Thank You........

To my Mum and Auntie

For my lovely Birthday tea (Ina Style!)




Fillet steak sandwiches with Blue cheese and horseradish/mustard dressings!




Cheddar and chutney brioche




Smoked salmon spread




Lemon drizzle cake



I made Carrot Cake Cupcakes yummy and easy!


There may have been one or two cocktails courtesy of my Brother!
I had a lovely time and It was just what I wanted for my birthday!

Lots of Love



xxxx

Viva Las Vegas!!!

The holiday begins here!, this afternoon James and I are heading to Gatwick!
We are going to be staying at the Sofitel tonight ready for the off to Vegas tomorrow!!!

I have taken the momentous decision of taking not taking the laptop with me, so will catch up with you all when we get back!
I have tried my best to get caught up with you last night while James watched F1!
Now if you could all refrain from posting too frequently this week I would appreciate it!!! (dread to think what google reader will look like after a week away!!!)
I have scheduled a few posts as I had to say a few thank yous! so don't forget about me while I'm away!

I'll be thinking of you all and might even bring back a little something for you all!!!!

Lots of Love



xxxx

It's My Birthday!

Shall I get up?

I'm on night shift this week so I won't even be awake right now!
You will all have to wait till tomorrow to check out any gifts and cards I might be lucky enough to receive later on today!!!

One gift I can tell you about now is from my lovely Boyfriend, James!
My fabulous boy is taking me to Vegas on Tuesday!


It's our first 'real' holiday together and I couldn't be more excited!!!!

Lots of Love



xxxx

For My Birthday I'd like .............

March is a very important month, we have Mothers Day, Women’s Day, Easter, St Patrick’s Day and most Important of all we have My Birthday!!!

I will be 32 on the 24^th of March and It’s been a crazy year! So much has happened and my life has changed completely (and for the better!) This is going to be a great year and I am staring it happy and content for the first time in a long time! Usually birthdays fill me with dread of getting that year older but this year I’m happy to accept and move on!

I thought, after the success of my Christmas List, I’d do a little birthday list to inspire would be present givers!

So here goes!

I Love the new Alice in Wonderland inspired OPI Collection especially ‘Thanks so Muchness’ perfect for my holiday nails!

I would like a special birthday tea of fillet beef sandwiches with blue cheese dressing, salmon dip, and cheese and chutney brioche made by Ina Garten (If she’s not available Mum and My Auntie do a mean impersonation!)

I Love these little gems from Anthologie.

And I could do with a pedicure before Vegas! (seriously!)

I really want this shelf from Vintage Amethyst

Isn't It lovely? Perfect for my craft room! I have decided I will be treating myself to it! (put one aside for me Allison!)

I realise this is a small list but I have been looking at my life and I really have everything I want and need! I'm now all about experiences, I'd rather go somewhere than get something!

What about you? What would you like to receive as a gift?

Lots of Love

xxxx

A New Look!

Don't worry you are in the right place!

I had grown so bored of my old layout, I wanted something lighter, brighter and happier, just like me!
After searching for ages I round this background and header here as well as some cool buttons! I'm pleased with the result!

What do you think?

Also Mum wanted a change so pop over to Kissed By an Angel to see what we picked for her!

Lots of Love



xxxx

Smiling......

Because James is home today after his break to Spain with his Dad!

Lots of Love



xxxx

A Little Ray Of Sunshine!

The lovely RosieP @ Roses and Peonies and Country Style Living were both so kind as to pass this cheerful award on to me!



Couldn't we all do with some sunshine at the moment?

I'd love, as usual, for anyone who would like it to take this award!
You all bring a little bit of sunshine to my life so how could I choose just 12 of you to award?


Have a lovely weekend!!!!

Lots of Love



xxxx

Heeeere's Freddie!

On my rest week I finally got to visit my dear friend Olivia and her lovely husband Rick.

Seven weeks ago their second child, Frederick Oliver, made his debut! With so much going on this was the first chance I'd had to meet the little fellow!

I was very taken with him, and just loves spending time with my other boy, Freddie's big Brother, Will!

Introducing Freddie!

Isn't he a cutie?

Big Brother, William, (or Bill, as I like to call him!) is very proud! (and silly!)


We had so much fun!!!

Lots of Love



xxxx

Happy St Patricks Day!!!

Lots Of Love



xxxx

Pamper Yourself - A Reveal!

It seems like ages ago I signed up to The lovely Michela’s Pamper Yourself Swap! My partner was Claire of Dolly Dollop and it has been a pleasure to meet her I have to say!

We were asked to send our swap partners pampering goodies that would appeal to the 5 senses!

I chose to receive an exotic fruits theme, I just love mango, passion fruit and limes, (chuck in a bit of ginger and I’m in heaven!) while Claire had asked for her gifts to be rose and/or cinnamon based.

Last Friday the postman knocked and handed me a very exciting looking package! When I opened it a gorgeous scent of my favourite mango peach salsa Yankee candle filled the air and I was greeted with cheery bright yellow and lime green parcels and a gorgeous card from Claire urging me to pamper myself ‘exotic style’!

Yay! my package had arrived!

Look at all of the gorgeous gifts Claire sent! I was so pleased and jumped in the shower to pamper myself ‘exotic style’ immediately!

Thank you so much Claire for my lovely treats and big thanks to Michela for organising such a lovely swap!!!

Lots of Love

xxxx

Longchamp Lust!

You may remember me buying this a few weeks back?

Well I'm still loving it! So much so that I am now lusting after this handbag to match

I'm thinking its the perfect work bag. It looks a lot more comfortable than my current one and will be a perfect match for when I'm on the move!

I think I may have dropped enough hints that I might just be a lucky girl and get it for my birthday later this month!

Lots of Love



xxxx

My Mum!

Well it's Mothers Day and I'm sure a fair few of us are going to be using our blogs to pay tribute to our Mums. I'm no exception!

I can't really put into words how much I love My Mum, she is kind and caring, slow to loose her temper and quick to forgive! I want to be like her when I grow up!

This is her as a little girl, my Nan used to dress my Mum and Auntie up and curl their hair, I think Mum looks so cute here!


Here we are! This is my favourite picture of Mum and Me!


And this is us years 3 ago at a ball organised by a friend, It was on Mum's birthday and we had a lovely time with family and friends!


As you all know Victoria and I are great friends, but it doesn't stop there! As a result of our friendship (and our brothers being very close too!) our families are friends too! Here is a photo of our Mums together at yet another ball!


I could go on about my wonderful Mum all day but I don't need to! Why? Because many of you know her already!

Since I have been blogging Mum has been reading and was overwhelmed at the kindness of you lovely ladies, especially when I was going through some hard times and gained so much support and comfort from you all.

As a result of this she asked me to help set her up a blog of her very own!

She was keen to stay anonymous because she was convinced that no one would want to read about her and didn't want people to read because she was my Mum! (crazy when you find out who she is!)

I have decided to 'out' her on Mothers Day because I am immensely proud of her!


So have I kept you waiting for long enough?

Click here to get a link to her blog, did you know?

Lots of Love



xxxx

An Irregular Choice

I'm a shoe addict, I admit it! I love shoes! Any of you who saw my wardrobe will know this is true!
I love Louboutins, Manolos and Choos, but lets face it they are pretty expensive for the average blogger!

Imagine my delight when I came across this brand!
Totally designer worthy at far more reasonable prices.

Here are some of my favourites.




Now I just need to wait for the perfect occasion to buy some !!!
What do you think?

Lots of Love


xxxx

Thanks To Me!!!

This week I have been surprised twice with lovely thank you gifts!
You may remember I made a christening cake last month? Well my friend Kelly's Mum sent me these gorgeous flowers because she was so pleased with it!


I love them!

Also, and even more surprising, I received a 'Thanks To You' award at work!
It's a gold award (even more of a shocker!) for work I did over Christmas.
Yes I spent Christmas Night here!


One of the lines I work for was targeted by vandals on Christmas Eve (seriously wouldn't you think they would have better things to do?) and a lot of damage was done. Unfortunately I was on call so had to sling my pants on over my trousers (a la Superman!) to make sure passengers could get to the sales on Boxing Day!

My gold award means I get a certificate in a frame and £250 in Capital Bonds, these can be spent in loads of places, but I think I will use them to pay for a Cheeky weekend away with James!

Nice to be appreciated!

Lots of Love



xxxx

And the Winner Is ..........

Hi guys! Sorry I'm a little late in announcing the winner of this month's giveaway, please excuse me, working nights always throws me out!

So here it is again, this months swag!

• A Gisella Graham, Easter bunny lantern.
• Anthea Turner Influence oven glove, tea towels and apron.
• Tala pastel measuring spoons.
• Silicone cupcake cases.
• Silicone cookware set of spatulas and pastry brush
• A pink pot scraper

I usually write all the entries down on scraps of paper but this month (tiring of this!) I used a random number generator. This proved very lucky for.........

Mary Poppins

Congratulations Mary!

So that's March's giveaway done! Don't forget my giveaways take place every month so watch this space!

Lots of Love



xxxx

Show and Tell!

Happy Sunday! Hope you have all had a lovely weekend!
This week is the start of an exciting new monthly event hosted by the lovely Josie-Mary!
The first Sunday of every month will now be known as 'Show and Tell Sunday'.

Do pop over and join in, Its going to be fun!

This month's topic is 'your favourite spot in your house'!
I found this a bit difficult as there are so many places in my house that I love! Having already done a post on my bed :), and due to the fact that I have spent a fair few hours organising my wardrobe lately, I thought I would let you all have a peek!


Sorry about the poor light!
I had this wardrobe built into an awkward alcove when I bought my house.
Victoria and I had long admired the closets we had seen in the houses we had stayed in on our Florida trips and wished we had them at home. When I realised that with a bit of expertise (and, of course, cash) that I could have one in my own bedroom I was a happy girl!
My friend Mark (a fab carpenter!) was shown pictures and told to create and here she is!

Wanna look inside?


I can only let you see half as I'm not quite finished in the other side :)
I have recently been to good old Ikea and with a few storage solutions from there and a bit of ruthless clearing out I have managed to condense and organise pretty well!


Shoes (just the heels!) in fantastic shoe storage boxes from Ikea! (there's even 2 empty ones waiting to be filled!)


Acessories in these pretty storage boxes

These bigger boxes are fab (and huge!) and store all my 'every day' shoes (sandals and flip flops in one and boots in the other!). The hanging 'thing' stores all my make up, hair stuff and hair appliances too, previiously these took up loads of room in baskets so I'm really pleased at how much 'smaller' this storage is!

Hope you have enjoyed having a look in my wardrobe! I have to say bye for today though as I'm going to have to go to work now BOO!

See you all tomorrow when I will be announcing the winner of this month's giveaway!

Lots of Love



xxxx