Im still here and i have some news...

Happy new year you gorgeous people.

I think by now its clear to see that I can not give days or times when I will be uploading content. Urhhh and that annoys me so very much. I almost gave up my blog because life is so physically demanding with a 15 month old and working and to add to all of that...

IM PREGNANT AGAIN!!! How lucky am I and It was an amazing surprise! so this time no IVF was needed. I can share with you all that I'm expecting a boy this time and we are very excited, nervous and a touch terrified but yes, it is happening and we are just taking each day as it comes. We will meet our new miracle in May 2018 :).

Christmas was very full on but lovely. The little miss is into everything and that included the Christmas tree and decorations so we never could really relax. That was hard for me because all I wanted to do was lay on the couch and eat and watch films. We didn't do anything for new year either because she is still so young so that too was just a quiet affair.

Over the last few months I have really been into my knitting. I ended up making a few Christmas presents and I was very happy with that and so where the people who received them. I only made simple gifts like neck warmers/ gaiters and hat and scarves and also a crocheted Christmas blanket but this year I aim to make or try to make more intricate and personalised gifts but I really need to start thinking now and making lists etc...

Darren got me some lovely acrylic yarn for Christmas. A lovely big ball of 200g chunky marbled with shades and tones of blue, grey and white and I am currently sitting in my bedroom and I have started to make a seed stitch scarf on 6mm knitting needles (I have currently paused to write to you). I am sitting on a camping chair with my legs on the bed and I have pippa next to me. I am up here because we have work men and women in trying to solve a damp issue in our kitchen and I can not take anymore banging in close proximity but to be honest it hasn't helped a great deal :( as our bedroom is over the sodding kitchen... typical. So whilst I am hiding out up here for some peace, Darren and Harlow are playing downstairs. I have a terrible headache so just needed a bit of space from a very active and vocal 15 month old.

I still have so much to tell you but I will save that for another post. Just remember I have not disappeared and I will keep coming back. I will chat again with you soon. Thanks for visiting xxx

I don't know where to begin?!

My garden allotment is giving me such pleasure. Every day i head outside to have a nosey and check on my growing plants. I must check my courgettes like 3 times a day to see if they have grown. I don't know what i expect to see?! a marrow? hahaha.

I said in the title of this post that i do not know where to begin and this is very true. I am not so good at organising my thoughts really. So this is why yet again ( so sorry ) i have not posted when i said i would because i don't know what to write about first, plus with being back at work and then coming home to be mummy again it has been hard to have any time to myself really.

Do i group some things together and write down my successes and problems? or do individual posts?. This is what i will be thinking about today, in hope that later on today or by the end of the weekend i will have something uploaded.

One thing i must say though is how much i have loved growing each and everyone of my plants, whether it is fruit or vegetable. Growing you're own is the most rewarding and satisfying project and hobby you can have i think, i can say this with such confidence because i have so many hobbies on the go haha. And although this is my first year i think i will be getting quite a lot from my garden allotment and i don't mind if some things do not work because this year is about learning and preparation. I do have big plans for my garden but due to lack of funds and to be honest time, i have to do things in steps and hope that i have time and money to complete what i have my heart and mind set on.

So i will leave that as it is for now and i will work on my next post :)

So excited to finally share my little journey with you all. 

Speak to you soon and thank you for visiting me xxxx

Long time no speak..

So when i last made a proper post i said how i was going to do a budget and try and live frugally through April but something happened at the end of march beginning of april in my life which was very stressful and i lost all will when it came to the whole savings thing.

Since then lots has happened and i can not wait to share it with you all.

Firstly i joined slimming world again. I had no idea you could it as a vegan but you can! So i will be making a post about that if any of you are thinking of joining, so keep an eye out for that.

Also, my veggie garden is now becoming very productive and its becoming rather colourful so i will do a post on what im growing and any troubles i have had along my short journey. So i have not completley given up on living the frugal dream :).

I am so excited to share it all with you. so over the next few days look out for that post. 

Welcome to my new readers, i love having you here. I hope you enjoy the content. 

I don't have the most exciting life but what i have i enjoy and i am grateful for and more than anything i love sharing it with you all.

I have not forgotten the recipes too, i just needed to take that time off and now i am back :).

speak to you very soon xxxxx

 

Thank you xx

I love seeing where you are all from, it's exciting and makes me so happy.

I have readers from all around the world, I never would have thought I would be this lucky. I love talking to you.

I would love to know how you found me. where you recommended or did it just pop up from somewhere? please let me know if you would, please comment or email me telling me where you are from and how you found me. Would make my day if you do, I'm so interested.

I shall now rather excitingly list my amazing audience and grin stupidly in the process :D ..

U.S

U.K

Russia

Ireland

Australia

Philippines

Malaysia

France

South Africa

Germany

Italy

Poland

Austria

Canada

I hope No one was left out.

How amazing is that list!

Back in April 2015 my audience was US, UK, Australia, Canada and Ireland- So you can see how far I've come just short of nearly 2 years and why I'm very happy and proud.

Thank you so much for supporting me. Please recommend me to any friends or family that you think may be interested and keep visiting me. I hope to be more regular with my posts as my darling daughter now has a bed time so the evenings are mine again which is rather strange.

Please hit the follow icon on my blog to further show your support <3. Until the next blog stay safe and remember to always smile because not only does it make you feel good but you could brighten someone's day without even knowing it <3 xxx

Upcoming Content..

My blog has never had much structure to it because I was never that serious or dedicated to it, but I hadn't done a post for such a long time and I realised how much I missed sitting there typing away to you all and now I FINALLY have my own laptop the only things keeping me away is motherhood and house work :( booo!

So over the last few weeks I have been doing a lot of thinking, this tends to happen when you don't have many adults to converse with haha. My thoughts somehow bought me to realise I want to be more self sufficient. I was sitting with Pippa outside a CO-OP branch near mine and I saw an advertisement for vegetables and it was advertising certain bags of veg for under 80p - Can't think of the exact price and it got me thinking about how expensive it actually is in the long run.

So my thought process then became- GROW YOUR OWN! My dad has his own allotment and it is still in the beginning process as it requires so much attention and preparation and he only has so much free time and lets face it the UK climate doesn't really help much, and so I'm used to hearing what he has grown or is growing and I became rather envious that he has all that space. I am very creative and I have dabbled in growing veg in my previous garden but it was too hot and my plants soon dried up and died in the little green house I had so I soon gave that short-lived hobby up, until now.

So in this new house it is slightly more difficult as my garden doesn't get full sun like the last one and what little patio we do have doesn't get much of that sun at all- My garden is big but it's mainly grass so I will be using pots and containers to grow my veg as I wanted them off the grass - mainly to reduce the chance of bugs and pests getting at my crops. So I will be talking about my struggles and successes of that venture which I'm looking forward to as well as tips and tricks to save you money.

The next lot of new content you will see more of will be recipes. Sweet and savoury and all VEGAN :). My sister can not have wheat or dairy in her diet so my next challenge is to try and make some very tasty vegan gluten free recipes not only for her but for you also. But feel free to make any of my recipes gluten free by swapping certain items to accommodate your dietary needs. I am also thinking of looking up popular recipes and doing reviews on them- this is just a thought for now.

So lots of new content is coming and the recipes are delicious and cheap. That is what I am focusing on, we are not all rich and even if you have enough money to buy certain brands or get take outs, we could all to with reducing our food bills- Darren informed me that last month we spent £300+ on food alone. Yet when we want food there never seems to be much to eat. So I have set myself a goal of reducing that bill by a huge amount and in April we will keep our receipts in hope of seeing a reduction and by how much. Along with the recipes I will talk about cupboard staples, items I use every day and the more expensive items I stock up on and why.

Apart from the veg growing and recipes I will talk about other aspects of my life - about being a mum, being vegan and other menial tasks.

I wanted to quickly mention that you will find a couple of recipes on my blog that are not vegan and that's because I only went vegan at the end of 2015, I don't want to delete it as that was part of who I am and I don't want to change that, but going forward it will be all vegan and it will most likely say vegan in the title just to reassure you.

I love writing to you so if you are interested then show your support by coming back to visit me :)

lots of love xxx

Book review!! #2

A while back now I did a book review and since then I haven't read much, especially since having Harlow. This review was a must because It very quickly became my favourite book ever. So lets get on with it.

You're The One that I want- Giovanna Fletcher

Darren bought me the book for Christmas a couple of years ago and I very quickly became unable to put it down - I was HOOKED :).

I usually find it hard to get into a new book, can sometimes take me a few pages to a few chapters to really start to like it but I was drawn in on the first page. The reason for this is the book cleverly started with the ending of the book and then everything is explained within.

It's a love story. I also feel we can all relate in one way or another, whether that's having a school crush, liking two people at the same time or falling in love with your best friend- It's very emotional and I even admit that I cried at the end. I will never forget where I was at the time- On a bus coming home from work at 10pm, completely gutted that It was over. I never wanted the story to end. It is so well written and with all the twists and turns that happen it keeps you wanting more.

I don't want to say too much because I don't want to spoil anything, I have uploaded photos above of the blurb and front cover so you can read that and see what the cover is like.

If you are in need of a new read then give this one a go, I can not recommend it highly enough. 10/10 from me!!

Give it a read and if you do then let me know what you thought of it.

Thank you for visiting- I will do another book review as soon as so keep an eye out for that :) xxxxxx

Interesting fact- Giovanna Fletcher is married to Tom Fletcher from the band McFly.. Just in case there are any McFly fans.. :)

Disclaimer- I do not get sponsored to do reviews

Does anyone else do this?

When I see people doing dishes on the TV or in films they stack them neatly and there never seems to be many dishes. However, when I do them I almost see it as a challenge to get all of my dishes done and to somehow fit them all on the wrack. It was only just now as I was stacking them that It got me thinking, I don't often see this in other peoples houses. I don't dry mine straight away because I hate the idea of dust going on my dishes so i let them drip dry.

I have so many dishes because I cook all of my meals from scratch, so yes lots to wash. Here is my mountain of dishes, let me know if you do this too so I know that I'm not alone haha :)