Sunday Summary #68

Its crazy we are nearly halfway through May, my summer holiday is in six weeks! I've embarked on a diet - my first ever! I am hoping to tone up for the beach just so I feel proud of my body. I wouldn't say I dislike it but I would like to be more defined, I'm quite straight except the curve of my boobs and bum, I'd love a waist like Lucy Meck! I am thinking of posting about how I've changed my diet as its made such a difference in just two weeks and I am still treating myself to the odd chocolate bar or Subway. My boyfriend has been away to Brighton this week and on his return last night he said how I'd lost weight which was so uplifting as I felt fatter - where's the logic! Whenever I eat better or exercise more I feel fatter when my boyfriend always says the opposite. I hadn't even mentioned anything to him he hugged me hello and said it and again when he was cuddling me later. So I'm continuing and hoping I'll have enough energy/not be so tired from work to start the 30 Day Shred as I dropped so much weight when I did it before and during that time I ate normally (McDonalds and Dominoes included).

I've had another clearout in my room this week and reorganised my dressing table. I did attempt to find some jewellery for charity but failed. I actually can't remember too much about the past week, I don't think I did anything exciting as I've been working longer hours and watching Hollyoaks on my return home and then the next days episode on E4 and then because I was so shocked at the Texas wedding death I watched all episodes twice haha. I think Hollyoaks really excel at their big storyline events and I had said to my boyfriend who I thought it was, I won't say on here but I was right! I never usually guess things ahead! I was really missing my boyfriend as we aren't apart longer than a weekend and I was so pleased to be back with him. I remember reading years back as a teenager how to keep things fresh in a relationship but after 18 months we are still very much in the "honeymoon" period which I really enjoy. He was feeling slightly tender so we just had cuddles in bed watching The Voice. Its only this year I've really got into it and watched further than the blind auditions. I think its pretty harsh the way they sing together to then be put against each other and then if the loser isn't saved, so cruel. We missed Britains Got Talent completely which is usually good entertainment. The Apprentice started this week too and is so good to watch. The only thing that annoys me is how they really snipe at each other and will do everything in their power to get someone else fired. I definitely have too much of a conscience to be such a bitch to someone.

Today was my boyfriends Grandads 80th birthday party and we went off to the seaside which was amazing as I adore the seaside. We arrived early enough to have a little wander along the seafront before arriving at the venue. We had a three course sit down meal that was simply amazing. The food was exquisite and I love my boyfriends family so much. He has two nieces and two nephews and they are all delightful. It was a lot of fun encouraging the children to eat and then playing games with them while they waited patiently for their ice cream sundaes. My starter was a salad with chicken and bacon and it had avocado in which I've never tried before but I couldn't pick it out and leave it as I felt rude so I ate it and really liked it. I guess its like another texture to a salad. My main was especially requested for me which was salmon and they asked me when I arrived if I'd like a sauce but I find salmon so flavourful anyway I was fine to have it plain. My dessert was tarte tatin which I managed to sneak a photo of - one of the best meals I've ever had. 

I haven't shopped much this week as I've been having such an expensive month due to little things happening when I wanted to be frugal that I held myself back. I guess you never know whats round the corner and unexpected expenses popped up but thats life. 

 Scalloped ribbons £2.99, Bunting triangles £1.99 - WHSmith

I just can't help myself. I think its so easy to wonder in here and find items because they sell so many different things. I wanted these last month but was good and resisted even though I knew I would be back!

 Chapter II Benga - Amazon

I have had this album on pre-order for close to a year. I don't know why it kept being pushed back but the original release date was the start of October last year and I'd completely forgotten about it until I received the email it had been dispatched this week. I'm yet to load it onto my iPod as I have a current obsession with Iggy Azalea and The Great Gatsby soundtrack.

 2 for £10 - WHSmith

I never watched the Richard and Judy book club on TV as it was always during my work hours but for some reason everyone raves about their book choices to this day. I haven't bought one for a while as nothing had caught my eye enough but these two both look amazing. The Tigers in Red Leather is about two cousins that spend their summers at the Tiger House as they grow up and then take their families there but perfection doesn't last. It starts in 1945 which was an even bigger appeal to me. The Light Between Oceans is about a dead man and a crying baby washing up in a boat onto a remote lighthouse keepers island and the decision the couple that live there make. I think I only got this because of the lighthouse but I'm hoping its good. I will probably save the Tigers one for a holiday read as it looks perfect for the beach! Plus the 2 for £10 deal is pretty incredible compared to the supermarkets, maybe they are having to be more competitive to survive.

 Now I may be on a diet  but I still allow myself the odd treat. I don't know anyone else that likes the popcorn in dairy milk but I love it. I'm yet to try the marvellous creations but I've heard good things and they look Wonka inspired.

 Rings £1.50 each - Primark 

I can't resist a sparkly ring and these two were glinting away yesterday so I just had to indulge my inner magpie. I have become more of a dainty ring girl than a big cocktail ring but I loved the almost Swarvoski look to the big one.

 Moustache black ballets £8 - Primark 

I don't own a single pair of black shoes so I decided it was time I got some. I really like the little moustaches on these and they look so cute with skinny jeans which is how I wore them last night.

 I have decided to make a bigger effort to include life photos from my week as I always used to because I'd upload them to Facebook but as a rare Facebooker I stopped. This is my boyfriends cat Flash who was being a baby now his owner was home!

 An example of my lunch at work. This was quite naughty for me as I had some pasta spirals, a yoghurt and some Sunbites in there too. Usually it is just a salad and tuna on the odd day.

 Flash was so happy when we got back from the party and changed into something a little more comfortable for a chat and chill out.

 We were early for our connection to the party so obviously it meant a Costa! My boyfriend got the Tropical cooler which is really nice if you like virgin Pina Coladas! I went for a Peach Lemonade which is DIVINE! His parents went for coffee but I don't drink coffee and hot drinks make me feel like I need a wee so I avoid them as much as a hot chocolate would have been nice.

Beach views and of course the beach huts I covet

 Dessert! 

So that's my week its been quiet but such a lovely weekend has made my week. I also forgot to mention last night I was putting a nail polish away and dropped it. Now whats the problem here you might think except the bottle decided to bounce off a glass bowl, break the neck of the bottle and proceed to spray nail polish EVERYWHERE! It got loads of my hair items, my wardrobe door runner and my carpet. Its not very much fun scrubbing nail polish out of a thick carpet. Acting fast seems to have eliminated most of the damage. 

Hope you've all had good weeks 

Sunday Summary #67

I do love a bank holiday, we should have more in my opinion. I have thoroughly enjoyed the longer break and its got pretty hot this week. I've had a stressful time as my oldest youngest brother had an accident at work and luckily didn't break his foot but has been signed off work for two weeks to rest his foot. He can't do much for himself so we've been looking after him and then my Mum had an accident at work last Thursday. It wasn't a nice text to receive on my lunch break that she was in A&E. I took my littlest brother to vote on Thursday too which was nice as it was his first time. I then took on Mummy role - its tiring! I haven't stopped all weekend so the extra day off has helped me get some more sleep than if I'd worked.

Me and my boyfriend watched Avengers Assemble on Saturday night and Captain America last night so I've now watched all the Marvel films, I really liked Captain America as it was the only one remaining I hadn't seen yet. We went to see Iron Man 3 on Tuesday which we both loved and had planned to go again today but ended up shopping and visiting pet shops.

I think I've got my summer wardrobe sorted which feels very grown up and final. I usually continually buy items right through til September but there's nothing in particular I feel I'm short of. There's a pair of shorts in Primark right now that I'd die to have - they're green with pink flamingos on but have been sold out in every one I've visited :( I will have to dream of them.

My Matalan order arrived and I love the way every item is in its own protective plastic, I bought some sequinned items last year and didn't think much of the plastic, just thought it was because the items were delicate but must be how they send every item. I'm definitely becoming less of a Primark girl and swaying more towards affordable clothing from the likes of Matalan and George at Asda.

I got the MAC email this week about Rihanna's lipstick, I was so very tempted but resisted. I don't wear red too often and as much as I'd love to own it I'd rather get something more wearable for me, I'm a changed girl I swear.

 Dress £22 - Matalan

I ordered this dress from my boyfriend's Grandad's birthday party but I don't think I'm wearing this as I feel like a Mum in it! Its lovely but think its just a bit too safe for me.

 Tallulah blazer £10 - Matalan

This was a special offer and it sold out pretty quickly as these were £25 and they had several colours. I love this one and it looks super cute with the green butterfly dress from Primark (last week) so think this is the outfit for the party. Its lovely material and has little shoulder pads in, it fits snug and I love love love it.

 Beach dress £5 - Matalan

You have really paid for something very basic here. This looks super pretty on but is see through and very very short indeed so really is just a beach cover up.

 Summer dress £7 - Matalan

I really like this print now its here as I wasn't sure when I ordered it. I like the way its a bit hazy but still stands out, it fits really nicely and makes a sweet addition to my dress collection.

 Shift dress £16 - Matalan 

I really love this dress but I ordered too big a size so it doesn't fit. I am really drawn to blue and white things and I wish this would fit me properly!

 Maxi dress £10 - Matalan 

I ordered this as it was such a bargain and I really like it on. I almost wish they had more as they're all the same designs but different colours.

 Floral ombre shorts £12, Skull bracelet £3 - Matalan

I am head over heels crazy for these shorts, as soon as they scrolled into view on the website they were in my basket in a flash. They are so beautiful and look so lovely on, they have a few different designs which I might look at when I go into store. I ordered the bracelet as I like those skulls and its hard to find ones made nicely.

 Knickers £2.50 each, 3 for £5, George at Asda 

I just can't resist these characters knickers Asda do. Add to that they are super comfy!

 3 for £3 travel toiletries - Asda

Just a few more holiday bits, I got the Nivea pots for work and my bag as they're pretty handy and small to keep around.

Bikini top £8, bottoms £4 - George at Asda

Asda have done some really sweet bikinis this year and I wanted this as soon as I saw it. I love the way you can mix and match sizes as I'm not the same all over and the ruching on the top is pretty.

 Cath Kidston book £8, scrapbook bows £1.99, stickers £2.99 - WHSmith

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the Cath Kidston book for half price! I snapped up a copy instantly and as I was headed to the tills my eyes fell upon some scrapbook bits. I'm not sure when and where I'll use the teapots and cakes but who cares, they're pretty and glittery.

 Nivea deodorant £1.74, Bite & Sting cream, Olbus oil inhaler stick - Boots

I nipped into Boots for the items below but walked out with a huge bag full. I haven't pictured everything as some of it was boring shower gel and deodorant for my boy. I adore the Nivea deodorants, they work for me and smell lovely all day long. I find other make such as Sure have a strong smell that I hate but Nivea is a delicate floral one, almost like a body spray smell. I only tend to get them when they're half price at Boots (the big cans). I always get bitten to death in the summer and my bite and sting cream is almost all gone from last year and I have so much else on my mind I tend to grab things when I see them. I bought the inhaler as my hayfever is bad at the moment and it blocks my nose, the nights are the worst as no matter how much I blow my nose I can't breathe. One night I was desperate to sleep as I had work and HATE being tired. I used a Vicks stick that night but Olbus is slightly softer and the Vicks made my eyes water so I kept it in while I tried to fall asleep, delightful eh.

 Witch Hazel gel £1.99, Witch Hazel £2.99, Banana Boat Aloe Vera gel £3.99 - Boots

I have re-started epilating and my gosh it can hurt sometimes. Because I shaved during the winter my skin was pretty traumatised the first time and although its calmed down now I did some research into the effects of epilating and discovered that these items can help. I got the Aloe Vera gel as straight after epilating my skin is very sensitive, red and uncomfortable. I didn't put moisturiser on and I'm so glad I didn't as it can cause infections as the pores are open from the hair root being ripped out. Plus I think I may have done this before and it stung. I got the witch hazel as it can help soothe and prevent ingrown hairs and soothe pimpled skin. Epilating may be painful but it is so worth it! The results are long lasting and even after the first time the hairs grow back incredibly slow, patchy and fine. The negative results are the same as waxing and to be honest I'd rather epilate than wax as like a tattoo your skin stops feeling the pain of epilating after a while whereas waxing is not constant and does large areas at once. 

Photo albums BOGO£1 - WHSmith 

Another crazy WHSmith bargain, I can't resist! I have been using their albums for a few years as they are the same design and size and stack nicely together. I used to get photo albums from all sorts of places but it makes them hard to store.

So that's my week. I am working on my April Favourites but its taken a back seat with all the ongoings of my home life recently but I might get it up later this week as I don't have many this month.

Hope you've all had good weeks

Sunday Summary #66

I've had the nicest chilled out time off work and hoping I'm not really back tomorrow. I had a really big spring clean and enjoyed the sunshine. I went to Norwich yesterday for a day of shopping with my boyfriend which was perfect and I got some really lovely bits even though we only got round a fraction of the shops there. We found the most amazing takeaway Chinese called "Wox" which is near Primark. The food was insanely good. My boyfriend picked thai caramelised chicken - I wish I'd known how good it was! Norwich Primark is awful! I don't know if it was just a bad day but it even pushed me to the limit. They have more tills since I last went but all the queues were SO long and I had to queue for about 45 minutes, at one point I considered abandoning my basket!! I stayed though and paid and then had to lug that damn heavy bag around, although my boyfriend carried it after a while as it really was so heavy. Our friend recommended we visit the Television and Movie store near the Forum which was amazing. It had everything from Marvel to Doctor Who to Game Of Thrones stuff. I had a fan girl moment at the Harry Potter section and got a little something. We made a trip to Cath Kidston as I was after a bag or two and could spend my entire pay packet in there, I love everything!

My hayfever has started to kick in which I'm hating, today I've been sneezing loads and a runny nose. I've started taking my tablets but will have to dig out my Allergy Reliever. While in Norwich my boyfriend really wanted to track down a copy of Captain America and possibly Thor but HMV didn't have either but we stumbled upon a shop called "That's Entertainment" which we've visited before in Great Yarmouth and has CDs and DVDS at ridiculous prices (second hand) and new stuff too. There will always be CDs I feel are missing from my collection, I like so much music. We were browsing the new section and my boyfriend spotted both DVDs! Talk about a find and only £7.99 each he was so happy. We watched Thor today, we're going with friends to see Iron Man 3 on Tuesday evening and we're watching Captain America next weekend. So after last weekends Iron Man 1 and 2 catch up I'm all Marvel'd up. I'm getting the hype now and understanding it all better as they're all linked in together. I almost feel sad this is the last Iron Man film as I have a little soft spot for RDJ.

My boyfriend's Grandad's party is formal so I'm in a bit of a tizz what to wear but found some cute choices in Primark. I was hoping New Look would have something as I have a credit note for there that needs to be spent soon but I couldn't even find a blazer I liked which was disappointing. I've placed a big Matalan order online which has a purple blazer in which I'm hoping will fit and look great. Hopefully it will turn up in the next few days.

Small cool bag £3.50 - Sainsburys 

When I want a small cool bag I always have to ask my Mum to dig hers out from the garage so it seemed a great idea to get my own. I loved the design of this one, its very me. 

Rope bikini top £8, bottoms £4 - George at Asda 

I think I said last week I was struggling to find a bikini I liked when I stumbled upon this online. I instantly ordered it and love it so much now its arrived. It has two tiny anchors hanging from the top and looks so nice on I can't wait to wear it! 

Maxi dress £10 - George at Asda

I wasn't sure about this but thought as its so easy to return I'd take a gamble and order it. Its lovely material, like a cotton silk, so will be cool for the summer and really looks nice on. My boyfriend isn't a massive maxi dress fan but even he loves this. I didn't see if it said online but this is a bandeau maxi dress that comes with four straps so you could tie them over your shoulder or just use the front two for a halter neck tie. I would recommend checking George out as they have some gorgeous summer items at the moment. 

Paris door stop £5 - Asda 

My Mum got one of these for our kitchen and being a huge Paris and Eiffel Tower lover I had to have my own. Its so striking and feels quite light but actually holds the door perfectly. We tested it out as we have two back doors, a front door and a side door, we only use the side door to get in and out of the house so last weekend when the back doors were open for the lovely weather and our cats to come and go whenever the side door got opened the kitchen door would slam shut. I didn't think this would work but the door didn't even move when this was in place. 

Follow Your Heart wooden plague £1.50 - Morrisons

I went to Morrisons with my Mum to do a little shop on Friday and when I spotted this on the shelf in the home section it got snatched up instantly, plus the tiny price tag means this was a complete steal. I'm not sure there's anywhere to hang this in my room but it'll be a nice thing to keep for when I move out.

 Soap in a box £6.99 - TK Maxx 

I was killing time before meeting my boyfriend from work and thought I'd have a little look in TK Maxx as sometimes they have great bargains. My eyes fell upon this beauty in the middle of other soap boxes, but this being so pretty and curved really stood out. I love adding little trinket boxes to my dressing table to put rings and earrings in. The soap is green tea and white lily scented which isn't my thing but it should benefit someone as I've added it to my charity bag.

 Strawberries carry all open bag £24 - Cath Kidston 

 Sailing boats zip bag £30 - Cath Kidston 

I adore both these bags, I nearly died when my eyes fell upon the boat print when the new catalogue dropped through my door last week. I just had to have something with it on as I love boats and lighthouses and the sea. My boyfriend liked it too and helped me pick which bag to have. I went for the zip bag as it will be ideal for travelling but not too big for shopping. I have a zip shopper bag with the cherries print similar to the strawberries one but they're so handy and ideal they get their use.

Yankee Candles £1.80 each, Yankee holder £2.99 

We found the sweetest vintage shop and my lovely boyfriend bought me these. I haven't seen the holders for sale in a shop before and as I use mine constantly I thought I should get another to have a different scent in for a change and when I move out. My boyfriend has his eye on the big Yankee jars for when we move out.

 Hamsa long necklace £4 - Peacocks

I spotted a white crochet jumper in the window which got me in the doors but then I only left with this, I love long necklaces and this is so dainty and pretty.

 My Little Pony £14.99 - Television and Movie store

I am a MASSIVE MLP fan and couldn't resist this vintage tee. I often go for t shirts with quirky things on and this being the original MLP I just fell in love with it instantly. Its black which is a shame as I'm sure pink would look cuter but beggars can't be choosers.

 Hogwarts emblem mug £6.99 - Television and Movie store

Argh! I have to go to the Harry Potter Studios as I know I'd simply love every moment but for now this will do. They had the house emblem mugs too but I went for this one. They also had framed posters of The Daily Prophet front pages with Sirius and Harry both wanted among others. They were so cool.

 Kanye West albums - That's Entertainment

I don't have these in my collection so as I'm a huge fan of Kanye (his music, not his current love life choice) I wanted my own copies. I particularly like the 808s and Heartbreaks LP.

 99p store

We randomly wanted in here and I came out with these. I haven't been able to find the Cherry Blast anywhere and this was the last one so it became mine.

All Primark 

Tie dye maxi dress £14 - George at Asda 

My Mum found this for me and its gorgeous. Its quite a flowy maxi but very summery.

Songbird pencil case £3.99, multi colour pen £2.99 - WHSmith 

I made a quick stop for newspapers and these two popped into my hands. I've been after a pencil case for ages as my pens are loose in my drawer and it drives me mental searching for one. I love this design and can't wait to use it. 

I placed an order on Superdrug as they had their sun protection better than half price. I used the Ambre Solaire clear protect last year and it was good but it is very greasy and makes you pretty sticky. I needed a new after sun too and then found lots of little bits for holiday. A friend recommended the almond and coconut products to me and for a travel mini there is loads in these!

So that's my week, lots and lots of shopping but necessities :) 

Hope you've all had good weeks