May Love List

May has been a bit of a wash out of a month, I think.. its all a bit of a blur, but i distinctly remember rain and lots of it, but the forecast is saying sunshine for the next few days and i can not wait to see the old current bun once again. There are a few things i have loved this month but what i'm really looking forward to is getting out and about again once the nice weather appears (it came, and then it went sadly!), Plus next week is half term here with the kids and i have some exciting plans with Neo, so June could be quite a fun month!
Have you had a nice May so far? Are there any standout moments for you this month?

1.Fashion

This month I have been all about the maxi's.. maxi dresses and maxi skirts gimme gimme gimme. I think it's because for the in-between weather these still provide that bit of coverage but satisfy my mind on the whole "It's spring, get out of jeans already" front
I am loving this Dr Denim skirt i bought, so much so I wore it 2 days on the trot and could actually have worn it for the whole week. Skirt love, completely and utterly. Its just the perfect transition from jeans to skirt, plus its super versatile.

2.Eats

This month has been the same old same old on repeat it would seem. But i have been enjoying making big old pots of stews and minestrone. In particular the Deliciously Ella Sweet Potato and Chickpea stew is an absolute favourite in this house

3. Beauty

I've been wracking my brain as to if i've used anything new this month, then i remembered I did my whole base layer post and that would probably be my favourites right now, as getting the base right is so important for me and my crappy skin

4. Media

Struggling to get in to a good book at the moment. But I can't not mention Guardians of the Galaxy 2! To put some context here, as a family GOTG1 it is probably our most watched film. If you're ever a guest in our house for the evening and we're vegging out watching movies, our suggestion has always been GOTG. We have the soundtrack, Neo has a Peter Quill outfit and a toy Milano. We love it. It was fun, quirky sci-fi and just brilliantly written. We were SO excited to see GOTG 2 that we went the day it came out and waited for half an hour before the trailers even started so that we got good seat (yes, we are major geeks).
So was it good? Yes, it was.
Was it as good as 1? No.
Simply put, it just wasn't as good for me (or us as a family, we all actually agreed). I think where the first one had humour in the right places with side jokes and funny moments here and there it was all perfectly timed. I really feel like they went full comedy mode on this one and found some of the jokes didn't need to be in there. A lot of Drax's character traits had changed and he had suddenly become this constant joke cracking character and laughing a lot. I mean i get character development, but this seemed a lot in a really different direction to how he originally was. I enjoyed the Father story-line, i'm a big Kurt Russell fan, and his part was acted so well, really enjoyed seeing him on the screen again too. But it did feel like there was a lot of side stories going on, with Rocket, Nebula and of course Yondu, that took away from Peter Quill somewhat.

Overall an absolute must see, and i think maybe when it comes out on DVD and i watch it again, maybe i'll grow to love it a bit more, its just that when the first was so good, 2 had bog shoes to fill and it just didn't make it for me.  However, still a really enjoyable film and definitely worth a watch!

5. Life

We planted our vegetable garden about 6-8 weeks ago it is doing so so well. I am absolutely loving it and so is the husband. We spent about 5 hours potching and planting on Sunday together in the sun, chatting and talking. Not only is it satisfying to see the things we planted growing each week, but its lovely to spend time together and have a hobby we both enjoy. We've already learned so much and are making plans to extend the plot this autumn winter in preparation for Spring enabling us to plant more going forward. So far we have cucumbers, courgettes, tomatoes, spinach, beetroot, broad beans, onions, carrots, peas and potatoes.  I'm so excited to eat something that we grew from seed ourselves. I shall, of course, keep you posted. But yeh, majorly rewarding and enjoyable! Highly recommend, even if you only have some pots to plant, do it it! Watching your seeds grow is a brilliant feeling
(and this is coming from a previous serial plant killer!).

And thats it!  A quiet month, but none the less its flown by!

Looking forward to what June has in store.

What have you loved this month?
Let me know in the comments, i really love to hear about what you've been up to!

April Love List

April has been a good month, like really good. The blossom is blooming, the weather has been dry and in-fact beautiful some days and life has been good.
After a crappy start to the year it feels like things have finally managed to turn around. I wake up happy and i go to bed tired and happy.. I want to bottle this feeling and take a shot of it on days when i'm glum. It has made me realise how good life can be when you choose to be happy and actively seek it out instead of waiting for it to fall in your lap.
Ok, so yeh.. happy, happy happy.
How are you? How was your April?

So this months noteworthy lovely things:

1.Fashion

This month i have been absolutely in love with red.. red, reddy-red red, anything an everything red. I mean, this isn't a new development, red is just my bae.. i have a life long love affair with this colour of choice. Everything seems to have that pop of colour in it for me, or the whole outfit indeed revolves around it. This embroidered top in particular is my complete favourite. I would happily wear it every day if that wasn't just a tad trampy 😁

2. Eats

I've not eaten out anywhere new this month (Zizzi's has become a fast and easy favourite), but i have been cooking some feasts up in the kitchen. I've been dabbling with tofu and abslutely loving it, its so versatile. My favourite has been the Vegan Brunch i made Salvatore and I with all the works including my fist (and successful!) attempt at scrambled tofu. It was divine. Takes a bit of time, but was very much worth it! Looking forward to making this whole brunch again soon.

3. Beauty

Nails.. Oh how i love to have my nails done. I feel like me when my nails are done, and it is rare that they aren't done. One of my boys school friends commented to her mum about how my nails are always coloured in, haha! I just feel like with nails painted it detracts from my dishpan hands (life without a dishwasher will do this to you!). This is my 3rd set of shellac gel nails and i am a total convert. Being severely heavy handed and clumsy (i jammed my thumb in the tripod this morning.. then proceeded to scrape my fingers against a wall by accident.. Such a plonker) gel nails seem to be the only thing that stays on my actual nails. I had 2 weeks off in between my latest application, as constantly wearing gels can weaken the nail, and so in-between i painted my nails with a normal nail polish.. it didn't even last 24 hours. Gel is the only way.
I'm quite boring with the colour, its usually a classic red or black, or sometimes a really dark navy, but that way i know it will go with everything i wear.
Have you ever had a shellac mani?

4. Media

I've been reading up a storm this month and thoroughly enjoying some light hearted reading and a little bit of escapism.. Would you like a full run down on things i read lately? I'm thinking of doing a blog post as i've really read some fab books of late.
The latest was The Cows by genius author and TV presenter Dawn O'Porter. I've had the utmost respect for this lady for years and i was absolutely enthralled by this feminist read with a plot and characters based around 3 different women. Brilliant read. Light hearted but with some serious key notes. I thoroughly enjoyed, was gutted when it was over but felt that i actually took a lot from the book too. It has poignant truths skillfully written in a lighthearted demeanour. Loved.
Tv wise, we're really stuck in a rut. Nothing new is catching my eye, so we reverted back to our old favourite that is actually one of my top 5 all time favourite tTV programmes: Spaced. Have you ever watched it? I fear if you are a millenial baby then you may not appreciate it.. i've tried showing some younger people and it was kinda over their heads.
Written by and staring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson is a Brit sitcom filmed in the late 90's. It has loads of old film references and brilliant throw backs. I love it. I'm a huge Simon Pegg fan and this is possibly one of my most favourite things he's ever done. Nostalgic and comedy value is sheer genius in this 2 series sitcom, of which you can get both on  Channel 4 Catch Up here

5. Life

Neo has found the love of bike riding. It was something that hadn't struck his fancy before now, but he felt the breeze in his hair and the fun of riding a bike and now wants to go out every night after school. Its been fun watching him learn and enjoy, apart from when I'm left jogging behind. I got my step daughters bike out last week to see how it would feel to ride too, sadly it wasnt right for me, but it did get me thinking about maybe looking in to a bike for myself. Having researched small bikes (this tiny house can barely hold anything else) Brompton Bikes were the first that came up.. and they look fantastic. Granted a little pricey, but what a piece. Custom made and pretty and practical. I may have started a 'Rachel's Bike Fund' ;) Do you ride with your kids? Its not something i've done before but would love to start.

So thats another month down my lovelies.. How on earth is 2017 going so fast ay? Crazy crazy.

Just a quick favour, at time of posting i'm a few friends off 5000 on Instagram, if you didn't already know, it's my absolute favourite platform and love to have a chat with everyone on there. If you don't follow along (i hate that word Follow and Followers.. sounds so detached) I would love to have you come along and befriend me HERE, and then you can hear me bang on about pointless crap in my silly welsh accent on a regular basis.. now, surely thats an offer you can't refuse, LOL!

All the best lovelies.. Heres to another great month!

Do let me know what you've loved this April in the comments, and if you've ever had shallac nails, or go bike riding, or if you're one of the rare few that have watched Spaced!

March Love List

March has been one rainy day after the other (or so it seems!) I'm hoping we've had our allotted amount of April showers early maybe? Lets hope as this constant rain is DEpressing! Ok so enough of weather chit chat, you don't come here to talk weather forecasts now do you ;)

March has flown by at a crazy rate( i'm aware i say that every month, seriously am i going to be like 90 in the blink of an eye??!) and the weeks have kind of blurred, but a few things have stood out and those are these things:

1. Fashion

Some of the mid season sales are in action and I have bagged myself a couple of goodies, in particular this maxi dress from Warehouse  and some panel leg raw hem jeans from Next, both absolute bargains. I've already worn the dress and can not wait to wear it again but with my red boots- another sale favourite, and i'm currently awaiting the arrival of the jeans, but shall keep you posted.

2. Eats

Zizzi's Gluten free vegan pasta is uh-mazing! So is their strawberry sorbet which is the tastiest sorbet i've ever tried.

3. Face

So i ran out of my Elf foundation and for a while reverted back to my Chanel old foundation to tide me over whilst i ordered and awaited delivery of the Elf product. What i realised however was how much i actually prefer the Elf foundation (which is cruelty free and vegan) and what a better foundation it is for me and my skin. When i apply the Elf product it lasts the majority of the day, is build-able and gives a great coverage and most importantly doe not go greasy/oily.
As a contrast the Chanel makes me look oily after about 3 hours and by lunch time i would say there is not a great deal left coverage wise. I also find it clings to dry patches and can be quite 'clumpy' in areas when applying.
The ELF Studio finish flawless foundation is a fraction of the price and is by far (for me) a superior product. I'm currently wearing the shade 'Natural' but progress on to Sand come summer, both are perfect matches for my skin through out the year and is an absolute delight for the skin.

4. Media

So i haven't been reading much, which makes me a bit sad, so I'm making a conscious effort once again to pick up a book. I read The Stylist which was a great fun light hearted read and now i'm wizzing through a short stories book by Victoria Hislop.
TV wise i absolutely LOVED and watched in 2 sittings Catastrophe on Amazon Prime. Hilarious, slightly wrong humour which is just my thing. Even the husband loved it. Written and starring  by Rob Delaney and Sharon Hogan it tells the story of an unlikely couple who suddenly find themselves together. Comedy gold.

5. Life

Bit of a different day in my life last week. My sister and I filmed for BBC wales a segment for the TV programme X-ray. Its being aired tonight at 7.30pm so if you can get BBC One Wales in your area and fancy seeing me on your TV then please go have a watch. The subject is about clothing sizes on the British High Street, which i will be following up with a post too, but i think its something we as ladies can all relate to.
So yes, that day Rhiannon and I saw how a TV segment is broken down and filmed and often then repeated and filmed again from different angles. I was so impressed by the sheer amount of work and tenacity from the staff filming, it made me realise how hard they work to piece an episode together.
Great fun and a very different type of day for me.

So my lovelies, what have you been up to in the month of March? What have you read, bought loved?
Any recommendations? Let me know in the comments, I love to hear what you've been up to!

February Love List

Well another month gone with a blink of the eye. Looking back on on the past month i definitely improved my happiness levels by setting some goals and sticking to them. January was rough. February was all about finding my happiness once again and i definitely feel that was accomplished.
So Feb you've been grand, lets hope i can keep up the momentum in March.

So things I've loved this month are:

1.BEAUTY

Finding out that Charlotte Tilbury is Cruelty Free and that an extensive amount of their products are Vegan really blew me away this month. How Wonderful (with a capital W!). Finding great cruelty free and vegan makeup has been a great journey so far and I've found some products that i love, but I admit to missing some of my luxe items (Chanel i'm looking at you, come on and move over to the cruelty free side won't you??!). I've heard great things about the renowned makeup artist's range and so I'm planning on picking out a few pieces next week when I'm down in the grand old city of Cardiff.
I may treat myself to this gorgeous set and I'm also desperate to try the Hot Lips lipstick range.
Exciting!

2. DATES WITH MY LOVE

Yep after a pretty long and tortuous January where everything that could go wrong did, and then some more, I decided to start making happy plans. Life will always throw you curve balls but I find I'm much better at coping with them if I've had some happy things in place or planned.
So day dates with my husband have now become a regular thing. As parents to quite a big brood we find ourselves going along with life day to day being swept up in the rat race, so for us to take a day to just spend together has proven to be pretty fantastic.
This month we went to see The Commitments in the Bristol Hippodrome which i loved (the husband not so much.. he's not really a show type of guy😄) It was filled with fun soul music and Irish banter that made me giggle. We also managed to squeeze in a gorgeous Gluten Free Vegan meal at 1847 which Salvatore declared to be the best vegan restaurant meal he'd ever eaten. High praise indeed.
It was absolutely delectable and if you're in Bristol any time soon I would highly recommend,even if you're not vegan!

3. FASHION: Coats

I've always had a thing for coats, i think its because we have such long cold winters and plus i like variety i guess. So when i saw this one on super sale in the shade of colour i'd been after for YEARS, well i simply had to have it. It has a huge reduction and is just gorgeously oversized and cosy. I've barely stopped wearing it of late (if you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed;). But I also have my gorgeous Yellow beauty from Laura Ashley too. To level things out I've recently sold 3 coats and given 2 others to new homes, so i feel pretty happy about my new coat situation.

Laura Ashley Yellow Jacket and La Redoute Green Coat

4. SHOPPING: Sales!

Shopbop are having one of their amazing make-a-purchase worthy sales.

I like to shop savvy for the season ahead with these wonderful savings. I currently have in my virtual basket:

A classic pair of Levi jeans, thinking of trialling some dungarees/overalls (thoughts please?) I really love the Blank Denim ones and they're a great price with discount, and finally some gorgeous red Superga sneakers (the white and star print are dreamy though too...hmmm decisions).

5.READS: Happy

On my journey to living a happier life I recently bought Fearne Cotton's new book Happy. This book contains lots of ideas, advice and little ways to put pen to therapeutic paper to help your brain process what it's going through. I haven't completed any of the gentle exercises or filled in the book as I've been going a long (I almost feel like it's a shame to soil the pages with my scruffy writing as its so beautifully presented)  but i've been mentally taking on board some of the ideas and conceptions of maintaining happiness. I would highly recommend this book for if things seem especially tough and you need a reminder of how you can get back on your happy track. I bought this at a time when I was feeling low and just reading it made me feel like I was helping to heal my mind. It felt nice to know that the author had been through tough times herself and from that can now help others with advice that she picked up along her journey.

Just writing these monthly love lists makes me feel really happy, its a lovely way to recap the good points of the month.

So my lovelies, what have you loved in February? Any great makeup/clothing finds?
Any nice dates or time with family that stood out for you?
Do let me know in the comments as reading what made you smile spreads the happiness to here!

January Love List

January is always a funny old month isn't it. A contradictory month of new beginnings and winter blues all at the same time. The come down after the festive season, and yet the positivity of a fresh start.
But amongst all of it, i have some things that make me happy, new discoveries, old favourites and just some general curiosities...
So here it is, January's Stuff I Love

1. 
Silver Loafers

Yup i fell on to the silver shoe bandwagon that i thought i would otherwise ignore. But no regrets! I have to say i absolutely love them. They act as a neutral so go with everything and anything and they add instant pizzazz to any outfit, which lets face it pizzazz is always welcome! Plus absolute bargain price! Be prepared for lots of outfit posts with these beauties adorning my tootsies.

Options: here, here (which are my pair) and here

2.
Positivity

I'm really trying to radiate positive thoughts this year, much much more than i have before. I find it so easy to fall back in to old negative ways and forget that to have a positive experience you need to put positive thoughts out there. I truly believe in the Law of Attraction (Remember The Secret? It did the rounds a few years ago, remove the cheesiness and basically, that!)Put out in to the world what you want, and we all only ever want positive change don't we? Its just remembering we are worthy and capable of such things. I'm trying to remind myself daily of this with positive quotes (cheers pintrest!).

3. 
Wedding Outfit attire

Yup i have potentially 2 events this year starting in Spring, and so i have started the grand hunt for the  guest attire. I absolutely love these pretty occasion dresses, aren't they lovely? Perfect for weddings etc and they don't cost the earth! I am all about economising where possible, and these are pretty, and kind to my purse, therefore i'm happy, the husbands happy, we're allll happy.

I'm loving all things bardot at the moment. So elegant and chic, a great choice for an occasion dress. Now to go floral or more plain?

4.
Garlands Cowbridge

I love when a cafe offers vegan options and will happily adapt to GF also. Garlands Cowbridge is my new fave haunt. Their soya cappuccinos are delicious, as is their vegan brunch, with spicy beans, hash browns and smashed avocado! They also substituted the bread for more mushrooms for me, which makes them saintly in my eyes :) If you're in the South Wales area i highly recommend. 

5.
Reading and our #GR8BookChat

I love to read, always have, but i do go through phases where i read more than others. But with our Book chat on Instagram (GR8BookChat) i'm reading lots more different genres of books and absolutely love it. January's book was The Dead Wife's Handbook, which we will be having a relaxed chat on IG next Monday, anyone is welcome. We have just posted our 4 choices to the account for everyone to vote what our February book will be!

6. 
Tv: The Good Wife

I know i know, I'm sooo behind with the times its scary, but see above.. i love to read, which means i sometimes don't watch a lot of TV. It has to be a very good series to keep me watching, and i have to say i am really enjoying the strong female role of The Good wife. Julianna Marguiles is a brilliant actress which i remembered from ER, which drew me in to start, i also heard Jeffrey Dean Morgan is also in the series (which i'm not up to yet) which was also another pull for me to watch, because he is also one of my absolute favourite actors..ahem.. not to mention that knee buckling smile of his 😍. SO yes.. so far, very good, to the point where i have to drag myself away from binge watching episode after episode.



So there we have my favourite things in January so far..

What have you enjoyed? Any good TV? The husband and i are looking for a good series to get in to, any recommendations?
And have you purchased anything you've loved?

Monthly Love List

Do you remember I used to do Link Love as a Seven on Sunday? Well I loved writing those posts but just couldn't commit to it every week as sometimes my weeks bleed in to the next and I have the same favourite things. BUT monthly I think I could totally bring some link love of my favourite things through the month.
I also loved these posts as you, dear reader, would get involved and leave me a lovely comment below on your favourite things too and it was a great way for us to connect and have a lovely little natter.

So without further ado..

Here are my Monthly Favourites:

1, 2 & 3
This Star Print Dress, with this PERFECT Red lipstick that is just the most amazing flattering shade (and also vegan and cruelty free)
And also my beautiful Silver Moon Necklace which I have not stopped wearing since it arrived. Its from a mum boss gorgeous lady from Scotland, who hand-makes each piece.. Keep your eyes peeled as we shall be working on a little giveaway very soon!

4.
Anyone who knows me well knows i am a big doctor who fan.. 11th in particular (Matt smith is just so damn good!) So when i saw This Print I thought it would look perfect in my newly decorated bedroom.. (which incidentally.. would anyone like to see a post on?) As an eternal optimist I absolutely love this quote, plus its a nod to my geeky ways.

 5.
I've been looking to book our short break for Jan/Feb ( as i mentioned, the husband and I aren't buying each other presents, but we shall be booking a mini break for just us two instead) and Urban Apartments was recently recommended to me on twitter by some rather fab city bloggers.
As a countryside dweller I love to dip in to city life occasionally. I love the vibrancy and tenacity the city brings, and these apartments look perfect for a short stay.

6. 
Obsessed with my New Mug. I managed to smash my old R mug and R glass in the space of 3 days.. I was gutted. But a swift trip to Matalan and there it was one 'R' mug left on the shelf!
They look so much more expensive than the small £5.00 price tag and could make such a wonderful present too.. I just happen to be a narcissist and like my initials on all my stuff (Lol)

7.
Finally a restaurant recommendation.
Myself and the husband find eating out quite difficult; from getting a child minder to actually finding somewhere that will accommodate Gluten free and Vegans. SO when my step kids mum told me about her friends restaurant Milgi that is GF and plant based we knew we had to check this out.
It was fantastic. The range, the taste, the atmosphere were all absolutely spot on and we had the best time. Its so nice to just be husband and wife for a few hours and not be parents for a wee while, to talk and laugh and not have to cut up small peoples food and then argue with them to eat it.
We've decided to make more effort in having date nights and we will definitely be returning to Milgi's ( I want to try their Sunday 'Roast'). If you're in the south wales area I highly recommend!

There i am in the star print dress.. again.. Might i mention here it also hides a food baby REALLY well!

Yay for monthly favourites! I absolutely love compiling these and will endeavour to continue through 2017 (2017.. how scary!)

What have you been loving this month? Do share! I love to hear your thoughts and any recommendations!