I've Fallen in Love

Hello Everyone!

This post is dedicated to my fluffy bundle of joy. Happy 5 months Jerry!

Just before Christmas me and my family got a kitten. At the time this little cutie was only 11 weeks old, he is now 5 months old and has grown so much since we first got him. If it was up to me I would stop him from growing and keep him little forever, but in a nice non-mean way. :)

In the short time we've had him, you would definitely know we had a kitten as he definitely lives up to the name. He has attacked and broken many toys, more or less ripped apart his scratching post and completely pulled down the Christmas tree twice whilst trying to climb it to grab a bauble. Along with those, he also likes to jump up the curtains and hang from them, my dads curtains are.... well very holey and well not very good at keeping your privacy. And the nets in my room are non existent after he pulled them down. The amount of times we've told him off, and still he keeps on, but I'm sure (hoping) that when he's older he will learn not to do it. Such a little pickle, who I love so very much.

The reason we got a kitten was because sadly our previous cat, Tom, died suddenly of renal failure. Not too sure what it is exactly all I know is that it made him very sad and he just didn't want to do anything so my dad made the difficult decision to save him and let him be put down. With much sadness and pain for weeks, we decided that we are a family who needs a pet (as we have always had at least one animal around) and once again needed a pet to fill that space. This is where Jerry came into our lives, and not quietly! aha The reasoning behind his name, which was my sisters choice, was that our last cat was called Tom (so Tom & Jerry- like the cartoon), we used to have a dog called Ben (so Ben & Jerry- like the Ice Cream), and we had guinea pigs called chocolate and cookie which ties all the names together. Clever thinking there Jess!

This little bundle of joy has brought our family so much happiness and laughter. Even when he does something bad, he finds a way to counteract it and do something silly, putting us all in hysterics. Also recently we decided to put him in a collar as he will be allowed outside soon, he really did not like this accessory, actually taking it off within hours of first putting it on. After putting it back on multiple times, each time he managed to find a way to get it off. He has now just given up on the idea of not wearing it and realised that no matter how many times he squirms out of it, we will put it back on.

Here are some photos of mr mischievous....

Do you guys have any pets? Have they done any funny/naughty things that always seem to put a smile on your face? Let me know. :D

Lots of Love, x

Skincare Boost

Hello Everyone!

Being a 19 year old girl, I have to constantly deal with troublesome skin more often than I may want to. But I suppose it's not up to me, if it was, I would definitely have flawless skin without the need for - much - if any foundation. It would be much easier and less time consuming not having to worry about putting on and taking off the foundation, cleansing, toning and moisturising- all of this would not be necessary if you could have 'perfect' skin without having to consistently try to improve or prevent imperfections.

The harsh truth to this sparkly reality is that I do need to take care of my skin, especially when those pesky spots occur in the most inconvenient of moments. I go through phases of being really good with my skin routine to get rid of and keep the spots away, although I imagine like most people when you miss one day for whatever reason (for me it's usually because I'm tired and just want to sleep!) it produces a series of 'forgetting' the routine that was working so very well.

Lately, I have been doing well with my skincare, keeping up with every part. I have even been drinking endless amounts of water, bottles and bottles of the stuff- although the only downside is that I have been going to the loo an awful lot more than normal. I have seen great effects to my skin, it has helped to energise my dry skin and also keep me fit and healthy too. For many years I have always made sure that I have a bottle of water with me, when I go to bed, go to Uni, work....as you can never beat the feeling of being completely parched and 'downing' some fresh water. Ahhh.....







Also to help with my skincare daily I have been using Clearasil's ultra blemish + marks scrub. I use it during my morning wash and by using this before putting on any makeup makes my skin super soft, allowing the foundation to glide on without my face looking cakey. Along with this I also have been using their ultra rapid action treatment cream, which I put on those stubborn/big spots as it helps to reduce the redness and shrink it's size over a few hours. Together, I think that these face products compliment each other so well as I have seen vast improvements to my skin since using these. I believe that if you find something that works either together with another product or alone, keep up with it- using it daily- until it no longer works (which is often the case for having temperamental skin) or simply find that 'thing' that's works better.


Now I am not saying that you should go away and use everything I have mentioned as everyone's skin is different, tricks that work for me may not work for you. These are just the products and ideas that have made my skin appear healthier recently, but this may also change with the extremely cold weather we have in the UK at this time of year. You may have to experiment with a fair few products from various brands to find the 'perfect solution'- it took me long enough to get this!

I hope you enjoyed this small insightful look into my recent skincare boost, feel free to leave a comment letting me know what you use or have been loving on your skin. :D

Lots of Love, x

I'm Back....Again

Hello Everyone!

It's been a while since I posted on here, too long in fact. Life has kind of got in the way a bit. By that I mean that I've been kept busy with work, driving around and starting uni (and the mountains of work that has come along with it). However, as I am doing a journalism degree you'd think this blog would be blossoming with regular posts.... so this is what I am pledging to do from now.

I love writing and blogging is an amazing way to showcase your work, to express yourself. You can post what you like, and apparently when you like in my case ;) aha This blog will be a way for me to write about whatever I'm feeling like at the time, I find it too hard to focus on just one subject to blog about. Life is too great to choose just one thing as a constant theme.

Anyway, as usual I have rambled on, but I just wanted to put out there that I will be posting more frequently this year. 2015 will be an awesome year, just wait to see how it all unfolds. :D

Lots of Love, x

Forest Adventure

Hello Everyone! 

I hope your week has been good, and I hope that people from the UK have been enjoying the sun as this kind of weather can be very hard to find here. I suppose that's why we all go a tiny bit cu-koo with even the slightest bit of sun peaking through the clouds.... this leads me onto what this blog post will be about today! 

A fair few weeks ago, maybe even a month or two ago now, me and my family (dad and sister) went for a stroll in the woods - The 100 acre woods (a.k.a The Forest of Bere). It is an old past time 'day out' that I used to do when I was younger, we would regularly go there to take my dog for a walk or take bikes to follow cycle routes - so many fun memories from such a simple place. The reason we went this time was because my dad had recently bought me and my sister some new wellies as essentials for muddy camps, who doesn't love wellies?? So I thought that we must go and test the wellies and go for a walk in the woods. It wasn't as muddy as you'd want it to be whilst wearing wellies, but when I did find a puddle I took the opportunity to have a splash! The sun was out this day, but it was still rather chilly......Here are a few images I took from the 'day out'. Enjoy!

Nice image of the path we followed, and my dads 'lovely' fluorescent coat making an appearance on the side.

The tall tree tops, there's no chance climbing them!

A fallen tree swamping the ground

Cheeky feet 'selfie' from me and my sister

Yes, that is me struggling on the wobbly beam 

Here I am apparently posing by the tree

Nice low angle shot of my dad, looking up at him

See, there was some sun shining through the trees!

Me and sister on a swing in a playground, bringing out our inner child

Me and my sister bringing out our inner child again

Although this trip was done a while ago, I thought I would still share the photos and my love for wellies, they're awesome shoes, an essential for everyone! And going to the forest, is such a simple, cost free day out and its fun for all the family - take a picnic, walk the dog, take the choice of the long or short routes around the forest, or just play in the playground. Have fun, whatever you choose to do :D

Thank you so much for reading this post, comment what you like to do for fun with friends or family, it will be interesting to hear. :D

I'm Back!

Hello Everyone!

I'm back, finally! It's been long enough and I hope you're all well. How nice has the weather been lately, talk about 'summer has arrived'- Woah it's been hot!

Anyway that's enough of that small chit-chat with you, here's the real reason I haven't posted on here in so long. Let’s face it, work, college, exams.... has kind of taken over my life a tad, but I am, as of yesterday, FREE (from college and exams, anyway) forever. Bring on University in exactly 3 months and 5days- wow what a lengthy break :/ I spent the last month revising for my final A Level exams, which determine whether I can attend Uni or not, they took over everything so it felt amazing to throw out all of my notes from the year as I will never need them again (especially ICT). 

ALSO, BREAKING NEWS; I have started to drive again! 7 months after passing my test, have finally saved up enough money to be put down as a named driver on my dad’s insurance. Wooo, freedom really is here! :D Fro yo runs, drive thru's, road trips and blaring summer 'tunes' all the fun of being able to drive! 

This was just a small little update post to let you all know what I have been up to and why I have been so bad at slacking on here lately! Once again I am very sorry; my next post won't have such a long space inbetween. I promise! I would love to hear about any of your life updates, what awesome things have been going on recently.

Scones (Plain & Cheese) Recipe

Hello Everyone!

This is yet another recipe for your empty tummies to enjoy! I love cooking and baking so much, so this is the reason I have written so many posts of this genre. Sharing my experiences and recipes with you is a privilege, and I hope you like them so much that you even take it upon yourself to bake/ cook your own creations.
For this scones recipe, it was a very last minute decision to bake these. I was sat, bored in my IT lecture (it's just revision), when I was moaning as I was so hungry- I had no food or money. I could roughly remember the simple ingredients we had at home, and had a thought "I haven't made scones in a while…"so thats when my decision was made- I'd be baking scones, plain for everyone (mainly my dad) and a few cheese for me and my sister. I was very serious about making these when I got home from college that day, that whilst sat on the bus I messaged my sister with my adamant intentions.


Ingredients:
Plain Scones-
*350g Self-raising Flour
*1/4 tsp Salt
*1 tsp Baking Powder
*85g Butter (Cut into cubes)
*3 tbsp Caster Sugar
*175ml Milk
*1 tsp Vanilla Extract/Essence
Cheese Scones-
*Everything as above, minus the Caster Sugar and Vanilla Extract/Essence
*Instead add cheese-grated ( as much as you want)

Pre-Heat the oven at 200c/ Gas Mark 7

Method:
1. Place the flour into a mixing bowl, along with the salt and baking powder. Mix these together.
2. Add the butter to the dry mixture and rub together with your fingers until you get what looks like fine bread crumbs. 

3. Stir the sugar (only necessary for the plain scones) into the mixture. -> Here would be where you'd add the grated cheese.

4. Pour the milk into a jug and place in the microwave to warm it up for around 30 seconds. (make sure the milk does not turn hot) Add in the vanilla essence (only necessary for plain scones) to the milk.
5. Make a well (hole) in the dry mix and pour in the milk and vanilla. Quickly combine together (in a ball)-easier to use your hands.

6. Sprinkle flour over the work surface an tip the dough out. Knead the dough slightly to assure it is together well and a bit smoother.

7. Roll out the dough to the thickness that you require. (the thicker the dough, the less scones you'll make)

8. Take a cutter (or something round) and cut out as many scones as you can- place them on a greased baking tray reading for baking. With the left over dough, repeat the last process of rolling it out and cutting the shapes, until all the dough has gone. 

9. Place all of the 'cut outs' on a baking tray. Glaze the shapes with either a beaten egg or milk.

10. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until risen or golden on the top. Enjoy these on their own or with jam and cream (the plain scones).

Sorry for the quality of this image, I took it one handed! :/

I hope you enjoy making this really simple recipe, it involves simple, everyday ingredients and doesn't take that long to make or bake. Enjoy the simplicity of such a typical British food- loved all year round. 
Comment or upload images of how you found the recipe and your final result. I'd love to her how you all got on. :D

Oreo Cheesecake

Hello Everyone!

With Easter having just past us by, you may be a bit fed up with those never-ending chocolate eggs (no!? Well, a change may be what you're pining for). Although this is still chocolate, it is a change as it's Oreo biscuits and a creamy cheesecake filling- and who doesn't love Oreo's!? 

I have made this recipe a number of times before, and I can honestly say that for me, it took a fair few tries to get this 'perfect' and how it should be. Problems I've had have been; the biscuit base didn't stick together (too crumbly/fell apart), and the filling didn't set (it was more like melted ice cream). So I hope that this works for you, unlike my first few attempts- also there is no 'baking in the oven' involved.

Ingredients:
*1 packet of Oreo's (about 14 biscuits)
* 1/4 cup of Butter (or add as you go)
* 1 tub of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
* 1/2 cup of Sugar
* 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
* 1 tub of Whipped/Whipping Cream

Method:
1. Separate the Oreo biscuits (the two biscuit halves and the white cream centre), put cream in one bowl to use later.

2. With the biscuit halves crush them into crumbs, either mechanically or manually, and set to one side.

3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. 

4. Pour the melted butter over the cookie crumbs to stick it together. If they don't form a 'buttery biscuit base' then you could add more butter until you get the correct consistency. Transfer the biscuit crumb mixture into the round baking tray and flatten to fit the tin. Place the tray in the fridge to partly set whilst making the filling.
5. Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla essence together in a mixing bowl, until well blended. For this you could mix it by hand or with an electric whisk or mixer.

6. Stir in the whipped cream to the creamy mixture- if you buy 'whipping cream' then you will have to beat it, until whipped (you could use a whisk or spoon and mix by hand-which will take a long time, or use an electric whisk or mixer). 

7. Pour in the cookie crumbs and the cream whites to the mixture and stir/whisk together until a smooth creamy consistency.

8. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the baking tray with the biscuit base and evenly spread over the top. 

9. Place in the fridge for a few hours or over night to set properly.

10. To serve, either cut into the cheesecake with a knife and serve. If you use a baking tray, like mine, with a removable bottom which will make the cheesecake look more presentable.

I hope that you enjoy making this really simple and quick cheesecake recipe, if you don't get it right the first time, don't worry its hard to get anything 'perfect' without attempting it multiple times. Trust me this happens to me many-a-time. 
I'd be interested to see how your cheesecake's turn out, if you choose to make it, post pictures or links! :D