Dress Hunting at Yours

July is going to be a very busy month for us, and also a very expensive one! We have one of my closest friend's wedding and two christenings, including one for our to youngest. So I've started looking for dresses, much to the dismay of my husband, and my bank account. Hubby suggested I just buy one new dress and wear it for all three events.... I don't think so! But I do want to keep my spending as low as I can, but still look nice.

So the hunt is on! First up, what I found at Yours.

Black and Peach Floral Skater Dress

Mono and Red Polka Dot Floral Bardot Dress

AX Paris Floral Bardot Dress

Black and Red Poppy Dress

February Wishlist

January is finally over. It always feels like such a long month for many reasons - the end of Christmas/New Year celebrations, the return to the school routine, having no money and realising that another year has flown by and we are all just getting older! So what next...... well February of course! We are nearly 2 weeks into the shortest month of the year already, and that's crazy! But I'm now starting to think about new clothes I want to buy for the spring and intrigues to see what trends are going to come around this year.

So after some internet window shopping, I've made my February wishlist.

Taking centre stage in my wishlist this month is a lovely red body piece from Yours to celebrate Valentines Day. It's got a plunging neckline, lots of gorgeous lace and a cut out on the back to give it all you need to look and feel sexy. Also from Yours is this lovely bird print dress. Skater dresses are still my favourite style of dress for my body shape, and this could easily look lovely dressed up or down. 
Boots are great in any season, and I loved the look of these Chelsea boots with buckle detail. They would go nicely with dress but I love wearing my boots with skinny jeans or leggings also. Having the jeans/jeggings taper down to the ankle and then a nice chunky boot is my favourite look, and these berry jeggings from Evans are one of my favourite colours. I love the combination of burgundy and black together. 
Out of my comfort zone is the floral print sweatshirt from Simply Be, but it is something that I think I would grown to love. Again, team it with a nice pair of skinny jeans and some boots, or even the pink trainers from Evans, and I think it's something casual but with a little something extra. 
I'm trying to expand the pattern content in my wardrobe as I have noticed that most things are either black or just very plain. Even the little zip pocket detail on this top from Dorothy Perkins is a nice little touch to dress up a plain black shirt.

I'm back!

Hello!

I'm back after what seems like forever! 2016 went by in the blink of an eye, finding out and announcing our pregnancy, summer, getting ready for baby and then the safe but long arrival of our beautiful baby girl Lucy Rose (labour post coming up). Then between 1st November til now has been both kids birthdays, christmas and just getting back into a routine with all 3 kids and hubby.

I'm finally in a position to feel like I can write a post again, and make some time for me to do the things I enjoy. I really liked blogging, but lost my motivation for it when I was pregnant. I was living in leggings and spending most time either sleeping or working, so didn't have much to blog about. I wasn't buying new clothes or had any time to contemplate buying clothes, so didn't feel I had much to offer.

I'm still getting back into the swing of 'normal' life, but I know that I do want blogging to be part of it, and it's up to me to make that happen. First off, decking what I want it to be about, and at the moment that's going to be Lucy, food and crafting. But maybe fashion, TV and sport too. I just want the blog to reflect me and my life, and that's a mixture of everything, so expect the unexpected!

And Happy New Year ☺

Busy Times

My life is currently in the fast lane. My car is full of work, kids, being pregnant, running a PTA and just being a human, and I CANNOT wait for these next two weeks to be over and for a rest. The kids are off for a holiday with their mum, and Mike and I are heading down to Devon in my parents caravan for 10 days with Lulu. We haven't had a holiday to ourselves since summer 2010 and this is going to be our last chance to have one before the baby arrives and we have 3 kids with us! 

We have been up to North Yorkshire for the last two years to the same campsite, but this year we fancied a change and to head down south instead. Mike used to go to Dartmoor with his family every year when he was younger, so he wanted to take me down there and show me the sites. We have a list of places that we want to visit and things we want to do whilst down there, all dog friendly luckily! We spent Sunday with my parents and making sure the caravan is ok, gas working, changing water filter and giving it a bit of a clean, and just stepping into it made me excited. We used the caravan for our summer holiday last year and we really enjoyed ourselves and couldn't wait to book up this years trip. The campsite we have picked is just off an A road, so no little track roads to try and get through, and then only a 10 minute journey to the nearest town and supermarkets. As the caravan only has a small fridge, it's handy to have somewhere close to top up on supplies when we need to.

I have also made another order from the maternity range from Yours to top up my clothing supply for the holiday, including a couple more of the vest tops and some more of the crop leggings. Everyone in the house (apart from Lulu!) has been shopping for new clothes, especially as the kids are off to Malta and needed new summer bits for the nice weather they will have. So, after this weekend, I'll be focusing on packing all of their bits up and getting the last few bits they need before Friday evening when they go off to their mums. Then I have Saturday and Sunday morning to get all of our bits and bobs ready to head down to my parents on Sunday afternoon. Then we plan to head off by 5:30am on Monday for our time away. It will take about 4 1/2 hours to get to the campsite, but we have planned a stop for breakfast on the way down at a truck stop :) 

Right, I need to go and ice some cupcakes for the Sports Day at school tomorrow!

Maternity Must Haves

Since finding out I was pregnant, I started looking at maternity clothing. My usual daily outfits consist of skinny jeans and a top, but even at the start (6-8 weeks) of my pregnancy, I was finding the skinny jeans uncomfortable as they would push on the middle of my stomach.
I was pleasantly surprised one day on Instagram to see a fellow pregnant blogger who was wearing leggings from Yours Clothing. So, I popped over to their website and had a look through their Bump It Up Maternity range (visit here)

So my first thing to look at was some black leggings, as these would be useful for day to day use, including for work. I came across a few lengths of leggings, but for work, I needed the standard full length ones.

Being just over 6 feet, I was a little concerned these wouldn't be long enough for me, but actually they are pretty perfect. The comfort panel is a great size and they stay up really well, even after 5 hours on my feet at work. I have now bought 3 of these in black and one in the Charcoal Grey colour, just to mix it up a bit. They also have leggings in shorter lengths which I will be buying ready for the summer, just in case we actually get some nice weather! I like that they do each style in a few different colours, including black, navy blue, charcoal grey and a light grey.

Next up, I liked the look of their vest tops, which include secret support and are lovely and long. At the moment they only do them in black and white. Again, I knew that the black would come in handy the most, so bought that one first. I wear one under my work polo shirt just to keep my ever expanding tummy covered! I have now bought 2 more black and a white one too.

The Bump It Up Range seems to be growing each week, and I am sure I will be making more purchases soon!

Catch Up

Well hello! It's been a while..... quite a while infact. This year has started out busily and very excitingly for me and my family, so blogging and other things I enjoy seem to have taken a back seat unfortunately. So I have found myself at home, on a Saturday, children away and hubby doing some work in the garden, so I thought this is a time to get on the blog!

So as I mentioned in my new year post, I have been on Slimming World since January, and in total now, I have lost 2 Stone 4lbs :) I am so happy with how I've done so far, I was a little sceptical about how much it was actually going to work after doing diets in the past, but I was pleasantly surprised. For me, it has taught me how to eat more fresh food, and also cooking meals from scratch, such as Spaghetti Bolognase. In the past, I would just cook some mince and through in a jar of pasta sauce. I've learnt about cooking with fresh ingredients and simple dinners that take not too much longer than my old ways.

Then, on the 1st March, we found out I was pregnant! My goal all along was to lose weight so that hubby and I could try for a baby. We had been trying for a few years without any luck, so I thought a change in lifestyle, and health may play a part in us conceiving. And it looks like it worked! I am now 13 weeks pregnant. Still feels weird saying it! We have been trying for so long, I kind of gave up hoping, which I guess could have also helped us, Not worrying or stressing about getting pregnant.

So, I am now in the process of buying maternity clothes and bits and pieces, so I want to share my views and experiences when I do :) When I did start looking a potential clothes, I couldn't find many stores that did plus size, but I will be bringing some information and hopefully reviews when I get some bits.

So now I am going to get writing some posts and sorting pictures, maybe once I'm looking a little less tired - I am suffering from fatigue during this part of the pregnancy - but hopefully that will be ending soon!

Happy 2016!

I am currently sitting on my sofa with my laptop, listening to Craig David's Live Lounge cover of Justin Bieber's 'Love Yourself' whilst my husband plays GTA 5 with his brother, and I'm loving life. It has been ages since I have blogged, as life has been really hectic over the last few months, not a good excuse I know, but it's the only one I have!

2016 so far has consisted of me starting Slimming World, having a new nephew born and planning my life better! I have gone from being a stay at home, with not much going on, being able to blog more often, even vlog, to now working 3 days a week, being Chair of the PTA at my little one's school, running an after school craft club and still being a mum and wife! It's been a massive change I don't think I dealt with the change very well at the end of last year. So my - get ready for it - New Year's Resolution - is to just be more organised in my day to day life. I also want to make the most of my family and the time we have together.

So after all that resolution making, I want to make sure I make time to blog. I enjoy it and it's something that I can use to relax and talk about whatever I want. I just hope I can keep up with it!

So, on the topic of Slimming World.... A friend of mine from Jack's school had been on Slimming World for about 9 months and had lost over 5 stone, and was starting her own group not too far from where I live. So, I decided to join, stupidly on the 30th December.... but I didn't start the plan until Monday as it was too hard to start before the New Year celebrations! So I had my first weigh in today, 3 days in, and I've lost 3.5lbs! So pleased it's working so far and I plan to keep it up for as long as I need to. I've always been overweight, but I want to be healthier, fitter and one day have a baby, and I don't feel like that is something I want to do in my current health.

So there we go, my plan for this year! Happy New Year to you all :)

Birthday meal

As a treat for my birthday, my friend took me out for dinner at a lovely pub in my village. I have to admit that I had never stepped foot in there before.... it looked a little too fancy for me! But we decided to give it a go. A few weeks before, I had picked up a skirt from George at Asda, I think in the sale - bad blogger - as it was nice and long. It's not a skirt that I would usually go for, but I felt like giving it a go! So for my evening out, I just teamed it with a black vest top and my nude wedges.

H&M Scarf

Whilst out browsing for a new purse the other week, I popped into H&M to see what I could find. To be honest, it's not a shop I usually go in due to their size range, but have been in there with my daughter and cousin (skinny girls lol) before. So I had a quick look and they didn't really have anything I liked in regards to purses, but then a certain scarf bought my eye. I had planned on getting myself a nice infinity scarf this autumn to keep warm, and I really liked the look of this one.

 

 It's a knitted scarf with black and white wool, which gives it an overall grey look. I thought this would go with most outfits, which I am please to say it does! It is a great length, even for me, as I have found infinity scarves in the past to not be long enough for my large neck. This is a great length as standard, and I can wrap it round twice for that snuggly cold day.

 

 

I have been wearing this scarf most days of late as the weather has turned nasty and cold, but I don't mind as I love it. So soft and warm, and I think a great buy at £12.99. I think I'll definitely be popping into H&M more often to see what other accessories I can get hold of.

DP Curve

I was flicking through a magazine at work earlier this week and saw a big spread on the new Dorothy Perkins line.... and to my shock is was a plus size range! I used to shop in DP when I was younger, and a bit smaller, but haven't been in there, let alone bought anything in maybe 10 years. So I decided to have a peek, and I was pleasantly surprised. There is a nice range of bottom, tops and dresses, from size 18 to 28, and I have chosen my favourite few pieces to share with you.

 

 

First up is this grey and white 2 in 1 top. I have always liked this look, with a long shirt underneath a jumper, and I love the grey jumper. I would love to team this with some black skinny jeans and comfy shoes, and maybe a good colourful statement necklace as a focal point.

 

 

Next thing that caught my eye was this dip backed top in a light grey. I have been looking for some oversized tops to wear this autumn and this looks like it would be really comfortable. I like the 3/4 length sleeves and the scooped neckline and think it would go well with some leggings for a casual look.

 

 

Now i'm not sure if these would suit me, but I love the look of these treggings with a wet look. I think they are a lot more dressy than 'matt' leggings and could jazz up any top. Hopefully they have a bit of stretch to them!

 

 

Last but not least, there is this cute little black dress. I love the cure lace trim detail around the arms and bottom of the dress. This is a really sweet dress that you could dress up for a Christmas party, or make it more casual for an evening out with friends.

 

There is currently an offer for 25% off on orders made before midnight tonight, so hurry and take a look..... I think I'll be making a cheeky order this evening!

My Love of Crafting

I've always been creative. I loved doing cross stich with my mum when I was younger, but the back of mine was never as neat as hers! I'd sit and watch her crochet baby blankets, sewing badges on my school jumpers, and general clothing repairs. I think that's where it came from, my love of creating things, mending things and even taking one thing and turning it into something else.

About 18 months ago I went to a crafting day that my cousin was organising near where I used to live. It wasn't long after my wedding and I wanted to work on a little album to put some pictures in. So the day before, my cousin took me shopping to The Range to get basic supplies, card, embelishments and some other basics. I turned up with my handbag of bits and bobs ready to start, and I watched as ladies walked in with what can only be described as suitcases full of crafting amazingness! This was when I got hooked.

Dies, punches, inks, glitter, and so much more. It's been addictive! But I love it so much, and it's become a passion for me now. I have loved making my own cards for friends and family, for special occasions, trying out new designs and putting care and thought into each one. I've also made a few cards on request for friends, from new home, baby and birthday cards. Here are a couple I've made recently.

 

This care I made for my mum's birthday this year.

 

And this one was for my sister and her fiancée after they got engaged.

Happy September

Hello my friends!

 

Today is the first day of September, and I can't believe it. This year has flown by and I don't feel like I have done much. Next thing we know, Christmas will be around the corner, including both my kids birthdays, and an empty bank account for sure!

 

September is a busy month for us, and this year is no exception! The kids are both back to school this week, Mike is back into work routine after the holidays and the bank holiday weekend, and I have gone and got myself a job! Need to confirm hours this week, but should be starting soon. I am really looking forward to starting this new chapter of my life, and I'll be sure to let you know how I get on. We then have events pretty much every weekend, including one Saturday with two parties to go to!

 

Today, Maria and I went to Bluewater as we both needed clothes - I needed some black trousers for work, and she needed something to wear for my sister's wedding party this Saturday. Let me just explain why I have called it a party - her and her already husband actually got married earlier in the year when they were on holiday in Africa, but are now having a kind of wedding reception here for all their friends and family. I can't wait! I bought my outfit a few months ago, which includes this skirt from the Scarlett and Jo.

 

 

I'm teaming it with a plain black vest top and maybe a cream bolero - maybe a coat if this weather doesn't get any better! 

As we have got a few parties and events on this month, expect some OOTD posts for sure! I hope to bring some more throughout the rest of the year, I have missed talking about clothes, what I like, what is on trend and how they suit me, so I shall be back with a force this month with lots of outfit pics!!

Amaretti Biscotti

This recipe is one that I first tried back before Christmas when I was looking for a recipe for some nice little food treats as gifts for friends and family. They ended up being eaten by me and the kids as we liked them so much! If you like the taste, and smell, of almond, this is a recipe for you,  I found this recipe on YouTube by the lovely Chiappa Sisters, Italian Welsh sisters who share some great recipes on their channel. So here is how I made them.

 

 

 

Start by separating the egg yolks and whites into two bowls. With the yolks, combine them with the caster sugar until lumpy and mixed together. Then weigh out the ground almonds, then incorporate them into the bowl also.

 

 

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. You should now have a bowl of whipped whites, and a bowl of almond, egg and sugar.

 

 

Then you need to refrigerate the mixture for an hour to firm up. Once ready, form little balls with the mixture, ping pong ball sized is about right, but you can make them any size. They do spread out slightly in the oven, not too mush though, so you can fit plenty on a baking tray. Before putting them onto the tray, I rolled them in icing sugar. This gives them a great white look when cooked, and I love the cracking that forms over them once they are done. 

 

 

You can find the Chiappa Sisters recipe here.

 

 

 

Moving Forward

I am still here. Still alive, but not been 'here' for a what feels like a while now. Life sometimes just sneaks up on you, drops so many things on you to deal with, then rushes past like the road runner. This has been my life for what feels like the last few months. Coping with everything going on, getting things done, and sadly, not always doing the things I want to do. But now life is settling down, I have some quiet time as the kids are away for some time over these holidays, so time for me to think about what I want to do, not just with my time, but with this blog and how I want to move forward with it.

 

I have sometimes felt that I needed to put up a blog post about something, anything to just for the sake of it, and to keep readers interested. But it's kind of dawned on me over this time that the reason I started this blog was for me, about me and for me to keep my memories somewhere. If a reader likes what I write, great, and if they don't, that's ok too. This is my little space of the internet for my thoughts feelings, purchases, ideas and dreams.

 

So what now?

 

To be honest, I'm not sure. I know that I love blogging, writing, and being myself on here. I am juggling a lot at the moment, and I want to make sure I don't drop any of it. I want to write about things that interest me, that I care about and want to share with anyone out there that fancy's reading it. At the moment, I am applying for jobs, sorting our house and trying to make the most of the holidays before school sets in, and the PTA work begins!

So I will be back, I can't say with what, but I hope that I can interest at least one person with the things I post, help them, and maybe make them want to read more about me and my little life, that's fine.

 

See you soon.

Giggling Squid

For Father's Day this year, my sister-in-law arranged a lunch for my husband's family at a restaurant in Sevenoaks that they have eaten at and really enjoyed, The Giggling Squid. I had heard of the brand before, and seen a couple of friends on Facebook had been there to eat, so I was looking forward to trying it.

So, if you have never heard of it, Giggling Squid is a Thai restaurant that serves 'simple, rustic and fresh food from Thailand'. All the food is cooked by experienced Thai chefs and ingredients are also sourced locally. We were going for lunch, and their lunchtime menu is made up of 'tasting sets' or Thai Tapas, which means you can try different dishes at once.

Mike and I arrived at the restaurant first, and waited outside in the sun. They have some lovely tables outside for that al fresco dining experience if you wanted. The outside of the place is nice and light, with their logo on the décor - which I actually love by the way!

We had booked a table as there was 10 of us altogether, so when we arrived, we were led upstairs in this gorgeous building, where we had a whole room to ourselves - there were other tables available, but just us for the majority of our meal. The décor upstairs was so pretty, long lightshades that distributed the light really well, beautiful flowers in all of the little windows, and a wall of baskets - sounds strange, but seemed to go really well with the rest of the room.

  

 

We were greeted by a waitress who bought us all some water, then we got to have a look at the lunch menu. We had actually had a little look online the day before just to give us an idea of what we'd like. Mike and I aren't great lovers of spicy food, but I have enjoyed Thai food I have had in the past, but this was Mike's first try of it. We both went for one of their 'Tapas Sets' which consisted of 4 dishes, and there are 6 sets to choose from. I went for the 'Two Giggling Squids' set, with some Thai Dumplings on the side, and Mike decided on the 'Wealthy Squid' set. Whilst we were waiting for the food to come, we got some prawn crackers and sweet chilli dip, which we so delicious.

 

 

Then the food arrived and I could not wait to get tucked in!

 

Two Giggling Squids

 

Wealthy Squid

So we tucked straight in! My meal consisted of Salt and Pepper Squid, Chicken Massaman Curry, Jasmine Rice and Beef Salad, and also some Thai Dumplings on the side. I started off with one of those, and there were so good. They were packed full of meat, and tasted so good with the dipping sauce they came with. Then I couldn't wait to make a start on the squid - my favourite dish when I have an Asian meal. The batter on the outside was so crunchy and the squid was cooked perfectly. The Massaman curry was to die for. So creamy and full of flavour, and as I like it, not too spicy, and went so well with the well cooked rice. Lastly I tried the beef salad, which was a little on the spicy side as it had flakes of chilli all through it, along with cucumber, onion and a lovely dressing, was really tasty. Overall, I loved the food, and so did everyone else. We had 2 children with us too, and they had a mixture of dishes from the main lunch menu and they really liked the food too.

 

 

So, for our first Giggling Squid Thai Tapas experience, we were thoroughly pleased. I would definitely recommend the restaurant to friends, great atmosphere, amazing food and the staff were really helpful.

 

You can find more information about the Giggling Squid restaurants here.

Apple Muffins

I stumbled across this recipe a few weeks ago when I felt like making some breakfast muffins. The kids love an apple, and this was a good way to give them a bit of a treat along with that. I have a recipe I have shared before for an apple cake (here) but thought I'd give this recipe a go.

 

 

Swimming Fashion

So after I took a look at the swimsuits on offer on the Evans and Yours websites, I took a little trip to Bluewater to try some on. I had in my mind the ones that I had picked out online, and went into Evans to see which ones that had for me to try on.

 

 

First up was this navy and floral print swim dress. I liked that the bust area seemed to cover me up really well, and the print was really nice. It did feel comfortable, until I moved my arms and the straps twisted...

 

 

I turned it back over, but before I knew it, it had twisted back over again. I then looked at the back of it to see if I could lengthen the straps to solve the issue, and realised that the straps were not adjustable. On to suit number two.....

 

 

Going out of my comfort zone now with an all over floral print...... I really liked the look of this swim dress on the website and on the hanger, but the floral print over the bust area really made my breasts the main feature of this one. Again, the bust area did cover me well, this dress having twist front which was quite pretty. I think I would have loved this dress if the bust area was in black.

 

 

Onto Your....... Now, this was one of my favourites when I had a look through the Yours website. It's a combination of my two favourite things, purple and polka dots! So I was a little disappointed that once I got it up to my bust, I couldn't get it over them. The top on this is twisted, but didn't seem to have any 'give', or at least enough for me to get it on. Very sad.

 

 

Last, and by no means least, was this swim dress. Staying with the polka dot theme, I picked up this navy suit. Putting it on, I felt the 'tummy control' that is advertised, which made it a little tight to get on, but did feel good once I had put it on fully. The straps on this one were nice and thick, and I felt really secure in it, which was a big plus as that is the whole reason I needed to find a new swimsuit.

 

So I ended up going for the navy polka dot one from Yours. I was eager to try it out, so ended up popping home, grabbing my towel and heading to the swimming pool. And the swim dress did the job. I felt comfortable in it, and confident. And it kept everything in place, if you know what I mean..... Winner all round.

Swimsuits

I've had the same swimsuit for about 7 years now, I bought from Bon Marche. I really liked it, Black with blue polka dots, nice neckline and fitted well. But after 6 years, lots of swimming, and the likely chance that I have got larger over that times means that I now need to buy a new swimsuit. I tried swimming yesterday morning, and I expose myself after about 3 strokes of front crawl! So after finishing off the swimming doing the aptly named breast stroke, I've come home and decided to take a look at some possible new swimsuits from Bluewater as it is 15 minutes from me, and want to go and get it Wednesday morning. So here are my favourites from the plus size shops there.

 

 

I do seem to like a polka dot.... This swim dress caught my eye when I glanced through the swimsuits on the Evans website. I do prefer a swim dress as it just makes me feel more comfortable when walking through the changing rooms and pool area. The bust area looks like it will be really supportive, and the straps are adjustable so can be work cross over the back or as a halterneck.

 

This swim dress from Yours looks really nice. I like the contrast between the black skirt part and the floral top with a flattering V neck. This dress also comes with 'Tummy Control' for a 'flattering fit' which always comes in handy!

 

Another swim dress that I liked from the Yours website was this navy polka dot one. I really like the neckline on this dress, and looks like that it will be nice and supportive in the bust area. Again this one has the 'Tummy Control' so would give me a bit more confidence in and out of the pool.

 

 

 This swim dress is from Evans and is a little bolder than any swimsuit I have ever owned..... But I do really like the look of it. It is a black base with an all over tropical floral print. It again, like the other Evans swim dress has the twisted style bust, which looks very flattering.

 

I am still undecided between the ones I have found, but I am planning on a shopping trip Wednesday morning and see which one I prefer once I get them on.