Blogtember Day 30: Advice From The Heart..

Hi Honeys
This is so sad! We've reached the last day of Blogtember again! Thank you so, so much to our lovely Bailey Jean for all of her work each year organizing and hosting this fabulous link up for us, thank you Bailey x

So, on to today's prompt then:  Picture this, you've been stopped on the street by the photographer of Humans of New York and he asks "what advice would you give to a large group of people?"  Share a picture of yourself along with the advice.

As the beyond compare Oscar Wilde is purported to have once said "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken."  This quote has always made me smile because who else can we be?  It is true though that "the grass is always greener."  There is a huge industry (advertising) built on the premise that if someone famous walks down the street with an item, whether it be a handbag, a pair of shoes, a watch, then that item will sell massively.

Image sells.  Look no further than the Kardashians who have built careers on image.  I wonder how much happier the world would be though if everyone were happy just being themselves.  Being comfortable in their own skin.  Smiling when we look in the mirror instead of wishing our hair was thicker/longer/shorter/curlier/straighter.

My advice then would be don't compare yourself to anyone else.  Even the world's most confident people, I'll bet, have something they wish they could change about themselves. We all have our fears, our insecurities, but some people are blessed not to be bound by them.  You, yes you, are the perfect, wonderful, fabulous, only version of you. No one else can even come close and somewhere there is someone wishing they had your hair, your eyes, your manner, your confidence.... Be happy dear ones. You're perfect just as you are x

Always be kinder than you have to be, always smile even when its the last thing you feel like doing, because honeys, that's when the world (and you) need your smile the very most.  My beloved Gramma always told me that I should start every day the same way.  Before leaping out of bed to start my day I should look around me, that if I had a safe bed to sleep in, a roof over my head and food in the kitchen, I was already blessed and I should take a minute to thank my angels for looking after me, because for sure they were.  We should all take that minute, just to be grateful for everything we are blessed to have honeys xx

The last part of today's prompt asks us to attach a photo and if you've read my blog you'll know I don't have a single photo of me online. So, this will have to do...

Have a wonderful weekend dear ones, fill it with smiles, happiness, hugs and fabulous memories x

Till next time, huggles always xx

Blogtember Day 29: My Favourite Blogs & Bloggers..

Hi Honeys
Well, here we are. Almost at the end of Blogtember again for another year!  I can't believe how fast it's passed us by and I'm so happy!  I managed to post each day this month even tho I didn't vlog or have a guest post and had to play catch up a few times when my body battery was drained, I still managed a post for each day this month so far yaaaayy!

Today's post has to be the best!  What could be better than sharing some wonderful blogs & bloggers?

Today's prompt: Your Fab Five.  Share your favourite bloggers/besties and tell us what you love about them! Share a link and give a shout out.

Here it is then honeys, a little list of fabulous, fun, inspirational, wonderful, blogging gals who fill my days with joy.  They are all of them the sweetest, kindest, loveliest people and also all phenomenal bloggers! Thank you for the smiles honeys, hugs xx

Leah of  xLoveLeahx - Leah works tirelessly to promote body positivity and self care.  She's an inspiration and also the sweetest, most genuine person. When you visit Leah's blog you'll always be met with a hug :) Thank you for being you, Leah, you're awesome x

Heather of Icing On The cake - Heather is an angel. She's about to pass her finals to become a licensed family therapist and her clients are the luckiest people in the world because they have Heather in their corner. Heather, you make the world a better place just by being in it honey and I'm so proud of you xx

Yvonne of WooSangWasHere - Yvonne is a photographer, currently working on her degree and shares the most breathtaking photos of her native Australia. Yvonne is also the sweetest, kindest lady and her blog is a joy to read.  She also shares the most fabulous outfit posts too via her instagram,Yvonne, you rock honey x  

Meagan of Works of Heart - Meagan is a writer and book-lover too, she's also an awesome crafter (I soooo wish I could crochet as well as she does!) on her blog you'll find recipes, book reviews, craft projects, smiles and hugs :) Meagan is just the sweetest ever person, a ray of sunshine and a real joy x

Rhonda of Saturday Larks - Rhonda is a sweet, lovely lady who is a new Mum to beautiful baby J and she blogs about her life in gorgeous Canada where she and her Hubby have just overseen the building of their lovely new home x

Pamela of Doggone Healthy Choices - Pamela is a writer and on her fabulous blog she shares her adventures with her wonderful furbabies, who even have their own blogs too! Pamela writes about how to live a healthy, happy life with the help of our furbabies and her blog is so full of smiles x

Bailey Jean of Brave Love Blog - No list of favourite bloggers would be complete without dear Bailey who puts so much work into organizing Blogtember each year for us all.  Thank you Bailey, hugs always xx

Since we're all sharing favourites today honeys, can I also mention a few of my absolute favourite online magazine/blogs too?  I adore home design and when I need inspiration or just want to become lost in the most gorgeous images of interior design, home makeovers and dream homes I visit Decoist and Homedit both sites are a joy to the senses. Most mornings begin with me sitting on the sofa with our furbaby Jade and a cuppa and checking out the latest posts from Decoist & Homedit. There is always something stunning to see and to read.  Do visit, you'll be glad you did x

If you love DIY projects, fashion, recipes and so, so much more you'll adore my next two online favourites DIYS and Wonderfuldiy.  Both sites are jam packed with fabulousness and crafting goodness and I know you'll love them.  If it's technology & gadgets you adore then you need to scoot over to Device Mag every morning for the best in news, reviews and inside info on all things tech. All, well worth bookmarking for later honeys.

Till tomorrow, the last day of this year's Blogtember dear ones, please do check out the other bloggers taking part in Blogtember today here and remember to smile lots and lots & hug waaaaayyyy more :) Fill your days with hugs honeys! Huggles xxx

Blogtember Day 28: My Year So Far In Photographs

Hi Honeys
Back again for today's Blogtember post.  We're almost at the end! I look forward to Blogtember so much and it always feels like it's barely started before it's over again.  Thank you so much to Bailey Jean for planning, organizing and hosting this wonderful link up each year for us all.

It's such fun and I know I can't be the only one who looks forward to September each year because "it's nearly Blogtember!" :) Thank you Bailey for all you do x

Today's prompt The top five pictures that illustrate your year so far.

A year (so far) in photos then honeys, OK, grab a coffee, and maybe a cookie, and meet me back here in a few minutes :)

Blogtember Day 27: Recent Smiles: Doug the Pug does Poldark

Hi honeys
I'm playing catch up with Blogtember today :)  We're on to the last few days and I couldn't let yesterday's prompt go past without posting, and sharing, something that made me literally squeal with delight!

Today's prompt: Something that made you laugh or cry recently.  It could be a video, a picture, a post, a memory.  Anything that moved you.

Without further ado then dear ones, here is the little clip that made me literally squeal!  Seriously! our furbaby Jade looked at me with her head tilted to one side :)  This clip has all of the cuteness, adorableness and all over fabulousness...



Isn't it fabulous?  Apologies to the gorgeous Aidan Turner but if it's a choice between him and Doug the pug playing Poldark I'm afraid my vote goes to Doug :)  What a cutie!

Of course there is another beyond adorable furbaby who keeps me smiling all day, every day :)

This is our furbaby Jade.  She's six years old and we were blessed to adopt her from a local rescue. She is the centre of our home and fills every day with smiles.  I tell everyone that its taken years of intensive training but she's just about got us trained the way she wants us and that's just as it should be :)

Furbabies spend all day long waiting for a cuddle, a treat or just a kind word from us.  Why not hug your furbaby right now, just because?  They love you with their whole heart bless them.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if every human loved them back just as much as they love us?

I hope you're having a fabulous week honeys, please do remember to check out everyone else's Blogtember posts and smiles here.  Till next time, smile lots and hug even more, huggles xxx

Hubby's Back Garden Fence Building Project

Hi Honeys
I'm determined to post every day this month for Blogtember and today I thought I'd share Hubby's latest project at home :)

Hubby's worked so hard this past week and what a difference he's made to the dreadful, weather-beaten ruins of the back garden fence.  That poor garden fence has suffered so much storm damage these past few winters and been repaired so many times :/

Honestly honeys I can't believe he did all of this, taking the whole fence apart before re-building, painting and lowering it's height, all on his own and in only four days!

Let's take a look at some quite ghastly before photos shall we?

Blogtember Day 25: Rosie's Review: The Puripod

Disclaimer: I haven't been paid to promote anything, this review is written as part of a blogging/writing challenge.

Hi Honeys
We're in the last week of Blogtember!  I always feel so down when we get here because it means it's almost over for another year. Thank you so much to our lovely Bailey Jean for organizing this fun link up for us every year and for all of the work she puts into it, it's been such fun again this year, thank you Bailey xx

Today's prompt: Review something! A place, a book, a service, a product. Anything at all!

I did ponder over what to choose to write about for today's challenge and eventually I decided to review an item we bought recently in the hope it would help me sleep a little better by allowing me to breathe (even a little) easier.

I have asthma. I've had lung/breathing problems for as long as I can remember.  As a child I would have a yearly bout of Bronchitis which kept me away from school for weeks at a time.  During coughing fits at night I would find myself unable to breathe on my own.  I've always known honeys that this is how I'll die someday.

You can understand then, with my lungs trying to kill me, why I try desperately to avoid anyone with colds or flu, not easy when you work retail :/  A cold can never be a cold you see, it always falls into my lungs and becomes an impossible to get rid of, can't-shift-it-with-dynamite chest infection. Eugh!

Add to this that I take Arthritis medication which effectively flattens my immune system and the last thing I need are any other reasons for my lungs to have to work even harder than they do.

While shopping online I saw an item called a Puripod...

I read the online description which promised to banish any number of pollutants, allergens and other air borne irritants and decided to try to research it online because, in spite of the packaging screaming "as seen on TV" I hadn't heard of it.

I have to admit that what I did find was encouraging.  There was no lack of positive customer reviews, on several different sites,  and I also found a video on youtube...

Having watched the video, in addition to reading the views of customers who had already bought it, I thought why not?  If this little unit worked even a fraction as well as the ad seemed to suggest, then it would be well worth the £22 cost.  Unfortunately, the Puripod was out of stock when I placed my order but I received an email saying more stock was expected and it would be with me as soon as possible.

When it did arrive, I removed the packaging to find a rather smart little plastic unit.  Not small, but also not big enough to be intrusive or to get in the way.  This is the unit...

So, what we have then honeys was a compact, attractive little unit with no wires to trip over or filters to change.  Simply plug it into an outlet/socket and let it work said the instructions.  so that night when I went to bed, off upstairs went the Puripod too.

I have to admit I really didn't expect much. I sometimes have to sleep propped up with pillows because it's difficult to breathe and I have to admit, this tiny unit does seem to have made a difference.  I don't sleep through the night, but dear ones, I never will.  I haven't for many, many years. This little unit can't help joint pain I'm afraid.

The Puripod certainly has though helped the air feel different in the bedroom upstairs. Different how? I can't pin it down honeys.  The best I can say is that I don't wake up feeling that the room is too "close" or airless.  My head doesn't feel "stuffy" and I am very aware that I don't feel like I have a weight on my chest.

Is it silent?  Mostly yes.  If you listen very closely you can hear a faint "fan" like sound but it certainly shouldn't be loud enough to keep anyone awake.  It does boast that it eliminates dust particles but that doesn't mean you can bin your dusters I'm afraid, it's a teeny air purifier not a housekeeper :)

So dear ones, would I recommend the Puripod? I have to say that honestly, yes, I would.  I like how I feel when I wake up.  I'm none the wiser about how exactly it works, but I like that it seems to allow me to breathe, and so feel, better.  Go Puripod, you rock!

Till next time honeys, smile lots and hug every single chance you have, and please do check out my fellow lovely blogger's Blogtember reviews here huggles always xx

Blogtember Day 24: Rosie's Project Homage: Pet Clouds!

Hi Honeys
Welcome back! We're on day 24 of the Blogtember Challenge, organized by the lovely Bailey Jean of Brave Love Blog and today is such fun because it's all about praising another wonderful Blogger's work!

Today's prompt: Recreate an outfit or a project from another blogger. Be sure to link back to the original source!

In preparation for today's post I zipped about Pinterest looking for a fun craft project I could try.  I did find a few furbaby treat recipes I'd like to try, our baby Jade likes plain yoghurt too so I might try one of those soon but for today I decided to stick to a craft I already tried last year, simply because it's such fun and, on a personal note, also because I start early at work today and won't be home again till after 9pm!

I love this craft so much! It's adorable and I've made these cute and ever-so-much-fun "pet clouds" so many times over the past year or so. I've sent them to friends as little additional smiles and popped them inside cards as a cute surprise :)

Here they are then, via the lovely Jenn of rookno17

Pet Clouds.. 

First assemble your supplies....

Jenn supplies a download (do say hello when you visit honeys she's such a lovely lady and so nice!) of the little header to complete your pet cloud.  So first go here and download it (and say hello too!)

Supplies
Printable header from Jenn (thank you Jenn hugs x)
Some cotton wool
Some adhesive "moving" eyes - available from craft stores or from amazon.
A pack of 3 inch x 5 inch see through craft bags -available from craft stores or from amazon.
A stapler.

1.  Break off a little cotton wool (I buy mine in a pack of "pleats" but you can use large cotton balls too) Form your cotton wool into a small, fluffy, could shape.

2. Apply eyes.  I bought a pack of self adhesive eyes but you can buy ones you need to use a little craft glue with, be careful to read the pack honeys.  I always buy the peel off backing ones because I'm just not to be trusted near glue! I get it in my hair, on my clothes, it gets everywhere :)

3. You should now have the cutest pet cloud...

4. Gently place your cloud into the bag.  Bend your header in half.  I laminate mine.  It gives them a stiffer, more professional finish and looks nice too. Staple the header through the bag (but not the cloud!)

5.  Give to friends, pop into cards as an extra wee smile, make some to pop into take home treat bags for mini humans attending birthday parties, spend a fun afternoon with your wee ones making these and happy memories or make some just because! 

There are no words for how much I adore these little clouds honeys :) They make me smile just looking at these photos :) Thank you Jenn for introducing me to them and thank you too to our lovely Baily Jean for including this prompt in this year's Blogtember :)

Till tomorrow dear ones, smile lots and hug even more :) Huggles always xxx

Blogtember Day 23: A Family Recipe - Scottish Stovies Rosie Style!

Hi Honeys
Back again for day 23 of the Blogtember Challenge, the fun, yearly link up organized and run by Bailey Jean of Brave Love Blog.  We're in the last week!  It's been such fun this year, as always x

Today's prompt: Share a family recipe  

Have you ever heard of "stovies" honeys?  It's a one pot, use whatever you have, kind of hot pot or stew that was a dinner staple when I was growing up.  It was the first meal I cooked in our first, tiny flat for Hubby after we got married.  I would imagine that most Scots women over a certain age will know what stovies is, will have cooked it countless times, probably learned how to cook it from her mother, who will have learned from her mother and so on.

Thing is though, even though most Scots will know (and love) stovies, if you were to ask thirty Scots for their stovies recipe, you'd more than likely be given thirty entirely different recipes :) I'll share with you my recipe then, originally learned from watching my beloved Gramma as a child and adapted into my own method over the last thirty years or so :)

This is a recipe that costs very little to make, uses up leftovers if you have any (replace the sausages with whatever you do have leftover) and makes a warming and filling family meal for a chilly evening.

Blogtember Day 22: Fall Favourites..

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to promote any products, just sharing my smiles as part of the wonderful Blogtember x

Hi Honeys
We're almost in the final week of Blogtember, the fun link up organised by Bailey Jean of Brave Love Blog.  Nooooo! I can't believe it's almost over! Time has flown past again this year and it's been so much fun!

Today's prompt: Fall favourites, share your must haves for this season..

Ideally, if I had a choice dear ones, I'd be under a duvet, with a hot water bottle and my furbaby and we'd hibernate, missing autumn and winter completely.  Then my baby wouldn't have to put up with weeks of fireworks in November and again at New Year and I would be quite happy for Hubby to wake us up in spring in time for me to peg out laundry again :)

From around the end of October till the end of January/early February, we have around six hours of daylight, tops :/  Not only that, other than the (never certain anymore) risk of snow which doesn't last terribly long when (or if) it does arrive, we get cold, miserable, rain practically non stop too.  The rain can be very heavy and accompanied by gale force winds (do you remember our very high fence in the back garden being literally ripped out of the ground last year honeys) or it will be the worst kind of "smiddy" rain which isn't heavy at all but still manages somehow to seep through every single layer of clothing to make your bones freeze :/

Add to this (what? that's not enough misery there Rosie?) the torture that cold/damp weather brings to arthritic joints, the increased risk of slips and falls (terrifying! seriously honeys) and is it any wonder I want to hibernate every year?  I am a spring/summer baby, the "other seasons" are to be endured <shudder> I dread their approach every year and wish every day for them to go away again.

That being said, there are a (very) few highlights of this season that I do look forward to.  Such as...

Watching DVDs 

With Hubby & Jade, curtains closed to keep cold outside and the warmth inside, snuggling under a lovely soft blanket. We'll work our way through box sets, or favourite movies.  The perfect way to fill the (too) long evenings.

Among recent box set purchases has been the complete run of  "Goodnight Sweetheart" (a 1990s radio repairman becomes a time traveller when he finds a portal to war time London - sweetest, most fabulous series and I've been loving watching them over again.)

We also just bought a box set containing all nine wonderful episodes of a BBC series (written by the fabulously talented Jessica Hynes) called "Up The Women" following a group of gentle ladies who decide to become suffragettes. Love this!
 

Halloween 

This year I'm especially excited about my costumes honeys.  At work we're asked to dress up on the Friday and Saturday nearest Halloween, which means two costumes of course.  This year I'm wearing a pretty dress with lots of petticoats, a little crochet shrug on top, I have a fascinator (a mini hat fastened to my hair at the side by a comb) and even a pair of pretty wrist length gloves. Look at me, going all retro :)

The next evening I'm in a Hogwarts uniform, complete with tie and gown, both Slytherin House in honour of my beloved Mr Rickman. He was the only reason I watched the first movie having lost my heart to him many, many years before. I spent years telling everyone that Snape was the hero of the books/films and being told he was the "baddie" (Muggles!) Did I cheer when reading the final book! Oh my yes! :)
 

All Change in the Kitchen 

In order to battle the elements, we have lovely warming dinners, including huge pots of home made soup, casseroles fresh from the oven, lasange (served with garlic bread of course) cannelloni, and of course a big pot of Scottish stovies, an ever so fond memory from my childhood.  I'll be sharing the recipe for that in tomorrow's family recipes post!

Big Mug of Hot Chocolate With Mini Marshmallows

Finally, my perfect pick-me-up before heading to bed when the elements are horrid outside and I'm sure I can't bear autumn/winter for another minute is a lovely, creamy cup of hot chocolate with a few mini marshmallows thrown in to look pretty on top until they gradually melt and are stirred through the hot chocolate. Yum!

There we have it then honeys, things that make this time of year if not pleasant then at least bearable. Did I mention I'm not a fan?  :)  I can't wait to see what everyone's written today, maybe I can find some other things to help me cope with autumn.

Till tomorrow dear ones, when I'll be back with my favourite winter recipe from childhood, smile lots and hug even more :)  Huggles always xxx  

Blogtember Day 21: If You Were An Ice Cream, Which Flavour Would You Be?

Hi Honeys
Welcome back :) Well, here we are on day 21 of the Blogtember Challenge, the fun yearly link up organized for us by Bailey Jean of Brave Love Blog. Only nine more days to go but there's still time to join in! You'll find the list of prompts here honeys...

Today's prompt: If you were a flavour of ice cream, which flavour would you be? Why?

What a fun prompt!  Of course I'd love to be able to say I'd be something exotic and interesting like mango & passion fruit flavour, full of rich, interesting flavours working perfectly in combination with gorgeous glossy, pastel shades of syrup whipped through but in reality dear ones, I think I'm a basic, value range tub of vanilla with a generous sprinkle of nuts.

I'm not an interesting person, not even a little. I'd bore myself to tears if I ever paid enough attention. Unless I'm with Hubby, I never (seriously, except to go to work or the Doctors/hospital, never) go outside. I'm the one who disappears in a crowd, nothing to make me stand out you see, except of course I'm not great with crowds. That's when my anxiety takes over and my pesky brain tries to hit the panic attack button :/

Hubby works long hours so the majority of my conversations during the day are with our furbaby Jade, and I'm fine with that :) I'll occasionally talk to squirrels or magpies if I see them in our garden, to the amusement of neighbours I'm sure :) I've been known (more than once) to walk into doors (and once a lamppost) and immediately apologize to them, and have been known to talk to Judge Judy while doing the ironing ("you tell them Judy... especially that cheeky one") Hubby once walked into the living room and said "you know she can't hear you honey?" and I replied that of course she can! Judy knows everything :)

So, yeah honeys, I'm a tub of vanilla with some nutty sprinkles but I'm OK with that :)



What flavour has everyone else chosen I wonder...  You'll find everyone else's wonderful posts linked here. Till tomorrow dear ones, smile lots and hug even more :) Huggles xx

Blogtember Day 20: I Wish For The World...

Hi Honeys
It's day twenty of the Blogtember Challenge link up organized by our lovely Bailey Jean of Brave Love Blog.  Hasn't it been fun again this year?  I can't believe we're almost three weeks through already! Only ten more days to go! Please catch up with my fellow bloggers all participating today, you'll find today's link up here.

Today's prompt: Something you wish more people knew or believed.

This prompt made me think honeys, there are so many things I wish for the world. Among them are:

• I passionately wish our elderly citizens were treated with the respect they deserved.  Here in the UK our elderly ladies and gentlemen have worked all of their lives, paying their taxes, raising their families and are sometimes treated as an annoyance, even by their own families :/   TV and the press call them "bed blockers" and accuse them of taking up precious resources such as doctors appointments and hospital beds. I chat to our elderly customers at work and they can seem so lonely, many of my ladies might only have their pet to keep them company. If you ever see an elderly lady or gentleman sitting alone, why not say hello?  chat even for a few minutes.  It could mean the world to someone and might even be the only conversation they have that day.   
• I wish life was fair. I wish good people never got hurt, I wish kindness wasn't seen as a weakness and exploited so cruelly by the unscrupulous. I wish no child was ever hurt or found themselves facing danger in the world. Ever.  I wish cruelty toward animals did not exist anywhere. Ever.  I wish every human took the time to look into the eyes of an animal and to see a beautiful, sentient soul looking back. 
• I wish the world understood that some illnesses are invisible.  I wish the world wasn't so quick to judge others or be so quick to write them off.  I wish compassion, respect, kindness and empathy for others were universally taught from an early age and that no one should ever be forced to face life's occasional bumps in the road alone. I wish more people understood the power of a simple hug and that they never felt uneasy or hesitant when faced with another being who badly needs a friendly arm around them. 
• I wish every child grew up knowing how special they are, that they are all awesome in their own way and that bullying, in all it's forms, would simply vanish from the world, never to be experienced again. I wish that no child ever feels left out or overlooked, that they all have an opportunity to reach their potential and to follow their dreams.

I know, it sounds like the wish list of a dreamer doesn't it honeys, but the thing is, if every one of us decided we wanted the world to be like this, eventually it would be!  We all just have to work towards it, one smile, one kind word and one hug at a time.

Till tomorrow dear ones, wishing you a world full of smiles, hugs and happiness always xxx

Blogtember Day 19: My Favourite Past Posts

Hi Honeys
Back again for day 19 of the Blogtember blogging challenge organized for us all by the lovely Bailey Jean of Love Baily Jean blog  It's still not too late to join in all the fun and you can find Bailey's daily prompts here.

Today's prompt: A list of your favourite blog posts you've written...

Oh my! Choosing only a handful of posts from among the (not counting this post) 384 posts I've written since starting this blog in January 2014 was not an easy task! I've tried though and here are (some of) my favourites...

Health Matters

What To Expect When Attending Your Mammogram Screening Appointment - This post details my experiences during my very first mammogram screening appointment.  There is also a great video there to watch produced by the Scottish National Health Service as well as a link to a downloadable pdf file with useful information.

Mammogram Update & Helpful Links - This is the update post written when I received my results letter but it also has links to additional, useful downloadable pdf information leaflets.

12 Ways To Stay Cool In A Heatwave & 6 Ways To Help Furbabies Stay Cool Too - Ways to have fun but stay safe on hot, Summer days and to help keep your furbabies safe too.

Smoothie Packs: How An Hour A Week Can Help You Be Healthier!  I love this post.  As I type this I still have a drawer in our freezer with these little pre-made super healthy fruit bags all ready to become yummy smoothies :)

Blogtember day 18: Products That Simplify My Life

Hi Honeys
Back again for day eighteen of the Blogtember Challenge, a fabulous link up organized by the lovely Bailey Jean of Brave Love Blog.

Blogtember is a fun opportunity for bloggers to challenge themselves to post every day for a whole month, Bailey Jean has even provided writing prompts for each day (which you can read here.)

Today's prompt: One product that simplifies your life..

There are so many products surrounding us everyday that we take for granted but that exist purely to make our lives easier.  No prizes, if you know me even a teeny tiny bit, which product is my favourite :)  Where would I be without my washing machine?

I'll share a smile dear ones, on the day our current washing machine was delivered by Argos the delivery man wheeled it into the kitchen on a trolley type thingie and asked me if I'd like a minute before he took our old one away "I know what you women are like with your washers" he said. Adding that he'd just delivered a washer to one lady who was upset as he took her old one away.

I know what you're probably thinking honeys.  The sexist git! How dare he think all women's lives are so empty that we become so attached to what is after all only a machine, a device to save time and labour over an everyday homemaking task.   The thing is honeys, when my washer died on me after over eight years of faithful service, I was bereft! It felt like we'd had an actual bereavement in the family!

Furthermore, I know I'm not alone!  Far more than just the lady cited by the deliveryman, at work I've heard both co-workers and customers bemoan the loss of their washers, always to be met by nodding of heads and understanding from any women present.  I've yet to hear a man admit to having an emotional attachment to a washing machine, although they are very attached to their cars, also an inanimate object :)

So, was the Argos deliveryman being sexist then? No, he was being object-ist!  Has any man ever experienced a similar soul-draining feeling of loss when their car/van/truck dies on them and goes to the great junk yard in the sky?  I'll bet they have ladies :)  So, I cared not a jot that the deliveryman grinned while I gave my faithful old friend a hug before he popped the trolley under it and wheeled it away.  It was the end of an era.

Now of course, some two years later I'm rather fond of, and grateful to, our present washer because I have vivid (albeit fond) memories of sitting in the kitchen watching my beloved Gramma working her way through her laundry with only a double sink, with huge hand operated mangle sitting between them, and a wash board.  It was a labour intensive and back breaking task and bless her she smiled, and sometimes sang while she did it every week.

How then could I not appreciate and adore my washing machine?

Can I cheat a little and choose two products instead of just the one? If so, can I also give a shout out to the best product, other than the washing machine, that certainly simplifies this housewife's life. Oddly enough it too is laundry related.... What do you mean you're not surprised?  :)
  

In January last year we bought a pulley. I remember as a child every home seemed to have these wonderful, laundry drying devices. I had no idea they were even still made! So imagine my excitement when I saw this one listed on Amazon!

Where we live honeys, it rains... a lot!  The difference having our wonderful pulley to use on laundry days (which is almost every day) has made can not be over stated. No more standing airers dotted around our home cluttering up the place.  It has certainly simplified my life and I adore it :)

What can I say honeys, laundry makes me happy!  Laundry is my favourite homemaking task.  Had I lived a hundred years ago I would have been a laundress and spent my days working on everyone else's laundry and I would have been singing the whole time :)

Till next time dear ones, hugs lots and smile even more, and do please visit and read the other lovely bloggers posts here,  huggles always xxx

Bye Bye Bygel!

Disclaimer:  I haven't been paid to recommend any products, just sharing our latest little organizing project and hopefully some smiles too x

Hi Honeys
I know today is supposed to be day seventeen of the fabulous Blogtember challenge, and you can see everyone's posts, as well as our host, Bailey Jean's vlog too of course, here, but I don't vlog dear ones.  I have no idea how and even if I could figure it out, well, I'm no where near confident enough I'm afraid.

However, the point of Blogtember is that we should try to post every day for the month of September, so even if I can't join in with the vlogging challenge, I wanted to post today so I've decided to share a mini homemaking project that's made me smile today :)

You might remember that I recently complained mentioned :) that Ikea, my happy place, had discontinued one of my favourite organizing ranges, the Bygel range.  We have the rails, baskets and containers from the Bygel range all over our home and I absolutely adore them.  

Ikea have now replaced Bygel with a similar range of products called Sunnersta.  The Sunnersta range again includes a rail and containers.  I was undecided at first, I don't cope well with change honeys (I need to work on that someday...) but on our last visit we bought two of these new rails and some containers just to compare them.  We've a long ways to go before our home can be described as organized so we knew they'd be used somewhere :)

Blogtember Day 16: How I De-Stress And Find My Calm..

Hi Honeys
Here we are again, back with day sixteen of the Blogtember blogging challenge organized by the lovely Bailey Jean of Brave Love Blog.  Blogtember is a fun link up which encourages bloggers to post every day in September using a list of prompts.

Today's prompt: How do you de-stress/take care of yourself?

I have stubbornly high blood pressure honeys, I take medication which helps but I'm aware (after being told off some time ago at my Doctor's office) that I do need to be careful.  Unfortunately, things happen at work at times that can be upsetting (ask anyone who works retail) and when this happens I need to have a coping mechanism.

I have a couple of ways to chill, to de-stress and to find my calm place again.  Music always helps honeys. Always.  As do hugs from Hubby & our furbaby Jade :) Hugs always help. No matter what the problem, a hug is a wonderful way to feel instantly better :)

When I really am stressed though, when I really need to slow my heart rate, when I need to feel calm again, I go upstairs and sit in the middle of our bed and stare at this...

There are no words for how much I adore this canvas. It hangs on the wall in our master bedroom and I've stared at it so often and for so long over the years that it's become my calm place.  In my dream life I would love to live by the beach.  Just Hubby, Jade & I.  In the evenings we'd go for a walk and Jade could play fetch with her ball :)

When I'm stressed I stare at this canvas until I can mentally step into the image, walk down those sand covered steps and sit on the beach, listening to the waves and feeling the salty, sea breeze on my face.  It never fails honeys.  I adore this canvas.

How do you de-stress and find your calm?  Till next time dear ones, huggles always xx

Blogtember Day 15: My Crazy Adventure..

Hi Honeys
Day 15 of the Blogtember Challenge, Bailey Jean of Brave Love Blog's fun and fabulous link up which encourages bloggers to post every day for the month of September using provided prompts.

Today's prompt: What is the craziest adventure you've ever been on?

I have to admit honeys, when originally scanning through Bailey Jean's list of prompts I had decided to skip this one altogether.  As much as I do try to follow each prompt for the thirty days, there are usually one or two I don't write take part in.  The first of these was going to be this one and the next (and the same one I've skipped each year) is to record a vlog.

I don't vlog honeys, I have no idea how to and I'm no where near confident enough either.  Anyway, back to today's prompt :) I'm not the kind of person who has adventures I suppose.  I'm not interesting or exciting, not even a little bit and neither is my life I'm afraid.

I thought so long and hard about this prompt and as I said I was about to give up and just skip today's post, move along nothing exciting to see here, when I thought to myself, "have you really lived your whole life and have nothing to talk about? Nothing at all that could be considered even a teeny bit exciting?  Even if it's just to you?"

Blogtember Day 14: Rosie's Mood Board - Bathroom Re-model

Hi Honeys
Back for day fourteen of Bailey Jean's Blogtember Challenge, a fun link-up which encourages bloggers to post every day for the month of September using topic prompts, which you can find here.

Today's prompt:  Make a mood board!  Are you brainstorming a room re-do, a capsule wardrobe or already planning for the holidays? Show us your ideas!

This is such a fun prompt because, as it happens, we have started planning our next (big) home project, although we won't be starting work on it till after New Year because there just isn't any spare money till then (at earliest.) My mood board for today's post then, shows the kind of products we've been making notes on, for our next project which will be a re-model of our teeny tiny bathroom :)

Blogtember Day 13: If Only I Could...

Hi Honeys
Hello and welcome back for day thirteen of the blogtember challenge link-up organized and hosted by the lovely Bailey Jean of Brave Love Blog.

We're almost half way through the month already and hasn't it been fun so far?

Today's prompt: If you could switch lives with someone for a day, who would it be? Why?

I don't even have to think about this one honeys. If I could switch lives with anyone, even if it's only for a day, I would swap places with myself some twenty years ago. Before the arthritis arrived. Before I lost so many loved ones from my life.

Why?  Well obviously a whole day without pain would be wonderful but I would so love to be able to do the things I used to do again without giving them a second thought.  I want to run for a bus, I want to get up and start my day without planning every single task to the tiniest, most minute detail as I do now.

I want to be able to do whatever I feel like, housework, laundry, shopping, whatever it is, without having to factor in an entire day afterwards lost to complete exhaustion because even these very basic tasks always wipe out my reserves of energy.

Health issues aside though, if I could switch the me now for the me twenty years ago I'd have another chance to spend time with loved ones now parted from me.  I could see them, chat one more time and ask all of the things I realised I didn't know after they were gone but mostly I could, even just once more, wrap my arms around them and hug them so tightly and tell them how much I love them. Even just one more chance to do that would be so wonderful.

Tell loved ones how much they mean to you honeys, tell them every day.  Never, ever let a chance to hug them go past, never be too busy to say "I love you" because time passes so fast and some day you'll wish more than anything you had just one more day.

Till tomorrow dear ones, thank you for visiting, huggles always xxx

Blogtember day 12: Past, Present & Future Books...

Hi Honeys
After an incredibly busy weekend at work I'm almost caught up with the wonderful Blogtember Challenge organized for us by the lovely Bailey Jean of Brave Love Blog.

Through the daily prompts (which you can find here) Bailey Jean challenges us, and herself, to blog every day for a whole month! Blogtember is such a fun way to find new blogs to read and to make new blogging friends too.  It's still not to late to join in using the hashtag #blogtemberchallenge either on twitter or on Instagram.

Today's prompt: "Three books! One you just read, one you're currently reading and one you want to read..."

One of my favourite topics in the Blogtember Challenge is always the reading prompt, as you can see in my posts last year on five books that changed my life and in my post in 2014 where I talked about favourite audio books :)

What would the world be without books? Nope, my brain won't even contemplate such a world!  On then to my choices for today's prompt...

Blogtember Day 11: Favourite Instagrammers

Hi Honeys
Back again for day 11 of the Blogtember blogging challenge organized for us all by the lovely Bailey Jean of Brave Love blog.  It's still not too late to join in all the fun and you can find Bailey's daily prompts here.

Today's prompt: Round up of your favourite Instagrammers! Who should we follow?

I'm still very new to Instagram honeys and I'm not following so many people just yet, I'm still trying to figure out how it all works if I'm honest :)  I've been looking forward to this prompt to find lots of fun instagram accounts to help fill my timeline with smiles each day :)

When I finally updated my phone, (reluctantly! I still miss my sweet pink & glittery Nokia clam type phone! I had it for over nine years and adored it) one huge bonus was that I could finally join Instagram!  Here is a quick peep at my Instagram so far...

Blogtember Day 10: A Day In The Life..

Hi Honeys

I'm playing catch up today I'm afraid.  On what is now day twelve of the wonderful Blogtember blogging challenge, a fun yearly link up organized by Bailey Jean of Brave Love Blog, I'm typing up the events of yesterday for my "a day in the life..." post.

It isn't too late to join in honeys, don't blog? Why not join the fun on instagram using the hashtag #blogtemberchallenge.  You'll find Bailey's prompts, one for each day in September, here.

Today's prompt:  A day in your life!  Take us through it with you by sharing a photo each hour of the day.

Such a long, incredibly busy (but very fun :) shift at work Saturday and I didn't get home till around 10.30pm that night. There had been an old firm match on Saturday and a whole lot of celebrating went on until the wee small hours in the houses around us.  We live in a very quiet area honeys and (luckily when you're an early riser) loud parties are very rare, but you can't grudge people a wee party when their team wins 5-1 :)

Blogtember day 9: My Dream Location..

Hi Honeys
Back again for day nine of the wonderful Blogtember Challenge organized by the lovely Bailey Jean of Brave Love Blog.

Blogtember is an annual link up challenging bloggers to post every day for a whole month using a list of prompts as inspiration.  It's also a fabulous way to discover new blogs and to meet lovely new blogging friends.

Today's prompt is: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?  Why?

I have a couple of answers to that honeys, and anyone who knows me will know what they are :)

Today, right this minute, I wish I could twitch my nose, like Samantha from Bewitched, and appear at my dear friend Francine's front door.  She and her lovely husband John have just moved to their beautiful new home, and I so wish I could just appear at their front door with lots of baskets and organizing supplies, roll up my sleeves and help her unpack and get settled in, right after I give her at least a dozen huge hugs first of course :)  Francine & John, wishing you both so much laughter, happiness and all good things in your new home always xx

If the prompt means where do I go to get away from the world? Even if it's only by closing my eyes and willing myself there?  Well then that would be a warm, sunny afternoon at the beach.  I go there when life stuff gets too much to handle sometimes.  I close my eyes, I go there and I sit on the sand, listen to the waves and feel the warm breeze on my face.

On the wall above the bed in our master bedroom is a canvas print. It looks like this...

For years now I've used this canvas to escape.  Please don't misunderstand me honeys, I know how fortunate I am, I have a home, a wonderful husband and our dear wee furbaby.  I know I have much to thank my angels for.  

I do still have bad days though. It might be a customer having been rude or abusive at work, or maybe something I've seen on the news that's upset me, or maybe I'm not coping with the RA pains so well that day.  Whatever it is honeys, I go upstairs, sit on our bed and I stare at this beautiful canvas.  

I imagine myself at the top of those sandy covered stairs, and then I mentally walk down them to the beach itself where I sit on the sand, listen to the waves and just breathe.  I've done it so often that I don't even have to stare anymore. The image of that gorgeous canvas is imprinted onto my memory.

There is no doubt about it honeys, if I could live anywhere I wanted to, it would be by a quiet, sandy beach where Hubby & I could walk in the evenings with our furbaby Jade.  Did you know there are lots of videos on youtube, like this one...

What a way to drift off to sleep :)  

Living by the beach really is a dream of mine honeys, but the truth is that so long as I have Hubby & our furbaby Jade I don't mind where I am.  I can't wait to read about everyone else's dream places dear ones, till tomorrow, smile lots and hug even more :) Huggles always xxx