Journeys Are My Diary

Life, Adventures, Entertainment and more - A little bit of everything blog!

Fall Favourites – Coats and Jackets

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It’s coming around to that time again when the weather has dropped 10 degrees and I can start to wear my warm jacket and more importantly my scarves! It was this in mind, that I started to look for a this years “jacket desire”. Every year I spot a warm jacket that I lust after so these are the ones I’ve picked out this year.

 

Fall Favourite - jackets and coats

The majority of these jackets (the first three) were found on a site called Lyst. This site is a great search engine for clothes and accessories, but in addition to that, acts as a personal shopper to each of its users. I’m hoping that using this site might actually help me find my “jacket desire” every year!

The first caught my eye as its a beautiful shape and unusual in that it’s navy rather than blue. The second jacket is a suede black jacket, short in length but still warm looking. The third is like my current jacket (the same colour and style) but looks warmer and with more pockets. Finally that leaves jackets four and five. These were actually found on Joe Browns website and caught my eye (as their clothes often does). I love jacket four, largely for its colour but also as it’s just so unusual with its random buttons and cut. Jacket five is probably my favourite though, as black is the most flattering and I love the lace up detail.

I can’t wait for the chill to really kick in so I can start looking at boots, scarves and chunky jumpers. I love Autumn but I especially love Winter. Sadly I can’t wait to get the heating on and curl up with hot chocolate and a good book.

The Best Places To Go On An Adult Holiday

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Everyone loves a good holiday, especially when you’ve managed to take a week off work and relieve yourself from the stresses of general day-to-day life. There are plenty of fun filled holidays available that are catered specifically for adults in this day and age; here are three of our favourite destinations that should be considered for an 18+ adventure.

Ibiza

ibiza

The beautiful island of Ibiza is located in the Mediterranean Sea and is one of the most popular tourist hotspots to date. With plenty of entertainment available, travellers have the opportunity to hit some of the biggest and best night clubs in Europe.

There are many popular nightclubs on the island but Privilege is by far and away the biggest and most famous venue. According to the Guinness World Book of Records, Privilege is supposedly the biggest nightclub in the world with a capacity of 10,000 people – and dance music lovers have the chance to mingle and enjoy their night with tourists from all four corners of the globe.

Las Vegas

lasvegas

If you’re visiting North America, you MUST visit Las Vegas, Nevada; the city that never sleeps. The Las Vegas strip is a once in a lifetime experience with its themed hotels, countless casinos, and the general hustle and bustle of thousands of tourists.

It is customary to attend a casino or two when visiting this marvellous state and it might be wise to play some online roulette at Betway’s website prior to your visit. You’ll need to practice before you hit the big tables in Vegas!

If you aren’t a big gambler, the nightlife is just as good. With hundreds of nightclubs to choose from, you are sure to find one to your taste. A popular one amongst tourists is Hakkasan, located in the MGM Grand complex. It attracts thousands of visitors per month due to its popular location and the residency of the world famous DJ Tiesto.

The Maldives

maldives

If you prefer a relaxing getaway with your partner, the Maldives is a must. Popular for its beautiful blue lagoons and reefs filled with wildlife it has grown to be one of the most popular tourist destinations for adults in the world.

There is an extensive list of activities available on these magnificent islands, including snorkelling and paddle-boarding. If you fancied a more of a relaxing activity, there are yoga classes available on the gorgeous sandy beaches.

With a fabulous variety of food available in the evenings, including the freshly caught sea food, you can’t beat this location for an enjoyable, relaxing and classy trip.

38/52

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photo-16-09-2016-08-03-05 photo-16-09-2016-16-47-42
Lily had a Roman dress up day this week and looked really sweet. She was supposed to be a goddess but wasn’t keen on any of the white dresses and instead picked this black one. Megan got changed after school that same day and since she had something aggravating her neck, I put her hair up for her. I couldn’t get over just how grown up she looked.

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Dare I mention the C word yet?

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This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.

Okay so it’s mid- September now… is that too early to mention the C word? By that I of course mean Christmas. While on the one hand, it seems crazily early to be thinking about it (we only just moved past Summer right?) but on the other, its nice to start saving and planning – making sure you have everything you need and of course the cashflow to get it!

As a single mum (or at least the person singularly responsible for buying the girls gifts), its important that I at least start to think about it early, even if no purchasing goes on yet. Here are my top tips for planning out the perfect Christmas present purchasing!

Get organised

photo-18-09-2016-09-03-55Grab a pen and paper, start making notes on a pad. Or open up that notepad app on your phone and start a page there. It doesn’t really matter where you do it, but start a list and add to it every time you think of something. When the kids say “I really wish I had….” or when they’re watching tv and the adverts come on with “oooh I’d love one of those…”. Jot it down and that way you’ll remember it when the time comes to purchasing. You can of course think about the things you want them to have – that will save you money in the long run if you get them for Christmas. A new school bag, clothes, pajamas etc.

Make a Wishlist

wishlistThere are loads of great sites for making a wishlist. Amazon has a very simple one to use, as does My Greedy Book. There are other sites like Polyvore, Giftster etc. that all do the same thing. Do some searching of the internet in your free time and add the items you like to the wishlists – you can even set up a list per person. It doesn’t really matter if you plan to shop online or in person, its still a good way to keep track of the actual brand you’ve found and the prices you’ve found it at. The lists are also really easy to edit if you find something different – swap, edit, delete etc.

Keep an eye out for vouchers and sales

salesAs soon as you’re ready to think about actually buying (and preferably once you have some spare money), start to keep an eye out for bargain opportunities. There are many sites like Vouchercode or Groupon Coupons that will offer you good discount options for your shopping. Keeping an eye on these sites will help you to get your items at a lower price than you would have regularly and may even offer you options like free shopping – which then makes shopping online both easier and cheaper.

Sites often have sales in the run up to Christmas – think Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday, both of which are great times to grab bargains both in store and online. If you’re brave enough to leave your shopping right up till Christmas Eve (which I’m definitely not) I believe you can grab several bargains then too.

Shop Secondhand

Finally, if you have any flexibility and can get away with secondhand or refurbished, places like Ebay or CEX are a great idea to check out as well. Most kids won’t even notice that it’s not in a box or proper packaging, as they’ll be too pleased to have the gift. This is a great idea for electricals especially as you can really drop the prices for yourself.

new-ebay-logoI’ve already started my lists and will be soon starting to buy the odd thing here and there. Despite the fact it’s only September I hate not being organised and I would hate even more for the kids not to get something they’d like, all because I didn’t plan well. Good luck with your Christmas planning and even more good luck if you attempt to tackle sales like Black Friday!!

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Wednesday Wishlist – Small appliances

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This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.

Its been a while since I did an appliances wishlist and so I figured with the change in weather (believe it or not, many of my items are weather connected) I would share a few of the items I’m really wishing I had right now. None of them are really things that I want enough to go out and grab right now, but many are items that if someone just happened to gift me with, I’d be exceptionally grateful! Groupon Goods are a really great thing to check out if you’re looking for ideas too. I’m a huge fan of groupon in general (we’ve had many a holiday and spa trip thanks to them) but their goods are fab too. The fresh pasta maker in my selection is actually from Groupon!

Small Appliances Wish List

If you hadn’t guessed, my kitchen appliances are red! I have white cabinets and black work surfaces, so all my appliances are red (or at least I’m attempting to have it that way). Because of that, the slow cooker, soup maker, bread maker and pasta maker would all be in red ideally. To be honest, past the colour, I don’t have an awful lot of preference when it comes to a make or brand – just a good price. Believe it or not, I’ve had a slow cooker a couple of times and always ditch it, but this year I think it would be handy for making dinners, especially since I always feel too busy to cook. The soup maker is a similar concept, only I love the idea that it broils the onions (or whatever), then cooks with liquid over time and then you can even blend from chunky to smooth – all with one appliance. The bread maker is something I have already, but sadly mine is broken. I can’t say I’ve missed it massively but it would be nice to replace it. That leaves just the pasta maker and I feel sure this would be yet another fad of mine (especially since I mentioned how I always feel busy so I doubt I would be making pasta) but I would love to give it a go – even just once.

Then I’m sure there is no surprise that two other items are sewing related. Ever since starting Closet Geek, I’ve lusted over new sewing machines and especially embroidery machines. After watching the Great British Sewing Bee I started to fancy an overlocker. I’m pretty sure I would have no idea how to use it (but that’s what YouTube is for right?) but I’d like to give it a go. I would also love to be able to add embroidery to my sewing designs and so a machine that not only sews but also embroiders would be an absolute dream to own.

Finally that leaves the laptop which you may be wondering if I intend to keep in the kitchen – since it’s red. The answer is no but red is my favourite colour and it’s been a while since my laptop was the colour so it would be fun to go back to that. To be truthful I have no real preference over a new laptop I just know that my current one is dying a death. I’ve had it over 4 years (which is a long time for me) and it has keys come loose and a broken screen on one edge. There’s definitely no rush until it actually dies, but it would be a lovely luxury to upgrade and get a new one.

So these are my small appliances desires. I probably have more to be honest. Next time I might do a large appliances one – especially since our Washing Machine died this week!

Driving Me Crazy

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This morning on the way to school, some idiot overtook me and two other cars, just before a bend and narrowly missed an oncoming car. Sadly this is not the first time that something like this has happened and I hate that heart stopping moment when you worry not only for your own life, but that of your kids in the back too. The worst part is, our Lincolnshire roads aren’t even that bad – they’re not always narrow or bendy – so why do so many accidents seem to happen?

I thought I would share this infograph by Chill (specialists in cheap car insurance) about Ireland’s most dangerous drives. When we were kids, my Uncle John used to live in Ireland and so holidays there were quite common. Dad always used to drive as mum refused, due to the roads being so awful. While I wasn’t a driver myself back then, I do remember how often the roads would be narrow or bumpy, plus several times when passing seemed quite dangerous. I have to admit that since becoming a driver myself (almost 20 years now), I’ve never once had the desire to holiday in Ireland – largely because of the driving. All of that was on regular roads, however some of these places mentioned in the infograph look absolutely terrifying.

dangerous drives infographic

Mind you, its not always Ireland that has the dangerous roads as I’ve come across many on holiday too. The main one which stands out was definitely Sa Calobra, a road in Majorca. Again, luckily I wasn’t the one driving but this is the most scared I’ve ever been on a road. Passing was almost impossible anyway but coming across a coach and choosing between going off the edge or scraping along the coach itself, were not great options!

sa-calobra

When driving has the potential to be so dangerous anyway, it amazes me that roads like this exist at all. I’m glad that for the most part, you have to be quite a bit older and have several years experience, before you can drive abroad. That said, you can never be sure of all the idiots on the road and really all you can do is take extra care yourself and always be alert. I love being able to drive and I would never change that, but it does scare my somewhat that you take your life (and that of your kids) in your hands, every time you get behind the wheel!

Now is the Time to Plan Your Family’s October Half Term Holiday

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You may only be just starting to think about sending the kids back to school in September, but whether you’ve had the chance to take a family holiday or not these summer holidays, now’s the best time to start planning your break for the upcoming October half term. Putting together your plans now for your half-term break will mean for a more relaxing, less stressful and even cheaper time. There are many great reasons why being savvy and booking your October getaway as soon as possible is a great idea, and we’ve listed just some of them here.

halloween

Get the Best Deals

The longer you wait to book your October half term getaway, the less deals you’ll have to choose from as you’re in with a bigger chance of losing out to parents who’ve all had the same idea. Booking your half-term stay from awaywiththekids.co.uk means that you’ll be one of the earliest to book, giving you a better selection of choices and perhaps even reduced prices due to a lower level of demand. The longer you wait, the more in-demand your holiday destinations will be – meaning you’ll have less of a selection.

Save Money

Planning and booking your October half-term family break in good time rather than at the last minute also means that you could save money in the long run. Even though it’s widely believed that you can often get the best deals by booking at the last minute, this isn’t always true and you have to run the risk of paying increased prices instead. Along with that, if you’re not going down the package route and are booking your flights and hotels separately, you may find that you get a good last-minute price on one, but not on the other.

Less Stress

The longer time you give yourself to plan your holiday, the less stressful the whole process will be. This is especially important for busy mums and dads who have a lot to think about anyway especially with the upcoming new school year. By planning your October half term family break now, you’ll be able to get it out of the way and focus on getting everything done for a successful holiday, such as exchanging money, booking transfers, and buying luggage.

Get Better Deals

Booking your half-term family break sooner rather than later means that you will be in with a better chance of getting more for your money. Booking early not only means that you’ll have access to more choices and deals available, you may also be able to take advantage of special offers and deals that travel agents and booking companies may not hold later on in the year.

Although the summer holidays are barely even over, it’s definitely a great time to start thinking about booking your next family break during the upcoming October half term. Booking now gives you more time to make sure that you have an enjoyable break and can also save you money on a better deal.

July AND August Round-up

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july
Can you believe it got to August 21st before I actually got around to writing my July round-up? I had remembered earlier than that but with one thing or another, I just didn’t find time to write it up. However by that point it seemed a bit random to post so late in the month and I decided to save it and do July and August together. July will be far more vague but here they both are anyway!

Watching: Fringe (Season 4-5), Vampire Diaries (Season 7), Wayward Pines (Season 1-2), Sleepy Hollow (Season 3), Grimm (Season 6), Suits (Season 6), Transformers – Age of Extinction, Bones (Season 6+)
Reading: Cinder.
Sewing & Making (for Closet Geek): A few more ears, some bunting, an Anna skirt, along with the usual orders of bows, pencil cases and clothes.

And in other news…
– Pokemon Go became a big things for Lily. She doesn’t have her own phone and it won’t work on her iPad so I let her use it on my phone. I have to admit I don’t mind encouraging it – especially the walks to hatch eggs.
– Probably the most notable part of July was the girls finishing school for the summer, coupled with Megan leaving primary school altogether. The last two weeks were very emotional with School play, Leavers Do, Church Services, Leavers Assembly, Sports Day etc. However even though she was sad, school ended on a high note and hopefully she’s looking forward to Secondary School in September.
– We had some beautiful weather, actually like Summer for a change. It was really nice but of course didn’t last long!
– The girls washed Chris’s car, outside with Chris. They started on mine too but soon got bored and Chris ended up finishing it.
– Dentists. Enough said.
– Our first camping trip took place at the very end of July. We went to a place called Staxton, near Scarborough for the weekend and actually had a great time.

 

august

Watching: I completely caught up with Bones, right up to the end of Season 10. Criminal Minds (from Season 2-), Captain America: Winter Soldier (finally), X-Men 1, 2 and 3 with the kids. Daredevil (Season 2). Containment, Musketeers and Vikings.
Reading: Cinder, Reliquary.
Sewing & Making (for Closet Geek): Harry Potter bunting, loads and loads of pencil cases.

And in other news…
– We went to Meadowhall shopping, to get Beauty and the Beast tsum tsums, shoes for Megan and of course FIVE GUYS! It was Nat’s first time too.
– Nat, Megan, Lily and I went to a Harry Potter convention and ball. We had an overnight stay at the Premier Inn, Nottingham.
– Chris bought Lily a starter set of Pokemon cards and then taught her how to play.
– We took our second camping trip, this time to Chichester, where we spent the day on a boat in the marina and got a brand new tent too!
– We got an ice cream maker to review AND made ice cream. It was pretty amazing.
– Placed an uber Hobbycraft order which was pretty exciting!
– Closet Geek turned ONE! I still can’t believe it really but its actually a great feeling. I love my work more than I ever thought possible.
– Went to see Suicide Squad at the cinema. It was really nice as Chris and I went with my best friend and her boyfriend Dan.
– I took the girls to the beach and we had a really great day. We went to Mablethorpe and the weather was beautiful. We had candy floss, ice cream and the girls got an airbrush tattoo.

Looking forward to in September:
– Megan starts school on 2nd September so that is both terrifying and exciting. I can’t believe she’s old enough for secondary school. I hope her first day goes well!
– Amy is hopefully coming to visit next weekend. I haven’t seen her since May so it will be lovely to see her and Liv again.
– (Not entirely sure I’m looking forward to this but..) Seeing the Halloween orders flood in for Closet Geek. I’m hoping its not as crazy as last year but its nice to be busy.
– Other than that there isn’t much going on this month so we’ll just see how it goes!

Harry Potter Ball – take two

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As you may remember, I posted a little while ago about a Harry Potter convention and Ball that I went to with my best friend and two daughters. It was a little disappointing to be honest and left me feeling like I could have done better myself. Having talked it over with Nat (or maybe ranted in the car on the way home) we decided that maybe we should plan our own – perhaps for her 30th next year.

This got me to thinking about what I would wear – the changes to what I wore this time and what I could improve. The largest change of all, would be to lose some weight. We’re hoping in fact that this may motivate us! She got so many lovely compliments in the dress she was wearing, that I really want people to look at me and say the same. For that reason I would definitely pick the same dress. I have worn it twice now and I love it. However I definitely think I could do with some accessories so I’ve been doing some research.

Gryffindor Ball

I love the idea of a heavy piece for a necklace – something like this beautiful Victorian necklace from Berganza. I also love this cuff bracelet from House of Fraser and these ruby earrings from India Times to really give the Gryffindor vibe (I’m sorry, but I love red far too much to not be a Gryffindor). The ring probably isn’t that necessary to the outfit but I love to pull a bit more of the ruby in and this would be a nice subtle touch.

Since the girls are Ravenclaw and Slytherin (Lily is like me, torn between Gryffindor and Slytherin), I decided to look for some ideas for them too. They won’t be going to Nat’s 30th but just in case we find another decent Harry Potter ball to get invited too, I thought it would be nice for them to have accessories.

Ravenclaw accessories

Megan is quite delicate so all the pieces I picked are delicate too. They all feature sapphires as I figured this suited Ravenclaw colours. Of course no ball outfit would be complete without Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem too.

Slytherin accessories

Lily likes to be fierce in everything she does so I know she’d rock the brightness of the emerald pieces. The snake earrings (despite the fact her ears aren’t pierced yet) and the snake bracelet are by far my favourite choices. She also has a huge amount of hair so this beautiful comb would look great. Finally the necklace is nice and solid so it would hang nicely around her neck.

Sorry Hufflepuff but you lucked out. No one in our house is interested in being from Hufflepuff so I decided not to do one for you! Besides, really not a fan of Amber or yellow coloured stones either.

What would you pick if you were supporting your favourite Hogwarts House to a Yule Ball?