Students Starving to Save

Hello my Lovelies! 

I recently received a really interesting email from the lovely Chloe which contained some information about student food and spending habits. I thought those of you who, like me, are students may find this quite surprising to read.

'An estimated 1.7 million students will go hungry in order to pay bills. A new study conducted by Bacofoil and The National Student looked at shopping and cooking habits amongst students only to highlight the issue of food deprivation.

Almost 50% of students confessed to not cooking everyday and a further third said they didn’t eat a healthy diet. The cost of fresh food was cited as an obstacle to cooking, with two out of three prioritizing bills over food.

With the size of student loans already under fire, the study shows that students need more help.

On a more positive note, 7 out of 10 students said they eat vegetables on a daily basis and an increasing number are finding creative ways to cook on a tight budget.

“Eating healthily doesn’t have to be expensive and the calibre of entries for the Bacofoil Student Cook of the Year shows how it’s possible to cook imaginatively and cost effectively” said Adrian Brown, MD of Bacofoil.

Interestingly most students thought that studying art provides the best skill set for culinary creativity.” Perhaps it’s because you’re having to use your imagination that it’s somehow easier to come up with new ideas for recipes.” Said Arianna Lucia, who is studying a BSc in Management at the University of Manchester.'

Are you one of the many who choose to survive financially by not eating properly? It's possible.

If you're one of the people who is actually rather creative in the kitchen then don't forget about the incredible competition being run in association with Bacofoil.

Bacofoil Student Cook of the Year Competition

Until the 31st December 2014, students can enter the competition by posting a picture on Twitter or Facebook of a dish they have created, along with its name and the hashtag #BacofoilStudentCook. Entries will be judged on their presentation skills and the creativity of the dish’s name so get as creative as possible.

Once the finalists have been selected they will be invited to the final cook off, a high-pressure culinary contest at Cactus Kitchen in London, in which they will need to prepare a dish for the panel of judges. This year’s judges are celebrity chef and author Sam Stern, Masterchef Winner Steven Wallis, Bacofoil Marketing Manager Melissa Dickinson and Lulu Grimes, Deputy Editor at Olive Magazine.

The winning cook will receive £1,000 worth of groceries. Entrants can be of any age but must be currently studying at a UK university and have no professional cooking experience. For more information go to www.bacofoil.co.uk. You can also find Bacofoil on Twitter @ilovebacofoil

If you've found this interesting, let me know in the comments or get in touch through any of the means listed here.

Love you all!

T

xxx

Keeping You In The Loop!

Hello my Lovelies!

I hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas and received everything you asked for, I know I've had a wonderful time back at home with my family. It's been a wonderful whirl of chocolate, presents, alcohol, laughter and board games. Let me know what you got up to at Christmas here or in the comments! 

It's been over 10 days since the last post but I've been taking a break from posting on everything to focus on spending time with my family and friends. There will be plenty of new posts coming up in the next couple of weeks as we head in to the new year, including my resolutions for 2015, photos and chats about some recent trips and some new information that's been shared with me by some wonderful brands. 

Let me know what you'd like to see happening on this blog in the future, I'm looking for all new things to write about so I'm open to all suggestions! Simply leave a comment down below or get in touch through social media here. 

Merry Christmas to y'all!

I'll be back with more exciting posts soon!

Love you all!

T

xxx

Cute Chocolate Discs - Blogmas 2014 Day 18

Hey Guys!

It's Meg, and I'm back for the third and final instalment of  festive treats! This is the simplest of the three, however this only works for people who ARE NOT ALLERGIC TO NUTS!! But, to make up for that, these delicious treats will last in the fridge for up to 2 months - if they last that long!!

Fruit and Nut Chocolate Discs!

Equipment You Will Need!

A small pan

A heatproof bowl (that sits on top of the pan)

Baking trays

Non-Stick baking parchment

A teaspoon

A knife

A chopping board

Ingredients!

200g milk/plain chocolate

100g dried cranberries

100g pistachio nuts (or nuts of your choosing)

50g pot of sprinkles

Method!

1. Shell and chop up your choice of nuts.

2. Melt the chocolate over a pan of simmering water, and in the meantime, line your baking trays with the non-stick baking parchment. Once the chocolate has melted, spoon 'blobs' of chocolate onto the paper, making sure they are set well apart (as the chocolate will spread!).

3. Scatter a few cranberries, a small handful of nuts, and some sprinkles onto each chocolate circle.

4. Place in the fridge to harden overnight.

As with the previous two treats, all you need to turn these into cute gifts are: cellophane bags, some festive ribbon, a label, and a pen!

Place the chocolate discs into each cellophane bag, and seal like the fudge and peppermint creams!

Thanks Meg! If you enjoyed reading this post all about a crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth Christmas treat then be sure to give it a like, comment, +1 etc. Or if you have a message you'd like to pass on to Meg then you can get in touch with me through any of the links listed here.

Love you all!

T
xxx

Christmas Music - Blogmas 2014 Day 17

Hello my lovelies!

Now I don't know about you guys but as Christmas draws nearer I fall more and more in love with the cheese that is Christmas music. I thought I'd share a list of my favourite Christmas songs as we head towards the big day. 

Santa Baby - This one is my all time favourite Christmas song, it's just such a lovely song to both listen to and sing along with!

Baby it's Cold Outside - My all time favourite Christmas sing along song!

All I want for Christmas is You - When else can you pretend to be a diva if not at Christmas?

Oh Christmas Tree

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Once in Royal David's City

Drummer Boy

Jingle Bells

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

White Christmas

Last Christmas - Slightly sad buuuut I still love it.

What are your favourite tunes at Christmas? Let me know down below or get in touch here! Don't foget to share, like, subscribe, +1, etc. 

Love you all!

T

xxx

I'm Poorly but let's Continue! - Blogmas 2014 Day 16

Hello my lovelies!

It's been a while since I've done a Blogmas post but I have had a super busy couple of weeks as I've had assignments due in and now to top everything off I've got tonsillitis. However, I thought I'd just fill you in with what's been happening over the Christmas period. 

First of all, as I've mentioned, I handed in an assignment. But you don't need to know about that.

Secondly, I've done the majority of Christmas shopping. There's still a few bits and pieces that I'd like to get but I'm going to wait until I'm with my family to get them. 

Thirdly, I've been doing a whole lot of discovering. I recently went on a trip to Cardiff with Meg (which I'll be writing a whole blog post about very soon), I've also seen a few new little areas of Chester that I hadn't realised were there before which has been a wonderful discovery.

And finally, I attended my society's Christmas meal which was fabulously adorable. If you don't already know, I'm the social secretary for the University of Chester's Orchestral Society and I play the 1st Clarinet. It's something I do as a hobby and I've been playing the instrument for years. We had our meal at the George & Dragon in Chester and let me tell you - that food was GLORIOUS. I had the Pate, hand-carved Turkey and Chocolate Brownie which were all presented beautifully. The staff were ever so friendly and laid out a decorated table for 13 with crackers and all! Meg and I treated ourselves to a bottle of sparkling Rose wine to accompany our meal and by the end of the night we were definitely a little bit jolly. It was a very lovely evening and I'm pretty certain everyone had a great time.

Have you been to any Christmas meals or parties? Let me know! Leave a comment below or get in touch via any of the social media links listed here. Don't forget to share, like, +1 etc.

Love you all!

T

xxx

Peppermint Creams - Blogmas 2014 Day 11

Hey Guys!

Meg here, and it's time for the second instalment of festive treats! This time it's a take on the old classic!

Peppermint Creams!

This timeless recipe makes for a PERFECT treat come evening, curled up in front of the fire watching the endless stream of cheesy Christmas films! There are a few more ingredients in this recipe, but I can guarantee it is worth the extra effort!

Equipment You Will Need!

A large mixing bowl 

A sieve 

A wooden spoon (or equivalent)

A rolling pin

A small cookie cutter

A baking tray (lined with baking parchment)

A tea towel

A small pan

A heatproof bowl (that sits on top of the pan)
A piping bag

Ingredients!

400g icing-sugar

100g dried cranberries

5 drops peppermint extract

A few drops of green food colouring (optional)

30g dark chocolate

4 tbsp evaporated milk

Method!

1. Sift the icing-sugar into your mixing bowl, add the evaporated milk, peppermint essence and food colouring (if using). Combine these into a soft dough, then, on a surface dusted with icing-sugar, roll out the dough until it is roughly  1/2cm thick.

2. Using your cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as possible (you will need to repeat the rolling out process more than once!). Place these on your lined baking tray and cover with a tea towel, leaving to harden overnight.

3. In the morning, melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water (be sure to not let the water touch the bottom of the bowl as this will result in clumpy chocolate!).

4. Now this is where you have a choice, you can either drizzle the chocolate over the peppermint creams using a piping bag, or you can dip half of each one into the melted chocolate and leave to harden.

5. Allow to harden. Then, they are ready to go!

As with the Festive Fudge, all you need to turn these into cute gifts are: cellophane bags, some festive ribbon, a label, and a pen!

Place the peppermint creams into each cellophane bag, and seal like the fudge!

Festive Tip! To make these treats extra festive, try using Christmas cutters!!

Thanks Meg! If you enjoyed reading this post all about one of my all time favourite sweet treats then be sure to give it a like, comment, +1 etc. Or if you have a message you'd like to pass on to Meg then you can get in touch with me through any of the links listed here.

Love you all!

T
xxx

Christmas Poetry - Blogmas 2014 Day 8

Hello my lovelies! 

I don't know about you guys but when I was little, Christmas poems and stories were so exciting and got me into such a Christmas mood. I thought I'd share one of my favourites with you...

Twas the night before Christmas

Clement Clarke Moore (1799-1863)

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.

And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.

A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

I hope you all love this poem as much as I do as it's such a Christmas classic!

Leave a comment and let me know what your favourite Christmas poem or story is or get in touch with me here.

Don't forget to like, share, +1, subscribe, etc. and maybe Santa will leave something special under the tree for you!

Love you all!

T

xxx

Handmade Christmas - Blogmas 2014 Day 7

Hello my lovelies! 

Christmas is always a special time of year but I do think it is made extra special when you get a gift that is tailored just for you. A handmade Christmas is the cutest and these are just a few examples of what you could do this Christmas for those you love...

Mason Jar gifts

When it comes to mason jars, you can fill them with almost anything! A few popular ideas are:

- 365 handwritten inspirational quotes 

- cookie/brownie mix

- hot chocolate kit

- 365 cute sayings

- pictures of friends and family

- retro sweets 

All you have to do is find a cute jar, pop everything in and arrange it to look cute, put the lid on and voila! Most people add a little bit of ribbon and a cute label just to top off the look. If you are looking for mason jar inspiration, head on over to Pinterest, there's so much adorableness to be found!

Knitted Items

Come on, we all know that as hideous as some of those knitted jumpers can be, we are still touched that the time has been taken to make something unique and just for us. Plus, they're exceptionally cute for babies and young children!

Care Packages

I've seen a few of these floating around of varying contents. I quite like the idea of a student survival kit - containing dry foods, toothpaste, loo roll, deodorant, a notepad and several pens and pencils - but you can also make up travel kits, beauty kits and even wholly food based packs. These are so so easy to tailor so that they suit the gift receiver that it almost seems too easy. 

Scrapbook/Picture frames with pictures

It's always super sweet to relive memories so why not pull out all those cute photos from childhood or even better, the embarrasing ones, put them all together and make it something physical. In this day and age, all of our photos tend to be digital and stored digitally so I think it's really nice when people put together hard, real photos in some way. 

Notebooks

Now, I know these aren't exactly handmade BUT you can make them super special. Instead of just buying a notebook and handing it over, try randomly flipping open a few pages and slipping in some hidden treasures. You could write a letter, pop in a pressed flower, stick in some of their favourite sweets... the possibilities are endless! 

That's all for today's Blogmas treat but there's still a lot more to come so keep those eyes peeled!

Feel free to leave a comment below or get in touch with me through any of the links here! Also, don't forget to like, share, +1, subscribe, etc. and share the Christmas love with everybody!

Love you all! 

T

xxx

My Wishlist this Christmas - Blogmas 2014 Day 6

Hello my lovelies! 

I really struggle these days to know what I want for Christmas as I take in to account the amount of money it will cost those who are buying me things so this year I didn't really ask for much.. but if I could ask for anything then this would be my list.

- A Car - seriously, any car, I wish I could escape sometimes!

- A portable turntable - I have a bit of a thing for vinyl, it just sounds so much nicer.

- Chocolate 

- A new handbag

- A Mac - whether it's a Macbook or a Mac doesn't really matter, I'd be using it for editing things

- A new phone - I have the iPhone 3Gs.. they don't even sell it any more it's that old

- Lots and lots of new dresses

- MeMeMe Cosmetics

- Benefit Cosmetics

- MAC eyeshadow

- Tommy Girl Perfume - it's my absolute favourite all year round!

- A trip to the HP studios - I've been before, I love it, I want to go more

- A trip to Australia

- A trip to New York City - I have a passion for all things Broadway

There would definitely be a whole lot more, but they just aren't coming to me at the moment! What's on your wishlist this year? Is there something you'd like that you know you're not very likely to get? Let me know in the comments below or get in touch via any of my social media links listed here. 

Love you all! 

T

xxx

Top 5 beauty products this week - Blogmas 2014 Day 5

Hello my lovelies! 

It's a bit of a beauty one for you this week as I've been trying out lots of new things recently that I am absolutely loving. Most of these are things I recieved at the #FabbBirmingham event I went to a while ago but there's the odd thing that's been hiding in my box of goodies for a while that I've recently rediscovered and fallen in love with. 

First up it's the Dove Summer Glow nourishing lotion for fair to normal skin. This is a moisturiser that I always love as it gets to winter as it has a subtle self tan element for a gradual building tan. I use this product every other day, all over my skin, as it leaves it soft and shimmering. You do feel a bit sticky for about 10 minutes after application but it's well worth it for the results. 

Next is one of my old favourites that I received from Beauty Recommended quite a while ago and it has not been absent from my beauty bag since! The Olay Regenerist Luminous may seem like an odd choice for someone my age however it is the most delightful moisturiser to use on your face as it's super silky and smooth. It's so easy to apply and it smells amazing. 

Another moistursing style item I'm currently loving is Seventh Heaven by MeMeMe Cosmetics. This facebase is something I have been wishing for and now I have it, it's become a staple everyday item. With its citrus scent, it's really pleasurable to apply and so so smoothing when applied to the skin before make-up. 

Another MeMeMe Cosmetics item I'm enjoying is the Light Me Up lipgloss which I absolutely adore. I'm not entirely sure as to which shade this is however it's a sweet pink with a slight sparkle to it. The best thing about this lipgloss (apart from it being non-sticky, light-reflecting and super glossy) is that it tastes minty, has a mirror on the side for easy application and even has an LED light in the lid! 

The final thing on my list this week is the Intensive Hand Repair cream by Bee Good. Made with real honey and by British bees, this has become my essential item this Winter. I tend to get very dry skin in the colder months - particularly dry hands - so this product caught my eye. It's absolutely incredible! My hands have never been this soft during the Winter season and it only takes the tiniest drop of product to make a difference. It also smells amazing which is just an added bonus.

What have you been loving this week in the world of beauty? Let me know in the comments down below or get in touch through any of the links listed here. 

Love you all!

T

xxx

Festive Fudge - Blogmas 2014 Day 4

Hey Guys!

It's Meg! That's right, I'm back, but this time with a more up-beat post! Tamsin has enrolled me to write a  series of blog posts giving you some ideas for cute, tasty, festive treats! These will be ideal for giving as gifts, or simply to put on your dessert table at Christmas! 

First up: No Cook Festive Fudge!

Now, you may be thinking, fudge? Isn’t that really difficult to make? And truth be told, yes it is. However, the many hours I have spent in the kitchen experimenting with these sweet-treats has enabled me to find an easy alternative. Plus, these sweet treats will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks! 

Equipment You Will Need!

A large mixing bowl

A whisk

A sieve

A large spoon

23cm square baking tin or silicon tray

Ingredients!

200g unsalted butter (softened)

200g condensed milk

800g icing-sugar

95g pot of sprinkles of your choice

Method!

1. Chop the butter into small squares and place in your mixing bowl, add the condensed milk and beat together.
2. Once you have thoroughly combined these two ingredients, add the icing-sugar bit by, mixing well after each addition. Once all the icing-sugar has been added, mix thoroughly and spoon into your baking tin.
3. Taking your sprinkles, you want to evenly cover the top of your fudge. Once done, using the back of a spoon, gently press down on the sprinkles to make sure they stay in place.
4. Place flat in the fridge, and allow to chill overnight.
5. In the morning, remove your fudge from it’s tin and cut into around 80 small squares.

See, it’s as easy as that!

For those of you who are looking to give these away as cute gifts, all you are going to need are some cellophane bags, some festive ribbon, a label, and a pen!

 

Taking your label, write a cute message to the receiver of your gift. (You may want to check their list of allergies first!)

Place several of the fudge squares into a cellophane bag, attach your label to the ribbon, and tie-up neatly in a bow!

Hope you enjoy this festive treat, and be sure to keep an eye out for next weeks instalment!

Thanks Meg! If you enjoyed reading this delightful post that's made me crave fudge then be sure to give it a like, comment, +1 etc. Or if you have a message you'd like to pass on to Meg then you can get in touch with me through any of the links listed here.

Love you all!

T
xxx

5 Favourite Festive Films - Blogmas 2014 Day 3

Hello my lovelies! 

It's Day 3 of Blogmas! If you've not yet read Day 1 and 2 I've linked them here and here. Now I don't particularly get to watch many Christmas films while at uni however I do have a few fond favourites from the past 19 years of my life. Let me know in the comments what your top 5 Christmas films are or get in touch with me here. Now don't worry, I'm not going to spoil the story for you but I will give a basic outline of what happens.

These aren't in a top 5 order as I couldn't place them in an order of which films were best because there's just so many good Christmas films!

1. A Very Cool Christmas (U) 2004

I don't know why, but this super cheesy film is the one that I always think of around Christmas time. The basic story revolves around 16 year old girl who thinks she's too cool for Christmas ends up in a situation where she ends up deciding that she's going to give Santa Claus - played by the wonderful George Hamilton - an extreme makeover and it gets her back in to the holiday spirit.

2. The Grinch (PG) 2000

If you don't know the classic Dr Seuss story, this film may seem a little bit odd but I promise it's worth a watch! The Grinch decides he's going to steal Christmas however his plans are soon interrupted by the sweet little Cindy Lou Who. Jim Carrey brings the Grinch to life in the most hilarious way and Taylor Momson is such a cute Cindy Lou.

3. Home Alone... Any of the Home Alone films really!

These are a Christmas classic in many peoples' eyes and I can't help but agree. It the super hilarious story about a kid who gets left behind in various places and he gets himself in to a whole bunch of sticky situations with rather creative and seriously funny results.

4. The Nightmare Before Christmas (PG) 1993

It's hard to say if this is a Halloween or a Christmas film however it certainly gets me in to the Christmas spirit. Tim Burton's films are always incredible and this one's no exception. I'm also a huge fan of all things musical so this is a huge huge favourite! Jack Skellington discovers a strange new holiday that he thinks is better than Halloween and he tries to take it over however things go rather wrong.

5. The Muppet Christmas Carol (G) 1992

A classic tale retold in a cheesy, musical, rather hilarious manner this film just oozes Christmas spirit. It follows the traditional tale of Scrooge and his travels through Christmas past, present and future but there are a few familiar faces along the way in the form of The Muppets.

These are just a few of my favourites but there are so many more it was rather difficult to decide which ones to share! Let me know what films get you in the festive mood below or get in touch here.

Don't forget to leave a comment, share, like, +1, subscribe, etc. and I'll see you all tomorrow for Day 4.

Love you all!

T

xxx

My Christmas Traditions - Blogmas 2014 Day 2

Hello my lovelies! 

Day 2 has arrived and I thought now would be a lovely time to talk about Christmas traditions. Personally, I have quite a few traditions in both the days leading up to and on Christmas day but there are some traditions I know of that I don't follow. If you guys have any traditions that are unusual or even if they're the same as my own, let me know down in the comments or via any of my social media links.

Advent Calendars

Now, I am a huge fan of chocolate, so advent calendars are possibly one of my most favourite Christmas things. This year I only have one calendar and it's a Cadbury dairy milk one with a cute picture of Santa sat in the fireplace surrounded by holiday goodies. For those of you who may not know about advent calendars, they are traditionally a 24 or 25 windowed item containing chocolate or treats. Not so long ago the calendars were mostly Christian and behind each door there would be a picture relating to the birth of Christ however these days the majority are not religious themed and you can even get beauty and fashion ones. I'm very much the kind of person who follows the tradition of opening the window corresponding with the date and I have been known to get highly offended when people don't stick to it and instead choose to gobble up all the goodies in one go.

Decorating the House

If you've read Day 1 you'll know that one of my favourite things about Christmas is the decorations that come with it. When I've been based at home throughout childhood I've helped to put up and decorate the tree and to decorate the house with tinsel and cute little Christmas touches. I just think that having a decorated home helps to get you in to the festive mood.

Board Games

Yep, my family love a good board game at Christmas time! Well, I say board game but sometimes it's Who's in the Bag or something that also has a DVD play along. Either way, I love getting the games out at Christmas as it means spending time as a family and just having good old fashioned fun.

Christmas Morning

I don't know what it's like for any of y'all but the tradition in my family is that no-one is allowed to go downstairs/in to the lounge (depends where we're having Christmas) until everyone in the house is awake and ready. Once everyone's up we go downstairs and the presents are placed in groups around the room. I'm always the first person to open presents as I'm the youngest and the most excited but now I'm a bit older, once we begin to get near the end of my stuff I let my family know they can open theirs too. Some time during the present opening my Dad will go off to the kitchen to prepare Bucks Fizz or Champagne as the first drink of the day and Bacon Sandwiches for breakfast. It usually begins to calm down a lot after this point and everyone relaxes or starts preparing for....

Christmas Dinner!

I'll be doing a whole post on this so I won't say too much but we do begin with pulling crackers and a light starter before a full roast turkey dinner and then dessert.

Chocolate Yule Log

This is going to be the last of this list as it's rather long (I may end up writing a part 2!) however this is one of the things - if not the main thing - I look forward to the most at Christmas time. I don't particularly like Christmas cake or pudding as I'm not a fan of fruit cake so we always get chocolate yule log and it is simply the most delicious chocolate cake ever! We tend to go through quite a few of them throughout December as I'll have some with lunch and dinner.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this post and please don't forget to leave a comment, share, +1, subscribe or get in touch with me via my social media links.

Love you all!

T

xxx

Blogmas 2014! Day 1 - My love of Christmas

Hello my lovelies! 

As you may have guessed from the title, I have decided to do Blogmas this year (*squee* so excited about this!) and I thought the best way to start would be to tell you a bit about why I've decided to have a go this year. 

Those of you who know me from the outerweb will know that I absolutely adore Christmas time. I'm ready to get Christmas-y as soon as Bonfire Night has gone! I just love that the weather becomes crisper and cooler, frost begins to take control in the early mornings, the evenings become misty and mysterious... I simply love Winter and with Winter comes Christmas and my Birthday so it's no wonder I get so excited. It's always enjoyable going in to town and seeing all the streets lined with twinkling lights and in Chester we have the Christmas Market so there's lots of really sweet little shops in small cabins or huts. I wouldn't say it's a traditional German Christmas Market but it's still really sweet and full of little surprises.

My favourite thing about Christmas is that I get to go home and see my family. This year it's particularly special to me as I didn't get to spend too much time with them over the summer because of my job and they have been unable to come and visit me this term so I feel like I've barely seen them all year. I'm really looking forward to sitting around the dinner table or the tele and just spending some real quality time with them, after all, that's what Christmas is all about! That and the birth of Christ - but I'm not going to go in to the religious side as I know not all of you will be the same faith as me or may celebrate for different reasons.

Normally I have a small tree in my room which I decorate with cute pink, purple and silver baubles and tinsel however this year I didn't bring it with me to university and I'm going to have to be a bit inventive and creative. At home the tree goes up in the lounge as soon as possible once it's turned to December - my lovely Mother won't allow us to put it up any sooner *sob* - and it always looks fabulous covered in purples, blues, golds, reds.. the colour scheme has changed recently so I'm not entirely sure if it's pinks, purples and blues or golds and reds but it's still adorable. I also tend to go a bit crazy covering the walls and picture frames with tinsel and my Father puts up decorative lights in the front windows. Oh what a wonderful time of year it is! 

Over the next 24 days I will be sharing my Christmas tips, tricks and treats with you, getting creative with some D.I.Y decoration posts, sharing some Christmas themed fashion and beauty loves and even taking you on a few little trips with me. Hopefully I'll be able to get 1 post up everyday for you all *fingers crossed*

What's your favourite thing about this time of the year? Let me know in the comments, or get in touch with me via any of my social media links which can be found here.

Love you all!

T

xxx

Growing up - Somewhere new to live

Hello my lovelies!

SO I'm now well in to my second year of university here at the University of Chester and it's been a wonderful experience so far. I'm way on top of most of my work, I've found the friends I want to keep and my new housemates are sweethearts. Most of the time anyway. However I've also discovered more about myself. I now know that I do get stressed easily and I'm not as social friendly as I was last year. I have a lot more responsibility to myself and to others and I think I've taken to it rather well. I've also decided that I'm ready to have my own place. 

I know what you're thinking - 'You've got your own place, you pay rent on a house!' - but I don't feel like it's my home. I want somewhere that I can take care of and really make my own, somewhere friends can visit but also where I can be away from the world. A real place to call my own. I'm planning to become a big girl and find a flat to rent next year. A one bedroom flat or a studio flat. All by myself! If I could afford it and felt I wanted to settle in Chester I would probably consider buying an apartment, but alas I cannot and do not. 

It's a little bit scary, but I think I'm ready. I know that I definitely don't want to be a hall warden in my third year as I struggle dealing with the freshers and the noise this year, and that's without needing to do a dissertation. I also don't want to be stuck in another house full of strangers where there's bound to be drama or little friendship cliques. I definitely don't want to be somewhere that requires me to share a kitchen, bathroom and toilet with more than 2 other people - I have a bit of a thing about hygiene when it comes to sharing such facilities. 

I do feel like this is a big leap in to the bounds of adulthood, but it's going to happen some day so I say 'why not sooner rather than later?'. It's time to get the Bridget Jones pants out, pull my socks up and grow up. 

Thanks for reading the rant! Don't forget to like, comment, share, subscribe, +1 etc.

Love you all!

T

xxx