What I've been reading

Now we all have a lot more time on our hands, I have been able to do things that I would normally not have time to do.  One thing I have LOVED doing over the past 4 weeks is reading. I have always enjoyed reading, however I only really got the chance to properly immerse myself into a good book was when on holiday which was about 2 weeks a year! I was very lucky to be given a Kindle from my parents for Christmas and thank god I did as it has come in very handy during this time.  During these crazy times, I have reading to be a good escape from the world as I dive into another and it has helped me relax as I turn away from my phone for a few minutes or hours a day. 

So, this week I thought I would share with you some of the books I have been reading in the hope that it gives you some inspiration or ideas for your next read. 

Book 1 - The Wives by Lauren Weisberger

I had been wanting to read this book for AGES as it is the sequel to 'A Devil Wears Prada' which although I have not read the book, it is one of my all time favourite movies.  I can not express how much I loved this book.  It was a funny and uplifting which is great for the current times to lift your mood.  It shows how strong friendship and women who work together can achieve anything!  I also like how it follows three different women all going through something, proving it doesn't matter how much money or power you have, we all face similar fears and troubles in life. It had chapters taking the point of view from each character which sometimes can be confusing, but Lauren made it seamless and it was a nice easy read which I couldn't put down!  Would defiantly recommend if you are looking for a funny and encouraging read. 

Book 2 - Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger 

I loved Lauren's style of writing so much, I had to explore her other books and I came across this one.  Again, a nice lighthearted and funny read great to boost your mood in current times.  We follow Bette as she leaves her horrible job, faces the question of 'what are you going to do with your life' and soon steps into a completely different world of parties and VIPs.  It did remind me of the Devil Wears Prada which is probably why I loved it.  It shows the life of celebrities isn't all that and how important the friends and family you had before the glitz and glam really is. Although I didn't find I was as hooked on this one as The Wives, I would still recommend it as a good easy read if you are looking for a funny chick flick with a hint of romance!

Book 3 - Found by Eric Kinsley 

This was a completely different book to the first two I have read as it follows the story of a family whose little boy was taken. As much as love a upbeat comedy book, I am a sucker for a gripping thriller and that is exactly what this was.  Another book I could not put down as the first chapter drew me in.  This was not quite what I had expected when I first read the title as it follows the different relationships between the family and focuses on the healing process just as much as the detective who took him process. The characters and their movements where so well written in a sensitive way and the relationship between grandad and grandson in particular was beautiful to read.  As much as this was a great thriller, this book is great in showing how families who stay together and support each other during difficult times are stronger. 

Book 4 - Grown Ups by Marian Keyes

I have only really just started this book, however I thought I would tell you what I think so far.  After a bit more of a heavier read with 'Found' I wanted a change of scenery with another lighthearted read and this was describes as Sunday Times best seller so I thought I would check it out.  A story that follows the holiday antics of a large family, we get to see the troubles and thoughts of a big family all with different ages, characteristics and opinions. Each chapter follows a different character which can work well, however with it being such as large family I have found this confusing at times as I forget who is married to who or who is related to who. But, I think as I read more, I will remember haha! So far, it is an upbeat and humorous read which I have found easy to pick up and put down as I feel. I will let you know when I have finished it and my thought - so keep an eye out on my insta! 

I hope you found this helpful when looking at what books you might enjoy. I would love to know what you have been reading and which books you would recommend, so leave a comment below!

Stay safe!

Easter Treat!

HAPPY EASTER!! 

I hope you are all safe and well in this crazy time.

During this lockdown period, I have really found baking to be a great distraction and has helped reduce my anxiety.  So, I thought I would share with you how to make so delicious cookies using my all time favourite chocolate - mini eggs!! I used Tanya Burr cookie recipe as I just love how soft and gooey they are and they are so quick and easy to make. 

You will need:

200g butter

300g caster sugar

1 large egg

275g self raising flour

75g coco powder

2 bags of mini eggs 

Step 1: Pre heat your oven to 200 degrees 

Step 2: Prepare you baking trays by lining them with grease prof paper

Step 3: Add the caster sugar and butter into a mixing bowl. Tip: add the sugar first so it won't stick to the butter. 

Step 4: Stir until light and soft. Tip: You can use a mixer, however I used a classic wooden spoon and it worked just as good.

Step 5: Add the egg and mix together

Step 6: Add in the flour and coco powder. Tip: if you are hand mixing it, don't put it all into the bowl at once, try adding a little at a time. 

Step 7: Add the mini eggs into the mixture and mix using your hand or a spoons.

Step 8: Section the dough into balls and place them onto your baking trays. You can make them as big or small as you like. If you want to add any more eggs in you can! 

Step 9: Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Tip: They will not look cooked when you take them out the oven. I did get worried when placing a knife in the centre and the mixture being on it when pulling it out, however it does harden when cooling. 

Step 10: Leave to cool for 15 minutes. 

Enjoy either on their own or with a scoop of ice-cream! 

Why exercise?

As a child I was always very active, with PE and playtime at school, dancing after school and a trampoline in the garden, I was always on the go!  However, during my teens I became unwell with Glandular Fever and pretty much stopped exercising all together as I was so tired and extremely stressed with GCSES.  However, as I have gotten older and better, I saw more and more of my friends joining the gym and getting active. 

Whilst at university, I joined the cheerleading team and this was the first step in getting back into exercise.  I couldn't believe the differences it made to my life.  This sounds a bit dramatic, but honestly I felt so good! Although tough at times, the feeling after cheerleading training was unreal! I felt fitter, healthier, more confident and generally happier.  

Another change I felt within myself when doing cheerleading at university was that it was a way to forget about the stress of deadlines, assignments and exams.  Now I have finished university and have swapped assignments for actual work deadlines and changed cheerleading to the gym, I still find that after exercising I feel great and I feel as though all the stress and anxiety goes away.  Getting out and exercising is a good way to keep busy and meet people and is like a hobby!  

I personally have decided to go to the gym more to reduce stress, to become fitter/ healthier, get a peachy bum and as I am doing a physical challenge in October (more of this in a future blog post). But there are lots of motives as to why people want to get more exercise such as weight loss.

According to the NHS, research has shown that regular exercise can improve self-esteem, reduce stress and reduce the risk of developing long-term (chronic) health conditions. 

When I say exercise, I don't mean you have to religiously go to the gym everyday for 4 hours.  I mean, you can go all out if you want too haha! But even little changes like parking further away from the shop can make all the difference.  I said in my new years resolutions that I wanted to exercise more, and I would say I have done this so far.  I don't necessarily go to the gym everyday day, one week I didn't go at all.  But, I am defiantly going a lot more regularly than I used to, especially if I feel myself getting stressed at work and the feeling I get afterwards is amazing!

There are so many different ways you can exercise too, you can go to the gym, go to classes, walk the dog, go running, swimming, cycling, join a club like boxing or dancing the list is endless! 

So, if you are looking for something new to do this month that will improve your health both physically and mentally as well as give you the opportunity to meet new people, I would recommend getting more exercise! 

No more January blues!

Congratulations everyone, we made it through January!!! 

I am never normally try and wish time away as I know I may regret it one day, but this year has to be one of the first times I can remember where I hated January and wanted it to be over.  Okay, 'hated' is probably a very strong word and thinking back January wasn’t THAT bad....I just didn't enjoy it as much as I have other years.

Normally January isn’t so bad a month as you get to back into a routine at school or university after the crazy Christmas/ New Year period and you get to see all of your friends again! I have always like January as it meant a fresh start with a new year, new me kinda vibe, but this year was different. 

This year I wasn’t going back into a routine where I got to see my friends everyday again.  Instead, I was continuing with the same boring routine where I would go to work, come home sleep and do it all again with no real social life to look forward to.  Now I am older and don’t have the beauty of student loan, it was a month of having no money after spending on Christmas and birthdays while I waited for pay day on the 5th Feb (for those of you wondering, yes it did feel as long as it sounds!).  

With the stress of work, the idea of new year fresh start didn’t seem to last as long as I found myself with no free time to do the thing I had said I wanted to do in the new year.  So, I was ready for January to end and February to begin with new work opportunities and the idea of a fresh start really in sight! 

For some reason, this year I felt the negativity of January within other people too.  It was as if I had never been aware of the fact that people hate January and the reasoning behind it until now.  Maybe it’s an age thing? 

Now February is here I feel so happy!  It feels really odd to think one month can make such a difference in someones' mood, yet it really does! I feel a spring in my step and I’m ready to make change and start doing what I set out to do at the start of the year!  Seeing things like daffodils in sight is definitely brightening my mood and getting me excited for spring and warmer days...

Not long now!! 

Back to the basics

I began blogging whilst at university and fell in love the whole idea of sharing tips, tricks and my favourite things. I enjoyed it so much I set up my own blog upon finishing university!

When at university I used to upload weekly and I had myself in a nice little routine with it. So, I decided to stick to a similar thing with my personal blog. Although good at times, I found I was then just writing for the sake of it as opposed because it was genuinely something I wanted to talk about. So, I changed it up and began to upload as and when I wanted and about something I really wanted to share and not just because it was a Sunday and I had to write a weekly post.

It has been 4 months exactly since my last blog post and life has been crazy to say the least. I have laughed and cried, I have wanted to re-live moments and wished some moments had never happened. The past few weeks in particular I didn’t want to blog because I was down and if I’m honest I wasn’t sure I wanted to share how I was feeling. But, looking back on the past few weeks, I could have really done with typing it all up, letting it all out and maybe attempting at giving myself advice.

It has been during this time, I realised what I liked about blogging so much. It was my place to document my life, let out how I was feeling and almost give myself advice as if I was talking to someone else. I feel like sharing when you are sad is just as important as when you are happy. Nobody’s life is perfect all the time and if you keep it bottled in, it will only get worse. If anything, it is nice to see you are not alone in how you feel sometimes.

I have really missed blogging and writing this post to you now, I can defiantly tell I am rusty! I am going to try and get back into it any minute I can in the hope that it will cheer me back up, and hopefully help some of you too! I have realised that it’s okay to not be okay and it’s better to let it out then bottle it up. So, I can’t promise I won’t share the odd ‘feeling low’ post, but I hope in me sharing the downs as well as the ups, people can see that life is never perfect and we all have our good days and bad days.

So here it goes….

Ready....Set....BAKE!!

This past week was international baking week (15^th October – 21^st October) so I felt the need to do some baking! I have also loved watching The Great British Bake Off (if you haven’t seen it before I would defiantly recommend it as a great feel good tv series) and felt inspired to make my own creations. With Halloween coming up soon too, I thought I would give them a spooky twist.

BAKE No.1

For my first bake, I decided to make cupcakes as they are quick, easy and I haven’t baked in a long time so thought I would start myself off easy! They are also cheap to make with few ingredients and as much decoration as you would like to add. 

Before I begin I like to set up my baking space, so I cleaned down the work tops, washed my hands and get out a mixing bowl, scales and electric mixer. I then lined my cake tin with cases (I just used plain white as sadly I couldn’t find any Halloween ones) and pre-heated the oven to 180°.

I then measured out 125g of caster sugar and softened butter then mixed it together using the electric mixer until light and soft. Little tip, measure the sugar first because if you do the butter first, the sugar will stick to any bits left in the scales.

Next, I added two eggs (one at a time) and mixed it together until smooth

Then it was time to measure out raising flour and start adding it into the mix a little bit at a time using a sieve. I also added two table spoons of coco powder to make them chocolate cupcakes but you don’t have to do this step if you don’t want to. I then folded the mix to insure I don’t lose all the air which I would do if I used the electric mixer.

Once all mixed together and smooth, it’s time to load them up into the cake cases using a table spoon.  You can fill these up as much as you like, I got a bit excited and may have filled them a little too much! But you can always trim them down if need.

Then it’s time to pop them in the oven to bake for 15-20 minutes!

After the time is up, just put a tooth pick or knife into the centre of each cupcake to ensure they are cooked all the way through. If so, take them out of the oven and place on a cooling tray.

Once cooled, you can begin decorating! I must admit, I did cheat and used a pre-made Betty Crocker’s chocolate icing as I LOVE it so much! I must also admit that I am not a baking or decorating expert and am not the best at icing to say the least haha but I gave it a good go and had lots of fun attempting to decorate cakes in a Halloween style with my mum and sister!

BAKE No. 2

My second bake isn’t really a bake, more a decoration! I wanted to do this for a while but with timing not being my friend with uni deadlines, work etc. I did just buy some gingerbread men and decorated them. But if you have the time and are up for it, why not bake your own! 

I used many different things to decorate these little gingerbread men including royal icing, icing pens and the classic white sugar icing where you just add water and food colouring if you need. 

I find baking brings people together and it sounds cheesy but its true! It is great fun to do with family or even to bond within uni halls and student housing. Plus you get a yummy result you can all enjoy!

Let me know if you have been inspired by The Great British Bake off this week and share some of you creations!