Happy 2016!

It's a New Year, a new start, the best excuse to make positive changes in your life. 2015 has been a good year for me... Obviously not without its challenges, I think that is life for you! But in general, I am in a really good place, I'm feeling settled, content & happy being me. It's taken a while for me to feel comfortable in my own skin... But I think I've finally made it- I no longer care what people think of me. I'm me! 

I have had possibly the best Christmas yet, they seem to get better every year. I just love the festive season. Every year, it is spent at home with my loved ones, there's no other way to spend it on my eyes. 

2015 has been a great year, I wanted to share some of my highlights: 

We got to see S Club 7!

My Husband turned 30, where we threw a surprise party for him in Wales & did the longest Zipwire in Europe.

A Madhatter's Tea Party for my Sister's birthday.

 

An unforgettable trip to Venice with my Husband for our first wedding anniversary. 

My Husband completed his second Tough Mudder challenge.

A wonderful holiday to Cape Verde, where we did some Quad Biking & visited the African Shanty towns.

The Clan Hawaiian party.

A weekend away in Chester with my Husband.

Halloween party.

Blackpool illuminations with my Husband & Stepson.

Some Christmas highlights.

2015 has also brought me a new job, with some fantastic people! 

2015 has also been the year where I have sponsored a child in Cape Verde who we support on a monthly basis. My best friend is also expecting her first child, due in a few days! 

Bring on 2016! Happy New Year xxxx

Operation Christmas Child

It's been a horrible weekend news wise with what seems like World War 3 about to begin along with natural disasters in other corners of the world. It can leave us feeling helpless & thinking whatever next! 

Operation Christmas child is something that we can do to give back to areas of the world that are disadvantaged or in turmoil on a daily basis. A simple gift can bring so much joy to children in these areas of the world. Have you seen the videos on Facebook showing how happy these boxes make the children?! It's amazing. 

My Stepson Riley's school is taking part so Riley bought one home for us to make. You can either decorate a standard shoe box or buy a "go box" which is pre-decorated as below: 

All you have to do then is fill with items. Guidance asks you to include something the child will take to straight away like a cuddly toy, other items can be games or things the child will need such as stationary or hygiene items such as a toothbrush. You can find step by step instructions here: https://www.samaritans-purse.org.uk/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/how-to-pack-a-shoebox/

Here's what we included in ours:

It really doesn't take much to put a smile on a child's face. You can then stick on a label which states whether it's for a boy or a girl and the relevant age category. 

The closing date for these boxes is Friday 20th so you still have just under a week for this! There are also a number of drop

Off points which you can find on the website by entering your postcode. 

Go for it :)

Saffron xox

Blackpool Illuminations

This weekend my little family & I headed to Blackpool to see the Illuminations. I absolutely LOVE this time of year! To anyone who doesn't know, the Illuminations are basically lots of lights along the promenade & you can look at them.. Go on the beach.. Go in the penny arcades... Eat chippy chips & lots of sweet things like candy floss!

One of my favourite things to do is be at the seaside in the fresh air & with no worries! This is us loving life!

This is my favourite arcade game!

Blackpool is literally the windiest place in the world but it immediately makes you feel happy! Family time is the best time. 

Saff xoxo

Vegan Toolkit class

On Sunday, my Sister & I had the pleasure of going to The Vegetarian Society in Altrincham for a "Vegan Toolkit" class. 

As you may be aware, we have been Vegetarians all our lives & are recently looking into becoming Vegan after reading & educating ourselves what happens in the Dairy industries too.. It just doesn't sit right with us so are learning a Vegan diet. 

This class is designed to teach you basics of what plant based products can replace Dairy products in every day ingredients such as Mayonnaise or a base of a cake mix. The class was so valuable & taught you every day skills unlike some courses which teach you really tricky recipes that just aren't maintainable day to day! 

Here's some of what we made:

Very briefly, the spread includes things like Lentil cakes, Broad Bean Strogannof, Pesto Pasta, Spicy Brocolli tart, Tofu Meatball Lasagne & Mushroom pate. It was delicious! We also made pudding of Gooseberry mousse, Almond Creme & fresh fruits & also Lemon Cheesecake. 

We also learnt that not all wines are Vegetarian as they have ingredients such as Fish swim bladders used in the fermenting process. The things people use in our foods are gross!

I'm not someone who usually enjoys cooking, but I felt so relaxed and chilled after, I felt like I had spent the day at the spa! So I am keen to continue to experiment with different dishes as I went away feeling inspired & with some good tricks under my belt to help me make the Vegan transition.

 Saffron xoxo

It was about time..

For some quality time with my Momma & Papa bear today! Since I have moved into my own house, it can sometimes feel like I don't get to spend enough quality time with them. So whenever I get the chance to, I like to plan a day where it doesn't really matter what we do, as long as it's together! 

Today was one of those precious days, Paul & Riley had plans with the football so I took the opportunity! My Momma & I started the day with some shopping, we then headed back home to collect my Papa Bear to head back to the British Ceramics Biennial where my sister is working. They had breads from around the world to try, & different forms of art from around the world too from different styles of music & dance, to the clay activities. It was a great atmosphere.

We then headed back to collect my Mini Schnauzer, Daisy & on the way went through the Starbucks Drive Thru for Coffee & Nutella Cookies-- divine! 

Once we had Daisy, we headed to our favourite Lake for a late afternoon walk.. & the sunshine came out for us. Beautiful! 

Our day finished with watching the sun go down over the lake & watching a family of Golden Retrievers play in the water. 

I am now cosied up on the sofa with my hubby for a night in front of the tele, I just love this time of year! I also went for the Bohemian look today... I was feeling it

Saffron xo

British Ceramics Biennial

I'm This weekend we visited the BCB where my sister is currently working an Internship; she has assisted in setting up the festival & is working there 6 days a week for 6 weeks while thago festival is live. 

We finally managed to visit & took part in one of the classes available, you can do making a flower, throwing, making a tile & clay mapping; the later is the one we took part in.

We walked around the BCB collecting plants to then use to imprint the clay & make a tile. Good idea & the boys got to learn about the plants they were using too.

It was brilliant to see the festival so busy & see my sister being a part of such a great thing. The art there was really cool & it was inspiring to see the passion they all had for their art. Some photos below from our visit: 

It was all held in the run down Spode factory which had its own poignance to it. 

Saffron xo