5 Friday Faves

Yes, it is back my 5 Friday Faves! I have not posted one of these for ages and thought I would get back on the bandwagon. Although, once I have got my 2015 blog calendar up to date I might change my Friday Faves post a little to take part in a linky (we'll see).

So this week, despite still being under the weather and not really getting up to much, I do have some definite faves...here they are:

1) I am in the midst of de-cluttering the house. This is a long over due task and I got started this week by de-cluttering my email account (which I don't think I have ever done). Baby steps ;) Having said that, it did take me three days to do. Anyway, in my quest for de-cluttering advice I have come across this new (to me) blog Mary Organizes and I love it. I have warned my husband that things are about to get serious!

2) Ted Baker Regency Houses Body Wash. I don't usually go for the 'fashion' brand body washes as I often find them too perfume-y and a little irritating on my skin but I got this as a Christmas present and really like it. It is a lovely refreshing scent and so far hasn't affected my sometimes sensitive skin.

3) Beauty Blender Sponge. I got this a few months back in a Birchbox and at first I didn't even bother to unwrap it. However, I have been using it for a couple of months now and don't know how I ever got on without it. I use it for my foundation and sometimes depending on how my eyes look to help blend concealer. In my opinion the application is much smoother than a brush and gives more coverage than with your fingers.

4) Baking. I feel a little like Izzy from Grey's Anatomy here, but being inside and not feeling great prompted a baking frenzy. This week I baked about 4 dozen various cookies and some orange flavoured cupcakes. I did have a good friend over this week so I shared out some of the cookies but mainly I'd say I'm eating most of them...whoops!

Chocolate Chip! 

Orange cupcakes; some frosted some not.

These were supposed to be oatmeal cookies but came out to crumbly so now granola!

5) Mary Higgins Clark. I love her. Seriously, I love her books. I have always been a fan of mystery books and her's are just right for the moment. Easy reading and enough to get my inner Nancy Drew working. I have almost read every single one of her books (even non mysteries), I think I have about 5 left to read!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend! 
xx

Being Sick & Being Thankful

Hello! Things here have been a bit chaotic to say the least. I have been pretty seriously unwell for a little while now and that is why I have not been posting. I have been advised by my GP and family to take care of myself and rest. So, I have been doing just that. I haven't been going out as much and unfortunately for the boys most of our current play revolves around indoor activities where I can supervise but not get too involved. It is annoying (for lack of another word) to not be more active, outside in the fresh air or playing more hands on with the boys but for the sake of my health I must follow doctors orders.

Because I have had a lot of time on my hands to relax, I have also had some time to think. Mainly I have been thinking of what I am thankful for during this difficult time.

In no particular order:
1) My husband being home to help out while I recover! I love that he is here to support me and the boys. He has been my rock and I love him :)

2) My boys! They make me laugh everyday and provide ample kisses and cuddles which I can never get enough of :)

3) Junk TV! Thank you so much for existing Celebrity Big Brother, The Housewives of 'just about anywhere- Miami, Orange County, New York, etc...' and Judge Rinder. These may be hideous shows for some people but it is so good to laugh when you are feeling a bit down in the dumps.

4) Good TV. We have been watching Person of Interest on Netflix and it is great. Also looking forward to the return of Mr. Selfridge and some of the new 10 part mini series out in the next couple of months.

5) My cosy (but messy) house. I love that I am comfortable and usually annoyed that it is messy but at a time when I don't fancy cleaning I can't see any new mess ;)

6) My good good friends. I am not a person with hundreds of 'best' friends but those few I have are amazing and I love them

Hopefully be back with some new posts soon but please bear with me :)
xx

A Look Back on 2014 and Look Forwards to 2015

Hello! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season. Sorry for the little blog break, but I really needed it. I really just wanted to spend some offline time with family and friends and not stress too much about what was happening online.

We had a great Christmas and New Year's but not without some usual stresses (you know like cooking the Christmas meal and where those pesky presents have gone, etc...).

Two happy Christmas elves!

Anyway, before it got too far along into the year I wanted to have a quick look back at 2014 and get some ideas going for 2015.

As I have previously posted, I absolutely love resolutions and love the idea of starting things a-fresh! In the words of Anne of Green Gables 'Everyday is fresh with no mistakes in it.' Don't get me wrong I think making mistakes is how we learn and grow but I just like the idea of waking up and having a clean slate sometimes.

So last year I made 5 resolutions:
1) Drink more water
2) Have more me time
3) Do more Pilates
4) Get back to my pre-baby weight
5) Spend more time on those who I care about and care about me

How did I do?

• Well, I did end up drinking more water (although probably not as much as I should, it was progress!). 
• I didn't get that much more me time but I am still working on that one. 
• I did do Pilates every week until about April when I just couldn't make the class schedule work with mine. I did however venture to a new pilates studio to check it out and loved it, but again class scheduling wasn't on my side.
• I did not even come close to getting my pre-baby weight back. I was the girl that worked out the hardest, most and best but I just couldn't get there and in fact I put on weight. I ended up calling it quits with my personal trainer which was one of the hardest calls I made all year and spent some time re-evaluating my fitness goals.
• I think I did spend more time with people I really like this year and those people are fantastic. I met some amazing friends running and kept up with others that I do really care for both locally and abroad. 

So all in all a pretty decent year, resolutions-wise!

This year, you will be surprised to know...I have not made a single resolution (yet!). I have been really ill the last couple of weeks and so I have been focusing all my energy into getting well.

New Year's walk in the Peak District

Beautiful sunset, but tired and cold little man

I do have a few things in mind so I'll share those with you:
1) I'm seriously thinking about cleaning up my eating and have found Paleo eating might be for me. So once I am totally back up and well. I may ease myself into that.

2) Continue to re-evaluate my fitness goals but think I am looking at getting back into swimming, running and some gentle weights at the gym. Back to basics for me!

3) Say yes to help more often. I really need help sometimes. I wish I had more help. However, sometimes when I'm offered help I say NO!! Then I spend the rest of the day really disliking myself, why do I say no...I may be a tiny little control freak ;)

4) Get our house in order. Seriously our master bedroom looks like a scene out of Hoarders! I really need to get some things on ebay, get my wardrobe sorted, throw things away. I also want to continue work on our entryway (which had to be put on pause due to some financial restraints) and get some quotes on fencing in our garden.

Other than that, I'm just looking forward to a healthy and happy 2015 with fingers crossed lots of good things to come :)

Happy New Year! 
xx

Merry Christmas

Like most of you, we are pretty busy right now getting all things ready for the big day. I really do love Christmas but each year it comes with some mixed feelings.

Being an expat away from my family at Christmas time, I sometimes start to feel pretty homesick. Well, I say sometimes but I mean every year. I really miss the family traditions we had from going to the Christmas eve mass to having Chinese food after and playing board games till late.

I love the religious part of the holiday but really have started to dislike the stress that revolves around the commercial aspect of it. I absolutely love giving gifts to others and put a lot of thought into each gift and each one receiving the gift...but it doesn't always end in happy Thank Yous.

I love that my boys are finally understanding both the religious part of the holiday as well as the fun 'Santa' part of the holiday, but I definitely envy their fun time as I sit either ready to pass out from being so tired or am running around trying to sort out last minute demands.

Every year I try and take in the season; it's joy, it's beauty, the goodwill towards all and the peace it can bring with it. I thought I had gotten better at that but this year having been away so close to Christmas I am back in a bit of a rat race.

It is only the last couple of days that I could really sit down and watch a Christmas film with the boys, have some mince pies, and take in the Christmas decorations that give our home a wonderful atmosphere! There is nothing I love more than being with my family, being comfy and being so thankful for those I love so much both near and far.

I'm not sure I'll be posting again in the next couple of days, so I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Be safe and enjoy all the holiday has to offer! :)

xx

Iceland Part 3

Sorry for the delay in getting Iceland Part 3 up but it has been more than hectic from leaving Iceland to unpacking and getting ready for Christmas!

So on the Saturday night we did end up venturing out to a mysterious lake in the middle of nowhere to see if we could spot the Northern Lights again. After sitting in the car for 2 hours and seeing nothing we took the icy roads back home to get into bed around 1am! I was getting exhausted. Luckily the boys are good and bare with us...they spent most of the time asleep. :)

On Sunday, we went back into the centre of Reykjavik as we hadn't really been able to see it properly. We explored some cafes, had more hot dogs and got to stop into the big Neogothic Church of Iceland. Incredible, this city just kept getting more interesting! It was also getting more cold (if that was even possible).

View from Church bell tower

Frozen lake (a little bit of it has geothermal water to keep the ducks happy)

Hot dog stand

On Monday, our last day in Iceland we drove out to the Blue Lagoon but decided not to pay the huge price tag to get in. We had already had a swim in the geothermal waters in our local pool and only had to pay £6. We did have some lunch there and had a walk around (it was a gorgeous spa!) and I spent a little money in the gift shop...I may have even picked up a couple of Christmas gifts. It was expensive but at least I spent money on other people and a little something for me for Christmas too! ;)

Geothermal waters at the Blue Lagoon

The silica in the water keeps in a nice natural blue

We continued on our drive and saw a lot more geothermal hotspots out and about in the countryside and we also saw a couple of silica turquoise lakes! Upon arrival back in the city we decided to have another dip in our local pool and then head out for a nice meal to end our trip.

The next day was spent packing up and travelling home (in a massive snow storm!)

I have to admit, I was really looking forward to our trip to Iceland but that country was amazing! It was naturally beautiful. Everywhere you looked there was something nice to see. The people and their history were so interesting and I just know I will never ever forget our time there.

Anyway, hopefully now we are back unpacked, laundry done and most of Christmas under control I'll be back to a more regular blogging schedule. :)

Iceland Part 2

So, Thursday was day 3 of our trip in Iceland. It was definitely the coldest day so far! It was -4 degrees C but felt about -18 with the wind chill! We were freezing!

We ventured out on a Golden Circle Tour which was 8 hours long and went out to Gullfoss waterfall, the Geyser area of Iceland and we were supposed to stop at a famous National Park but due to the snow all roads were closed down. Instead we stopped to pet the famous Icelandic horses and visited an old Viking church. It was a long cold day but was so interesting. It was great to learn about Iceland, its culture and a little about its language. What a fascinating country!

By the time we got back and stopped at a restaurant for supper it was time for us to get back to the flat and get to bed.

Yesterday, we decided to hire a car since the weather has been so cold. We don't mind walking places normally but it really is getting to be too much for the little guys in -18 degrees...and today is even colder.

We took a little drive arounnd town and decided to stop in at our local swimming pool! It was crazy! Freezing cold and snowing and we were outside in geothermal water, what an experience! Later that night we got a famous Icelandic hotdog and then came back to get ready for our late night adventure to see the Northern Lights!

We didn't end up seeing the lights due to it being very overcast but it was still an interesting experience.

After a pretty late night, we woke up early this morning to head out in the car to see Skogafoss waterfall and a US military plane crash from 1973, still there in the middle of an Iceland beach! Both were awesome although the getting to the crash site is an experience I could have done without. My hands still ache from gripping my seat. We had to off road onto snow covered ice straight out to the ocean, and no, we did not have a 4x4!

Overall, it was a great last few days. Tonight we may go see if we can spot the Northern Loghts again on our own and then fingers crossed have a lie in while a huge snow storm takes over Reykjavik. :-)

Iceland Part 1

Boy have I taken a break from blogging! I didn't really plan it but I was sick for awhile and really lost my writing mojo so I thought; better a break then a blog full of junky posts.

Anyway, this week we are in snowy and freezing cold Iceland! Today was our second day here but so far so good!

Day one involved a wake up time of 3:45am!!! To get our flights out of Manchester airport. The flight was good and not that long. We were flying for just under 3hours! The boys were well behaved and spent most of the flight watching films on the tablet.

Upon landing we grabbed lunch and got a bus into the city centre. It was snowing like crazy and the roads were icy from a bad storm they'd had the day before. We arrived in the centre of Reykjavik, stopped to put on wellies and hailed a cab for our apartment. This is the third time we have used Airbnb for accommodation abroad and really recommend it!

Our apartment is lovely with everything we could need and we even have an ocean view!

We only ventured out last night to get some essential breakfast things for today and food for supper. It was a frosty walk and the boys were tired so it didn't make for the best night adventure but it was necessary.

Then the boys and I went to bed while the husband ventured out to try a glimpse the Northern
Lights...by luck he saw them! Fingers crossed some photos to come!

Today we had a relaxing morning. The sun rose at 11am! At 9am it was still pitch black! Then we headed into town to wander around get our bearings and book some tours!

It was a rough venture into the centre as we didn't see any taxis nor did we see any buses enroute. There were supposed to be local buses every twenty minutes from right at the end of our street into the city. Hmm... It should have taken 15 minutes roughly to walk it but with two small freezing cold bundled up boys it was more like 35!! Plus we had melt downs and crying. Oh and that was just me never mind the boys ;)

We made it to the centre got lunch, booked some excursions, found the travel office and did another mini food shop. After 3.5 hours out in -2 degree weather with 40mph winds we were ready to head home.

Tomorrow we are up early for the golden circle expedition. Fingers cross the boys will be able to cope ok. Best be off anyway, early to bed and need to check the weather! Night :)