Current Darling Favourites

Bonjour,
I've been thinking about the things that make me happy; or are making me happy recently. I've also been thinking about the things that I find thoughtful, not so much happy, but the things I find interesting or maybe funny. Really I have been thinking about the things I find quite darling, and I have compiled them into an unconventional list. 
+  I've been listening to this
+  I've been loving this book
+  I shared this pretty picture of my nails on Instagram
+  I have been adoring Diana's blog
+  Vintage cards and papers
+  I have enjoyed reading Joy's blog
+  Creative Chocolate Bark
+  Amy's beautiful DIY Ice Cream Parlour
+  In my Summer wardrobe cart
+  I've been loving the idea of darling 'food bars'
+  Next on my reading list
+  I made this delightful 'pizza'
+  Sometimes it's good to read inspirational quotes and messages

If you would like to see my whole favourites shenanigans, you can see a similar post, here, that I wrote in January on my favourite things then. 
What have you been loving?
Cheerio! Happy Saturday!

Amazing Things to See and Do

Salut!
Yesterday, while reading a Vauxhall magazine/brochure that I would never normally have picked up and only read out of pure boredom after grabbing anything within arms reach; I was fascinated by a snippet of an article.
Everyone loves a bit of comfy. The favourite chair, those old trainers you should really throw out but can't, that jumper with holes at the elbows that nobody except a surprise visitor gets to see you wearing. Comfy is good - it makes a house a home, an acquaintance a friend...
Comfy is good. I love comfy things. Sleeping in my own bed with my own pillows immersed in my own scent; or just sleeping in general. Waking up or opening the door to the whiff of a warm home-cooked meal of spaghetti bolognese or sausages and gravy; and those slippers that have the holes in the toes - quite defeating their purpose of keeping ones tootsies warm - that have been through who-knows-how-many generations, from grandmother to mother to me, but are still worn at daily intervals: because they are comfy!
And yet; when I think about how big the world is and when I nose my way into other peoples exciting social lives and see the many miscellaneous adventures they are currently on or planning next; it does so make me think about the various escapades and expeditions I might be missing out on. 
I do, indeed, have my own little giggles and thrills at non-exciting things like seeing the fully grown men order a Happy Meal and watching the teenage girls on the stroll home pretending to be on their phones but actually staring inspirationally into the blank screens. Am I not the only one who finds it utterly and uncontrollably hilarious to dry ones hands under the super-strong hand dryers and see the little wobbles of skin moving and bopping around under the gusts of the air? Please say that I am not alone on this quirk. 

And I do experience and try out new fads and preoccupations. Today I am planning to paint my nails in a new style,  (appreciations to the splendid Pinterest), on  Tuesday I am going to eat sushi and most likely try an new flavour or taste, I watch new films and see new places. I can’t however say that I am currently a daring or out-going swashbuckler camping in a new continent every other week. 

Although I cannot say that my little life is 'uninteresting'; I have been compiling a somewhat endless list of places I want to see and things I want to do for who-knows-how-long now. A handful leaning more toward the wittier shenanigans of life and others being in the more historical, musical, travel-y (new word?), naturally, side of things. 

 Stay in the Ice Hotel in Lapland, Sweden.

Scuba Dive at the Great Barrier Reef.

Hire two private investigators and get them to follow each other.

Climb the 171 steps at the Statue of Liberty in New York.

Hang from Toronto CN Tower.

Have you actually seen this, though? I cannot even contemplate how incredible it would feel! - Thank you Google Images, I appreciate you letting me enjoy this photo. 

Publish a story.

Hang a lock on the Pont de l’Archevêché, Paris.

See the Garden of Versailles.

Visit Strasbourg, France.

Visit Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park.

Party on a yacht.

Volunteer at Lourdes.

Plant a tree.

See the wall of love letters in Verona, Italy.

See all the 7 wonders of the world.

Send a message in a bottle.

Catch something, cook it and eat it immediately.

Experience no gravity.

Ride in a private jet.

Throw Tomatoes at La Tomatina in Valencia, Spain.

Go Bungee Jumping off Royal Gorge Bridge in Canon, Colorado.

See Milan Cathedral in Milan, Italy.

Teach children in a third-world, non-English-speaking country.

See Jason de Caires Taylor’s underwater sculpture garden in Cancun.

Eccentric and a tad creepy, but very, very talented. Thanks again Google Images!

Visit Bora Bora.

Visit Habana, Cuba.

Make pasta from scratch.

See the Northern Lights in Alaska.

Receive my Hogwarts acceptance letter (how long will I have to wait?!).

- Learn to speak German, French, Spanish, Italian and Mandarin (fluently, or as good as).

Float on the Dead Sea.

Sleep outside under the stars.

Create my family tree.

Visit Italy.

See the heads on Easter Island.

See Mitchell Falls, Kimberley, Australia.

See a volcano (but do not die).

Visit Cinque Terre, Italy.

Swim in the largest swimming pool in the world, Algarrobo, Chile.

See a hole in the Napa County, California (looks seriously amazing!).

Visit Ebeneezer Place, Scotland.

Swim with elephants.

Lose weight and reach goal.

Have my portrait painted.

Attend an event at the Olympics.

Learn to play the saxophone properly.

Visit the Holy Land.

Visit Vegas.

Stay at the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas.

Go on a Safari in the wild.

Visit New York.

Ride on a camel.

Experience Mardi Gras.

Visit the ancient city of Petra in Jordan.

Eat in the underwater restaurant in the Maldives.

I am not yet mentally prepared to accept something at this level of awesomeness.
Image taken from Google Images, original source unknown.

Visit Vermont, New England, USA between the last two weeks of September and the first two weeks of October (apparently beautiful).
See the whitewashed houses in Greece.
Swim in Iceland’s Blue Lagoon.

I doubt I will ever complete list as I will probably be adding something new to it sometime in the near future (a girl can dream though).
What do you think? Have you done any of these marvellous delightful things? Did they add glee to your adventurous inner self? Tell me! I do so love to snoop into your fabulous lives!
See you later, alligator; In a while, crocodile,
Cheerio!

DIY Beauty Facials

Bonsoir,
Today, being the first day of a long-needed holiday from school, deserved some celebration. Coinciding, of course, with the longed-for spring; I felt it was time for a spot of refreshment, rejuvenation and a little TLC. February can unquestionably be a sluggish hindrance (word of the day; go me!); and I was looking for a creative and unique way to add some sparkle and make the rest of the month one full of sprightly stepping and gleeful boogying and bopping. With any luck, I will not be the only somebody who buries under the covers, lets the Orang-utan genes take over, and only reappears from hibernation at the delightful first signs of spring.
After a cheeky search through the beloved Pinterest, I magpied a few ideas and recipes of some so-called 'DIY Beauties' and decided, on a whim, to give them a go (obviously with the intentions of ending with the face of a supermodel). Despite my on-going will to try out a few of these budget-savvy ideas, I was somewhat wary of what effects the untested concoctions would have on my skin and whether it would actually work. First I sampled the tempting 'Anti-Redness and Moisturiser Facial' (I was rather intrigued, to say the least); using the juice of a lemon, a squidge (such a satisfying word: squidge) of honey and an egg. I was, to my surprise, most thrilled with the results. 
PS. A word of precautionary warning: Wash all of the egg off absolutely, completely; or one may end up with an attractive look of scrambled egg on ones hair - as I did.

Getting surgical with the eggs and lemon

The next mixture to scour my face (weird concept there) was a 'Lemon, Honey and Sugar Facial Scrub'. 

Half a lemon, a squidge of honey and a liberal
dash of salt or sugar (whichever takes your fancy)

Oh dear! What happened here? I do believe this is a cheeky mid-makeover piccy - complete with dripping face.
I feel like this should have been burned immediately. 

Again, the results were marvellous and this is definitely going to have to become a loved part of my regime. I left the bathroom a happy bunny with a spanking, fresh face. 

If you are a keen bean (which I do so hope you are), you can pilfer or pin more of my DIY Beauties - or just general beauty whatsits - over on my Pinterest.

What are you all doing to revive you senses for summer? Anything I should contemplate?

Cheerio!

Summertime Anticipations

Bonjour lovelies,
Today I felt more excited than I have for some time; despite my many oncoming tests and excursions into the mad world of revision (which, by the way, are the nasty reason I have been hiding away from the social world, and thus, not uploading any new posts - sorry!). This past week, I have been noticing the first delightful signs of springtime; which, to be quite clear, makes me absolutely thrilled! The first blossoms have begun to show their cheeky heads and the lovely daffodils have started to bloom and grow. 

I thank you Pinterest, for letting me borrow this beautiful quote;
even though I don't know where it originally came from.

With all these springtime pleasures popping up around us; it was very unexpected and surprising, today, to see little bits of flaky snow falling. I, now, am in somewhat of an emotional frenzy as I am not sure whether to be excited for the coming of spring or to hope for a last-minute burst of snow (which, disappointingly, will probably not turn into anything much more exciting). Nonetheless, I am looking forward to the year ahead; and the next few days - if the snow does turn out to be the white winter dream, that is.

This summer I plan to cram every possible adventure and fun-filled enjoyment into my days. (See how I switched topic there? Smooth...)
My Summer To-Do List, if you will...

1. Bake a cake that is MARVELLOUS
2. Have a 'proper', home made picnic
3. Have a home made photo shoot
4. Make s'mores 
5. Camp outside
6. Have a three-day sleepover
7. Do, and video, a make-up challenge
8. Visit an art gallery
9. Go charity shop shopping
10. Go to the beach
11. Have a Disney movie marathon
12. Have a Harry Potter movie marathon
13. Volunteer at a homeless shelter
14. Go fruit picking
15. Have a water balloon fight
16. Go on a wander to no where in particular
17. Have a barbecue
18. Read
19. Go wild-flower collecting
20. Start a diary

What are all your plans for the summer?

Love always,

Lexi's 10th Birthday Party: In Photos

Bonjour angels,
Yesterday absolutely THRILLED me! It was my darling sisters birthday party and we journeyed to The Chill Factore, in Manchester, to celebrate the special day. However, amidst the excitement and delights, the quality of photos have, indeed, let the amateur photographer inside me down; but, alas: I enjoyed it far too much to care. 
PS. The photos are in a bit of a dither as their order has all been jimble-jambled around. Sorry!

Toodlepip!  

Healthy Meals Inspiration

Bonjour angels;

Homemade, I thank you.

As you may know, I have been cutting out all delicious, chocolatey, sugary, fatty foods to get myself looking tip-top for summer (when it finally decides to grace us with its much-longed-for presence); and while my waist and thighs have been most grateful, my taste buds were feeling somewhat neglected. As I am roughly following the Slimming World eating plan, there are already buckets full of creative yummy recipes and meals to have, although the set 7-day plan gets rather old when repeated weekly. Therefore, I set my creative juices flowing and decided to invest more time into my chef skills. 
Without further ado, it would make me simply DELIGHTED if I could share some of my ideas with all the lovely peoples.

Breakfast Beloveds

• Bacon Butty (ooh, get me, I feel very much down with the English lingo!)
• Kippers on Toast
• Poached Eggs and Toast
• Beans on Toast
• French Toast
• Sausage and Fried Egg Sandwich
• Fruit, Yoghurt and All-Bran Cereal
• Porridge
• Full English (lean bacon; grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, potato cubes; eggs; quorn/lean sausages)
• Ham and Cheese omelette
• Yoghurt Parfait (yoghurt, fruit; in layers)
• Fruit Salad
• Scrambled Eggs

My Lunch Time Lovelies

• Tomato, Mozzerella and Basil on Toast
• Cold Tuna and Sweetcorn Pasta Salad
• Lean Soup
• Raspberry/Strawberry and Balsamic Vinegar Salad
• BLT Sandwich or Salad
• Spaghetti Hoops

Supper Sweethearts (noticing the alliteration theme flowing through...)

• Spaghetti Bolognese
• Homemade Burgers
• Sausage and Tomato Pasta
• Lancashire Hotpot
• Traditional Roast Dinner
• Cottage Pie
• Lasagne
• Chilli Con Carne
• Gammon, Grilled Pineapple, Fried Egg and Homemade Chips

Darling Desserts

• Slimming World Meringues, Fat Free Natural Yoghurt and Fresh Berries
• Fat Free Natural Yoghurt and Stewed Fruit
• Frozen Yoghurt
• Frozen Grapes

So, anyway; after that lengthy ramble, I am most grateful for these meals. They are my bread and butter to staying on track and they are so versatile and different so now my mouth feels quite satisfied.

I would, as usual, like to know what meals fill your stomachs; pretty please, *Comment Homework*

Adios Angels,

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