tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37244847203226343532024-03-12T11:48:54.327-07:00Live Love Laugh...Blogging about my life, my loves and my laughs.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-12476855990255414772015-09-30T06:54:00.001-07:002015-09-30T07:07:25.804-07:00Baby Blaney Diaries: Pregnancy/Baby Wishlist...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Pregnancy is such an exciting time, especially when you've planned to have a baby. As well as those 'essentials' that you need, there are also a lot of things that aren't necessarily essential, but are either so handy or too cute to resist!<br />
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Me and Si have done really well so far, we have had a lot of lovely things given to us or kindly brought for us. Trust me, we could have easily spent a fortune though! Every time we go shopping, there are so many things we could easily buy, I must say most of it is clothing as everything is so cute when it's tiny and diddy, especially for girls! We are aware that as a newborn our baby girl won't need absolutely everything though and will quickly grow out of clothes, so we've done really well in terms of not going over the top prior to her being born. I must admit, I do love it when Si comes up to me in a shop saying 'look how cute this is' and I usually can't resist getting those things because I think it's sweet. Soppy aren't I?! Ha ha.<br />
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Apart from those 'essentials', there were also some key pieces that we wanted to buy for our little one, such as her first pink teddy. We picked up the <a href="http://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/jellycat-bashful-tulip-bunny_465-85424404-BASS6BTP/?cm_mmc=PLA-_-Google-_-Kids-_-JELLYCAT&ci_src=18615224&ci_sku=53575357&_$ja=tsid:35948%7ccid:198974014%7cagid:10891125574%7ctid:aud-86331023623:kwd-77995443454%7ccrid:40450951654%7cnw:g%7crnd:1985640841822550170%7cdvc:c%7cadp:1o2&gclid=CjwKEAjw7aiwBRCPgdu70arX70wSJADK6iDDIZxmSR6WjMUis-9KE2Z9P8LmQGRf9CESbUNQYy7BRhoCc4Lw_wcB&cmFromPage=rv">Jellycat Bashful Pink Bunny</a> from Selfridges as we thought it was a perfect size and colour and it's just so lovely and soft. I am hoping it will be something that she will cherish and want with her all of the time and god help us if she loses it kind of thing!<br />
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Since the beginning of my pregnancy (I am now in my third and final trimester, can you believe it?!) I've had my eye on a few other things that I either wanted for myself during pregnancy or for our baby. I thought I'd share those items with you...<br />
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<u>Swaddle Blanket</u><br />
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I love the idea of wrapping our new born up in a baby swaddle blanket and making her feeling warm and secure, re-creating the feeling of being in the womb for her. We will probably experiment a little with bedding at first, so we can get a feel for what's right based on what she likes and what is best depending on the temperature of our bedroom, but this is definitely one thing that I wanted to pick up.<br />
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I have seen a few on the high street, especially from The Gro Company as they are sold in many places, including Amazon, Boots, Tesco, Mothercare and John Lewis. I was lucky enough to be sent one of their Butterfly Gro-swaddle blankets to have ready for when our baby girl arrives, so that's one other thing I was able to tick off of our 'to buy' list! It's so lightweight and soft (and that's before I've even washed it!). The design that I have is such a gorgeous print, it's a peachy pink colour with butterflies, birds, leaves and flowers all over it. Gro-swaddle blankets are shaped to go around baby, are suitable for over or under arm swaddling and they have no Velcro, ties or poppers so prevent any discomfort or over tight swaddling. Check out their range of <a href="http://www.gro-store.com/gro-swaddle.html">baby swaddles</a>.<br />
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I have been umming and ahhing about getting a baby sleeping bag too, which is designed to be used instead of blankets and sheets and helps baby to stay at the right temperature without the problem of blankets and sheets getting kicked off and/or tangled up. As the baby swaddle is suitable from newborn to 3 months, I might just use that first whilst she is tiny and consider getting a sleeping bag a bit later on when she is moving around a bit more...we will see!<br />
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<u>Sit Me Up Cosy</u><br />
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I spotted the Sit Me Up Cosy nests in Mothercare when I first got pregnant and thought they looked really good. I know if I really want to get something because there's no umming and ahhing. I often umm and ahh about buying some things, but I loved these from the moment I saw them and I knew I wanted us to get one for our baby girl. There are many variations and my mom helped me to choose between the designs because I couldn't decide between two. I was also wondering whether to go for a neutral design so it can be used for any other children we choose to have, but I've thought that about so many things so far that I just wanted to go for a cute, girly design. I ended up choosing the <a href="http://www.mothercare.com/Mothercare-Butterfly-Fields-Sit-Me-Up-Cosy/652198,default,pd.html">Butterfly Fields</a> design as it has an absolutely gorgeous print and includes two toys.<br />
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The 3-in-1 feature is what attracted me to these in the first place. Firstly, the nest that baby can sink into as a newborn where she can lie and kick, figure out her arms and legs and discover early play. Secondly, the play mat along with toys and support for tummy time and thirdly, the supportive prop for when she gets older and learns to sit upright and play. They also enable baby to discover different textures.<br />
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I'm still waiting to sort things out a little in regards to baby's room, but I can't wait to set it up and see her in it :).<br />
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<u>Pregnancy Pillow</u><br />
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A pregnancy pillow is something I knew I'd probably have to get. Our bed isn't the comfiest at the best of times, we need to get a new one to be honest or a new mattress/topper at least, but as I was progressing into my second trimester I was getting more and more uncomfortable when it came to trying to fall to sleep. Before I was pregnant I usually fell to sleep on my front, so not being able to do that is hard and they also say that sleeping on your back after the first trimester isn't the best either (something to do with baby pressing on the vein that returns blood from the lower body to the heart which can cause us to feel faint or dizzy if we're lying on our back for a long period of time).<br />
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<a href="http://www.dreamgenii.com/?section=shop&product_category=pregnancy_pillows&product=dreamgenii_pregnancy_pillow&start=0&search_term=&order_by=product_display_order%20asc,%20product_label%20asc">Dreamgenii</a> was the pregnancy pillow that seemed to be the most raved about and it came up quite often in online search results or conversations with other parents. I was lucky enough to be sent one of these to try out. I liked the fact that it had won many awards and that it was a full body pillow, so supported the back, bump and knees. The pillow encourages you to sleep on your left side, which is meant to increase blood flow between mother and baby, but it can be used on your right side too. I have to alternate between both sides as I find being on the left all night isn't that comfortable and sometimes I do have a few minutes on my back as it feels the most comfortable, but I fall to sleep on my side and always wake up on my side. I think something like this is great to use in pregnancy as soon as you start to feel uncomfortable when trying to fall to sleep. Using the pillow from 20 weeks is meant to encourage optimal foetal positioning, which can lead to a shorter and less painful labour with less chance of intervention. I guess time will tell in regards to that one! It also comes with a removable, washable cover.<br />
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I find it hard without my pillow now. If me and Si stay elsewhere and I don't have it with me, I get really uncomfortable and feel like I'm just fidgeting all night. It's not always convenient to take it with you though, for example, if you're staying in a hotel (which happened recently) and don't have a car. We stayed at my mom's the other night, but we went to where she was having her birthday meal beforehand and already had our overnight stuff in Si's backpack as it was convenient for us at the time to go straight to the meal. We were trying to take a minimal amount of stuff and taking a huge pregnancy pillow wasn't really appropriate, so it took me a while to settle that night. The best part for me is the cushioning either side which can support the bump and the back at the same time. Those are the areas that I feel most uncomfortable in bed, so they're a huge help.<br />
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<u>TENS Machine</u><br />
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A TENS machine is something I've thought about as alternative pain relief when it comes to going into labour. I wanted to buy or hire one so I have it at home to use in early labour right up to the point of getting into the birthing pool (I want to have a water birth) at the Midwife Led Unit where I am hoping to give birth. I had a MamaTENS machine in my Amazon basket a few weeks ago, but as we've had a busy month, I thought I'd get it next pay day but for some reason it's increased from just over 25 to just over 50 quid to buy now. I'm not sure if the previous price was a mistake or something but I thought it was a bit of a step up! Anyway, previous to finding that one on Amazon, I saw that Mothercare rent out <a href="http://www.mothercare.com/MamaTENS-Maternity-TENS-Rental-Pain-Relief-During-Labour/727674,default,pd.html">MamaTENS</a> machines for £29.99, so that is my back up option if the Amazon one doesn't go back down in price. I've heard really good things about them, so I'm feeling positive. A lot of people (who opted to give birth in a hospital or Midwife Led Unit) have said that they've been able to stay at home for longer with one of these, meaning they are further along and more dilated when they reach the hospital or MLU. Some people have also said that they haven't needed any other pain relief when they've used one of these. Fingers crossed I have just as good results!<br />
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The MamaTENS has been specially designed for use during labour and has pre-set, clinically researched programmes for each of the 3 stages of labour, with a boost button to help with contractions. Stage 1 will trigger the release of endorphins, helping to relax you and ease any pain. Stage 2 provides a stimulation pattern which is set to block any heightened pain and stage 3 ramps up the level of intensity during final contractions. It is easy and safe to use for mother and baby. It also doesn't interfere with the body's natural responses in childbirth and works in harmony with the body. The pads that come with the kit are attached to the lower back and the controls are used to provide pulses which encourage the body to release endorphins (natural pain relieving chemicals). It also targets the pain gate which stops pain signals from reaching the brain.<br />
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<u>Changing Station</u><br />
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I wasn't even aware of at-home changing stations until my mom's friend showed me hers. She was meant to be selling it, but that hasn't come about and I wasn't sure about the colour of it as I figured something like this would be good to get in a neutral colour/design so that we can use it for future children, should we have any. I like the look of the <a href="http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/2337616.htm">My Child Peachy Changing Station</a> and it's at a not too bad price. It's the same price on the Argos website and Amazon. Some I've seen are well over £100, so I like that this is well below that and has a nice design suitable for both girls and boys. We are going to pick this up next week and I have all of the changing and bathing items that we need so I'm looking forward to setting it up and having everything for bathing and changing in one place.<br />
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I think it's quite a handy bit of kit what with the changing mat, bath and storage facilities in one. I like that it can be wheeled around too, so we can use it in whatever room we like. The bath has a plug and draining tube, so it's really easy and convenient to use and the padded wipe-clean changing mat is removable so can still be used at a later date when baby is old enough to roll and sit. It also looks like there is plenty of room to hold all of baby's toiletries, nappies, towels and bits and bobs.<br />
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<u>Bottle Maker</u><br />
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The <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tommee-Tippee-Closer-Nature-Perfect/dp/B00BG6304A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443551231&sr=8-1&keywords=tommee+tippee+perfect+prep">Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Perfect Prep</a> has been highly recommended to me by a number of people. At its usual price of approx £120 I'm not sure whether I'd buy it, but it's £69.99 on Amazon and I have a lot of Amazon vouchers so it really isn't going to cost us a lot. I think we are going to be getting it at the end of this week! I have seen people on YouTube with one of these, but when people I know personally started recommending it to me I looked into it a little bit more and I definitely think that I'll get a lot of use out of it.<br />
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It is definitely a convenience item as of course you can make bottles yourself, but with this you just measuring out the formula and the machine does the rest. It dispenses the correct amount of water and makes up a bottle in less than two minutes at the perfect temperature to feed to baby straight away, which at 3am is going to be a godsend and much quicker than making a bottle with a kettle! I also like that it has a filter system to remove any impurities from the water and that it provides an initial 'hot shot' of water that kills any bacteria that may be present in the formula. Any brand of formula can be used and it has an adjustable base so bottles of any size or shape can be used.<br />
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If you're expecting, what items are on your 'wish list'?<br />
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<img alt="post signature" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f283/gemsi86/GEM%20BLOG%20SIGNATURE_zpsixiea605.png" />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* Images courtesy of Selfridges, The Gro Company, Dreamgenii, Mothercare, Amazon and Pramworld.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com74tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-47054800024069136402015-08-20T02:00:00.000-07:002015-08-20T02:00:07.905-07:00Baby Blaney Diaries: I'm Pregnant, What Happens Next?...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u>Doctor's Appointment</u></b></div>
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The day after I'd taken my last pregnancy test, I rang my doctor to get booked in. I knew that this was the way to get everything started. I saw my doctor on the 10th of April and I explained that me and my husband had been trying for a baby and that I hadn't started my period when I expected to do so. I also told him that I'd taken pregnancy tests and that they had all come back positive. I went into a lot more detail, but I started the conversation and then he asked me a lot more questions, including when the first day of my last period was, when my LH surge was (as I'd mentioned that I'd been taking ovulation tests), when I'd stopped taking the contraceptive pill, when I'd taken the pregnancy tests and my average cycles (as I'd mentioned that they were all over the place recently). He also checked my blood pressure and weighed me. It was all standard stuff that he asked, but it started everything off and he then referred me to the community midwife and said I'd get a letter/call soon.<br />
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I did offer a urine sample, but was surprised that my word of being pregnant was enough, rather than him actually checking for himself. He did say that he usually lets the community midwife test a urine sample, so I considered this to be a usual thing to happen.<br />
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<b><u>Early Bird Appointment</u></b><br />
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The following week, I had a call from a lady called Jo, who is in charge of getting pregnant women booked in for an early bird antenatal appointment with herself. I got booked in to see her the week after the call (22nd of April), so two weeks since I'd been to see my doctor. At the appointment, I was given info and advice on healthy eating during pregnancy (including what is best to eat and most importantly what not to eat), pregnancy in general, the hospital where I want to give birth, antenatal classes, preparing for a new baby, breastfeeding and screening tests throughout pregnancy. I was also given a general pregnancy guide (an <a href="http://www.emmasdiary.co.uk/">Emma's Diary</a> one), which also had vouchers in for free samples.<br />
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Jo started to fill my pregnancy notes in and she asked me some general questions about myself, my husband, my health and other things, but it was all pretty straightforward and exciting knowing that everything was getting started. I was given my notes to keep and have been told, several times, to keep them on me at all times, as if anything were to happen, whoever deals with me would be aware that I am pregnant and would know everything about my pregnancy by looking at my notes.<br />
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At the end of this appt, Jo said to ring my doctor's surgery and get booked in for my first booking appt with my actual community midwife. Jo was lovely and she said Tracey, my community midwife was lovely too, which she is, so that put me at ease as I was worried about people dealing with me not being very friendly.<br />
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<b><u>Booking Appointment</u></b><br />
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At my first booking appt with Tracey, on the 27th of April, a lot more of my pregnancy notes were filled in. I was asked a lot of questions about my health, Si's health and anything that runs in the family. I was also asked whether I was happy about being pregnant and if I have support. I was told that some of the questions might be quite personal, but this didn't bother me as I knew she was just making sure that me and the baby were going to be looked after in the best way. After I had answered all of her questions, she said 'well done, you've passed!'. We had a laugh about this as I was like 'oh...great!', ha ha! She went on to tell me that all of my answers combined determined whether I was considered low or high risk and whether I might need to have more checks, scans, tests or screenings throughout my pregnancy. I felt lucky that I was considered low risk, which also means that I'm able to give birth in a midwife-led unit (which has a more relaxed, homely feel) as long as everything remains low risk, rather than just the normal labour ward in my chosen hospital.<br />
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Tracey took some info from my recent doctor's appt, such as my weight and blood pressure for my notes and then she took my blood and urine samples to send off to test for a variety of things such as my blood group and any conditions such as sickle sell, antibodies etc. She also asked if I'd been pregnant before (which I hadn't) and notified me of the early screening tests that are available for Down's Syndrome, the routine ultrasound scans that occur throughout pregnancy, any vaccinations that I'd be offered and any important symptoms that I should seek medical attention for.<br />
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She estimated my due date to be the 27th of November 2015 (using the first day of my last period), but I knew this wasn't going to be correct as my periods had been all over the place and I knew when I'd ovulated and it just didn't add up. She did say this date was just an estimate for the initial part of my pregnancy notes and that I'd get my proper due date at my scan. At the end of the appt, Tracey told me that she would refer me to the hospital that I want to give birth in and that I'd receive a letter for my first scan soon. She booked me in for another appointment with her on the 8th of June, when she initially thought that I'd be just under 16 weeks.<br />
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<b><u>First Ultrasound Scan</u></b><br />
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The following week (I was extremely happy that I wasn't having to wait ages in between appts), I received a letter to tell me the date of my first ultrasound scan. This was booked for the 14th of May, two weeks after I first saw Tracey. I was quite nervous for our first scan, we both were, but this was to be expected as we were going to be seeing our baby for the first time and making sure that everything was okay, as well as finding out how many babies I was carrying.<br />
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When we went into the ultrasound scan room, it felt quite small and there were two midwives in there. One carried out the scan and the other wrote down notes from the scan and printed our picture. They introduced themselves and asked me to lie down on the bed and pull my jeans halfway down my thighs. I thought you only had to pull them down a bit! I kept thinking thank god I've got nice knickers on, ha ha. Me and Si laughed about that afterwards! As soon as the jelly and the ultrasound transducer was placed on my stomach, an image came up right away on the screen. The lady doing the scan had her screen and then there was one to our left, which was pointed in our direction. I'd read that it could take a while for the baby to be found and not to be alarmed if the person doing the scan was quiet for a while. However, she spoke almost straight away and her first words to us were, 'there's baby, the heartbeat is tickety-boo'. It was very surreal, we couldn't believe that we were actually seeing our little baby. It's so hard to believe you have a little one growing inside of you in early pregnancy, because aside from a positive test and some early pregnancy symptoms, you can't feel any movement or notice any immediate changes to your body, so the first time we saw our baby on that screen was an amazing feeling!<br />
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I was actually only 9 weeks and 6 days at this first scan, so the Down's Syndrome screening that can be carried out at 12 weeks (that we wanted to have done, but you don't have to have it) couldn't be done, so I was booked in for another scan, which was fine by me! It was £5 for a scan picture, but it was worth it as we couldn't stop looking at it! Me and Si were told that at this stage everything was as it should be and that my due date was the 11th of December 2015, but I was told that this date could change at my actual 12 week scan.<br />
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<b><u>12 Week Scan</u></b><br />
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My 12 week scan was on the 2nd of June and we were so excited to see our little baby again. It was still nerve-racking because I was still so early on in pregnancy and we were just hoping and wishing that everything was still okay. The scan was a lot longer this time and in more detail, which was lovely. The lady carrying out the scan went through what we were seeing in depth, showing us parts of the body, the heartbeat and certain features. She asked me if she could wiggle the ultrasound transducer around a bit, to see the baby move a bit more. I said that she could and as soon as she did, our baby was wriggling around, touching body parts and probably thinking, 'excuse me, I was trying to sleep!', oops! I really appreciated the time taken to explain parts of the scan to me and Si, it wasn't rushed at all and I could have lay there looking and listening all day.<br />
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We paid £5 for another scan picture and we were told that baby scanned really well and that everything was as it should be. We were so relieved! We were also given our proper due date, which had changed by just a day, to the 10th of December 2015. For the Down's Syndrome screening test, the fluid at the back of our baby's neck was measured on the scan screen (this was done during our scan and there was no harm to baby at all) and I had more blood taken (this was done after the scan). The measurement and my blood were sent off to determine whether our baby had a low or increased risk of having Down's Syndrome.<br />
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<b><u>2nd Midwife Appointment</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>When Tracey initially booked me in for this appt, she thought I'd be just under 16 weeks, but I was just under 13 weeks as my first scan had revealed how far along I actually was. When I arrived, I was told by the receptionist that I'd been booked in for the 22nd of June with Tracey, but as I had this appt written in my pregnancy notes and Tracey was still there at my GP surgery (she is only at the surgery on Mondays for community midwife appts), she said she would see me. The receptionist and Tracey weren't rude or anything, but I could still feel my blood start to boil slightly as I had this appt written clearly in my notes. It was a good job that she was still there to see me, otherwise it would have been a total waste of our time and money and I would have wondered and asked why I wasn't informed of this '22nd of June' appt! Tracey said that she'd thought it'd been a while since I'd last seen her and had actually tried calling me. I said that I hadn't had a missed call or anything. We worked out that she actually had a number missing from my mobile number, so that was why she couldn't get through, but that's sorted now.<br />
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There wasn't much to be done at this appointment, it was just a check up. She checked my blood pressure and tested another urine sample (I was told that I'd need to give a sample every time I saw her, which was routine, to check for protein). I had a few questions written down that had been playing on my mind, so I asked Tracey those and I left feeling much more at ease. My appointment for the 22nd of June was kept in place as I was going to be just under 16 weeks then and I was going on holiday to Spain at the end of that week, so she wanted to make sure that everything was okay before I went away.<br />
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<b><u>3rd Midwife Appointment</u></b><br />
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This was another short and sweet check up of my blood pressure and urine on the 22nd of June. I didn't even have any more questions this time, so it was even shorter than my previous appt. It's nice though because my appts with Tracey never feel rushed, even if they are quick appts. She always makes conversation, checking whether I'm okay with everything generally and whether I have any questions.<br />
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<b><u>20 Week Scan</u></b><br />
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My 20 week scan was on the 28th of July. We were extra excited for this scan as we were hoping to find out the gender of our baby. We were still a bit nervous though because this was going to be an in-depth scan to check that our baby was growing well and whether there were any potential issues with health, growth etc. We were also aware that this was going to be our last routine scan.<br />
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We were in a much bigger room this time and the midwife made sure that we were aware that this was a more in-depth scan and explained that if anything was found she would tell us. She also asked whether we wanted to know the sex of our baby if she could see and we said yes! This was a simple decision for us to make, we just wanted to know, simple as! The midwife started by showing us the heartbeat and then different parts of the baby's body. We saw the toes and fingers more closely and the lips, which were really well defined. She showed us our baby from all angles and again it was a lovely experience, not rushed at all. She told us when she was going to look at the baby in more depth, I suppose it was so we weren't alarmed that she was quiet, but me and Si kept looking at the screen, then smiling back at each other. It was definitely one of those 'moments', as we hardly felt the midwives there, let alone think about what was going on outside of the room. It was such a lovely, peaceful feeling. After a little while, the midwife told us that everything was great and as it should be. She told us that by the looks of what she can see, we were going to have a little girl! We were absolutely over the moon as I'd always said that I'd love a girl first, so Simon was really happy for me! We both felt so lucky that we were told we are going to have a healthy, baby girl. She did say (as she has to) that they can never be 100% when it comes to determining gender, but that it doesn't get much clearer than what she saw and she showed us the specific genital area on the screen. I was also told that my placenta was in the right position for a natural birth.<br />
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We paid £5 for another scan picture and comparing it to the others we had, we realised that the baby had turned around as the head was on the opposite side this time. After this scan, I had to have a routine MRSA screening test (I was told that all pregnant women have to have this at 20 weeks). It consisted of me swabbing both nostrils, both armpits and both sides of my groin area with cotton swabs. It was quick, easy and I was able to do it myself. I was told that MRSA is a type of bacteria that can be found on the skin and this screening test is done because if I end up having to have a caesarean section and I have this bacteria on my skin, it could cause problems. I was told that it's rare, but if it turns out that I have it, it can be easily treated with a body wash type of treatment.<br />
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This is the stage that I'm at now with my pregnancy appointments! My next appointment is next week with Tracey.<br />
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I have two pregnancy related videos on my YouTube channel that you may not have seen. One is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsSUWPhaeiU">Pre-Holiday and Pregnancy Haul</a> where I mention a few pregnancy bits that I've got recently, but the main one is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GuuJWAd6A4">Mothercare Expectant Parent Event - Review and Haul</a>. If you're expecting, I really recommend attending this event if you can, me and Si felt it was well worth it.<br />
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If you're pregnant, how have your appointments been so far?<br />
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<img alt="post signature" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f283/gemsi86/GEM%20BLOG%20SIGNATURE_zpsixiea605.png" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-58956017502942649222015-08-01T11:48:00.002-07:002015-08-01T11:48:33.436-07:00Garnier Ambre Solaire Dry Mist SPF 30...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMfDNrT8t5NhyphenhyphenNYTTRVyYaYpUjQUc6nnEBVSjWV8tNofWSuYpl4eLHyMLV4lFJ-okZ_I6ng795kpqaxjPu2CgIl_xNGyIy97Bz9qx3xu9wgUWfcpOFGn4z_6hNIowGRX4p2Gh1uvSkw96/s1600/garnier+ambre+solaire+dry+mist+spf+30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMfDNrT8t5NhyphenhyphenNYTTRVyYaYpUjQUc6nnEBVSjWV8tNofWSuYpl4eLHyMLV4lFJ-okZ_I6ng795kpqaxjPu2CgIl_xNGyIy97Bz9qx3xu9wgUWfcpOFGn4z_6hNIowGRX4p2Gh1uvSkw96/s320/garnier+ambre+solaire+dry+mist+spf+30.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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When it comes to purchasing a sun protection product, I don't tend to buy the same one again and again, I tend to just go for whatever I find on offer at the time that has an SPF of 30. This has all changed now that I've discovered the Garnier Ambre Solaire Dry Mist SPF 30.<br />
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When I go on holiday and even when there's a bit of sun (if we ever get any!) in the UK, I never tan. I might go a bit red where I've accidentally not protected myself properly, but my skin never turns brown, it just goes back white. I've tried tanning accelerator products of all kinds, but nothing ever works. We went to Spain in June and I decided to fake tan beforehand as I wanted to at least look a little bit bronzed. However, I still obviously needed to be protected from the sun!<br />
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Applying sun protection can feel like a chore to me. Don't get me wrong, I am fully aware it is essential and I wouldn't not do it, it's just not necessarily something I enjoy doing several times a day especially whilst on holiday. Sometimes I find that the standard creams are too thick and don't sink into the skin well enough, so you feel gross and things stick to you during the day and you end up getting back to your hotel and just diving into the shower because you feel grimy. Just me?!<br />
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I feel that the Garnier Ambre Solaire Dry Mist SPF 30 deserves a place on my blog for several reasons. Using this product was actually enjoyable, as enjoyable as applying sun protection can be. You simply shake it until you can hear the ball inside of the can, then spray onto all areas of your body in a well ventilated place. I do recommend making sure you do this because me and Si applied ours in our hotel room on the first day of our holiday, with the balcony doors open, but I swear I swallowed half of it :/, so from then on we went on the balcony to do it, which was much better.<br />
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The product sinks in really quickly, leaving you with smooth skin that feels like you haven't got an extra layer of something on it. The mist isn't greasy or sticky, it feels really light on the skin and I noticed if I sprayed it too close that a white residue would appear, which I then rubbed in. I don't know if you HAVE to do this, but after I'd finished spraying my whole body, I just went over and rubbed everything in, just to ensure I'd covered all parts of me. Clothes can be put on straight away with this mist and none of my clothes ended up with the yellow marks usually linked with a sun protection product. I also applied the mist during the day with clothes on and again my clothes weren't affected in any way.<br />
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I didn't get burned one bit during the holiday! The only thing I will do next time we go away is buy two. I just got the one for me and Si to use and two days before the end of the holiday we'd run out and just ended up using our mom's sun protection to save us from having to buy a new one for two days, plus I wanted to repurchase the mist one and I couldn't find it :/.<br />
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It sounds ridiculous, but I'm so glad that I've found a sun protection product that I can and will repurchase again and again :), it makes it so much easier as I was always wondering which one to go for previously.<br />
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Have you tried the Garnier Ambre Solaire Dry Mist Protection? I got mine from <a href="http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=2026&awinaffid=134677&clickref=&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.superdrug.com%2FGarnier%2FAmbre-Solaire-Dry-Mist-Spf30-200ml%2Fp%2F898958%23.Va6BvPlViko">Superdrug</a>.<br />
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Which sun protection products do you rate?<br />
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Thanks so much for reading!<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Images courtesy of Superdrug and Pinterest.</span><br />
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<img alt="post signature" src="http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f283/gemsi86/GEM%20BLOG%20SIGNATURE_zpsixiea605.png" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-29148238505371286612015-06-17T10:20:00.001-07:002015-08-11T17:09:37.460-07:00Baby Blaney Diaries: I'm Pregnant!...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Me and Simon are absolutely over the moon and I can't describe how excited we both are! We have been trying for a baby since just after our wedding in September last year and I actually found out I was pregnant on the 6th of April 2015. I've been wanting to share this news with you all for sooooo long! There's been so many times I've gone to write something pregnancy related on Twitter and then thought that I better not say anything yet as it was a bit too soon. I wanted to wait until after I'd had the 12 week scan and that time has been and gone so I've been looking forward to writing this post :).<br />
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<u>Trying For A Baby</u><br />
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A lot of you will know that me and Si have been married since September 2014. We have always talked about having children and about having them once we were married. It's a lovely situation when you're actually trying for a baby because although it can be hard every month waiting to see if you come on your period (I'm just gonna say it how it is in this post), it is also really really exciting! I stopped taking my contraceptive pill after our wedding holiday (I didn't want to risk coming on my period whilst we were away, so I carried on taking them during this time), so it was about the middle of September that I stopped taking my pill. I was under the impression that I probably wouldn't become pregnant right away as I'd be on the pill for about 11 years, so I figured it had to have a little time to get out of my system and my cycles would have to re-adjust to not being controlled by the contraceptive pill (whether this is true or not I don't know, but that's just what I thought at the time).<br />
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I felt like my cycles weren't anything out of the ordinary to start with and considering I'd just stopped taking the pill, my periods seemed pretty regular. I was just letting nature take its course to begin with but when January came, I started to write things down and work out dates. I'd worked out that my last few cycles had been averaging at around 35 days and so in Feb when 35 days since the first day of my last period came about and I still hadn't come on, I'm not going to lie, I started to get my hopes up. I took pregnancy tests that came back negative but had read that the pregnancy hormone HCG could be low in early pregnancy and some tests don't initially pick this up, so my hopes were still quite high. 15 days after I thought I was due to come on, I came on, so my hopes were shattered a little and of course there were things I'd read about saying that you could still be pregnant and initially come on with it only lasting a day or two. That didn't occur for me, I took one final pregnancy test to check and it was still negative and my period lasted for the normal amount of days that it usually did. I then knew that it wasn't to be that month.<br />
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<u>Ovulation</u><br />
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In March I decided to start taking ovulation tests. I got mine from Boots for £9.99. In the pack you get 7 tests. You can get bulk tests online for good prices, but I wanted to start taking them straight after my period near enough as I was well aware at that point that my cycles were all over the place, so I just went into town and picked some up. Ovulation tests are similar to pregnancy tests in that you have to wee on the test stick or dip it into a container holding your urine.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Ovulation-Test-Kit-7-tests_1465423/?cm_mmc=pla-_-google-_-PLAs-_-Boots+Shopping+-+Category+-+Health+and+Pharmacy">Boots ovulation tests</a> that I used.</div>
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When you're trying for a baby and you read info online and in pregnancy books, it's a real eye opener as to when you can actually get pregnant. Unless you are aware, it is very easy to think that you can get pregnant at any time during a month, as long as you have periods. However, the truth is that there are on average only a few days during a cycle that you can get pregnant. Typically, a woman is said to ovulate 14 days after the first day of her last period, this is usually based on a 28 day cycle. With my last period, I ovulated four weeks after, so you can see that my cycles weren't regular and if I weren't taking the ovulation tests, then there's a chance that I might not be pregnant today. It was important for me to take these ovulation tests due to my cycles being all over the shop. Don't get me wrong, I'm aware that a lot of people get pregnant without planning on doing so or actively trying. To put it simply, when a woman ovulates, the egg lives for 24-48 hours and sperm can live for 3-7 days in a woman's body, so trying for a baby before and after you think you are due to ovulate will give you the best chance of conceiving.<br />
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I started to take the tests in the second week after the first day of my last period. I took them every other day to start with, but as it got into the third week, I was worried I'd miss my ovulation, so I got more tests and started to take them every day. In the fourth week, I had the magic line appear which told me that the test had recognised a <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#safe=strict&q=what+is+a+lh+surge">LH surge</a>. This was the first time I'd ever seen that line appear, so I went running in to Si to show him. It's quite funny when I think of it now because he was aware that I was taking ovulation tests, but I didn't tell him every single time I went to the bathroom to do one, so when I ran in he said that he thought it was a pregnancy test and was getting excited. I told him to stay excited cause I was about to ovulate! Ha ha. When you get the LH surge it usually means that you are due to ovulate in the next two days. As mentioned above, you can see why trying for a baby before ovulation can be useful due to the amount of days that sperm can live in a woman's body, meaning it is already there ready to meet the egg.<br />
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<u>The Wait</u><br />
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As I knew when I'd be ovulating, March into April was a very exciting time. Although I didn't come on when I thought I would, this had happened the previous month so I didn't want to get too excited again. You try not to get your hopes up but it's hard. I left it a few more weeks just in case I was really late but still there was nothing. Three weeks after I'd ovulated I decided to take a pregnancy test, on the 6th of April to be exact!<br />
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<u>Finding Out I Was Pregnant</u><br />
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When I'd taken pregnancy tests the previous month, they took ages to come up with the result. I used to take them first thing in the morning, so I'd go to the toilet, test my sample and then while that little timer was going round and round on the test, I'd be having a wash, brushing my teeth etc. It was so disappointing when I looked over and it said that I wasn't pregnant. This time, I did exactly the same thing and it felt like I'd only just turned the water on to have a wash and when I looked back (as you do, you can't help but keep looking!) it said PREGNANT!!!! When I first saw that first test saying pregnant, I was holding it and just staring at it, I was thinking to myself oh my god, oh my god, really??!! I couldn't believe it. Si was working downstairs at the time, so I quickly text him and told him and he came running up to see the test and to give me a hug, bless him. Then I had to tell my mom. My mom then rang me on speaker phone with my sister and they were yelling yeahhhhh over the phone. Our closest family knew we were trying for a baby so I was often being asked, any news yet?!<br />
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I wanted to go and get some more tests to double (and triple, ha!) confirm it. I had read that it's very rare to get a negative positive though if you know what I mean and I couldn't believe how quickly the result had come up. I remember going into town to get more tests and feeling so excited. I saw my dad's girlfriend whilst out, so I was speaking to her for a little bit but couldn't say anything before telling my dad. I took another test that same afternoon and the same thing happened, the result came up really quickly. Simon told his mom that evening and I told his sister, as well as my dad. Everyone was thrilled for us. I did take another test the very next day, just because I wanted another confirmation and I had a spare test anyway, but it did exactly the same thing! I feel so incredibly lucky that I was able to get pregnant so quickly after trying. It's awful when you hear about people struggling to conceive (and I do know of some people) when that's all they want, so I'm fully aware of how lucky we have been.<br />
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At this stage, I am 14 weeks and six days pregnant! Look out for my next pregnancy post in which I'll tell you about my first lot of appointments and what happened at each, otherwise this post will be turning into a dissertation. We might also share our scan pics! :). If anyone wants to ask me anything, I will try to help based on my experiences.<br />
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It's so lovely being able to tell everyone finally!<br />
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Thanks so much for reading! Please like, comment and follow me if you haven't already :).<br />
Gem & Bump XxOo<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image courtesy of Pinterest.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-63905226933782516162015-06-04T10:36:00.001-07:002015-07-24T14:58:44.648-07:00I'm Back On YouTube & A Few Changes...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As you can probably tell from the title, I'm going to be filming YouTube videos again!<br />
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I'm really excited about filming again and even more so as me and Simon will be doing a lot more videos together. It's been two years since I last filmed for YouTube and I only stopped because the Movie Maker software I had available to me at the time to edit and upload my videos (on my little net-book), was so slow and it took so long to edit and upload videos, as well as failing every now and then, that I was getting frustrated and it wasn't as enjoyable any more. That is the main reason I started my blog, as it's a lot easier to write, double check everything and then publish a blog post than it is to go through all the steps of uploading a video. I take my hat off to those that film and publish videos every day. I'm sure they all have lives as well, which is why I find that I can't film a video to upload or write a blog post to publish every single day and sometimes not every single week, it just depends on what I'm doing and whether I have anything to write or film about. I don't like to blog or film just for the sake of it.<br />
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I'm going to be re-branding my main YouTube channel a little. My main YouTube channel is <a href="http://youtube.com/gemsi2011">Gemsi2011</a> and I used to just upload beauty and fashion videos to this channel. I have a second channel called <a href="http://youtube.com/gemlivesloveslaughs">GemLivesLovesLaughs</a> and that used to be where I uploaded cooking videos and vlogs. What I want to do is just have one main channel, that covers a range of subjects, like my blog. So I want to try and still film beauty and fashion videos, but there will also be travel, life, cooking and gaming videos on my one and only channel. These are all subjects that either I or both me and Simon have a passion for and so it will be nice to introduce a few new subjects to my channel. I am going to try and change my YouTube name and URL so that you recognise my channel as Gemsi - Gem. Simon is also going to be setting up his own channel, which will mainly consist of gaming videos and his will be called Gemsi - Si. This is something we've talked about and so it'll be nice to have our own little branded channels if we can. We are currently working together on the re-branding, so bare with us on this :).<br />
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You might be wondering what is going to happen to my second channel. My main channel has the most subscribers and so more of an audience to produce videos for. My second channel doesn't have that many subscribers or videos, as I only managed to upload a few before I stopped filming. However, they are still videos that I enjoyed making and that took time to make and upload, so I don't want to just delete them. The videos on my second channel are from two and three years ago, so they are some time ago but I am going to try and download them to my laptop and upload them to my main channel as a #throwbackthursday kind of thing. I will upload them one by one, either every Thursday or every other Thursday and they will probably be uploaded randomly with the title and description edited slightly so that people are aware, as well as us when we look back, that the videos are from two and three years ago.<br />
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I will probably also try to change my <a href="https://plus.google.com/+GemmaTGemsi2011/about">Google+</a> name and URL to match what I've said above, but I am not yet sure whether I will be doing the same for my email, blog, <a href="http://twitter.com/gemsgemz86">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://instagram.com/gemsgemz86">Instagram</a>. It would be lovely for everything to have the same name and URL but I'm not sure whether it might be a bit more of a disruption to my email, blog, Twitter and Instagram as they have all been active and current and I probably have links everywhere for them, whereas it's different with my YT channel, as I haven't filmed anything for over two years and my Google+ account is quite new, so I'd just update the links for those on my email signature, blog, Twitter and Instagram and I don't feel like it would have such a detrimental effect. We will see though, I'll keep you all updated along the way on anything I do change or update, keep an eye on my <a href="http://twitter.com/gemsgemz86">Twitter</a> as I'll probably be mentioning things on there.<br />
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We uploaded a new <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXeQgqWGA9k">travel vlog</a> a few days ago, which you can check out below. We hope you like it! Please feel free to like, comment and subscribe if you do. It would mean the world to us :).<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UXeQgqWGA9k/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UXeQgqWGA9k?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Thank you, as always, for your continued support! We are both looking forward to filming again and we hope you like what we or I produce :).<br />
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Thanks so much for reading!<br />
Gem XxOo<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image courtesy of Day To Be You.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-86706083467870672482015-03-20T11:00:00.000-07:002015-03-20T11:00:18.339-07:00Top Tips For Planning A Trip Away...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Decided where you want to go but wondering what step to take next? Me and Si love to travel and try to get away as often as we can. I always find that we do the same things prior to a trip and we're going to Tallinn, Estonia soon, which inspired me to do this post. Here are my top tips for planning a trip away yourself, whether abroad or in your home country (bare in mind, this is what me and Si do, it's by no means the best way or the only way of planning a trip)...<br />
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<b><u>How are you getting there?</u></b><br />
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- If you need to look at flying to your destination, Si recently discovered that Google now compares flights. If you search 'flights to ...' in Google, it should come up at the top of the page. We booked our flights to Tallinn, Estonia this way as it was the cheapest. <a href="http://skyscanner.com/">Skyscanner</a> is another company we have used in the past. When flying, we always have a quick look at what we can and can't take to our chosen destination, just in case you are going somewhere where they have specific policies. Airlines tend to have different allowances for the weight of your luggage, so consider how long you're going for, what you think you will bring back etc. You can of course buy extra allowance, but compare the price of flights with the luggage allowance/price to add extra and see what works out best for you.<br />
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- If you are travelling to your destination by road and don't have access to a car, I'd recommend taking a look at <a href="http://nationalexpress.com/">National Express</a>. We used this company to organise our transport to the airport that we are travelling from to go to Estonia. When you enter your initial journey info, results will tell you the time it will take to get to your destination and prices. You can change the times there and then to see if there are any quicker or cheaper journeys.<br />
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- We also used <a href="http://www.thetrainline.com/">The Trainline</a> to see if it would be cheaper or whether there were more convenient times to get to the airport, but in our case, as we have an early morning flight, it was cheaper and more convenient in regards to time, to get a coach. The Trainline is a company that we often use, so it's definitely one to consider having a look at to compare prices.<br />
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- If applicable, you might want to think ahead to how you're going to get from the airport/coach/train station to your accommodation. If you arrive during the day and it's within walking distance, you might want to take in the first sights by walking, otherwise have a look at reputable taxi companies or the regularity of public transport at your destination and see what will be better for you. Planning beforehand will give you more confidence when you arrive in a place that you don't know that well and it will give you more of a heads up just in case there are people around trying to fool tourists with high taxi prices etc.<br />
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<b><u>Where are you staying?</u></b><br />
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- Me and Si use <a href="http://booking.com/">Booking.com</a>, <a href="http://trivago.com/">Trivago</a> and <a href="http://hotelscombined.com/">HotelsCombined</a> to look for the best deals for accommodation. A lot of people use Booking.com, so there are a lot of reviews on the website where you can see how different forms of accommodation have been rated. Trivago and HotelsCombined are comparison websites, so you can make sure you're paying the smallest price for exactly what you want. If you require further help when choosing a place to stay, check out Tripadvisor as it has reviews and ratings for accommodation.<br />
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- When we've booked where we want to stay, we usually look at the direct website of where we've booked. Hotels, hostels, guest houses etc usually have their own website where you can find out a lot more in-depth info about the place you're going to be staying. I like to look at what facilities they have to offer, the food and drink they have available, if they have spa/beauty facilities, check in and check out times, what's included in the room, local transport links, how far it is away from the local airport, train/coach station etc. By doing this, you can often find out more than you initially knew when you first booked the accommodation and knowing more always makes me even more excited to go!<br />
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- In regards to flights and accommodation, it's rare that we use a travel agent, we usually just book it all ourselves. The majority of the time you'll get a better deal as you aren't having to pay commission. Also, if you're flexible in terms of the dates in which you can go away, do a couple of searches for different dates for both flights and hotels. Different factors can affect prices, such as weekends, special events in your chosen destination or holidays (in your current or go-to destination).<br />
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<b><u>What To Do?</u></b><br />
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- I like to get our place of stay up on <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps">Google maps</a>. You can often see what is around your accommodation, for example, supermarkets, places to eat and local attractions. You can then search for these places online and check them out in more detail. A supermarket is one of the first things we like to seek out when we arrive at our accommodation, to get essentials for our room.<br />
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- We use <a href="http://tripadvisor.co.uk/">Tripadvisor</a> and Google to find out more about places of interest in more detail. Using Tripadvisor allows you to see how such places are rated by people who have been there previously. I like searching for where we are going on Tripadvisor and looking at the separate categories, for example, restaurants, attractions and places of interest. I then research such places in more detail and make a note of places not to be missed so we have them as reference when we are there. You'll also be able to read about places that maybe aren't worth your money/time, especially if you have a limited amount of time to explore or are exploring by foot. You don't want to spend time walking somewhere for it to be a disappointment, so researching beforehand will make sure you don't waste your time/money. You might even get a better deal by buying tickets for such attractions/places of interest before you go or you might find vouchers online to use whilst you're there (Tallinn has a card that you can buy (designed to save you money), that allows free entry onto public transport, into many attractions and further discounts in restaurants - looking to see if your chosen destination has something like this, could save you a lot of money). Me and Si have already researched a lot of things to do in Tallinn, including a day trip to Helsinki. We are there for five nights, so planning beforehand has saved us time and we are going to Tallinn being a lot more informed than we were last month, before we'd booked this trip.<br />
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- Wherever you are going, type it into a search engine with the word 'visit' in front of it. I always do this and every time I get a tourism website come up for the place we are going to. Websites like this not only show you what your chosen destination is known for in terms of attractions, food, places of interest etc, but you will also learn a lot of important, valuable information. You will often find out facts about your chosen destination, weather info, what the currency is, any laws you should abide by as a tourist, entry requirements, the official language, things you should know before you travel, important telephone numbers, whether you need a visa, any vaccinations you should have etc. Every destination will be different and if you're going to a place within your home country then you might already be familiar with things, but this is a great tip if you're going abroad to somewhere that is a little different to what you're used to. <a href="http://lonelyplanet.com/">Lonely Planet</a> is also a great website to get destination information, expert advice and travel tips. Using these websites, you should also be able to find out or get links to important things such as a country/city discount or travel card, travel timetables, events that are being held, day trips you can take etc.<br />
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<b><u>Things To Remember!</u></b><br />
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- Travel insurance is my number one tip of things not to forget. We have learned first-hand that travel insurance is something you need. You might think that everything will be okay and that nothing will go wrong, but don't take that for granted, something could happen and you need to make sure you're protected. We use <a href="http://moneysupermarket.com/">Money Supermarket</a> to compare travel insurance. You enter a small amount of info and a lot of results will come up, including brands that you might not of heard of before. If I'm honest, we go from the top and scroll down until we recognise a brand name, such as Virgin or Debenhams (which can still be inexpensive). The policy price, excess, amount covered for medical, cancellation, baggage etc will be stated and you can choose the travel insurance that's right for you. You can also add optional features, such as gadget cover, missed departure and wedding cover.<br />
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- We tend to make sure we have English money (mainly for the airports and the flights), foreign currency cash and our debit card with us when we go away. If you're looking for foreign currency, I recommend looking around. We don't tend to use any websites for our foreign currency, we just look around locally and check the rate in banks, supermarkets, the post office and travel agents. That way we know we're getting a good deal rather than just going to the first place we come across. We always get any foreign currency we need before we go and only use our debit card if we really have to. If you are going to be using your debit/credit card whilst you're away, let your banks know. If you're staying within your home country, this isn't something you usually have to do, but if you're going abroad then it's good to let them know. This way, your cards won't be declined if they presume fraudulent activity. This is always on our to-do list before we go abroad.<br />
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- Save space in your luggage by getting miniatures when it comes to beauty products. If you're travelling somewhere and the weight of your luggage doesn't matter, then it's all good! If not, then getting miniatures is going to be a good shout, as packing your normal sized products can really take up a lot of your allowance. Asda and Boots are usually good options for miniatures and they usually have a wide range. Otherwise, you can get little decanter pots and bottles. Primark and Poundland are good for things like that.<br />
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- This is more applicable if you're going abroad, but if you want to keep in touch with people back home or even use the Internet whilst you're away, it's a good idea to see whether there are a lot of Wi-Fi hotspots where you're going to be (me and Si have looked into this and we're lucky that there are a lot of Wi-Fi hotspots all over Tallinn). If not, then you can contact your provider and work out how much it's going to cost you to make calls, text and use the Internet (if needed). They might even be able to do a deal for you during the time you're away. If you're on PAYG it's more controllable, but the last thing you need is being on a contract and using your phone wherever you are and coming back to a sky high bill.<br />
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- Photocopy important travel documents such as your passport, hotel/flight info, itinerary, your European Health Insurance Card (if you have one) and travel insurance documents, just in case you lose any of this info, have to prove anything or wish to leave some info back home with someone. Also, don't forget to fill in the emergency contact details on your passport!<br />
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- Make sure your passport is valid! Some destinations require that your passport be valid for 6 months after the date you travel. Me and Si got married (as you may know!) in September 2014 in Cyprus and we had to renew our passports when we returned as they were due to expire within a few months. So now we have new passports for our upcoming trip. The passport office tend to add any remaining months from your old passport onto your new one. If you need your passport for where you're travelling, it's worth checking that it is well in date and that you'll be able to travel with it if there isn't long left on it.<br />
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- Consider getting <a href="http://www.tagandtrack.com/">Tag&Track</a> luggage labels. If any of your luggage happens to get lost, it can be easily located if you have these labels on. It might even be the case that whoever finds your luggage can locate you before you locate your luggage, this is because all of your details are linked to the pack of labels upon purchase. Me and Si got these when we booked our wedding last year and the good thing about them is that they last for a year! One pack should be enough for two to three people. You can read more about this pack and purchase it for £14.95 plus p&p on their website.<br />
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Lastly, enjoy your time away to its full potential. Don't be afraid to go somewhere a bit different and get involved in amazing experiences. Do your research beforehand, check it's safe to travel there, be open-minded and have a great time. Me and Si went on holiday to Tunisia in 2009 and we'd done our research and found out it was absolutely fine to go there. Some people we know weren't so sure and thought it'd be dodgy, not unsafe but probably not their kind of thing. However, we had one of the best experiences of our life, going on an overnight trip and taking part in some amazing activities such as riding camels over the Sahara dessert until the sun set! It was so surreal and something we will always remember. Do something you wouldn't ordinarily do if you can and make it a trip to remember!<br />
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<b>What are your top travel tips?</b><br />
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Thanks so much for reading!<br />
Gem XxOo<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Images are courtesy of Pinterest, Imgarcade, Wild Junket, Backpacker Guide New Zealand, Be My Guest, Go Blue Tours and I Am Not The Babysitter.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-89065819164142128812015-03-13T02:00:00.000-07:002015-03-13T02:00:02.382-07:00Legally Blonde: The Musical...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Tuesday 10th March 2015, I took Mother dearest to our local <a href="http://www.grandtheatre.co.uk/">Grand Theatre</a> to see Legally Blonde: The Musical. It was an early surprise for Mother's Day, but I sneakily asked if she remembered the film a month or two before, to get an idea as to whether she'd fancy going to see it and if she knew a little about the film. She said that she did, so I booked tickets for us to sit in the stalls. I was so happy when the 10th came around as I was looking forward to it for ages!<br />
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I love going to the theatre, especially to see musicals and film/book to stage adaptations. I get such an adrenalin rush after seeing a theatre performance. I come out feeling fantastic, singing parts of songs that might have been in the show and talking about the show with whoever I go to the theatre with or whoever will listen, ha ha! I love to sit in the stalls when I can, just to have an optimal viewing position and be able to see facial expressions etc. With this performance, as it was amateur, the prices were pretty decent for stall seats.<br />
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This musical was based on the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Legally-Blonde-Amanda-Brown/dp/0751534552">novel</a> by Amanda Brown and the famous <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00005RDP5/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=569136327&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0751534552&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1W59FJE2958ETEMZWVHV">film</a> starring Reese Witherspoon. If you aren't familiar with the story, it's about a blonde, happy-go-lucky woman called Elle Woods. Elle loves her family, friends, Chihuahua Bruiser, the colour pink and at the beginning her boyfriend Warner. Elle's life gets turned upside down when her boyfriend, Warner, dumps her so he can get serious with his life and attend Harvard Law. Determined to get him back, Elle uses her charm to get into Harvard Law. Once there, she struggles with peers, professors and Warner. With the help of her friends, Paulette and Emmett, she quickly realises her potential and sets out to prove herself to the world, strutting her stuff, telling people about themselves and finding someone who loves her for her along the way.<br />
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This amateur premiere production was performed by the Wolverhampton Musical Comedy Company. The first thing I thought after the show was that it was one hell of an amateur performance. It was as good as any West End performance that I've seen. The acting was superb, the singing was fabulous (I still have the songs in my head!) and the dancing was top notch. Katie Astbury who played the main role of Elle Woods was simply outstanding. She was pretty much in the whole show, acting, singing and dancing and I take my hat off to her (and the whole cast) for remembering everything! That's what terrifies me the most about theatre performances, when I think about myself in their shoes, remembering all the spoken words, the lyrics to songs, the dance routines and trying to be a different person on stage. Those that perform in theatre productions are a huge inspiration to me and I assume a lot of other people. At just 19, Katie finished her studies at a local school last year and although she has played a few roles in the past with various companies in the West Midlands, this was her first role with MUSCOM and what she describes as being the most challenging role she has ever played. I just want to put it out there and say that you did the role justice girl! #snaps.<br />
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Katie Astbury as Elle Woods & Fiona the Chihuahua as Bruiser.</div>
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The show was two and a half hours long, but I didn't want it to end if I'm honest. It was fast-paced, colourful, engaging and there were plenty of laugh out loud moments along the way. Being amongst the audience you could hear that people were eagerly awaiting the famous bend and snap scene, as well as the scene where Elle wins her court case at the end. That's the thing with film to stage show adaptations, people always look forward to the most famous scenes and this performance didn't fail to please from start to finish. Paulette Bonafonte was portrayed excellently by Harry Golightly, she was quirky and hilarious. The arrogant, full of himself Warner Huntington III portrayed by Tye Harris was spot on and the friendly, supportive nature of Emmett Forrest portrayed by Liam Sargeant, who stuck by Elle the whole way through Harvard Law, was genuine and admirable. The whole cast were wonderful and you could really see not only how much hard work had gone into the production but also how much everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves! No one was lagging behind and I predict that they'll all go onto bigger and better things.<br />
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We do have West End performances come to our local theatre but we have just as much amateur performances and they aren't something that put me off. For those of you that aren't as keen as you prefer to see well-known faces perform, I'd say give it a go, you won't be disappointed! I've loved all amateur performances just as much as any West End production that I've seen and just because the individuals are amateur, doesn't mean they are any less talented or rehearsed. A lot of time and effort go into these performances to make sure they are flawless and that audiences will enjoy every minute of them.<br />
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Have a look at amateur theatre companies near to you and see what productions they are putting on. It really is a fab afternoon/evening out and you'll be supporting local talent!<br />
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<a href="http://www.grandtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/musicals/legally-blonde">Legally Blonde: The Musical</a> is on from the 10th-14th March 2015 at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. I know that other amateur companies from around the country are also performing this show throughout the coming year, so keep your eyes peeled!<br />
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You can find out more about MUSCOM on their <a href="http://www.muscom.co.uk/">website</a>.<br />
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<b>Are you a fan of the theatre? What's your favourite theatre production?</b><br />
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Thanks so much for reading!<br />
Gem XxOo<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Images courtesy of Grand Theatre and Native Monster.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-87805524832107336182015-02-16T10:53:00.001-08:002015-02-16T10:53:57.990-08:00Abra-Ca-Debora Pancakes & Recipe Ideas...When I was younger, Pancake Day used to be all about those traditional pancakes with lemon and sugar, I wasn't a huge fan so could take them or leave them to be honest. More recently, me and Si have been loving the scotch pancake variety and have found a topping that we love! So much so that we don't just restrict ourselves to having them on Pancake Day, we have them as a dessert all year round - more about our favourite topping later!<br />
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I was recently given the opportunity to sample some pancakes from a company called <a href="http://www.abra-ca-debora.co.uk/">Abra-Ca-Debora</a>. They have three varieties, which are <a href="http://www.abra-ca-debora.co.uk/product/original-dutch-pancakes">Original Dutch Pancakes</a>, <a href="http://www.abra-ca-debora.co.uk/product/sweet-dutch-pancakes">Sweet Dutch Pancakes</a> and <a href="http://www.abra-ca-debora.co.uk/product/diddy-dutch-pancakes">Diddy Sweet Dutch Pancakes</a>. The pancakes look and taste home-made but offer a stress and mess free solution to Pancake Day. Sometimes it's not convenient for people to make loads of pancakes for their family and then try to come up with interesting fillings or toppings. Time, the stress of it and the mess of it can all get in the way. These pre-made pancakes put aside all of these factors so that Pancake Day can be a more enjoyable experience, leaving you to experiment with exciting fillings and toppings. They're also handy if you're a big fan of pancakes and want to have them throughout the year. They are ready to purchase from the chiller in Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Waitrose, with prices starting from £1.50.<br />
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The sweet pancake variety is the kind that everyone will be more familiar with, whereas the original variety gives you the chance to try out sweet or savoury fillings. The Diddy Sweet Dutch Pancakes have the light and fluffy texture of scotch pancakes - mine and Si's favourite kind.<br />
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The Abra-Ca-Debora website has an amazing amount of inspiration when it comes to fillings and toppings for pancakes. If you're one that likes to stick to the traditional lemon, sugar, golden syrup or honey, then take a look at the <a href="http://www.abra-ca-debora.co.uk/recipes">recipe section</a> of their website, they have an endless amount of ideas to suit all moods and tastes, so you're sure to find something to suit you and/or your family.<br />
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I adapted a couple of their recipes and made up a couple of my own, so I thought I'd share them with you and hopefully they'll inspire you this Pancake Day :). If you're picking up some ingredients later on tonight or on Pancake Day itself, keep in mind Abra-Ca-Debora pancakes and my recipe ideas below...<br />
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<b><u>Abra-Ca-Debora Diddy Pancakes With Strawberries & Vanilla Cream</u></b><br />
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This Vanilla Liqueur Cream from Asda is amazing! As I mentioned above, me and Si like the scotch variety of pancake and our favourite topping is this cream and strawberries. Simple but delicious! I re-created this topping with the Abra-Ca-Debora Diddy Sweet Dutch Pancakes. This combination goes really well together and is honestly scrumptious. The cream is a real treat! You can enjoy these pancakes warm or cold, but in this instance I used them straight out of the packet.<br />
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<b><u>Abra-Ca-Debora Sweet Pancake With Biscuit Butter</u></b><br />
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Here I used an Abra-Ca-Debora Sweet Dutch Pancake with the equally amazing <a href="http://www.biscuitbutter.com/">Biscuit Butter</a>. This stuff is incredible. If you like biscuits then you'll definitely like this. It's a spread that tastes like biscuits! I thought this would be gorgeous spread on an Abra-Ca-Debora Sweet Dutch Pancake and warmed in a frying pan so it melted and became all gooey. I spread some of the Biscuit Butter over one half of one pancake and popped it in a non-stick frying pan, over a medium heat. The Biscuit Butter started to melt and so I folded the other side of the pancake over the Biscuit Butter half and left it to warm and crisp for about 30 seconds to a minute. I flipped the halved pancake over so the other side got warm and crisp too. I then folded the pancake again so it resembled a quarter of a circle and popped it onto a plate. I cut it in half to look like what you see in the image above. This is lovely eaten straight out of the pan or cold, but I'd definitely say it's a tad more yummy when warm! I got our Biscuit Butter from The Good Food Show Winter in Birmingham last year, but you can buy it online or see if one of your local stores stocks it <a href="http://www.biscuitbutter.com/stores">here</a>.</div>
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<b><u>Abra-Ca-Debora Diddy Cake Pops</u></b></div>
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This was a <a href="http://www.abra-ca-debora.co.uk/recipes/diddy-cake-pops">recipe</a> that I saw on the Abra-Ca-Debora website (I adapted it) and thought it was something a bit different. I think kids would absolutely love this! I used milk chocolate that I melted down in the microwave (in 30 second pangs) and a variety of sprinkles. I had these little sandwich sticks that I just put to use as I had them there, but I've seen cake pop sticks available at Poundland and I'm sure you'd be able to get some online, Amazon might be your best bet! As I said above, I melted the chocolate in the microwave and put the sticks on the Diddy's. When the chocolate was melted, I used a spoon to cover the pancakes on sticks. I made sure the Diddy's were covered in chocolate but not dripping and then I poured some sprinkles onto a plate and pressed the Diddy's on sticks into the sprinkles to cover both sides. I made a make-shift cake pop stand using an egg box and some <a href="http://www.squires-shop.com/uk/catalogue/search/food+wraps">decorative food wraps</a> from <a href="http://www.squires-shop.com/uk">Squire's Kitchen</a> (I also used the food wraps for plate decoration as you can see in some of the other images. They would also be good to wrap up some of these items if you were to put them in a lunch-box or take them on a picnic) and popped the cake pops into the stand before putting them in the fridge to set. You could also put them on a plate if you don't have a cake pop stand.</div>
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<b><u>Abra-Ca-Debora Quick Quesedilla</u></b></div>
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Last but not least is my chosen savoury pancake, which I have to say was my favourite! I've never made a savoury pancake before, but it was delicious and I'd definitely recommend giving it a go :). For this recipe, I used three Abra-Ca-Debora Original Dutch Pancakes. I prepared a mixture of cherry tomatoes, cheese, a red chilli, coriander, salt and pepper in a bowl. I was just making one so used my initiative when it came to deciding what to use (I just imagined I was making a toastie or a sandwich for one), but there is a <a href="http://www.abra-ca-debora.co.uk/recipes/quick-quesedillas">recipe</a> on the website that serves 6, so you can work out what you'd need from that. I put the three pancakes together and put the filling over one half (I tried using one pancake but realised it was too thin to hold all of the filling, hence why I used three) and folded the other half over, pressing down and trying to seal as much as possible at the open end. I put the filled triple pancake on a baking tray and into the oven on medium to warm and crisp for 10 minutes. When done, I put the pancake into a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat, just to crisp up even more. I flipped the pancake over so each side was cooked, warm and crisp and then put it onto a plate, cutting it in half. The picture above was taken about 10 minutes after it was out of the pan as my camera battery died, so I had to wait for it to charge a little. I tried taking pictures on my phone but the quality wasn't as good. I say this because when it was first cut, the cheese was oozing and it was amazing, but you can see from the image above that it had cooled a little by the time I took the photo. You'll also be able to tell that I tried a little before a picture was taken and oh my god, it was delicious! I honestly didn't have the highest hopes that I'd like it, I'm not sure why, probably because I've been brought up with pancakes being a sweet treat. It was extremely similar to a toastie, it's making my mouth water now just thinking about this, I might have to make another one later! The recipe that I saw online was a quick quesedilla recipe (I adapted it to make mine), but if you look at their recipe image and mine, mine is a lot less clean and not as thick. Their quesedilla looks more like an omelette, where as mine is more cheesy and oozy. Trust me, I'd give this a go!</div>
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I hope my ideas inspire you to keep it simple with the pancakes and to be a bit more experimental with fillings and toppings. I'd love to see if any of you carry out any of the recipe ideas above or from the Abra-Ca-Debora website. Let me know in the comments section below, on Twitter (<a href="http://twitter.com/gemsgemz86">@GemsGemz86</a>) or Instagram your pancakes and add me (<a href="http://instagram.com/gemsgemz86">@GemsGemz86</a>).</div>
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Have a flippin (oh dear!) fab Pancake Day lovelies!</div>
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Thanks so much for reading!</div>
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Gem XxOo</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* Pack shot images are courtesy of Abra-Ca-Debora.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-62929064050736574932015-02-14T02:00:00.000-08:002015-02-16T11:17:11.133-08:00Tesco Finest: Two Dine For £10 Meal Deal...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was recently given the opportunity to sample Tesco's Finest meal deal, where two dine for £10. They actually have two meal deals on at the moment and you might have seen the one that has been advertised the most on TV, promoted for Valentine's Day where two can dine for £20. I did primarily go into my local Tesco to get the items for this £20 meal deal to sample and review for you. However, my local Tesco is a Tesco Express and I was told by a lady working there that the bigger stores have the £20 deal and the smaller stores have the £10 deal, hence why it's the £10 deal that I'm featuring today.<br />
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Me and Si are actually booked in at a local independent restaurant tonight, which I'm really looking forward to, but there have been times in the past where we haven't actually been able to get out on Valentine's Day night and something like this is a great alternative. Whether you have a partner or not, there may be many reasons why it's not convenient for you to go out on Valentine's Day, whether it's because you can't get a babysitter, you and your partner both have busy lifestyles and just want some time in alone at home or you don't fancy going out on that specific evening where everywhere is likely to be busy. The Tesco Finest £10 meal deal is running until the 3rd of March, so there is plenty of time to try it out. You could even share it with your mom, sister, best friend or flat mate, it doesn't have to be just for couples.<br />
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With this meal deal you get a main, a side, a dessert and a drink for £10. The meal deal is for two, so portions are based on two dining. There are meat and vegetarian options for the main meal, ranging from meatballs, fish cakes, pie, lasagne, chicken and paella. For sides you have a selection of vegetables, rice and potato options. For dessert you can choose from tarts, cheesecakes, profiteroles, a crumble and melt in the middle puddings. Lastly, for the drinks you can choose from several alcoholic wines, freshly squeezed lemonade or Coca Cola (in glass bottles!). They also had Bottle Green drinks as a choice in my local Tesco, but that doesn't seem to be on the website. You can buy any of these items individually if you wish. If you want to read more about the products in this meal deal, you can do so on the <a href="http://www.tesco.com/groceries/ProductBuylist/default.aspx?id=G00004838&icid=DHFinestMealDeal_ad19750TW52(h)_main">Tesco website</a>.<br />
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So, onto what we chose...<br />
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For our main dish, we chose the <a href="http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=273968479">Chicken In A White Wine Sauce With Leeks</a>. This main meal consisted of two tender chicken breasts topped with fresh slices of leeks, finished with a creamy white wine sauce, with bacon and a hint of mustard. We fancied something with a bit of sauce, so this was an easy option for us. The chicken was really tender and a pleasure to eat. The sauce thickened slightly when cooked, so there wasn't a lot when it came to dividing the meal between the two of us, you can see this from the image below of the food plated up. It would have been nice to have a bit more sauce so it covered the chicken and so there would have been enough for dipping our potato wedges in. That's just our preference though. Also, when the chicken was being cooked, you could really smell the bacon, however, it was just bits of bacon within the sauce. Si doesn't really like bacon but there wasn't enough of it that it was a problem and he was easily able to push the bacon bits to one side. I thought I'd mention this as if you aren't a fan of bacon but like the sound of the dish aside from that, it is possible to avoid eating the bacon bits. It was only when finishing the meal that we both said that we didn't notice the leeks within the dish. On the front of the packaging, it seems that the leeks are a main part of the sauce, but like I said we didn't even notice eating any. I don't know what happened there as you can clearly see the green leeks in the image below :/. The overall taste of the dish was lovely though and I was pleased that the chicken wasn't dry and was tender, as it said on the packaging. The sauce was flavoursome but not too rich. I would definitely eat something like this again, it would just be nice for there to be more sauce and more leeks.</div>
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For our side option we fancied a potato dish, so we went for <a href="http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=273968859">Sea Salt & Black Pepper Wedges</a>. The wedges are baked in extra virgin olive oil until they're soft and fluffy in the middle, with deliciously crisp skins. The wedges were seasoned perfectly, they didn't need anything extra. I did notice that the skins were lovely and crisp, exactly as described, which I love! The crispier the skin the better in my opinion. There were definitely enough wedges to share between two people.</div>
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It doesn't look a lot when dished up, but if you add a side of veg it makes the meal more substantial. Plus, the dessert finishes it all off nicely.</div>
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The dessert option was another easy one for us as we are big lovers of cheesecake. We opted for the <a href="http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=280485233">Madagascan Vanilla Cheesecake Slices</a>. The cheesecake is made with creamy soft cheese and vanilla seeds, with a digestive biscuit base. These slices were huge! Vanilla might sound quite boring but it's actually one of my favourite cheesecake flavours, especially when vanilla seeds are used, rather than just flavouring. The cheesecake was very creamy and light, it wasn't heavy or sickly at all, so was a lovely end to our meal.</div>
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Note: the strawberries do not come with the cheesecakes. Si added a few to our plates, trying to rectify the bad with good probably, ha ha!</div>
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I'm not drinking alcohol at the moment as me and Si are trying for a baby, so we opted for a soft drink option. Si loves Coca Cola full stop but he prefers drinking it from the glass bottles when he can. They had a pack of <a href="http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=252202871">Coca Cola Regular 6 x 330ml Bottles</a> as part of the deal, so we chose those. I'm sure you all know what Coca Cola tastes like, but I thought it was a great option, especially because there were six glass bottles in the pack, which we knew would last beyond the meal.</div>
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If we would have bought all of these items separately it would have cost us £15.79. The meal deal was £10, so we saved £5.79. Not too shabby and always a bonus when you're saving money. I cook from scratch at home a lot, but we always keep our eye out for deals like this now and again. I pop into M&S to look at their meal deals now and again, but our local one never has any of the main meals left :/. It's funny though because the day before we went and picked up this meal deal, Si had been in town and he saw it in Tesco and came back quite excited that the glass Coca Cola bottles were in the deal, so we probably would have picked up this meal deal regardless.</div>
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Whatever you do today and whoever you're with, happy Valentine's Day lovelies!</div>
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<b>What are your experiences with supermarket meal deals?</b></div>
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Thanks so much for reading lovelies!</div>
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Gem XxOo</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-84189810705990905282015-02-02T02:00:00.000-08:002015-02-04T08:56:50.906-08:00Start The Year As You Mean To Go On...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Heeelloooo lovelies! Long time no see/speak, whatever it'd be in the blogging world :). The last post I wrote was on Christmas Eve 2014, which was the final post of Blogmas 2014. I loved taking part in Blogmas and although it was a challenge blogging every day, it was a fun one. As you might have guessed, I had a little break over Christmas and the New Year, just to have fun, spend time with family and just be. This carried over into January as I was getting organised, had a few things to sort out, priorities and all of that. I generally had to get back into the swing of things, which took a while as to be honest I was a bit :( that Christmas was over.<br />
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So yes, I wanted to get organised and sort a few things out before I got back into blogging. It's all about the clean home, clean mind for me and I didn't want to get straight into blogging again when I needed to do other things first. The main things that I needed to do have been done now, so I'm perfectly happy sitting here on this lazy Sunday and blogging for you all :).<br />
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I thought it would be apt to share with you my tips for starting the new year as you mean to go on...<br />
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<b><u>Clean Your Home/Space</u></b><br />
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This is something that can instantly make me feel better and have a much clearer mind. Obviously I regularly clean our home, but there's something about having a 'big' clean at the beginning of a new year that just feels really satisfying. It's kind of like the big clean you do just before Christmas and before you go on holiday or is this just me?! Hoovering, polishing, cleaning floors and general tidying are just the basics. Opening windows to let a bit of coolness in whilst cleaning is also a lovely feeling, making it feel even more fresh and clean in your home/space. Doing a big wash of things you don't have to wash that often, for example, pillows, cushions, blankets, dressing gowns, mats etc. Also, change your bedding. I always sleep so well after I've changed our bedding and had a shower/bath before getting into bed. Finishing touches like fresh flowers, candles, air fresheners and plug-ins will make your home/space smell wonderful and just feel generally fresh, clean and comforting. I say 'space' as I know you might not have your own home and your bedroom is the only place you can make your own. I loved making my bedroom my own when I lived with my mom and so the new year was one of the times that I liked to have a good clean out and feel organised for the year ahead.<br />
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Image courtesy of Baby Center.</div>
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<b><u>Freshen Up/Complete Your Home/Space</u></b><br />
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Getting rid of old items/items that don't work any more and buying new bits and pieces for your home/space can be really therapeutic and can really freshen up your home/space. You don't have to do your whole home/space in one go, but work on one area at a time. It's amazing how little things can make your home/space feel more complete and more 'you'. We've bought a few new things for our flat recently and I was just saying this to Si the other day. We've purchased a few new kitchen items, slogan signs and a working, Big Ben wall clock sticker. You can see some images on my Instagram @GemsGemz86 (which is also my Twitter name should you want to follow me :)). There's almost a sense of satisfaction and comfort from bringing the ideas in your head into reality and making your home/space feel like yours, if you know what I mean. Even moving things around and making your home/space feel different can be just as good. I'd recommend starting a list and writing down ideas for parts of your home/space that you aren't entirely happy with, then when you get paid or have a little extra money, look into buying one or two items from your list. Before you know it, your home/space will be exactly how you want it. Look for bargains online, check out charity shops and places like B&M that have amazing aisles with all those bits to add a special something to a home/space.<br />
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<b><u>Sort Out Your Personal Items</u></b><br />
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For me, this was initially my clothing. I did this the other day and I'm not gonna lie about the fact that it felt great! I needed to do it for some time as I noticed when I was putting clean washing away that it was getting harder to put items back into my wardrobe. It only took me an hour which I was really pleased about. Usually with a big task like this, it's always the thought of how long it's going to take that can put you off. It wasn't that hard to do this year to be honest, I just got rid of the items that I no longer wear, items that don't fit as they first did and shrunk items. My wardrobe is now much more organised and in sections so I know what's what. I have a huge bag for charity and a few items that I might try and sell online. This tip can also apply to shoes, make-up, general beauty items etc. It doesn't have to mean getting rid of anything, maybe just dusting/cleaning items and organising them in a better way, for example, in style or colour for shoes and categories for beauty items. This could also be a time to think about getting bigger/better storage. You'll be amazed at how much better you feel after you've organised your things and it just makes you want to be more neat and organised from then on.<br />
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<b><u>Write Stuff Down</u></b><br />
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One of my favourite things to do at the start of a new year is fill out a new diary and calendar. It's a great way to get things off of the mind and you can keep track of birthdays, blogging days, special events, things you don't want to miss etc. I also love getting a new notebook that I start writing in at the beginning of a new year. It's there for those times that something comes into my head and before I forget it, I write it down. So far this year, I've been jotting down blogging ideas, finances, things I need to remember to get, things I want to look at online and to-do lists. I also made a little pouch in the back of my notebook to hold loose notes etc. You'll feel better knowing you don't have to try and remember everything and that you can always refer to your diary, calendar or notebook to tell you what you need to know.<br />
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<b><u>Look After Yourself</u></b><br />
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The new year is a great time to think about starting new routines in many aspects of your life whether it be your skincare routine, your diet or just your general health/fitness. I suppose some may call these 'New Year Resolutions', but I never make a point of saying I have specific resolutions that need to be adhered to, because let's face it, we all have the best intentions of sticking to resolutions at the beginning of a year, but most of the time we don't. There are always things that I want to do more of at the start of a new year but I don't put huge pressure on myself to stick to whatever it might be from the 1st January to the 31st of December. I just look at it as things that I'd like to think about and do more of during the year. I think it's good to think about things that you will enjoy doing, but also things that might be more of a challenge.<br />
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Whether it be healthy or hearty food, I love to cook from fresh, so it never really becomes a chore for me. I have my off days when I'm not in the mood, but it isn't very often when it comes to cooking. I love going through recipe books and putting little tabs on the pages of recipes I'd like to try. I also look online for recipes and have a folder for those that I'd like to try and a folder for tried and tested recipes that we enjoyed, so I can go back and make them again. I jot down the ingredients that I'll need for recipes and then during our next 'big shop', I'll pick up those ingredients. Don't get me wrong we have our treat days where we eat out or have a takeaway and we don't beat ourselves up over this as we never do this to the point where we should be worried about it, but in general, I like to look after myself and my husband in this way. If you don't like cooking, then this may be a hard one for you, but I'd recommend doing what I said above with the recipe book. It'll give cooking a bit more structure and it won't seem as daunting when you're at the supermarket and have no clue where to start.<br />
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Maintaining a skincare routine is an easy one for me as it's something I like to do as I can see the benefits. I always feel rubbish if I haven't cleansed, toned or moisturised my skin. I'm not a saint, I have those days when I use make-up remover wipes, but over the years I've found the ones that work well for me. My main skincare routine includes a cleanser, a toner and a moisturiser. I use face masks once or twice a month and also use an overnight repair cream and an eye cream. I'm thinking of doing a current skincare routine post soon, so I won't go into too much detail now. My skin feels so much better when I include all of these steps and if for some reason I forget to use a product, I definitely notice! If you already have products but don't stick to a specific skincare routine, I'd recommend giving it a go, at least then you're doing your bit in looking after your skin and you'll start to notice a difference. If you have no routine, I'd recommend treating yourself to a proper cream cleanser (cleansers you can use with a hot cloth are wonderful), a toner and a moisturiser to start with. You can go onto eye creams, masks and night creams later. You don't have to spend a fortune either, Boots often have deals on their skincare products. You might be lucky and find products that work for you straight away, but if you've never had a routine before, it might take a couple of products to get a real feel for your skin type and find those products that work perfectly for you. You could always try speaking to an assistant in Boots or another drug store and see what they'd recommend for the type of skin that you feel you have.<br />
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The last part of looking after me is a bit more challenging as I find it hard to get the motivation to do it. You might have guessed it, it's exercise/fitness. The thing is I love it when I'm doing it and I feel so much better for doing it and I know this, it's the same every time. I might be shattered after a good session of exercise/fitness but I ALWAYS feel better for it and that alone should be enough to get me going, but it's not. I know a lot of people feel this way and it's hard to fathom to be honest, but getting the motivation to exercise/keep fit is hard! I suppose if I was in a routine it might be easier, but it's more of the case that because I don't HAVE to do it, I don't. So yes, this is something I want to do more of this year. Me and Si starting running around our local park last year, in the run up to our wedding and we quite enjoyed it, so we will definitely be doing that again this year. We also like taking little walks, so we'll probably do that more too. I want to get a few exercise DVDs aswell, that I can do at home. I really want to get into yoga this year too. I love the thought of exercise that gives you perspective and peace of mind, so I need me a bit of that! One thing I will say if you are umming and ahhing over exercise/fitness, is that you will feel so much better afterwards. You might feel exhausted to start with, but exercise builds up your energy, helps metabolism and just generally makes you feel better in yourself. It's hard to explain, but you'll know what I mean!<br />
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I also had a hair cut and colour (I've never had my hair coloured before!) recently. I wanted a change for the new year and I'm sooo happy with it :)...</div>
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<b>These are just a few things I've been doing and thinking about in January to set me up for the new year. Everyone has different priorities/situations, so what have you been doing to start a fresh new year? Let me know in the comments section below :).</b><br />
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Thanks so much for reading lovelies!<br />
Gem XxOoAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-44900568132573668802014-12-24T02:00:00.000-08:002014-12-24T02:00:00.682-08:00BLOGMAS Day 24: MERRY CHRISTMAS...Woo, it's Christmas Eve! I'm so excited, I can't wait for us to go to my mom's later on, relax and just enjoy the festivities!<br />
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As it's Christmas Day tomorrow, I thought I'd share with you how our Christmas Day is likely to unfold. Me and Si are spending Christmas at my mom and sister's this year and have done every year since we've been together, aside from last year when we had our first Christmas in our flat. It's pretty easy for me to tell you how tomorrow will unfold, as me, my mom and sister have had the same traditions for years and then we introduced Si to them. If you're not too busy, let me know how your Christmas Day usually unfolds. I know people do different things and I'm nosy, so feel free to share :).<br />
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<b><u>Morning</u></b><br />
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We usually wake up at about 8am Christmas morning (mom has a pull out bed in what used to be my bedroom, for when me and Si sleep over). Me and Si have got each other stockings this year, so we'll probably open our stockings to each other first. I know my mom has done me, Si and my sister stockings and we have done my mom one, so after me and Si have opened ours, we'll probably go into my mom's room where she can open hers and me, Si and my sister can open ours from mom.<br />
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Me, Si and my sister are still like big kids when it comes to Christmas, even though we are all 24 and 28 years old, ha ha! It doesn't normally take mom too long to get up to come downstairs now, but when me and my sister were younger, it seemed like it took forever to get our parents to come downstairs! First things first, we always put the kettle on! It's usually me or mom that makes the hot drinks, usually because Si doesn't like hot drinks and my sister very rarely has one, so it's normally just me and mom. We all have our own specific places in the living room where our presents are laid out. We normally go round and open a present one by one, we love doing this and it's nice to see what everyone has got, plus it makes present opening last longer :).<br />
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After we've finished opening our presents, me, Si and my sister tend to look more closely at what we've received and mom makes us all breakfast. We usually have sausage or bacon sandwiches, aswell as a glass of fizz, like Buck's Fizz.<br />
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<b><u>Afternoon</u></b><br />
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By the time we've opened our stockings, our presents and had breakfast, it's normally about midday. Mom usually goes and gets ready and then starts preparing the dinner. As she is doing that, the rest of us will get ready and then carry on looking at our gifts. I always ask mom if she wants any help but her kitchen isn't the biggest, so normally she likes to make the dinner on her own. If I'm lucky, I might get to do the washing up :/, cheers mom! Mom has normally set the table up by the time 2/3pm arrives, so we sit down and get ready for dinner. Like I said yesterday in my blog <a href="http://gemsi2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/blogmas-day-23-food-traditionally-eaten.html">post</a>, mom always makes a three course meal, so we eat, drink, pull our crackers and laugh for a good while. We also have a few more 'drinky woos' (alcohol) :). Since last year, mom has started getting us a little gift for when we're sitting at the table eating dinner. She got us all gingerbread cookies last year, with sweets on them and she said she's got us all something this year too. I've actually bought everyone a scratch card for when we're sitting down for dinner. Just as a little extra something. Good luck to us all! :).<br />
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We eat our starters and main meals at the table, then have a little rest in front of the TV before dessert. We always have the best intentions of going back to the table for dessert, but we usually end up eating it in the living room, in front of the TV :). We don't watch the Queen's speech, so after dinner we have a look what's on and put something on that we all want to watch. Unless it's something we really wanna watch, the TV is usually on in the background as we carry on admiring our presents.<br />
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<b><u>Evening</u></b><br />
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We like our Christmas TV specials, so during the evening if there are any on, we're usually watching them. Me, my mom and my sister love the soaps too, so we usually watch those. Si pretends he's not interested but usually has the most to say about them, he he! He thinks they're all doom and gloom, which when you think about it, they usually are!<br />
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We play games throughout the evening too. I'm contemplating picking up a new board game tomorrow morning, but am not too sure what to get :/. We have board games we can take to mom's though and I know there's loads at mom's from when me and my sister were kids, so we'll have enough to choose from :). I wrote a post about my favourite games to play at Christmas <a href="http://gemsi2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/blogmas-day-17-favourite-christmas-games.html">here</a>.<br />
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The evening is when we tend to pig out the most, we normally have cheese and crackers, chocolates, nuts, sweets, crisps and just little bits and pieces really. I normally like to drink something a bit warming in the evening, like Jack Daniel's and coke or mulled wine. The festivities carry on throughout the night and usually into the early hours!<br />
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I love Christmas and although it goes sooo quickly, we always have such a fab day! I literally can't wait until tomorrow, but it all starts later on when we go to mom's and begin the festivities :).<br />
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I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and an amazing New Year! Enjoy every minute, including the food and presents, but most importantly, enjoy and cherish spending time with loved ones :).<br />
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I'm probably going to have a nice little break during Christmas and will be back with you all in the New Year :). Thanks for all your support during Blogmas! I've thoroughly enjoyed taking part and sharing my run up to Christmas with you all. See you in 2015!<br />
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Merry Christmas!<br />
Gem XxOoAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-16865430137006045432014-12-23T09:09:00.001-08:002014-12-23T18:08:14.581-08:00BLOGMAS Day 23: Food Traditionally Eaten On Christmas Day...I can't believe it's the 23rd of December and I have two more Blogmas posts to write (including today). It's flew by but I've loved taking part and am proud that I've kept up! These last two posts might be short and sweet, but they're personal to my Christmas, so I hope you enjoy them all the same :).<br />
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Food is one of the main things people go mad about at Christmas. Whether it's me and Si or my mom doing the shopping, we always make a list and probably buy a little more than we should as we treat ourselves to bits and bobs. It's a fun experience and we get excited about what we're going to eat on Christmas Day for breakfast, dinner and snacks. I love it in a supermarket near Christmas, when you can tell everyone is doing their 'big shop', Christmas songs are playing in the background and everyone is so merry. It's a lovely time to be a part of.<br />
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Me and Si are going to my mom and sister's for Christmas this year. It'll just be the four of us so I thought I'd share with you what we traditionally eat on Christmas Day. I'd love to know what you guys eat as I know everyone has their own traditions :)...<br />
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<b><u>Breakfast</u></b><br />
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When we've finished opening our presents, mom usually makes us some breakfast. When we were younger we used to have a full English breakfast, but came to realise that it filled us up too much, as we have our Christmas dinner about 2/3pm. So now we have bacon or sausage sandwiches.<br />
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<b><u>Dinner</u></b><br />
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Mom has always made a three course meal for Christmas dinner. Starters usually consist of prawn cocktail for some and pate with toast for others. I love pate on toast! Christmas dinner is of course, turkey! Then we have roast potatoes, sometimes mashed potatoes, stuffing, carrots, parsnips, sprouts and cauliflower, I think. She differs the vegetables each year, but we all have different preferences, so she cooks a few things and gives us what we all like in terms of veg. We have gravy and then sauces like cranberry sauce. Mom cooks her roast potatoes in goose fat, so they're always sooo tasty! You're probably wondering about the pigs in blankets, but the four of us aren't really bothered about them to be honest, so mom doesn't normally cook them. We usually have a little break after our starter and main meal, to make room for dessert. Again, this differs, none of us like Christmas pudding, so we normally have trifle, fruit salad or a different kind of cake. I know this year we're having Eton mess, which I'm extremely happy about!<br />
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<b><u>Supper/Snacks</u></b><br />
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At about 6/7pm, we all start getting a bit peckish again, so this is normally when the good stuff comes out, ha ha! Mom will make turkey sandwiches if we want them, but we'll normally have some cheese and crackers. I like shopping for the cheese! All the chocolates, nuts, crisps etc come out during the evening and we all just pick as and when we like as we're watching TV and playing games :).<br />
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Ooh, talking about this makes me sooo hungry. I can't wait!<br />
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<b>Like I said above, let me know your Christmas Day food traditions, I'd love to know.</b><br />
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<b>Don't forget to like, comment and follow to keep up to date with the rest of my Blogmas posts :).</b><br />
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Thanks so much for reading lovelies!<br />
Gem XxOoAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-54134304636098298042014-12-22T14:17:00.000-08:002014-12-23T18:06:26.867-08:00BLOGMAS Day 22: Cooking With Gem: Garlic, Rosemary & Thyme Pork Loin...I love to cook from scratch at home and one of mine and Si's fave things to eat is garlic, rosemary and thyme pork loin. I cooked it the other day and thought I'd share with you how I make it :). I can't remember when I first discovered a recipe for pork loin or the cut of meat in general, but it was some time ago now as I was making this dish back when we were living at mom's house. The main part of the meal is the pork loin. I always prepare and season this the same every time, as it's just too yummy not to. The sides that I serve it with tend to differ, but you will see what I chose to serve it with this time, below.<br />
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Before I start anything, I pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.<br />
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This is the cut of pork loin after I've removed all the sinew. I'm really fussy with meat, so I like that there is no fat on a pork loin. The way I cook it ensures that it isn't dry either, so it's still really enjoyable. I cook the loin in a ceramic baking dish as I like to scrape off the bits at the bottom after cooking to create a lovely gravy (as you will see later on). Using this ceramic dish to do that means I won't scratch up a normal baking dish/tray.</div>
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Here I have massaged garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, a little salt and pepper into both sides of the loin. I add a drizzle of oil (I just use vegetable oil) to the loin to ensure all the seasoning sticks to the loin. I cook it for 50 minutes. When 50 minutes is up, I cut through the thickest part of the loin and if it isn't pink any more then I know it's done.</div>
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I peeled and cut up my potatoes for the mash and put them in a saucepan of water, with a little salt, on the hob ready to be boiled, along with the peas (in a separate saucepan of course). I don't put the heat on until there's about 20 minutes to go on the loin. I put them on a medium heat. Obviously when the potatoes are soft, they're done. I drain the potatoes and put them back into the saucepan, adding a little milk, a knob of butter, salt and pepper to taste and then I just mash them with a regular mashing utensil.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkIxb1N6WFvXCZ1U9m5XUbR0VNQbuhmg67StPxlI35SRokoNwLjpzPdhXdU2FZZRk2-CMg-tthR8oFpNbXJyj-OQGI50b5_0Wey7uX9ioCFox8BMGgRMg_Tcirzcf8VWi9GssCfrpg-AE/s1600/P1100667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkIxb1N6WFvXCZ1U9m5XUbR0VNQbuhmg67StPxlI35SRokoNwLjpzPdhXdU2FZZRk2-CMg-tthR8oFpNbXJyj-OQGI50b5_0Wey7uX9ioCFox8BMGgRMg_Tcirzcf8VWi9GssCfrpg-AE/s1600/P1100667.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Above is the batter mix that I made for home-made Yorkshire puddings. I have a four hole large Yorkshire pudding tin, so wanted to make four. I looked online for the amount of ingredients I'd need. I used 70g of plain flour, 2 eggs, 100ml of milk, salt, pepper and some oil for cooking. I put the flour and eggs into a bowl and mixed them together, then I gradually added the milk until it looked like it does in the image above. I also added some salt and pepper to taste.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUuWlOknpFBd8FMABCCFk2XxGui3CD51nY3x7iu-Dg04lehStP_2BygbDOT9bekbDYiHwYzaa2LzSCZSTvsiM7UGeEVSbhAutPZ8EYhEdZcGNk8xU_fmgSDa-C_COMD0oLnlOyt6JqFBo/s1600/P1100671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWUuWlOknpFBd8FMABCCFk2XxGui3CD51nY3x7iu-Dg04lehStP_2BygbDOT9bekbDYiHwYzaa2LzSCZSTvsiM7UGeEVSbhAutPZ8EYhEdZcGNk8xU_fmgSDa-C_COMD0oLnlOyt6JqFBo/s1600/P1100671.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I wiped some vegetable oil around each hole in my tin to stop the Yorkshire puddings from sticking. I then popped the tin in the oven, so the oil heated up whilst I was making the mix. Leave the tin in the oven until you are ready to cook the Yorkshire puddings.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtb7oYsWqxT7hhxwsAhZwTSEyeXZHDUy8uqWsot8Nqle4g3nstJ81mzbWK19wmOEBC9RtyLA46WOTqIKiUGHZ9bODdDslf1XbDCrPA_jh8rZLOGZmw2tNs2-YuBcXj-D0Oug6uIUUuEDKb/s1600/P1100675.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtb7oYsWqxT7hhxwsAhZwTSEyeXZHDUy8uqWsot8Nqle4g3nstJ81mzbWK19wmOEBC9RtyLA46WOTqIKiUGHZ9bODdDslf1XbDCrPA_jh8rZLOGZmw2tNs2-YuBcXj-D0Oug6uIUUuEDKb/s1600/P1100675.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Yorkshire puddings take about 20 minutes to cook, so I put the Yorkshire pudding mix into the holes in the tin and start cooking them five minutes before I start cooking the potatoes and peas. This will mean that the meat, potatoes and peas will be cooked at around the same time and the Yorkshire puddings will have a few more minutes whilst you're preparing the meat. They are fine to be cooked at the same temperature as the pork loin.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2mBlM8-drNxybHG37R6SC4WgphqApxsj18uz45EKLgwMPX4RV0izYIW7SdBV0jNCn_abNPDrb_uR64sCb0m6LXzrw0V5qcAzLpp-tTw62tC_VfXyWJFoIygdH8A6FCzJgMfqkyRpUsRM/s1600/P1100676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid2mBlM8-drNxybHG37R6SC4WgphqApxsj18uz45EKLgwMPX4RV0izYIW7SdBV0jNCn_abNPDrb_uR64sCb0m6LXzrw0V5qcAzLpp-tTw62tC_VfXyWJFoIygdH8A6FCzJgMfqkyRpUsRM/s1600/P1100676.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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This was the first time I'd made Yorkshire puddings this big and by using my own ingredients, instead of a packet mix. They soon puffed up. I took them out at just the right time, when they were nice and browned on top. They look quite dark in the image, but they weren't burnt. They were the perfect size to fit all the other parts of the meal in.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2lFjWyvt1uH5gkqjaa43FlDaVIe0p2XfVVpo3yoZpNFjmoFnv7Sx_roIZcZEwBLuEdoW5c0Fn9dMmpuVQzeK9NhyphenhyphenAn3r63KjFk6eNheWdjHW2XNuOHfDsWTj0sg6KtnJ3nTzNvvFkdF_/s1600/P1100679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL2lFjWyvt1uH5gkqjaa43FlDaVIe0p2XfVVpo3yoZpNFjmoFnv7Sx_roIZcZEwBLuEdoW5c0Fn9dMmpuVQzeK9NhyphenhyphenAn3r63KjFk6eNheWdjHW2XNuOHfDsWTj0sg6KtnJ3nTzNvvFkdF_/s1600/P1100679.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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When the pork loin is done, turn the heat for the potatoes and peas down to the minimum, whilst you're preparing the meat. The image above shows the pork loin when it's cooked, after 50 minutes. The bottom of the dish looks burnt but it's actually gooey, gorgeous flavour that makes for a flavoursome gravy!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrGd4B_jgzwQF5T1d3LwLbninpEzMSywJRvGqZ0UhSCmNqGvOcs5tIdpX5al1WiyxLM2u0gb4iJ2-zB6qDVR5K_F680eaVjajZZ64dHKsvK4zzGNwNK02_YLWlKcb2MX5NwxirLg9iOvA/s1600/P1100684.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrGd4B_jgzwQF5T1d3LwLbninpEzMSywJRvGqZ0UhSCmNqGvOcs5tIdpX5al1WiyxLM2u0gb4iJ2-zB6qDVR5K_F680eaVjajZZ64dHKsvK4zzGNwNK02_YLWlKcb2MX5NwxirLg9iOvA/s1600/P1100684.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I normally leave the pork loin to rest for a couple of minutes (with foil on the top) and then cut it up. I use a knife to hold the meat down and a fork to cut and pull away at the meat. It's so succulent and cuts really easily. I boiled the kettle with fresh water, sprinkled some gravy granules into the dish and poured a little boiled water on top. Add the water gradually until the gravy reaches your preferred consistency. You can then let the meat soak up some of the juices and scrape away at the bottom of the dish to add the extra flavour to the gravy. I love doing gravy this way, it's just so tasty! Whilst I'm preparing the mashed potatoes, I put the foil back on top of the pork, which keeps the heat in.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAb9P_LC9xwnXsgw1vVt4yp2FfbpOYnMmhR9Js5ZbU8IYBbsmyKdXKWhMVa_3r0Mw963hXNFIVtZ3ZPHZcDQRiHkVLCP_R-31NHFj2qYvlOSRZhLcSs-8-C9oKdVmd44YmsccqfX54DS5z/s1600/P1100689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAb9P_LC9xwnXsgw1vVt4yp2FfbpOYnMmhR9Js5ZbU8IYBbsmyKdXKWhMVa_3r0Mw963hXNFIVtZ3ZPHZcDQRiHkVLCP_R-31NHFj2qYvlOSRZhLcSs-8-C9oKdVmd44YmsccqfX54DS5z/s1600/P1100689.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mmmm! Succulent, gravy soaked pork loin!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zASoKg_f7b9GguNAl4pHiCxIuF6kJO8Nf5NVdDjoWkAqNGIm52OtxqPsD5bsAVyfJ1csOaIHWeu61qULleAmG5RAkBpgz87MHav8IpQ8sA6gKV9ghReRMVaxOiIslTPxKLae82EpAqwE/s1600/P1100698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zASoKg_f7b9GguNAl4pHiCxIuF6kJO8Nf5NVdDjoWkAqNGIm52OtxqPsD5bsAVyfJ1csOaIHWeu61qULleAmG5RAkBpgz87MHav8IpQ8sA6gKV9ghReRMVaxOiIslTPxKLae82EpAqwE/s1600/P1100698.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is how I served up our meal. The Yorkshire puddings are on the bottom, filled with mashed potatoes, peas and the gorgeous pork loin. I poured over any gravy left in the baking dish.</div>
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Like I said, me and Si love this meal and I've been making it for some time now. Sometimes I leave the Yorkshire puddings out completely and sometimes I serve with boiled potatoes instead of mashed potatoes and wilted garlic spinach instead of peas. It just depends what we have in or what we fancy. Any of these combinations are lovely though!</div>
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<b>If you have a go at making this meal, let me know in the comments section below or on Twitter @GemsGemz86 :). I'd love to see pictures too!</b></div>
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<b>Don't forget to like, comment and follow to keep up to date with the rest of my Blogmas posts :).</b></div>
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Thanks for reading lovelies!</div>
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Gem XxOo</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-3041976641977316682014-12-21T14:34:00.001-08:002014-12-23T18:04:40.061-08:00BLOGMAS Day 21: Day In The Life...If you watch Vlogmas videos on YouTube, you'll know that they are basically 'day in the life' videos at Christmas time. I thought I'd bring that to my blog and show you a recent day in the life of mine :). Simple idea but I hope you like it.<br />
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These things happened on Friday 19th December 2014, where I had quite a chilled day just doing things around the house, doing a bit of writing and blogging and having a quiet evening in as Si was at work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuf7KL3U3K6DyMaUNu38OtdN8OKeW0DgJKhDuz9CkHMuSTshvsFwQxXXodGSNmeiYrG5q-L1ccBTk2E254rttfjwU-6iYgTZ0L_T-Eh2j_BNTkTD_mYx3qEm7cSorFsjhFRSlZ-rj9Eshk/s1600/P1100349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuf7KL3U3K6DyMaUNu38OtdN8OKeW0DgJKhDuz9CkHMuSTshvsFwQxXXodGSNmeiYrG5q-L1ccBTk2E254rttfjwU-6iYgTZ0L_T-Eh2j_BNTkTD_mYx3qEm7cSorFsjhFRSlZ-rj9Eshk/s1600/P1100349.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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A cold, winters morning view from one of our back windows at about 6:30am.</div>
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<img height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw_a9gX8W7-r3359t0pNRr2bOeLMFbMBslilJXknSCBARQJE65WDeJRnSP0Mq65Lh95zzAyW8JoqmAgLfvvIB18bBgp0X7_8XoD_LTflqFiWJTXhtD60igCWMFPNTQT4TkVKdzPeurto-v/s1600/P1100461.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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I didn't have anything to eat as soon as I woke up as I was fluttering around the house doing bits and bobs, so I considered this to be more like brunch than breakfast. I had a cup of tea (which is a must), yummy scrambled eggs on toast, fresh natural yoghurt with raspberries and pure honey mixed in and a nice glass of cold water to get the metabolism going :).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjJdhDe7ftSJVy2lSKNU9EEL2bQkVZuTviOcByY6BgCvzHBhs6YVUu2njpG6u9gg3bQbYxNCUGzKni6jKp13ay-10QeICd2qe7SXjNEFB73v1Nqp-AcXzjFlfFdQzjE0lmaZvW96w19T_/s1600/P1100703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjJdhDe7ftSJVy2lSKNU9EEL2bQkVZuTviOcByY6BgCvzHBhs6YVUu2njpG6u9gg3bQbYxNCUGzKni6jKp13ay-10QeICd2qe7SXjNEFB73v1Nqp-AcXzjFlfFdQzjE0lmaZvW96w19T_/s1600/P1100703.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Can't forget to open the advent calendar! Me and Si have a chocolate advent calendar this year. Mine is a 'Me to You' one. Si was disappointed that we didn't have little images or messages on the inside of the windows, ha ha. I'm not gonna lie, half the time I forget to open mine and end up having quite a few windows to open at once! It's been funny recently as Si's chocolates started out being Christmas themed but the past few days they've been pretty random.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirf4kZUt-_HUGr5h7V8SyGujKcqgQ5MTjA1F08edpW5kDrHRy93iH0j3N6bbmMCcsWBje-Vz26QIpR3sitMhPrrCkbKYDWtctXH5ZCv0SX1BSb6eMnWu42sCVd7f_rgKmFxnTVwYETPbQg/s1600/P1100358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirf4kZUt-_HUGr5h7V8SyGujKcqgQ5MTjA1F08edpW5kDrHRy93iH0j3N6bbmMCcsWBje-Vz26QIpR3sitMhPrrCkbKYDWtctXH5ZCv0SX1BSb6eMnWu42sCVd7f_rgKmFxnTVwYETPbQg/s1600/P1100358.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I differ between having a shower in the morning and having one at night. I work from home so sometimes I have one during the day, it just depends on how I feel. On this particular day it was about 3pm when I had this shower. A hot shower always perks me up and makes me feel better.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlduxqjEsXOPEWGnpT3Jagzi7VJoLeqFSCILYp7VqpAnvK2YEa8nQnw3OZz2dScuj0NiPd-A5oR5SvwRqu6eNJUkZTWFmH9lAqDEhkWaJ-bSZgCLTUU8t3XUqXtIaiZx8hkrK2Sxduy4V/s1600/P1100375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlduxqjEsXOPEWGnpT3Jagzi7VJoLeqFSCILYp7VqpAnvK2YEa8nQnw3OZz2dScuj0NiPd-A5oR5SvwRqu6eNJUkZTWFmH9lAqDEhkWaJ-bSZgCLTUU8t3XUqXtIaiZx8hkrK2Sxduy4V/s1600/P1100375.JPG" height="320" width="314" /></a></div>
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I have all of my shower/bath products in the shower and just use them as and when. I have other products in the bedroom so just replace when needed. Believe it or not, 7 of those bottles are shampoo, ha ha! I get through conditioner like nobody's business and always end up with more shampoo. I had run out of body wash for myself though and didn't realise until I was already in the shower, so I just used Si's, he he!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1L9PxHKH4k5R-WzB_nv5YRKxI459KWTVMHnKPdF-hBWtlYvMGb6rLRODRfOZvXZOeZYWPlXMkHRJDw-rGAoVb52RmPJcdJoC62ny-FI_NXO86__cZeoTRb6v3tqSvg0rucPe3oJ1eovoO/s1600/P1100392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1L9PxHKH4k5R-WzB_nv5YRKxI459KWTVMHnKPdF-hBWtlYvMGb6rLRODRfOZvXZOeZYWPlXMkHRJDw-rGAoVb52RmPJcdJoC62ny-FI_NXO86__cZeoTRb6v3tqSvg0rucPe3oJ1eovoO/s1600/P1100392.JPG" height="196" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeGNcZuH3xj40lOsh78HHgsfsfrwanFvUnv9yH-8_3uj1PZqWWeAVZmp7VAfVWTOUIhFhOH-KS2ZPnoOfgHnK4v5Q7eVRRLvn5mPTCImRcZrKjy9GDaUdE8nV7W2_MVIa26K1_9qv4ZYu/s1600/P1100397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeGNcZuH3xj40lOsh78HHgsfsfrwanFvUnv9yH-8_3uj1PZqWWeAVZmp7VAfVWTOUIhFhOH-KS2ZPnoOfgHnK4v5Q7eVRRLvn5mPTCImRcZrKjy9GDaUdE8nV7W2_MVIa26K1_9qv4ZYu/s1600/P1100397.JPG" height="200" width="103" /></a></div>
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I love the No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser and have done for some time now. It's so luxurious and lovely to use. I used it whilst in the shower. I used the body lotion when I got out of the shower. I prefer to put body lotion on when I just come out of the shower, when my skin is still damp. I find it sinks in a lot quicker this way. I also do this because there have been times in the past when I've gone into the bedroom and forgot about moisturising and my skin doesn't appreciate not being moisturised. You might wonder why I'm using Johnson's Baby Bedtime Lotion during the day, well, not only does it smell nice, it always makes me feel calm because of the lavender. It doesn't make me drowsy or anything so I use it whenever I like.</div>
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When it comes to my hair after a bath or shower, I tend to wear it wrapped up in a towel for a little while to take most of the excess moisture out. I mix up the products that I use depending on when I'm drying my hair and what I want to achieve with my hair. I always use my Wahl Salon Power Hairdryer which has two heat settings, two power/speed settings and a cool shot. In terms of products, on this occasion I used the Tresemme Heat Defence Styling Spray for all over my hair, the Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm for the lengths of my hair and the L'Oreal Elvive Repairing Serum for the ends of my hair. I love my Tangle Tamer brush from Denman, it smooths my hair after washing without pulling half of it out. I use this every day, whether my hair is wet or not, it's definitely gentler on my hair than other brushes that I have. I wasn't going out anywhere so after blow-drying, I just put my hair up in a messy bun.</div>
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I had this No7 Protect and Perfect Night Cream in a set recently from Boots and have really been enjoying using it. I have the day cream too. I am a fan of No7 products in general, so it's nice to have more items from their collection. It smells lovely and is really moisturising and hydrating. By the time I came to putting this on, it wasn't exactly early, so I decided to use the night cream instead of the day cream. I had a make-up free day as I wasn't going out anywhere.</div>
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When I am thinking about settling down to do some writing, blogging or even to just watch TV, I like to light at least one candle. It makes me feel so cosy and comfy. Everyone feel sorry for my poor Black Cherry Yankee Candle that fell off of a shelf and smashed :(. I only got it a few weeks ago too! It's a lovely scent though, it smells like cherry drop sweets :).</div>
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Time to get some writing done and of course my Blogmas post for the day! If you haven't seen my Blogmas Day 19 post, check it out <a href="http://gemsi2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/blogmas-day-19-favourite-christmas-films.html">here</a>.</div>
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I cooked one of mine and Si's fave meals. The main bit is pork loin that I always season with salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary and thyme. I tend to vary the sides that I serve it with, but on this occasion I decided to make my own Yorkshire puddings and have mashed potato inside of them with peas and then the pork loin on the top, which is soaked in half gravy granules and half home-made gravy with the meat juices/flavourings stuck to the bottom of the baking dish. I took photos as I was making this dish, so I might blog about it tomorrow and tell you how I make it :).</div>
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I had quite a lot of wrapping to do, so thought I'd get stuck in. I quite enjoy wrapping to be honest and seeing the presents build up that I've bought for people. I was watching Text Santa whilst wrapping. I've wrapped a few more since Friday but am all up to date now. I still have a couple of things to pick up Christmas Eve, so will wrap them then.</div>
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After everything was done for the day, I settled down in bed with a hot chocolate. I treated myself to a little Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine this year, so I make them on there. Silly me forgot to take a picture of it when it was first made, but it was lovely and frothy! I like them with cream on the top normally, but we haven't got any at the mo :(, need to pick some up. I also caught up with some YouTube videos whilst I was drinking it. Aswell as my usual YouTube subscriptions, I like to see what the most watched videos are and sometimes I just have a search for random stuff on there when I'm having a little chill.</div>
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Si was working on this evening, so I decided to watch a bit of Netflix. I watched the last few episodes of Orange Is The New Black. I've actually finished watching it now, but my sister recommended it to me. It's really good to be fair, I'm looking forward to the next series!</div>
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<b>Don't forget to like, comment and follow to keep up to date with the rest of my Blogmas posts :).</b></div>
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Thanks for reading lovelies!</div>
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Gem XxOo</div>
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<a href="http://www.mancrates.com/">Man Crates</a> have challenged me to come up with my 'holiday survival essentials'. I'm not being sponsored or rewarded for writing this, it's just something fun that came my way and I thought it'd be a nice idea for one of my Blogmas posts :). Just to put it out there, Man Crates is something I've never heard of before and I've never seen anything like what they offer. If you're struggling with what to buy a male in your life, for any occasion, your eyes might light up when you see <a href="http://www.mancrates.com/gifts-for-men">what they have to offer</a>. Amongst other items, they sell wooden crates full of treats, that have to be opened with...wait for it...an included, laser-engraved crowbar! I have an image in my head of men all over, with a big grin on their faces, getting to show their strength when opening their very own crate full of surprises! They currently only ship to the United States, Canada and APO/FPO addresses. This may change though, so keep your eye out :). You can read more about that <a href="http://www.mancrates.com/pages/faq#Canyoushipinternationally?">here</a>.<br />
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Right, onto my holiday survival essentials...<br />
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1 - Comfy bedding! One of the best things in the world is fresh, clean bedding. I always have the best nights sleep after I have a shower and get into fresh, clean bedding. With the hectic-ness of Christmas time, getting into a comfy bed and having a good nights sleep is essential and having Christmas bedding is even better :).</div>
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2 - Family! Christmas is all about family for me and spending 'quality' time with them. Christmas reminds you that family are the most important thing and that you should cherish every moment that you get to spend with them. Me, Si, my mom and my sister went to Birmingham recently and stayed over. We did a few exciting things, which you can read about <a href="http://gemsi2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/blogmas-day-10-traditional-christmas.html">here</a> and <a href="http://gemsi2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/blogmas-day-12-bbc-good-food-show-winter.html">here</a>. We had such a lovely time just spending time together, laughing together and just 'being'.</div>
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3 - Sparkly nail polish! I love painting my nails and shades of red are probably my favourite colours to wear. At this time of year, red, sparkly nail polish makes me feel so festive. I love it and I always feel better when my nails are freshly painted :).</div>
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4 - Christmas movies! I love a good movie, but especially a Christmas movie! Another great thing to get me in the festive spirit. Nativity is one of my faves, I've already watched it twice this Christmas time, ha ha! You can see my other favourite Christmas films <a href="http://gemsi2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/blogmas-day-19-favourite-christmas-films.html">here</a>. I love just cosying up and watching a Christmas movie or having one on in the background whilst I'm trying to get some wrapping done :).</div>
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5 - Bubbly baths! If you're stressed from work, partying too much, cooking, decorating, wrapping or shopping, a good bubble bath will sort you out! I'm normally a shower kind of girl, but if I'm feeling a bit achy or unwell or in need of relaxation, then I'll have a bath. I love using my Lush products and just chilling out with candles lit, reading a magazine/book or watching some YouTube videos.</div>
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6 - Mulled wine! This is my favourite kind of alcoholic drink at Christmas time. It smells amazing, tastes amazing and is sooo warming. I love having mulled wine at a Christmas market, mmm, sooo nice! I have some in the cupboard, so may have to have one or two tonight, he he!</div>
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7 - Hot chocolate! When I'm not feeling like an alcoholic drink, a hot chocolate is the perfect alternative. When I'm out Christmas shopping, I love stopping at Starbucks for a hot chocolate with cream on the top! It goes waaay too quickly, but it is delicious. I'm lucky enough to be able to have machine-made hot chocolate at home now as I treated myself to a little Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine this year, so I love having them when I'm settling down for the night and relaxing. I love them frothy, with cream on the top, mmm!</div>
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<b>What are your holiday survival essentials?</b></div>
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<b>Don't forget to like, comment and follow to keep up to date with the rest of my Blogmas posts :).</b></div>
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Thanks for reading lovelies!</div>
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Gem XxOo</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Some of the images are courtesy of Amazon, Deborah Lippmann, Food Spotting and BBC.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-19745813680264879532014-12-19T15:40:00.002-08:002014-12-19T15:40:56.357-08:00BLOGMAS Day 19: Favourite Christmas Films...Watching Christmas films really gets you in the Christmas spirit! I've been watching a few 'random' Christmas films (you know the ones you've never heard of) on Channel 5 during November and December, but regarding well-known Christmas films, I haven't really had the chance to watch many yet this year. I want to watch more though in the next few days. I thought I'd share with you some of my faves that we have on DVD...<br />
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<b><u><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nativity-DVD-Martin-Freeman/dp/B003B3SQ72/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1419030064&sr=1-1&keywords=nativity">Nativity</a></u></b><br />
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I watched this the other day and it reminded me why it's one of my favourite Christmas films. I've loved Martin Freeman since The Office, so I love that he's in this film, but it's the kids that really make this film what it is. There will be times when you'll be going 'aww' and times when you'll be laughing out loud at their humour. The teaching assistant Mr Poppy also provides a few laughs. The film is based around a primary school that competes with a local private school to put on the best Christmas nativity play. There are a few white lies involved and a few heart-felt moments but it's a feel good film, where everything works out in the end :).</div>
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<b><u><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elf-DVD-Will-Ferrell/dp/B00061S0QE/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1419030176&sr=1-1&keywords=elf">Elf</a></u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJx5COX3R8K72nTh95NuON8Q-TPQdKBee7JIyKU8q79BY9v9M5WSBA7SUvtGFh2BhnwYegXlYYLcUWDnwLPhcSmc-N8bEFQPA1Jlq3kbUExXv9_SJF0dyh0nRAatQhXAV70BVQVc-uZ4HX/s1600/elf+christmas+movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJx5COX3R8K72nTh95NuON8Q-TPQdKBee7JIyKU8q79BY9v9M5WSBA7SUvtGFh2BhnwYegXlYYLcUWDnwLPhcSmc-N8bEFQPA1Jlq3kbUExXv9_SJF0dyh0nRAatQhXAV70BVQVc-uZ4HX/s1600/elf+christmas+movie.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
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This is a film that a lot of people seem to love and are always talking about. I haven't watched this yet this year, but I have it on DVD so will be doing so soon! It's such a funny movie. I love the fact that a human being is being brought up by Santa and his elves. I love the innocence and naivety that comes across from Buddy (Will Ferrell - Elf) when he is amongst Santa and the elves and gets to experience the magic of Christmas. He is soon brought back down to earth when he is out in the 'real world' and realises that things aren't all that he thought they were. It's such a hilarious movie, definitely not one to be missed.</div>
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<b><u><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Miracle-34th-Street-Richard-Attenborough/dp/B00005NOM0/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1419030241&sr=1-1&keywords=miracle+on+34th+street">Miracle On 34th Street</a></u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxqI2inAFouhFHS-bsYX0i5eB07s2KUa7R8dVs__4H4ibEkVZ0iqo6vGLyhZUeM3YRM7geLbLiSycKNOAdtC4VPUqECQFDgQgudOkxUfYDHkaTLNDVrTpYVAX5tx0sLVVZg2vu618wODT/s1600/miracle+on+34th+street+hi+res.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxqI2inAFouhFHS-bsYX0i5eB07s2KUa7R8dVs__4H4ibEkVZ0iqo6vGLyhZUeM3YRM7geLbLiSycKNOAdtC4VPUqECQFDgQgudOkxUfYDHkaTLNDVrTpYVAX5tx0sLVVZg2vu618wODT/s1600/miracle+on+34th+street+hi+res.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
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This is the one Christmas film that I remember from my childhood. I remember first seeing this and absolutely loving it. This is actually a remake of the 1947 classic. The young girl who plays Susan Walker (Mara Wilson - also the little girl in Matilda) is just adorable and at just 6 years old decides that she no longer believes in 'Father Christmas', but after meeting Kris Kringle, she changes her mind. This movie brings the magic back to Christmas and is centred around Kris Kringle who is Santa at a local department store. He believes that he is the real thing and this makes the store very popular. Local retailers aren't happy with this and try and frame him. A court case comes about where Kris Kringle and his lawyer try to prove that he is the real thing.</div>
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<b><u><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arthur-Christmas-DVD-James-McAvoy/dp/B00G2DGJ6S/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1419030284&sr=1-1&keywords=arthur+christmas">Arthur Christmas</a></u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPFExXBCiWf_sUfkosb-pQPZ26DfgH2xRMieUQPsI_BsvsHOB6mO4KJJfjGKWAYwj9EXerXCsbRpU8648p5uzKwN_Qwvs8LuOvVgqJaw0JuYk4-7XT_0Hxn55MuBx-bPnE16JLT7UcQ0g/s1600/arthur+christmas+movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPFExXBCiWf_sUfkosb-pQPZ26DfgH2xRMieUQPsI_BsvsHOB6mO4KJJfjGKWAYwj9EXerXCsbRpU8648p5uzKwN_Qwvs8LuOvVgqJaw0JuYk4-7XT_0Hxn55MuBx-bPnE16JLT7UcQ0g/s1600/arthur+christmas+movie.jpg" height="320" width="235" /></a></div>
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Arthur Christmas is one of those films where you just wish it was really like that at Christmas time. The belief that Santa and his elves are in their workshop and everything is being organised in terms of which kids are getting what, where kids live and everything being to a time scale is just magical. The query of how Santa can deliver gifts to the whole world in just one night is answered, but unfortunately one child is missed! In this film, Santa's son Arthur doesn't want to end the 'magic' of Christmas and so sets out to make sure this one child doesn't miss out!</div>
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<b><u><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Polar-Express-DVD-Tom-Hanks/dp/B000BAZD8S/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1419030373&sr=1-1&keywords=the+polar+express">The Polar Express</a></u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEish6VZIJuIUW1cY4FQftlEsIHUDIdmRP7BMQnB5jLdZ6db1eIb5s_f5eMR8WQmUUY0sQIhfKQw6uty03ZXwI-NczDbI-Fr5wd-fRPWi919YFjcKeXwBUSjsYIAfHfxxZlU_NI79EzDZato/s1600/polar+express+christmas+movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEish6VZIJuIUW1cY4FQftlEsIHUDIdmRP7BMQnB5jLdZ6db1eIb5s_f5eMR8WQmUUY0sQIhfKQw6uty03ZXwI-NczDbI-Fr5wd-fRPWi919YFjcKeXwBUSjsYIAfHfxxZlU_NI79EzDZato/s1600/polar+express+christmas+movie.jpg" height="320" width="225" /></a></div>
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I only came across this film a few years ago, when it was on TV. I can't believe I didn't know about it sooner. This is an animated film, but a very good one! The characters in the film are so life like. This film is about kids being picked up, in their pyjamas, on Christmas Eve by a steam train and going on a magical journey to the North Pole. There, children who still believe receive an extraordinary gift. This is one of those films where your child-like nature kicks in and you think to yourself, how cool it would be if that really happened. There is lots of fun along the way, with lost tickets and roller-coaster moments. I saw a review on Amazon (from A J Severyn) about this film and it said that although it's a movie primarily for kids, it reminds us grown-ups that being child-like is a quality, not a weakness. I love that!</div>
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<b>What are your favourite Christmas movies?</b></div>
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<b>Don't forget to like, comment and follow to keep up to date with the rest of my Blogmas posts :).</b></div>
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Thanks for reading lovelies!</div>
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Gem XxOo</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Images courtesy of Amazon.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-91250471139633823152014-12-18T12:24:00.001-08:002014-12-23T18:01:07.380-08:00BLOGMAS Day 18: Husband Hijack...<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">This is Gem's husband, Simon. She's had a lot on recently, so I thought I'd give her a bit of a break by writing one of her Blogmas posts for her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I want to start off my hijack of Gem's B</span>logmas<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> posts by saying what a fantastic job she is doing with not just B</span>logmas<span style="font-size: 12pt;">, but
her whole </span>blog<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> and everything surrounding it. She puts so much work and effort
into it to make sure it's perfect and I'm so incredibly proud of her for it.
I'm proud for two reasons, firstly because she always puts out great content
and has gained so much from it and secondly (and perhaps mainly), because she
has followed her heart in doing what she wants to do and what she enjoys, rather
than what other people may or may not think she should do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Right, enough of the soppy stuff, let the Christmas time blogging continue...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I love Christmas, it's my favourite
time of the year. From the smattering of fairy lights around the house, making our
home feel that little bit different and therefore special to the abundance of
Christmas TV specials and movies, to all the gorging on great foods, such as mince pies,
sausage rolls, chocolates and of course roast turkey. I actually look forward to heading to the high street at this time of year, Christmas just
makes everything seem better and magical somehow. I find as I'm getting older that I
care less about what I receive and just want to give more. I want to spoil Gem
to the degree that she deserves to be spoilt and I look forward to her
receiving her gifts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">We got together in 2008, so this will be our 7</span><span style="font-size: 13px;">th</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Christmas together and what's funny is that I always go through the same emotions
regarding gifts before the day itself arrives. I buy gifts and feel so excited
to give them to her that I want to let her open one present there and then but,
of course, don't. A few days to a week will pass and I'll start to
worry that what I've got won't be good enough and will leave her feeling
disappointed, so I'll make sure I head back out shopping. I'll buy more gifts that I stumble across, but on that same trip, I'll
suddenly feel like I haven't got her anywhere near enough items from her list that I ask her to write for me and so I start to buy more from that. I'll then get
excited again about seeing her face as she rips off the wrapping paper and
sees what I have bought her. As it gets to within a week of the 25</span><span style="font-size: 13px;">th,</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> doubt will start creeping back in, so I wrap what I've bought and finally
feel satisfied as the big pile of decorated items grows higher. On
Christmas Eve I'll no doubt go back out to get just a few more things. The
thing is though, I needn't worry, because even if I stuck to the original gifts that I purchased and didn't go out and buy more, she would still be over the moon with what she
received. She is always grateful and the amount she gets to open on Christmas
morning is irrelevant. It doesn't stop me spending loads more on her though.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">That's the visit from the ghost of
Christmas present out of the way. Which is all wrong because the ghost of
Christmas past always came first in 'A Christmas Carol', but sod it, I'm not
going back to edit things now. I
suffered a loss at Christmas time five years ago when my dad sadly died, but that
hasn't changed my opinion of this time of year like it does with others because
I have so many happy memories of him from this time of year in particular. We never had much growing up, but both my mom and dad would always make sure me
and my little sister had the best Christmas possible. We always felt amazed at
what Santa delivered into our chimney-less house by using his magic key to get
through the door. 'Why doesn't he just use the magic key for every house, rather
than bothering to climb up and down chimneys all night long?', I remember
querying one year. I would always be allowed to bring my television out of
my room (when I eventually got one), so that I could play my new video games in the
living room so as not to miss any of the festive fun. My first TV was a second
hand, black and white one! I still remember trying to play FIFA on it, but being unable
to tell which team I was. I feel very lucky to have had the childhood I did despite the lack of money, because I was deeply loved and I just have to
remember Christmases in Kingsclere Walk to remind myself of that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The last Dickensian spirit-like musing
I will have is of course about the Christmases yet to come. Soon, Gem and I will
have children of our own and no, that is not a breaking news revelation, she is
not pregnant...yet. However, when we do have our own family, I am incredibly
excited to give them the Christmases I had and to teach them all about what
Christmas is to us. I realise that Christmas should be about religion, I did go to a
catholic school, but nowadays the meaning of Christmas is about
family for me. Looking to next Christmas, I hope to be able to look back and say
that a lot has changed since now. I'm hoping to follow in Gem's footsteps and
work doing what I love and want to do, rather than what I am currently employed
to do. This year has been a big set up for what should be
an incredible opportunity for me in 2015 and will hopefully lead to a better
life for both me and Gem. I hope that next Christmas I can take Gem back to
New York or even somewhere else, I hope I can give her the world over the
coming years as there isn't anybody who deserves it more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Merry Christmas!!!!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-29398009990162596262014-12-17T12:04:00.000-08:002014-12-20T10:56:41.601-08:00BLOGMAS Day 17: Favourite Christmas Games...Me and my family love a good game. I thought I'd share a few of our favourite ones to play at Christmas...<br />
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<b><u><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=scene%20it%20box%20office%20smash%20xbox360&sprefix=scene+it+box+office+smash+x%2Caps">Xbox 360 Scene It? Box Office Smash</a></u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvH7L8Yyp7rhYl0kmdz_Vz-oQ99-F1zPpGpJwYd1M5ZvC9B18KbdlCPw6pRIIehyGtXaHm-lJ8uEEwxXXIjt-JDCR3SXtxL12Cu_E9RA8YeHv63wSNSdXkhdxdXFVaSV0gWQEc6a7OE0VC/s1600/scene+it+xbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvH7L8Yyp7rhYl0kmdz_Vz-oQ99-F1zPpGpJwYd1M5ZvC9B18KbdlCPw6pRIIehyGtXaHm-lJ8uEEwxXXIjt-JDCR3SXtxL12Cu_E9RA8YeHv63wSNSdXkhdxdXFVaSV0gWQEc6a7OE0VC/s1600/scene+it+xbox.jpg" height="320" width="222" /></a></div>
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This is a game that is for all the family and is played via a Xbox 360. I like this game because you can just sit back, relax and play it via button pads. You don't have to sit on the floor with a board or crowd round a table. You can buy the game with or without the button pads. You can play the game with Xbox 360 controllers, but it's easier with the button pads. With this game, you answer trivia about box office movies. It's not just question after question though, there are puzzles and challenges to solve and it keeps us entertained for ages! The game is recommended for those aged 12+, so there should be something for kids too. If you love movies like us, you're sure to like this. If you don't have an Xbox 360, there are <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=scene+it+dvd+games&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ascene+it+dvd+games">Scene it? DVD</a> games available.</div>
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<b><u><a href="http://www.jellybelly-uk.com/jelly-beans/252/beanboozled-spinner-special-99g-plus-45g-box-refill.html">Jelly Belly Bean Boozled Spinner Game</a></u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7FhsTYnOldB8TEVdwdAcrC0bU1uBvkEwVULx5Vcokmz20PqovEXVKvPnjt5njvkpzHxGZlKEDNphj9ldpxByDDO1FxJwVtvGvenbk7q1TFNxNM-YkkmnCfAq0ipdka_cjRt97ICfLRGb/s1600/beanboozled+game,+jelly+belly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH7FhsTYnOldB8TEVdwdAcrC0bU1uBvkEwVULx5Vcokmz20PqovEXVKvPnjt5njvkpzHxGZlKEDNphj9ldpxByDDO1FxJwVtvGvenbk7q1TFNxNM-YkkmnCfAq0ipdka_cjRt97ICfLRGb/s1600/beanboozled+game,+jelly+belly.jpg" /></a></div>
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I have bought this game for my sister for Christmas. It's going to be so funny playing this on Christmas Day. If you aren't familiar with it, there are nice and nasty flavours within the game. You spin the spinner and whatever colour you land on, there will be two flavours available. One flavour is nice and the other nasty, so you have to pick the colour you land on and hope for the nice flavour. Some of the nice flavours are chocolate pudding, strawberry jam, buttered popcorn and juicy pear. Some of the nasty flavours are mouldy cheese, dog food, vomit and rotten egg. Eurgh, not necessarily looking forward to playing this, but it will be a laugh!<br />
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<b><u><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hasbro-4000-Game-of-Life/dp/B00CM2IFT2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418844339&sr=8-1&keywords=the+game+of+life">The Game Of Life</a></u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsupRdZb7pyWAagtjEFgP9ijZ2YiFzcvDz4knOv39PL5GMf905qG4iNVa-Juytn0IM1DUfdSA5pKoI4EvUo745tmqOeFpHdxGyiMu3QbygoCVDDNKTrEhBP2MlkSNMZ8j9qdKgD3eMF67/s1600/the+game+of+life+amazon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsupRdZb7pyWAagtjEFgP9ijZ2YiFzcvDz4knOv39PL5GMf905qG4iNVa-Juytn0IM1DUfdSA5pKoI4EvUo745tmqOeFpHdxGyiMu3QbygoCVDDNKTrEhBP2MlkSNMZ8j9qdKgD3eMF67/s1600/the+game+of+life+amazon.jpg" /></a></div>
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I love this game because it's quite a fun concept. The game is based on living a whole life span through choices and chance. You get to make choices that you could experience in real life, such as, choosing your career path, raising a family, borrowing money, buying a home and retiring. The aim is to have the most assets at the end of the game. I used to play this as a kid with older relatives, so it's something I've always enjoyed playing. There is even a Game Of Life app now! This game is recommended for ages 8+, so it's a good game to buy kids for Christmas and then everyone can get involved.<br />
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<b><u><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hasbro-28644220-Mastermind/dp/B00028X2M8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418844368&sr=8-1&keywords=mastermind">Mastermind</a></u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_N47QtcAS33w4lIFPhSmYU4460rK6yYL-HpJ3dWJnSmS0XEiBI3Uc7lgkalT8M9FnIzW0quYy4Ho2-Y0VD63K3Bp3ZbaPtiXXgT142bQ0MbUKhk_YV_BWrBoL_HmuW-OK9vII3WTzOhG/s1600/mastermind+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_N47QtcAS33w4lIFPhSmYU4460rK6yYL-HpJ3dWJnSmS0XEiBI3Uc7lgkalT8M9FnIzW0quYy4Ho2-Y0VD63K3Bp3ZbaPtiXXgT142bQ0MbUKhk_YV_BWrBoL_HmuW-OK9vII3WTzOhG/s1600/mastermind+2.jpg" height="320" width="308" /></a></div>
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Me and my sister used to have this game when we were younger and we used to play it all the time! We had a different version that was in a slimmer box, but the concept was still the same. The one we had was only suitable for two players at a time, but the above one seems to be suitable for up to 5 players! When we played, one person had to choose four coloured pegs and arrange them in their preferred order. These pegs were hidden. The other player then had to try and guess the coloured pegs and their order, in so many moves. Along the way, the 'chooser' scored their opponents guesses by marking how many colours they had correct and how many they had in the correct order. The positions aren't given away though, so you do have to think about what you're doing. The game is recommended for ages 8+, so if kids are playing this, it will definitely get their brains working. I guess this modernised version is the same, but more than one person can guess. There's such a sense of satisfaction though when you 'finally' guess correctly!<br />
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<b><u><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Monopoly-21203-Wolverhampton/dp/B00D8U2KAC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418844403&sr=8-1&keywords=wolverhampton+monopoly">Wolverhampton Monopoly</a></u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfF-j5osx9i7K9WPhJxDVODfdi1M4JKjEcCcX7q_D6h2nvvtGBcz2xGI3tYdX6U6BSuSECcetkBxr4fjy6MUNZTrhECs3Sl_PJLi8UpN6zFKtSdpk6XcX66CjbOAs42KdbikXp6Ivzol02/s1600/wolverhampton+monopoly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfF-j5osx9i7K9WPhJxDVODfdi1M4JKjEcCcX7q_D6h2nvvtGBcz2xGI3tYdX6U6BSuSECcetkBxr4fjy6MUNZTrhECs3Sl_PJLi8UpN6zFKtSdpk6XcX66CjbOAs42KdbikXp6Ivzol02/s1600/wolverhampton+monopoly.jpg" /></a></div>
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Monopoly is such a classic board game. My mom had a really old version that me and my sister used to play growing up. Last year, an edition named after the city we live in was released, so it was great seeing places that are familiar to us on the board game. Si received it as a gift so we had fun playing it last Christmas. There are so many different editions out now and another favourite of mine is the Disney edition. It can be quite fun trying to buy positions on the board, buying houses and hotels and charging other players rent if they land on your positions. There is also the chance that you might have to pay rent, taxes, go to jail or even go bankrupt, so you have to try and avoid that! However, it can be a really long game. If you prefer games that don't last for hours, then this might not be for you cause it always seems to do so. Again, this is recommended for those that are aged 8+.<br />
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When me and my sister were growing up, it used to be all about Dream Phone, Twister, Kerplunk, Mouse Trap, Operation, Hangman, Connect 4 and Hungry Hippos. Remember these? We used to have quite a few board games as presents, so we spent a lot of time playing games over Christmas and in our general spare time.</div>
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<b>What is your favourite game to play at Christmas?</b></div>
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<b>Don't forget to like, comment and follow to keep up to date with the rest of my Blogmas posts :).</b></div>
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Thanks for reading lovelies!</div>
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Gem XxOo</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Images courtesy of Amazon and Jelly Belly.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-9480836666186293392014-12-16T14:32:00.000-08:002014-12-16T14:32:50.640-08:00BLOGMAS Day 16: What Christmas Means To Me...Me and my family aren't religious. We don't go to church and we don't celebrate Christmas in a religious way. Although we are aware of what Christmas is supposed to represent, it has always been about spending quality time with loved ones, taking the time to appreciate what we have, reflecting on the past year, looking forward to and making plans for the new one and generally slowing down to just live, love and laugh (wow, that sounds so cheesy! #sorrynotsorry). Obviously, the gifts, food and drink are all a bonus that we enjoy just as much :).<br />
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I absolutely love the feeling I get on Christmas Day, an excited feeling, almost like a feeling of peace and calm. I love that random strangers will say Merry Christmas if you're out and about and that no-one is really worrying about the usual stresses of life. I know that not everyone has the same experience as me at Christmas, which is why I cherish it even more. I never take for granted the fact that every Christmas my family have traditions, we look forward to them and we are lucky to be able to spend it together.<br />
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I love receiving presents as much as the next person, but I think it's such an enjoyable experience going out and buying gifts. I love knowing what my loved ones want and going out and getting such items (for any occasion, not just Christmas). I hate the thought of loved ones worrying about buying presents though. When me and my sister were younger and my dad was around, it wasn't such an issue and it isn't an issue now that we're older, but during those in-between years, when it was just my mom, my sister and me, my mom used to worry about not getting us enough presents. Luckily, me and my sister were grateful for anything and we just felt bad for my mom worrying, we always used to tell her not to fret and that as long as we all had a good day, that was all that mattered. Breaks my heart though thinking that she was ever worrying about something like that.</div>
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Me and my sister were never spoilt by any means, but we could never complain either. We always had a stocking with little gifts in and we shared a room for years where we'd wake up early (or rather, my sister woke me up!) and tuck into our stockings. My mom and dad made the back room/dining room in our family home into a bedroom for me when I started growing up and I looooved it! Since then, my sister would knock on her floor, which happened to be my ceiling and that would be my signal to go up to her so we could open our stockings together. Christmas Eve, before bed, my sister (who's four years younger than me) would say what time she'd be knocking on her floor.</div>
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On Christmas Day, we had our specific places in the living room where our presents would be laid out and we'd all take it in turns to open a present, so we could see what everyone got. It sounds so funny describing it like that, but it was fun to us, made present opening last longer and is something we've always done. During the morning, we'd have a cup of tea or something fizzy (when I was old enough) and mom would make a full English for us all or bacon/sausage sandwiches. When the 'back room' was a 'back room' and not my bedroom, we never wanted to eat Christmas dinner in there. We always preferred to sit in the living room and watch a film whilst we were eating but my mom had this wooden table that was hand-made. It came apart so it was stored away for the rest of the year and brought out at Christmas, so that used to be brought into the living room and set up all Christmassy :). My mom's living room isn't the biggest, so this big table took up most of the space and we'd have stools or garden chairs to sit on. Ha ha, it sounds like something from The Royle Family! All of these little traditions have always been the same, up until last year when me, Si, my mom and my sister had our first Christmas in a different place (mine and Si's new flat). They will probably resume this year though as me and Si are going to my mom and sister's for Christmas :).</div>
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We had a few traditions growing up, that we don't have now. It was a lot more family orientated when me and my sister were kids and my mom and dad were together. A lot of Christmas was associated with my dad's side of the family. Boxing Day was the day we used to go to my nan and grandad's (my dad's mom and dad) house, my dad's six siblings and my cousins would be there and nan would put a little buffet on for us all. Also, on New Year's Eve, we'd meet my dad's side of the family at a local social club where there used to be a disco/party on. Us kids used to really look forward to it, we loved having a dance and staying up late to see the New Year in. When me and my sister were quite young, my mom used to dress us in the same party dresses, ha ha! I can't remember the exact time all of this stopped, but I think it was around the time my mom and dad separated for good. We still see my dad's side of the family, of course, but there are no big get-togethers or anything like when we were kids. I understand that people grow and take on different traditions, but I just remember those two things being something we did for years and years.<br />
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Me and Si have started our own traditions since getting together 6 years ago. Most of them are the same as above ( Si lived at my mom's with me for about 5 years) because we've only had one Christmas in our own place and that was just last year. We have made it a tradition to stay over in Birmingham at Christmas time, so we can do a bit of shopping and enjoy some mulled wine and food at the Christmas/Frankfurt market. We also like to do each other stockings, organise a pre-Christmas meal with my fam and Si's fam, Si goes Christmas shopping in London with his friend and we watch Christmas movies or listen to Christmas songs as we're putting the decorations up. They're just little things, but things that are important to us. When we have kids, we'll probably take on new traditions for them to grow up with.</div>
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I've really enjoyed writing this post and I hope it gives you a bit more of an insight into what Christmas means to me :).</div>
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<b>What does Christmas mean to you?</b></div>
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<b>Don't forget to like, comment and follow to keep up to date with the rest of my Blogmas posts :).</b></div>
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Thanks for reading lovelies!</div>
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Gem XxOo</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-25089105311409995412014-12-15T02:00:00.000-08:002014-12-15T02:00:00.796-08:00BLOGMAS Day 15: It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have this displayed behind our sofa.</div>
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I'm feeling soooo festive at the moment. I keep getting butterflies like it's Christmas Eve, when you can't get to sleep (yes, I do still feel like that at 28!). I have to keep reminding myself that it isn't Christmas Day tomorrow :/. I thought it was about time I revealed our Christmas decorations to you all, seems as we've had them up since the 2nd of December :). I do hope the warm, festive feeling comes across in the images, cause it sure is warm and festive when we're cosying up every evening!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJ0r1_hs_hY_YR0gBANFttHzpT6XO6B9wV3ZzBNeT3HIXP7vFmidPPMy4S6Nm8hcBsNI0_-AGwO08p4IJLZI8ixdYQhp9SmfvU62NEOTGBtiRXAytNTHXB1CienWCuTUCOZ0dsHhM4-D1/s1600/P1100539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJ0r1_hs_hY_YR0gBANFttHzpT6XO6B9wV3ZzBNeT3HIXP7vFmidPPMy4S6Nm8hcBsNI0_-AGwO08p4IJLZI8ixdYQhp9SmfvU62NEOTGBtiRXAytNTHXB1CienWCuTUCOZ0dsHhM4-D1/s1600/P1100539.JPG" height="200" width="400" /></a></div>
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Our main living area.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHaZqMJqVpQH8NXcC90siG5HFIEDqT7Osu7g_CbE0Aix_wqPBupe7WrMkgwleb7qdhlDFkqMukYlHV28olNE9YDVvAxLPIeneYSlHp4PsjNUSPRC6TlUtccxjwXO9jG1NKoihsY7niL2H/s1600/P1100482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHaZqMJqVpQH8NXcC90siG5HFIEDqT7Osu7g_CbE0Aix_wqPBupe7WrMkgwleb7qdhlDFkqMukYlHV28olNE9YDVvAxLPIeneYSlHp4PsjNUSPRC6TlUtccxjwXO9jG1NKoihsY7niL2H/s1600/P1100482.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our new, lovely lantern lights.</div>
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I love the scenes on these lights.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQL0cku1nkAWJad2jf38ejfSCVCf2BKR7hQ5NYbsTgsJyJlmmAF5EixPvsnHZGmDyPnKdu3TERUrj0yGxdK40wNH_NacQDoXBT2cRVZqyV9yy99TlPKMDuBOqi3SDbmG6g4t8HIzyHtrF/s1600/P1100567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQL0cku1nkAWJad2jf38ejfSCVCf2BKR7hQ5NYbsTgsJyJlmmAF5EixPvsnHZGmDyPnKdu3TERUrj0yGxdK40wNH_NacQDoXBT2cRVZqyV9yy99TlPKMDuBOqi3SDbmG6g4t8HIzyHtrF/s1600/P1100567.JPG" height="143" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8_CPC0xKtNac5UkagJF6HPRkyBycAG4cNbJrVGsgqsmmszrr0QjR2cfQQ7QV0Vq37KKQgU85mzYHqECjcjSNdGKAl0hWff06SlIfmbCQjqPN69WZaujRebOLFmajlauGoqDil9Z_K0bA/s1600/P1100570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8_CPC0xKtNac5UkagJF6HPRkyBycAG4cNbJrVGsgqsmmszrr0QjR2cfQQ7QV0Vq37KKQgU85mzYHqECjcjSNdGKAl0hWff06SlIfmbCQjqPN69WZaujRebOLFmajlauGoqDil9Z_K0bA/s1600/P1100570.JPG" height="142" width="200" /></a></div>
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Gorgeous smelling candles, which I love and am using waaay too quickly!</div>
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Our windowsill snow scene!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJfvT_njEitxG-zmd-29NIkjByIAT6zWOWZCZkY5OWungWRJ1ZndOdOoUVLHfCt_fhM9nwC0Jx-ZA37N2BuTS8iCRJWGFtz8SUxr8IfDfOUiGwcb6dSQ7SG7OkcM_jl07qXvzInIb63mp/s1600/P1100504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJfvT_njEitxG-zmd-29NIkjByIAT6zWOWZCZkY5OWungWRJ1ZndOdOoUVLHfCt_fhM9nwC0Jx-ZA37N2BuTS8iCRJWGFtz8SUxr8IfDfOUiGwcb6dSQ7SG7OkcM_jl07qXvzInIb63mp/s1600/P1100504.JPG" height="264" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've wanted some of these for a while now, sooo glad I got some this year!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggon4g5-FK7yFuIZWBVfbZFyIST898shCEKRH6TsoIn4LFKXRWjlSLQ_nMvHgP8iprWN2-pIPt41FQVQa9RIChIcSzXh-u1p6zhyC8Wjaeoi_YRLaG1cfNWsw67yXoVMLL4RtDTwYEpAg0/s1600/P1100508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggon4g5-FK7yFuIZWBVfbZFyIST898shCEKRH6TsoIn4LFKXRWjlSLQ_nMvHgP8iprWN2-pIPt41FQVQa9RIChIcSzXh-u1p6zhyC8Wjaeoi_YRLaG1cfNWsw67yXoVMLL4RtDTwYEpAg0/s1600/P1100508.JPG" height="126" width="320" /></a></div>
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Just to remind those that don't know...it's Xmas! :).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsi7sJUkRD8M49B-FRa0PiSSWQUkMPQfmt2gk0HIMf9AOlM4PxLzfewiYVxA3iCAOjlZaUnf46HYaIZywrjckmvf_jWVFS2PaMgpiN0_O4t-SDc2gS_QWclK9LQ6BThHfjIGluqDgpZWDG/s1600/P1100510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsi7sJUkRD8M49B-FRa0PiSSWQUkMPQfmt2gk0HIMf9AOlM4PxLzfewiYVxA3iCAOjlZaUnf46HYaIZywrjckmvf_jWVFS2PaMgpiN0_O4t-SDc2gS_QWclK9LQ6BThHfjIGluqDgpZWDG/s1600/P1100510.JPG" height="200" width="173" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VtbMndQLMqS7_Lft-0jSpYScfr_J1tJmrn8VW6gw8WFjyXJMD47H6X9ddJmgabYYz4kILksf7d-Je8bGeg9BylfujKqkj0MlKj7clzchlN3QNJoJCBdHdfNSXxexvQv8p33CZGja5WxR/s1600/P1100518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VtbMndQLMqS7_Lft-0jSpYScfr_J1tJmrn8VW6gw8WFjyXJMD47H6X9ddJmgabYYz4kILksf7d-Je8bGeg9BylfujKqkj0MlKj7clzchlN3QNJoJCBdHdfNSXxexvQv8p33CZGja5WxR/s1600/P1100518.JPG" height="200" width="90" /></a></div>
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These are new this year and it's so cosy when they're lit!</div>
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Another new purchase this year, I love how rustic this is and of course, that fact that it holds candles...my fave!</div>
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Cute little Santa and snowman.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qAiyePRsVcle8BGOzFD-qPqC6dZCFz7BH-jygwvqcyx6XNJFe520LHfr-SO6gUvg4a_oa73RvkmlYzsmz33h_sgO8v_z1YyI3y-IgHK59mroNeg6nAJkugLUYWPVEXv2fU0x50J-s5lj/s1600/P1100542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qAiyePRsVcle8BGOzFD-qPqC6dZCFz7BH-jygwvqcyx6XNJFe520LHfr-SO6gUvg4a_oa73RvkmlYzsmz33h_sgO8v_z1YyI3y-IgHK59mroNeg6nAJkugLUYWPVEXv2fU0x50J-s5lj/s1600/P1100542.JPG" height="320" width="158" /></a></div>
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Our snowy, decorated tree!</div>
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Some of my favourite tree decorations...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjU284OoCYNqXRuR1EgPPdZS4BSyKCX4NC5slX-R9DpVFUIT73tCmOBD2ffGFb2wx_tIIJvT-Xb6Z6hzCg6VOC0PupX9KjsgNEyXZr7WT3s5e7blPWwwBt34Hss8014sfiyQOHsF1Kubc/s1600/P1100544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjU284OoCYNqXRuR1EgPPdZS4BSyKCX4NC5slX-R9DpVFUIT73tCmOBD2ffGFb2wx_tIIJvT-Xb6Z6hzCg6VOC0PupX9KjsgNEyXZr7WT3s5e7blPWwwBt34Hss8014sfiyQOHsF1Kubc/s1600/P1100544.JPG" height="200" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_GM_pxeDUG6M_Ql99ifKEHGcxzCaAVK3xHbzEWf7xJEFtRE5fWL0PHsomDYJnhAsOjPtcI_Eq3v3018YXsnAe9-qL-XjALiPU7f-H_O7ARhmQ9FyZSFidhLkKJ00Bt19hCVMTq0XDwMnT/s1600/P1100545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_GM_pxeDUG6M_Ql99ifKEHGcxzCaAVK3xHbzEWf7xJEFtRE5fWL0PHsomDYJnhAsOjPtcI_Eq3v3018YXsnAe9-qL-XjALiPU7f-H_O7ARhmQ9FyZSFidhLkKJ00Bt19hCVMTq0XDwMnT/s1600/P1100545.JPG" height="200" width="137" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9J1tw8Ut45O1mLz7dMvcKCTJepBCjKOzfqIzJfBK6bHgnkXBAoT319xmvU4_nyZD_RqkzzegSfgsranwRgKBdRJDfB6OxCGFtxTBnVSP8gWI86nGpzKkg-FEWVlNzllI9gm7qf1fv1nU/s1600/P1100548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9J1tw8Ut45O1mLz7dMvcKCTJepBCjKOzfqIzJfBK6bHgnkXBAoT319xmvU4_nyZD_RqkzzegSfgsranwRgKBdRJDfB6OxCGFtxTBnVSP8gWI86nGpzKkg-FEWVlNzllI9gm7qf1fv1nU/s1600/P1100548.JPG" height="195" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwWcNuQHAWbRoLw3P5U14QZB-9ppeMYepOXH40pTv6xgLqPmXJIXCcjDjkruHZuZRLVPfBzVy4RrrtJi2CnTPDJ2VWW5sHM96RZrJ38zvXykxu5TubzuKVYVLyV8d_EApruUDV_VS4Ygr/s1600/P1100554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEwWcNuQHAWbRoLw3P5U14QZB-9ppeMYepOXH40pTv6xgLqPmXJIXCcjDjkruHZuZRLVPfBzVy4RrrtJi2CnTPDJ2VWW5sHM96RZrJ38zvXykxu5TubzuKVYVLyV8d_EApruUDV_VS4Ygr/s1600/P1100554.JPG" height="200" width="103" /></a></div>
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The star of our tree!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgf3KsuLHRdZaUcqJXMDlTf1U95hYtLX1MGRR_i6_AC7PnrXxAETtHHSkJvsvTjSVtT0jeukncOIumfYJqfEl6muPrv_MPnLUfnJ8U198dKe3QPxF90ByKvmJTk5-fkMLfTQWv9pv1ijD/s1600/P1100563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgf3KsuLHRdZaUcqJXMDlTf1U95hYtLX1MGRR_i6_AC7PnrXxAETtHHSkJvsvTjSVtT0jeukncOIumfYJqfEl6muPrv_MPnLUfnJ8U198dKe3QPxF90ByKvmJTk5-fkMLfTQWv9pv1ijD/s1600/P1100563.JPG" height="76" width="320" /></a></div>
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I love this felt banner, it fits perfectly across the arch in-between our living area and dining area :).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJdx40l_LbULxWyLd-4Y8Nhip2it9oKgzYEBKjm6zwrAA4JHRvXXNXbu4kEGcEMVfacpGb1y17-iUQZsqiXUbpKBJhNW4pbPAJwwK5qsM1QpdDCCAIq07g7djCD3d8zNHfhCM28z9o93C/s1600/P1100584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJdx40l_LbULxWyLd-4Y8Nhip2it9oKgzYEBKjm6zwrAA4JHRvXXNXbu4kEGcEMVfacpGb1y17-iUQZsqiXUbpKBJhNW4pbPAJwwK5qsM1QpdDCCAIq07g7djCD3d8zNHfhCM28z9o93C/s1600/P1100584.JPG" height="320" width="318" /></a></div>
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A well used candle with a Christmas themed rim.</div>
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Merry Christmas welcome lights, which are the first thing people see when they enter our flat :).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunTBXZg9Op6BmyE6N5JK29eOHoC6uxuenFUB2IMBX-mmx1JUWIAuYB9cTxrxlclIIBjt9Di9sUfavcAPgI_IgjWgYdsXqnSPkqACL-y8EqCLqGDEsaGUSF2yFdnp-8xlGmhwaVInWLfUW/s1600/P1100633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgunTBXZg9Op6BmyE6N5JK29eOHoC6uxuenFUB2IMBX-mmx1JUWIAuYB9cTxrxlclIIBjt9Di9sUfavcAPgI_IgjWgYdsXqnSPkqACL-y8EqCLqGDEsaGUSF2yFdnp-8xlGmhwaVInWLfUW/s1600/P1100633.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aNWCYb2-9Ajl2XLJiizS2C69DlJSejf0tx_aPdgaNyCt1iXA4tIEMqN4jpO5wIBq7AjaK6xe3b7OJMS8B0jVPjSa6JtCJih_dJf7Ti1OYCip5HL9VIC8Opv6NlCkNhJrImez-CzeCfUe/s1600/P1100637.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aNWCYb2-9Ajl2XLJiizS2C69DlJSejf0tx_aPdgaNyCt1iXA4tIEMqN4jpO5wIBq7AjaK6xe3b7OJMS8B0jVPjSa6JtCJih_dJf7Ti1OYCip5HL9VIC8Opv6NlCkNhJrImez-CzeCfUe/s1600/P1100637.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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New string lights for the hall (we have them on both windows).</div>
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Our flat is quite large, so it sometimes feels like we don't have enough decorations to fill it up, ha ha! We tend to just concentrate on the main living area though and this year we bought some lights for the hallway too. I don't think the images do the decorations justice though, it's much more cosier in real life!</div>
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Last year, me and Si had our first Christmas in our first flat together, so I wrote a <a href="http://gemsi2011.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/first-christmas-in-our-new-flat.html">post</a> about it! You can read about where I bought some of our decorations. I also wrote a <a href="http://gemsi2011.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/blogmas-day-8-shopping-for-new.html">post</a> this year about the new decorations that we've got!</div>
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I hope you're all feeling as festive as I am! It's our first Christmas as husband and wife :).</div>
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<b>Are you all ready for Christmas? What have you got left to do?</b></div>
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<b>Don't forget to like, comment and follow to keep up to date with the rest of my Blogmas posts :).</b></div>
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Thanks for reading lovelies!</div>
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Gem XxOo</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-57167023898415550152014-12-14T02:00:00.000-08:002014-12-14T02:00:05.045-08:00BLOGMAS Day 14: It's All About The Tartan...I was inspired to write this post because I've been thinking about what I want to wear on Christmas Day and tartan dresses have been catching my eye recently. I tried one on in Primark a month or so ago and the size 10 was too small and the size 12 was too big, so I had no luck there! I have been having a little look online and have come across a lot of tartan items (not just dresses) that I've been loving. Although I'm probably going to have a look around the shops near me before I decide whether to get anything online (just so I can try things on first), I thought I'd share with you some of the tartan items I've come across that I really like...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-hZnKfuxsfnvbuESvcHy97_CQGIS2aWonDy_r5b_N17rdNdkHzL0t2XXs2retQu2RQQDPDeAQmClLjl9ewKmxKp1Toebc4VeeX2dlsGu4IBTH1-wnwfrmo74DngROvPPwA92rtUcgkXLd/s1600/asos+tartan+trousers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-hZnKfuxsfnvbuESvcHy97_CQGIS2aWonDy_r5b_N17rdNdkHzL0t2XXs2retQu2RQQDPDeAQmClLjl9ewKmxKp1Toebc4VeeX2dlsGu4IBTH1-wnwfrmo74DngROvPPwA92rtUcgkXLd/s1600/asos+tartan+trousers.jpg" height="320" width="249" /></a></div>
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I love the colour of these <a href="http://www.asos.com/asos/asos-premium-tartan-check-peg-trousers/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=4426712&clr=Multi&SearchQuery=peg+leg+tartan+trousers&pgesize=7&pge=1&totalstyles=7&gridsize=3&gridrow=1&gridcolumn=1">Tartan Check Peg Leg Trousers</a>. I think they look so stylish and especially nice with heels! I've been wanting to get some patterned trousers for a while now, but haven't found the right pair that I think are really 'me'. I like how these go in at the bottom and I'd probably team them with a plain jumper, like the model or a plain shirt/t-shirt tucked in.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixA-MQnXxJCwYU9n3lt9mp-pZPYYq4D3aezjhBjPdsnYJLTsKX6v7QFO5DWBgOL-P0Ry1MDlszl-krZHpS-oGD8VaeJuBEsDZi8vm-j0ESH9NwwOONeCt3r5rKgfrpD7RxCpOjk663MeZu/s1600/asos+blanket+scarf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixA-MQnXxJCwYU9n3lt9mp-pZPYYq4D3aezjhBjPdsnYJLTsKX6v7QFO5DWBgOL-P0Ry1MDlszl-krZHpS-oGD8VaeJuBEsDZi8vm-j0ESH9NwwOONeCt3r5rKgfrpD7RxCpOjk663MeZu/s1600/asos+blanket+scarf.jpg" height="320" width="249" /></a></div>
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I absolutely love this <a href="http://www.asos.com/new-look/new-look-oversized-blanket-scarf/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=4405952&clr=Blue&SearchQuery=oversized+blanket+tartan+scarf&pgesize=5&pge=1&totalstyles=5&gridsize=3&gridrow=1&gridcolumn=3">Oversized Blanket Scarf</a>. I prefer the big, oversized scarves and have quite a few chiffon ones. I can't resist a cool print! I also love the colour, I think the blue and purple go really well together. It looks so cosy!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7blNe9FHShcnC0zZfGvvXeZy1AM6iMK4LDaQZDblPhn-KICdmMF3cAyM8UED9z73DhW87NO9oOQW3T6P86EfymYNHywDc3WJkyVKoAoM113M4gsuh0Goh64DhwzaJLY9IlkBxgkzbRst2/s1600/tartan+dress+new+look.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7blNe9FHShcnC0zZfGvvXeZy1AM6iMK4LDaQZDblPhn-KICdmMF3cAyM8UED9z73DhW87NO9oOQW3T6P86EfymYNHywDc3WJkyVKoAoM113M4gsuh0Goh64DhwzaJLY9IlkBxgkzbRst2/s1600/tartan+dress+new+look.jpg" height="320" width="257" /></a></div>
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I love how casual this <a href="http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/dresses/green-3-4-sleeve-tie-waist-check-shirt-dress_329647439">3/4 Sleeve Tie Waist Check Shirt Dress</a> is. I think it'd look lovely with black tights and boots. I've had a few shirt dresses in the past, so this is something that I'd probably try on if I saw it in a shop :).</div>
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This <a href="http://tannyscouture.bigcartel.com/product/plaid-faux-leather-sleeve-retro-shift-dress">Plaid Faux Leather Sleeve Retro Shift Dress</a> is a favourite! I just love the leather sleeves, which add an edge to the dress. Normally with check dresses like this, there are a lot of red and green styles around, so I love that this colour is a bit 'out there' but so nice! I'd love to wear a nice tartan dress on Christmas Day so it'll be great if I find a similar one in town, that I can try on before I buy.</div>
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I had to include a skirt and love the look of this <a href="http://www.hm.com/gb/product/42448?article=42448-A&fromSearch=check&cm_vc=SEARCH">Checked Wraparound Skirt</a>. I can totally imagine myself in something like this, with black tights, boots and a plain t-shirt tucked in. I love the simplicity of it, but it can also be a statement piece if everything else you wear with it is quite plain. It's made with cotton flannel, so I imagine it to be really soft and cosy and it also has a revealed zip on the back, which I love!</div>
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I'd be such a happy bunny with my wardrobe if I had all of this in it!</div>
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<b>Do you have your Christmas Day outfit planned?</b></div>
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<b>Don't forget to like, comment and follow to keep up to date with the rest of my Blogmas posts :).</b></div>
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Thanks for reading lovelies!</div>
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Gem XxOo</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Images courtesy of Asos, New Look, Tanny's Couture and H&M.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-19519513044593030762014-12-13T02:00:00.000-08:002014-12-13T02:00:00.465-08:00BLOGMAS Day 13: Christmas TV 2014...I love this time of year when the Christmas TV guides come out! It might sound sad but I love going through it with a pen and circling programmes I want to watch over the festive season. Usually there are lots of specials on and I like to be aware of them so I don't miss the ones I want to see :). There are also plenty of Christmas films on, which are just perfect to watch when you're cosying up on the sofa with some sweet or savoury treats and in my case, mulled wine!<br />
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Si picked me up the TV Times a couple of days ago and I've been having a gander to see what's going to be on. I might mention some of the plots that I've read about below, so if you don't like to know anything about any of the Christmas programmes ahead of time, I'd probably stop here :).<br />
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Here are the Christmas programmes I'm looking forward to the most...<br />
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I want to start with the soaps because I watch them anyway. Soaps at Christmas are usually full of misery to be honest. I suppose they have to create the drama and I can't complain because it doesn't stop me from watching them ;).<br />
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<b>Eastenders</b> is my favourite soap and has been ever since I started watching soaps. I think my favourite Christmas episode was the one where Tanya Branning discovered Max's affair with Stacey. Although devastating for those involved, it was gripping drama! If you love your soaps, then you'll know what I mean and probably agree, but if not, then you'll probably think I'm a bit sad ha ha. The big storylines for over Christmas seem to be the Carters' discovering that Linda was raped by Dean and the fact that Shirley is Mick's mom!<br />
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<b>Corrie</b> is probably my second favourite soap and the big storylines for over Christmas are Callum turning up to ruin Kylie's 'perfect' Christmas, resulting in Kylie disappearing from the street (she is actually going on temporary maternity leave) and the fact that Steve is suffering from depression and finding it hard to tell anyone about it.<br />
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I've got into <b>Emmerdale</b> a lot more since the Jackson storyline about his paralysis and him choosing to die. I've watched it all of the time since then. The main storyline for Christmas seems to be about the drama that's caused on Katie and Andy's wedding day (probably something to do with Robert *rolls eyes*). There is also a lot of confusion over Archie being handed over. I know that Jai spots the man that handed Archie over, so hopefully that will be cleared up and we'll find out what has actually happened to Rachel.<br />
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I do like watching <b>Hollyoaks</b>, even if it seems that someone dies in it every week! At Christmas the main storylines seem to be based around Ste and John Paul's wedding day and the fact that to start it all off, they are both missing, but they do end up tying the knot. Apparently, the reception reveals a huge bombshell though! Also, Sienna turns even more psycho (not sure how this is possible!) and handcuffs Dodger to a radiator. She appears in a bridal gown for their 'wedding' and erupts when Dodger refuses to kiss her. Wow!<br />
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On to some non-soap programmes, which might appeal to more of you :)...<br />
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<b>Mrs Brown's Boys</b> is a great, situation comedy. If you like silly comedies then you're sure to like this. There are two specials on over Christmas, one on Christmas Day and the other on New Year's Day. In the first one, there is confusion over what plastic surgery Agnes's son, Rory is having, Cathy's mysterious party is kept a secret and Mrs Brown has her usual fight with the Christmas tree! In the second special, Agnes is worried about becoming the next burglary victim in a recent crime wave, so she asks Buster to install an alarm system. As most of the stuff he gets is off the back of a lorry, it isn't as straight forward as you might think. Also, Agnes enters a local poker tournament to try and win some cash to help her son start up his own business and Cathy decides that she wants a baby! I think it's done on purpose for effect, but it's funny when the cast mess up their lines or do something wrong and they just laugh about it and carry on.<br />
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<b>Miranda</b> is one of my all time favourite comedies and I've loved it since it first aired in 2009. Again, I find that it's a silly kind of comedy. The main character is always trying to fit in but she's always getting herself into situations or doing embarrassing things. The actual series has finished, so it's nice to see that there are going to be two specials on this Christmas, before that really is 'it'. The specials air on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. They pick up from where the last episode of series three finished. Miranda had two marriage proposals, one from restaurateur Gary (who she's always had a 'thing' for) and the other from her boyfriend, Mike. It'll be interesting to see if she accepts any and how the final ever episode ends!<br />
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I am thrilled that <b>Birds Of A Feather</b> has returned to our TV screens. I used to love watching this when I was younger, probably aged between 10 and 13. I remember it being on at about 8 or 9pm and I used to persuade my mom to let me watch it before it was time for bed, ha ha. The Christmas special airs on Boxing Day, is called 'Birds On A Plane' and is actually the first episode of series 11, which I'm so excited about! Sharon and Tracey are off on holiday as their friend Dorien decides to treat them all to a break in the Canary Islands. Apparently they end up in Bournemouth :/. It's sure to provide some laughs though and it reminds me of my childhood, so I can't wait to get cosy and watch this before the rest of the new series starts on New Year's Day.<br />
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<b>Would I Lie To You?</b> This comedy panel show never fails to make me laugh. The two team captains, David Mitchell and Lee Mack are so funny. I prefer David Mitchell as he has such a dry sense of humour and it's hilarious when he is having a bit of banter with Lee Mack. I love having a laugh at TV programmes, but this one has made me laugh out loud on several occasions in the past. If you've never seen this, the basic jist is that guests/team captains are given statements that they have to read out and the opposing team have to guess whether it's true or a lie by asking lots of questions and then guessing at the end. The Christmas special airs on the 22nd December.<br />
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I always look out for <b>Top Of The Pops</b> over Christmas. I used to love it when it was on regularly, so now it's even more special as it is only on at Christmas. There are two specials on this year, one on Christmas Day and the other on New Year's Eve. I love watching music performances so am looking forward to watching some of 2014's biggest stars perform. The special on New Year's Eve is sure to get you in the party spirit, especially if you are off out to celebrate the New Year!<br />
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Christmas specials that I miss...<br />
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<b>The Royle Family</b> was a comedy that I loved and I still like to watch repeats on the TV now. I used to look forward to their Christmas specials, so it's a shame that they are no longer on. You might find some of the past Christmas specials on over Christmas, which are still good, but I do miss it!<br />
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<b>Which Christmas specials will you be watching this year?</b><br />
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<b>Don't forget to like, comment and follow to keep up to date with the rest of my Blogmas posts :).</b><br />
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Thanks for reading lovelies!<br />
Gem XxOo<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Images courtesy of Radio Times, Digital Spy, The Mirror, Wales Online and BBC.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-60283302653632267812014-12-12T02:00:00.000-08:002014-12-13T14:18:34.251-08:00BLOGMAS Day 12: BBC Good Food Show Winter...I've been going to the BBC Good Food Show Winter in Birmingham since I was in high school. I studied food technology and I remember the teacher organising a day trip to the show. It was so much fun and since then I've been numerous times with my mom, my husband and sometimes my sister too. Since I've been blogging, I've had the opportunity to attend the show as press, which is lovely considering I've been going there for years! If you love food and drink then you'll love this show :). We went on the 30th of November this year, which was the last day of the show.<br />
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Me and mom having a jolly good time!</div>
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Me and my sister, resting our legs.</div>
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The BBC Good Food Show Winter is usually held over four days, in a huge hall at The NEC in Birmingham. The show is full of exhibitors that sell food, drink, cooking accessories and appliances and there are a few general home-ware stands thrown in in-between. There are also a lot of appliance and cooking demonstrations going on around the show and you can just stop and watch as you like. The food and drink exhibitors tend to offer samples, so that you can try before you buy and some of them are quite generous. You can also get better deals on some products within the show, rather than if you were to buy them outside of the show. There are live stages around the show, where celebrity chefs carry out cooking demonstrations. You can get a show guide as you go into the show (free of charge), so you can see where the live stages are and who is going to be on at certain times. The only live performance you have to book for (included within the admission ticket price), is the Supertheatre performance. This is for large audiences and when you book your admission ticket you can choose who you'd like to see and at what time.<br />
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We had a lovely day and Si (bless him) was snapping away so that I had some good pictures for my blog :). We also bought a few things, so I thought I'd share them with you too...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDOkyykIGvDYjtZdpIaf2GL8gXlJ_BrUqtqu8Fh-vzwwBnIGcXu8YjCpgFlP4AJYoEsqgtEoVlYzAERxVHiKwoRxbZyjA6P0d2T6WpsNGi1ZGBgV7L2ZGvw4eU0ltd2b_NiiAZFzHWY6n/s1600/P1090767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDOkyykIGvDYjtZdpIaf2GL8gXlJ_BrUqtqu8Fh-vzwwBnIGcXu8YjCpgFlP4AJYoEsqgtEoVlYzAERxVHiKwoRxbZyjA6P0d2T6WpsNGi1ZGBgV7L2ZGvw4eU0ltd2b_NiiAZFzHWY6n/s1600/P1090767.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Arkay Sales 'Intelligent' Soup Maker. This was a demonstration that we watched where you can make hot smooth or chunky soup in minutes, using this one machine! Find out more <a href="http://www.arkaysales.com/arkay-sales-x22intelligentx22-soupmaker-2172-p.asp">here</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQl6xgvHBso5tggXCmL_diUl41YO94avsE1Jn3h9JWPviQ_RZ34RBrHFqwfk04_TNk81zbKAGSAgFF-ihMZ7xxNhYAAHrlJ_H5igVwIVo2FTjI0uQdEZVCvbF2OGGAUjzEL7tMCA5ID9W/s1600/P1090770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQl6xgvHBso5tggXCmL_diUl41YO94avsE1Jn3h9JWPviQ_RZ34RBrHFqwfk04_TNk81zbKAGSAgFF-ihMZ7xxNhYAAHrlJ_H5igVwIVo2FTjI0uQdEZVCvbF2OGGAUjzEL7tMCA5ID9W/s1600/P1090770.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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I tend to get the pre-prepared garlic in a jar because I hate the smell on my fingers when chopping it up! This Garlic Twist is something that I've seen time and time again at this show and it would make a lovely gift if you know someone who loves garlic, but doesn't like chopping it up. This little gadget minces garlic to perfection! Find out more <a href="http://www.fossewaytrading.co.uk/portfolio/garlic-twist">here</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VNIKQClmY66h8hF3DLgKsdP_EEKvQTbC_rC1mOzGl-oj7mwiUhEm7WXL_0O69LhJxrC-xBWhADoomUP40hfE4ojTc2VD_4Mw7cgRB_A-U8nPkfsJgmwZ6upOKJCRKfBXL5pOKnRJ0VMP/s1600/P1090777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VNIKQClmY66h8hF3DLgKsdP_EEKvQTbC_rC1mOzGl-oj7mwiUhEm7WXL_0O69LhJxrC-xBWhADoomUP40hfE4ojTc2VD_4Mw7cgRB_A-U8nPkfsJgmwZ6upOKJCRKfBXL5pOKnRJ0VMP/s1600/P1090777.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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My mom bought this Lakeland Compact Chopper and I probably would have too but she has actually bought me something similar for Christmas from QVC, that I said I liked. It's normally £22.99 on the Lakeland website, but it was only £9.99 at the show, so it was a right bargain! Find out more <a href="http://www.lakeland.co.uk/17175/Lakeland-Compact-Chopper">here</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOsXZaVuVjU-jr5bdFq-Lc176hmXkIsilvaM-uUkaf9QkxvSz1YDtpFbXaAFIusvZ01DX6xut8S_-oyYjxOXwQC8CnZIfaYUvxfB3qCcX3-k-QsaHEVpUDXBSfWtIvFm2tc21973zo1iL/s1600/P1090779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOsXZaVuVjU-jr5bdFq-Lc176hmXkIsilvaM-uUkaf9QkxvSz1YDtpFbXaAFIusvZ01DX6xut8S_-oyYjxOXwQC8CnZIfaYUvxfB3qCcX3-k-QsaHEVpUDXBSfWtIvFm2tc21973zo1iL/s1600/P1090779.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Rachel Allen carrying out a live cooking demonstration.</div>
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These little tubs are full of edible, crunchy bugs. Si was brave and tried a few of them but I was having none of it! I suppose if you're thinking of having a bush tucker challenge party, then these Crunchy Critters would be great. You can see what kind of bugs they have to offer <a href="http://www.crunchycritters.com/">here</a>, you can even buy edible tarantula's :/.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMbr3u_mK1yThhiXUVDS3PKUtyU_XzeKglHV749LM2MUd824MUfn74VXEmqvumstFOhdkI4nGxfKLfNoWZZW5va5R04ZuuHhxyfoOC5nbVqYLtl_XTY2Hd3o3q3ozjODDFj4clrzXFAwV/s1600/P1090812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMMbr3u_mK1yThhiXUVDS3PKUtyU_XzeKglHV749LM2MUd824MUfn74VXEmqvumstFOhdkI4nGxfKLfNoWZZW5va5R04ZuuHhxyfoOC5nbVqYLtl_XTY2Hd3o3q3ozjODDFj4clrzXFAwV/s1600/P1090812.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Si trying a crunchy cricket! He didn't seem that fazed by it to be honest, he just kept mentioning that it was stuck in his teeth...nice!</div>
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This was the Jack And Gill Crafts stand. They specialise in embossing rolling pins (usually used with icing), and workshops. We had a good look at this stand as my mom loves making cakes, she bought one of their embossing rolling pins. See what they have to offer <a href="http://www.jackandgillcrafts.co.uk/">here</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJN4_puJhxBDQ2ma44_ev-NsfHU0Fzm9VsznVmTPCxYGDcTLPyLhpbIMrZ8smhf9L21vjIbVNQRrMToxv7SKbJ_NkaH-wxqB-isu776ZBvTuGW2M7Jz9bwxoUr5wACoJKY72MtJNXBIKQZ/s1600/P1090855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJN4_puJhxBDQ2ma44_ev-NsfHU0Fzm9VsznVmTPCxYGDcTLPyLhpbIMrZ8smhf9L21vjIbVNQRrMToxv7SKbJ_NkaH-wxqB-isu776ZBvTuGW2M7Jz9bwxoUr5wACoJKY72MtJNXBIKQZ/s1600/P1090855.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is the result of the embossing rolling pin that my mom bought. You can buy it <a href="http://www.jackandgillcrafts.co.uk/shop/rollingpins?product_id=65">here</a>.</div>
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Here are some examples of cakes that were decorated using Jack And Gill Crafts products.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxvFpf43GnqEeCVpiYb4CbcOnKoVcXcB7hJV_w46RPza_JGYLsJmdkwPAFJVOEzAP3FYUgRBwi_S-wMiO_Q5XQd7ckAiutcOQzORB8m9wUw7PO_7E0eyMA_vNhbB9MrlkDQ0JgFTlxBWT/s1600/P1090859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxvFpf43GnqEeCVpiYb4CbcOnKoVcXcB7hJV_w46RPza_JGYLsJmdkwPAFJVOEzAP3FYUgRBwi_S-wMiO_Q5XQd7ckAiutcOQzORB8m9wUw7PO_7E0eyMA_vNhbB9MrlkDQ0JgFTlxBWT/s1600/P1090859.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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A Smeg fridge that I love the look of! I'd love one of these fridges, maybe in a different colour but I just love how retro it looks!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuj3i7ACSsyMCklxtimIG-AQ1ucbwGi-RtGNL6uIPuxiSDTWwkxnLXxc-s-iYmZmI71h6IPAHnaAD-8j6KIXG6GlHXZ2J5h7qhYTdeOrCZ6xFxhVke2B0k961u_u-3XeEnPs0sz6l-mz9/s1600/P1090871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNuj3i7ACSsyMCklxtimIG-AQ1ucbwGi-RtGNL6uIPuxiSDTWwkxnLXxc-s-iYmZmI71h6IPAHnaAD-8j6KIXG6GlHXZ2J5h7qhYTdeOrCZ6xFxhVke2B0k961u_u-3XeEnPs0sz6l-mz9/s1600/P1090871.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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I picked this up at the show and remembered to take a snap of it before I finished it off! B Fresh make fresh, cold, pressed juices in Shropshire, England. They had many samples to try and they were sooo fresh! They have juices made with ingredients such as, carrot, beetroot, kale and spinach to name a few. I chose this one because it was the sweetest, it contains the most apple juice out of their range. Some of the others aren't sweet at all, but are good for different reasons. Find out more about their juices <a href="http://www.b-fresh.co.uk/">here</a>.</div>
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We saw The Hairy Bikers in the Supertheatre.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jllHvvT6QcdLbR0chB4Ii1tC-38dyVIXhBGOKmAadDYFYvulkLjq7_K1_hUJRA9U3gk1uqsH7TrDoTD-CC94FNR8egG-F5ex4_26g1aBjoin3DC6A5ifNwrd3z6Ch04ZT0QtaE6kk6xk/s1600/P1090883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8jllHvvT6QcdLbR0chB4Ii1tC-38dyVIXhBGOKmAadDYFYvulkLjq7_K1_hUJRA9U3gk1uqsH7TrDoTD-CC94FNR8egG-F5ex4_26g1aBjoin3DC6A5ifNwrd3z6Ch04ZT0QtaE6kk6xk/s1600/P1090883.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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They showed us how to make three recipes: <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfoodshowwinter.com/page.cfm/action=library/libID=7/libEntryID=38/listID=24">scallops with coral sauce & cauliflower purée</a>, <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfoodshowwinter.com/page.cfm/action=library/libID=7/libEntryID=39/listID=24">turkey chilli with cauliflower rice</a> and baked peaches. The chilli and peaches really appealed to me and I'll probably make them for me and Si :). I can only find two of the recipes online, but I've linked them for you anyway!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjCvPHmn_KldOILNqDD4xcA6WcpItGG-psXrpcPRfGq-hczJl921-jrYQ5uheTed7cx_PtsKz1U57g5ZPI1niki61A9BH1WQlVDSjj5Krm_Qv4ZhV5VH9yztjaG8Wq7nEhZlCXWesXlzr/s1600/P1090888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnjCvPHmn_KldOILNqDD4xcA6WcpItGG-psXrpcPRfGq-hczJl921-jrYQ5uheTed7cx_PtsKz1U57g5ZPI1niki61A9BH1WQlVDSjj5Krm_Qv4ZhV5VH9yztjaG8Wq7nEhZlCXWesXlzr/s1600/P1090888.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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This stand was a favourite, especially for Si. Curry Dave specialise in making naan bread curry pizza! We got to this stand as the show was close to finishing, so we were given a couple of samples to try. It was delicious! You can see what they have to offer <a href="http://www.currydave.com/">here</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0rVjMvfxYHzTRtZJcSPG5qgb2OC9Bc1YQJo-i__Mk97otN5AX-vc77f7jL26BOWHxuLhqkNYmpLbWXxYFD55IujPD0DD5SCKSRzFK2QoUg4n9zhHuE3R1-sjoKWnbNewnEIZGIXtwfCN/s1600/P1090889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0rVjMvfxYHzTRtZJcSPG5qgb2OC9Bc1YQJo-i__Mk97otN5AX-vc77f7jL26BOWHxuLhqkNYmpLbWXxYFD55IujPD0DD5SCKSRzFK2QoUg4n9zhHuE3R1-sjoKWnbNewnEIZGIXtwfCN/s1600/P1090889.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Our sample of Curry Dave's naan bread pizza.</div>
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Here are the products that me and Si bought from the show, to take home...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDR5NjA1MQ5jv_6-xLf_NaGRMAIOHgKtSg-Y1IExAb-5uJHonule1_L4mFuC2mGy-Km1qgI-2fzMUKeVXC9VrRztT8aqhvqnjp9XtlDBSN88jkevmvBd9pdTAq-7v02rG_4FXyin3oRNBY/s1600/P1090798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDR5NjA1MQ5jv_6-xLf_NaGRMAIOHgKtSg-Y1IExAb-5uJHonule1_L4mFuC2mGy-Km1qgI-2fzMUKeVXC9VrRztT8aqhvqnjp9XtlDBSN88jkevmvBd9pdTAq-7v02rG_4FXyin3oRNBY/s1600/P1090798.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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I love it when a decision isn't hard to make and as soon as I had a sample of this, I knew I had to get it! It was £10 for a 500ml bottle, which I thought was a great deal! I love strawberries and vodka drinks, especially cocktails, so this appealed to me straight away! XUXU Strawberry Vodka is made with fresh strawberry pulp, crystal clear vodka and a squeeze of lime (also a favourite of mine). I'm looking forward to drinking it with sparkling wine at Christmas! It is made with 66% fruit and you can find ways of using it within drinks/cocktails <a href="http://www.xuxu.de/xuxu_xuxu.html">here</a>. You can purchase it <a href="http://www.thedrinkshop.com/products/nlpdetail.php?prodid=2059">here</a>.</div>
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<img height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ehr2pXeoQ-UNXHV_fpeMkDV_eWxUqBTScorGpRSEL77gJaESxEliiYz9yH566aR8JEAHGV-BOMGAI5RPNUvuF98XLeIPyZMUgn3wH6U9QimebyP4R0pE2b2mEmCnuLbxJ9ZMQPoAA7F4/s1600/P1100283.JPG" width="400" /></div>
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I thought I'd show you the drink within a glass. You can see that it coats the glass slightly, which shows you the fruit pulp and that it isn't just a pure vodka liquid, if you know what I mean :).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFnYlVM8xtZu2GC738MotBIUTlfzYjMhP305oVFE6eHeQnGYwV8FbsBYRNCo-eOICUGj-nBxm9wr-tFSOiMfNfe0K2bnXpRXvidhhK6Ayqfy-l0lamsrJ3vXJWB6SRtCpCJOEkk9NoSInm/s1600/P1090895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFnYlVM8xtZu2GC738MotBIUTlfzYjMhP305oVFE6eHeQnGYwV8FbsBYRNCo-eOICUGj-nBxm9wr-tFSOiMfNfe0K2bnXpRXvidhhK6Ayqfy-l0lamsrJ3vXJWB6SRtCpCJOEkk9NoSInm/s1600/P1090895.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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We came across the Suhana stand towards the end of the show, so we were pulled in by their offering of potato and curry sauce samples. Me and Si love curry and prefer to make our own the majority of the time, rather than get a takeaway. When we got there, they had a deal on where you could get 20 curry spice packets for £10. My mom asked if we wanted to go halves, so we both had 10 curry spice packets for £5 each. We love butter chicken (we've tried their Suhana Butter Chicken Mix before, we found it in B&M's and when I made it, it was delicious) so we chose a few of those, along with the Suhana Chicken Tikka Masala Mix and the Suhana Chicken Tandoori Mix. Just because it says 'chicken' on the ones I've mentioned, it doesn't mean you can't use vegetables instead. You can see their range of spice mixes <a href="http://suhana-spices.co.uk/">here</a>. I love their homepage, it looks like steam is coming off of the curry!</div>
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<img height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXN1CwizERpG3Yis1ZH1NpDugn7-nWVAmwSFAse414BD2gQQF0B01oQfOkdkBUiuQllkKVrYNYYXWG9ZRaEsIIs714pA689T64c0Gg1DMhkHu9jxs_xBwoWsTNnoueokz2I0w79GAhBxti/s1600/P1100313.JPG" width="400" /></div>
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Here are the spice mixes we bought from the Suhana stand.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEtWTkcLmCTl6Dsr7ODdfevkYyhSzhH0cTMuX9GW_bcBvkRBUgMYzj2R7QSng6dtIgpgAxJdK_RHzm6syPfsEQgErw-v9AQACG6yvDgVazkNWlLt33zJO2Ol7B4sl5umG1hsF1cIkX_lDU/s1600/P1100267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEtWTkcLmCTl6Dsr7ODdfevkYyhSzhH0cTMuX9GW_bcBvkRBUgMYzj2R7QSng6dtIgpgAxJdK_RHzm6syPfsEQgErw-v9AQACG6yvDgVazkNWlLt33zJO2Ol7B4sl5umG1hsF1cIkX_lDU/s1600/P1100267.JPG" height="400" width="360" /></a></div>
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This Bekaert's Biscuit Butter is something that Si spotted before me and advised me to try it. It's a caramelised biscuit spread with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. One thing I will say is that it is very moreish, so if you initially like it, you'll want more and more. They had a crunchy option, but we opted for smooth. We actually bought some biscuits whilst we were in Birmingham to have with this, back in our hotel room, ha ha! As soon as you taste it, you get the biscuit taste and then the cinnamon comes through, mmm. I'm actually having more of it now, so I can try and describe it to you :), blogging purposes and all that! You can order, check out recipes and more on the <a href="http://www.biscuitbutter.com/">website</a>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbmvIBhhZOtLNqSyhNEAlHSr5Uen5ZWgoM_W-rkz4VCK_Kf3nvJPMFCmj8t4CW31UKBGpTqbDDXgwDqmpGxc4JJgLVk6N0kJf2mxiHehcZ0Hl10eu68kpyW-JYBUNOhSpBkaCFyaIblwM/s1600/P1100269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbmvIBhhZOtLNqSyhNEAlHSr5Uen5ZWgoM_W-rkz4VCK_Kf3nvJPMFCmj8t4CW31UKBGpTqbDDXgwDqmpGxc4JJgLVk6N0kJf2mxiHehcZ0Hl10eu68kpyW-JYBUNOhSpBkaCFyaIblwM/s1600/P1100269.JPG" height="400" width="341" /></a></div>
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Excuse the state of it, but this is what the Biscuit Butter looks like :), it's really smooth and velvety!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2IO6a19mSMcI7BKFZ02vASvtoWAYI-06tjg3nogDTp8ThBsvfBcz_McxwZrp3DOj6Fpt9uEL0dNK4hxIXlDyWLs8L-2oKQPc5382OD6-XSE_LtmKrT0gSb5Jnx3juHy_VFmWTKQgwzPR/s1600/P1100303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2IO6a19mSMcI7BKFZ02vASvtoWAYI-06tjg3nogDTp8ThBsvfBcz_McxwZrp3DOj6Fpt9uEL0dNK4hxIXlDyWLs8L-2oKQPc5382OD6-XSE_LtmKrT0gSb5Jnx3juHy_VFmWTKQgwzPR/s1600/P1100303.JPG" height="400" width="395" /></a></div>
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I only have a couple of squares of this left! I love Eton Mess, so when I saw this chocolate bar, I had to have it. It is made with Hanley's luxury white chocolate, natural strawberry flavour, freeze dried strawberries and meringue pieces. I paid £3 for this at the show. You can buy this and find out more about Hanley's Premium Confectionery <a href="http://www.hanleysconfectionery.co.uk/luxury_chocolate_bars/eton-mess-chocolate?filter=3">here</a>.</div>
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The BBC Good Food Show, Birmingham is also on in the summer, but I've only ever been to the winter one. If you've been to the summer show, feel free to share your experiences in the comments section below :). BBC Good Food also have other shows that you can attend. Find out more and book tickets <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfoodshow.com/">here</a>.</div>
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<b>Have you ever been to a BBC Good Food Show?</b></div>
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<b>Don't forget to like, comment and follow to keep up to date with the rest of my Blogmas posts :).</b></div>
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Thanks for reading lovelies!</div>
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Gem XxOo</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* I was able to attend the show free of charge, as press. Me and Si took a lot of our own pictures and it was my own choice to feature the above on my blog. Also, I was not gifted any of the items mentioned above.</span></div>
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Welcome to Blogmas Day 11 lovelies! I actually made up this tag myself and thought it'd be a nice touch to also have Si answer the questions so you can see the comparison of childhood memories between me and my hubby :).<br />
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Feel free to do this tag yourself and let me know if you do it either via the comments section below or on Twitter (@GemsGemz86), I'd love to see your answers :).<br />
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<b>1. What is your very first memory of Christmas?</b><br />
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Gem - My first memory is something that used to happen
every Christmas Day when me and my sister were kids and I mentioned this in 'The Christmas Tag' that I did on Blogmas Day 1. When we finally woke our parents up to go downstairs
to see if 'Santa' had been. My dad would lead us downstairs and the living room door
would be shut and he'd always say 'let me have a look first to see if HE has
been'. He did this for years and even when we started to grow up, as a joke. I don't
think he wanted to stop, ha! This just stands out to me as something that I
always remember.</span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Si - I'm not very good at putting memories into chronological order, but one of my earliest memories would be going shopping with my mom and dad in town and all the Christmas lights were on and there was music playing in all the shops. I remember choosing a horrible yellow jumper as a present!</span><br />
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<b>2. What was your favourite thing about Christmas as a child?</b><br />
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Gem - Probably the whole believing in Santa thing and
the magic of it all. I still feel that Christmas time is extremely magical, I
get so excited every year, there's just something about it. I can't
specifically remember 'believing', but I know I did and it must have felt
amazing at the time to think that what you were told about Santa was true. I can't
wait for my children to enjoy the magic of Christmas and Santa for as long as
possible :).</span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Si - Everything. Me and my sister used to start playing Christmas songs in late October to get excited. I loved the decorations and the mood. I also loved how TV programmes had Christmas specials.</span><br />
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<b>3. What did you do at Christmas as a child that you don't do now?</b><br />
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Gem - Leave cookies and milk out for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph?<br />
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Si - Apart from be sober? I do quite a lot of similar things to be honest. I'm quite nostalgic and like tradition. I don't stick a mince pie and some sherry out for Santa any more though, he gets enough without me feeding him too.<br />
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<b>4. What do you do at Christmas now that you didn't do as a child?</b><br />
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Gem - Buy for a lot more people and drink mulled wine
and hot Pimms and apple juice :).</span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Si - I suppose Gem's traditions that I've picked up over the years that I didn't do as a child, like having a stocking with some presents on the bed to open as soon as we wake up Christmas morning.</span><br />
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<b>5. Did you prefer Christmas as a child or at your age now?</b><br />
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Gem - This is hard because like I said above the whole
believing in Santa is what Christmas is about as a child really. As an adult I
probably appreciate it a lot more as I now buy presents, buy food, decorate the
house etc. Apart from believing, Christmas hasn't really changed for me. It's
still my favourite time of year and I just love the general excitement that's
in the air.</span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Si - I would say I preferred it slightly more as a child but only a smidgen.</span><br />
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<b>6. Have you ever been away for Christmas? If not, where would you choose to go if you could?</b><br />
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Gem - I haven't been away for Christmas Day but I went to New York just before Christmas in 2010 for a few days with Si, but we were back before Christmas Day. I think it would be amazing to experience Christmas Day somewhere else, even if it was only the once. New York would be an amazing place to be on Christmas Day. I'd love to go skiing during the Christmas season too, maybe just before Christmas Day though.<br />
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Si - We went to New York for a few days, just before Christmas in 2010. We went from the 15th to the 20th of December. I've never been away for the actual day though. I would love to spend the actual day in New York. There's something so magical about New York, especially at that time of year!<br />
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<b>7. What Christmas traditions do you remember from school?</b><br />
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Gem - In junior school, we used to have Christmas plays
which were always fun to be honest. I used to love being in the chorus, singing
and dancing :)</span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">.
There also used to be a postbox for Christmas cards and it'd be emptied each
day and the cards would be given out. Everyone loved that, at the end of each school day, taking a pile of Christmas
cards home! Oh and the Christmas disco. Junior school was great! I don't really
remember any specific traditions in high school apart from we might have a few 'watch
a video' days towards the end of term.</span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Si - I went to a Catholic school so we had Christmas mass at the nearby church, which as an 8 year old, made me incredibly bored. We also used to do nativity plays, which I love, but I only ever got parts like the donkey.</span><br />
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<b>8. Have you ever seen any Christmas pantomimes?</b><br />
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Gem - Yes and they are great! So much fun for all of
the family. I've seen a few over the years but I seem to remember Aladdin and
Jack & The Beanstalk being a couple of the ones I've seen :).</span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Si - Yes, quite a few with Gem.</span><br />
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<b>9. Be honest, what's the worst or strangest present you've ever received?</b><br />
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Gem - People are normally quite good when it comes to
buying for me so I'm normally really lucky and of course, grateful. However, my
mom especially but Si too knows that when it comes to bath and body items, I
don't mind trying out new products and new brands. However, you know those sets
that aren't branded and they have names such as (I'm making these up) bubbly
bath & shower gel or creamy body lotion and that is literally their name,
no brand or anything, these are items that normally stay in my bottom drawer
until I'm desperate. There's something about them that I'm not overly keen on
and they have so many ingredients in them too.</span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Si - No gift is a bad gift really. I can't think of any I've received that have been strange either.</span><br />
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<b>10. When did you stop believing in Santa and what was the reason?</b><br />
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><br /></span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Gem - As I got older, I kind of just figured it out. I don't remember my mom or dad
actually sitting me down and having to explain it to me. However, I do remember at
a young age that I wrote a note on top of my stocking before I went to sleep
and it said something like 'Santa, if you're real, please sign here'. Lol, it makes me laugh thinking about that now. In the morning, I woke up and there was
Santa Claus's signature, blatantly in my mom's handwriting!</span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Si - Still believe.</span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><b>Do you have a specific Christmas memory from your childhood?</b></span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><b>Don't forget to like, comment and follow to keep up to date with the rest of my Blogmas posts :).</b></span><br />
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Thanks so much for reading lovelies!</span><br />
<span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Gem XxOo</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11392811227948794968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3724484720322634353.post-71194356491036940472014-12-10T02:00:00.000-08:002014-12-10T02:00:00.488-08:00BLOGMAS Day 10: Traditional Christmas Trip To Birmingham...Me and Si have been going to Birmingham around this time of year for years now and for the past couple of years, my mom and sister have been coming too. They normally stay for one night and me and Si normally stay for two. This year, while we were there, we went to the BBC Good Food Show (blog post will be coming soon), the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market and the BBC Public Space. I thought I'd share with you what we got up to...<br />
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The <a href="http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/frankfurtmarket">Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market</a> is such a lovely place to be and the atmosphere is fab! It usually starts in the middle of November and continues through to just before Christmas. It is full of lovely foods, drinks and crafts.<br />
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The big wheel and ice rink.</div>
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Some of the festive food, drink and craft huts.</div>
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Lovely crafts, perfect if you're looking for gifts.</div>
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A festive feeling.</div>
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Pretty Christmas lights.</div>
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Bright lights and lots of food and drink.</div>
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I normally like to drink the mulled wine and cider that they have to offer and Si likes the German beers. Usually we have a German Bratwurst but actually ate other things within the market this year. We had a look at the <a href="http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/birmingham-german-market-food-drink-8133391">Birmingham Mail's, Birmingham German Market food and drink guide</a> before we went there. I came across it online, so I was interested in what other foods the market had to offer, apart from the sausages. It definitely made my mouth water just looking at the food pictures!</div>
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This year, we didn't have any sausages but me and Si shared a tray of sweet potato fries from the <a href="http://www.pipshotsauce.co.uk/">Pip's Hot Sauce</a> stand. The price was £5 for a tray of delicious, hot, sweet potato fries topped with as many of their toppings as we wanted. We opted for the slow cooked beef chilli with cheese on top of our fries. Unfortunately, we were really hungry and dove right in. If you look at the above linked food and drink guide, you will see an image of the loaded fries. It was pretty cold that night, so the hot food was a god send and so yummy. The chilli had sooo much flavour and was really well seasoned, not bland at all! It also wasn't spicy, just in case you're unsure about having chilli due to the spice.<br />
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Food board outside the Pip's Hot Sauce hut.</div>
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Pip's Hot Sauce hut.</div>
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This is similar to what we had, but without the sour cream and guacamole (image courtesy of Birmingham Mail).</div>
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To drink, I had a Pimm's Winter, mmmm! I have at least one of these every year. Pimm's Winter has brandy in it, instead of the usual gin. It is blended with spices and orange peel and the drink is topped up with hot apple juice. It is delicious! It's £4.50 for a single measure and the cup is quite small, so doesn't last long, but it's a lovely treat! Eager beaver here, once again, forgot to take her own photo!</div>
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A delicious, warming Pimm's (image courtesy of Birmingham Mail).</div>
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Although we have a good look around, we never seem to buy any of the crafty bits, we just go for the atmosphere, food and drink ha ha! They have entertainment on sometimes, usually weekends, so you have a bit of music to bop along to! I've only ever been to the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market, I'd love to go to other Christmas markets though!</div>
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We also visited the BBC Public Space. If you've never been there, it's in The Mailbox and is open to the public Monday-Saturday: 9:30am - 5:30pm and Sunday: 11am - 5pm. You can pay to have a tour around the building (which includes areas which are out of bounds to those just having a look around the Public Space), but the Public Space is free of charge and you can just wander around certain areas, at your own leisurely pace. There are costumes worn by people from TV shows on display, aswell as props from TV shows. You can try your hand at presenting the news and weather (more about this later), take a touch screen tour of the radio drama studio where The Archers record, look into the windows of some of the radio studios, take a peek at the gallery used to put the news on air, treat yourself in the BBC shop and more!</div>
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There are some interesting things to see, so it's nice that it's free to just go in and wander around certain areas. If you want to find out more about the Public Space or book a tour, you will find more information <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/tours/birmingham">here</a>.</div>
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Doctor Who Tardis.</div>
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Props from BBC TV shows.</div>
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Quotes from BBC TV shows.</div>
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The production gallery where the news is put on air.</div>
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We had a right laugh having a go at presenting the news and weather. You might have seen me Instagram about it (@GemsGemz86). We were lucky to be the only ones there, so the four of us had several goes. Basically, they have pre-recorded bits of news and weather, a touch screen to set everything up and an autocue. You stand in front of a grey backdrop and read the autocue. There is another screen in the area that shows your recording with the news clips or weather map behind you, just like the real news or weather. We couldn't stop laughing at each other, as you will probably hear in the clips below. You can watch your recording back and receive a code so that you can download it onto your computer. I've included a few pictures below and you can have a laugh at my recordings (it's a lot harder than it looks on the TV, especially the weather when you're trying to point here, there and everywhere ha ha!).</div>
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Me presenting the news!</div>
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The autocue.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKgOW4yC9onjT2cTlg0JSr6q2vXnb4QVCeyJTWfnz4l_JCBv5PJyWJJuGbzs-nHaqMegWiEbDho4g2mJv3OgEWyUB_shg_7zp6tjutug_MRoBHy9ewXy2UGz4mhkiTLWCtenDbjYPlScj/s1600/P1090945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKgOW4yC9onjT2cTlg0JSr6q2vXnb4QVCeyJTWfnz4l_JCBv5PJyWJJuGbzs-nHaqMegWiEbDho4g2mJv3OgEWyUB_shg_7zp6tjutug_MRoBHy9ewXy2UGz4mhkiTLWCtenDbjYPlScj/s1600/P1090945.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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My 'presenting the weather' recording being played back.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KnN_GmEvtXPYbOdmWJcRPjbpD_7E63vTyxg7NNW81i4feZf3WxH_gNmxCp9TyHgph-ypyTBGnrgWcrvymR2VVRBAtSRxSYyHhCPeVEO0X3VjaS3QfOSMt0-Yyi5RgT-btzl3suPYZkJO/s1600/P1090936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KnN_GmEvtXPYbOdmWJcRPjbpD_7E63vTyxg7NNW81i4feZf3WxH_gNmxCp9TyHgph-ypyTBGnrgWcrvymR2VVRBAtSRxSYyHhCPeVEO0X3VjaS3QfOSMt0-Yyi5RgT-btzl3suPYZkJO/s1600/P1090936.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Si's 'presenting the news' recording being played back.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwtyi2gWEp-xEJCmnOyE1YIX_ElWNubYEjlYyo9o-0VoGdOp3sEC-UpsDq2TLRcJSY8EZXeA9JeyyXr9r0Oew' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Video of me presenting the weather!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzTOWXLNyeXJrS8NB9b3fl8ENfE3ezBt1-ENbDtXiqyS8o8Wg3qPq2Dg6RZ_cUjK2kDdjfI3oPZPcbZTWdIcQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Video of me presenting the news!</div>
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<b>Is there anywhere you always go at this time of year?</b></div>
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<b>Have any of you been to the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market or the BBC Public Space?</b></div>
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<b>Don't forget to like, comment and follow to keep up to date with the rest of my Blogmas posts :).</b></div>
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Thanks for reading lovelies!</div>
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Gem XxOo</div>
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