Sunday Spaday

After a long busy week at work there nothing more I like doing than having a pamper evening to destress and have a bit of me time. Its good to have pamper evening because they help you relax and unwind and also gear you up for the week ahead. Here are a few of my tips to help you deal with those Monday morning blues.

Set the scene

First thing i would do is set the scene. So, grab your scented candles and turn off the main lights. I find that having gentle lighting creates a relaxing atmosphere for that ultimate 'wind-down' experience. Lay out your cosiest dressing down and grab yourself a drink of water. If you've had a stressful week then feel free to swap the glass of water for a stronger drink of choice.

Bask

When it comes to winding down, I find a long soak in the bath is lot more relaxing than a shower. So the next thing i would do is run my bath. I love indulging in a combination of bath bombs, exfoliating bath salts and bath melts. These leave my limbs feeling soft and relaxed. If you prefer showers then swap your standard shower gel for something with a bit more luxe. I've recently started using lush products and i am absolutely loving them. I can't believe i've only just come across them. I also like to watch stuff on my ipad and have a chill while im in the bath.

Treat

After i've had a bath, i will then do a face mask because whats a pamper evening without a face mask?! A deep cleanse does wonders for the skin, so treat yourself to a facial. I dont really have time in the week to do a proper skincare routine but i find Sunday nights allow plenty of time to enjoy a mini facial. I also find the steam from the bath is good because it cleanses the skin and opens up the pores. 

Chill time

After doing my skincare routine i will spend the duration of my evening burying my head in a book.
For you, it might be catching up on some magazines, doing your nails or bingeing on netflix. Whatever it takes for you to max out and be fully relaxed, do it and enjoy!

Do you have any tips or products  you like using during you pamper evening?

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Weekend Mode

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Its the weeeeekend! I've had such an exhausting week, I started my new job on monday and its been very stressful so i'm excited to have a relaxing weekend.

I can't wait to have a lie in tomorrow morning. I am also looking forward to having one of my best friends from uni come down for the day. Its been ages since i last saw her so im excited to have here and have a massive catch up. I also need to catch up on some emails and write up some blog posts.
I have a lot of post ideas but majority of the time i worry about publish post because I often compare my work to other bloggers and i worry too much about what people think. Im hoping this weekend i can shake off those little fears and start producing more posts because i do love writing and having a blog.


How will you be spending your weekend?

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Winter warmer wish list

1. Fur hooded duffle coat- New look

2. Felt floppy hat- Topshop

3. Boots- New look

4. Sheep hot water bottle- Not on the highstreet

5. Tartan scarf- Asos

6. beauty and the beast PJ set- Topshop

7. Floral print trousers- River Island

Now that it's getting colder, i'm on the hunt for a new coat to wear to work. I need something that will keep me warm especially on those days where i might be on playground duty. I am hoping topshop has the beauty and the beast pj's in store, because they have sold out online. I mean how adorable is this sheepey hot water bottle?! I absolutely need this in my life. What do you think of my picks?

November

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I can't believe it's november already How fast has this year gone?!

This month i am going to...


Start my christmas shopping. I am one of those people who usually starts their christmas shopping around the 20th december (bad, I know). I think its partly because i secretly love the last minute christmas shopping rush. However that hasn't always worked out well because sometimes i can never find what im looking for. So this month i am going to start buying a few things to avoid the stress of finding presents.
Exercise more. When it gets to the winter months, i tend to put exercising on hold and opt for the 'sit on the sofa and binge on netflix' option. This month i am going to join an exercise class. I think its just as important to keep fit throughout the year and not just in the warmer months.
Start budgeting. I really need to stop buying things for the sake of it and learn how to save and spend my money wisely.
Be involved more. Since moving back home last summer i have been going to church with my mum every now and then but haven't really go involved in the social side of church. This month i plan to get more involved in the church especially the social side, join weekly blogger chats and meet up with my friends more often. 




Do you have any November resolutions?

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Holiday | Africa

For the last three weeks I have been on holiday visiting my family in Malawi. Its been almost 14 years since I last went so a trip was definitely overdue. My mum and brother went in June and I couldn't wait to go and have some memories of my own. I can honestly say I had the best three weeks spending time with my family and just enjoying some much needed vitamin D. I have so much to share so be prepared to be bombarded with loads of photos.

The flight there took about 15 hours from Heathrow to Johannesburg and then a connecting flight from Johannesburg to Malawi. The flight itself didn't feel too bad as i got to fly in business class which was so exciting! On boarding the plane you are offered complimentary champagne or orange juice for the non drinkers. I obvs got myself s glass of champagne- cheers! Flying business class was like flying in a luxury hotel, the food was delicious and the air hostess were so lovely and helpful. There was so much leg room you could recline your chair so far back it felt like you were asleep on your bed. I wish I had taken pictures to share but i was too scared and didn't want to draw attention to the fact that this was my first time in business.

Flying into Malawi was like being dropped off in the middle of the desert! There was nothing insight apart from the tiny airport building.

I spent the first week sunbathing, playing with the dogs and eating. In the evenings when my dad was home from work he would take me to go see my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

One of the things i wanted to do when i went was to go to the lake so i was very excited when my dad said he had book a few days off and was taking me and my cousin to the lake.

We stayed at Sunbird hotel at Livingstonia beach which is located in Salima. I spent my days sunbathing some more, enjoying delicious food, getting massages and swimming in the lake.

I wish i could have stayed here forever, the beach was beautiful and at 35 degrees heat, I was loving life!

The last week was spent eating more food, visiting some more family and a trip to zomba to visit my Aunt and Uncle and my cousins. We stopped by Zomba mountain on our way and enjoyed malawi's beautiful country side. We drove to the top of the mountain and had lunch at a hotel which had beautiful scenery overlooking Zomba. 

Before my flight back to I stopped by my dad's village to say goodbye to my grandmother. My gran gave me lots of stuff to take back with me. As I was leaving my gran got all her neighbours to come and see me off and they all sang songs and cheered for me. I have never experienced anything like this and in true penny form i burst into tears! The love that i have experienced during these last three week was so overwhelming and i will treasure these memories for the rest of my life. 

Pinterest | Tattoos

I could quiet easily spend hours and hours on pinterest pinning things to my ambitious boards. From what furniture i would have in my dream house to the beaches i want to travel to. One of the main reasons i got pinterest was because i wanted to get a tattoo and was looking for some inspiration. I think tattoo are very personal and so for a first tattoo, i didn't want to get just anything, i wanted to have something meaningful.


Here are some of the ideas that i've come up with:

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Getting a tattoo with birds was one the first ideas that i had when i started thinking about getting a tattoo. I like the idea of getting birds on your back with each bird representing someone that means a lot to you. For me that would be my mum, dad and brother. 

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I love everything about this tattoo: the handwriting, the placement and the quote. 

"The darkest nights produce the brightest stars"

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I've never really like the idea of getting tattoo in another language simply because you can't be certain that it says what you think it says but i just think this look so pretty down your spine. If i was to ever get something like this i would want it to say "Faith, Hope, Love"

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I love this! So simple yet says so much to me. On the comment below this picture there was a quote that said "An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it's going to launch you into something great. So just focus, and keep aiming." I think thats just such a nice motivational reminder to have with you and the placement it perfect because eventually i will be a teacher so my tattoo needs to be in a place where it can be easily hidden.

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 I love the idea of getting a tattoo on your bicep with the quote "Sorrow brings strength".
I have been told that this area of your arm is very sensitive so getting a tattoo here would be painful but i love it and it has a personal meaning behind it so i reckon i would just have to man up if i was to get this.

Feel free to follow all my other ambitous boards here 

Lots of love, P x

Throwback Thursday | Baby Me

"6 months old"

So for the last few weeks, I have been on holiday visiting family in Malawi, Africa. I had the most amazing time out there visiting family who I haven't seen in over 14 years. Whilst I was there, I stumbled across some old pictures of me from when i was a little baba. I loved going through the pictures and seeing what I was like as a baby. I've only ever seen a few pictures of me as a baby because majority of them were still in old house in Malawi. So since it's Thursday I thought I would do a throwback and share some of the pictures that I found. Enjoy!

  "I look mental! look at that hair, ha!"                                                  "Wish I still had this dress"

"I just love this picture of me with cousin and my brother! Look at that cheeky smile"

"Febuary 1991- 1 month old"

"I wish i still had this outfit!"

"pretty sure i wore this outfit on the left for a whole year haha my mum sewed this for me" 

Me with my cousin Vanessa.. refusing to give me back MY rattle 

The Husband's Secret | Review

What would you do if you found a letter addressed to you with instructions that the letter is to be opened only in the event of your husbands death? This is what cecilia is faced with when she discovers an old envelope in the attic. This letter contains her husband deepest darkest secret and if opened it will not only destroy her perfect marriage but also the lives of others.

The story is not just cecilia's, it also intertwined two other women: Rachel and Tess.

Rachel has been haunted with a nightmare for over twenty years, ever since her daughter was murdered. Her son has just told her that he is moving to New York. Distraught by the news rachel becomes obsessed with Connor, a man she believes is responsible for her daughter's murder.

Tess has just discovered that her husband is in love with someone else. That someone else is her cousin. Feeling betrayed and angry, Tess takes her son and books a flight in the middle of night to go and stay with her mother in Sidney.

Tess and Rachel barely know Cecilia but they are about to find out the repercussions of her husband.

The story is addictive, cleverly plotted and thought provoking. I loved the way the Liane Moriarty intertwined three lives connected to a catholic elementary school in Sidney. I must say I struggled to keep up with the characters during the first chapter but as the story goes on its soon becomes more interesting and captivating.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend to others. I don't think a book has ever made me gasp out loud. Like full on mouth open. This book will make you cry, laugh and think about things.

Thoughts | It gets better

Photo source: Pinterest

Since moving home from University last July I have really struggled to settle back into things at home. I felt like my life consisted of waiting around. Waiting to find a new job, waiting to make new friends, waiting for something to happen. All my friends at uni were off starting their new jobs and my friends back home where either planning their wedding or having babies. They all had a lot of exciting things happening in their lives and i felt left behind. There wasn't a lot going on in my life and It was very difficult to not compare my life to theirs. I felt like no matter how hard i tried things just didn't seem to get better or go the way i'd hoped they would. I started to feel very anxious about my life and struggled to stay positive about anything.

Its wasn't until recently that I was reminded that this part of my life wasn't going to last forever. I had spent every waking day for the last year wishing my life was different and hoping things would change and before i knew i had wasted a year being negative and down. I am learning to understand the value of each day and that what you do with that day matters. Life is comprised of the days that you live which turn into years. Instead of wasting each day that goes by wishing things would change i am learning to enjoy the good even when things aren't great and believe that things will get better.

It can be easy to lose sight of all the good things in our lives and become solely focused on the negative. Life has its ups and downs and just like the seasons in the year they come and go. Each season has its nice things about it and not so nice things but they don't last forever. Right now we are going into Autumn. I have never liked the autumn/winter season because it meant it gets darker quickly, snails are everywhere and its uncomfortably cold! but this year i'm actually looking forward to it. I'm excited to have cosy nights in, leaves changing colours, hot chocolate, bonfire night and lighting candles.  Each season has its beauty and not so beauty. Its all contingent upon your perspective.

Don't let a difficult situation dictate your life and trust the timing of your life.

Photo source: Pinterest

Weekend away | The Peak District

This weekend i went away to the Peak District with some friends from uni. Now I am a city girl, I love the pavement so the thought of spending my weekend walking in fields did not appeal to me. However i hadn't seen my friends in a few months so despite not being keen on the location i knew the company would be wonderful. We stay at a the Hartington hall hostel. It was my first time staying in a hostel and it was so nice and comfortable, i would definitely stay there again. On Saturday morning we set off a 7 mile walk  with plans to stop at a pub on the way for some lunch however it turned out that we had read the map wrong and 7 miles turned out to turned out to be 18 Miles! Least to say I was not happy. I may or may not have had a little cry when we got back, I was definitely not prepared. Sunday morning we checked out of the hostel and headed to Buxton town for a fun filled day at Go Ape! Go Ape was incredible, I had the best time!! Unfortunately my camera died so i couldn't take any pictures. I definitely want to go back again!!

Be happy

We all have those off days where we don't feel ourselves and just feel really down so I thought I would share my top 5 favourite things to do that help me get out of my funk and make me feel happier.

5. Cake. I don't think this needs any further explanation.

(Mmmhhh)

4. Bath. Whenever i'm feeling down, i really enjoy running a bath and using a nice bath bomb and having having a good soak. I find it very soothing and relaxing.

3. Entertainment. Why don't you catch up on your favourite soaps. If made in Chelsea is what does it for you, go for it! Or perhaps you some breaking bad? For me its the Kardashians. I could easily sit and watch hours on hours of back to back episodes. Khloe is my fave!

2. Disney films. Whenever i feel down or sad i put on a Disney film and they instantly make me feel so much better. my favourite Disney film to watch at the moment is frozen, hands down! however i absolutely love watching enchanted and a not so popular Disney film, Anastasia.

1. Spend time with friends and family. Last but not least spend time with your friends and family. This weekend I am off to the peak district to spend some time with some uni friends who i haven't seen in 4 month. I am so excited to spend some quality time with my chummies!! It doesn't have to something extravagant, it can be something as simple as having sleepover with your friends, going for a walk with your family or having a movie night and stuffing your face with cake and chocolates. it really is the little things that make a difference.