Happy Friday Honeys x

Hi Honeys
I'm just dashing to work but I wanted to wish you a wonderful weekend full of smiles, laughter, hugs and all good things x

I thought I'd make you a collage of the roses in our tiny front garden, I hope you like it :)

I'm working through till late Saturday but I'm hoping to be online on Sunday dear ones, till then, smile lots and hug even more, huggles always xx

10 Simple Hacks To Make Laundry Day A Breeze..

Hi Honeys
I thought today I'd post about my favourite homemaking chore.  Although it certainly never feels like a chore... OK, it's my first homemaking... smile every day 😄

Have you guessed what it is yet? Can you guess what I do every morning that starts my day with the biggest smile?  Who yelled "laundry!" just then?  😄

I was told once that I had an "unnatural obsession with laundry" my reply was "you say that like it's a bad thing..." 😄

Everyone needs a hobby they love and can lose themselves in honeys, one of mine is laundry and I really do love every minute of it 😍

I know what you're thinking, who even likes laundry. let alone loves it?  I've been responsible for my own laundry since I was in my mid teens.  Every Saturday I would wash my school uniforms and on a Sunday afternoon would iron and hang them neatly in my wardrobe.  Five hangers, each with a skirt and crisp, freshly ironed blouse would hang next to another hanger which was home to my blazer and two school ties.

Two more hangers would have my freshly laundered, and ironed, P.E kit.  Yellow cotton top, navy sport skirt and navy shorts.  I took such pride in making sure everything was clean and ready for the week ahead.   

Today's post aims to share how I make laundry day (which for me is almost every day) such a breeze that it becomes a pleasure to do.  Why not grab a cuppa, and maybe a cookie, and meet me back here in a few minutes and I'll share all...

Rosie's Dream Pastel Kitchen Mood Board

Disclaimer: I haven't received any products or payment. My dream pastel kitchen is, alas, just that.

Hi Honeys
We've had such a great day today, our furbaby Jade & I :)  Temperatures dropped to around 20/21C and it was a beautiful day outside so of course that means... laundry!

I adore laundry and any day I have enough sunshine to allow me to peg lots of lovely lines of laundry outside to float around on a soft breeze is a perfect day :)

Having pegged as many loads of laundry as I could find (I wash every day, so I never have nearly enough laundry to take advantage of a sun drenched day) Jade and I came back inside and Jade went for a nap, bless her. She was tired from the heat.  

While Jade was enjoying her nap, I had the most fun sitting at my laptop planning how (if I could) I'd change our kitchen by adding a hint of my beloved pastels with a little retro twist. Our little kitchen is my favourite room in our house, as you might know, so why shouldn't I day dream a little?

So, here it is then honeys, my mood board for my dream kitchen, every piece a beautiful, pastel dream...

My Mood Board Is Made Up Of The Following Pretty Pieces...

1. Kitchen Originals Pastel Script Toaster
2. RÅSKOG Trolley, turquoise
3. Kitchen Originals Pastel Script Kettle
4. Big Chill Original Size Fridge in beach blue
5. Big Chill 36" Retro Stove in beach blue
6. FÄRGRIK Mug, turquoise 
7. Kitchenaid Artisan 4.8L Stand Mixer 
8. Five piece ribbed pan set in duck egg

Over to you then honeys, the sky is the limit.  Which room in your home would you love to make over?  If money and resources were no option, what would you change?  Are you a pastel lover like me or do you prefer bolder primary colours?  Do let me know in the comments section below and if you've made your own mood board, please leave a link? I'd love to see it.

Till next time dear ones, smile lots and hug even more. Huggles always xx

12 Ways To Stay Cool In A Heatwave & 6 Ways To Help Furbabies Stay Cool Too!

Disclaimer:  This is not health advice, if you have a health condition please ask your Doctor or health professional for advice about staying cool in the warm temperatures. Be safe dear ones x

Hi Honeys
Oh my is it hot!  "Rosie, it's July!" I hear you say and yes, it is July dear ones, but it's also hotter than the surface of the sun out there.... OK maybe it isn't but it certainly feels as if it is!

If, like me, you feel like you want to peel your skin off to stop the burning right now, how do we battle the sun honeys, enjoy it while it lasts (because lets face it, it usually doesn't last long enough) and also stay cool?  Well, funny you should ask....

 

1.  Start your day with a cool or tepid shower.  It's a bit of a shock to the system at first, and I'm not saying to have an ice cold shower here, just as cool as you can bear.  It will help, really x

2.  Store products such as cleansers, toners, moisturisers, sun creams and also shower gels in the fridge (in zip lock bags) for a lovely, cooling skin treat.

3.  Wear light coloured clothing, it won't absorb heat, and also opt for loose fitting items too honeys because they won't trap body heat.

4.  Choose cotton instead of synthetic/manmade fabrics since these, again, allow your skin to breathe.

5.  Fill a spray bottle with water and keep it in the fridge.  Set the "nozzle" to a fine mist and enjoy a cooling spritz as needed.  It also helps to wear your hair up off your neck to prevent it trapping heat.

6.  Store bottles of water in the freezer ready to grab as you go out.  The ice will melt and you'll have a fabulous chilled drink to battle dehydration while outside.

7.  No matter what you're doing, staying inside, running errands, at work or (if you're very, very lucky) lounging by a pool or on the beach, remember to have a constant supply of fresh water to drink nearby.  It's vital to stay hydrated.  Why not chop lots of fruit and add it to your water bottle and re-fill with chilled water all day.  This will make your body smile by giving it lots of healthy vitamins naturally and will taste delicious too! 

8.  Consider salads served with baked potatoes (cooked in the microwave) cold meats, tuna or even boiled eggs for dinner to avoid having to face cooking in a kitchen that feels like a blast furnace because the oven/stove has to be running.  If you're blessed with a garden or balcony why not eat outside?

9.  Keep a supply of lovely frozen treats in the freezer.  Why not make your own ice lollies or frozen treats using freshly squeezed fruit juice.  This lets you avoid the extra sugar and additives sometimes found in cartons of juice or why not try freezing cartons of yogurt for a yummy treat.

10.  At night, if it's safe, sleep with your bedroom window opened just a little and with a fan running in front of the opened part. This should draw in the cooler air from outside the room to combat the warmer air that builds up inside during the night.  Our bodies are like mini heaters that never switch off after all. 

11.  Keep a bottle of chilled water on your bedside cabinet/nightstand.  If you wake during the night, take a drink to keep dehydration at bay. 

12.  Remove your duvets, comforters or blankets from your bed on very warm nights.  A bottom sheet on the mattress as usual coupled with a top sheet will be far more comfortable to sleep under. 

Bonus tip:  Take a small cotton facecloth/flannel and soak it under cold water.  Wring out most of the water till it's damp.  Place this into a ziplock bag and place it into the freezer.  When you need cooling, open the ziplock bag, remove your beautifully cold facecloth/flannel and fold it lengthwise, place it across the back of your neck, like a very short scarf.  Enjoy, dear ones😘  

             🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾        

Now that we've made sure everyone is having fun safely in the summer heat honeys we have to remember to keep our furbabies safe too...

Please, please remember to care for your furry family members too honeys 💖 🐶🐱  💖

1.  Remember furbabies also need constant access to cool, fresh drinking water all day long. Even on walks.  In pound/dollar stores you'll find collapsible/folding water bowls which you can take with you on walks.   

2.  Limit the time they're outside in the sun since overheating can be very dangerous to furbabies health. They can't tell you when high temperatures are making them feel poorly and overheated, babies might nip or snap when they really can't help it.  Please don't exercise babies on hot days honeys, better that they're kept indoors where it's cool until it's safer for them to be outside.

3.  Please never, never use a garden hose to spray your dog with cold water! How would you like freezing cold water sprayed over you? Instead why not soak and wring out towels and gently rub their fur or just lay them across their shoulders to help cool them.     

4.  Why not add a couple of ice cubes to your furbaby's water bowl to help keep the water cool? 

5.  Furbabies like cooling treats too! So while you're enjoying an ice lolly or some frozen yoghurt why not treat your furry friend to some delicious "Frosty Paws" treats.  You'll find the recipe here. 

Lastly, and most importantly 

6.  Never, EVER leave your furbaby in a car on a hot day! Even if the windows are open and no matter how quick you think you'll be.  So many babies die every year this way.  Please don't do this even for a minute.   

How are you coping with the hot summer days honeys?  Please do share any tips in the comments section below.  Till next time dear ones, stay safe, stay cool and most of all have fun! 

Huggles always xx

The Secret, Hidden Rose...

Hi Honeys
Today I thought I'd share an unexpected, but very welcome, smile :)

Yesterday afternoon, after an exhausting weekend at work, I decided I'd spend a little quiet time in our tiny front garden. It wasn't the sunniest day but after all of the rain on Friday, it was warm and a perfect day to tidy our precious roses.  You'll never guess what I found!

Happy Weekend & Free Rose Printable

Hi Honeys
Just wanted to wish you a wonderful weekend and hopefully make you smile with a downloadable and printable version of a photo from yesterday's Picture Perfect Project post :)

This image, of raindrops on a rose, is my favourite from this week's photos and I so hope that you like it too.  I've removed the "watermark" and if printing, just use your printers "print to fit" setting and it should print fine in either A4 or 8 x 10 inches size.

It's my little gift to you for visiting and keeping me company.  Feel free to download it, print it, use as wall art, use to illustrate a blog post of your own if you'd like to, if you do though, do come back and leave me a link so I can read your post too, I'd love to visit your blog and I promise to say hello if I do :)

You can download the printable here honeys: Raindrops on a rose.  Till next time dear ones, smile lots, hug even more and have a happy, wonderful weekend.  Huggles always xx

Picture Perfect Project - July

Hi Honeys
It's July already!  Over half way through the year and of course onto the seventh post in the fabulous Picture Perfect Project too!

In case you don't know, the picture perfect project is a fun link up which encourages bloggers to take more photos, improve our photography skills and of course this enables us to improve the look of our blogs.  Did I mention how much fun it is?

I've been loving this link up!  When I decided to join in with this project, I thought I would try to chart a year in the life of our garden and hopefully be able to share some beautiful images with you along the way.  Not that I'm claiming any credit for anything beautiful honeys, I'm still learning how to use my camera so any beauty it captures is purely down to mother nature :) It has to be said though that even a less than perfect photo of a rose is still beautiful :)

This month there's been such excitement, and just two days ago, crushing disaster too in our little gardens.  Let's have a look shall we?

When Did You Last Check Your Direct Debits?

Disclaimer:  This is not financial advice honeys, I'm just hoping you can learn from my experiences x

Hi Honeys
After my last post, warning of the horrors of identity theft, today I thought I'd highlight another "sting" (of sorts) albeit a perfectly legal one!

We all have direct debits set up, yes?  Direct debits are those wonderful, silent, transactions made through your bank/checking account that pay bills automatically and always on a set day of the month, freeing us to enjoy life instead of waiting in line in the bank.  Wonderful idea! Couldn't live without it!

You're waiting for the "but...." aren't you honeys?  Well, here it is....

20 Ways To Prevent Identity Theft

Disclaimer:  This is not financial advice, I'm just sharing what we've learned about trying to keep our data safe in an increasingly (it feels like) unsafe world when our personal data can be so easily mis-used and abused.  Be safe honeys x

Hi Honeys
How careful are you with your personal information?  Worryingly, I've seen identity theft mentioned three times this past week alone in the news and press.  The BBC recently said that cases of identity theft have risen by more than a third this year alone.

Identity theft is where someone will obtain and use your personal data for personal gain. This could, for example, include using someone else's name, date of birth or other information in order to obtain credit or services, such as store or credit cards.      

Criminals buy, and sell, individuals personal details online and you can then find yourself receiving bills for services or products you did not buy or use! With a little care though, there are simple ways to avoid becoming a victim of this distressing and damaging form of fraud...

Sunny Days, Laundry Love & Skin Care Regime Update

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote any products, just sharing what's new in my life and making me smile x

Hi Honeys
I hope you're having a fabulous day, I certainly am :) After a fairly miserable week of almost constant rain bringing with it, as fellow spoonies will know, all kinds of pains, aches and especially this week migraines :/

Well, after way too much rain we've finally had a dry day! Not a scorching hot, sun splitting the pavements type of day, but it stopped raining honeys!  You might have heard me say that laundry is my favourite household task :)

There are no words for how happy it makes me to see line after line of lovely fresh laundry gently billowing in the breeze in our back garden :) Such joy!

So, after such an awful week, to open the curtains and see this gorgeous sky.....

Talk about starting the day with a smile :)  I had my morning shower , got dressed and started my first load of laundry :)  When the wash cycle had finished, in went another load and our furbaby Jade kept me company while I pegged it outside and she kept watch for squirrels :)

She adores squirrels but they never want to come down out of the trees to play with her and she can't seem to understand why, bless her :)

Do you remember I was moaning chatting about having dreadful dry, flakey skin on my forehead and eyebrow area recently?  Seriously, this getting older stuff isn't at all what I expected :/   Having bits of my face flaking off all day long (ewww! Rosie!) was just unacceptable! It was time to be a grown up and start an actual skin care regime that included more than just soap and water.

After a wander around our local supermarket I found a day and matching night cream, which I've been using each day after my morning shower and before I go to bed each night.    

I began to notice a difference after ten or eleven days. My skin was far less dry, there were fewer "flakes" and it felt less irritated.  I was so impressed that on my next trip in store I bought another jar each of both the day and night creams, as well as a tube of facial scrub from the same system.

I had been using a Soap and Glory exfoliator/scrub but it was intended as a body scrub so I thought I'd buy an actual facial product. The facial scrub is made with aloe vera and, as with the rest of this range, it isn't tested on animals.    

I've been using both the day and night creams for exactly twenty seven days now, (so it will be four weeks tomorrow) in addition to the facial scrub, which I've been using no more than three times a week or so.

I haven't set actual "exfoliating" days,  I just use it one morning and then skip two mornings before using it again.  I'm still feeling rather selfish for spending time on myself, I don't think that will ever change, but there has been such a difference in my skin! No more flakey bits!  None.  Not even a little and my skin feels so good too.

Mind you, I've also been making a real effort to drink more water, which has the additional benefit too that I've been drinking far less fizzy pop/soda which has got to be a good thing :)  I don't know what else to say honeys, I'm really impressed!

I'm definitely going to keep to my mini skin care regime. It's working (no more flakes) I'm so happy with the results and who knows honeys, maybe my inner critic will shush and stop telling me how selfish I'm being :) Do you have a skin care routine you follow?

What's your day been like today? I hope you've had a great week and that you're looking forward to the weekend.  Till next time dear ones, smile lots and always hug even more :) Huggles always xxx

A Perfect Fairy Dream Home...

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote any products, just wanted to share my latest smile x

Hi Honeys
It arrived!! It finally arrived!! It's taken over two months to arrive, and in the meantime I had entirely forgotten I'd even ordered it (it's been busy around here lol) but it's finally arrived and it's just adorable!

"What's arrived Rosie?" I hear you say, well this did honeys...

 You see, I've always wanted a fairy garden.  If you were to look closely at the shelves and bookcases and window ledges around our home you'll find any number of fairies, angels and of course Hubby's dragons, all peeping out and dancing across surfaces :)     

So, when I saw this lovely little fairy cabin in the shape of a log.... well that was it! I fell in love :) It's also solar powered too honeys.  At night it will glow with a soft, warm light from inside.  Let's have a closer look shall we? 

Tiny Organizing Projects All Add Up :)

Hi Honeys
I've had such an exhausting couple of weekends at work! So exhausting in fact that last weekend I left my phone in the taxi who brought me home late Saturday night.  Luckily though the driver kept it safe for me and another driver even delivered it to our home! Now that's service! Thank you all for being so sweet (you know who you are & I so hope you see this :) it means more than I can say x

Well, after two long (and really really busy) shifts, my phone drama last weekend  (I have precious photos of our furbaby in my phone -memo to self... back up furbaby pics!) and then grocery shopping with Hubby on Sunday, well yesterday I was so worn out and I had an attack of migraines :/  Two in twenty four hours or maybe it was one dreadful migraine that eased a little after pain meds and then came back for a second attempt at splitting my skull :/  Misery, thy name is migraine!

Apologies honeys that I haven't been posting very much.  I have 18 posts in draft right now and between work and life's general craziness they've been stuck there :/ In an effort to catch up I thought I'd share a mini organizing post (because the organizing stuff is still happening around here :)

 Do you remember how happy I was with our kitchen walls honeys?  If you missed the post where I shared a walk around you can see it here :) Well, much as I still adore our kitchen, including all of the systems we put into place around the walls, and I so do!  Well, this happened one afternoon...

It's not a huge difference to how it was, but it's certainly made the shelves more "user friendly" and now the things stored on the shelves are there because they are used often and this keeps them nearby and means I don't have to be in and out of cabinets so often when cooking :)

An Evening At Home...

Hi Honeys
Do you ever take a moment to count your blessings?  I do.  With the troubles in the world, with the speed that our lives rush past (can you believe we're now half way through the year already?) I really do think it's good to stop every now and again, look at where we are and just be grateful for the blessings in our life.

Most evenings for us are the same.  Hubby gets home from work, we have dinner, Jade has her evening walk, we'll watch TV for a while and then, after Jade has another quick walk, it's bedtime. Sounds exciting huh? :)  We were chatting last night, Hubby & I, and I said to him that our life would probably bore anyone else silly :)

As unexciting as our life sounds, we both agreed we wouldn't have it any other way.  We live a peaceful, quiet life and we absolutely love it honeys.  The more I thought about it the more I thought surely we can't be the only people who are happy with their lot in life?   I thought I'd share with you an average, happy evening, last night in fact...

So, Hubby got home from work, I wasn't working yesterday so I'd made a lovely crunchy, green salad for dinner and had chicken cooking in the oven.   Before dinner we thought we'd take Jade for a short walk.  When Hubby walks Jade they'll walk for miles but since my mobility isn't great when I'm with them they don't get to walk so far.  Jade really is a very nervous wee dog honeys and every now and again gets so scared she'll just refuse to go any further from the house than the back garden, bless her.
We adopted our baby from a rescue and our vet said that even though she knows she's loved (and she so is) because she'd been abused in her early life she might always be a little nervous and the best we can do is to reassure her.  There are times when she seems fine and will happily got for long walks with her Daddy but we're very aware when she shows signs of not wanting to go walkies that she's feeling unsure and needs an extra fuss made of her.

For the past few days she's been like this and one way to get her to feel secure enough to go walkies is for me to tag along.  She just seems far happier when she has both her Mum and Dad with her.  So last night off we went...

On warm nights like last night Jade will have her harness on but not a jacket it would make her far too warm.  Jade does love her wee jackets though :)