February Review

Well February has been quite a chilled out month.  Normally I am mad-busy at weekends as all of my friends and family live away and so I am forever visiting people, but this month has been quite quiet.

Here are just a few things I have done this month:

·         Night out at the dogs with free burger, yum!  I did win a race at about £3 so I was well pleased! But I did lose my trusty grey wooly hat – devastated L

·         Miles and I viewed our first flat in St Albans which was cute but overpriced and tiny, and the current renters forgot we were coming and had been on a mad weekend with their friends, so the place was a massively huge MESS!!

·         Visited my sister Blu twice – on one occasion we managed to buy our bridesmaids dresses for my younger sister’s wedding in April – I love them and am so excited for the celebrations!

·         Met up with my old pals from the children’s hospice for drinks, also met up with some of the lovely Willow ladies for coffee last weekend where we had free toast and marmite with our drinks…mmmm…delish.

·         Miles’ birthday antics…got so drunk and haven’t drunk since (3 weeks ago if you’re asking) and we both so sick….oops.

·         Pancake Day!  Last night of eating meat and chocolate and have gone without both for over two weeks now #lent

·         Had dinner at my old housemate Jade’s – she cooked a gorgeous meal and we had lots of laughs catching up whilst naked girls danced on the TV in the background (no joke – check out Ibiza TV – random!).

·         Met my lovely friend Lauren for a coffee, toasted teacake and a catch up – well done on your new job too!

·         Had my teeth cleaned and polished at the dentist J £42 poorer.

·         Watched and loved the Brits! Emile Sande rocks (Robbie is her number one fan!)

·         Went to the cinema to see Les Mis and Silver Linings Playbook – both amazing films, and fully worthy of all the awards they have both received. Girl crush on Jennifer Lawrence growing…

·         Baked a ginger cake with fudge frosting for my friend Linsey’s charity cake sale in memory of her friend x

·         Attended 3 x xtend barre classes and 1 x pilates class

·         Gayle’s baby was due on 26^th Feb but still no appearance – I reckon the little bump will be here this weekend….so stupidly excited!!!!!!!!

And so today is the last day in Feb, another month gone so quickly but the days are getting longer and lighter (yay!) and the weather is getting a bit warmer.  I cannot wait for Spring and March is a full and exciting month! Seeing best friends this weekend, Uni reunion next weekend, my sister’s hen party, Easter weekend and the end of Lent….plus lots more!

xxx

Love is in the air...

 









It must be love, love, love...la di dah...

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! 

First up, I just want to say that I do not celebrate Valentine's Day, I'm not the soppy romantic type, however I am not against it. I love all of the displays in the shops and the sentiments it brings but I am not really up for declaring my love for my boyfriend on a particular day of the year, and soppy stuff like that makes me uncomfortable. Plus it's expected and therefore I feel not appreciated as much.  You should never expect anything and then you cannot be disappointed ;)

But I do love all the pics I see of my friends getting gorgeous bouquets of flowers and cute little cards...and I love the simpler gestures.

Even though I do not technically celebrate Valentine's Day, I do want to take the opportunity to say that I have the most amazing friends and I wish there was a day dedicated to how much I love them! (Is that contradictory?!) So today is going to be my Friendship Day - that little red love heart at the top of this blog post is dedicated to you guys...soppy or not, I don't really care!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

And Happy 7th Wedding Anniversary to my big sis Blu and her wonderful hubby Mani :)

40 days & 40 nights

Lent is the period of forty days leading up to Easter.  This year it starts today because today is Ash Wednesday, the 13th February :) and the forty day period goes all the way up until Saturday 30th March. That seems like a long time to me...

Christian's prepare during this time by fasting, giving up their luxuries and practicing self-discipline.  Now I am not strictly a Christian (ok I am not a Christian at all) but each year I do use this time to give something up, I guess in the traditional sense I do it to practice my own self-discipline.

For the past few years, this has been the five amazing things listed below:

• Chocolate
• Crisps
• Cakes
• Sweets
• Biscuits
• And last year I did cheese too...it was tough going...I heart cheese...so much!
• Oh and I also did my local Tesco Metro (to my work) last year too as I would go in there nearly every day...bad I know.  I ended up just popping to Sainsbury's or Londis instead (kind of defeats the object!)

This year I am a bit stuck as to what to give up.  I defo want to do something different, although chocolate is a good one as I do LOVE chocolate and it does test me.  I am thinking meat, but I am going to my friend's for dinner tonight and she is making homemade steak and ale pie....mmmmm.....salivating at the thought...

Maybe I could do meat but start tomorrow.  Is this allowed?  Yep that's what I am going to do.  I have often thought about giving up meat for a bit having lived with two vegetarians.  My lovely Gayle is a veggie and she used to make the best meals; bubble and squeak with horseradish, ratatouille, ooo and hummus and snack-a-jacks...yum!  The last one she obv didn't make but coupled with a glass of wine, that would often be our dinnertime meal, together with some jigsaw playing - cool huh?!  We were rock and roll.

So they are my two things this year; 1) chocolate, as Easter Eggs always taste so much better when you haven't scoffed any of the milky stuff for 40 days, and 2) meat, but this one I will abstain from until midnight on Sunday 31st March.

February's Bake!

What better excuse to bake than a birthday!! And not just anyone's birthday, but my lovely boyfriend Miles' birthday :)

But what to bake?  Miles defo has a sweet tooth and loves anything that has the word cake, bake, pie added to the end so it was a tough choice but in the end I chose to do two different ones - lemon drizzle cake, and chocolate fudge brownies.

This is my first ever attempt at lemon drizzle cake...mmmmmm!!!

I was very impressed by the lemon cake!  It was zesty and tangy but really light...sometimes I overcook my cakes as I always think they look under-done by the time the timer goes off, but once you get it out of the oven and leave it to cool, it cooks and sets a tiny bit more so it's all alright! 

Then onto the chocolate fudge brownies - yum!

I haven't got a decent picture of the final brownies but I was a bit soppy and I cut them into heart shapes and wrapped them in brown baking parchment...cute!  And I know I am the chef but they tasted amazing!!  The golden syrup made them all gooey and chewy, they were delicious with a cuppa.  I should have kept to the tea though as that evening we went out for drinks and I was home by 9pm with complete drunken memory loss being put to bed by Miles' Mum - oops!!

Never drinking again....

xx

PS. Any requests for my March bake?  Just let me know...I will be doing something the first week of March for my friend's charity cake sale in memory of one of her closest friends, so any ideas please let me know! :)

Meet me at the Barre

My Thursdays evenings are now spent at the Barre sweating myself painfully through plié's, passé's, and relevé's with attitude! Attitude is another ballet term just in case you think I am trying to be street ;) I had to Google the ballet glossary that my instructor chants at me throughout my hour of pain as I have no idea what she is talking about! Luckily the room is covered in mirrors so I just copy all the good ones in class...that's everyone else apart from me...seriously.

I LOVE this class.  It is the hardest exercise class I have ever done, my body shakes and burns constantly and I have to stop for a couple of seconds every now and then because it is SO hard, but I have definitely improved since my first class.  Tonight is my fifth class :)

Xtend Barre is a fusion of pilates and ballet.  The philosophy is to create a strengethened and lengthened body from the inside out to create a lean, toned physique without adding bulk.  I'll go for that!  'Strong is the new skinny' apparently.

The classes are not cheap though - they range from £15-20 per class depending on membership type (eeek!) but if you are anything like me; one of those that pays x amount for a monthly gym membership and never go then your cost per visit over the course of the year soon adds up.  I think last year my annual gym membership cost me around £360, and I probably went ten times!!  That's £36 a visit...oops.

I feel that this year I am investing in my health and fitness, and that is why I don't mind paying a bit more for this class.  It is AMAZING!!  And I practically get one-on-one teaching (because I am rubbish!) with an amazing instructor who used to star in the Moulin Rouge in Paris...she is fabulous! 

The Wellness Centre www.wellnesscentreuk.com is the nicest 'gym' (even though it doesn't have standard gym equipment) that I have ever been a member of.  Everyone strolls around in their socks (no trainers needed) and they are so friendly; on my second session I arrived and the staff were like "Hi Sarah, how are you feeling after last week?".  They remembered my name! That's a biggie. It's the personal touches that make the difference.  I feel part of a community this time, without the generic sound of pounding of treadmills in the background.  I like it.  Very much :)

xx

You're never fully dressed without a SMILE!

I love this saying!  'Annie' was one of my favourite films when I was little.  Me and my sisters would watch it over and over and sing all the songs dancing around our living room! And I love that it is painted on the wall in the changing rooms at my new healthy haunt - The Wellness Centre... www.wellnesscentreuk.com

I went yesterday for my Pilates class and the place had been completely themed in Valentine's decor!  There were heart shaped cushions everywhere, vases overflowing with flowers - pink and red roses, Valentine's signs hanging on every hook in the main entrance, and balloons tucked behind flatscreens and posters - it didn't look tacky at all, it just looked fun!  And it made me smile :)

Here are some pics from the changing rooms...so pretty!

 


Simple things please me, and after a busy day at work, this place completely relaxes me and make me feel happy - everyone is so lovely and attentive and the Pilates class (using the proper torture-style beds!) is working my body well.  My muscles are sore today but that is defo a sign of a good workout :)

xx

Think (Neon) Pink!

I got this fabulous set of mini nail polishes for my 30th birthday in December and I think I have tried every shade now!  There are five shades; silver glitter (Abbey Road), mushroom (Porchester Square), neon pink (Notting Hill Gate), velvet red (Tate), and a plum colour (Richmond Terrace).  I love them all! 

I showcased the neon pink this weekend and still have it rocking my fingertips today at work.  Definitely brightening up my Monday morning and I love the flashes of colours on my keyboard when I type haha!

This nail polish applies really well, it dries quickly and it has hardly worn at all.  A tiny bit on some of the tips but not noticeable to the passer-by :) I apply two coats as a minimum as it is fairly thin and you don't get the vibrancy with the one layer.

I have taken a pic of my nails but it hasn't come out very well...ignore my cuticles and my wrinkly hands!

I like to wear plain colours when I wear bright nails so I wore black skinny jeans and two plain black layered tops with this :)  Miles said I look like the one from Grease at the end - John Travolta! :(

More reviews of the other colours coming soon...xx

Country Living

Yesterday I went to my big sister's for lunch - always a special treat!  She has the most amazing home in a small rural village, a mix of country and modern lines and it is so homely and gorgeous!  I love these hearts that she has hanging in her kitchen.  I cannot wait to get my own place so I can have cute things like this scattered all over the place.

I love visiting her and my brother-in-law and seeing my nephews - the boys are amazing and I don't get to see them as much as I would like because they live a bit further away, but we try and meet up once a month for a catch up which always involves good food.  This time I hadn't seen them since Christmas time so an overdue visit.

As always, my sister cooked a delicious lunch, chicken with a butterbean, red pepper and tomato stew and homemade rosemary and sea salt foccacia - seriously my sister is an AMAZING cook!!!  Although some credit should go to her husband as he helped too ;)

Dessert was lemon syllabub with homemade vanilla shortbread - I forgot to take pics of her dessert so I haven't got any evidence of her baking skills but the shortbread was melt-in-your-mouth and I think I was a bit tipsy from the limoncello in the syllabub ;)  There was a banana loaf cooling on the side too that she had knocked up but I forgot to have any - fail :(




Top - homemade foccacia bread

Middle left - beautiful red tulips on the dining table

Middle right - the stew/sauce bubbling in her turquoise Le Creuset casserole dish

Bottom left - a pile of Country Living magazines displayed on a gorgeous wooden side bench

Bottom right - the delicious wine we had with lunch.  I took a picture so I can treat myself to a cheeky bottle!






Miles took his guitar to teach my seven-year-old nephew to play - too cute!  They played a bit of One Direction, both sitting in the play room with their matching checked shirts :) give it a few years and they will be headlining Glastonbury together!

My youngest nephew who is four was feeling ill but it didn't stop him entertaining with his thespian charm!  He is such a cutie!  When we got home my sister phoned to say he has chicken pox bless him....lucky I have had it already cus I was smothering him in kisses...it's an Auntie's duty!

We watched Ice Age 3 & 4 - an essential on a Sunday with my nephews, they love a cosy afternoon watching movies on the sofa by their log fire - bliss.

I had a lovely day and I left with a full belly and a bag full of clothes (that's one of the best bits about having sisters!!).

xx

Goodbye January – hello vino!

Throughout January I did a no-booze stint, something I do every year (well for the past three years I think but who's counting...). This year I did have a very small hiccup when I visited my bestie in Dorset and she greeted me at the front door with a champagne flute of the fizzy stuff...it would have been rude to decline and it was delicious! I have put that episode to the back of my mind though and now it is the 1st February, I can have a tipple without the guilt, yippee!

Something I don’t really get is this whole ‘sponsored dryathlon for January’ thing that I have seen popping up all over Facebook…I mean, you want me to donate to you for not having an alcoholic beverage throughout January?! I don’t want to sound horrible, but no!  As hard as I know it may be, I will donate to lots of charitable activities; marathons, half-marathons, runs, swims, cycles, head shave, etc. but giving up booze for a month is not one of them…very sorry ;) – Well done though to everyone who did go the whole month without a mere drop passing their lips, whether for charity or not, it isn’t always easy and I hive-five you all!

There is always something a little bit anti-climax-y about being ‘allowed’ something you have forbidden yourself for a while.  You know like during Lent when you give up all sweets and chocolates, only to scoff a whole Easter Egg in a matter of seconds at 6am on Easter Sunday…it never tastes quite as good as you imagined – get what I’m saying?  Well I have a feeling that once I have indulged in the first few gulps (I mean sips) of my first cold vino tonight, that sweet desire will go away, I’ll probably get a little carried away and make up for the past month of being dry, and I will wake up tomorrow morning with a sore head and a bit disappointed in myself!

Bottoms up ;) xx

What will I achieve this year?

This year I have vowed to:

Start a new exercise class – Xtend Barre here I come!

Read 6 new Books

Do a Juice Detox – lasting longer than a day…

Bake something delicious once a month

Go to a Festival

Enjoy a Holiday in the sunshine

Move in with my boyfriend (yay!)

Declutter, BIG time

Complete my Reflexology Course

Learn to use my DSLR Camera
Do a Floristry course

Sew something beautiful
Eat more vegetables (salad in a kebab does NOT count)

Be more Patient

Be less Distracted, and…

Start a BLOG!!

Let's see how I get on :) x