No 7 - Zoe & Craig Went On An Adventure To Brighton!

Hey guys!

Yes, as the title will show, Craig and I recently decided to up and leave for a couple of days and went of to sunny, jolly Brighton!
Now I have always wanted to go and so on a massive whim, I booked a two night stay in a seafront hotel for just the two of us last Wednesday and off we went! Getting there was an absolute nightmare as the roads through Luton and Heathrow were horrendous, but we finally got there 4 and a half hours later with aches and pains running through our leggies! I cannot express to you all how beautiful Brighton is. It has amazing architecture and beautiful views of the ocean. Craig even tried his best to try and sea France when we were stood at the top of the pier but his efforts were in vain.
We arrived about half 7 and unpacked everything in our room, then ventured out to find some din dins! We were staying at the Umi Hotel which is a partner hotel of the Queens hotel. Our room was freshly decorated and was appropriate for what we needed it for. I am not one to want massively fancy hotel rooms and plush bathrooms, I am more of a comfy bed and somewhere to shower kind of girl. I would much rather be out and about exploring the area and what trouble I can get in!

The food is amazing in Brighton. Among other things, they really know how to cook!! The first night was crazy as all I wanted to do was explore, but my belly started talking to me and I reasoned that we needed to eat. We found this American Diner just on the seafront called JB's Diner. As soon as you walked in it felt like authentic American diner. The walls were covered in Amercian memorabilia and the had old runs of Tom & Jerry on the tv screens! The food was even better. Local to me at home are a few Ok Diner's which are quite novel in the north of England. The are nice as they transport you back to that wonderful era, but they are nothing in comparison to JB's!
After our dinner, we went for a little walk around the pier and for a drink on the seafront. I had well and truly fallen in love with Brighton!

The next day was full of adventure. We got up bright eyed and bushy tailed, washed, dressed and ran off to the lanes. Now being 'tourists' in the area, we didn't know that the shops in the lanes don't generally open till 10 o'clock. For us, this was rather lucky as we went and had some amazing breakfast first at a little quaint cafe, Cafe Coho! The food was incredible. We both had fresh berry, yoghurt and honey pancakes and I have never tasted anything so amazing in my entire life. It was that good, we went back the next morning too!
After the beautiful start to our day, we both decided a haircut was definitely in order. I was having a crazy, I hate my hair moment, and Craig just needed a good trim. So an hour later and about 8 inches of hair lighter, we were back in the lanes wandering around all the shops. For lunch we ate in Jamie's Italian and then went for a walk into the pavillion.

This was the best day of our trip because after our evening dinner where we ate at Bohemia, we went for a long, peaceful walk towards the west of the pier. We walked for a good two hours and it was lovely to just be so calm and without thought. We laughed, played a childish game of eye spy and just watched the tide come in. Perfection. If I could do that every week, I know I would.

Day three was just as lovely. After the breakfast at our new favourite cafe, we went for a wander onto the pier and around the beach bars before returning to our car ready for the long, 5 hour, journey home. This was perfection. I am so in love with Brighton. The place, the people, the atmosphere. Everything,
We will be going back and I thoroughly recommend going if you have ever wanted to go. Just do it.
Be spontaneous.
Be willing.
Be free.

Brighton Pier

View from the Pier

Yummy Dinner at JB's

Breakfast Of Gods!

Lunch At Jamie's Italian!

A Little Stroll Down The Beach

Beautiful Ocean

Seaaaaa!!!!!

The Most Amazing Bakery. (Angel Food)

Best Thing Ever. Ever.

Awwwwh Just Us! Freshly Hair Chopped!

Byee Guys!!!
This means another one is ticked of my list!!

Zoe xx

Things Are Hard. Things Are Real..

Eugh.

^ Word of the day.
This is not a happy, chirpy post today guys. It's more of a literary release for myself. It took me a good 3 hours to be bothered to get out of bed today. I tried to save a birds life, it died in front of me. I went to see a brilliant film which I will post a review about when I feel up to it. The sad thing is, it should have made me feel fortunate. It didn't. I'm sure in the coming days I will see sense and appreciate the beauty of the story but right now i'm blind to it. I know that there are people who have waaaaay bigger problems than their own demons right now and for that I feel selfish about moaning. But sometimes, you need to moan.

It's been a whirlwind weekend, with one of my favourite songs circling my brain...

The Seekers - World of our own.

Close the doors, light the lights.
We're stayin' home tonight,
Far away from the bustle and the bright city lights.
Let them all fade away.
Just leave us alone. 
And we'll live in a world of our own.

We'll build a world of our own 
That no one else can share.
All our sorrows we'll leave far behind us there.
And I know you will find
There'll be peace of mind
When we live in a world of our own.

Oh my love, oh my love,
I cried for you so much.
Lonely nights without sleeping while I longed for your touch.
Now your lips can erase
The heartache I've known.
Come with me to a world of our own.

We'll build a world of our own
That no one else can share.
All our sorrows we'll leave far behind us there.
And I know you will find 
There'll be peace of mind
When we live in a world of our own.

We'll build a world of our own 
That no one else can share.
All our sorrows we'll leave far behind us there.
And I know you will find 
There'll be peace of mind
When we live in a world of our own.

And I know you will find 
There'll be peace of mind
When we live in a world of our own!

Till next time folks... x

A Blogger's Guide To Being Spontaneous!

Hi you lot!

This last week has been insane!
Insane good? Insane bad? Who knows?!!?!

 I had a week holiday leave and I'm preeeeeetty sure I went through a mini-meltdown. However, having now had my meltdown I feel like a huge wait has been lifted. Here are some hints and tips on being spontaneous. I think spontaneity helped me this last week, I definitely feel more like my old self!

A Blogger's Guide To Being Spontaneous!

1. Make sure you are being spontaneous. If you have being thinking about a specific thing for a while and then finally do it, is that really being spontaneous or is that just finally doing something? You have to make sure your decisions are out of the blue!

2. Don't over think it. If you decide on something...just go for it!! The more you procrastinate the harder it will be to have some get up and go! Live for the moment, don't live always thinking 'what if?'. 

3. If it costs more than £200, it's generally not a good idea. Things above that price range generally come under the 'life crisis' category. If it is going to fall under that price bracket, i'd take a moment to step back and think, just for a moment, about how this action will change your life.

4.  Things involving animals are a no go! You think it's a good idea at the time and then hello, 2 months later you're walking the dog twice a day because that 'teacup' Jack Russell you bought turned out to be a full size pooch and wants all the exercise ever in the world!!! Either that or you hear the constant creaking of a hamster wheel whilst you're trying to get over THAT hangover. 

5. Always take a mobile phone. Somebody will no doubt need to get in contact with you. You don't have to keep it on loud, vibrate will do, but you need to take it with you. Wherever you go. Unless it's swimming in which case that is a really bad idea. Don't communicate via telephone and swim kids, it doesn't work great!

6. Chocolate. As always. Have chocolate.

Hope this helps!

PS. As a side note, the two most spontaneous things I have done recently are going to Brighton for a little getaway and cutting all my hair off! Look out for my next blog, full of pictures of our trip.
Ciao! xx

May Favourites Are Finally Here!!

Hello!!

I know it's a little late in the month but my May favourites are finally here!

1. Banana Bread!! I love banana bread and it is so easy to make. My mum makes the absolute best and she is always giving me tons and tons to gorge on! Her recipe is also 100% vegan and therefore super healthy!

2.  Animal pillows. I am so grateful for pillows with animals faces printed on them! The ones in the picture below have all been purchased from Primark. At first, it started with pugs and then ask they stopped printing different pug pictures, I started purchasing different animals. I am so in love with these all over my bed! Let's see how long I can take it!

Crazy bed.

3. Soap & Glory! I love this stuff! The Sugar Crush body was is my absolute must have!! It smells incredible and leaves my skin so soft and nourished. Recently I have become obsessed with these products and with good reason! Everybody wants to smell nice after shower or bath time don't they!

4. Through May I've used this bad boy. TreSemme's liquid gold hair serum. Now my hair is naturally rather frizz prone and because of this Summer and humid climates are always a nightmare! I was a bit skeptical about trying this as my hair is not brilliant with TreSemme shampoo's and conditioner's, so to be honest I didn't hold much hope.  As you have probably already gathered, as this product is in my favourites, this stuff IS liquid gold! It must be. The serum is so smoothing  and light, without leaving your hair greasy or heavy. When I purchased this it was on offer for £6.00 and I believe that full price it is about £9.00? Either way I will definately be buying this product when I run out!

5. Last but not least, I have my new favourite mascara. I recieved this in the April Glossy Box and was thoroughly satisfied! I was not in need of a new mascara as I had been using the Mayblline Big Lash mascara, I was equally glad to try this. The wand is a wonderful shape if yo want to create a full lash look. Again, this is another product I will be purchasing when I run out!

There it is then. My belated May favourites!

Byeee x

A Blogger's Guide To Travelling Solo!

Hi again!!

I figured that the first 'Blogger's Guide' I did went down quite well as I had some good feedback and the viewing ratings were rather impressive. So, for your reading pleasure, I think I will start doing a weekly 'Blogger's Guide To...'.

Last week I had to venture up to Birmingham on a training course for work. This meant that I had to endure a two hour train journey and on overnight stay all by myself! Now anybody that knows me, will know that me sleeping by myself is dangerous when I have to be up for a specific time. I am a self confessed 'snoozer'! 

So this was going to be quite a challenge for me!

A Blogger's Guide To Travelling Solo!!

1. Wear comfortable clothing. Now this goes for train journeys, car journeys, even plane journeys! There is nothing worse than constantly fidgeting around trying to get that 'comfy spot'. Let's face it, if we could board the train/bus/plane in pyjamas and a dressing gown...we probably would! Now I wasn't fortunate in being able to choose my travelling clothes as I had to be sporting my uniform. However, given the chance, I would have worn yoga pants and a loose fitting t-shirt. In no way stylish, but i'd have been the comfiest traveller going!

2. Always carry headphones. Guaranteed that as soon as your board your mode of transport, you will find the 'quiet' zone. This is the area on the vehicle where everyone keeps to themselves, reads quietly or are even just sleeping. Until... you get to the very next stops where four loud mouthed beings decide to come and ruin the tranquillity of the 'quiet' zone! This means it's headphones at the ready because you are going to want to drown out the noise of insufferable conversation that these people are shouting across a whole carriage. Here's a solution loud people, sit closer together maybe? That might help! Or not, whatever you fancy!

3. Always carry bubble bath. There is nothing worse than arriving at a fancy hotel and seeing thay have the most amazing bath you have ever seen in your life, & you haven't brought any bubble bath! Here is the situation. You NEED to use this bath, but you most certainly cannot have a bath in just plain water. What do you do?

4. Don't ignore the wake-up call service. If like myself you are a heavy sleeper, grab the opportunity with both hands!! Let's face it, if I refused this service I would be face down in fluffy pillows until housekeeping came!! At the end of the day, it's free and will save you from great embarrassment.
5. (This one is for the ladies) Take pamper products! When you're in a hotel room for a whole night, bored out of your brains, what better thing to do than to catch up on some pampering. After you have had your lovely bubble bath, slap on a face mask, ex-foliate those legs and kick back with a glass of wine! If it has been a particularly bad day, a bottle of wine may be required. 
6. Finally I recommend taking a spare pair of undies. Just in case your flight, train, bus etc is delayed or there is any problems during your stay!
7. Oh and chocolate. Always!

I hope these hints and tips help all you lovely readers. Here is a little snap on my last solo travelling experience! Yes, I went for bath, bubbles and chocolate!

Bath times!!

Love you all and leave you!

Another bloggers guide will follow shortly!

Byeee xx

No 65 - Go To A BBQ

Yayyy it's finally BBQ weather!

Sunday just gone was one of the few Sundays I have to work and therefore meant that I couldn't be bothered to cook anything when I got home. So it was absolutely perfect that we were invited to our friends house for a BBQ!

It was so lovely just to be sat outside and chatting with a nice cold drink and the sun beating down. Now anyone in England will testify that the weather is being a bit strange at the moment, we keep having beautiful sky and then sudden torrential downpours and hail storms. Wonderful british weather not making it's mind up I guess!

Our hosts were awesome for this BBQ. As I am not eating meat they even went out of their way to buy me Quorn sausages and make a Quorn chilli so we could have chilli dogs! Absolute stars!!
I have now decided that I definitely want a puppy thanks to the two little rascals that were running around the garden. They were the cutest dogs I have ever seen!

After the first storm caught us outside we went inside to perform lots of different party tricks and see who was the master of the Arm Wrestle Challenge! Turns out that most of us were quite strong. Not me though, I'm super weak in my upper body*! We then decided to venture back outdoors and just sit and chat for the remaining hours.

All in all, I really enjoyed the evening and the company was brilliant!
Hopefully, many more bbq's/dinner dates to follow!

Love you and leave you all, another one bites the dust!
Bye xxxx

*Note to self; Work on upper arm muscle!

No 42 - Trip To The Seaside!!

Let's all go to the seaside, let's all go to the sea!!!!!

We went to the seaside!
It was only Skegness but we had a lovely day in the sun!

We set off at 9am (Craig, Lindsay and I) and arrived about half 11. We ate chippies, wandered around the seaside shops and played in the arcades with all our 2p's!! Then obviously we went and had a massive sprinkle covered ice cream and walked down the pier. If you ever go to Skegness, you must have chippies from Tony's fish bar on the sea front. The food is beyond amazing!!! It's worth the journey just for them, i swear!
Isn't funny how coppering up your coins and shoving them into a huge 2p machine can be one of the most satisfying things to do at the arcades? It's almost law that when you have a purse full of them, you have to arrange a seaside visit.


All in all, it was a fun filled day!
Here are some pictures!!!

Chips from Tony's!!

Craig looking satisfied with his dinner!

Had to have jelly shoes, obviously.

Arcade bowling.

Sunshine :)

Yummy ice-creams!

Ice cream times and the beach!

Now, is it just me or have they cleaned up Skegness quite a bit? We were pleasantly surprised that the sand was so clean and the water was so clear!! Maybe my memories of Skegness have been tainted in my younger years and it was never bad in the first place? Oh I don't know, but we all had a cracking day!

Ciao for now,

BBQ blog coming up next!!

Byeeeee xx

Ladies Night!!!

Hi again!!

So sorry that I have not blogged in sooooo long! This last week or so has been crazy with different work things and sickness and just general silly stuff. I guess on this post I will just give you a quick round up of the week, I haven't ticked any more off my list so you haven't missed anything!!

I went to see the new X-Men movie. Die hard fan. Loved it anyway despite the indiscretions with the plot. Hugh Jackman. James McAvoy. Michael Fassbender. That is all I have to say on the matter.
Whilst we were at the cinema, Craig and a friend took a ride in the Postman Pat Van!

Where's the black and white cat?

I also attended the Ladies Night event at Meadowhall this week. I wasn't so taken with any of the discounts as they were for shops I don't usually go in, however I did pick up some beauty bargains and of course some Millies cookies. It was just quite nice to have a wander round and watch all the pop up boutiques in action. I will admit to staring mindlessly at Amy Childs. I don't understand the hype myself but she sure has done well for herself! Them clothes were flying off the shelf quite literally.

I was so happy because we managed to get our skin colour matched at boots and I bought some new foundation. Now I have never had no7 foundation, however a friend of mine swears by it so as I was running low I thought what the hell. A colour match, skincare sample and a free gift later I walked back out into the Meadowhall madness!
I managed to pick up some new shades for my MAC palette whilst I was in  Debenhams and it is starting to look really pretty. Now all I need is an occasion to get dressed up so I can create that perfect smoky eye!

Foundation in 'Warm Ivory', Lipgloss ad Blush

MAC refills in Beauty Marked, Black Tied and Green Smoke!

Squeeeeee my palette so far!! Only four more spaces and then I can arrange it properly!

So there you have it. Everything I have done up until today! Sorry for the lack of updates, it's definitely been a weird one! What you will be glad to hear is that on Friday I am doing something very fun that will be featured in a blog so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Night guys,
Byeeeeeee x