No 18 - Cook The Most Amazing Calzone's!

Hellooooo & happy mothers day to all the mummy's out there!!

Today has been a fantastic day. As you have probably gathered from the title of this post, I finally re-created my calzone's for the family!!

As it is mothers day here in the UK, I have spent a good part of my day with my mum. We ventured round earlier this morning to have a cup of tea and a chat which was really nice. As my brother was down to see my mum too (he lives in Leeds) we got to catch up and I got to see one of my beautiful nieces who has grown so much since I last saw her at Christmas!!

Whilst mum was having some grandma/granddaughter time at the park, the rest of us decided to pop down to our local retail outlet & I picked up some absolute bargains!!  First we had to go in to Kurt Geiger. 10 minutes and 2 shoe boxes later we left this shop. That is all it takes. 10 minutes!!

These are the shoes I purchased.

Beautiful new shoes for work!!!!

New favourite boots ever! You can't see it but they have a little cut out design under the buckles!!

The colour of the boots are absolutely beautiful & I can't wait to wear them with everything!! The black courts I bought for work as they have an amazingly thick heel and are so comfy to wear at work!
I also got some bag bargains whilst out shopping. Here is my favourite!!

Ameko black leather bag

Now it sounds unreal, but I got the Ameko black leather bag for £4!! It is beautiful. It's got a distressed leather detail and is a lovely casual bag. I love it. Again, I can't wait to use it!!

So after the little shopping trip we headed home to get dinner ready as I was cooking for my mum. For my calzone's I made the dough from scratch. It was actually really fun to knead the dough.

My gorgeous cream kitchen scales!

The calzone dough!!

I decided to fill the calzone's with Italian pepperoni and prosciutto ham, spinach, shitake mushrooms and mozzarella!  Here is what they looked like after being cooked.

Home made calzone!

I covered the calzone with basil passata and added a side salad! It would be safe to say that everybody was suitably fed! My mum said they were yummy so they must have been a success, she is a very honest critic! In a good way though!

So that has been a re-cap on my day. Ive had tea, shopped, spent time with family and cooked a lovely dinner. Now I think it's time for a glass of wine and a cheeky bar of chocolate!

Happy Mothers Day again to you all!!

Byeeeee xxx 

Why Me? Always.

Hi there!

So today this is not an accomplishing a challenge blog. It is just a plain, 'I need to get something off my chest' blog.  Therefore apologies if this is not worth reading.

Yesterday I purchased some clothes off of an online clothing company with intention of those clothes being delivered today (Saturday). All was well and good and I had been tracking the delivering courier service during my breaks at work. When I had my 2nd break, I became a bit curious as to where my package was. With this i decided to ring this particular courier service only to find that they shut at 4 o'clock. 

How useful!

Anyway, I looked on my online tracking and there was a message to say that nobody was in to receive the package and so a card was left. My only concern being that the delivery address was actually my work address and is full accessible to any courier or delivery service. The fact the they lied outraged me and now I have got to wait until Tuesday to have my goods delivered to the same place. 

A lovely gent is sorting out my complaint for me on Twitter, but it just makes you take a minute to stop and wonder how lazy and ignorant some people are. 

Ok. Sorry about that rant. However now I have that off my chest I feel a little better. Hopefully if I ever get my goods I will be able to show you all what i've been waiting for. Lets just hope there is no sun tomorrow because I have no summer clothes to wear now!!

Byeeeee xxx

No 27 - Help a Friend In Need!

Hi guys!!

So guess what?!
In the week I went to yet another wedding reception. Now lets not deny it ladies, every woman appreciates a good wedding. I can honestly say that I have not had so much fun in quite a while, a surprise to me, considering the week I've had.

This week has been really tough. Only small, what would normally be insignificant things have happened... but they happened. I've had to re-arrange holidays at work, sort out travel, exams etc. Eugh. So being able to wind down with a live band and some cold (non alcoholic) drinks went down a treat!
Also, an update on the caffeine ban. Turns out, it's a hell of a lot easier than initially thought. Sure i've gone to order a diet coke or latte and not even realised but every time I have remembered and either cancelled my order or changed the order to decaf. I feel this is a great achievement for me!

So back to No27 - Help a friend in need!
At this particular wedding a good friend of mine was asked to be a bridesmaid. She is an absolutely beautiful little lady and was in need of some make-up hints and tips so she could create a very dramatic look that would last all day! I offered my services as even though I am definitely not an M.U.A, I do know a little bit about make-up. She popped round to mine on Wednesday night and we have yummy foods first and then ventured upstairs to start trialling some looks. The finished look was a very elegant bronze/charcoal smokey eye and dramatic coral lip.

The above look combined with the peach toned bridesmaid dresses was beautiful and I was very happy to be of service. Hopefully, she was happy I could help too! That night I also introduced her to an incredible talent on YouTube named Nick Pitera -  his Les Miserables medley in incredible!!!!  Check it out here!!

So that's my update for today. I will possibly be uploading a post over the weekend as I am making my mum the 'mother of all calzones' for Mothering Sunday!

Watch this space and I will leave you with some pictures of the wedding reception! I apologise now, most of the pictures were taken on disposable cameras and so aren't available yet!

Me and the better half! - Please ignore my hair!

Funny pouts ;)

Attempting an Oscar style selfie!!

There you go then guys! As always, thank you for reading and I will talk to you Sunday after a day full of Calzone!!!

Ps. If anybody knows where I can get hold of a pure jade bracelet from please leave a comment! Mine is starting to work loose and I don't want to lose it!

Love you guysss,
Byeeeee xx

No 24 - Natural & No 84 - OC Marathon!

Hello everybody!

It has been such a lovely day outside that I decided to embrace my skin on this sunny Sunday! I tend to wear make up to hide blemishes due to cold weather, however today I just felt fresh! Therefore this ticked off one of my 100... So far 2 down, 98 to go!

I then had an overwhelming urge to eat bagels and watch one of my all time favourite tv shows ever... Yes, you guessed it, The O.C! So four episodes and a king prawn stir fry later, here I am writing this blog! There is something about watching the the fictional lives of others that really makes me appreciate my own world. Luckily in my world there are no high school cliques, no unrequited love, no weekly black tie events or incredible finance issues. But even when thinking about all the drama involved, I still am rather curious as to how it feels. I know, I know, it's only fiction, but some people actually live these lives! Curiosity is a beautiful thing!

Having said all that, the biggest drama in my life right now is having to decide whether to buy a new oven or struggle on with the one I have thanks to its recent explosion. Sure there is the money issue and how the weather is having enough mood swings to give us all permanent whiplash injuries, but try and write that into a tv script and what do you end up with? White noise, or it might as well be.

I still love this show though and I still love my own little tv show. At least it's mine I guess?
And with that I completed another one of my 100!

Here are some pictures documenting today :)

Butterball Bath Bomb - Lush

Aaaah Seth Cohen

Healthy king prawn thai stir fry!

No make up, scrunched face and wonky glasses! Attractive!

Bare faced. Pardon the eye bags guys!!

There you have it! My Sunday funday all wrapped up for you lot!

Enjoy your evenings!

Byeeee xx

No 70 - Get Tumblr!

Hey guysss,

So I have started on my list of 100! Number 70 -Get Tumblr, has been completed! The only problem is, I do not have the foggiest in how to use it. This is what I've managed so far...

If any of you guys can help me become more tumblr friendly I would really appreciate it! 

I promise I'm not dim, I'm just not technologically minded. Anyway I really liked the quote that I 'reposted' <----- was that the right terminology? 

So a thought to leave you with...

Be the person you needed when you were younger!

Much love you guys,

Byeeeee x

In The Words Of Barney Stinson...

Challenge Accepted!!!

Hi Guysss!
Now I will point out to begin with that nobody has challenged me to do this, I have challenged myself. Today whilst I was perusing the world of YouTube, I came across a particular vlog about coping with depression. Curious as to what this vlogger had to say on the matter I watched with intent. Now some of the content I did not relate to, mainly that of self harming. However there were some brilliant points made about different types of coping methods.

Therefore inspired by this video, I am going to write a '100 Things to do before I deflate' list. This is pretty much as it says, 100 things I want to do before I have my next 'down' moment. Hopefully I will  be able to dedicate most of my blog to these 'Things' and document them on here for you all to read about. I have been looking for a proper direction for my blog and I think that this is perfect. Sure, I will still be doing some daily updates and talking to you guys about random things, but now this blog has a purpose. If one person is inspired or gets the tiniest bit of joy from this, then I know I have done what I set out to do.

So here it is, my list!!

100 Things To Do Before I Deflate

1. Run in the rain
2. Have a girly pamper sleepover (no boys allowed)!!
3. Ride a bike on the main road like a proper cyclist
4. Make my own ice cream
5. Play a song on the guitar
6. Visit Stonehenge
7. Finally go to Brighton
8. Let a dear friend take me to the 'Forbidden Corner' Park
9. Host a dinner party
10. Feed the ducks
11. Visit the farm with family
12. Have a pedicure
13. Help a charity
14. Afternoon tea with friends
15. Road trip
16. Visit Edinburgh
17. Host an event
18. Cook the most amazing calzones
19.  Climb Snowdon
20. Run 5k
21. Make my very own pasta
22. Act in a short film
23. Make somebody laugh
24. Have a natural day. No Make-up or hair products!
25. Sing in front of a crowd
26. Smile kindly at passers by
27. Help a friend in need
28. Go in a cable car...again
29. Dance for an audience
30. Get them skates back on Zoe!!
31. Learn to in-line skate
32. Go watch my nephew play ice hockey at an away game
33. Take a friend to Magna!
34. Decorate my dining room
35. Buy a new oven
36. Make pretty cushions
37. Make a sock animal
38. Go to a spa
39. Eat pancakes for breakfast
40. Go out on a night out and be the designated driver so others can drink
41. Go to a casino (only small bets)
42. Spontaneous trip to the seaside
43. Have a daddy daughter day with my pops at the railway museum
44. Shopping trip with my mum
45. Create a YouTube Channel
46. Post a vlog on the YouTube channel
47. Donate a handbag to charity when I purchase a new one
48. Paint some pots
49. Make face masks
50. Go explore Liverpool
51. Go visit my brother in Leeds
52. Babysit for my brother in Leeds
53. Babysit for my other brother
54. Go for a dog walk around Rother Valley
55. Donate something to someone in need
56. Read a book in a day
57. Eat no sugar for a whole day
58. Have a one day juice cleanse
59. Buy a present for a loved one for no particular reason other than I love them
60. Wash my car by hand, not machine
61. Go paddling in the sea
62. Have a day saying yes to everything
63. Go to a car boot
64. Go to an auction
65. Go to a BBQ!!
66. See something beautiful
67. Paint a picture
68. Write a short story
69. Have a whole day where the other social networking I do is Twitter
70. Get Tumblr
71. Take the other half on a surprise day out
72. Have a Harry Potter marathon one really rainy day
73. Eat S'mores
74. Make my own candle
75. Create a collage
76. Admit one thing that nobody knows about me
77. In order to combat a phobia, you must face the phobia. Touch a sprouting potato
78. Buy £10 worth of silly things from the pound shop to play with
79. Donate to the children's ward of the local hospital
80. Canter through a meadow
81. Segway day?
82. Sit in a sports bar with a massive beer!
83. Buy a proper american football shirt
84. OC marathon
85. Go to a cocktail making class
86. Visit the outdoor cinema
87. Look at the stars at night
88. Create a photobook
89. Go see a Musical
90. Go see a theatre production
91. Have a day not looking in a mirror
92. Have a completely vegan week
93. Be arty and crafty with my niece
94. Eat a mussel
95. Horse ride on the beach
96. Book something exciting
97. Go on an easter egg hunt
98. Experience something incredible
99. Smile, even if you feel sad
100. Live for the moment.

So there you have it! My 100 things. Now I won't be doing these in order and I definitely won't be finished any time soon. What I will be doing is trying to document every time I do one of these things and sharing it with you guys on here and pictures etc. If any of you can give me any advise on any of my things to do, please leave your comments. Some of these are silly things. Some will be a lot harder than others, but hopefully it will give me some focus.

Thanks guys
Byyyeeee xx

PS. If anyone has a dog I can borrow for number 54 than please let me know! I doubt that either of my cats would appreciate being walked around a lake!

Pre-Wedding Prep Saturdays!!

Hi Guyssss!

Just thought I would give you a little run down of my day and of the past couple of days events too!! On Thursday night after work I went to a beautiful mummy-to-be's baby shower/ leaving get together. She looked absolutely stunning and she has looked equally as beautiful throughout her pregnancy. Now I myself don't have children however even I have to admire the woman. Every morning she came into work she had made an effort and never complained about anything. The woman is a powerhouse. I know for a fact that if that was me, I would be THE biggest drama queen around!
Anyway at this baby shower, my manly side decided to make an appearance and I thought it'd be a fun idea to try this bad boy:

Pulled pork Burrito

 Now don't get me wrong, I can eat for England. However, there is ALWAYS a line. Thursday night, I crossed that line. This is actually called a (Wo)man VS Burrito challenge at our local Hungry Horse pub. I'm afraid that with three mouth fulls to go, I held on to my dignity and let the food win. With that, I think it's safe to say that i'm back on my healthy eating bandwagon as soon as this evening is over with!

Now you may or may not be aware that it is very rare that I ever get a free Saturday off work. So when I do, I tend to try and make a busy busy day, the only trouble being that I am normally on my own all day!
Today that was not the case as I had a busy jam packed day of things to do, starting with taking the other half to work as I needed the car. After that, because I promised that I would, I started some glossing in my bedroom. Wahoooo.

Now to the fun bits, before I ventured off to my mums house to take her and my dad to this wedding ceremony I had a lovely hot shower and then I got to use my new body butter by 'The Beauty Parlour'.
I was a bit sceptical about this body butter as I have never heard of the brand before and it had been reduced in the supermarket. However I was pleasantly suprised! The product smells beautiful and it does not leave my skin feeling greasy or tacky. All in all, it gets a thumbs up from me and I will definitely be using this product in the future. I might have to check out there other products too.

The Beauty Parlour Body Butter

Then, because I didn't want my hair to have any product on it before tonight, I did this thing with it!

I am quite aware that I am rubbish with hair. But hey, it kept it off my face whilst I was ferrying the parents around and it kept it under control. Ish.

After all this running around, I then went to a local coffee shop to have a drink and catch up with a good friend. We were literally in there for about 2 hours just gassing away, like we hadn't seen each other in forever. The reality is, we probably see each other once a week at least!

This is where this beautiful thing happened:

Mushroon and Egg Muffin  &  Decaff Soy Latte

Yes I am an animal. Yes, I love my food! After my recent decision to cut out caffeine I didn't know how this decaf coffee was going to turn out but it was in fact delicious! Decaf does not taste any different!! Miracle!!

To finish our afternoon we popped over to ASDA to pick up a couple of bits and I found the cutest top in there. It has the cutest little peter pan collar and is to die for at a bargain of £8!

Collared Vest Top - George @ Asda £8

That has been my day so far then! Sorry to waffle on for long periods but I seem to have quite a bit to chat about today! I'm off to get ready for a wedding reception so I will leave you with this thought to help me out...

If green at a wedding is bad luck, does that mean a guest should not wear green?

Byyeeeeee xx

There's a Second Time For Everything!!

Hi guyss!!!

Ha, well I say 'guys', however I assume there are only a few people that will ever read this. That includes my mum, so mum if you are reading this, thank you very much & go tell all your friends!! Also if anybody else is reading this who is not strongly related to me, please go tell your friends!!

2014 has already been a tough year for me, with many hardships to overcome. It is due to this that I have recently been through a pretty rough time with the dreaded 'A' word. No, not animals, not animosity, not anatomy but Anxiety! 

So in a bid to make my inner self calm and composed, I have decided to start blogging again but instead of focusing on fashion like my previous blogs were, I will be blogging about life. About feelings, emotions, friends, shopping, make-up, boys, girls, pretty much anything that will allow me to vent. I am hoping to use this blog as a form of relief and somewhere to get away.

On that note, I wanted to share some recent purchases with you that I have made in the past few weeks!

Dress - French Connection

Duvet Covers - Yorkshire Linen co

Kate Moss Rimmel Lipstick in 107, Laura Mercier Lip Colour in Muse

The French Connection dress was actually a bargain I snapped up from my local TK Maxx. I am hoping to wear it this weekend to a wedding reception and I think the colour is really beautiful. It has a lovely nude sheer panel underneath so it looks very light and feminine. I will post pictures up after Saturday if I can get any decent ones!
The bedding was also an absolute steal! I was on a training course in Nottingham recently and this shop was on my way back to the train station. I saw they had a big blue cross sale sign in the window and decided to have a quick look around as I had a spare few minutes. What a perfect set of bedding, I absolutely love it!!

Now lipstick is one of my all time favourite beauty products and so picking up two new lip products in a week makes me feel like it's Christmas all over again! I have been looking everywhere for the Kate Moss in 107 for weeks now & it must be so popular as I have not been able to get it anywhere but low and behold... I now have it!! It is such a gorgeous red with amazing deep blue tones! I would highly recommend this product. Its staying power is incredible. I can wear it for a straight 12/13 hours, talk all day, eat and drink and still it looks amazing through the day. If you are wanting a quality lipstick with incredible colour than the Rimmel lipsticks are what you need! I also picked up a Laura Mercier lip colour in the shade 'Muse'. This is a little more rosy so great for a more subtle look, Again the colour lasts ages and it leaves my lips feeling soft and smooth!

Well that is all for today but expect more from me in the coming weeks. I'll be posting on Sunday with hopefully pictures of the wedding reception I am attending.

Love ya, byeeeee x