Anything that Sparkles

Hi folks ✨

Sorry I’ve been a little elusive the last few days. I’ve been nursing a horrid cold & sore throat. I’m so not a good patient… so I must confess to being a little bit of a dying swan all day Monday & Tuesday.

So… lets go back to Saturday. Saturday was such a lovely day, despite the weather being utterly disgusting! I collected my new glasses… I love them so much, which is a major feat for me as I hate wearing glasses being a contact lens lover. I bought a pair by Solitare & a pair by ZigZag. So not stupidly expensive frames… but nice. Well… I think they’re nice ✨

 After collecting my glasses we headed to The Pastures Lodge for lunch. I’ve been there so many times lately… But I love it & it’s such good value for money! After lunch, we headed home for a much needed chill & a movie. Then… It was time to get our glad rags on & head down to Otto Wine bar in the Village. The boys drank beer… while I drank sparkles… Sparkling water that is lol ✨ 

 We then headed next door to Mehfil for an Indian Feast… But I totally forgot to take pics of the food! Oooooopsie.

On Sunday, David (the hubsters bezzie) headed home after a sausage sandwich. I spent the rest of the day feeling really poorly, but, I did get quite a lot of content edited & added on my website if you want to go check that out: www.hayleythore.co.uk

Did I mention that I’ve become a guest blogger for Sugar babies? You should go check out their blog… there are so many good posts on there! 

 So… Monday & Tuesday were total write offs really… I spent a lot of time snuggling in bed feeling sorry for myself. Although… I did paint my nails with a beautiful pink polish from CND Vinylux in Tutti Fruitti 

 I also made lots of blogging notes in my blogging book from The Journal Shop. Oh & don’t forget that you can get 10% off of your first order!!! 

 I drank lots of decaf Yorkshire Tea & snuggled with Coco… perfect for when you’re feeling ill. 

   

  
I was so excited on Tuesday to receive a lovely package from Mothercare. I recieved 2 beautiful maternity dresses, a nightie & robe set & a breast feeding scarf. So please keep your eyes peeled for the full review on these beautiful garments. 

 Also, obviously it was Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) this week. After a lovely homemade spicy chilli… we made American style pancakes together for dessert topped with Nutella. It had to be done. 

   
Yesterday I was feeling a lot better… So I headed to Otto for tea & cake wth my lovely friend Jane. A sweet treat & gossip was very much needed. The homemade cakes down at Otto are utterly stunning. I had the biggest slice… well… wedge of Red Velvet Cake. I couldn’t eat it all, but it was so yummy. 

 It also gave me the opportunity to wear one of my new dresses that Mothercare sent to me. This is my Oh Ma! Maternity Dress which is priced at £40.00. Sooooo comfy! 

    
 For anyone wanting to know where I bought my lippy… it’s Pretentious by Younique that you can buy via the embedded link for £15.

Tea last night was a yummy homemade Moroccan inspired lamb Stew that I’d cooked in the Crock Pot. I served it with a wholemeal pitta & bulgar wheat. It was soooo yummy!  

 To make this stew:

• 250g Frozen Diced Lamb
• 1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes
• 1 Tin Mixed Beans & Chick Peas
• Frozen Diced Onion
• Frozen Sliced Peppers
• Handful of Dried Apricots
• 3 Celery Sticks Sliced
• 1 Tsp Garlic Granules
• 1 Tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 Tsp Dried Coriander
• Sprinkle of Cayenne Pepper
• Sprinkle of Dried Chilli Flakes

I don’t brown the meat beforehand. I literally throw all of the above into my Crock Pot set on low & cook for around 7hrs. I thicken with tomato puree before serving. 

   
That in a nutshell is what I’ve been up too so far this week ✨

I’m working on a few blog posts at the moment:

• What’s in My Hospital Bag
• The Perfect Mammy Bag

…As well as reviewing my new Mothercare goodies. I’m also waiting on a few stunning items to arrive that I’ll be reviewing for various companies. So, I’ve got lots coming up! Keep those beautiful peepers on the look out for those posts coming up soon!

As always – thanks so much reading!

Love & Huggles,

Hayley xxx 

   

Reviews… Business… and the North Pole Breakfast

Hi Folks,

Right… just wanna get some ‘businessy’ type stuff out of the way: Thanks for the response to yesterday’s blog post. My private email address that you can contact me on is: freeman.hayley@gmail.com I will review products from beauty to housey items to food items to… anything really. The free vouchers to restaurants etc… are always a nice little surprise. You’ll also find me via Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram @IxxyPoco I’m also in the process of having a website developed… so keep those gorgeous peepers peeled!

Woo hoo… can you believe it’s Fri’Yay!? I literally can’t believe I’ve managed a full week at work too!!! I’ve written so many procedure manuals this week it’s unreal… my eyes are gonna be square from looking at a computer screen. The hubster had to pretty much walk me to the office door this morning as I was struggling with the infection pain… but I did it… I made it… & I did it with sparkles & a leopard print cardigan lol… Oh & a massive Choccocino from Campus Coffee! Yesterday I received my official letter confirming that my maternity leave request had been accepted. So… as of December 11th I shall be on leave until February 2017. I just can’t believe it… It’s happening… I’m finally gonna be a Mammy after years of waiting. 

 Obviously with being pregnant I can’t have my usual weekend sparkles… so I’ve become a bit creative with my non-alcoholic sparkles & drinkies. Relish in Doncaster will literally make you any scrummy cocktail you’d like – but minus the alcohol content. Their Strawb Sensation is to die for. I’ve also developed a new love for Belvoir Pink Lemonade. And Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without copious mugs of Mulled Wine… well… Fellow Prego mammies to Be  you need to buy some Ribena Winter Spice! Its beautiful! Just like Mulled Wine… but without the wine lol. The Tee Total thing really doesn’t phase me if I’m honest. While I was having my right leg rebuilt I didn’t drink alcohol for over 2 years. Abstaining from the stuff is an easy thing to do for me. Even when everyone else around you is enjoying a festive tipple. I’m happy with my pink lemo in a champagne flute. For me… it’s all about the presentation… if it looks good… then I’m sure I’ll like it. I’m very aesthetically minded. 

    
 It struck me last night after I posted yesterdays blog post – that I haven’t given you guys an update on my skanky nails for a while! Well… they’re so much better. For new readers – here’s a brief update: Back in May I went to a cheapo nail place to have some acrylics done for my birthday. I went cheap & where they use those little electric files & wear face masks – you know the places I’m talking about. Well within 4 weeks of having them on… my thumb nails lifted away from my nail bed & I contracted a water infection in each & every nail plate. The result was nails covered in brown & khaki green spots. They were paper thin & extremely sore. I couldn’t bare to have my hands in water even! Typing was a nightmare too!  Well… 6 month on & they’re almost healed. All my finger nails are back to normal. But both thumb nails aren’t quite there yet. I’ve been using a good cuticle oil daily & a Sally Hansen nail strengthener to try & repair the damage. So… the moral of the story: Always go to a good nail salon like Perfect Harmony in Sprotbrough Village, Doncaster. 

 **please note that the above polish is Holly Place by Nails Inc. 

With Christmas fast approaching – I’ve gotten myself super organised! I’ve already posted my Christmas cards & everyone’s Gifts are all wrapped. I’ve even got all my grocery shopping ordered & ready for delivery around Christmas week. Seriously… What would we do without Morrison’s & Ocado!? They’ve both got amazing deals on to be had & their customer service is top notch. Their Twitter support is incredible too… I can speak from first hand experience. Nothing is ever a bother.

With today being ‘Black Friday’… I just wanted to mention Gemma again. Gemma is a fab Younique make up rep & she has some good deals right now. https://www.youniqueproducts.com/gemmadover Not only does she have her online shopping link, but she has a Facebook Page too where she holds competitions & special bargains. Give her page a like: https://www.facebook.com/Younique-by-Gemma-415392888667186/?fref=ts Liking her page costs nothing… she won’t push sales on to you… but it’s a chance for you to keep an eye out for some amazing bargains. And I mean – who doesn’t love a competition!? You’ve gotta be in it to win it!

So… Who’s heard of The Noth Pole Breakfast? If I’m honest – I hadn’t heard of it until someone told me about it on Facebook then I did some research via Pinterest. It’s a cute little idea of having a Christmas themed Breakfast on December 1st. The idea is that Elves magically deliver it before you wake up – too cute! Well this year I wanted a practice run before our bambino arrives. So this year is a dress rehearsal if you like. I’m having our North Pole Breakfast Saturday December 5th when my Parents are down visiting. I have Christmas Crockery… Christmassy Glassware & some Christmas themed foods lol… I can’t wait! I just love to ‘faff’ lol. I bought the cutest Christmas Glass bottles & straws from Home bargains for 50p each. I don’t think some of you down south of England have a Home Bargains? If not – then you can shop online. I also bought some amazing Christmassy Crockery from B&M. Unfortunately though I couldn’t get any side plates… so I’m still on the look out for those! 

    
 I’ve really been into pregnancy ‘freebies’ at the moment. Honestly… if it’s free then get it I say! I’ve heard lots of people slagging off the Bounty Packs, Emma’s Diary Packs etc… but seriously guys… they’re free! What do you want!? I’ve literally signed up to everything. I’ve had free pregnancy nutrition items from Boots, free Pampers packs, Free Hipp Organic feeding spoons, Free Johnson’s products… honestly loads of things. Starting your nursery is pretty pricey – so surely all of the free things you can apply for are just a little bonus. I mean the travel sized toiletries are great for taking your little one on vacation. Here’s a few links to get you started if you’re interested:

http://www.emmasdiary.co.uk/baby-offers/free-baby-samples this is the Emma’s Diary one. It’s pretty good & you get lots of vouchers for money off things sent to you

http://m.boots.com/h5/cat_hub?unCountry=uk&path=/en/Mother-Baby/Parenting-Club/ This is the Boots parenting club to pair with your advantage card… you’ll get 10 points per every £1 that you spend

https://www.pampers.co.uk/registration Pampers Club

http://www.hipp.co.uk/join This one is really good. You get free baby spoons every now through letterbox & you get lots of money off coupons for food & things

https://www.cgbabyclub.co.uk/register

http://www.bounty.com/about-bounty/bounty-packs?gclid=CPiLqorlockCFYvnwgod3V8AkQ these are 3 packs from bounty you can get: Mum to Be, Newborn Baby & Family Pack. All of them are worth getting coz you get lots of sample sized things that are perfect for your changing bag.

I’m so looking forward to tomorrow… we’ve got a lovely lazy morning planned with breakfast in bed. Then we’ll probably do some boring ‘housey upkeep’ type of things… but at 4pm we’ll be heading to our Village Wine Bar to watch out Village Christmas Tree being lit up! Afterwards we’ll be heading to the Boat Inn on Sprotbrough Falls for some tea by the open fire. Oh I just can;t wait. I’m feeling more & more Christmassy each day… if that’s even at all possible! I can’t recommend the food enough at The Boat Inn, plus the overall setting of the place itself is beautiful. Sprotbrough is most definitely a gorgeous Village to live in.

Ooooooh and… we’ve had word from the carpet place & our new carpets will be fitted for Christmas!!! Yey! They shall be fitted December 8th! Our literally hate our current carpets with a passion. They’re the ones that were already down when we first moved in back in March… They’re tired, worn & a bit ugly if I’m honest lol. So, some fresh new ones will really lift the place.

Right well… I’m gonna leave this post there as we’re expecting a grocery deliver any minute… so I’d best get organised & try & make some room in the pantry for it all lol. Thanks again for reading!

Love & Huggles,

Hayley xxx