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Hello lovelies, how are you all? It's early Saturday morning, Mark's gone off to work like postmen do at these foggy times of the day, and I'm finally ready to blog. What started as a tiny blogging break ended up as a huge I've not posted in almost 2 months scenario. I've missed you all, and my little blog, lots! It's been a challenging time, but also an exciting time, and I'm going to catch you up on what's been happening lately. Settle down and get comfortable!
First of all, Mark, Rufus & I finally made the leap from staying at my mum's house to our own lovely little rented apartment. It's described as a coach house and it's just perfect for us! It was quite stressful making the actual move, and it was quite a while after our official moving date that we actually moved in. On the day of us getting the keys, I noticed all the things that I hadn't noticed on viewing and I felt overwhelmed by the move. After a big clean, and the addition of our belongings, it feels much more like home. Now that we're living there, we love it. We love having our own space and freedom, and choosing furniture and other things makes the creative side of me so happy! We've still a lot of unpacked boxes around, but we're finally getting there.
On moving day, Rufus had to go on his first ever trip to the vets, because he was a poorly little fluff. We were given three different medications for him, and he was totally exhausted by them. I think he was also a little shaken after being handled by someone he didn't know. He's on the mend now, though we're not sure if he's still not quite himself or if he's still settling in after the move. He's got one more course of his last medication to have next week, then we'll take him to get checked over to make sure he's fully recovered.
Whilst all this moving business was going on, I was on the search for extra hours in the form of a second job or a full time job. A couple of months back, I had an interview for a new store opening in Leicester. I was offered the job, but afterwards it turned out the hours weren't what they'd promised, so I turned it down. I was offered this job two further times! The latest offer having been just a couple of weeks ago when I randomly received a phone call offering me 40 hours a week. But through the power of Facebook & friends, I got a temporary job in a lovely little tearoom. This has meant that mostly I've been working 7 days a week, 6 days on a good week. I've been tired and somewhat grumpy! But I've really enjoyed working with the lovely staff at the tearoom, and will miss it when I leave the week after next. My manager in my local newsagent job offered me enough hours to keep me, so I'm staying put for a while.
Then there's my studying with the Open Uni. This is something else that, as well as blogging, has had to take a backseat in such a hectic period of my life. I managed to keep up to date with everything until my final assignment of this module, when I tried to get an extension. Unfortunately, they said the extension this time wasn't possible. But luckily, with my two previous assignment results being high enough, I was able to skip it and still pass as long as I pass the exam. Which is where it gets messy! The day of the exam is the day we go on holiday to Barcelona (12 days!!), and the OU say that going on holiday isn't a good enough reason to miss it. Despite the holiday having been booked in January, when this course started in March. But I'll get on the phone on Monday morning and attempt to negotiate something..!
I'm one of those people that struggles with change, and it takes me a little while to adapt and to feel comfortable again. But lately I've been embracing change and the positive things it can bring. It's been difficult in places, and some things aren't quite worked out yet, but I'm staying positive and enjoying the happy place I'm at now. I can't wait for the break our holiday brings, and to do some exploring in a new place! If anyone has any recommendations of places to eat, see or things to do, I'd love to know!
Thank you to anyone who made it to the bottom of this lengthy post, and I promise normal blogging will resume soon. I don't know how soon, but I do know it's good to be back :)
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Hello again wonderful readers, I haven't half missed blogging and catching up with you all lately. It's been a hectic time, Mark and I made the big move on Sunday. It's taking some adjusting and some settling in, but I think we're getting there. Mark started his new job as a postman yesterday, and I've got myself a little job in the local paper shop to get us by for now. My next OU course started last weekend too, so I've got lots of organising and studying to do! Next job on the list... clearing out my old wardrobe here ready for my mountain of clothes!
1. We went to Knowsley safari park and it was amazing! I couldn't recommend
it enough, and will be doing a post with all the photos soon.
2. I started watching the BBC series Hair, and I'm loving it! I didn't know
what it was about when I saw the adverts, but now I'm totally hooked. Have you
been watching? Who's your favourite?
3. It was my first Mother's Day as Rufus's momma and he (Mark!!) spoilt me!
They got me a beautiful big bunch of daffodils and this pretty card. Which
Rufus promptly nibbled on for me!
4. Last week I met Sam of All I Know Now for some shopping in Liverpool. There
was definitely cake involved! It was so lovely to meet Sam and to put a face to the
name (so to speak!). It was the first time I've ever met a blogger, I was nervous
but I had a fab day and hope to see Sam again! Check out her blog post here.
5. Saturday just gone was my last day at work. It was sad to know I wouldn't be
working there again, with the lovely people I work with. I was very spoilt with
cards, chocolates, vouchers and more - I'm so lucky to have met & worked with
such wonderful people and I'm going to miss them all!! Even the customers!!
6. Sunday was of course moving day. Fitting everything in the car was a task,
and we've still left things behind. I left most of my clothes as we're visiting
soon, so we'll bring more then! Unpacking was worse than packing!! Finding
space for all of our things hasn't been easy, but it's slowly getting there.
Please bear with me whilst I'm catching up, things will get back to normal soon :)
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Good morning! I've got some lovely snaps to share with you this week, and a gorgeous Post of the Week too. Last weekend with my family was perfect. We arrived late Saturday night, and got up at 6.30am to go to a car boot sale with my mumma, and our family friends Lynn & Maxine. There were many treasures to be had, and our new space is looking very homely indeed now. We spent the rest of the day wandering in the woods with my younger siblings, before the Liverpool game and a delicious Chinese with all of my family. I'd like to say here, that mumma bear is on Day 12 of no smoking - she's doing amazingly, well done mumma!
1. A sneaky peek at our new room at my mum's! I can't wait to share it with
you all once it's totally finished. It's coming together!
2. Phoebe and Indigo climbing this lovely big tree. After a short time in a
rather boring, very muddy playground, we went for a walk around the woods at
Burbage Common. We discovered a little den, and had a lovely time exploring!
3. I received the most beautiful double sided gift wrap from Nicola over at
The Chalk Lion. It's such good quality and so pretty!! Nicola is a lovely
lady too, look at her gorgeous designs on Etsy.
4. I've been enjoying my last few weeks at work before the big move. I finish
on the 5th April, scary! I really do love my job, so I'm quite sad to leave.
5. This week's post of the week goes to the very beautiful Emma at Highland
Fling. Every time I see one of Emma's posts, she makes me want to be more
lithe and ladylike. This post is probably my favourite ever, with Emma seen
wandering in the woods, pretty curls blowing in the wind.
What was your favourite thing about this week?
Don't forget to enter my giveaway with Karys to win a foxy print!
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Hello lovelies, this week has been kind of exciting and kind of scary! Mark had some good news regarding a new job, in a new area..! So one of my 15 by 2015 goals will be getting ticked off (the big move!). I keep going from excited to scared and back again. I have to hand in my notice at work on Monday, and Mark is handing in his tomorrow. Then in March we'll be moving into my mum's whilst we get ourselves on our feet and I find a new job. In other exciting news, last night for the first time Rufus was following me around in his little ball - too cute!
1. A little while ago Sam sent me this book, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
This week I've been getting really into it, and just started Part 3. It's an
interesting and captivating read so far. It's something very different for me.
2. I've found an unhealthy addiction to Costa hot chocolate with marshmallows
no cream (yuck!). Those dark chocolate dipping sticks are divine too!
3. The lovely Sam has sent me another book to read this week, with a lovely
note. Thank you Sam!! Don't forget to donate to Samantha's JustGiving :)
4. This is my favourite combination of OPI polishes, Dulce De Leche with the
gold glitter crackle over the top. It's very chip resistant, perfect for work!
5. Because we're moving into my mum's conservatory, we needed a bed that was
multifunctional. This lovely Ikea Hemnes Day-bed will act as a sofa, a bed,
and much needed storage! It's also a good excuse to buy lovely big cushions!
What was your favourite thing about this week?
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Firstly, happy Valentines day dear readers! I hope you're all having a lovely one whatever it may involve. This week has not been the best of weeks, we had a horrendous journey to my mum's on Wednesday that took 5 and half hours instead of the usual 2 - fallen trees in the road, bad winds and heavy rain was not fun. I did have a lovely day at home on Thursday though, involving taking my mum to a retail park and a couple of things below. I'm behind with everyone and everything, but I hope your week has been better!
1. Mark's valentines surprise I mentioned last week is tickets to see both
Fantastic Mr Fox and Moonrise Kingdom at FACT Liverpool - exciting!
2. I have eventually finished the drawing part of this picture for my little
siblings, now I just need to finish painting it and pop it in the frame.
3. A couple of hours on Thursday were spent with my best friends, Leah and
Nicola. This involved lots of chatting, catching up, hot chocolates, and of
course cuddles with little Belle (who is 3 months now!!).
4. Thursday tea time was spent round at our family friend's house, eating
yummy pancakes and having a lovely time. It's always nice to get together.
5. Today (Valentines day) would have been my dad's 49th birthday. It's a day
tinged with sadness, and every year I try to do something to remember.
How has your week been?
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Check headband - Burberry via Audrey
Half & half choker - Cinderela B via Steph of faiiint
Navy blazer - Zara via Barnardos charity shop £1.99
L/S top - Orla Kiely for Uniqlo around £14.90
Molotov Kenta skinny jeans - All Saints £85
Frankie flats - Sam Edelman Birthday gift
Gold & black leather chain bag - Vivienne Westwood via Ebay £102
Hello lovelies, I'm finally sharing my new hair with you! I had my hair done almost 5 weeks ago now, and I still love it just as much now as I did then. Me and my mum went to Paul Kavanagh Hair Studio nearby to where my mum lives. I've not had my hair salon coloured for many, many years, and I'm always reluctant to try someone new. Paul is a friend of the family, and my sister Willow's best friend's dad (did you get that?!).
On the whole I kept my hair my natural dark brown, and Paul put foils through the underneath - some caramel and some copper. It took a very long time (all day!!) and Paul was very precise, making sure everything was perfect and as we wanted it. He cut my hair too, and it's much more manageable now than before. I love it, it's exactly how I wanted it, colours and all! I love how subtle it is, but if I pin back the front section of my hair I can make it more noticeable.
I wore this lovely Burberry headband I won (thanks Audrey!), and loose straightener curls from the day before. I think this whole outfit has a Blair Waldorf feel to it - thanks mostly to the headband! How much of a bargain was this blazer?! In my local Barnardos, all clothes are £1.99 each!
Were you a Blair or Serena fan?
Don't forget my Ebay auctions end tonight!
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Hello you gorgeous lot, I thought I'd come and share some of my Christmas snaps with you before the festive season has passed. I had the most wonderful time with all of my family and Boxing Day with our dear friends. Christmas morning in the Brown household was pretty chaotic, what with three young children and the usual mountain of presents to get through. We all got some fabulous gifts and I can't wait to show you mine! There were about 500 photos from the two days, so to have whittled it down to these few collages was some mean feat!
Christmas Day
Christmas day did of course end with us watching all of the hour long soap episodes (Emmerdale, Corrie, Eastenders!), drinking Baileys and eating Pringles. And what Christmas would be complete without Bridget Jones?! We watched 1 on Christmas eve, and 2 on Christmas day. How cute is Indigo's bunny eared blanket?! I got it from H&M.
Boxing Day
Boxing day was also a wonderful day, a lazy morning followed by getting ready in the afternoon to see some of our nearest and dearest at our local village hall, which we usually hire out for Christmas day but mixed it up a bit this year. There was a bit of a funny moment when we realised we'd only brought wine with a cork, and didn't have a corkscrew..! We sorted it out in the end, and ate lots of nice buffet food followed by lots of delicious dessert.
The outfit
Lace top Mango via carboot sale £3.00
Black denim jeggings M&S Collection £7.00 sale
Lois flatforms Carvela Kurt Geiger Christmas gift
Oversized tote bag Luella Birthday gift
Pink gold Gem Aurora earrings Vivienne Westwood £55.00
Dusky pink & black wool biker Maison Scotch via TK Maxx £30.00 sale
I wore this same outfit to Mark's family's Christmas meal on the Sunday before Christmas. I love how easy to wear it is, but it still looks like I made a bit of an effort with the pretty lace top. This Maison Scotch jacket was most definitely my bargain of the year - originally around £200, I found it hidden on a coat sale rail in TK Maxx with a red sticker on the label at just £30. I didn't need another jacket at all, but I tried it on and the splash of colour is so unusual for me that I had to have it. I think the dusky pink is a shade I can get away with against my pale skin. I've had these Vivienne Westwood earrings for a while now, I wasn't sure on the drop at first but now I've really fallen in love with them.
Have you posted a Christmas period OOTD? Or a Christmas present post? Link me in the comments :)
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Rufus, Mark & I would like to wish you lovely people a very merry Christmas! I'm posting this on Christmas Eve because Christmas day is sure to be crazy in the Brown household! I hope everyone gets what they wished for, and I hope you all have a wonderful day surrounded by the people you love. See you in a few days! x x x
Rules
Answer all ten questions below, make sure to add The Christmas Cracker Tag logo (above) somewhere in your post, tag as many bloggers as you like to do the tag, comment on the blogs you have tagged to let them know!
One: What’s on your Christmas list?
I don't really have a Christmas wishlist, with my birthday being December 1st I usually ask for anything I want then :) I'm excited to see what I get though!
Two: What’s on your Christmas Day agenda?
For the first time in a few years we're all staying at home, my brother Zach and my brother Josh and his family are coming round for presents and dinner so I'm really excited to have a more relaxing version of Christmas this year!
Three: How much Christmas shopping have you done?
I shop throughout the year because I have so many people to buy for, I always aim to be finished by December because there are so many birthdays in my family at this time of year too.
Four: What’s been your biggest ever surprise gift?
I have an awful memory but last year Mark got me tickets to the Harry Potter studio (I promise to post the photos in the New Year finally!!) and I was so surprised and excited! Even the letter I got saying I was going to the tour was so exciting to me haha, I'm such a Harry Potter geek and I've made Mark one too now.
Five: When do you usually put up your Christmas tree?
It's tradition in my house for it to go up on my birthday, December 1st! Though I think it went up on the 2nd this year because on the 1st we were at the Harry Potter studios :)
Six: Do you have a special outfit planned for Christmas Day?
I'm not entirely sure this year! Half of the day is inevitably spent in pjs because it takes so long for all of us to open our presents!
Seven: Do you have any plans for Boxing Day?
Usually each year for Christmas us and all of our family friends have dinner together in our hired out village hall. We eat, sing Christmas carols and have a lovely time together. We're doing it on boxing day this year instead!
Eight: When did you stop believing in Father Christmas?
I have no idea!! But I'm still managing to keep my little sister Indigo convinced that he's real, she's 5 in January :)
Nine: What’s your favourite Christmas scent? (Candle/Perfume)
I love the smell of cinnamon but find it a bit strong in a candle!
Ten: What do you love most about Christmas?
I have three whole weeks off work and I'm spending time with my family and friends, and soon Mark too. I love Christmas because I get to see everyone and eat delicious food and even drink a Baileys or too (chocolate flavour this year!).
I'd like to tag anyone who'd like to do this, I know I'm a bit late with it though!!! Enjoy your day lovelies :)
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