Tuesday 31 December 2013

REFLECTION: My Top 15 Moments of 2013!

2 0 1 3 - Republic of You

(Photo Credit)

2013 has been a very important year in my life as an adult, a lot has changed and there's a lot to look forward to. So I've put together a list of my favourite moments of 2013, in no particular order! I think it's important to reflect during this festive period, we can spend quality time with the family and appreciate the small things in life. Those moments money simply can't buy!
5 Tips Every Groom Should Know Before Proposing!
1) Tom proposing on the 6th May 2013 - I look forward to finish planning our wedding and getting married in 2014!
2) Going on a family holiday to Italy in April 2013, we have always gone on holiday as a family but as we all grow up it is becoming harder and harder to find a time we are all free. I hope this wasn't the last family holiday, as I treasure all the memories a holiday creates.
 choose a job you love.. -Confucius
3) I started my first 'proper' full time job in April 2013. It has been exciting, stressful, nerve-racking and one of the most fulfilling experiences. I absolutely love my job - everyday is completely different and it's so rewarding!
4) Tom and I moved house in October 2013, we have been looking to buy a house for the past 2 years but with no luck. There doesn't seem to be much movement on the housing market in our area, so when the rental contract on our last house came to an end we weren't sure what to do. With only 2 weeks until we had to move out we finally found a gorgeous converted pub to rent and that's where we are now! I learnt how much hard work moving house is.
 Bright.Bazaar’s Guide To Blogging Infographic
5) I started this blog properly in June/July 2013, I had been blogging before but due to my new job simply didn't have any time to blog. At the start of the summer I really wanted to get back into blogging and have loved every second of it! I find it quite therapeutic sitting down and writing a blog post, I've experienced some amazing products and spoke to so many lovely people on Twitter (my twitter account - @Treasure_E_M). I can't wait to see where my blog goes in 2014.
6) My Sister-in-Law giving birth to a beautiful baby girl called Daisy in May 2013. I feel quite an amount of responsibility being an auntie now and I hope to be the best auntie I can be, just like my own auntie! Watching a family grow has been so lovely and made us very excited for our future too!
Marathon, then try an ULTRA!  50k, 50 miles, Double marathon!!!!  JUST RUN!
7) My brother completing the London marathon! He wasn't particularly fit, so it really was a challenge for him. He trained hard, ate a lot of pasta and completed the London a Marathon in 5 hours 42 minutes!!! I tracked him the whole way on the online tracker and felt so immensely proud when he crossed the line! I have a lot of admiration for him and his achievements. 
 map of planning a wedding
8) Planning our own wedding has been a learning experience, as well as being very exciting! The organised side of me loves a bit of organising, any excuse to write a list! I spent the summer emailing venues, trying on wedding dresses, talking about all things wedding and visiting venues. All with the thought that 'this time next summer we'll be getting married'! 
9) A number of family and friends were really poorly at the start of 2013 but they are all starting to get better now, which makes us both very happy. I hope that 2014 continues to bring good news to them all and that they all get completely better.
 Sunrise from under Claremont Pier Lowestoft, England - my home.
10) Going back to Lowestoft with Tom back in August. Lowestoft will forever hold a special place in my heart, my Grandparents had a caravan there for the whole of my life up until I was 20 years old! We used to go there every summer for a short break, so there are loads of family memories held there. When we had to get rid of the caravan because it was too old it was very much an end of an era. I've missed going there every summer since, so when Tom suggested going for a short weekend break there I was so excited. It probably sounds strange but its such a comforting place to go for me, I just wish it was a little nearer!
The first snowfall of each year.... #myhappychristmas @Blanca Prado Stuff UK
11) Waking up on my birthday in March and there being snow all around us! Tom had taken me away to a Shepherd's Hut in the Peak District for my birthday, when we went to sleep it was really cold outside but I certainly wasn't expecting to see fields laced with snow in the morning! I absolutely love snow if I don't have to get to work or go anywhere. We also saw lambs that had been born that day, so very cute.

12) Tom did a two year graduate scheme with a company after university, which was perfect as it allowed him to experience four aspects of the company to see which he liked the best. In September 2013 he was offered a job in the area he wanted to work in! I'm so very proud of all of his achievements, he works so hard and deserves all the success he achieves!
Heart
13) Making lots of new friends at my new job - they've taught me a lot about myself, mostly along the lines of how un-wild I am! They've reminded me that I am only young and that I can go out and party sometimes! It is a bit of a hassle because I live over an hour from the town they all go out in, so I have to speak very nicely to Tom so that he'll kindly pick me up in the middle of the night!

14) This is a pretty shallow 'top moment if 2013' but getting an iPad mini for Christmas this year from Tom has been SO exciting! I've gone on about how much I'd love a tablet of any kind so much but never ever actually thought I own one (unless luckily won in one of the many iPad competitions I enter)! I really do feel so lucky :)

15) Going Hovercrafting for the first time - we went for my brother's birthday. It's such a unique experience and pretty hard work! You have to completely lean to the side you want to move but if you lean too much you will dig into the ground, it's quite an art to master it!

What have you top moments of 2013 been?

Feel free to leave me a comment :)

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Sunday 29 December 2013

REFLECTION: My 10 Favourite Blogs of 2013!

2013 has been the year I've discovered, enjoyed and embraced the blogging world - who knew how big it is?! I had no idea that there were thousands and thousands of blogs out there for the world to enjoy. I wish I had a lot more time to be browsing blogs, I'm sure this list will miss so many lovely blogs out as I'm yet to discover them yet. So, in no particular order, here are my favourite 10 blogs of 2013...

1) Cider with Rosie - I came across Rosie's blog in the summer and fell in love with her stunning photography and baking posts! I have never seen such a beautiful collection of photo's before, it's inspired me to try to improve my photography but I can't imagine I'd ever be on Rosie's level of skill. Cider with Rosie is a lifestyle blog that follows Rosie's rather wonderful life with her partner Jason and adorable dog Teddy. Every week Rosie posts about the '10 things that made me happy this week', it's such a simple yet effective way of focusing on the positives in life, even if you've had a hard week! I can almost guarantee that once you've checked Cider with Rosie out you'll become a daily reader like myself. Here's some photo's from Cider with Rosie....
Cider-with-Rosie-birthday
Fog-and-Pine
Peanut-butter-and-pretzel-cookies-Cider-with-Rosie-14
2) Victoria's Vintage - Victoria's Vintage is a beauty, fashion and lifestyle blog, with a vintage/floral twist. I absolutely love the design of this blog - think Cath Kidston, cute and vintage. Reading Victoria's blog actually partially inspired me to start my own, I can't remember how I came across this blog but it instantly became a daily read! Victoria also runs her own very impressive cake business (check out Victoria's Vintage Cakes Facebook page here), as well as blogging and working full time - impressive! Also, Victoria has a seriously impressive number of dresses so her outfit posts are always really different and inspiring. I love the many bargain hunting posts on this blog, I've often felt impelled to search my local Poundland for the latest gem Victoria has found! Also, in the summer months there are some brilliant posts about car boot finds - there really are some bargains out there! Here's some photo's from Victoria's Vintage blog....
3) Sprinkle of Glitter - this was the first 'big blog' I came across, with over 35,000 GFC Followers! Louise, who writes Sprinkle of Glitter, seems like such a lovely lady who is married and had the cutest daughter, Darcy. Sprinkle of Glitter is a beauty, baby and lifestyle blog, so it really does has something for everyone. I'm also a big fan of Sprinkle of Glitter's youtube channel (see here), her videos are so funny they often have me laughing out loud. But my favourite video to date was 'Mini Baby Glitter Christmas LookBook' (see here) - talk about the cutest video ever! Some snaps from Sprinkle of Glitter....
GlitterWorld
4) Glambeautys - this blog is a relatively recent find but I'm so glad I came across it on Twitter. Liza writes so many excellently informative beauty posts that I've almost read her whole blog wanting to find out her various beauty tricks and tips. I've tried contouring thanks to Liza's youtube video and blog tutorial (see here and here), I'm yet to master the skill but I'm getting there! The photography is beautiful on Glambeautys and the odd post about her son, Vinny, always has the cute factor. Here's some photo's from Glambeautys....
5) Stephanie Dreams - Stephanie Dreams is a lifestyle, beauty and fashion blog with gorgeous photography and blog design. Reading this blog always feels so cosy and warm, I think it's because the photo's are so beautifully set up with candle light and lanterns. Stephanie got engaged in May this year, the same as me! They are planning on getting married in Orlando, Florida - how amazing?! Stephanie Dreams is so close to 2000 GFC followers - can you help her achieve that goal before the new year? She definitely deserves it! A small selection of photo's from Stephanie Dreams...
6) Briar Rose - Briar Rose is written by Megan, a beautiful lady with the most amazing hair! This blog is my haven - beautiful photo's, unique outfits, the prettiest wedding ever and some seriously impressive hair accessories from Crown and Glory! Megan got married earlier this year in what looked like a gorgeous ceremony in her parent's garden, with a marquee decorated in such a way it took my breath away. As I'm obviously planning a wedding at the moment I'm always interested and inspired to see how other people have done it, Megan's wedding has elements we want at ours so it's lovely to see it in reality! Here's some photo's from Briar Rose...
   
7) A Rosie Outlook - a fashion and lifestyle blog with a beautiful unique twist. A Rosie Outlook is written by Rosie and follows her life by the seaside - wouldn't we all want to live by the seaside? I know I would. Rosie's outfit posts include the prettiest clothes with a stylish edge, which is exactly why I love reading this blog! Rosie also got engaged this year - it's clearly a big year for proposals! 
Walk in Lyndhurst
Hot Dog
8) Milk Bubble Tea - this is another blog I'm pretty new to but absolutely love! The photo's have neutral backgrounds making it feel like a world where the hustle and bustle of everyday can't get to you. Milk Bubble Tea is a baking, fashion and lifestyle blog written by the lovely Becky. There are plenty of wishlists, beautiful items Becky has bought recently and the tastiest looking recipes!
pastel rainbow cake in a jar
yankeecandlevotives
christmas tree milk bubble tea
9) The Lovecats Inc - is a fashion and beauty blog written by Helen. The outfit posts are beautiful and Helen's collection of designer handbags is amazing - a Michael Kors or Mulberry handbag have been on my (unachievable) wish list for a while now! The Lovecats Inc feel very luxurious when your reading it, so its a lovely treat to read. Some photo's from The Lovecats Inc...

 



10) VIPXO - This is another blog I've been reading for ages now, with fashion, style and beauty posts it's great for inspiration! Victoria, who writes the blog and in fact her initials are the name of the blog, also writes lots of posts including items from eBay. An eBay wishlist is posted every Sunday, which often makes me want to get over to eBay straight away. I have bought a black handbag from one of Victoria's eBay posts before. Here's some photo's from VIPXO....





There are lots of lovely blogs I've not included here that I also enjoy reading but I couldn't possibly include everyone - I simply don't have enough time to write it, sorry!

Thank you to every single one of you that takes the time to write your blog for us to enjoy and thank you very much to everyone that takes their time to read my blog too :)

Which have been your favourite blogs of 2013?

Feel free to leave me a comment :)
 
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Friday 27 December 2013

CHRISTMAS: Memories, Food, Family and Presents!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas - I can't believe it's already over! Where did the time go?! Despite it being the same time every year I do find it creeping up on us and then before you know it, it's all over!  

Spending time with my family has been my highlight this year, as we get older it's so hard to get us all together at the same time. One of my brother's still lives at home (in fact it's his big 18th birthday early In January - where's my little brother gone?!) so I get to see him a lot but my other brother in living down near London doing an internship. I see a lot less of him at the moment, so it was lovely to get everyone together! Tom and I decide every year that we won't spend Christmas together, which I prefer. I love Tom but for us Christmas is still very much a family time, so we both wouldn't want to be away from our families. As our families live about 2 hours away from each other we couldn't possibly see them both on Christmas day. I've always wondered what Christmas day is like at Tom's house, so when I got an iPad Mini from Tom I discovered the whole new world of 'FACE TIME'! It's the strangest but best app ever! Tom took me on a tour of his house, I could talk to his family and see how his family decorate their house for Christmas - face time is the best!
 
 
I feel extremely lucky this year - I've got lots of amazing people in my life and I received some of the best presents!
 
These are essential at any family gathering...
 
 
 
Our Christmas dinner...
 
 
There have been three Christmas tree's in my life this year and here they are! The first one was at my auntie's house...
 
 
The second one is at mine and Tom's house...
 
 
Finally, the third tree is at my family's house...
 
 
Did you have a nice Christmas?
 
Feel free to leave me a comment :)
 
 
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