I have just come to realise its my 31st Birthday in a weeks time and to be honest I have not completely thought about it being so close to Christmas. I did however have a small wishlist which I thought I would share with you , some of which , my husband already treat me to last week while we were out clothes shopping for the little ones Christmas wrap ups. In all honestly , I originally only asked for a couple of winter jumpers , I like to get them in a bigger size so they are slounchy and comfortable to wear, I do not like the tight fitted ones. It is all I was truly in need of after putting on a little weight this past year and growing out of last years thick sweatshirts. The weather is drastically getting colder and I am the type of person who covers myself in a fleece in summer so I am not looking forward to being cold at all. Being in Primark after spending a couple of 000's on the kids , my husband asked me to pick out a couple and so I picked out these two . £12 - Bumblebee , long length knitted jumper. That evening my sister informed my husband he had to pop in while out to pick up a couple of bags. When he got home he realised she had sent over three bags of clothes, jumpers, and some rather nice tops which I was very grateful for , in fact the husband then grunted as if to say , ''So I bought you two jumpers and she gives you 10, typical?'' I had to laugh , love having an older sister lol. Another item which I was in desperate need of was foundation. I had been using the Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in shade pebble but it seems to be looking very flakey and caked on the skin these past couple of months and so I was in dyer need of changing it . Not only was the shade totally incorrect after my skin tone had changed to the pale winter complexion but I also think that when the shade was picked by the lady at the counter , she chose a slightly darker, pinky tone which was not the shade I was in need of. The lady at the counter sat me down and gave me a lovely makeover . For the first time in a long time , I had actually felt refreshed and well enough to go out wearing no makeup and so it made things a lot easier for her , unlike the embarrassing moment I had to be cleaned down with wipes to try the Estee Lauder 6 months prior . It seemed that my skin had lightened quite significantly and to be honest the lady was fantastic in finding my perfect match within minutes . She was lovely , for some reason , not many of the ladies at the makeup stores in the Debenhams I have been to make me feel very comfortable but Urban Decay stalls, I always seem very welcomed at. After finding my match of the shade 3.5 ( which I have to admit , If I had to look for it myself in store or on line , I would have completely got it wrong, it looks so dark on line but in fact is very pale on the skin ) , the lovely chatty lady then continued to add the contour and blush and I felt amazing when she had completed my look. The foundation felt very light weight and I could hardly notice that I was wearing any foundation at all, the only difference I could see was that my face looked even toned thanks to the foundation and It gave me a a natural finish which is exactly what I was after although the lady did say it was buildable to a full coverage if needed, which I do like to use for special occasions. The foundation which I ended up taking home with me is Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid and compared to the previous foundation I was using it was a steal at only £27.00 and looked and felt so much better . A little glimpse of how natural it makes my skin look. Whilst scouring Debenhams for a school coat for our eldest daughter , my husband pulled me to one side to ask if I wanted the new Urban Decay Vice Palette but I refused politely on the fact that I was not keen on the shades and the palette looked like it had a lot of fallout compared to the amazing Naked Palettes I currently use religiously . I opted to get the Naked 2 instead , Naked 3 is my daily wear palette and use nothing else so I know how long they last and they were most definitely worth every penny , £37.00 . As I spoke to her, I realised she had an eye catching shadow on, it was very natural but I could see a very slight shimmer sparkle to it , she was very pretty and it was fascinating. I was secretly hoping my husband would pick it up after my slight hint, but I had emptied his bank balance already for the kids and the foundation, palette and jumpers so was not grumbling.
But there is always a list to be added to for the next treat , Christmas is not far of either. The shadow was Moondust eye shadow in Space cowboy, I have looked previously seen this but the way the lady at the counter had applied it made it look 10 times better than I had seen previously and cost £14. So there we have it, not much of a list but these are things which I really needed and wished for my birthday , the only item I need now is the Space cowboy and my list is complete. Well until Christmas anyway ! What is your wishlist of November, will you be celebrating your birthday too?
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It has been 2 years since my husband and I said our vows. The changes in our circumstances as a family have changed quite dramatically over a very short length of time and one thing we have come to realise is that we never get the us time that we hoped for and used to have . Last Monday on the 8th September , my husband took the day of from work to try and spend some quality time together by going out for a meal and some shopping therapy . It was lovely but always having to rush home is something we have kind of become used to now there are 6 children under our roof. Don't get me wrong , my husband and I absolutely love our children but with the big changes and constant testing of juggling work and a big family , we have felt a little distant from our relationship. We are still totally in love but being able to share that with each other with the children running around us 24/7 , it has been found to be almost impossible as of late. We most definitely were in need of a break , a night away , just somewhere to relax and enjoy each others company with no children and last week , my husband surprised me by telling me the children were going to their grandparents and we were to be going away for the weekend. I was a little dubious at first, first, thinking the plans for babysitters would be cancelled due to some natural force of typicality which we were used to ,and up until the children were taken to their grandparents, we pleaded in hope all would be well. We packed our suitcase , turned of the phones, prepared for the weekend then jumped in the car to set of to our destination. It still felt surreal that we were actually going away for the night and not having children following us but we were ready for it and definitely going to make the most of it . We arrived at the hotel at around 12pm and dropped our bags of before heading of into the city because our room was not going to be ready till 2pm . The Hotel my husband had picked for us was The Royal Station Hotel, situated in the city centre and as we walked into the entrance to visit the reception area we were immediately drawn to the fantastic Victorian Hallway and the stunning long winding staircases with spectacular hanging chandeliers . If only I could have one in my house lol. The stunning chandelier and floors of the hotel Having 2 hours to spare , we decided to take a stroll into the city centre and go for something to eat. We had no idea where we were going, we had never been to Newcastle except for the Museum and the Metro Arena but it was right next to the hotel and so it did not take long for us to see the local McDonalds . Haha, I know what your thinking! ''McDonalds on a romantic break away?'' Yes, I was starving and we only wanted something light for dinner . I really am not fussy when it comes to food . My husband had informed me that he had booked tickets to a comedy show for the evening and beforehand we were to be going for a meal so I definitely did not want to ruin my appetite . I do not think we realised how big the city was, it was way bigger than we had anticipated and so it was not long before our legs were caving in but the beautiful buildings kept us going further into the centre . Newcastle is most certainly a sight seeing attraction, there is so much to see and do but we had no time to fit it in, so once we had something to eat we headed back to the hotel for 2pm and took our bags up to our rooms . Our accomodation The on suite My husband had chosen the biggest room , it was so spacious and clean and they had even left us bathrobes and slippers with a complimentary filled fridge . YEP, Those kit kats came in handy at 1am strolling in from the evening show after my husband had been chased from the closed railway station by the security guard with me in my complimentary dressing gown and slippers after he was in search of a burger king. I stepped straight over to the dressing table, all lit and ready for my hair,makeup and body care to be placed ready and made my self at home so to speak. The on suite was newly designed and modern , of course my first protocol was to check out the complimentary bath products and could not wait to have a soak in it but first thing was first, hubby fancied a drink in the downstairs restaurant before we had to get ready for the evening out. Enjoying a drink and each others company in the Empire restaurant It was lovely to sit with my husband and relax. We enjoyed each others company and most of all realised we still held the flame . Not wanting to over do it by having to much to drink , we took ourselves back to the hotel room and the room service arrived with The Royal Tea which my husband had ordered while booking the room. The Royal Tea was a selection of finger sandwiches , cream cakes and scones, all fresh with tea and coffee . Finger sandwiches-
Freshly baked fruit and plain scones with Northumberland clotted cream and preserves .
Choice of specialist tea and coffee We were definitely enjoying them, the only thing we did not like was the salmon sandwiches but the scones with clotted cream was amazing as well as the strawberry tartlets. Not one thing was left , we devoured it all. So much for saving space for our tea . The gorgeous High tea We soon realised the time was flying by and we needed to get ready for the evening out. As the hubby filled me a bath and I got our clothes hung and ready , he gave his shoes a polish (he was rather happy to find a complimentary shoe shine , it is not something I admitadly forgot to pack). In no time at all , we were all ready and we set of to The Stand where my husband had booked our tickets for the comedy show. We were so excited, not only was it a first time for us but we also felt the day was going amazingly well that we knew we were going to have a fabulous night . In between the iconic Georgian architecture of Grey Street and the hustle and bustle of the Bigg Market you’ll find The Stand which is situated on the cobbles of High Bridge Street . There are live comedy shows every evening and the bistro is open all day, every day, serving spectacular freshly made food and a mix of drinks . What struck ups firstly was the fabulously friendly service from the young ladies who served us at the bar and took our orders at the table. One of the ladies even went on to personally go downstairs to the evening comedy club to reserve us a table even though we were 1 and a half hours early . We shifted through the menu , not knowing anything about the bistro. We had no idea how the meals would be presented and most of all unsure of size and flavours. My husband decided to go for his most loved meal , the 8 oz steak with roasted herb tomatoes , green beans , mushrooms and a fantastic sauce which me and my husband forgot the name of. I myself had decided to go for the Thai Massaman chicken curry served with a bowl of sticky rice and naans. Turning up in front of us , we both looked in dismay at the sight of them wondering what on earth they would taste like but we never imagined the flavours to be so amazing, we were sitting down to what can only be described as our best ever meal. It was truly breathtaking as to how magnificent the food tasted, the textures , presentation and flavours and aromas were bouncing around in our mouths , my taste buds had never tasted anything quite like it before and I would definitely recommend the food to be tried by anyone looking for an amazing experience. Compliments to the chef on his exceedingly great talent. Sticky rice and naans After filling our tummies with the devine meal , we headed into the beer garden where we enjoyed a drink before the show started. The whole place , bar, restaurant and garden were so calm and relaxing with a friendly atmosphere, we were having a lovely time and very excited for the show to begin so made our way down to the table which the lovely lady from the restaurant had reserved for us. It filled up very quickly and there were a few people standing so if you do decide to go, getting there early is advisable. Although I did ask if I could use my camera previous to our visit and was advised it was allowed to take pictures during the show , I was asked by the lady who worked there to not take them so I was a little peeved to say the least. Luckily the show was so entertaining I forgot all about it and sat laughing till my sides split. Dan Nightingale , The lost voice , Phil Ellis, Jason John Whitehead had us both creased over in our seats unable to breath at their not to be taken personally cheeky humour. They seemed to enjoy ripping into the audience , the Walkers crisp boss, the T-shirt guy, The birthday boy and last but not least the most entertaining of the lot was the Liver data base consultant, Dominic who spent his whole evening sat on his own eating his nachos having the whole team try to make friends and make him a legend of the evening lol. After what can only be described as an hilarious night of laughter, we enjoyed a last drink with the comedians in the garden and bistro then headed back to the hotel for one last drink. Frankly our feet were throbbing and we were dying to put our feet up and rest our old bones. In the morning we were awoken by the hotel wake up call we had asked for . We had breakfast to go to and after the few pints we had enjoyed last night it was in deed very welcome along with their fresh cold orange juice which I have to admit I think I drank by the gallon that morning. It was basically eat all you want full English breakfast and for the price of £7.50 each, we have to say it was definitely worth every penny. Having to pack up the room and be signed out by 11am , we decided to go lie down for an hour with our over filled tummies and then head of to the Castle keep. I would have to say firstly that it is advised to wear flat shoes unlike Ii did. I did not prepare for Newcastle and its up hill walks and most certainly not the steps that were very steep and forever ongoing in the castle. Also the fact we had over indulged again with our breakfast we were already in an uncomfortable state of walking them all. After a very tiring but worthwhile climb , we headed back to the hotel for our 3 course sunday lunch and filled our tummies once again .
We most definitely over indulged this whole weekend but the food has to be one of the best experiences we have ever had in both the Stand and the Empire and both places we will be visiting again . We grabbed our suitcases and made our way home, the experience was fabulous, we enjoyed every moment of it and hope to visit again . It was definitely very much needed and I can for sure admit that our bones are aching with all the walking and our bellies are over loaded with the fabulous food we consumed in such a short time being there. The hotel was stunning, so clean , comfortable and welcoming and the show was our highlight of the whole visit with amazing , friendly comedians who were very chatty to their visitors . We would like to thank the lovely ladies at the Stand Restaurant for being so kind , helpful and serving us with the utmost top quality friendly natter and smiles , reserving us a table at the venue and serving us with the best meal we have ever experienced and also to the hotel staff at the Royal Station Hotel who made us feel very welcome , relaxed and ensured we were looked after in the Empire and hotel room at all hours . Most of all I would like to thank my husband though, without him , the weekend would not have been made possible, made an effort to make it the best time for us both in all areas and I thoroughly enjoyed spending my every minute with him , laughing out the hotel and relaxing in tranquil peace inside the hotel. Love you and here is to our next anniversary . Being on the Social network non stop can sometimes lead to meeting wonderful people and this lady and her talent I am about to talk about is no exception. Who are Nic Nacs Greeting Cards? Nicola Heales is a home made card maker and I love the reason as to why Nicola started out . We all seem to have our down days, Nicola has always seemed very churpy and chatty to me but I never really knew her feelings before she set out with her hobby. Nicola was going through a stage of misbelief. She believed that she was never any good at being creative or making things but a close friend shared her experiences of making greeting cards and from there Nicola Heales ended up with a new venture and has now lead her not only to believe in herself but also do something she now loves and enjoys doing. Nicola designs and makes all her home made greeting cards herself. First it started from her making them for friends and family but now she has her own online shop where you can buy them with confidence that your personalised card is made with care and love. Nic Nacs Greeting cards can set you back from only £2.50 for the smallest A5 card to £10.95 for an Extra large card and for me no price can be put on a handmade gift . After chatting with Nicola on many occasions over a twitter meetup , she offered to send me some of her work and I received them in the post the other day. I used to look after a lady who also made greeting cards and I can appreciate the hard work and care that goes into every single one . The detail of each card has to be perfect and making them are a costly ordeal. It is hard to find new and unique ideas for cards making and new techniques come thick and fast so seeing the quality and styles grow in small businesses like this gives me pleasure in seeing them grow. Here are some of the fabulous cards that were sent to me and my family .......... As you can see these beautiful personalised greeting cards are perfect for adding that special touch to any occasion. They really are made with care and love and there was not only me in my family that could appreciate that. My son who is just 4 years old loved the pirate one and wanted to keep it and give it to his big brother for his upcoming birthday in 3 weeks time . My favourite (although there were a couple I found hard to choose from) was the camping vans birthday one. You can see for yourself how lovely these are, I have put mine away for upcoming birthdays, celebrations and anniversaries and I know my family and friends will love them . I love a home made card, it means more to me than a bought one from the store.
Nicola adds sparkle and gems on her cards in the right places and I love them all . Thank you Nicola Heales, you are truly talented and I wish you all the very best in your upcoming adventure in card craft creations. If you wish to find out more about Nic Nacs , please take a look here where I am sure Nicola will be happy to speak with you over some cake and tea. Nicola Heales Twitter Nic Nacs Website Nic Nacs Homemade cards Facebook So the week has been quite a bad one , you know when you wake up and just feel down? You hate your hair, the wrinkles on your face, the extra chins that have appeared and the roundness of your face enlarging each day, Well today I decided to get up put some makeup on and try and get some new pictures for my profile pictures on my social network sites. To be honest , it just felt like one of those days where I could not be bothered but I had my sons first introduction to school dinners to go to. He starts full time in September and so he will be eating at school like the rest of them . They asked us parents if we wanted to sit with them on the first day and the second day, (which is today) they would go on their own and so I jumped at the chance of getting dinner made for me lol. A little self love is all a person needs sometimes and I find that by looking in the mirror seeing something you do not like and trying to enhance that area in a picture , it makes me feel better sometimes. I was bullied in my very early school years for having small eyes, big teeth and a huge forehead . In fact it was my biological parent that was the one who started it at the age of only 6 years old. We do not speak and I have very personal reasons for that. She used to make fun of my squinty eyes and large teeth when I smiled. From a small age it has stuck with me and even now I smile not showing my teeth, try to open my eyes wide which makes me look unnatural and freaky sometimes. People can be so mean and for me, I have come to learn that I am myself in my own way and I think that taking the odd selfie can make you feel better in yourself, making you realise that you are beautiful even with those imperfections. Having camera at the ready , I tried helplessly to find a picture I liked and although it is rare I like any I spotted a couple where I felt pleased with the outcome. Here is my day in Playing with my selfies. There seems to be always a discussion from certain people when it comes to me and my pictures, they say I edit them and yes I do, but not to the extent they may think. There are a few sites where you can tweak your pictures but I love to use Photobucket . It is free and I do not have to go through umteen procedures like making myself look thinner or perfect just tweak the lighting and size although the options are there for covering blemishes and whiten teeth if you wish . I want to show you before and after shots . This is to show you how I transformed the original picture into something I preferred, which is the picture on the right. I will walk you through how I have done this, just for those who like to say I fully photoshop my pictures to the point I remove any imperfections and such , when in fact its only lighting (which I do not have in my house in respect that my house is quite dark ) and resizing as I always aim the camera too far to block out any background. Step by step
That is it, I know it is not much but this is how I do my pictures and I like the ending result. You do not need to whiten your teeth, tweak at your blemishes or rub out the areas to make you look thinner, simply play with yourself and for me , a little lighting is all that is needed. Here is another I had done yesterday too. Ok so I got snap happy I have to admit, but when I do this , it makes me feel better about myself. This was the same but instead of using orientation I just used crop to cup out any of the background . Like before I used Avenue but then added Concorde afterwards which is a deeper black and white contrast. I love using this one as it seems to work well with the natural bone structure of my face which I can not see . I have come to realise after having my hair straight for the past 30 years that I actually have a better result with my photos if I curl my hair . It seems to bring more structure to the effect and shapes my face better . For my final picture of yesterday it was one of me and my son which I did not use anything to edit it at all .
See I am not perfect, I hold the creases on my forehead like everyone else, but to me this picture is perfect , just look at his smile. Today is Friday and every week my husband goes to the local Aquarium shop to collect water for our marine tank. Today I went along and as always went to admire the marine fish that were in their tanks. Every time I go , I am not so interested unless this stunning fish is boasting its glamour at me. It is the one fish that captures my attention every time guaranteed and I can not bear to walk away with just one glance. He seems to be showing off, spreading out like peacock showing its feathers and boasting of its spectacularity, totally amazes me. We have a few lovely fish but nothing like this although each visits makes me want it just that little bit more. Since before changing to marine , we have always admired the most beautiful fish , well beautiful to us ''Pterois also known as the Lionfish'' Of course I had to take some pictures of it! A Lionfish is one of the venomous fish known and it looks beautiful but very dangerous. The Lion fish have long and separated spines and they have a generally striped appearance red, green, navy green, brown, orange, yellow, black, maroon, or white. The Lionfish are native to the Indian and Pacific oceans but various species can be found all over the world. They are also known as the Turkey Fish or Dragon Fish and has long poisonous spines that are deadly to many marine creatures. The Lionfish sting is not usually deadly to humans but it will cause severe pain, headaches and vomiting. Lionfish don't attack people unless provoked, but in case you get stung you should immediately soak the area in hot water and seek medical help. We have always wanted one of these beautiful creatures in our tank but I respect that it is mean to be in the sea and that is where it shall remain for me.
They are very captivating and mesmorising , absolute wonders of the creature world and I for one will stay clear, I am just fascinated by its beauty. Have you seen a fish like this before, what do you think of it? |