BLOGMAS #19: The Ultimate Hot Chocolate Guide

Hey loves, I hope you're all well into the festivity's that Christmas brings, I'm having a whale of a time relaxing, sleeping, putting off my Critical Thinking essay, you know, the usual. And I love getting coffee with my friends and wrapping up all warm and stuff however, going to all these expensive coffee shops can hurt the old wallet so I recently found this on Pinterest and I feel like it is something that every hot chocolate lover on the earth needs to know especially at Christmas time. I'm going to make it my goal to attempt making every single hot chocolate on this picture and if you guys do to, let me know how yours tastes :)

God bless,

All my love,

BLOGMAS #18: TMI Tag!

Hey guys, I know that the Too Much Information tag has been around for a while now on Youtube and seeing as I don't have a Youtube channel that I regularly post on I decided to quite simply answer the questions right here on my blog! I copied the questions from Jenn's Youtube channel: clothesencounters here is her video.

I tag every beautiful person that reads this, make sure to comment a link to your post so I can check them out :)

♦ Q U E S T I O N S ♦

1: What are you wearing?
I am currently wearing a brown strappy top under a black sheer top tucked into a black skater skirt from H&M, tights and a red, orange and brown scarf from New Look.

2: Ever been in love?
Yes :)

3: Ever had a terrible breakup?
Not a terrible break-up but a very very very tearful and sad breakup.

4: How tall are you?
Not very. Around 5"3.

5: How much do you weigh?
I have a phobia of scales.

6: Any tattoos?
Never.

7: Any piercings?
My ears.

8: OTP (One True Pairing)
Zoe and Wade from Hart of Dixie 5ever.

9: Favorite show
Hart of Dixie.

10: Favorite band
For King and Country


11: Something you miss
My uni friends :( especially Viki and Maddie - love you guysss!

12: Favorite song
Right now, the whole of For King and Country's Christmas EP

13: How old are you?
I am 19 years old.

14: Zodiac sign
-

15: Quality you look for in a partner
One of them would be humour, the first quality would be God-fearing.

16: Favorite Quote
Hate is easy, love takes courage.

17: Favorite actor
Rachel Mcadams

18: Favorite color
Purple and Turquoise

19: Loud music or soft?
Both! 

20: Where do you go when you're sad?
To my bedroom, to talk it out with God and scream into my pillow.

21: How long does it take you to shower?
At home I always bathe because we don't have a showerhead that connects to the wall it just roams free but in halls I have one so it takes me around 5 or 10 minutes.

22: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
I need at least an hour.

23: Ever been in a physical fight?
With my brother yaas.

24: Turn on
A guy that treats everyone he meets with kindness and love.

25: Turn off
Arrogance and unkindness.

26: The reason I joined Blogger
I had always had a blog of some sort but did not start using it consistently until I made this blog.

27: Fears
Your usual, heights and bugs and I will never ever watch a horror movie.

28: Last thing that made you cry
A video about beagles that had been tested on in a lab their whole life going on grass for the first time in their lives.

29: Last time you said you loved someone
Just now to my mum on the phone.

30: Meaning behind your Blog Name
It's just an appreciation of the Lord beauty and His goodness.

31: Last book you read
Regeneration - Pat Barker

32: The book you're currently reading
Currently reading Arundati Roy's - God of Small Things, and I desperately need to finish it.

33: Last show you watched
Braxton Family Values (I know, I am ashamed, but I can't stop!)

34: Last person you talked to
My papa :)

35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted
Joanna Clare Owst - she is one of my best friends.

36: Favorite food
Spaghetti, anything with pesto and chicken.

37: Place you want to visit
Bora Bora, the Northern Lights, Italy and Peru.

38: Last place you were
Holiday-wise, Slovakia.

39: Do you have a crush?
Surprisingly not right now.

40: Last time you kissed someone
Probably this week saying goodbye to my mum!

41: Last time you were insulted
Probably by Leyla and Rachel but I love them so it's okay.

42: Favorite flavor of sweet
You know those gourmet jelly beans well my favourite flavour is the candy floss one.

43: What instruments do you play
The violin, piano and a little bit of guitar.

44: Favorite piece of jewelry
Is it bad that I don't have a favourite?

45: Last sport you played
I don't sport.

46: Last song you sang
Feliz Navidad at church this morning, yep, that happened.

47: Favorite chat up line
Here's a few Christian pick-up lines for ya'll:

• So last night I was reading in the book of Numbers, and I realized... I don't have yours!
• I believe one of my ribs belongs to you.

48: Have you ever used it?
Never, ever.

49: Last time you hung out with anyone
A very close family friend (she's basically family) called Krystal, we ate and shopped :)

50: Who should answer these questions next?
Karla Vargas from The Goldbrush you guys should check out her beautiful blog! Here and anyone that wants to do it! :)

God bless, 
All my love,

BLOGMAS #17: First time at Prezzo!

Hey guys, I recently went to Prezzo which is an italian restaurant in a nearby town with my two best friends. It was a very spontaneous decision that was made during a tea and milkshake break from Christmas shopping. Both Leyla and Rachel had already been to Prezzo in various other locations in the UK so I really wanted to try it out because, food.

If you know me, you will understand that my love for food grows stronger and stronger everyday so when I began eating the Roasted Pork Belly that came with a beautiful arrangement of pesto mash, green beans, mushrooms, butternut squash and marsala sauce you can only imagine my jolt of excitement. To drink, I ordered Peach Green Tea that came in a tiny Lipton ice glass bottle. It was definitely not worth £2.60 and for someone that drinks a lot of water while eating and just in general, it was gone seconds after my meal was placed down onto the table.

The pesto mash came seperately so it is not pictured in the photograph above however, it is in the photograph below if you wanted to see what it looked like. I have had a terrible love affair with pesto since the first time I had pesto chicken and pasta with my bible study group a few years ago. The mash was the perfect creamy consistency that you would expect mash to be and there was no over empowering taste of pesto, it was a perfect bowl of mash. Although, come to think of it, that was the first time I've had pesto mash so I don't have much to go on.

The pork was delicious, it was well cooked and came with more meat than fat and pork crackling so the toughness was easy to cut into. This was the first time that I've eaten Marsala sauce and I thought it was delicious however it did make everything a little too soggy which is not my style. However eating it with the mash balanced it out beautifully. Another downside to this meal was the price being £13.95 which is alright for a meal out, but extortionate for someone that doesn't eat out often, it was hard for me to justify spending nearly £15 on food but I feel like it was worth it because the meal was delicious.

We originally didn't plan to get dessert however, they had an awesome deal of getting a Mini Dessert and a Choice of Hot Drink all under £5.00. So after much deliberation, changing of minds, deciding and then changing of minds once again we finally came to a decision. 

I went for a Chocolate profiterole with chocolate sauce and roasted hazelnut topping with a tea and this cost me £3.50. Which was totally not worth it, the profiterole tasted like it had just come out of the freezer, still cold, the sauce tasted weird and the hazelnuts made it taste almost like a failed attempt at making a ferrero rocher. To add to this, I didn't and couldn't finish the profiterole. All that aside, the tea was lovely.  HOWEVER, Rachel ordered this Banana and Nutella calzone that was hot and delicious and had me fuming with dessert envy so I suggest ordering the calzone rather than the profiterole if you ever dine here.

Food aside, the restaurant itself was beautiful, very modern and sophisticated. They had a wonderful wine rack that created this lovely pattern with the bottletops which I thought was very creative. The staff were very friendly and helpful. They were consistent in bringing and taking away our food and also asked us for the bill all in good timing. I thoroughly enjoyed my first time at Prezzo although my purse did wince a bit when I found out how much it all cost.

Find your nearest Prezzo here!

Thankyou guys for reading this post,

Stay tuned for more blogposts, I'm determined to finish blogmas on time :)

God bless,

All my love,

BLOGMAS #16: How to make Gingerbread Men

Hey guys, 

Anyone who knows me knows 2 things: that I don't cook and that I'm not all that good at baking. However I recently made gingerbread men out of spontaneity while hanging out with one of my best friends Jo. The pictures that you see before you are my second, solo baking attempt and although these photos make it hard to describe to you guys what they taste like, I will tell you this - they are completely worth making. Especially if you are in love with gingerbread men and have frequent thoughts about eloping with them. Just kidding, that's weird. I managed to do two baking trays of these and on the third tray that I made... I burnt them. So obviously, I was like well THAT'S not going on my blog and I did try, I really did. So I hope you guys enjoy me walking you guys through the recipe. I had a bit of an icing fail at the end simply because of a lack of icing to pipe, it just wasn't happening. 

First of all I'll tell you guys the ingredients, you will need:

350g/12oz of plain flour

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda

2 - 3 teaspoons of ground ginger

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

125g/4 1/2oz of butter

175g/6oz of light soft brown sugar

1 egg

4 tablespoons of golden syrup

For decorations:

Icing sugar and 15ml of warm water

or 

Already made icing in a pipe

and decorations: sprinkles, sweets, coloured icing.

To begin with, make sure you wash your hands :) 

1 - First of all you are going to sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Then you are going to add the bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger and ground cinnamon into the bowl. After add the butter and then mix all of the ingredients so far turning the mixture into breadcrumbs with your fingertips. Once you have done this add the brown sugar and then continue to create a breadcrumb texture. 

2 - Now you want to get a cup, crack the egg into it and put 4 tablespoons of syrup into the cup. This is quite a daunting part due to the stickyness so you can use a teaspoon to scrape out the syrup when it gets stuck. Then you'll need to whisk with a spoon the egg and the syrup and then pour the mixture into your main mixing bowl. As you mix, it will start to form a dough-like texture. 

3 - Once you have formed the dough you will need to wrap it up in clingfilm and leave it in your refridgerator for 15 minutes. During this time preheat the oven 180c/350f/Gas 4 also you could set up a chopping board with flour on it ready to roll out your dough. 

4 - When it is ready you can roll out the dough onto the chopping board make sure it has a 0.5cm thickness and cut out your shapes! I mostly did Gingerbread men but there are loads of cutters that you can buy at the shops. Either butter or place baking paper into a baking tray and place your shapes onto it, leave space in between because goodness knows they need it. (Joint gingerbeings are not a good look). 

5 - Bake for 12-15 minutes until they appear a beautiful golden brown, leave them on the tray for 10 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack. When they've cooled down after giving them space you can go forth and decorate them!

Find out how mine turned out at the bottom of this post :)

Enjoy eating them guys!

God bless,

All my love,

BLOGMAS #15: Favourite Christmas FOOD

Hey guys,

Today's blogmas, despite being 3 days behind (I will catch up!) is about FOOD - one of my favourite topics of conversation. Food brings people together, there's no doubt about it so when you share beautiful food with beautiful company it can do wonders for your soul. So seeing as, around this time of year food is everywhere, I wanted to share my favourite things to eat around this time of year:

1. Pigs in Blanket, these are my absolute favourite food and the first thing I think about come Christmas, they are mini sausages wrapped in bacon, just basically double doses of meat. They are served hot and with the main Christmas meal, sometimes people place them on the same dish the turkey arrives in and normally I'll start off with around 2 or 3 on my plate.

2. Terry's Chocolate Orange, even though nowadays they sell these all year round, I am a firm believer in the fact that they were meant to be eaten around Christmas. One of these contains around 1,000 calories.... which is a LOT. My favourite flavour is the exploding candy in milk chocolate just becuase popping candy in your mouth makes everything more fun.

3. Stuffing, is essential to a Christmas meal, sage and onion stuffing is amazing, served hot it is gravy's partner in crime.

4. Gingerbread men, I eat these all year round and since coming back from university have made 2 batches of. I have taken photographs of me making them so I will definitely make a blog post of that. It's a chance to be creative with icing and overload on this beautiful ginger biscuit.

5. In our house at Christmas, we've had a turkey each year, and each year there's a struggle to get the dang thing into the oven and then onto the dish. We don't actually stuff our turkey contrary to most Christmas films, we've never stuffed it. My fear is dry turkey, I absolutely hate it, it's kind of like how I would be with a fire "POUR GRAVY ON THIS" scenario going on. We mostly just season this and cook it for a really long time.

6. Ferrero Rocher are mine and my mama's favourite in the whole entire world. It is a roasted hazelnut chococlate with a wafer-thing coat and even more chocolate inside. It is so beautiful that it needs a blogpost dedicated to only Ferrero Rocher. (I'll work on it). Also, hooray for new flavours!

7. Lindt Strawberries & Cream Truffles are to die for! They are spherical white chocolates with strawberry flavoured consistency inside. The beautiful pink speckles make it look even more gorgeous than it tastes, except it tastes exceptional. 

8. This box is always in arms reach in our house, they are a selection of crackers that we have always had since, goodness knows how long. My favourite are the peppered crackers and I normally put some sort of cheese on top of it. It is a great snack to have after having Christmas dinner watch a Christmas movie as well. Pickles and gherkins are a wonderful addition as well!

9. You can't go wrong with Yorkshire Puddings, they are imperative to any Sunday roast and even more so on Christmas day. I love eating them with gravy, it is a wonderful baked batter that goes gloriously with everything on your plate at Christmas time. 

10. Last but not at all least, is Cranberry sauce. Cranberry sauce is essential to eat with turkey and your roast potatoes. I believe cranberries are typically sour to eat but I may be wrong, this sauce definitely isn't sour but a wonderful sweet addition to your savoury platter.

I hope you enjoyed this food-related post guys, it was only fitting to do a food post seeing as we are all lovers of food here, I hope! Anyway, thankyou for checking this post out and if you read this far, bless your heart and I appreciate it A LOT.

God bless,

All my love,

BLOGMAS #14: Weird, wonderful but mostly wacky presents.

Hey guys, 

While I was in the midst of searching for Stocking Stuffers which is in my last post I came across some very interesting gifts that made me do a double-take when scrolling past them. My first thought was, do people actually buy these things? My second thought was, do people actually create these things? 

It was sort of mind-blowing, once I found one weird and wacky present I just kept on finding more...

My favourites are the tongue tattoos, because you know, they're essential to life and  the snake in a tin  is a good one just because it looks so far away from what a snake looks like, it's laughable. 

I would love to know about all the weird presents you guys have been given or have given to other people for some absurd reason. 

1. Love Gloves - £20 - The Present Finder // 2. Tongue Tattoos - £2.35 - Amazon // 3. Tabasco Jelly Beans - £4.99 - Present Finder // 4. Chicken - Amazon // 5. Sandal Socks -  £6 - Amazon // 6. Man Bowl - £15 - Menkind // 7. Painless Piercings - £2.99 - The Present Finder

All links here.

1. Diet Gag Gift - £11 - Amazon // 2. Weird Animal Thing - £2.99 - Amazon // 3. Snake in a Tin - £1.74 - Amazon // 4. Doggie Doo Key Ring - £3.19 - Amazon // 5. Thanksgiving Plush Turkey Hat - £6.40 - Amazon // 6. Sleeve Tattoo - £3 - Amazon // 7. Santa Poo - £3.29 - Amazon // 8. Poo in a Gift Box - £5.99 - Amazon // 9. Novelty Gingerbread Dollar - £1.99 - Amazon // 10. Santa Duck - £1.99 - Amazon. 

Hope you guys enjoyed this post! 

God bless, 

All my love,

BLOGMAS #13: Stocking Stuffers for Him for under £5!

Hey guys, 

Today's post is all about Stocking stuffers, I love filling stockings up for my family but sometimes it can get quite hard looking for presents to fill it with. Boys like gadgets and gifts that they normally wouldn't buy themselves which is why I've placed a fair amount of both in this blog post. Some of these gifts are wonderfully weird and at times useful so have fun looking at them all, I have linked my polyvore set that contains the links for all of these items. I hope you find them useful! 

1. Mini Space Blasters - £4.99 - Menkind // 2. Helicopter with Ripcord Power - £4.99 - Amazon // 3. Mancave Cedarwood Shower Gel - £3.99 - Boots // 4. Ted Baker Bodyspray - £3.00 - Boots // 5. Hat - £3.50 - Burton // 6. Novelty Plastic Toothbrush - £2.75 - Amazon // 7. Gloves - £4.20 - Burton // 8. Ted Baker Men's Sport's Wash Bag - £4.50 - Boots // 9. Popcorn Holder - £2.50 - Hawkin's Bazaar // 10. Fcuk Hair and Bodywash - £3.00 - Boots // 11. V05 Matt Clay - £4.19 - Boots // 12. Robot Hand - £4.00 - Hawkin's Bazaar // 13. Grow Your Own Extreme Chili - £4.00 - Hawkin's Bazaar // 14. Potato Zapper - £4.99 - Menkind // 15. Rubix Cube - £2.49 - Amazon // 16. Casette Notepad - £3.00 - Hawkin's Bazaar

All links are here.

God bless,

All my love,

BLOGMAS #12: Would you rather... Christmas Edition!

Hey guys, I was stuck on what to write a post about and I remembered that I found a post on Charlotte Jimenez's blog about Would you rather.. questions and I love these kind of question-answering posts, it's always fun finding out more about what the blogger is like so I decided to give them a shot :) Feel free to answer them too! 

Would you rather..

Have to sing Jingle Bells loudly every time you walk into a room or wear a Santa Suit to work/school every day for a week?- I would definitely wear a Santa Suit to work/school every day for a week, especially as it's Christmas soon, I have an excuse but having to sing Jingle Bells loudly when I walk into a room, would get pretty tiring and annoying for everyone.

Not Celebrate Christmas this year or not celebrate Your Birthday this year?
-  I would definitely celebrate Christmas, it's Jesus' (around about) birthday and a wonderful family and friend-filled holiday!

Have Frosty the Snowman for a friend or Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer?
- I feel like Rudolph would come in handy if I ever got lost in the woods... at night.

Have Mistletoe hanging in your bedroom doorway, or have a large decorated Christmas Tree in your bedroom doorway?
- Mistletoe would be a wonderful decorative addition to my bedroom doorway also with the tree, how would I get into my bedroom?

Write a Five Paragraph Essay about the meaning of Christmas or solve a page of Christmas themed maths problems?
- I would definitely write a five paragraph essay about the true meaning of Christmas I feel like it's something that a lot of us tend to forget around this time of year. The gifts, the parties, the spending of all the money in our bank accounts are all beautiful distractions but that's just what they are, distractions. I hope I never forget the fact that around this time of year the Saviour of the world was born to save us from sin. I'm talking about Jesus, the man who changed and continually changes the lives of His people and grants us freedom and forgiveness that we are totally undeserving of but He freely gives us anyway. This Christmas time all those years ago would be a life-changing event, when God's plan for our lives would be in full swing. I urge you guys to remind yourselves why we sing the carols that surround Jesus, the holiday is for Him and his relentless love for us. Let's show our love for Him by allowing Him to change us into what He has planned for us to be. always acting in love, loving His people and more importantly Him.

Have a job wrapping presents at the mall or have a job taking photographs of children sitting on Santa's lap at the mall?
- I ABSOLUTELY LOVE WRAPPING PRESENTS. It's my passion, I love getting all creative with the ribbons and the stickers and magnificently vibrant wrapping paper. 

See The Nut Cracker or Dance in the Nut Cracker?
- I would see the Nut Cracker for sure, but if I was actually physically able to dance in the Nut Cracker that would be even more awesome!

Be given £100 for Christmas to spend on yourself or be given £1000 before Christmas to buy presents for other people?
- I love gift-giving so to be able to have £1000 pounds to buy presents for other people is a dream.

Have a nose that glows red like Rudolf's or have pointy ears like an elf?
- I feel like my ridiculously long mane of hair would be able to cover my pointy ear elves a little better although you could put concealer on Rudolph's nose however if I'm running really late... I haven't got enough time for that.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post
God bless,
All my love,

BLOGMAS #11: Stocking Stuffers for Her - UNDER £5

Hey guys,

Today's post is all about stocking stuffers and today I bring you glorious gifts for her all under £5.00. It ranges from make-up to bodycare to stationary and accessories. I found it very enjoyable searching for inexpensive gifts and I will definitely be purchasing some of these items for gifts for my friends and family so enjoy and I hope you are all having an awesome Christmas holiday!

1. Frosted Cranberry Body Polish 75ml - The Body Shop - £5.00 // 2.Wavy Striped Polkadotted Notepad - Paperchase - £4.00 // 3. Rimmel - Stay Matte Powder - £3.98 - Asda // 4. Maybelline - Colour Sensational Lip Liner in Pleasure Me Red - £3.99 - Superdrug // 

5. Glazed Apple Shower Gel  - 75ml - The Body Shop - £4.00 // 6. The Queen's Tea Pendant - Accesorize - £5.00 // 7. Wilderness Small Notebook - Paperchase - £2.50 // 8. Peel Off Mask - Asda - £1.00 // 9. Honeymania Hand Cream - The Body Shop - £3.50 

10. Wild Argan Shower Gel - £4 - The Body Shop // 11. Blue Floral Print iPhone 5 Case - £4.99 - New Look // 12. Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Permanent Taupe - £4.99 - Superdrug // 13. Maybelline Colour Show Nail Polish in 420 Sky Blue £3.99 - Superdrug // 14. Colossal Mascara - Maybelline - Asda - £5.00

15. Purple Glitter Eyeshadow Quad - Kelly Brook at New Look - £2.99 // 16. A6 Notebook - Paperchase - £3.50 // 17. Babylips - Maybelline - Superdrug - £2.99

I hope you guys enjoyed this post, 

God bless,

All my love,

BLOGMAS #10: Mini Haul!

Hey guys,

Today I have a mini haul post of random things that I needed at random points of the last few months. Some of these are the reason why I am lacking in funds however, I wanted to share it with you guys as I don't usually do haul posts but I will definitely get into making more of them. So here's a chance to get involved in my shopping obsession. I hope you enjoy this quick post!

1. Real Techniques - Stippling Brush - £11.99 bought with the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush which was half price when I bought the stippling brush therefore summed up to around £17 for 2 // 2. Accessorize - Burgundy Bow - £4.50 // 3. Accessorize - Floral Lanyard - £3.00

For as long as I can remember I had always wanted to try the Real Techniques brushes but I could never accumalate enough courage to splurge on them. So, when I saw there was a deal on them I decided to take the risk and I absolutely adore them! The stippling brush especially, it blends my foundation into my face beautifully. The bow was bought to wear to one of my friends birthday parties along with my burgundy dress, I enjoy going all Ariana Grande-esque with the half-up half-down hair-do and I think adding a Bow finishes the whole look off. The lanyard chain holds my post-box key and key fob into my halls I loved the pattern and it's a perfect way to glamourise something that I use every single day.

As if I didn't have enough reading to do I went to a Charity Shop and bought even more books. I have now brought them home with me and will thoroughly enjoy being wrapped up in my covers with a book in my hand.

This folder was bought to contain my work, so far I haven't used it. Bad purchase? It was around £1.99 from ASDA and I vow to use it for something useful.

My new favourite blouse is a wonderful autumnal splat on a chiffon blouse. The cut is v-neck and the sleeves are puffy and I thoroughly enjoy tucking it into a skirt, wearing tights and boots as a wonderful winter outfit. It was £8.00 from Primark.

We had a student lock-in in town and I didn't think I would buy anything, however when I saw that Cath Kidston had a sale I jumped at the chance to buy a passport holder and card holder, they were £3.99 and £2,99 and I use them a lot. The red polkadot pouch holds my student rail-card and train tickets.

1. Spiced Apple Handwash - TK MAXX - £3.99 // 2. Notebook - TK MAXX - £4.99 // Glade Cosy Apple & Cinnamon Air Freshener - £3.00

Everyone that knows me knows that I have a slight obsession over scarves, my collection is ever-growing and I love them so much so here are a few that I have recently purchased and wear at least one a day.

1. Yellow Cable-Knit Snood - H&M - £6.99 // 2. Red Floral Scarf - £4.99 // 3. Red and Blue Aztec Print Scarf - Primark - £3.99 // 4. Grey Floral Scarf - Primark £3.99 // 5. Floral Red and Brown Snood - H&M - £5.99

I hope you guys enjoyed this post,

God bless,

All my love,