The Birthday Post 2014

Happy new year everyone!! I thought I'd get that in there right from the start as this is my first post of 2014. As my birthday is at the very start of the year I thought I'd do a goals/resolutions/review type post coupled with a birthday update.

I have seen lots of these types of posts on the bloggersphere over the last week and they have made me feel quite positive and motivated to 'write down' my goals to have a record of them. Here goes...

Eat clean

The first one, and one that I say every year is to eat better. Not go on a diet or try any crazy fads that I can't stick to but just to eat better. As a vegetarian who isn't a big fan of veg...or fruit I'm often left eating lots of carbs and dairy This has meant a fairly big weight gain and pretty bad skin over the last year. My goal is to eat clean at least 70% of the time, including getting better at bringing lunches in to work (saves pennies too!). If I succeed at this I will share some recipes too.

Meet new people

I have a very small but perfectly formed group of friends. In fact, group might be over egging it somewhat. I have been guilty in the last 10 or so years of isolating myself and only spending time with my husband at the expense of other friendships and opportunities. Hopefully this year will be different and I am going to try to put myself out there to meet new people. I just think that it gets harder as you get older to meet people outside of work but I'm open to it now more than ever so wish me luck!


Take a risk

This year I have decided to start a new business. It has been an idea I have had for a while and just haven't done anything with. Now I have not only designed and built a website for my new business, which you can see here, but I have also bought all of the stock and packaging to launch it with a small limited collection. I'm really excited about this and hopefully will help me to fulfil goal number two as well. If there are any like minded business start-ups out there who want to get in touch to share advice or just have someone in the same position to talk to then you can email me here.


That's it for goals. We don't want to go overboard do we?! As for my birthday this year, my husband wrote and hosted a quiz at our house for me and some friends. We had lots of drinks and pizza and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. 31 doesn't feel so bad so far...

What are your goals for 2014?

Life: Update December 2013

1. Misty morning.
Winter is now officially here and this is the view of my street on a misty morning a few weeks ago. I kind of like Winter when you can wrap up warm and head out into the cold or just stay indoors in your onesie with a massive cup of tea.

2. DIY bauble wreath.
I might do a separate post about this but I finally made my DIY bauble wreath! I really wanted to do it last year but didn't get round to it. All it takes is a wire hanger, some Primark baubles and about 30 minutes and you're done. I just need to trim the excess wire and hang it on our front door.

3. Christmas markets in Manchester.
Last week I had my second visits to the Christmas markets in Manchester. For a few years now it seems that the markets take up every available space in the city centre, with most of the stalls centering around food of some kind. I'm not complaining!

4. Our 'fireplace'.
This is our fireplace in our lounge, which is just a cast iron grate and a whole bunch of candles. They aren't all lit here but the effect still comes across. It's nice to have something in our fireplace and the candles do actually give out some heat when they're lit. The glow they give is really pretty and festive. I'm sure they will be lit many more times over the festive period. The grate is from Amazon and the candles are from IKEA.

What have you been up to lately?

Katie xx

Life: Taste of Christmas November 2013

On Saturday 23rd November I met my fave, Helen, for a day of fun and food at Taste of Christmas at London's Tobacco Dock. It's an annual event where some of London and the South East's restaurants, bars and food producers come together to sell their wares all in one place.

Tobacco Dock is easily accessible just a 5 minute walk from Shadwell station, which is on the DLR. Once you enter the venue are were two floors of stalls and rooms, which took us around two and a half hours to get around.

There are plenty of places to grab some hot food I particularly enjoyed the truffle mac and cheese at Opera Tavern and the roasted gnocchi at The Truscott Arms. We couldn't resist a Christmas cupcake and a glass of prosecco either!

There were also demonstrations from some of the UK's top chefs. We managed to catch Michel Roux Junior and Valentine Warner but we could have spent all day watching the yummy food.

I'd highly recommend catching this event next year if you're in the area or can travel to London. There are several options for ticket prices and you can also purchase 'Crowns', which is the currency you need to use for the restaurants in there, along with your ticket. These can also be purchased on the day and equate to £1 to 1 Crown but you must use them up before you leave. My advice would be to get them whilst you're there and buy them bit by bit so you know you will use them up.

Have you been to Taste of Christmas?

Katie xx

Life: Amsterdam Mini Break November 2013

We have just come back from a four day visit to the lovely Amsterdam. It was our first time visiting the city and we both loved it! We stayed at the NH Amsterdam Centre Hotel, which was perfectly located opposite the Leidseplein and close to the Vondelpark.

We did most of our exploring on foot, which we always tend to do on city breaks (sore feet!!) but Amsterdam and Holland as a whole is very much a bicycle city. We found out a great fact in that there are 550,000 bikes in Amsterdam and 10% of them are stolen annually. I can fully believe it too as there were loads that weren't chained up.

We arrived around lunchtime on our first day and had a wander. Our hotel and the Leidseplein are at the end of the main shopping area so we had a slow mooch round the shops before heading back to the hotel to check in and decide on somewhere for dinner.

After deciding to venture up the Spuistraat we popped into Lion Noir for a quiet drink en route, which was a really cool bar and restaurant. It reminded me a little of The Alchemist in Manchester, but a lot less pretentious. For dinner we ended up at Humphrey's Restaurant, which is a Holland-based chain but the set, three-course menu was delicious and really well priced.

On our second night we ate at the lovely restaurant in the Dikker & Thijs Fenice Hotel, which also had a set menu. The food here was incredible but the service was a little slow. We had visited the Anne Frank Haus that day, which was unexpectedly emotional so we needed some good sustenance!

On our third day we ate a tasty brunch at Greenwoods, which came highly recommended both in our guide book and on Trip Advisor. I had the eggs florentine and the boy had a full English. Both were excellent and the choice of tea was a nice surprise.

After brunch we bought a 24 hour hop-on, hop-off ticket for the tour boat, which was 20euro each. This was a lovely and relaxing way to see the city after all of the walking we had done on the previous days. We took both the red and orange routes, which covered all of the main sites, including the Albert Cuyp Market in De Pijp. We decided to walk back down to this area for dinner on our final night and ended up at the Chocolate Bar, where we were joined for dinner by the house cat! I ordered fondue, which was an obscene amount of food and the boy had a perfectly cooked burger. The bar sits in the middle of a group of other bars and restaurants at the edge of the Albert CuypStraat so you should be spoilt for choice.

Have you been to Amsterdam?

Katie xx

Life: Update November 2013

I have been pretty quiet on the blogging front recently. Apologies for that. I'm not the most dedicated blogger. I get sudden bursts of inspiration and time to write and schedule posts way ahead of time and then have long periods where I just can't face it for whatever reason.

I know this doesn't lead to a successful blog but I'm just happy to put my content out there and if anyone reads it. it's a bonus.

Here's what I've been up to lately...

Salted caramel hot chocolate in Starbucks // Halloween cobweb liner // Rainbow over Manchester

Mumma Schnitzel halloumi burger // New obsession //  Award win with work

Yummy Nandos salad // Cheese and chive scones (recipe from Nouvelle) // Chocolate peanut butter cupcakes

Katie xx

Life: Anniversary Weekend in Glasgow

A few weekends ago it was our second wedding anniversary so we had a trip up to sunny Glasgow to visit some friends and explore the city.

Here are some photos from my phone from the weekend...

Highlights included breakfast at the lovely Riverhill Cafe on Gordon Street by the station, a lovely Italian dinner at Amarone on Buchannan Street and one of the best curries I've ever had at The Dhabba in Merchant City. Can you tell we like our food!

We also visited the lovely West End area of Hill Head and spent an afternoon at the Kelvingrove museum and gallery.

Have you been to Glasgow? Where you you recommend we go next time?

Katie xx

Life: Summer TV Favourites

Let's start this post of by stating the obvious....My name is Katie and I'm a telly addict! I have always been a massive TV and film watcher. Even as a small child, back when there was no scaremongering about putting small children in front of screens, I used to get up super early and watch a good few hours of TV before my Mum woke up.

Then Saturday night always involved a trip to the video shop (retro!) and I would watch my film, usually something with Care Bears, My Little Pony or the Thriller music video, that evening and again the next morning.

Now that we have set the scene you will understand my current dilemma. Summer is an awful time for TV! Come September/October I usually have over 15 shows on the go at any one time. I will do a separate post on my favourite Autumn/Fall TV shows but for now I wanted to give some love to the shows that have been getting me through the TV wasteland that is the Summer.

Under The Dome


Image via BBC.co.uk

This Stephen King adaptation is coming to Channel 5 in the UK in the coming weeks. I have been watching this via CBS and I am already hooked after under 10 episodes.

The premise is that a mysterious and impervious dome falls from the sky, covering the once sleepy town of Chster's Mill. Most of the town and some visitors are stuck inside the dome and some of the towns' residents are stuck outside of it.

There are several dodgy and mysterious characters and gradually, episode by episode, we as the viewers start to get more details about the dome, its effects on the people under it and where it might have come from.

I can see this one continuing for a good few series/seasons and I will be right there with it!

Perception


Image via: TNT.com

Perception is now in its second season and it shown on TNT in the US. It stars Will & Grace favourite Eric McCormack and 90's teen movie leading lady, Rachael Leigh Cook along with a host of other stars from previous hit shows.

This show focusses on McCormack's character, Dr Daniel Pearce, who is a renowned neuroscience professor who helps former student Rachael Leigh Cook with her complicated FBI cases.

This ticks two of the boxes that I often look for in an easy to watch TV show; procedural, in that it follows the same format from week to week, and crime-based. I love me a crime-based TV show!

King & Maxwell



Image via: MoviePilot.de

King & Maxwell is another TNT drama, but this one is also in its first season. This show stars Rebecca Romjin and John Tenney as two former Secret Service agents who now work as private detectives in Washington DC.

The supporting cast in this show is great, with the quirky genius assistant and the cantankerous FBI agent, they take on cases the authorities wouldn't and often end up in some scrapes.

Again, this is easy watching and the sub-plot isn't too taxing I.e. as a viewer you don't have to remember loads of detail to keep up with what's going on.

Rizzoli & Isles


Image via: ferver-records.com

Last but by no means least is Rizzoli and Isles. Now in its fourth season and starring two recognisable faces, this is another crime-based procedural. The main attraction for this show for me is the friendship between the two main characters. They are both the best in their fields and have a friendship that most of us would 'kill for' (sorry!).

Again the supporting cast is great and the various sub-plots throughout the four seasons have been meaty enough to keep the viewer entertained.

What have you been watching this Summer?

Katie xx

Life: Carrot Cake Cupcakes

After completing the cupcake decorating course at Hey Little Cupcake!, which I talk about here, I wanted to keep the momentum going and try a new recipe with my new skills.

I waited for pay day and popped down to Home Sense, which is TK Maxx's new homeware chain, and picked up a new muffin tin and an icing bag and nozzle set and I was ready to go.

The recipe I used was this one from the BBC website and I found it really easy to follow, even after 10 years without baking a thing.

I didn't add the nuts or dried fruit to the cake mixture but I found that the cinnamon and mixed spice added a lovely twist.

Be aware though that, unless you've got a GIANT muffin tin, this recipe will make loads more than the 12 it states. I got 21 cakes out of this. The frosting though did only top 12 cakes so I have saved some cakes un-frosted for later in the week.

Here are some photos of my first attempt at cucpakes...

** The cook has to taste the goods! **



Have you baked anything recently?

Katie xx

Life: Cupcake Decorating Course (Hey Little Cupcake)

A few Sunday's ago I went along to Hey Little Cupcake in Manchester's Spinningfields to their cupcake decorating course. It's something I have wanted to do for a while having previously been an avid baker it was always the butter cream/icing part that let me down.

There were 6 of us in the class on the day I went, all women, and I wasn't the only one on my own, which was reassuring. The lovely Ashley was teaching the class and we had the cupcakery to ourselves.

Several techniques were demonstrated during the class; working with sugar paste (we made leaves, flowers, butterflies and hand-rolled roses), making butter cream and piping using 4 different nozzles for different effects.

Throughout the class you each decorated 6 cupcakes that you could then take home to dazzle your friends with your new-found skills. Here are some photos from the day...

I think my favourites are the cookie monster and the garden. Let's hope I don't spend too much money on cake decorating equipment and then eat everything I bake!

The course was £35 for 2 hours and you can book yourself in here.

Which is your favourite? Have you ever done a baking or cake decorating course?

Katie xx

Life: Guest Room Makeover & Inspiration

** Warning: Long, photo-heavy post alert!! :) **

When we moved into this house in December 2012 there wasn't much to do thankfully. However, we did re-paint everywhere. Everywhere that is apart from our guest bedroom.

There were still unpacked boxes and junk that we needed to sort through and give away to charity and, after decorating the rest of the house, we just wanted a break for a while.

Then the niggles started. Every time I would walk past this room the old lilac walls and unpainted wooden wardrobe left by the previous owner would leave me with a sinking feeling. It was time to do something about it! So one wet weekend we went down to the DIY shop to buy paint, primer and frog tape.

I knew I wanted a Hamptons/New England style for the decor and really wanted to give stripes a go. Here are some inspiration photos I found on Pinterest...

Now I had some inspiration I wanted to get started straight away so I Googled 'how to paint stripes' and went from there. With loads of tutorials and blog posts to choose from I took the best bits from each. I measured the height of the walls I wanted to paint the stripes on, divided the height equally by nine to get the number of stripes, rounded up the results to the nearest whole centimeter and added the leftovers to the bottom stripe. This means your bottom stripe will be wider than the rest but nobody will notice and, as we were putting furniture up against both striped walls, even I would be able to let this go!

Another great tip is to stick short pieces of tape inside each alternate stripe to make sure you're painting the right one (as shown in the photo below). I know this sounds obvious but when you've been at it for hours, frog tape blindness starts to kick in! Here's the journey..

We knew we wanted a day bed in the room. Partly so we had a double bed if we had guests to stay and so it could be folded away when the guests left and partly because they offer great storage. After much searching we bought the IKEA Hemnes Day Bed. We already have the Hemnes range in our master bedroom so we knew it was great quality and we're really pleased with it.

We also primed and painted the solid wooden wardrobe that the previous owner had left. The black, metal fixings work fantastically with the pewter drawer handles on the day bed and, again, this offers much needed storage.

You can just about see in one of the photos above that we have added a few simple white frames to the walls. We still have a few to put up but we're keeping the coastal theme going here too by hanging old holiday photos from my husbands' parents and shots we took on our honeymoon in Cape Cod.

The last thing to do is to style the floating shelves we have had put up. So far I have the little succulent plants below, which I love, but they're looking a little lonely.

I feel a shelf styling inspiration post coming soon...

What do you think of our makeover? Would you try the Hamptons/Cape Code style in your house?

Katie xx

Life: A gift from me to me

I like to have fresh flowers in our living room all the time. It can get expensive but it really cheers me up.

On Sunday, these took my fancy and worked out at only £9 from my local supermarket. White roses, scented stocks and freesia. Bargain for such prettiness...


Katie xx

Life: Sea Life Centre Manchester

On Saturday we had a little day trip over to The Trafford Centre where the new-ish Sea Life Centre is.

I'd definitely recommend booking online before you go. Not only is it £2 cheaper, the queue was massive when we arrived and it would have take us about 2 hours to wait if we hadn't booked.

Here are some photos from the day...


Have you visited Sea Life Manchester? What did you get up to this weekend?

Katie xx