Life, Adventures, Entertainment and more - A little bit of everything blog!
Dress: Hot Topic
Cardigan: H&M
Tights: Peacocks
Boots: Stead & Simpson
Necklace: Hot Topic
Last week we headed out for dinner as a family and I finally got to wear my new Alice in Wonderland themed dress. It was pretty darn cold that day so I had to winter it up somewhat, but I liked the way it turned out.
Over the next few weeks I’m going to be sharing some of my ideas for gift guides, including “for him”, “for her”, “for kids” etc. However I wanted to start off with a wish list of my own! This is my Christmas Wishlist 2015.
As you will see, even at a glance, my wishlist is almost entirely filled with Disney. This is because Disney is probably my biggest fandom love, followed immediately by Harry Potter (which there are also several items for). Anyway, let’s get started!
On the left hand side of the guide, you will see an Inside Out board game and a Ticket to Ride board game. I absolutely love playing board games, both with my family and with my friends. Though we already own a version of both these games, I would love these versions (just like I would love Disney Villains monopoly still). Inside Out seems like such a great idea for Game of Life and a United Kingdom version of Ticket to Ride sounds fun! On that same side you will also spot two DVDs, Inside Out and Tomorrowland. Inside Out isn’t released yet but Tomorrowland has been for a while, I’d like both to add to my every growing Disney DVD collection. Finally on that side is a Thomas Kinkade Disney calendar. I had the mini version last year but I would love the full size version as my main calendar this year. I love the art work and even better when you’re done with it you could always frame the pages.
On the right hand side I have clothes. The dress is an Alice print dress from Hot Topic which I absolutely love. I have another dress from Hot Topic in this style and its my favourite Disney dress. I also have this exact print in a scarf (which I’m wearing now) and I love it. Not only that it’s black and I know I’d get lots of wear out of it, even in winter paired with a cardigan and tights. Secondly there is a set of PJs and these are Beauty and the Beast from Topshop. Last year I treated myself to a pair of PJs from Topshop and though they had cuff bottoms on the trousers (which I thought I would hate) I loved them and as such would love this pair for this year.
Heading for the middle of the wishlist you can see its basically an array of ornaments and Pop Funko figures. However there is a Harry Potter umbrella in there too. I love the Marauders Map print and I know I would get loads of use out of this – especially living in the UK where rain is our standard. Also not an ornament is the Disney Villains bag. This is from Loungefly and have I loved their stuff for a long time. In this style there is also a Disney Villains wallet but as it doesn’t have card slots I know I wouldn’t use it much. This bag however is amazing and I would love to use it as my every day handbag. Not technically an ornament, this candle is also on my wishlist. It’s available from the Disney Store and comes in a few different colours. I’m not a huge candle fan but I find myself more drawn to them this time of year. Plus it’s Disney. No brainer.
Finally, onto the ornaments in the middle. There are four Disney Traditions/Showcase ornaments and some of these are firm favourites while others are new to my wish list. I have loads of Beauty and the Beast ornaments already but since it’s my favourite, I’d love to have them all. The ornament of Belle with the Beast has been on my wish list since last Christmas so hopefully this year I’ll get lucky and manage to get it. The one of Mrs Potts is new (or at least I haven’t seen it before) and since I have one of Lumiere and Cogsworth together, I’d love to have this too. That then leaves the Villains. Maleficent joined my wishlist over a year ago, for my birthday last year when we watched the new Maleficent movie. I love this figure so much but sadly it went out of stock last Christmas and I ended up with the Evil Queen instead. It’s now back in stock in most places so I’d love to add it to my collection. Then there is the “hag”, who is the Evil Queen from Snow White. I’m not exactly sure what draws me to this ornament as it’s pretty ugly but I love it nonetheless. Next comes the Pop Funko and sure enough one is Disney (sort of) and another is Harry Potter. I started out my collection of Pop Funkos with only Disney and I’ve tried hard to resist branching out into other Fandoms as its a disaster waiting to happen. However we do have several others, including some Harry Potter. I love this Voldemort figure and it would definitely be my next pick to add to the collection, though I would happily take any I do have (which is only Harry and Dumbledore). Regina Mills aka the Evil Queen from Once Upon a Time is another figure I’d love. She is my favourite character by far and I hope to cosplay his exact outfit someday. While OUAT isn’t technically Disney, its definitely a branch of it and therefore adding the OUAT figures to my collection is a must! Finally that leaves Katniss Everdeen. Until a few days ago I didn’t even know Hunger Games existed as Pop Funko figures. Now I know, I sort of want them all. Katniss is available in several different variations but I think this is my favourite – like I said though, I would take them all.
I could have gone on and on but hey, Christmas is about giving not receiving – so instead of concentrating on what I’d like, I’ll soon be moving on to what you can get for others!
I can’t believe that it’s Autumn already – it doesn’t seem like two minutes since I was planning our holiday to Florida in Spring. However it’s almost October and genuinely one of my favourite times of the year. I love how crisp the air gets, how your feet sound as you crunch on leaves and how its time to dig out the scarves again! I thought that today I would share some of my favourite things about Autumn with you.
I have spoken before about my love of L’occitane Vanilla hand cream and this time of year it’s an absolute life saver! I originally discovered it last year in a beauty box subscription I was sent and ever since then I’ve been addicted. I use it every time I get out of the shower as my face is always dry, but I also carry a separate tube in my handbag as I often suffer from dry skin on my hands, during the colder months. I treated myself to a larger tube earlier in the year but this Christmas I might have to sneak myself one of their gift sets into my stocking!
Vaseline tins are also another essential for me this time of year. I usually carry one in my coat pocket, one in my handbag and keep one next to my bed. While I’ll happily use chapstick, I find these tins of Vaseline work best for my lips. In the cold whether I often suffer from chapped and sore lips and I hate finding I don’t have any with me! I saw there was a Creme Brulee version while browsing the web, but sadly I’ve never seen it in store! I have just spotted a Queen Bee one too, so that might have to be in this year’s Christmas stocking too!
With the autumn weather comes a desire to wrap up warm and every year I fancy one of Joe Browns Autumn Collection coats. I’ve resisted the urge till now but this year could be the year! Not only are Joe Browns products amazing quality, they’re also really unique and different. Though I’m definitely a jeans and t-shirt sort of a girl, I’ve often wished I could be a little bit more bohemian. Joe Browns coats are just unique enough for me, without putting me too far out of my comfort zone and although they are quite expensive, I would hope it would last me several Autumns and Winters to come.
While I do have a warm woolen scarf that I love, originally from Per Una (M&S), I have to admit that I have recently found a huge love for Hot Topic scarves. They are soft, long and really really warm. Not only that but they are unique and fashionable too – not to mention geeky! So far I own three – Princess Script, Doctor Who Tardis and Stitch (from Lilo and Stitch). However I recently ordered an Alice in Wonderland one and a Disney Villains one and I can’t wait for them to arrive. As I’ve got older I’ve definitely noticed that I get colder a lot easier, especially around the neck. I don’t just wear these scarves out of the house but also as part of my outfit inside the house too.
There are lots of other Autumn Favourites for me – like finding a good book and curling up under a blanket, endless cups of tea (preferably with sugar, tut tut!), movie nights snuggled on the sofa, chicken casserole for dinner, Halloween and Bonfire Night! Of course there will soon be the build up to Christmas too and I definitely love that!
What are your Autumn Favourites?
I love May. It’s probably my favourite month of the whole year. Why? Well my birthday is in May for a start, but that’s only the initial reason to feel a connection to the month. I also love what happens outdoors – the flowers pushing through and blooming, along with the trees growing blossom. The picture above (Hello May) is actually a photo I took earlier today, of a tree in Saxilby on the way to the girls school.
Since it’s now 26 days till my birthday, I figured I’d share a birthday wishlist as my post for today. In all honesty, I don’t really want for anything (except a lottery win) but I guess if I was given a little money to treat myself with, these are the things I’d like.
So first let’s start with Lumiere. He was one of my “regret not purchasing” purchases, from Disney World. The whole time we were on holiday I was keeping an eye out for things I might like to buy – or things I might like as a birthday present from my mum and my sister. I saw a few things that I would have liked, but actually didn’t end up getting and Lumiere was one of these. Selling for $50 in the park, he is £60 on the Disney Store website. I truly wish I’d brought him home with me, though I just couldn’t justify the spend.
Next comes this beautiful Beauty and the Beast “Rose” necklace. It sells at TruffleShuffle for £25.99. I’ve never been one for gold jewellery so this is the first thing to have truly appealed, I also like the 14k version much more than its expensive counterpart. I love Disney Couture jewellery though and could easily have made a wishlist, solely of that.
This Daryl Dixon Pop Funko figure is really the only non-Disney item on my list. I love Daryl in Walking Dead and nothing is more representative of him than this motorcycle Pop Funko figure. He’s not easy to find in the UK though so places like Amazon.com and Hot Topic are really the only options for purchasing him.
Disney Villains Monopoly is another of my “regret not purchasing” items. I was so close to getting this game on at least 3-4 occasions, but I knew we’d be short of room in the suitcases, so just couldn’t justify it. Buying it online really isn’t an option, as its just so expensive. However I also found a cool version of this called “My Disney Villains Monopoly” which would be way cooler to have (but way more expensive too).
Again from TruffleShuffle comes this awesome Iron Man usb memory stick. I don’t really need any more memory sticks but how could you not want this? I love Iron Man and finally purchased a plush of him in Florida, so this USB would add to my ever growing RDJ shrine (yeah I know, that’s creepy…).
ANOTHER regret not buying item is this book “The Beast Within”. I saw it in a shop near Gaston’s Tavern and was so close to buying it, except that I didn’t really want to carry it around with me. I later saw another one called “Fairest of them All” in Hollywood Studios and would have loved that too. I have however found them on Amazon and they’re only £10 ish. To be honest I’ll probably treat myself to those, as soon as I get a little money free.
This second to last item is my big regret not buying item, but only because I can’t find it for sale anywhere (which makes me feel like I can never buy it, unlike the others which are just all expensive to buy elsewhere). I didn’t know what the design was called, which shop I saw it in, or exactly what it looked like – so even adding it to this wishlist took me a lot of research. The design is by Jerrod Marayama and the shop I saw it in was called D-Street at Downtown Disney. To be absolutely honest I loved so many of his things (a collection called WonderGround), even princess related ones, but this villain print (World of Evil) was by far my favourite. There was both an art print and a notebook that I liked, but I think the notebook would win out. I’ll have to keep my eye out on Ebay I think, though it’s not there at the moment.
Finally my last item is yet again Beauty and the Beast themed (running theme you might notice). I have so many Disney Traditions that are Beauty and the Beast and this is one of the few I don’t have. I do however love loads of Disney Traditions ornaments so I wouldn’t be fussy of which I got. This particular ornament just represents my love of them all, though it would be great to have this one too as its another step closer to owning all the Beauty and the Beast ones!
A complete (and constantly added to) wishlist of all the things I currently love, can be found on My Greedy Book. If you don’t know what “My Greedy Book” is, you should definitely check it out as I genuinely think it’s one of the best wishlist facilities I’ve come across. In fact, you can read all my thoughts on “My Greedy Book“, over at my personal blog.
Being a week behind on my Monday round-up, I know I’ve been procrastinating this post. I debated making Week 15’s and back-dating it, but instead this seems like a better solution – rolling them into one! Not only that, but I’m only going to be brief with my round up, as over the next few weeks I’ll be recapping my whole holiday in some form or another! **I’ve since procrastinated a further 4 days and now this is late for both weeks!!**
Picking up where I left off after Week 14’s round up, Monday (6th) was another day in Magic Kingdom. It started early with breakfast at Cinderella’s Castle (Cinderella’s Royal Table) which included an initial meet and greet with Cinderella herself and then also meets with Snow White, Aurora, Jasmine and Ariel while we were eating our breakfast. Amy and Olivia were there too, though we were booked separately, but this was the first time we’d seen them as they’d only arrived in Florida the day before. We spent majority of the day in Magic Kingdom, meeting Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, riding the Barnstormer, Peter Pan’s Flight and Haunted Mansion. However after lunch we headed back to the villa and had a relaxing afternoon, a little nap and then heading back to Magic Kingdom to see Celebrate the Magic, Wishes and then the Electric Parade.
On the Tuesday we headed back to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. We’d had our “Harry Potter” day there and so this day was to do all the other stuff. We originally met up with Amy and stayed with her for a while in Hogsmeade, largely so she could get the use of her dining plan (we went to The Three Broomsticks). After we went our separate ways though, the four of us decided there wasn’t much we wanted to do in Islands of Adventure and instead caught the Hogwarts Express again, back to Universal Studios. There we went on Twister, Shrek 4D, E.T. Adventure, Terminator 2 3D and finally Minion Mayhem. We also had photos taken with Minions and Gru. It was fairly late by the time we left and the four of us grabbed McDonalds and Taco Bell on the way home.
Wednesday we were having a day away from the parks and we instead went to Kennedy Space Center. While it wasn’t really high up on anyone’s list, it was something we felt we should do when we had the opportunity. It was actually incredibly enjoyable and we all enjoyed our day – especially as it was much slower paced than other days. We enjoyed a coach tour as well as several museums/foot tours. The shuttle launch simulator was by far the best part of the day however and after a great day we all went back to the villa for dinner.
Thursday was an early morning again as we had breakfast at The Grand Floridian – 1900 Park Fare. This was another character breakfast and we saw Winnie the Pooh and Tigger again, along with Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter and Mary Poppins. The breakfast was buffet style and it was really nice. After breakfast we headed to Magic Kingdom, this time we rode The Seven Dwarves Mine Train and The Voyage of the Little Mermaid, went on Enchanted Tales with Belle and met Cinderella and Rapunzel in Fairytale Hall. We also had a drink in Gaston’s Tavern and worked on our Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom quest. When we were finished for the day, we headed to Downtown Disney for a little while, to look around and see what was there. Afterwards it was back to the villa and into the pool.
Friday was Animal Kingdom. I was in two minds as to whether or not to visit this park so we only scheduled one day. I enjoyed the park but it really did only need one day. We went on Kilimanjaro Safari, rode Expedition Everest and saw the Lion King show and also Nemo the musical. The girls also met with Pocahontas and Dug and Russel from UP. We finished the park around 4.30pm and made our way to Blizzard Beach which was a great way to cool off after a very warm day. For dinner we called in at a Denny’s on the way home and had a delicious meal there.
Saturday was Epcot, another one day scheduled for a park. I didn’t expect to like Epcot but actually I really did. We quite happily spent a whole day there but there was a lot of walking involved. The morning was spent in Future World, where we rode Mission: Space, The Seas with Nemo & Friends and Spaceship Earth. We also dropped into the Character Spot so the girls could meet Mickey, Minnie and Goofy and then saw Chip and Dale just outside there. At lunchtime we walked into World Showcase, to Norway and Akershus Royal Banquet Hall where we were meeting Amy for a princess filled lunch. We had a meet and greet with Belle on entry, then also saw Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel and Aurora once inside. After lunch we made it around World Showcase and it’s countries, meeting with various characters. We saw Donald Duck, Jasmine and Aladdin, Mulan, Belle (in her blue dress) and Duffy Bear. This took majority of the afternoon but then we headed back to Future World to ride Soarin’. Finally we got something to eat and drink, before settling in on a bench and saving a spot for the evening’s IllumiNations display. It was truly beautiful and one of my favourite memories of the whole holiday.
Sunday we were back in Magic Kingdom. We had breakfast at Be Our Guest booked, then I insisted on going to meet Gaston. Again, this was one of my favourite moments from the whole trip. After that we took on a mission to get as many meet and greets as we could, using the day to get the majority of the ones we were missing. We got the Fairy Godmother, Lady Tremaine (the sisters were on time out), Merida, Buzz Lightyear and Stitch. After all that we needed a rest so we did both Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor and Stitch’s Great Escape. We also rode Space Mountain. We then took a wander, rode the Dumbo ride and did some shopping where the girls bought themselves hats with ears and got their names stitched on them. We then went into Peter’s Silly Sideshow and met Minnie and Daisy, followed by Donald and Goofy. When we got hungry, we ate at Pinocchio Village Haus, then did more of our Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom quest. In the afternoon, the girls met with Tiana, Ariel and then Anna and Elsa, all before we went back to Be Our Guest for dinner. After dinner we met with the Beast and this was another highlight of my trip. Since the park was pretty quiet we got in a few more rides, this time the People Mover and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. We then headed out and back to the villa.
This was the end of Week 15, so onto Week 16!
Monday (13th) was a day at Hollywood Studios. We had only scheduled one day and to be honest this was probably enough. That said, we had to make sure we scheduled carefully throughout the day to ensure we saw all the shows we wanted. We began the morning with meeting Baymax and Hiro. This was a must for the day so we needed to get in the queue early. After this we went off to ride The Hollywood Tower of Terror, then over to Star Tours for Chris and Amy to ride. We then went to see the Indiana Jones Stunt Show, followed by a wander and Muppets Vision 3D. After that the girls had their pictures taken with Lightning McQueen and Mater (though it was pretty pointless), saw the Cinderella carriage and then met with Mike and Sulley from Monsters Inc. After that we met with a Green Army man (from Toy Story) on our way to see Beauty and the Beast live (which was awesome). Next we rode Toy Story Midway Mania (which was so good) and then queued to see Buzz and Woody. Afterwards we went to meet up with Amy and some of her friends, to wait for Character Palooza. However it got rained off and so we ended up going our separate ways. Next we saw Voyage of the Little Mermaid and got some dinner. Finally we headed to Fantasmic where we waited quite some time to see the show but it was definitely worth it.
Tuesday was our final day in Magic Kingdom (though we didn’t necessarily know it at the time). We rode Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and saw Mickey’s Philharmagic show. We also had lunch at Be Our Guest, met with talking Mickey Mouse, and Jessie & Woody. Finally we did some more on our Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom quest, but on asking realised there was 9 quests and we’d only done 5 so we weren’t going to get it finished. When we left the park, we headed to Typhoon Lagoon to end the day and cool off. Unfortunately it closed at 5pm (not 6 like we’d thought) and so we weren’t able to do that as it was almost 5 anyway. Instead we headed to Downtown Disney briefly as Megan was searching for a dress she wanted and instead we found Tsum Tsum’s and she bought loads of those. We headed back to the villa for dinner.
Wednesday was our last full day on holiday. We spent the morning back at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, letting the girls use their wands on all the “hotspots” around the park. This took us till just after lunch but we headed to Florida Mall and ate there – the girls having Taco Bell while Chris and I had Five Guys. We then wandered the Mall, going to Hot Topic and the Disney Store mainly. A friend I’ve known for 14 years, came to meet us at the Mall (we haven’t seen each other for 7 years) and it was lovely to catch up and wander around. At 6pm we headed to the villa to get my mum – the girls drove with Tim and so Chris and I just rode together for the first time all holiday. When we got to the villa, Tim suggested somewhere for dinner and we all headed out together. The place we ate was called The Cracker Barrel and it was lovely. The food was amazing and we were all stuffed. Afterwards we shopped a little in the store attached and then said a very sad farewell to Tim. We all headed home to the villa and the packing began. A few tears were shed and then we all headed to bed.
On Thursday morning the decision had been made to spend the last few hours of holiday in Hollywood Studios and then Magic Kingdom. However the girls were up late and I didn’t wake them as I decided it was better they slept. The three of us headed out to Hollywood Studios as the Animation Academy was the one thing Megan had really wanted to do and didn’t get chance. When we got there it was about 10am but the first class wasn’t till 10.30pm, we waited and while we did so, we played on the “which disney character are you?” machines. Lily got Tinker Bell, Megan got Ariel and I got Lady Tremaine (I did say I wanted to eat nice people for lunch…). We then did the Animation class and got to draw Baymax. Megan also got given the artist’s drawing to take home with her. After this we decided it wasn’t really worth going to Magic Kingdom as it would take too long to catch the tram to the car, then drive to Magic Kingdom, then get the tram to the park etc. all before we needed to head back. Instead we waited to see Mr Incredible and Frozone, before riding The Great Movie Ride which was the one thing I’d wanted to do and hadn’t fitted in. Finally we said a sad farewell to the park and to Disney generally as we got onto the tram and rode back to the car.
We then drove back to the villa where Mum and Chris were waiting, pretty much ready to leave. We packed everything into the car and then headed back to Florida Mall. There we got lunch – this time the girls got Subway, I got pizza and Chris and mum got Five Guys. We went to Hot Topic to spend our Hot Cash, then Lily and I ran to the Disney Store to spend the last of her dollars while everyone headed back to the car. We drove to the airport, dragged all our bags in and checked in. Without a blow by blow of everything then, we obviously boarded the plane and this took us to Washington. The plane was delayed but luckily the connection was too. We then boarded the second plane and this took us home.
It was 11am on Friday morning when we arrived home and got off the plane. It obviously took us some time to get our bags, go through security etc. By the time we got to the car it was gone 12pm and mum drove us to a place in Northamptonshire where she was spending the weekend. Once mum was gone, we headed home, stopping at the first services we got to. There we had KFC for lunch and Starbucks to keep us all awake. We drove back to mum’s where I’d left my car and then swapped all our stuff over. We had to call in to see the kids’ dad at work but then we headed home, stopping only for bread and milk on the way. It was about 6pm when we got back and all of us just collapsed for a while. Despite the girls being tired I let them stay up a while so it felt like they had some time at home but then they headed to bed. Chris and I ordered takeaway and spent the evening watching TV. However we only made it till about 10pm before going to bed ourselves.
Saturday and Sunday were really just days to relax. I didn’t get dressed at all on Saturday, just managing with the few bits we had in the house to eat. Nat came around in the evening and it was so nice to catch up. Sunday we had to take Chris to work so it meant getting dressed and on the way home we did the weekly shopping. However the rest of the day was spent lazy, trying to recover and get ready for the girls going back to school. So this ends my round up and also our holiday. I hope to get on top of blogging soon and update you all on the trip properly, as well as share my favourite moments, top tips and tons of photos!
As you know, I’m in Florida!! Now, instead of gazing hopelessly at a computer screen and wanting all the Hot Topic products, I can actually go and get them! Today I’m sharing my Hot Topic Wish List with you and you’ll just have to wait and see if I come back with them all!
A. Dumbo scarf – ever since buying my Princess Quotes scarf and my Doctor Who one, I’ve realised just how much I like wearing a scarf. This Dumbo scarf is a little different to the ones I have, as its an infinity (loop) scarf instead. The print is so cute though and I think I’d genuinely get a lot of wear from it.
B. Belle compact mirror – I’m a huge fan of this more grown up style of sketch and as Belle is my favourite princess, this mirror really appeals to me, even though I’d barely use it I’m sure. It’s neat and stylish though and it would make a great edition to my handbag.
C. Anna and Elsa Pocket Pop Funko – I mentioned in my wishlist post last week, that Megan and Lily already own the Pop Funko figures of Anna and Elsa, but that they stay in their room, rather than with my collection. I’d love to get these pocket figures, just to sit with my collection and represent!
D. Once Upon a Time’s “Evil isn’t born, it’s made” vest/tank top – as yet, I haven’t bought any vest tops from Hot Topic, largely because I really went off them as an item of clothes, due to my fat upper arms. However as summer comes around again and now I’ve lost a little weight, I’ll be looking forward to embracing them again. This t-shirt is just amazing and it would definitely be one of my “must-haves”. There are loads more though, to be honest.
E. Alice in Wonderland/The Little Mermaid tights – If you read my shopping post a few weeks ago, you’ll know that in preparation for this holiday, I bought myself some new dresses. One of those was Alice in Wonderland and the other was The Little Mermaid. Obviously in Florida it will be far too warm for tights but when I come back I’d love to keep on wearing my dresses. As such these cute tights would couple nicely with each dress, to make an awesome colder weather outfit.
F. Daryl Dixon’s Chopper – I’m going to ignore the innuendo in the title of this product and just point out that it’s a Pop Funko figure of Daryl Dixon on his motorbike. While majority of my Pop Funko wants are Disney related, this is one of the few that isn’t. Daryl is a character from The Walking Dead and has long been my favourite character. I’d love to get this figure to add to my collection, just as he’s so awesome.
G. Beauty and the Beast/Rapunzel hairbrush – these hairbrushes first arrived on the site before Christmas and I really wanted one for the girls but honestly we don’t really need them. However I love the Beauty and the Beast one and would happily throw out my current one, in order to replace it with that. For the girls I’d like the Tangled one as it just makes sense – Rapunzel has long hair that needs brushing, so what better choice is there?
H. Rapunzel umbrella – I honestly do not need another umbrella. My first ever brolly was Sylvester and Tweety Pie and I still have it to this day. Just before Christmas I bought myself an Alice in Wonderland one from BHS and I think I’ve only used it twice. However I do love the lantern scene from Rapunzel and that makes this umbrella almost irresistible to me!
I. Villains backpack – for a long time I fancied the Beauty and the Beast stained glass window backpack, but really it was just a little “loud” in colour for me. However when this Villains one came along, I was sold. Anyone who knows me, knows I have such a soft spot for Disney Villains. That makes this backpack straight out cold – regardless of the fact I so rarely use a backpack!
J. TWD Crossbow keychain – I definitely don’t need another keyring and yet I want one. This keyring is Daryl’s crossbow (from Walking Dead) and a tag that reads “Fight the Dead, Fear the Living”. Mostly I want it because of Daryl, but it’s cool and it’s about time I had something to represent my Walking Dead fandom.
So right now, these are the things I have my eyes on! Look out for a Hot Topic haul post when I return from my Florida trip!
Today is 2 weeks to go till our holiday and I seriously can’t believe it. This week in my Florida series I’m covering the shopping – which I believe falls into two categories; Clothes and “Stuff”. I’m sure the two categories speak for themselves, but I really couldn’t think of a better name than “stuff”. It’s basically just all the other things you need for a holiday, that aren’t clothes! Within those two categories, there are of course two more – things you need… and things you want.
Many weeks ago, the girls and I made lists of what we’d want to pack – regardless of what we actually had. We included all the clothes items we could think of – and then all the other STUFF! From that moment onwards, we began to shop. I’ve been picking up bits here and there, while the girls did one main shop in Meadowhall. We’ve picked up incidentals as we’ve gone along and now I think we have pretty much everything we need.
Megan’s Shopping
Above you can see the items that Megan got in her Meadowhall shopping haul. The hat is in replacement of a typical sun hat, there are of course sunglasses, shoes and a cardigan. All of these are really accessories and that’s basically because for Christmas I bought both girls 10 dresses and have since made them 2-3 more. One thing they definitely didn’t need was main clothes, so these were the extras. That said, I’ve bought them some pjs, swimming costumes, the odd t-shirt and skirt etc. On top of that she has had a Travel Diary, an autograph book, as well as some other things I can’t think of off the top of my head.
Lily’s Shopping
Again, above is Lily’s shopping haul from Meadowhall. A lot like Megan, she has just the extras, because she had all the dresses she needed as a Christmas present. Also I forgot to mention before, but they both also got their suitcases for Christmas, which meant they were pretty much all set. Other than the clothes she got from Meadowhall, we’ve also picked up a travel diary and autograph book for Lily. She’s also had a new rucksack to use as a flight bag. Of course there are a few other bits and pieces too, but again I can’t think of them off hand.
Chris’ Shopping
On Friday, it’s Chris’ birthday. He wasn’t really sure what he wanted for his birthday presents and so in the end I took him shopping for a few bits and pieces he needed. Anyone who knows Chris, will know he’s very much a black clothes type of person, meaning he doesn’t have an awful lot that’s suitable for a sunny holiday. He also wears a lot of jeans, combat trousers and long sleeved t-shirts. This obviously wouldn’t do! Though the picture above is terrible, I bought him some new swimming shorts and five new t-shirts. I also bought a whole heap of trainer socks. After that I ordered the odd thing here and there, including another t-shirt and some cut-off combat shorts. Finally I spotted a hat I thought he would like in Tesco and this has become his sun hat.
There are a few other bits that Chris has wanted, one of which was an iPad mini. He sold his full size iPad and bought a Mini instead – he’s really pleased with that decision. For his birthday I’ve also bought him a couple of other bits, like a new swimming towel and a bag to use on the flight. I don’t have a picture of these though as they’re hidden away, waiting for Friday.
My Shopping
My main shop was definitely a parcel that was long awaited from Hot Topic. I treated myself to a Harry Potter dress and five Disney dresses. That said, after trying them on, I decided to get rid of both the Princess Quotes dress and also the Harry Potter one, as they just didn’t suit me. However I’m really happy with my remaining four dresses, one of which you may have seen in my Disney Outfit of the Day post, on Sunday.
As well as the Hot Topic haul, I picked up a few other bits and pieces as I went along. There are the two dresses above, as well as a couple of other dresses from Ebay. I also got a few t-shirts, a pair of shorts and a cardigan. I also picked up a couple of pairs of shoes.
Most recently, I got a £70 Amazon voucher and I’ve put it towards “stuff” for the holiday. I bought a charger case for my phone, a backpack for my laptop and the parks, and finally some Disney fashion books for the girls (because they love the one Amy bought them on her last visit).
I’m sure there are a few other bits here and there that I’ve forgotten to mention, but these are the main things we’ve bought for our holiday. We’re almost ready to go. Next week I will be sharing our packing with you all, where you’re see the final stage of our holiday planning – with one week left to go!
It’s been a long time since I did an “Outfit of the Day” post, so I figured it was about time. Unlike my best friend Amy, I don’t think I’ll have time to showcase all my Disney dresses, but maybe – who knows. In the meantime, here is one of the dresses I bought to take to Florida, that I actually wore out for Amy’s birthday lunch yesterday.
Dress – Hot Topic
Cardigan – H&M
Tights – New Look (old)
Shoes – New Look (old)
Necklace – Jewellery Ever After
The Hot Topic dress is one of three in that style that I bought – I also have an Ariel one and an Alice one (I’d have loved the Maleficent one but it’s sold out as yet). I thought this particular one would actually be my favourite as I love Beauty and the Beast, but it’s actually not. I do still love it though. For Saturday lunch I coupled my dress with a new cardigan I just bought from H&M, some old tights and my standard black heels that I’ve had for longer than I can remember. I wore one of my own necklaces, that I sell over at Jewellery Ever After.
However, before I actually getting dressed for lunch, I actually tried out my dress with some new trainers, to see if they would look alright. In Florida it won’t be at all practical to wear heals, so I’ll definitely need something more comfy.
Outfit – as before
Trainers – Mastershoe Myshu*
These trainers are from a company called Mastershoe Myshu and I love the colour of them. Luckily the blue goes with all three of my Hot Topic dresses, so these will be a great option for comfy shoes around the park! Obviously, as in the picture, I’ll be ditching the tights and the cardigan too – since hopefully it will be far too warm.
Finally I’m going to leave you with my selfie – mostly because it shows the necklace up close too!
Once again I haven’t managed to keep on top of my week, so I’m writing this all from memory after the whole week has passed. It’s been a really busy week and I honestly can’t believe how tired I’ve felt every day, but its been a lovely week, full of surprises and unexpected plans!
Monday began with a lie-in, because both the girls had stayed at their dad’s the night before. Chris was working at 12.30pm though so it did mean we had to get up eventually. While Chris spent the first part of the morning on his computer, I spent mine watching TV. Chris then came down and joined me, while getting himself ready for work. A parcel arrived in the post and it was a HUGE Hot Topic order that I had placed at Christmas and sent to my friend who lives in the USA. She had finally got around to mailing it to me and I was so excited to get it opened. However Chris was just leaving for work and I was running a bath so I only looked at it briefly before saying goodbye to Chris and then going for my bath. I had my new Unicorn Horn in the bath, a little late for Valentine’s Day but good nonetheless. Afterwards I went to get dressed and ended up trying on all of my Hot Topic dresses!
Without really meaning to, I ended up texting Amy for the majority of my morning and into the afternoon. We discussed her birthday, Florida, Hot Topic and even all my new dresses. I even ended up sending her pics of me wearing each dress! Eventually I went downstairs again and Nat arrived to spend the afternoon with me. We didn’t really do much but we sat and drank tea, chatting and catching up, planning what we might do to earn us some money! It was actually pretty late on by the time Nat left, I would guess around 7.30-8pm and so I fixed myself some dinner and settled down for the evening. Next I knew I was making plans with Amy for her to come and visit the very next day! Chris arrived home eventually and we sat down to watch the next episode of The Walking Dead. It was almost as dull as the week before, though the last five minutes was marginally more interesting. We headed to bed as we had lots to fit in the next day and already I was realising it would be a busy week!
Tuesday we got up around 9am, still no kids to wake us! We got ready and dressed, heading out to the Plumb Centre in order to get a part for mum’s sink. We then headed over to mum’s house and fitted the pipe for her. It didn’t go 100% to plan but we got there in the end. Not long after we finished, mum turned up with the kids. She’d picked them up from their dad’s and taken them to see some mutual friends that morning, but I was collecting them from her and then going to pick up Amy and Olivia from the station. We headed straight off to get Amy and arrived a little early so had to wait. However at around 12.30pm they arrived and we all set off back to Gainsborough. When we got back, we headed to Tesco as we needed a few essentials, along with some food for dinner and also ingredients for pancakes (Tuesday was Pancake Day!). Finally we got back home, unpacked and relaxed for a while but then I remembered I needed to go into town and everyone bar Chris decided to come too. After going to the Post Office, we went to buy Tsum Tsum’s for Amy and Liv, but Lily ended up getting some too. We then also went for a wander around Gainsborough before eventually heading back again. I cooked Lasagne for dinner which we all ate and then after Liv was in bed I made pancakes for everyone. I was so stuffed and well over my calorie allowance for the day!
Lily went to bed too and Chris was upstairs on his computer with his friend Jon. Amy and I sat chatting for the evening, eventually sending Megan to bed around 10pm. I don’t honestly remember what we chatted about but I know it mostly revolved around Florida. Either way the evening went fast and it was gone midnight before we were heading to bed. On Wednesday we all got up and Chris was getting ready to go to work, while we were planning the first of Lily’s birthday celebrations. Unfortunately her best friend is away over her birthday (a week each side), as is my mum, so we’re really limited by what we can do and what she’ll enjoy. Instead of having a party without her friend, we decided to have a day out in half term with Ciara, then a meal out just me, Megan and Lily on her birthday, then a small party/murder mystery a week after that. Ultimately she’ll be celebrating over a period of about a month but I’m sure she won’t mind! Anyway, we booked Orange Wednesday tickets for 6 of us, meaning we only paid for 3 and then tried to book ASK for lunch but unfortunately it wasn’t open before the time we needed to leave the house. We headed off out around 11.30am and went to pick Ciara up from her house in Saxilby. We then went into Lincoln and parked the car, heading to ASK for lunch. Unfortunately they claimed to have no room for us (depsite being half empty) so we headed off to Prezzo instead. I was a little upset by this as I’d converted all my Tesco vouchers into ASK vouchers, in order to save myself money and instead had to pay out full price in Prezzo and have ASK vouchers I couldn’t use. Luckily though I found a 25% off code for Prezzo on my phone and the three younger girls all ate off a kids menu that only cost £3.50 anyway.
Though it felt a bit rushed, we headed out of Prezzo and over to the Odeon. We were in plenty of time for the movie though and all settled down to watch the trailers. All of us loved the movie as we were seeing Big Hero 6 again, though it was the first time for Lily’s friend Ciara. By the time the movie ended, it was almost 4pm. We headed out to the car and then drove Ciara home. After dropping her off we were all so exhausted that we barely spoke on the way home and Liv even fell asleep. When we got back to the house the girls had to fit in their Disney task – which was dress up Disney. Amy didn’t think that Olivia had the energy to participate but as soon as my girls were dressed as princesses, she wanted to join in too. After that it was a case of basic but fast dinner for the kids, so Liv could get to bed, shortly followed by Lily and then Megan too. Amy and I spent a large part of the evening on phones/computers, barely talking as we were both tired. Eventually Chris came home from work and joined us so we put on some TV, just to chill out. First we watched Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, then came Beauty & the Geek and finally we watched a ridiculous program called Virgin Coaches. It was 1am by the time we all headed to bed which was ridiculous considering how tired we had all been!
On Thursday we really did an awful lot of nothing. Amy was heading home that day but not until 4pm. However this sort of made it feel like we couldn’t do anything for the day so instead just lounged around. I don’t think any of us really minded as we were all still tired though. After lunch Megan started to get a headache and so she headed upstairs for a lie down. Eventually Amy had to leave and so Lily and I went with them to the station. There was nowhere to park at the station though and we very almost missed the train for them! Once they were safely aboard, Lily and I went to Tesco again. We bought a few bits we needed but also some things for Megan with the hope she would feel better soon. In the evening we caught up on Hunchback of Notre Dame and then the girls went to bed. I spent the evening catching up on my blog and trying to fight off tiredness that eventually led to an early night!
Friday we were all going to Meadowhall however Chris had woken in the night with a terrible sore throat and had ended up downstairs for the majority of the night. Though it woke and disturbed me at the time, it actually lead to me sleeping a little longer in the morning so I woke feeling very refreshed. At 9am I made sure the girls were up and ready, dressed and had breakfast. Mum arrived for us at 10am and all four of us set off, along with mum and my sister Pippa. We arrived at Meadowhall around 11am and agreed to go our separate ways and meet for lunch at 12.30pm. The girls, Chris and I headed for Next as both the girls had vouchers to spend and then we went next door to Primark for the bulk of their shopping. At Christmas I had bought the girls a lot of new dresses and am also making them some Disney themed ones too. As such we were only looking for cardigans, shoes, sunglasses and sunhats. Even still it took the whole hour and a half, meaning we had to rush to meet mum and Pippa for lunch. When we found them, they were ordering jacket potatoes so we found a table and then Chris and I went to get our lunch. Me, Chris and Lily all had Pizza Hut Express, while Megan had McDonalds. After lunch we nipped the shopping to the car and then went back to where we left off. We made our way all around the top level of Meadowhall, before then tackling the bottom level. Mum text to say she was done and waiting in the car but not to rush. In the end we were about another hour after that. When we got back to the car, mum drove us home and when we got there we were all exhausted again. However we needed to have dinner and watch a Disney movie so while we sat and did that, I sorted out all the clothes we’d bought.
While the girls just had a microwave pizza (Lily) and toast (Megan), Chris ordered chinese takeaway for us. I had a little but I was stuffed really fast so I left the rest for him. While we had been out that day, I’d had a parcel arrive and be left in the back garden. Turned out it was a mannequin that I’d ordered so Chris very kindly put her together for me and while I was so tempted to get using her, I was exhausted. Instead Chris went on his computer and I sorted out the clothes and suitcases with the kids. After they were in bed I went for a nice relaxing bath and then laid on the bed for a while, playing on my phone. Eventually I came downstairs and watched some TV, Chris coming downstairs to join me. We didn’t stay up late though as he hadn’t slept well the night before and he had work the next day.
Chris woke at 6am and sneaked out fairly quietly to head off to work. I managed to get straight back to sleep and it was about 8.30am before I woke again but I managed to doze until about 9.30am. Eventually I got up and got the girls ready. Mum was calling for us at 11.30am and we were all going out for lunch to celebrate my sister’s birthday. The morning flew by and I didn’t even have chance to get a cup of tea. In the end I grabbed a can of diet pepsi as we left the house and then mum drove us all to Scunthorpe to meet with my brother and his girlfriend. We then headed out to a pub in pretty much the middle of nowhere, where we almost enjoyed a lunch together. Afterwards my brother and his girlfriend headed off and mum had to take Pippa home. Obviously we went with her as she’d picked us up but afterwards she drove us into Gainsborough so I could pop to the Post Office and go and collect Chris’ contact lenses from the Opticians. We then came back to the house and mum came in for a cup of tea and a chat. She ended up staying way longer than she intended to and Chris was arriving back from work just as she was leaving. Once mum was gone and Chris was back, it was time for the girls to have dinner and Chris was going to make himself some food. I had a bit of a headache so between Chris and Megan, they made me a cup of tea and organised both girls’ dinner. Chris then sat down with his food and we spent some of the evening together, before I headed upstairs to put Lily to bed. Once she was in bed, Chris went for a bath so Megan got her homework done and I sat on my computer. Once Chris was out of the bath it was pretty much time for Megan to go to bed and so she did and then Chris and I watched TV together. I was too tired again to do anything constructive so I ended up turning off my computer and just watching TV snuggled up with Chris. In the end we headed to bed though as we were both exhausted.
Finally it was around to Sunday and none of us had to be up but it was also the last day of half term so I wanted to make the most of my time with the girls. Chris spent majority of the day upstairs on his computer but I spent the day making sure Megan had got various homework (and blog posts) done and Lily helped me tidy and sort out clothes. We had lunch and watched Monsters Inc as it was our Disney task of the day and by the time we were finished it was late in the afternoon. The girls went for a bath and then had dinner, before sorting out their room, their clothes for school and eventually getting them to bed. Chris and I spent the evening watching TV before eventually heading to bed.
It’s been a good week and I’m actually sad that half term is over. However there’s definitely something to be said about the routine of a school week and time flying by. There is now just over 5 weeks till we go to Florida and I can’t believe how fast its all going. I have so much to do still but at the same time I can’t wait!
For weeks and weeks now I’ve been wanting to make a wishlist – Disney, or Florida planning, just something. However I seem to always end up busy on a Wednesday. Today I’ve found the time and I’m going to give you my Wednesday Wishlist of Weight Loss products and supplements.
Obviously it goes without saying, that Weight Loss itself is on my Wishlist. I’ve been trying to lose weight now since April 2014 and while it’s been slow going, I’m gradually getting there. I have 20lbs more that I’d like to lose before my Florida holiday happens, but even if I don’t manage it, I’ll keep on going when I get back. Here is my wishlist of things I’d love to help me on this journey!
A. Trainers – these particular pair are from Asda and they are a really reasonable price. I’m not really one for labels and brands, so these at £8.00 from George are just perfect. They’re bright and they scream “GET FIT!”. B. FitBit – Have you ever heard of FitBit? I hadn’t until I started using My Fitness Pal. They are a great way to track your fitness and even better they sync with the My Fitness Pal app, which I use to count my calories. As my phone is sometimes too clumpy to carry around with me, or I’m wearing something without pockets, I’d like to get a FitBit – either the zip type or a bracelet. However with prices starting at £30 and going upwards of £100, its just not something I can afford at the moment. C. Leggings – alright, so the Hogwarts part of this isn’t essential, but what a good excuse to get them. These particular leggings are from Hot Topic and as you all know, I have an addiction to that place. When going for a run or working out in the lounge, it would be good to have something comfy to wear. I don’t know about you but I always find tracksuit bottoms to shrink in the wash!
D. Diet Books – At the beginning of my diet, I just tried calorie counting but still eating what I wanted. However since the beginning of this year I’ve switched to Rosemary Conley’s G.I. Diet. It’s a diet I’ve used twice before and always found to be successful. I’m currently cooking meals from her books G.I. Jeans, Ultimate G.I. Jeans and G.I. Hip and Thigh. To give me some motivation, I’d like to also purchase one (or both) of these books – The Fab Diet and Amazing Inch Loss Plan. E. Xbox Games – The girls have been playing Xbox recently and more importantly they’ve been using the Kinect. We barely put the Wii on any more and so I’m finding it hard to motivate myself to use it. I’ve been thinking if I bought a Fitness game for the Xbox, perhaps I’d be more likely to use it. I think a Zumba fitness game would be good for that. F. Stepper – I once had a stepper machine and I actually used it a lot. This would be good for just standing in front of the TV (sorry, I know that’s terrible, but true) and getting in some exercise! G. Leg Weights – I also used to own some of these and while I can’t honestly tell you if they worked or not, I feel like they would be a good (and easy) way to tone my legs, while pretty much getting on with my every day. They’re easy to just put on in the morning and then get on with the rest of the day.
As well as the things I’ve listed, I’d like to get myself swimming some more and also out on a run again. I have this awesome top from House of Fraser, by Lorna Jane, which I wore last time I went for a run. It sells for £29.00* and reads “Follow Your Dreams” on the front, then “Your Dreams Know The Way”. I liked it because I felt like is sounded Disney-esque.
Cross your fingers for a Weight Loss this Friday – look out for Get Fit Friday, to find out!