The best use of time on a Sunday

..Is to spend it queuing through the Dartford tolls, just to reach Lakeside, so some new vest tops can be purchased from Primark.

Poor husband. In fairness to myself, he wanted to use the opportunity to peruse the latest laptops on offer for his pre-Christmas splurge. (Let's skate over the fact that we could have done that much closer to home, ahem). Upon witnessing the horrendous queue resulting from the closure of the second tunnel, the husband suggested we head to Bluewater instead. Unfortunately for him, I was behind the wheel and too stubborn to give in. One hour of colourful language later and we were through. Bloody Lakeside, bloody shopaholic tendencies of mine and stubborn old goat personality.

I intended to purchase a good handful of the longer length vest tops that I love so much for layering beneath jumpers and sheer tops. Of course, after the 'trying' journey we had endured, the colours I wanted (black and white) were nowhere to be seen in my size. Why would they be? This is Primark after all. Grrrr. I did manage to purchase a navy and nude shade that fit seamlessly into the winter wardrobe so all was not lost. As this only brought me to the grand total of £4 I decided to add to my wares and snapped up some thermal socks and a blue and white print dress for work. Beyond chuffed until I arrived home, hung it up and noticed a hole underneath one of the armpits. Not. My. Day.

But, oh well, I have an excuse to return and rummage in more depth now (always difficult when the husband is tagging along, bless him, he is really very good and quite easily appeased with sweets and his kindle, but still).

Now for weekend outfits, last night I had a catch -up with friends over dinner. First opportunity to wear my TK Maxx Antoni and Alison bargain:

Nude long line vest: Primark
Cream linen mix top: H & M
Grey jacket: Antoni and Alison
Zebra scarf: Zara
Oxblood coated skinnies: H & M
Black wedge heels: Faith
Bag: Mulberry East West Bayswater
Leather cuff: Mulberry

And again today:

Beige long line vest: Primark
Burgundy boxy jumper: H & M
Horse print scarf: Dorothy Perkins
Leather cuff: Mulberry
Light blue jeans: River Island
Shearling cuff boot: Red or Dead at Schuh

Grey jacket: Antoni and Alison
Grey wrist warmers: H & M
Bag: Mulberry postman's lock hobo

Now obviously I am a completely pap photographer, although in my defence, taking pictures on an iPhone in a dimly lit room at night is quite a challenge. The day pictures are slightly better but still leave a lot to be desired. May have to purchase the new camera before Christmas, have mentioned to the husband but he is knee deep in laptop research right now so it may be a few more weeks... could just purchase one myself but ultimately that is a recipe for disaster, I will probably end up picking on on how shiny it is. Hmmm, will have a think.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend, Downton soon. I am not moving from the sofa!

'Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter...'

'Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my paraaaade'... hell yeah!  Weather-wise, the sun is indeed a ball of butter aujourd'hui and generally speaking, life is candy! The summer holidays are finally here, I have had my new job all firmed up and confirmed for September (so excited) and I am looking forward to almost 7 weeks of hmmmm shopping, sunning and sleeping??! Parfait mes amis, let me tell you.

Enough of the teacher-related 6 weeks holiday smugness, let me just take this opportunity to point out once again that... the sun is shining. I am not delirious, or hungover, the sun is indeed out in full force, warming us with his zealous and spirited glow (OK now I sound slightly insane, I'm sure it's the shock of not having to wear 3 layers of clothing and winter boots).

I have been reliably informed that the next week at least it going to be warm too, meaning that the summer clothes are going to have to make a return. After I packed the lot away in a fit of pique after another crappy rainy weekend. Feck it. Thinking about it now though, the husband and I are off on holiday in the next few weeks so I will need the clothes for then anyway. And I knew that when I packed them away, I was just so peed off with the lack of warmth, and the mockery my new summer clothes were making of me. Who knew the weather would drive me to such lengths?!

I have almost forgiven the elements after the beautifully warm day we had today. Upon waking this morning and clocking the strange and mysterious yellow ball in the sky, I instantly grabbed the husband, purchased some picnic food and bundled us both into the car with instructions to him to drive to a suitably outdoorsy national trust property nearby.

White oversize jumper - Zara
Cream vest top (not seen) -  H & M
Tapered leg utlility trouser - Topshop
Tan sandals - Marks and Spencer
Bag - Mulberry
Sunglasses - Missoni

Well that was today, other than this weekend, I have mostly been finishing up at work, which included sports day on Friday. This coincided with the Olympic torch passing through Gravesend, so we ferried the entire student body outside the school gates, lined them up along the road and waited for the torch to pass. The atmosphere was fantastic, I am very glad I got to see it and experience it with my pupils.

I only had my iPhone but managed to snap the torch bearer as he passed!

My competitive and stubborn streak came out in full force  during the staff relay race... I was the final leg  and despite the fact that I run like a robot, I won the race for team Patrick! Amazing feeling to cross the line to hordes of cheering kids!

Hopefully the blogging will be a tad more frequent over the next few weeks as work is (did I mention??) somewhat on hold at the moment... sorry no more smugness, I promise! XX

Outfit of the Night and Day

Hello mini babybels, I hope everyone is well and has had a delightful weekend. I have but I just cannot believe that half term is over already! I'm not sure why I'm shocked actually, life flies by so quickly these days! Still, I am looking forward to seeing my classes and getting ready for exam season. I have a feeling life will continue to fly by pretty quick as we steam roller closer and closer to the exams!!

Today's post is an OOTN and OOTD for your perusal ; )

Friday night hubby and I attended the 30th birthday party of a friend. I wore a new H & M dress with  a dark brown pair of courts from Mango. I bought the shoes a  couple of years ago but they have barely been worn, so it was nice to pull them out and find they matched so nicely! I kept accessories simple with some gold dangly leaf earrings from Aldo and my Mulberry East West bag.

Today hubby and I drove to a nice outdoor shopping centre around 40 minutes from our house, for a little shop and some lunch. I wore a new Zara cardigan style jumper with my River Island Jeans. I also wore my newly purchased Marks and Spencers boat style shoes and my new Mulberry bag. When I bought these shoes, hubby told me his nan has the same pair which I thought was hilarious! I love them though as they are a bit geek-chic, and if the boat shoe is good enough for Blake Lively, its good enough for me! I am actually thinking of buying them in some other colours too, as they are so comfy (gotta love footglove!) as much as they are becoming.. : )

Well that's about all for now, I need to pack my work bag, check tomorrows lessons and try to get a bit of relaxation in before a night of tossing and turning! Mwah XOXO

Shiny Happy Sunday

Hello chocolate crispy cakes, I hope everyone is well and has enjoyed the weekend! How amazing was the weather today! I love being able to walk around with no coat, Spring is awesome!

Another thing that is awesome is the fact that the Easter holidays have arrived! I could not be any more thrilled to have a whole 2 weeks off work! Hubby has a week off too which is great, and we have some amazing things coming up! Firstly, it is our first Wedding anniversary (have no idea where the last year went, it flew by!). We are travelling to London the day after our anniversary for afternoon Pret-a-Portea at the Berkeley in London, then onwards to see the show The Jersey Boys, and then a night in a hotel, and who know what the next day! I am so excited, I have a new dress to wear, and hubby is treating me to a designer gift (still undecided right now, although erring towards another Mulberry!). So that will be fab, plus I am looking forward to a lot of chilling in the hols, some baking and maybe a little home project or too!

Anyways, back to today. Hubby and I took a trip to Lakeside for a browse and lunch. We are looking for a coffee table but still cannot find one we like. Nonetheless, we purchased two new sets of plates and bowls from Next which I found quite exciting... think I am seriously getting old! I also bought a couple of dresses which hopefully I will have opportunity to wear and photograph soon!

Just a little OOTD for you all...

I wore my new Vero Moda sleeveless shirt and Zara sandals from my Westfield trip last Sunday, my River Island jeans and a brown River Island belt.

Well that's everything for now, I am off to make a pizza (slightly addicted to making Pizzas now and trying new ingredients, I bought some Pepperdew peppers in Waitrose today to try!) More soon XOXO

Shopping and warm weather

Hello pop tarts, happy Saturday to one and all! I couldn't believe the amazing weather today, it felt so nice to be outside and not shiver and rush to get in! I had a brilliant day with my bezzie Clare, we got up early and drove to Westfield Stratford City shopping centre. I last went to Westfield at the end of 2011 but honestly, I had forgotten how amazing it is! I could spend 3 days weaving my way in and out of the shops, there are so many high street favourites and one - offs too. I was in the mood to spend and luckily I wasn't disappointed. I bought a fair few items of clothing which I'm sure I will have the opportunity to showcase soon!

So today's post is just a quick OOTD, a super comfy outfit for a day of hardcore shopping!

I wore my new H & M jacket, a blue Reiss vest top, Zara jeans, leopard print H & M pumps, a wooden and mother of pearl necklace and my Mulberry.

Well dolls, that's everything for now, I'm settling down now with a delicious home made pizza, tea and soon, Britain's got Talent! (So excited its back!) : )

My tea! Home made chicken, spinach, pepper, red onion and mozzarella pizza! 

A weekend of all sorts

Hello angels, happy Sunday and hope everyone has had a great weekend! I always feel like weekends fly by, although time is pretty much flying by at the speed of light in general at the moment- can't believe its March already!

I have had a great weekend! I had a gorgeous meal at Prezzo with hubby Friday night, some home shopping and lunch with Clare on Saturday and an antiques fair and spot of lunch and shopping at Bluewater after. I am looking for an antique mirror for above my new shoe cupboard but have had no luck yet - I am looking for something quite specific though so may be searching for a while yet! Hubby treated himself to a huuuge Superdry kit bag today - he ordered one before but it was out of stock so we decided to just buy one in the shop. I bought a couple of bits of make up today which makes a change, I have bought so many clothes recently!

Chanel pressed powder, £29.50 and Clinique eyebrow stick with illumnator, £14.50.

Today's post is a bit of a mash-up of OOTN, and some exciting things I've got coming up soon! Onto OOTN, the outfit I wore to Prezzo Friday night.

Another new H & M jacket - I loved the classic boucle style of this jacket and at £29.99 I couldn't resist! I also wore a white H & M vest top, new black layered skirt from H  & M, my black Faith boots and a silver necklace which was a present from a friend.

So, this week, hubby and I booked a 4 day city break to Budapest! We wanted a trip away before our main holiday in August, and booked for the first week of June. I set an evening aside to research and managed to find an amazing 4 star hotel with brilliant reviews!

Hotel Castle Garden is a 4 star boutique hotel a few steps from the famous Buda castle. This hotel is number 25 out of  334 in Budapest on tripadvisor and has some brilliant reviews. I am so excited, I have already ordered a travel guide and started researching boat trips on the Danube and the thermal baths we can visit!

Second piece of exciting news came from my amazing hubby this week. We were talking about our first wedding anniversary which is rapidly approaching, and he offered to buy me a new designer bag, shoes or perhaps as Burberry trench! I am so excited, and now just need to decided if I want another Mulberry or some Louboutins... not going to be an easy decision! I am not sure what hubby wants as a gift in return, he suggested a rowing machine or perhaps a sound system for our living room... mens toys are nowhere near as exciting as girls ones!!

Well that's everything for today, have a great week everyone XOXO

Outfit of the Day

Hello fruit crackers (!) hope you are all fine and dandy! I feel I've been away from the blogging world for a while again, although it's only been about a week! I went back to work after half term this Monday, but literally only lasted the day as I got sick again Monday night : ( Back to work on Friday though which was great. Normally I get bored at home when I'm sick, although this time, I had very strong painkillers, so pretty much slept through the day.

So, feeling better this weekend, I spent yesterday at Bluewater with my best friend, and today at Lakeside with hubby! We also visited Ikea and purchased a very nice new shoe cabinet, quite excited about that, I do love Ikea! Watching him assemble it as I type, so glad he is good at putting up furniture, I am a typical girl, pretty useless!

Today's post then is just a quick OOTD : )

I wore my dark blue Zara jeans, Red Herring chelsea boots, Hollister blue and white striped shirt and a new cream jacket that I purchased yesterday in H & M. Love the classic style, it's perfect now the weather is heating up a bit! Finished the outfit off with my trusty Mulberry : )

I also wore my new MAC lipstick in Ruby Woo, love the shocking red colour. I diluted it down a little with some lip balm to make it suitable for day wear. I matched with red nails in Victoria and Albert by Nails Inc.

Well that's everything for now, I will blog soon with my new purchases and a few other bits and pieces : ) XOXO

Saturday bake day

Happy Saturday strawberry bon bons! Hope you are all well and happy : ) I am uber happy, even more so than usual, as it is half term! I have made some great plans for next week, all will be revealed soon!

Today has been more laid back than usual for me as hubby is ill with flu so I have been in full on wife mode! I stopped off at Waitrose for some get well soon bits for hubby and then spent the afternoon making home made vegetable soup and chocolate brownies! Today's post shows the delicious results! ; )

My favourite cook books! Today I used the book second from the left with the flowery spine, a  birthday gift from hubby's Grandma.

1) Break 225g of good quality plain chocolate (at least 60% cocoa solids) into pieces and place in a heat proof bowl. Add 175g of butter to the chocolate. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering hot water but make sure they do not come into contact at all. Set the timer for 10 minutes and allow the chocolate and butter to melt slowly.

2) In the meantime, whisk together 100g caster sugar with 3 large eggs.

3) In a large bowl, add all the ingredients together; the melted butter and chocolate, the sugar and eggs, and 175g of self raising flour. Mix together until all the ingredients are combined.

4) Add 100g white chocolate chips and 50g of milk chocolate chips to the mixture and stir in fully.

5) Pour the brownie mixture in a 25cm non-stick baking tin and smooth over.

6) Ta-da! 30 minutes at 180 degrees and the brownie should be cooked. Leave to cool before removing from the tin and cutting into squares.

7) The brownies cut into squares and stacked onto a cake stand.

I served the brownie with Haagen-Daz's chocolate, praline and caramel ice cream for hubby, perfect get well soon dessert! : )

More soon dear readers, enjoy the rest of the weekend : ) XOXO

And then the snow came

Hello snow angels, how is everyone today?? Well the snow finally fell here, I was sooo excited last night and couldn't stop looking out the window! Today hubby and I wrapped up warm and braved the cold! We walked to the lake near our house and fed the ducks, I was very concerned that they might not be able to get much food in this weather! Bless them xx 

Wrapped up for the snow!

The lake near our house was almost completely frozen over!

Ducks!

I don't know about anyone else but I love walking in the snow... find it very peaceful and restorative. On a different note now, I have a few new H & M purchases to share from my shop yesterday!

H & M dress £24.99. Hubby called this my 'green goddess' dress when he saw it yesterday! I love the classic style which is great for work but also any smart occasion. really. I really like having dresses like this in my wardrobe as they are so versatile. Love the emerald green too!

H & M dress £14.99. Love the ditzy floral print, perfect for Spring/Summer and so easy to wear. I plan to wear this while it's still cold with a cardigan and tights.

H & M navy cardigan £9.99. Just a little basic, I plan to pair this with the dress above.

Well that's about everything for today, I plan to spend the rest of my evening with my new stack of magazines, plenty of tea and some good TV! Bliss : ) XOXO

Outfit of the Day

Hello dolls, hope you are all well and successfully avoiding the snow and cold! We haven't actually had any snow yet but apparently it's imminent, so I'm waiting with bated breath! The cupboards are stocked, the house is warm, come on snow, do your worst!!

I had an amazingly long lay in this morning, followed by a little jaunt around town and a little shopping with hubby. I bought a few bits and pieces in H & M which had sooo much new season stuff in, I was slightly excited to say the least!

Later today, hubby took me to Chiquito, one of our favourite restaurants.Today's post is therefore a little outfit of the day post : )

I wore my Mango black dress with leather detail collar and cuffs, a grey Topshop jumper over the top, black floral print tights from Primark, my new black Faith wedge boots, a Forever 21 horn necklace and my Mulberry bag. I wore my hair in a ballerina style bun which is a bit different for me, but hey, like to mix things up sometimes ; )

That's everything for now dear readers, keep warm and pray for snow! : )

A weekend at the shops

Hello angels, hope you are all well and warm on this cold Sunday! The weather really seems to have become a lot chillier over the past few days, I find myself running to the car in the morning and whacking the heating on full as soon as possible! Fingers crossed for snow though, love how pretty everything looks covered in glittery white : )

This weekend has been one of shopping for me, yesterday with best friend Clare and today with hubby. I managed to pick up some very nice bits and pieces which always puts me in a great mood! Hubby also picked up some t-shirts in Zara so he is a happy bunny too.

Today I wore my new Vero Moda dress with a simple black cardi from H & M, my black Red Herring Chelsea boots and my Mulberry.

First purchase, chain print skirt from Topshop £28. I spotted this online a couple of days ago and was glad I found it today. I love the Versace inspired chain print and the cute gold buttons down the front. I plan to wear this now with black tights and in the summer with a vest top tucked in.

Heart dress £34.99 from Mango. I am completely in love with the new collection at Mango and picked up this cute dress today. I have noticed heart print on so many items recently and love the look, probably as it looks very similar to polka dot which is another favourite print of mine. The coral coloured belt adds a pretty touch of colour.

Swallow print dress from Primark £13. For anyone who has not been into Primark recently, my advice would be have a look now! The Spring/Summer drop has begun and is full of pretty printed dresses at very good prices. When the prices are this good, is there any excuse to wear the same things time and time again??! No siree! I love the print on this dress but was wary as I was worried it would look a bit sack-like, however it is actually very fitted and looks great with tights and boots.

Floral print dress £13 Primark. Love the gorgeous blue and oversized bloom print, the dress has a black belt as well which I removed as it wouldn't lie flat in the photo! Love the pleated bodice of the dress too.

This dress was reduced to £5 in Primark! I really bought it for work but will probably wear it at the weekend as well. Love the pretty purply wine colour and sleeves.

Basic style tops from Mango, both reduced to £9.90 each. As I wear a lot of skirts, I bought these tops to be tucked in, the navy will go well with the Topshop chain skirt I thought.

I couldn't resist a bit of Lush! Lush have their Valentines collection in now which is very cute indeed, I picked up this Frog Prince bath bomb and the toad stool bubble bar. Both smell divine, can't wait to use them!

Well that's about everything for today, I am chilling now after my busy shopping weekend, looking forward to another busy week at work but guess what... only 2 weeks til half term!! : ) XOXO

Something Different

Hello  gorgeous followers, hope everyone is well and happy! I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend too : ) Mine was great, I ran revision on Saturday again (my last Saturday revision and stupidly early start until exam season in June!) then went for my monthly wander around Rochester with co-pilot Clare. We love to take in the quaint little antique and home shops before stopping for a gorgeous lunch in our favourite shop/restaurant! I stayed round Clare's Saturday night and then returned home this morning. Waiting for me were some beautiful Christmas presents from hubby's grandma which I loved and put a huge smile on my face : )

 Later today hubby and I decided to lunch out at Chiquito's which has just opened near our house, there will also be a Nando's soon right next door, by the looks of things today it is very nearly finished, woohoo! We devoured three courses which left us stuffed, so much so that I didn't even want any popcorn when we went to the cinema afterwards! We saw Warhorse which was amazing, I shed a fair few tears as did hubby! ; )

As I like to mix it up from time to time, today's post is a foodie one, a dish that I made recently and enjoyed immensely. Hubby and I both love an Indian takeaway, and I also love making healthy curries in the week too. My recipe for healthy chicken korma comes from my favourite Sally Bee cookbook and is a winner in terms of health and taste.

1) Chop up a range of veg, whatever you fancy and enjoy. I chose green beans, courgette and red pepper.

2) Over a medium heat, heat some olive oil and saute the two onions, a couple of chopped chicken breasts, two crushed cloves of garlic and a peeled and chopped medium apple. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes and then stir in 4 teaspoons of mild curry powder.

3) Add the chopped vegetables to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until the veg start to soften and the chicken has sealed in the spice.

4) Add 300ml of chicken stock to the pan, sultanas (if enjoyed, I left them out because I do not like them), and 2 tablespoons of tomato puree. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes.

5) Just before serving, add some chopped coriander and 4 tablespoons of low-fat creme fraiche or fromage frais to the curry and stir in well. Season with freshly ground black pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes but do not allow to boil.

6) Serve with hot cooked basmati rice, adding one spoon of creme fraiche to each portion as you serve.

Very yummy and healthy too! Well that's about all from me today, I am looking forward to a slightly more laid back week, final GCSE until June is tomorrow morning so things will calm down a tad (for a while anyway!) XOXO

January pick-me-ups

Hello Strawberry swirls, hope everyone has had a relaxing weekend! I only returned to work for 2 days this week but was still pretty tired come Friday night. I had a nice lie in Saturday morning and then met up with friends for a curry and catch up which was lovely. Today hubby and I headed to one of my favourite places in the whole world. Bluewater, for some shopping and lunch. Hubby purchased a couple of new pairs of trousers and some boxers, and I treated myself to a few little bits too : )

I wore my new Mango skirt and Zara jumper with my Mulberry bag, silver tassel necklace which was a Christmas pressie from a friend, and my new chelsea boots from Red Herring at Debenhams.

I cannot express how much I love my new boots, and they are so comfy too! : )

I bought this cute Vero Moda dress for £32. Peter pan collars continue to be big this season, and I love the oversized one on this dress, as well as the cute tiny heart print. 

Floral sheer tunic dress from Vero Moda... £5! Someone had left this in the changing room and it was my size so I tried it on when I was trying the other dress on. I love the simple shape and classic styling, plus at £5 in the sale, I couldn't really turn it down! ; )

This is a terrible photo, this Mango skirt is more of a deep red colour than in the picture. This skirt only cost £10.50 in the sale and is the identical shape and structure to the floral one I am wearing in the first picture. I bought it because I love the floral skirt I bought the other day and have worn it to death since I bought it! I thought red would be a good classic choice, and would work well with black tights and boots and my black leather jacket.

Well that's about everything dolls, I have an incredibly busy week coming up including a parent's evening and  a full day of revision organised for my exam groups on Saturday (!) so I'm set for a relaxing evening now to get me geared up for the week ahead! More soon XOXO