December Favourites

December Favourites Time!  I do enjoy doing these posts!

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Starting with home this month as I've got a couple of cute bits to share with you

What better way to bake melty cheese than in a melty cheese baker?! This one is from Sainsburys, they are doing a lovely range at the moment.

There is a story behind this little house. I bought it as a present from me, to me. You light the incense inside and it comes out of the roof like a little Christmas house. How adorable I thought! £25 might be a bit pricey but it's cute - that was until it turned up. I thought it was going to be the size of let's say - a small loaf of bread. It's not. It's about the size of a bread roll..... I was going to send it back but then I never got round to it so one day I decided just to light the incense and be done with it. It's on my favourites because it really is quite sweet and I like it even if it was a waste of money.

Not on the Highstreet - Log cabin - £25 (currently £17 in the sale)

With the idea that I am going to be good and leave all of the bad eating habits behind me in the New Year I have purchased a Blend Active from Breville. I've been using it to make breakfast smoothies in the morning and it is so handy as you blend it all in the container you drink from meaning less fuss and less washing up! There are lots of there on the market but I really would recommend this one! It's the family pack so you get 4 beakers with it.

 Blend Active - £29.99

Books

I got a few good recipe books for Christmas but the one I have turned quite a bit too is Sainsbury's Classic Recipes. They just have some quite tasty simple recipes in there with easy to follow methods. Plus the food photography makes your mouth water!

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert (of Eat.Pray.Love fame) is a MUST READ. It is just one of those stories that you can't put down but which you don't want to end. Following the life of Alma you just become so attached to her and the life that she leads. I love being surprised by books and I was unable to guess where the story would lead me. I would highly recommend this novel - but be warned it's not a quick read, unless like me you devour books!

Music

Apart from the constant soundtrack of Christmas songs for the past month I have also been loving:

Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson ft Bruno Mars

Dangerous by David Guetta ft Sam Martin

Fashion

In my extensive 'I can never find anything to wear' wardrobe the one thing I do not own are jeans. I just find them uncomfortable and so I threw all mine out a long time ago. But I have discovered something which  has changed my life. I know they have been round for a long time but I tried them on once and turned my nose up. What are these life changing trousers? Only bloody jeggings. It's like I can be comfortable whilst still keeping my legs warmer than leggings, although nothing beats a double legging (Does anyone else do this?) I now have them in the colours Merlot, Grey, Green and Indigo and I couldn't be happier! I've been getting mine from that delightful shop that steals all my money - Dorothy Perkins - I find the regular leg fits quite well for someone with short little legs like myself.

DP - Jeggings - £20

I feel like this is quite a lengthy post so I'm going to leave it there but do let me know what your favourite things of the month are in the comments!

Only 1 day until the New Year!

C x

October Favourites

Oh my goodness where has this year gone! We have quite a short favourites this month as not too many things grabbed my attention but there are some things I really want to talk about.

Music

Mentioned before but not with as much enthusiasm. FJK, All FJK songs that can be found. Spotify FJK and prepare to be very happy.

Another song on repeat on the walk to work has to be 'Take me to Church' by Hoizer.

Books

So you know how recently I have been really unimpressed with the books I have been reading? All of that has changed because I finally found a trilogy that I devoured in 3 days. I literally read a book a day and I couldn't put them down. I read these books in favour of TV, in favour of going out, in favour of sleeping. These books which kept me up at night are the Mazerunner series by James Dashner, at a cinema near you. I'd seen the poster for the film and thought it looked just up my street what with it being dystopian and all. The books are slightly on the young adult side but it doesn't diminish their appeal. The whole concept is original and a real page turner. People have likened it to the Hunger Games but I don't think that is fair on the story as they are entirely different concepts. There is a fourth book, the prequel, but as it has different characters I haven't read this yet as I needed a break and didn't feel I would emphasis with the new characters having submerged myself in the trilogies character. I still haven't seen the film but I'm dying to! Read these books.

Fashion

LOVE LOVE LOVE my floppy hat. I've wanted one for a while and finally got round to buying one. It's a black felt hat and I just feel that little bit cooler in it. Mine was from Dorothy Perkins (£14) but they appear to have sold out. I know Topshop, ASOS, H&M all do these hats if you are in the market for one!

I talked about the a red version in my September Favourites and now I have bought a blush and black one too (as seen above). I am quite big chested and as such it means I can never wear shirts without them gaping or having to go several sizes up. These tops have the shirt feel without the buttons and are perfect for a smarter look.

Blush and Black Pleat Roll Shirt - currently £15.00

Make-up

Now you know me, I'm not really one for make-up. Excessive make-up for me involves some eye shadow and maybe some foundation but I have found a new Bourjois lip gloss that I just adore and have been wearing non-stop. I call it a lip gloss, but it's a matte texture so after the initial application it becomes more like a lipstick. This is perfect for me as Leigh doesn't like sticky lip gloss kisses. It also stays on for quite a while, another bonus as I am really bad at remembering to reapply throughout the day. I'm wearing Velvet (No 7)(£8.99 in Boots) but they have other gorgeous colours too!

And that is it for the favourites. I'm trying not to buy anything home based as it's so close to Christmas and I can put it on my Christmas List! What have you loved this month? Anything you would recommend? Leave a comment in the box!

C x

A Weekend in Bath

We popped to Bath this weekend for a friend's Birthday! I am very lucky as Leigh's family live in the area and so I often get a chance to go to quite frankly one of the prettiest cities I've ever seen.

Sometimes you don't need to go there for anything other than to wander through the streets lined with Bath stone buildings

Find lots of little shops selling their wares.

You can stop and marvel at the cathedral

Or take a step back in history and visit the Roman Baths and the Pump Room which Austen brings to life in Northanger Abbey. 

It is rumoured that Austen disliked the city but I cannot see how as it is filled with history and charm.

It's always worth taking a trip up the hill to see the beautiful buildings curving round in the Royal Crescent.

And do make sure you stop and say hello to the locals

It is also a good place to get very merry on local cider from the number of different bars and pubs which is exactly what I did when I decided it was a good idea to drink 6.5% cider, followed by more cider, followed by beer on Saturday night.

If you haven't been before I really would recommend that you do....especially as they have finally, after years of waiting, got a Primark!

C x

Passing the Exam

It is with much relief and delight that I can say I passed my 5th year!

It is such good timing as I am going on holiday on Monday and I don't have to worry about it I can just relax and enjoy myself, rather than worrying about the possibility that I didnt do well.

It will be such a relief to go home tonight and throw away all those horrible notes and quotes and try to forget all that I struggled to remember.

And this just proves that even if you forget the main character in Jane Eyre (which FYI is Jane Eyre) you can still pass! (NB: I was under a lot of stress. This is my excuse and I'm sticking with it!)

Now I just need to starting prepping for my FINAL course, and thankfully there will be no exam and just lots of story and poetry writing :)

Happy Face!

C xxx

May Favourites

It's May Favourites time! I've been a bit busy with revising but here are some of the things that I've been loving this month... 

Music
There's a couple of singles and an album on my favourites list this month - 

Firstly Sleepless by Cazette

Secondly Goddess by Banks

And the album of the month is Flume - Deluxe remix. This is an album from 2013 but I have only just got round to giving it a proper listen and it's really good, especially some of the remixes.

Books

No new books for me this month unless you count the ones I have been reading for my course. If you fancy reading any nineteenth century literature I recommend The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. This has been by far the best book on the course. It's a story of love, marriage, betrayal and mystery told through lots of different points of view. There's plot twists and old school romance and it's just a really fun, easy to read nineteenth century novel.

Food/Drink

I have a new found love of croissants which although regrettably aren't the most healthy thing to eat but they just taste so darn good. 

Last month I discovered croissants in a can and I blogged about them here, so if you haven't already try and make some!

Home

After saying for ages that I needed cake tins I have finally got round to getting some and I was also gifted three, so now I can make as many cakes as I want and find a home for them all. 

The rose tins I found on Amazon for £5.99 and the set of three are £6.50 from Wilkinsons.

I was given some lovely ceramic mixing bowls as a present and they just look so pretty in my kitchen. I am loving open shelving at the moment and just wish I could redo my kitchen! Look at their beautiful pastel colour. I managed to hunt down their location so if you want to get these bowls you need to head on over to Sainsburys.

 Fashion

A couple of fashion pieces for you! I wish I had more money this month because there are some lovely summer pieces out at the moment that I am dying to get for my holiday but here are some I have purchased already.

Starting with this lovely swimsuit! I am just in love with floral so this is perfect!

Swimsuit - Next - £28

I love this midi skirt, as mentioned I am loving floral  and the best thing about this skirt - it has pockets!

Skirt - Dorothy Perkins - £22

Beauty

I recently went make up shopping for the first time ever with a good friend and a separate blog post will be coming about all of the things I bought but I thought I should mention my favourite item out of the whole trip which has to be my eyebrow mascara. Yes, you heard me right - eyebrow mascara. It helps keeps the eyebrows neat and darkens them slightly. It is also a hell of a lot easier than sitting there trying to fill in the brow line with a pencil or eyeshadow. This one is from Maybelline in the colour Dark Brown. Honestly this has been a revelation!

I feel like my favourites are a bit sparse this month but I will be on my 'summer holiday' and on a little break from Uni in June so I will have time to find and do more things that I'm sure I will love. Anyway I hope you enjoyed reading this post, let me know what you love this month! 

xxx

Keeping up

I feel like I haven't blogged in ages! I have been so darned busy with work and University that I just haven't had the time!

Work has just been mad. I am enjoying it so much but the time just fly by and I am trying to keep on top of all the work. I have never been in a job before where I get in to work, look up and realise that it's lunch time and the morning has flown by. It's really refreshing to be somewhere that I'm not bored 80% of the time and that keeps challenging me. There are so many different events taking place as well as the weekly tours around the school that I have to do for people. This weekend I worked Saturday as we had an Open Day and I spent the whole day rushing around making sure it all went smoothly. We've also had a Fashion Show and we are having a Garden Party next week. It's just all so much fun :)

University has also been non stop. I've just handed in my final essay of the course and now I have just 3 weeks to try and revise like mad for my 3hour exam and I am terrified! I have a massive stack of books to get through and this isn't even half of them:

Looks like I'm going to be doing lots of reading over the coming weeks but I have taken half term off so I'm going to have a few extra days to study! I've also just signed up to my final course in my degree - Advanced Creative Writing and I am really excited that I am finally nearly there and that I am finishing on something fun.

Although I've been super busy I have still found time to make my garden grow, it's amazing that I have managed to keep something alive as I am normally completely rubbish with keeping plants alive.

I have also started my 'I must lose a stone' diet again so I've been making some very yum and colourful dinners. It is hard to stick to all of this when there is a buffet lunch available every day for me but I'm going to try and be good especially with Summer approaching (although I say that optimistically).

Things are ticking along nicely with a holiday being booked soon and another Summer in London approaching.

xxx

February Favourites

Hi there everyone! It’s time for my February Favourites! Woo!

Isn’t it crazy that February is over with, time goes so very quickly when you are having fun. Without further ado let’s jump right in!

Website

My website of the month is the incredibly humbling www.52-lives.org. The aim of the website is to help somebody once a week for a year. You can nominate somebody to get picked for the week and the site then appeal for volunteers to help out. It is so very heart-warming and the kind of idea that I love.

Music

As always it is hard to pick a favourite song of the month but I have listened to this new track by Sam Smith non-stop since I first heard it so I think it deserves a mention:

Another favourite of mine is Dance with Me by LE YOUTH which includes a brilliant sample of No Scrubs by TLC

Book

I have finally got round to reading this book, it’s always so hard to read my own stuff when I’m swatting up on all my nineteenth century literature but I managed to grab a weekend and devoured this book. The twists and turns are brilliant and you change sides throughout. A must read.

Food/Drink
I may have mentioned before but I don’t really like hot drink. I HATE COFFEE. Tea is ok and I only really like Hot Chocolate if whipped cream is involved. BUT I have found my drink! We went to Leigh’s parents over the weekend and his mother didn't like this so I gave it a try and I love it. Chai Tea Latte! All the froth without the coffee. It’s spiced yumminess that perhaps is better in the winter months but I might just drink it all year round.

Fashion

I've made a few fashion purchases this month (when don’t I?) but not enough for a haul so instead they are being dropped in here, because I just love clothes.

Dorothy Perkins - Blue Chevron Pencil Dress - £22

Dorothy Perkins - Pale blue textured dress - £19

New Look - Grey Kimono - £17.99

Film

EVERYTHING IS AWESOME! If you don’t know what I am talking about then you haven’t seen The Lego Movie, and if you haven’t seen The Lego Movie you are wasting vital time by not going to see it. Leigh wanted to go and I went along to keep him company but I thought it was hilarious and laughed more than the children in the cinema. Surprisingly the cinema consisted of about 30% kids and 70% adults!

We might have also bought The Lego Movie game to play, because EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!

Random

My random favourite of the month are these 2 cookbooks which I bought from Amazon. It does say for students, but in my mind that just means cheap good food. There’s tons of recipes including one  for cheese and ham puff bites and another delicious sounding one for Coconut and Lime Icecream.  I got the Vegetarian one and the Standard as I’m always on the look out for new recipes.

I hope you have enjoyed my February Favourites, let me know what your favourites are this month in the comments below.

The light is hanging around in the evening and it’s starting to get a bit warmer so dare I say it spring is on its way!

xxx

October Favourites

So I thought it might be time to do my first favourites blog!

First up on the list is my favourite song of the month:

I have always loved Basement Jaxx. There music is happy and upbeat and never fails to put a smile on my face.I was meant to go and see them at a concert last year but instead I decided that climbing over a park fence and seriously twisting my ankle was a better idea and therefore I was in too much pain to go. Some day I hope to be able to see them. I also love this video - look at them dance!

Next on the favourite list is a beauty favourite. I went to a spa at the beginning of the week and they had the below in the bathrooms there and it smelt so gorgeous that I had to go and buy some in shower gel form:

 

It smells so sweet and it might be too sweet for some but it's like a yummy dessert and I almost wish I could eat it. I might have to go and stock up on hundreds of bottles so I never run out. I am also loving the Fair Trade Shea Butter and Honey Original Source body wash.

My fashion favourite has to be my boots with the fur. I have mentioned these in my autumn/winter haul blog and they are just as good as I thought they would be. They are fur lined and comfy, sturdy, so far waterproof and I haven't managed to put a hole in them yet which is something I always seem to do!

My favourite food of the month is definitely something tasty. Asda's chosen by you ricotta and red pepper pesto is so lush. I haven't been using it on pasta though, instead I have been spreading it on wraps and making salad, tomato, feta, ham and ricotta and red pepper wraps which are so good I always want a second. I couldn't think of having anything else with my lunch now.

My favourite life event of the month is that I have started my Open University course. I am really looking forward to this one and reading all of the books that come with it. I have just started to read Northanger Abbey which for my sins I have never read! I also need to read Jane Eyre this month and decide which book to choose in my first essay.  This OU course will be the 5th and penultimate year and I would recommend it to anyone, even if you are just doing one course. 

And finally my favourite website of the month - I have FINALLY got round to registering for Pottermore and I couldn't have been more excited about setting it all up, buying my pet - I got a ginger cat and getting my wand which has a dragon's core. Even thought I consider to be slightly grown up it didn't even matter as I answered the questions the sorting hat put to me with extreme anticipation and a few squeals of delight. Then I got told this...

I'm not too sure how I feel about it to be honest. There's never been a nice Slytherin! And I like to think that I'm nice. Anyway the level of detail is just brilliant and I'm spending far too many hours devoted to this site. It's such a clever idea though and so addictive - all of my friends are getting sorted!

And that is my list of the best things from October! I hope they inspire some purchases/thoughts

xxx

Open University

So I have decided after much deliberation that I am going to do "Nineteenth Century Literature" as my penultimate course towards my Open University degree.

I was looking at 20th century but I decided in the end that although it means I will have to do another exam that I preferred the books that I will have to study:

• Germinal, 
• Northanger Abbey
• Jane Eyre
• Far from the Madding Crowd
• Madame Bovary
• The Portrait of a Lady, Oxford University Press
• Middlemarch
• Dombey and Son
• The Woman in White
• The Awakening

I can't believe that I am finally getting to see the light at the end of the tunnel with all of this and in 2 'short' years I will have a degree.

I start the new course in October and although it has been nice to have a break I am looking forward to reading all of the above, it should be interesting.

I really would recommend the OU to anyone!

xxx

Over and done with...

I've finished my exams and with it I have finished my 4th year and 'Reading and Studying Literature' and I can't say that I'm not relieved. Revising for that exam was horrible, learning quote after quote, frantically reading my notes and wondering what on earth the questions could be.

The morning of the exam before I had even opened my eyes I ran through the quotes in my head before I had even opened my eyes and found that I could remember them all which put my mind slightly at rest. The exam wasn't too awful and I answered all the questions (I hope) precisely and I even managed to drop in all the quotes as well.

I have to wait until August to find out if I passed the course which hopefully I will have done as I passed all my essays.

I've also been looking at which course to do next, either 19th Century Literature or 20th Century Literature. They both start in October so I will still get a few months off which will be nice as it means I get to read my own books for a little bit. 19th Century has an exam at the end but it looks like it might be the better course with novels that will hold my interest and it will have an element of History to it which is appealing.

I am looking forward to going into my 5th year, I am so close to finishing and getting my degree. Still it wont be until 2015 so a little way to go yet!

xxx

Exam Exam Exam

As mentioned in my previous post I am a part time student at the Open University and currently in my 4th year. This year I have picked 'Reading and Studying Literature' which all sounded well and good 9 months ago but then I realised that I would have to do an exam and I freaked out.

But I told myself it would be fine, 'it's miles away' I said. Apart from now it's only 3 days away, I don't think I know enough quotes (YOU CAN'T TAKE YOUR BOOKS IN!!) and what if I don't know how to answer the question.

This is the first exam I've done in 7 years and I swear I didn't used to get this worked up about them. I'm normally quite calm and don't get stressed about these things but all I can think about is 'what if my pen runs out?!'

Of course none of this is helped by sitting on here writing a blog when I should be violently trying to cram quotes into my brain until they stick.

Why on earth am I doing this again?!

xxx

Fresh as a daisy

There is always something nice about starting a shiny new blog.

In this case though it is something of a challenge to leave behind my other blog on tumblr which I have been updating with my heart and soul for the last 3 years. I am having a few problems with the features on tumblr – you can’t comment on your posts and you can’t easily access old posts which means that you have to click like mad to get to old posts. I am hoping that I will love this one just as much as my old one!

But I’m not one to start something on a downer so welcome to my blog! I started blogging about 3 years ago and gradually it over took my diary writing and now I write all manner of things on my blog. I find it soothing to know that there is a record of my life somewhere out there, and I hope that the things I post about are helpful and provide some fun into a dull day.

For the most part my blog will be filled with recipes, London and my life in general as I skip along into my late twenties.  A little bit of background information is always required: My name is Cara, I am 25 and live with my boyfriend of 3 years and our cat of 9 months in the East of London. I moved to London 2 years ago and I wish I did more on a daily basis. I am in Business Development but wish I was in PR or Events. I am also a Open University student studying English Literature part time – I am currently in my 4^th year, with 2 more years to go before I receive my degree. It has been going on for so long I feel that I will never reach the end!

I am a social network-aholic. I like cheese in unhealthy amounts. I hardly ever wear make-up. I wish I had never given up horse-riding. I giggle a lot.  I can’t stand to be alone for longer than a few hours. I always dreamed of travelling but responsibilities won out. I can never find anything to wear. My life is a bit like candyfloss, full of happiness, sugar and air. How profound.

This is my life....