motorway to Clevedon for a change of scenery.  I love the seaside (even though this isn't the real sea but the river Severn estuary) so it was lovely to find a little cafe on the sea front to have our breakfast. I had smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on granary bread which was amazing as you might be able to tell from the photo. After breakfast we had a look around a few of the little shops and then headed home, it was a very relaxing Sunday indeed!