1. Photography. My rekindled love is elaborated on more at Blossom.nu and Single Shot
2. Sunny days. The weather is beautiful at the moment, and even though I’m stuck inside for most of the sunshine, I even enjoy just seeing it through the window. Winter is too gloomy!
3. My boyfriend. He’s awesome and looks after me.
4. My new laptop. I splashed out on a MacBook Pro recently and upgraded the RAM to 8GB.
5. Buying house stuff. I love buying things for my house, whether it’s a set of coasters or a new bookcase. I even enjoying researching what to buy.
6. Etsy. I love Etsy, I love the uniqueness and the fact that I’m supporting people directly rather than huge faceless companies. There are so many ridiculously talented people out there.
7. Making things. I’m always fiddling with bits and pieces and I’ve tried all different crafts over the years. At the moment I’m planning to buy some fabric and start a sewing project.
8. Cats. My cats never fail to cheer me up, whether they’re being all cuddly or simply taking my mind off things by demanding something (usually food).
9. Computer games. I don’t get a chance to play them much these days, but again I’m planning to set aside more time.
10. Chocolate. Because it’s delicious, obviously
11. Tinkering with websites. Design in particular makes me very happy, even though I usually only do it for myself.
12. Friends. I love having a laugh with my friends and going out, even if it’s just for a coffee or to the cinema.
13. Blogging. I’ve been doing it for eleven or twelve years now and I can’t see myself ever giving it up.

What makes you happy? Let me know in the comments!

All my friends (online and offline) seem to be going away, and I’m jealous. There’s no way we can afford to go abroad this year, so we’re looking more at cheap UK breaks. We used to go away quite a lot for the weekend when I lived down south, because I disliked the town I lived in and fun cities like Bath, Bristol and Oxford were only a short train ride away. It’s fun to explore different cities and see what’s on offer. Even just wandering round without any plans is good fun when you’ve never been to a place before. One of my favourite parts is the memories and the photos after, the kind of ‘Hey, remember when we went to…’ chats.

Best of all, a ‘staycation’ – I love that word – is so cheap. We don’t drive, so something like a coach holiday is good for us, or alternatively anywhere that’s easy to reach by coach or train. Even though it’s cheaper than going abroad, I always look out for discounts or coupon codes so that I don’t have to pay full price (I hate paying full price for anything!!). The additional benefit is that holidays are much more flexible. I’m happy to leave the cats for two or three days, and it means less time off work as well. Joe in particular needs to watch his time as he’s freelance, so a short UK break is perfect for us.

The only thing left to decide is where to go?! I’d love to visit Cornwall because I’ve never been, but I’d prefer to go there in the summer. It’s also really far away. One thing I’d like to do is go to the Peak District or the Lake District as they are much easier to reach and I’d like to get some photos from high up in the Peaks. The views are beautiful. One of the hardest parts of booking a holiday, wherever it is, is finding a good holiday and a good place to stay. Lots of people don’t care where they stay or what it looks like, but I’m super fussy. So I’ve been looking at reviews of last minute holidays to find out what’s good and what to avoid.

Fingers crossed I find the perfect place on a budget!!

1. Song that always makes you sad?

The 9/11 remix of Heaven (this one).

2. Last thing you bought?

Lunch for me and Joe – two rolls from Costa and a bottle of Tango.

3. Last person you argued with?

Probably Joe. I argue with him, but he doesn’t argue back.

4. Do you put butter before putting the peanut butter on?

I don’t eat peanut butter sandwiches :/ And I rarely put butter in sandwiches either, so that would be a no!

5. One of your stuffed animals’ names as a kid?

My first bear was called Peeko, not sure why. I think I was too young to name him myself.

6. Did you ever at one time own a Barenaked Ladies CD?

Haha, no.

7. Favorite day of the week?

I don’t really have a favourite, the only day I don’t particularly like is Sunday (especially the evening). It’s usually quite ‘meh’.

8. Favorite sundae topping?

Anything with caramel. Mmmmm.

9. Did you take piano lessons?

Nope, although I hope my kids will.

10. Most frequent song played?

At the moment it’s an old song, See the Sun by Dido. I like listening to Dido to fall asleep.

11. T.V. show you secretly enjoy?

Oh God…there are too many terrible shows I lov!. Probably the worst are Teen Mom and Toddlers and Tiaras.

12. Would you rather play basketball or hockey?

Hockey. Haven’t played since school though!

13. Date someone older or younger?

No preference.

14. One place you could travel right now?

Italy. Always Italy. Capri would be nice, or Siena.

15. Do you use umbrellas?

Yep, I generally walk to places and I live in England so it’s pretty much a given. I need to buy a new umbrella though, I’m terrible at leaving them all over the place and my two have disappeared.

16. Do you know all the words to the Canadian national anthem?

Nope, I only know two. Although maybe I should, it would be a good party trick.

17. Favorite cheese?

Can’t go wrong with a good cheddar.

18. The Smith’s or The Cure?

Eh.

19. Do you prefer blondes or brunettes?

See above.

20. Best job you ever had?

The one I’ve got now, by far

The only thing I’m not enamoured with is the title font with the blog title and strapline. It doesn’t really fit in with the look and feel of the rest of the theme, but when I get a chance I’ll look into creating a simple title/title image with one of my favourite cursive fonts. I absolutely love the Google Font Directory and its simplicity and wide variety of fonts. My favourite at the moment is Pacifico, so Star-Girl may just end up being in that. The cursive ‘G’ will look pretty good I think.

I know the old adage ‘never judge a book by its cover’, but I wasn’t very impressed by this cover. It’s kind of boring at first glance and it’s not until you examine it closely that you pick up on any of the little details. The blurb was equally uninspiring – although I realise now that’s because it’s extremely difficult to say anything about this book without giving any of the plot twists and outcomes away.

Once I picked it up and started reading, I was hooked. I read a good hundred pages despite it being very late, and reluctantly put it down when my eyes refused to focus any more. I then picked it up the next day and finished it without any interruptions.

The story is told by protagonist Beatrice, who finds out her sister Tess is missing and immediately flies over from her home in New York to investigate whilst the police have all but given up. Whilst uncovering the mystery, she discovers a lot about herself, her family, and particularly her relationships with her sister and her mother. The reader is led to question whether Beatrice knows her sister as well as she thinks she does, and the plot twists and turns very unpredictably. As I followed Beatrice’s investigation and determination throughout the novel, I kept changing my mind about various characters and events; Lupton’s writing style is extremely clever as, like Beatrice at the time, you can only guess what’s really going on. Even some things you’re convinced are right turn out not to be true, and the ending is the biggest twist of all.

Beatrice is a pretty strong character, if a little judgemental. She often points out the differences between herself and her sister, and I found both characters believable and with a lot of depth. I had to admire the way she refused to give up until she found out the truth. However, there was a small plot point that annoyed me – it’s a matter of debate whether Tess has received some phone calls or not, which are key to her mentality at the time. I feel this could have quickly and obviously been resolved with a call to the phone company and/or checking her itemised phone bill, but apparently no one thinks of this. It could easily be explained by Beatrice being stressed and the police not being convinced enough to follow it up, but it did make me want to shout at her!

Another aspect I found interesting was the way the male characters are presented in the book. There are quite a lot of them, ranging from investigators to psychiatrists to doctors to Beatrice’s fiancé to Tess’s lecturer, but they were introduced slowly and I didn’t find it confusing to keep track of who was who.
Whereas the females were generally presented as being flawed yet determined victims with a focus on emotion, the men often came across as impatient, condescending and were largely based around their careers. I would have liked a bit more depth to some of the male characters, although their characterisation overall was good enough and admittedly there were a lot of people to cover in a relatively short novel. I guess it’s also logical because it’s in their career setting that Beatrice meets many of the men in the novel, whereas her relationships with women were much more personal. This did have the advantage that several twists and turns were created as certain characters interacted with each other and you didn’t really know who you could trust or who was telling the truth. It also made it pretty much impossible to guess who was responsible, which was refreshing as you’re kept guessing until almost the very end.

I did think that the science aspects to the book were convincing and easy to understand even if, like me, you have a very limited knowledge of genetics. The book overall had an extremely realistic feel to it, and it was topped off by a great ending. I was a bit worried it would be left ‘unfinished’ or unsatisfying, but everything was pulled together very well and I would definitely recommend this book to any adults who enjoy reading.

I’m sorry if this review comes across as quite vague, but I’m trying really hard not to give anything away! This is definitely the best book I’ve read in several months, but I feel that the re-reading value is limited unless you’ve forgotten the plot in a year or two. Having said that, I think that ‘Sister’ is one of those books where you pick up on things the second time round that you didn’t notice initially.

‘Sister’ can currently be picked up at the bargain price of £3.49 from Amazon, and it’s definitely one to add to your wishlist; just be careful when reading any reviews online as many contain spoilers.

The paperback version also contains a series of questions for reading groups, a little about the author, and a couple of pages from her next book.

There are a few different products in the range, but I went for the eye cream and the two kinds of moisturiser they do. I had a sneaky smell of this Miracle Mattifier Moisturiser in the shop and it smelled lovely, which convinced me to buy it. I normally buy Superdrug’s newish Sensitive moisturiser which retails around the £2.50 mark, so it was a big jump to the £8ish that this costs in Boots. Although to be fair I did buy it on the 3 for 2 deal and it does contain 100ml rather than 50ml.

This moisturiser doesn’t disappoint; compared to Superdrug’s paraben-free version, it looks and feels more luxurious. The smell is of blackcurrant and goji berries, of which the blackcurrant is more overpowering. It’s a very unusual scent, particularly for a moisturiser, and it does hang around for a while after using but doesn’t seem to interfere with anything else (shampoo, perfume etc.) I’m wearing. I absolutely love the smell of this moisturiser, it’s fresh and fruity, and I hope they bring out a perfume version at some point.

The bottle is a simple, standard flip-lid-and-squeeze-moisturiser-out job, and the moisturiser itself is pretty standard in thickness and texture. I put a small amount on my fingers and rubbed into my face, but it did seem to have a slight tightening effect on my skin. When I added more though, it had more of a moisturising effect and the tightness went away. So I do have to actually use a bit more than other brands to get a proper moisturising feel; however, I think this might be because it’s intended to help oily skin and mattify shiny skin and I have normal skin. I do prefer the other moisturiser in the Good Things range for this reason, although this one smells a lot nicer and does the job with a little extra effort.

I wouldn’t describe the ingredients as being overly natural, but they are suitable for vegans and as mentioned previously they don’t contain the nasties you’ll find in almost all moisturisers. If you have oily or shiny skin I can see this being a godsend, and this Miracle Moisturiser is actually versatile enough for other skin types by using a bit more during application. I’m not sure how well it would work on dry skin, but then again applying more may make it fine for you.

Overall, there are no real disadvantages other than the price. The only thing I would say is that it’s a shame you can’t buy other Good Things products with the same scent to layer it. I would love to have the choice of all their products with this smell, and it would be good for layering too.

The site is pretty informative and is updated regularly with new posts. What I appreciate is that there are no sales messages here and no ‘BUY BUY BUY’ mentality which makes you suspicious of the reliability of the site. Instead, the content is well thought-out and presented.

I found out a lot more stuff about metal carports, how to buy and install a carport, and even information about designing carport plans yourself. Apparently they can last a lifetime, so you can save lots of money by going wholesale. I also like that metalcarportsandkits.com isn’t nationality dependent, so whether you’re from the US, Australia, the UK or anywhere else, it’s information that you can use throughout the process of designing, buying and even installing your carport.

Whilst the ‘metal carports’ part of the name may lead you to believe that’s all the website is about, it also covers a variety of other things from steel buildings and steel garages to timber carports and carport kits. I find metalcarportsandkits.com to be a good unbiased resource for those who are at the researching and planning stages of creating a carport extension or detached carport for their home. I was surprised to find that they can be used for much more than just vehicle storage, and that they can be tailored to fit in with the look and feel of your home. At the moment, with everyone watching their spending, carports seem like an economical way to protect your car from the worst of nature and the weather without the expense of a full garage.

The website shows full listings of second hand campervans for you to browse through and pick up a bargain. Campervans are becoming increasingly popular at the moment because they are good value for money and over just a few holidays pay for themselves over the cost of going abroad. You’re also free to go where you want when you want – the open road is yours. If you get bored or like to be spontaneous, you can just drive on.

Campervans.biz also benefits from being extremely easy to use, as you can start browsing the listings straight away from the homepage, and there are tons of camper vans listed across a wide range of brands, including the popular VW campervan. If you need campervan insurance, then campervans.biz is great as you can fill out a quick form to get and compare quotes for your motorhome – saving time for both new and existing campervan owners.

Campervans.biz also has a friendly and personal touch thanks to the blog, which is where you can find out news, tips and reviews of campervans (and you can subscribe to the RSS feed to keep up to date with the site). There’s also an easily accessible contacts page should you have any questions, and I find that the owner is very quick to reply which is always reassuring, particularly if you’re new to the campervan and motor home trade like me. I was surprised to find that you only need a budget of a few grand to pick up a decent campervan, which is great considering they’re an all-in-one solution for cheap getaways.

I ended up buying this Thermos sports bottle from my local ‘Home Sense’ store for £2.99, which I thought was a good price for a big brand such as Thermos. It’s available in bright pink and the blue colour as shown in the picture above; I went for the bright pink, although the blue is much softer and more subtle. The bottle comes with minimal packaging; simply a sticker and an attached label, which is another bonus.

The bottle is made from good-quality plastic, and has a sticker on it saying it’s made from BPA free materials, so there shouldn’t be any nasty plastics in there. It holds just over 450ml of liquid, and a scale is depicted on the side showing both ml and oz, which is very useful if you’re measuring something out (e.g. for a protein shake) or want to drink a certain amount. There’s also a 700ml size available if the 450ml isn’t big enough for you.

The top of the bottle is quite unusual as it’s half made from hard pink plastic, and half made from black rubber-style plastic. The lip is a flip top one which I was initially worried about as I saw myself not closing it properly, but it shuts with a firm click and is easy to open. Below this, you can unscrew the entire top half of the bottle for easy cleaning and pouring.

One thing I noticed about the bottle was a strange-looking plastic tube suspended inside. At first my boyfriend thought it was for holding something such as powdered soup (always thinking about the hiking solutions), but after reading the label we discovered it’s actually for filling with water, putting in the freezer and then putting back to keep your drink cold. Pretty nifty. However, as there’s no hole at the bottom, there’s no reason why you couldn’t put powdered soup in the middle, use the bottle for normal drinking on a hike, and then pour the soup into the main part of the bottle and add hot water later on (whilst camping or something).

I think this water bottle ticks all the boxes. It’s reasonably cheap, looks good, and can be used in various different situations. The only downside is that I can see the white numbers depicting the ml/oz wearing off pretty quickly as they are already looking worse for wear.

Overall, if you can pick this up cheaply then it’s definitely worth the money. At my local gym they sell bottles of water for 80p (500ml), and even if you buy them at 30-40p for 500ml elsewhere, this bottle will soon pay for itself and is much easier on the environment

I was lucky enough to get quite a lot of Lush stuff for birthday and Christmas presents, so I’ve started working my way through it. One of the items I got from my lovely mum was this Lush Christmas Party bath ballistic. It came in a set of four different bath bombs, and I picked it out first as I was taken with its fresh smell of oranges.

(If you aren’t familiar with Lush’s Bath Ballistics, they are basically bath bombs – concentrated, powdery-like balls which disintegrate with a light fizzing in your bath. They don’t have bubbles.)

The bath ballistic is big and chunky, weighing in at around 200g, and has a few metallic stars stuck on the top. It looks quite pretty, and is apparently intended as a bit of a wake up for the Christmas Party season! With Lush Bubble Bars I tend to divide them up into chunks (or at least halves) to get more use out of them, but with Bath Ballistics I find them too hard to break. I didn’t feel too bad about this one as I’d had a busy, stressful weekend and it was a gift!

I dropped it in the bath when it was almost full, and left it to do its fizzing thing. I did expect the water to change colour, but unfortunately I didn’t really notice any difference, although the bath did go a bit cloudy for a while. Having known nothing about it beforehand, and not thinking about the clue of the stars on the top, I was amazed when hoards of tiny metallic stars and bits of what looked like party streamers appeared in the water! It was a lovely, colourful explosion…until I started worrying about what would happen to my poor drains (that are really badly designed and get blocked fairly regularly) and also my hair. I do like to lie back in the bath, and yup, you’ve guessed it, my hair was full of tiny green, blue and red stars. It was fine because it was a weekend, and it would also be fun just before a party. Not so much for work or general day-to-day stuff.

But I did like it, I loved the way that all the stars just kept ‘magically’ appearing and it does make sense that the bath ballistic doesn’t have much colour to it because otherwise you’d miss the party in your bath!

The smell of Christmas Party is actually quite relaxing despite being a citrus-y scent. I normally have showers unless I’m at my parents’, so it was a new experience to be in my own bath with a magazine and some Lush, and I did enjoy it. I did however find that I had to have a shower afterwards to get the stars out! And I could have fished the rest out before pulling the plug but that didn’t occur to me until after. So far they don’t seem to have had any bad effects, and the streamer bits seemed to disintegrate in the water after a while.

I can imagine that younger Lush fans would absolutely love this, and it’s a nice treat if you like having a bath before you go out for the night. I hate to think what would happen if you left a hair dryer too long on those stars, though!

For those who are interested, the ingredients are:

Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Perfume, Orange Oil (Citrus Aurantium dulcis), Cognac Oil (Vitis vinifera), Lime Oil (Citrus aurantifolia), Iridescent Glitter (Polyethylene terephthalate and Acrylates copolymer), Red Stars (Polyethylene terephthalate), Mixed Confetti Bright Stars, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), *Limonene, *Linalool, Colour 18050
* Occurs naturally in Essential Oils

No parabens or SLS, so I’m happy with that!

[xrr rating=4/5]