The Adventures of Luna

 

If you follow my Instagram, you will have seen that I had planned to post a soup recipe today, however something has happened between lunch and this moment that I just had to write about instead because its just so ridiculous.

My little cherub (read through gritted teeth) Luna today had a little adventure of her own which I felt was blog worthy. She was bouncing off the walls after a nap so I decided, as I needed to pop to the shops anyway I would take her along with me. Walks are not currently like you would imagine, she sits down every 4 steps, rolls around, wants to kiss everybody that passes, hates cars and sits down when they pass by...you can imagine we never get too far.

So back to what I was saying, we were "walking" to the shops, once we arrived at the shops I had a bit of a struggle trying to find what people always tie there dogs too outside of the shop, in the end I had to settle with the metal frame that had buckets of flowers in, and just prayed she didn't find the strength to over turn the thing.

 I was a bit anxious about leaving her, as I knew she wouldn't like it anyway, so after tying her up and giving her a treat half the size of her head I ran into the shop, grabbed the nearest chicken to me (which was reduced...Win!) and rushed to the isle to pay. There was typically the longest queue that shop has ever possessed!

Which was when I started to hear a bit of commotion in the isle next to mine...followed by a few "awwws" and I knew Luna was in the bloody shop. She had wriggled out of her harness and was currently running up and down the isles looking for her mum it would seem. But did she run up to me and that was that, no she didn't. After locating me she decided she wanted to play and went bounding off. So to cut a story short, there I am running around our local with a chicken in one hand trying to grab the little ball of fluff that is our beloved Luna whilst she ran around like a lunatic!

So after finally grabbing her, plonking my chicken on the side I took her back outside, took off her harness and attached her lead to her collar. The reason we purchased a harness was because when we put her lead on her collar she cried like she was being beaten. So I then couldn't leave her, and was just sat on the floor outside our local shop with a trembling ball of fluff, no closer to having purchased our dinner.

Thankfully a lovely lady saw I was struggling and offered to sit with Luna so I could pop into the store. But lesson learnt! I am never taking Luna to the shops on my own again!

 I probably now have the nick name crazy dog lady. Thanks Luna!

 

Carla

 

 

 

 

My First Tattoo

 

After a unexpected break from blogging (9 days!) I am really missing it, having recently discovered I have torn a ligament in my pelvis, I haven't been all that up to applying myself recently. But after some amazing little painkillers from my doctor, I'm mobile (ish) again, YAY!

You would think being off work and unable to move my butt from the couch would leave me with bundles of time to blog, but alas it doesn't inspire you a whole lot.

 

But I have got some news to share with you all, and it comes in the form of my new tattoo! Can I get an oooohhhhhhhhhhhh?

 

I have always wanted a tattoo, and have almost had one a few times in the past. First off there was the lower back tattoo that I used to design over and over in my school books, then the massive black/grey rose tattoo that would have stretched all the way down the left side of my upper body, and a few other little designs that I always decided (thankfully) against. You need to be so sure before putting a design onto your body for the rest of your life. Although this tattoo may have been a rushed decision compared to the others I have wanted. This tattoo has meaning, and will never be regretted. 

I got my tattoo at Rag and Bone in Norwich, it has a great reputation and I have seen really great work come from their studio. Although my design was simple, and hardly needed the creative flare of a great tattoo artist it's still important to feel confident in the person who will be tattooing you.  

I started my day off with a scrummy breakfast, and prior to my appointment went and grabbed myself a homemade lemonade from the well known and highly rated Café No.33. You know, in case I needed the sugar if I got a bit nervous or potentially felt a little faint after my ordeal (the whole 10 minutes of it)...fully justified.

 

Then it was time for the tattoo, surprisingly I wasn't nervous, and it didn't hurt as I had expected, although obviously there is pain, it's more just uncomfortable rather than actually painful. The most painful part was when he went over a few lines. It was in a really sensitive area, and I was fully expecting to have to bite my tongue, wince or something, but it was more than manageable.

 

And here is the beauty. I love it.

 This tattoo means the world to me, and will always remind me to shine bright, and live life to the full.

 

Carla

 

 

Haul

Primark | Next | The Range

 

Who doesn't love a good little shopping spree?! We'll I have been spending my pennies - a favourite past time of mine I will have you know! And as I have a few items I thought I should really (being a blogger now an all!) do a haul for you guys. So enjoy.

 

First stop was NEXT, good job this was on my lunch break as I can do some serious damage to the bank balance in here. But I only purchased the Luxury Reed Diffuser in the sent Milan.

 

I have loved this scent for about 2 years, its my absolute favourite, also it comes in about everything you would every want to smell nice, diffusers, candles, perfumes! because you know, who doesn't want to smell like their house...you can see the range here. NEXT describe the scent as "A vibrant fruity fragrance with a floral heart and a lingering woody base" I think its light, clean, crisp, and has a florally melon like scent to it, perfect for spring / summer time ( very professional description I know!) I bought the large bottle, and it scents my whole house, what more can you ask for from a scent.

Next stop was The Range, I picked up the following vase and flameless candle, after now two candle disasters, my finance believes its best I stick to these...However they are really good, they are real wax, and scented vanilla, require 3AAA batteries, and flicker like an actual candle. I even have a set of 6 that includes a remote control, pictured in photo above. I'm planning on placing the candle inside the vase, as it will look super cute for winter evenings all flickering away romantically....aww.

 The vase matches our lampshade in the bedroom, which came from NEXT, and I shall be in the near future (once I have bedside tables) be purchasing a matching heart shaped lamp also. See lamp here.

 

Then onto Primark, who doesn't love Primark, bargain central! I'm not going to talk you through each item, the pictures are pretty self explanatory! I purchased the following:

 

Side Note: These are the most comfortable trousers I have ever placed my legs into, and I will be buying the whole range.

I also bought undies too, but you don't need to see those!

 

Yay new things! On that note I have just found a snap chat I sent a while back - but its very fitting and just made me giggle, so I shall leave you with it, however unflattering it may be.

Carla

Dear Diary, What Makes You Happy?

If you follow me on social media you will have already seen this one (if not, why not!)

Thought I would update my blog with a dear diary post as I'm in such a good mood.  I think I am getting all excited about the weekend being so close! I'm quite an excitable person in general, I'm like a roller coaster it's either up, up, up! Or down, down, down! There is no middle gound, only the extremes in my day to day. I don't mind this it's part of my character, but it's quite lucky that small things can create this genuine excitement in my life. Examples of things that have contributed to my good day today; an early morning text from my fiancé, chocolate at lunch! I woke up fresh as a daisy this morning (very unlike myself that one), how excited Luna gets when i get home, a leg wobbling workout, and the prospect of an exciting weekend. It's funny how your mind wanders but It got me thinking about how many people neglect excitement, cast it off as childish, only allow excitement to surface for events they feel worthy. Each to their own - but seriously life can be hard, and exhausting, and difficult, Why wouldn't you take the most from each moment? It's important to appreciate and cherish the little things in life.

 

I know I'm being all a bit philosophical and love thy neibourgh here, but you can blame my fiancé for this. Last night he got me to watch the below video. It's Jim Carrey giving a speech about life. I would highly recommend a watch, don't let the length of the video put you off, it's truly grounding. The video for me reaffirmed the importance to do what you love, stop making things that make you unhappy your priority, stop taking the "safe" option in hope of security and happiness, stop letting fear ulitmatly run your life. I was so lucky to have someone in my life who was truly brave, lived life to the fullest, never said no, was always the first on the dance floor, always wore the highest heels! She was refreshingly brave, in a society of caution. 💎 

 

If you are reading on a mobile device the link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V80-gPkpH6M&feature=player_embedded

 

It's not always easy to be sure of yourself, and know what makes you happy and that is a little sad. I have been really lucky recently found a few such thing, for example I now truly love keeping fit and healthy, but before I made this discovery I was already doing Yoga, at the end of each class there is a 10-15 minute guided mediation, if you have never meditated before, just do it! It really gives you space to think, and I think I'm going to be doing this more reguarly as a result of the above video. 

So this weekend I'm looking forward to the following; my fiancé is marking us a gate for our back garden, i may or may not be getting a tattoo, Luna is going to have her first outing in the big wide world, I plan to give the garden a make over, and this still counts although it's next week, our new  kitchen gets delivered! Oh ma gaad, that's a biggie! I have been without a kitchen since we moved in to our home in October! So my roller coaster is currently on the up! Hope yours is too! 

Bullet points to take from this post (you know it's been a ramble when you need to summarise!)

• Watch the video
• Find what makes you happy
• Let go of living in fear
• Eat chocolate 
• Appreciate the little things 

I hope you take something from this, if you really enjoy the video I highly recommend you watch V for Vendetta, same (ish) concept, fantastic film! (One of my top 3 favourites!) 

Much love

Carla 

Sanctuary - Skin Perfecting BB Cream SPF15

Review time! and I have a new found love for you, and I can't believe I forgot to add it to my favourites this month (actually I forgot to add lots of things, note to self - make notes!) I stumbled across this beauty whilst trying to find Origins VitaZing, I was off to a festival, had seen a review, this was the product that I needed! But my local Boots store failed me big time as they don't stock Origins. So I was left wandering the isles in search of another BB cream with sun protection. Having never used BB creams before I was a bit lost, I am usually a no make up, or full face make up kinda girl - once I start I tend to get a bit carried away. So here is the one I went for: Sanctuary - Brightening Facial - Skin Perfecting BB Cream SPF15.

Currently on offer for £10! Here

 

This little tub of wonder is fantastic! Its everything you need from a BB cream, light on your skin, has SPF 15, blurs imperfections, highlights, balances out redness and does a little to cover pesky break outs. although I would suggest a concealer too if your skin has few flare ups (like mine constantly grrr) as this is quite light coverage.

 

I don't honestly see myself going back to using foundations, I have really oily skin and its a nightmare when wearing foundation, practically impossible in the current weather conditions in the UK, but this has oil control also! If I had read the description properly I would have known this, but I was unaware of it's claim and it came as a unexpected joyful shock to me when I looked in the mirror at lunchtime and my face didn't look like it was slipping off! Seriously its the best (big claim) oil control product that I have come across in all my oily years. On a good day, I don't even have to powder at all! and it still lasts me the whole day. I can't actually put into words how happy that makes me...

On to the "meh" things about the product; I have the light to medium shade, which I'm pretty sure was the lightest one, and its very tanned, perfect for the summer (as obviously intended) but not everyone has a tan Sanctuary...and what about when I want to use you in the wintery months? answer me that. Although its a glorified moisturiser you have to apply it with a brush, if you try to apply with your fingers it rolls up as you do so, also when dispending the product you always have to remove the top bit as it will have dried up a bit and so won't blend onto your skin, its merely slightly annoying but still worth mentioning. But I can't find any other faults, and I have been wearing this for a couple of months almost everyday so not bad, also I still have loads of product left, maybe 3/4!

 

Overall I am totally in love with this BB cream, and will repurchase (maybe right now as its got a fiver off!) the biggest thing I love about this is the oil control, but as a general BB cream its fab too. also it saved me £14, as the Origins VitaZing is a whopping £29. I feel a holy grail product developing!

 

But maybe I shall purchase the VitaZing in the future when I'm feeling flush and do a little comparison for you, see if its really worth the extra £14...I'll leave you with a few photos of the product on. Apologies I didn't take these photos for the purpose of this, so its just a general idea of the coverage.

 

Carla x



Supermarkets vs Shopping Local

I like to consider myself a bit of a savy shopper, and being engaged to an accountant I don't have much choice in the matter! So whilst doing my weekly visit's to the butcher and farm shop this morning, I decided to blog about the cost of shopping, why I shop local and give you a little cost comparison also. I know most people are of the opinion that butchers and farm shops are expensive, well I'm going to show you how wrong you are.
 

 

 Why I Shop Local 
 

 There are a few reasons; the main one being I hate the supermarkets, I'm not just talking about the actual visit, although the traipsing down each isle of food trying to tempt you into buying all the sugary goodness you didn't originally crave, the family that believe the weekly shop is a family day out, the fact its "cheaper" to buy 6 but I only wanted 4, the depressing beep of the till, does all drain your happiness a bit. I'm also talking about the superstore cultures morals, the sheer dominance they are trying to impose on the market and their lack of respect for employees - zero hour contracts?!

 

Benefits of Shopping Local

 

 

• I  like to know where my food has come from
• I like my food fresh as possible
• I like to try and eat healthy (most of the time) and everyone know that fresher = healthier.
• Better for the environment, there is less transportation of the products. You are eating the produce as it is in season, so although you may be going without kale currently, it hasn't had to be shipped half way around the world before it gets to your smoothie! Also our local farm shop will stack your weeklies in a re- used cardboard box, so less plastic bags. (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!)  
• Great customer service, including advice and recommendations with regards to their products.
• Supporting your local business & community
• It can be cheaper! 
• And the fact it just makes me feel happy because of all the above.  



My Weekly Shop: Price Comparison

 

Butcher:

• 6 Sausages
• 6 Bacon Rashers
• 2 Beef Burgers
• 1 Pound of Mince
• Dozen eggs (12)

Farm Shop:

• Whole wheat Loaf of Bread
• Strawberries 1kg
• Raspberries 200g
• Lettuce x 2
• Onion
• Avocados x 2
• Bulb of Garlic
• New Potatoes 500g
• Cucumber
• Broccoli 250g
• Red Pepper x 1
• Green Peppers x 2
• Spinach 200g
• Pineapple
• Apples x 4
• Bananas x 7
• Baking potatoes x 2
• Lemon Sole Goujons 500g
• Sweet Potatoes 400g

As it was the first shop of the month I done a bit of a top up shop at our local budget supermarket:

• Orange Squash 1 litre
• Blackcurrant Squash 1 Litre
• Peach Ice Tea 1.5Litre
• Kidney Beans 2 tins
• Olive Oil 1 litre
• Tomato Puree 200g
• Celery 700g
• Whole Wheat Pitta Breads x 6
• Humous 300g
• Ketchup 560g
• Mixed Nuts 200g
• Peanut Butter 454g
• Mayonnaise 500ml
• Whole Wheat Crisp Bread 250g
• Sweetcorn 300g tins x 2
• Beef OXO Cubes x12
• Unsalted Butter 250g
• Unsweetened Soya Milk 1 litre x 2 
• Toothpaste 100ml
• Cotton Buds 200
• Basmati Rice 1kg
• Branson Bake Beans 410g x 4
• Chopped Tomatoes 500g x 2 

So what I have done is gone onto one of the big dog supermarket websites and replicated my shop, as I would if I had been shopping there for the week. So I haven't chosen the most expensive for everything however I haven't always simply chosen the cheapest either. Its just an honest shop.

 

Below are my results:

 

Shopping - Local £58.96

Shopping - Supermarket £80.47

Shopping Local Total Saving £21.51

 

So there you have it, even if all the benefits I listed above don't concern you I bet you wouldn't mind an extra £20 in your pocket a week!

 

Carla x

 

July Favourites 2014

 

So another month has flown by, seriously where do they go?! One of my favourite features to read or watch is a favourites post / video, they are great to see what you may be currently missing out on, give you new ideas for the next month, or just be nosey and have a poke at everyone else's interests!  So I thought I would give my own a go, I'm going to try and do this every month...so I'm going to get started.

 

 

 

First thing completely breaks the rules of a favourites video, as although I love Nashville this month I certainly did not favour the end 2! If you haven't seen Nashville, then you are missing out! Its not an exaggeration to say that I am OBSESSED with the program (cough Charles Esten) and I was so gutted when it came to a close, I actually didn't realise the last episode was the last episode, and was constantly refreshing More4 waiting for (what I thought) was the last one and once I realised, I almost cried (oh I wish I was joking)

 

 

I have loved country music since I was a kid and this program has it all going on, good music, Deacon Claybourne, fantastic talent, Deacon Claybourne, great story lines, Deacon Claybourne.....If you haven't seen it you are missing out, and I highly recommend you go watch them ALL - before the third season finally makes it over the pond (It hasn't even aired in America yet! *cries*) 

 

 

I bought a smoothie maker, yay! (a £15 smoothie maker I might add! thank you Clas Ohlson) and now I try and make them my breakfast. My favourite ingredients are pineapple and raspberries! I will be doing a separate post on my favourite recipes soon.  I have now bought myself some protein powder also, I went for Protein Worlds - The Slender Blend in Vanilla. Now I'm adding this to my smoothies also, the theory being that I can help bring down the recovery time of my work outs (especially the ones with Carly Rowena!) and as this powder is a 3 in one (protein powder, meal replacement & weight loss aid) it helps keep me full till lunch. As I always eat all my scrummy healthy snacks in the morning then have nothing for the afternoon and that's when the cravings start kicking in. *ooh did someone make cake...?

 

 

Also its worth mentioning that this is delicious on its own also, I have a few times only had the shake, made with soya milk and it tastes just like milkshake - although I struggle to make it minus lumpy bits...any tips?

 

 

I have 2 more favourites for this month (lets not make this too long a post!) both are obvious choices however, first is our new puppy Luna. She is a Shih Tzu cross Toy Poodle, and I love her lots (even more so now she doesn't wake us up all night) I'm not going to talk about her, as I have done 2 posts already! Go check them out, she is super cute! (here & here)

 

 

And lastly my Blog! Not just my blog, but blogging in general, I absolutely love it and its given me such a great outlet for being creative and all that jazz! I's definitely a keeper! If you like it too you can subscribe to an email alert to keep up to date with what I'm jabbering on about here or if you already have a Bloglovin account follow me here.

 

Thanks for reading

 

Carla x