An update on my new year resolutions...

As January is coming to a close I thought it would be a nice idea to do a review of how I have been getting on with my new year resolutions.

So far one resolution I have definitely stuck by is cutting down my sugar, I have successfully began to have 1 sugar instead of 2 in my tea. I can't say that this has been making a massive difference to anything except from perhaps I like my cups of tea less... I have also been trying to eat more fruit, which I have been doing whilst I am on placement at least. However I should probably also try to cook and eat some different recipes, for example ones including lots of different vegetables. I haven't done any baking for a week or so but the other weekend I tried a new recipe; Cinnamon Rolls, which was one of my resolutions. Perhaps this weekend I will bake something different again. 

Unfortunately I can't say I have really done any more exercise recently. Definitely need to do some more soon! I mean obviously I walk my pooch a lot but I do really want to try to do some more yoga and pilates. Think I am just lacking both inspiration and motivation at the moment, perhaps if I had a goal or holiday booked then I would do some more.

Sadly I haven't travelled anywhere in the past few weeks either, I went to Manchester last weekend but that hardly counts as travelling. I would love to book a city break/trip away with my boyfriend sometime in the near future. Also I think a trip to see my university friends is definitely needed soon! 

Looking back at my new year resolutions has definitely been useful too, it has allowed me to see if I have actually progressed at all through the month or if there are still a few areas I need to change (like doing some more exercise...). I would definitely recommend everyone to have a look back at theirs if they did some of their own new year resolutions. 

I can't believe how quickly January has passed me by! I hope everyone has had a great start to their year! 

Saturday treats: Homemade Cinnamon Rolls.

I was in the mood to do some baking today and I have been craving cinnamon rolls all week so figured I would spend my afternoon baking. I found the recipe online and thought I would give them a try. The recipe makes 8 rolls. 

Ingredients:

Rolls: 

350g Self Raising flour (with some extra to dust the worktop surface)

Pinch of salt

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp (heaped) ground cinnamon 

100g melted butter, extra for greasing

2 egg yolks 

200ml of milk, extra for glazing. 

Filling:

1tsp (heaped) ground cinnamon

55g brown sugar

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp melted butter

Icing:

125g icing sugar

2 tbsp cream cheese

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp boiling water

1 tsp vanilla essence

You will also need: Mixing bowls, rolling pin, baking tin. 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Grease a round baking tin with plenty of butter and line the bottom with baking paper.

3. Mix the flour, salt, caster sugar and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl. 

4. Whisk the butter, egg yolks and milk together (ensure the butter is melted beforehand). 

5. Combine the dry and wet ingredients together to make a soft dough. 

6. Knead the dough to form a smooth dough. Roll the dough out onto a surface which has been lightly sprinkled with flour. Roll the dough into a large rectangle.

7. To make the filling mix the ingredients together, spread evenly over the dough and roll up (like you would for a Swiss-roll) to form a log. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 even-sized slices and place into the prepared tin. Glaze the rolls with the extra milk. 

8. Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. 

9. Remove the rolls from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before removing the rolls from the tin. 

10. For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Place the cream cheese and butter in the centre, pour over the hot water and stir the mixture to form a paste. Add extra water, a few drops at a time, until the icing is a slightly runny consistency. Stir in the vanilla essence, then drizzle the icing over the rolls. 

11. Serve the rolls warm or wait for them to cool. 

I would give the rolls a bit longer time to bake in the oven, more like 40 minutes to ensure that they are cooked all the way through so keep your eye on them whilst they are in the oven. 

One other thing to note with this recipe is that the rolls are also very doughy and are more like a cake than a roll. So one roll is definitely enough and is extremely filling! 

I also found that there was a lot of icing left over, so reduce the amounts for the icing if you would prefer less icing on the top of the rolls. Though the icing is super delicious and compliments the rolls very well! In fact the icing is that yummy I had to stop my boyfriend from eating it all on its on.  

I found the recipe online here, and adapted the recipe a little bit for example adding a bit more sugar/butter. I am sure you can make the recipe a little less fattening by exchanging the sugar for sweetener or by using less. This recipe is definitely not good for anyone on a diet! 

Hope you enjoy the recipe too! 

Walk time with my favourite.

I go back to work tomorrow after having two weeks off (perks of being a teacher in training), so I figured I needed to make the most of my last day off and go for a lovely walk with my favourite, Pennie. 

Today is the last chance I'll get to take Pennie out for a walk on a weekday for about 6 weeks so i made the most of it. I took her to a lovely park near my house, which is a really lovely park and fortunately never seems to be that busy with other dogs, at least when we go it isn't.   

The park has lots of different wooded areas full of rabbits and squirrels, which is Pennies favourite part of her walks so this park is ideal. I wish I lived within walking distance of this park so that I could take her there more often without having to drive there. I would definitely would recommend this park! 

 

 

 

 

 

New year; new wish list.

one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight 

Here's my January wish list, some of the items are more expensive than others but I definitely feel the need to treat myself soon! I know I got loads of goodies for Christmas but it is always important to remember to treat yourself! 

 I begin work again in a couple of days and this black blazer would look perfect with some fitted black pants for whilst I'm teaching, plus it is not too expensive which is also a plus, especially if I have a messy day in School. 

I love this red OPI nail varnish, it's such a bright and vibrant colour and would brighten up any outfit. I love wearing black so this red would really compliment my outfits. 

I am also in need of some new trainers, and I simply love Nike trainers they are by far the most comfy trainers I have ever owned. I wanted these Nike shoes months ago but settled for a different pair as they were on sale. Maybe this month I will treat myself to some lovely new black Nikes!

For Christmas I got a benefit gift set off my boyfriends Nanna, and it contained a miniature version of Benefits lollibalm which was really good. It looks more like a lipgloss compared with a balm, it provides a slight pinky gloss colour and keeps your lips so smooth and hydrated. This product or the other benefit lip balms are definitely must-buys for combating the cold January weather. 

I need to get my eyes tested again in the near future, and I'm contemplating treating myself to some new Ray-bans. I have some Ray-ban sunglasses but would love to own some normal glasses too. I managed to get a cheaper deal with my last sunglasses, I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for a good deal. 

My skin's so horrible at the moment, which I think is mainly due to hormones, however I would love to treat my skin to some luxurious skin treatment. I have loved every single Philosophy products that I have tried, and I believe that this product will be excellent too. Has anyone used this product or would recommend any other products? 

I always wear a watch when I'm working as I need to keep my eye on the time constantly, and this watch would look so gorgeous and would go with every single outfit. It's a little expensive... of course, so again I may have to find a cheaper version. 

I need to invest in some more clothes too, and this dress from Oasis is lovely. I love wearing the colour blue as I feel that it matches my skin tone and hair colour, and this dress would be a suitable length to wear on several occasions, for example for work, or for meals out, or family events. 

What's on your wish list for January? 

My simple New Year's Resolutions.

Seeing as 2014 is nearly at its end I thought it would be a good idea to do a quick blog post with new year's resolutions. 

I'm not really the type of person who sets new year's resolutions, mainly because I never tend to stick with them. However I thought it would be a nice idea to think of a few simple resolutions that will be easy to stick to this year. Heres a few of my ideas which will hopefully get completed throughout 2015, and feel free to add these simply resolutions to your lists! 

• Learn to shrug things off more, and care less about the negatives whilst focusing on the positives. There's lots of positive and great things going on in my life and it is important to remember this when I'm feeling stressed or down. I generally need to just worry less. 

• Eat more fruit and veg and importantly drink more water. It may also be a good idea to reduce my sugar and salt intake. I currently have two sugars in my tea, maybe it is time to reduce that to one sugar. 

• Try to do more Yoga/ Pilates, and generally try to exercise more. Including taking the stairs instead of lifts, jogging and swimming more. I need to find a form of exercise that I will love to do and not have it feel like a chore. 

• Cook and bake more, and try different/new foods. My dad loves my lemon meringue pie so I should definitely make this again in the new year. It would also be a lovely idea to cook for my parents and boyfriend more too. 

• Clear out the clutter and mess from my room, including getting rid of old clothes that I no longer wear or fit into. This will then allow me to buy new nice clothes! 

• Give more compliments, especially to the people that I love. Everyone loves getting compliments and in turn it makes you feel good about yourself too, so I think this resolution is a great one to stick by.  

• Travel more! To different places in the UK and abroad for holidays, I also plan to visit Leeds and my university friends more in the new year. 

I hope my simple new year's resolutions are useful ideas for everyone, and I hope that you all have amazing New Year's whatever you may end up doing, whether it's partying or staying tucked up in a warm home. But more importantly I hope you all have a wonderful year in 2015! 

2014: My year...

I am a firm believer that it is always a great idea to take the time to reflect upon your year, to see both the high and low points. I have got to say that generally my year has been full of happy and celebratory moments, but it has not been without its stressful and tearful moments either. Graduating from University has definitely been on of the most significant points of my year, and covers both the high and low aspects for sure.
  



Graduating from the University of Leeds with a 2:1 in Psychology. This year I graduated from university with a 2.1 which I am so proud of! At the time I was so stressed due to all the exams and deadlines, but now looking back I wouldn't change it for the world, in fact I wish I was still in Leeds living with my best friends and enjoying my freedom. Hopefully one day I will return to Leeds again as it really is a fantastic city and I miss it so very much. Also my friends and I have thankfully taken the time to stay in touch and visit one another, for example my friends are coming to stay with me for New Years and I can't wait! My advice for people currently living away from home or at university; enjoy it! It won't last forever! 

My year with my boyfriend. I am so happy in my relationship with my boyfriend, of course we sometimes can fall out and fight but I wouldn't change our relationship ever. He is  so perfect and always extremely good to me, and truly makes me so happy. Hopefully sometime next year or soon we will be able to move into our own little home together or go travelling. Heres to many more happy years! 






I started a PGCE. This September I started a PGCE, and so far this is proved to be a big challenge! Nobody realises just how much hard work a PGCE is or teaching either! Hopefully in the end it will be worth it and I will be glad I made this decision. In the end at least it will be another goal I will have accomplished and something else to be proud of. 



Many Happy memories. This year has been filled with many happy memories that I will always remember, I have met some wonderful people but have also lost contact with some not so wonderful people... I have developed closer relationships with some amazing people too. I have had many lovely moments and days, including several amazing holidays with the ones that I love. This year I am slowly getting better at forgetting the negatives and trying to focus on the positive aspects of my life. I am also learning to stress a little less, which is definitely a big issue for me. Hopefully I will continue to progress and develop into a more happy-go-lucky kind of person. 

The Christmas Tag!

1. What is your favourite Christmas Movie/s?

I have several! I love The Grinch (Jim Carrey always makes me laugh), Elf (Same with Will Ferrell), and of course The Nightmare Before Christmas! I am a huge Tim Burton fan so this is definitely a must watch at Christmas! 

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

Christmas morning! 

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

I love all my memories that involve my old dog Molly, she truly was a fantastic dog and always got so involved at Christmas, she just loved to be with all the family. Whenever we gave her presents she was always so excited and really enjoyed ripping them open to get her toy. 

Also, as a child my brother and I always used to open our stockings together before my parents had woken up, sharing our presents and chocolates with each other, this will always stick in my memory as a great memory with my brother.   

4. Favourite festive food?

I love Christmas trifle (in fact I always love trifle), I also love Christmas cake and mince pies, and all things sweet! I actually love my brussel sprouts too on my Christmas dinner (I'm weird I know...). 

5. Favourite Christmas gift ?

This is a hard one I always forget what gifts I get, but I always get lovely gifts off my family and boyfriend. 

6. Favourite Christmas scent?

I love the smells of gingerbread, cinnamon, satsumas always remind me of Christmas (used to get satsumas in my Christmas stocking), and obviously the Christmas tree smell! 

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?
I usually go to Church with my mother and neighbours for the Christmas Carol service. My parents and I also go round to our neighbours for food and drinks. My Christmas Eve usually involves last minute wrapping too! 
8. What tops your tree?
I still live at home, so my parents usually have a very old angel (that we've had for about 24 years) at the top of our tree. 

9. As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?
A pony or a puppy! I have a gorgeous pooch now, but obviously I'd still love a cute little puppy (or a Pennie puppy!)
10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?
Being with my family, wearing Christmas jumpers, getting people presents and generally the whole of December!  

Kemples had this Christmas tag over on her blog and I thought it would be a great idea to do my own! 

What do you love about Christmas?