The OMG "the Guests Arrive Tomorrow" Checklist

Having people to stay is great. It means no one has to traipse back to a hotel late in the evening and that  everyone can have a drink without worrying who is going to drive back. It can however be a bit of a nightmare if you are not used to hosting people or are generally a 'leave it to the last minute' type. If any of the above sound familiar then this list is your new BFF.

1. Beds/Bedding

Do you have somewhere for these people to stay? If not, can you make somewhere for your guests to stay?

When people are only staying for a night or two most are happy on a sofa bed or airbed if it comes to a push. We have a spare bed, a sofa bed and then a spare mattress if push comes to shove. The next thing to consider though is do you have enough bedding. In this hot weather people may need sheets/blankets rather than a 14 tog duvet, are these clean?

I tend to try and do all my laundry a couple of days before so that I know everything is dry. Top tip, if the bedding is sulking and not quite dry, whip the iron out and give it a once over. Not only will your guests have lovely crisp bedding but it will half the drying time.

2. Food

Your guests will need feeding. It is worth going through each meal of each day and making sure that either you know what you have on offer to give them, or you can plan to get things in. I personally never really have toast for breakfast but I always make sure I have enough bread and a few toppings as it is a lot of peoples breakfast of choice.

Also if you are planning on going out, gather potential options ahead of time so you can present them as ideas without that awkward conversation where no one seems to mind where they go, and will 'just go with the flow'.....so annoying when 'the flow' still haven't made a decision hours later!

3. Activities

What will your guests want to do, does any of this need pre booking/arranging? 

4. Evenings

If your not going out for dinner what are you planning on doing in the evenings? Yes sitting around and watching the telly is fine for a usual night in but it's nice to do something different for guests. It doesn't necessarily have to be a night out on the tiles, boardgames can work equally well. Bananagrams is a personal fave which gets everyone involved and avoids the awkward 'sitting round and looking at each other' hours that can occur of an evening.

5. Sunday Night Jobs

Chances are that its been such a busy weekend you've neglected all the usual jobs and forgotten quite what needs to be done for Monday morning. As long as any essential ironing is done and there is stuff for lunches in the week everything else can wait....chances are you'll be knackered and it will be an early night all round.

The Weekend Round-up

So this weekend has been a bit of a different one. Amongst all of the football we have had a full house. Jake's family came to stay for the weekend so here are just a few snaps from along the way. The first picture above is of the last cupcake (recipe here) which I had without the tiniest bit of remorse after tidying the house for our visitors. I am going to do a 'preparing for guests checklist' tomorrow as this time of year it seems like if your not travelling yourself people are travelling to see you!

On Saturday we all went to Henley in Arden for a bit of a wonder and most importantly an Ice Cream. Ever since we moved to the midlands people have been telling us that we must try it, and let me assure you the long queue was worth the wait! Honeycomb ice cream is a winner!

We then spent the rest of the afternoon in a pub garden, ironically named 'The Secret Garden' which was very well signposted! There were giant wooden toadstools and the pimms was flowing. We definitely got our 5 a day from the drinks.

Saturday night we went out for dinner at Chimichangos which is a mexican restaurant nearby. They also served truly HUGE cocktails which despite the picture above, Amy managed this lush gin and melon concotion solo! Yes it might have been a fairly boozy weekend. I stuck to Sangria which sadly was better than my main which I had to send back. An hour and a half late and not too warm? I came home and had a bowl of shreddies instead.

And then Sunday, after the family had gone home I popped into town to do a bit of shopping and picked up this cute keyring from Cath Kidston. It is an engagement gift for our friends Chris and Donya as they have a brilliant airedale called Brian and I could not resist picking this up for them.

What have you been up to this weekend? Let me know in the comments below.

Throwback Thursday

So todays post is totally inspired by Millie Mackintosh's throwback picture that she put on Instagram yesterday. Rooting through some old pictures is always good for a giggle so I thought I would #tbt and share some with you.

The picture above is from 2007 and the last snow holiday I went on. We are going to Austria again this Christmas and I doubt this time I will look so in control on the ski lift!! They bloke grinning on the lift in front of me is Daddy Hayes who looks very pleased with himself, despite it being the first day and the fact we're still on the nursery slope here!

This next picture makes me so happy. Back in 2009(ish) my BFF's and I still lived in the same country and as soon as we'd finished uni for the summer/christmas it would be back to the school tradition of Thursday nights at Valbonnes. All you can drink for £12??? Yes please! I believe this was the night that MJ died, which was very surreal. Girls crying, sky news on the dance floor? Either way I know we had a good old boogie to MJ's greatest hits.

And then this last picture (again sozzled, sorry!) is from two years ago around the time of the olympics opening ceremony. We were in a bar and watched James Bond parachute in with the Queen! My lovely sister in law and I both looked amazingly tanned and rounded off our night in an 80's bar with Jake being the only man on the dance floor singing all the words to Ah-Ha's Take on Me!!

So I hope you enjoyed todays post of something a little more personal, and who knows maybe for the next Throwback Thursday I can break out the truly embarrassing pictures (BFF's, worry now)....

The Weekend Round-up

Last weekend's post seemed to go down quite well so I thought I would write another Sunday edition of what we got unto this weekend. Saturday was a fairly slow start, I cooked eggs for breakfast and the sight of this smiley one made me chuckle in my bleary eyed state.

We then had errands to run and Jake needed a haircut so we drove to our local town fairly early (11am) before the rest of the world woke up and all tried to get in the same car park...we've played that game before. Alone in John Lewis I perused the Chanel and Clinique counters and made a few cheeky purchases. I also picked up my FAVOURITE bargain find for the summer which I will review on Tuesday.

Home from a busy morning of battling with the masses it was time for a cup of tea and a shortbread. These chocolate chip cuties are from Sainsburys and are a great addition to your coffee table if you have guests, not to mention the adorable scottie dog. Saturday then descended into a typical rainy day of getting bits and pieces organised (I broke out my new accordion file (see Friday's post here).

Sunday was a much brighter day. Laundry out on the line, lunchtime supplies gathered we debated going to have a mooch around a local retail park at some home bits. As soon as we got in the carpark (or should I say queue for the car park!!) we decided that it was not worth the madness and instead we went for a drive in the countryside.

We ventured to a small village called Lapworth where we have half been looking at a house, and my gosh it's beautiful! We parked up and went for a long walk by the canal enjoying the sunshine and half looking for this house. In the end we gave up as we couldn't pin point it and watched as many of the narrow boats made their way through the locks.

A short walk in the other direction along the canal yield the holy ground of a Sunday walk...the Pub! We sat outside in the gorgeous pub garden, Jake had a Cornish Doonbar Ale (can take the man out for the west country...) and I had a lime and soda (living on the edge) and enjoyed the end of a beautiful afternoon. 

Getting out into the country is good for the soul and on the drive home we both felt more relaxed and at ease for the week ahead.

Whats your favourite sunday afternoon? I would love to know.

Stationary Addicts Anonymous...Head This Way?

I have been known to be easily lured in by a new notebook and will admit that I have a  truly unacceptable collection of post-it notes, stationary addict? Oh yes! I recently started a new project which ALWAYS in my mind requires a new notebook, so to Staples I ventured and it did not disappoint. The Martha Stewart Collection is quite possibly the most feminine stationary that Staples have to offer with the majority of their collection being in this gorgeous duck egg colour, a demure chocolate brown or a gorgeous cream.

The first thing I picked up was what I actually went in for, a notebook. This one is a good size, somewhere between A5 and A4 and unusually for a side bound notebook it opens completely flat which means it is easy to write on both sides of the pages. It was all going so well at this point, until I spotted the Buy on Get One Free stickers...which led to the rest of the cheeky purchases.

I also decided that for my new project I would also need some NoteTabs. These were also on the BOGOF offer and I couldn't decide what else I would like so I got two packs for £3.50. 

And then with another 'free' item left to chose I picked the Accordian File in duck egg which I have been wanting to pick up for a while. Since Jake and I have lived together we have managed to keep important documents in nowhere short of about 4 separate places. Something that has been on my to do list for a while is to shred anything old/irrelevant and file the important bits for both of us in just the one safe place. With the weather set to be a bit pants this weekend it sounds like a great rainy day job.

Anyone joining me for SA meetings?? Sign up below.

Off to Glasto? Your Feet Will Thank You for Reading This First

Wellington Boots. While many people like to go for the sophisticated and classic blue and green style Hunter Wellies, mine are more of an ode to my childhood and the bright glossy wellies of the early 90's.

I do actually have a pair of long navy blue Hunters which I have had for years and despite mud, muck and horse are still going strong. They are however a bit of a faff to get on and off and do get incredibly warm in the summer so perhaps wouldn't be my first choice of festival boot. These however are something special.

The short boots benefit from being a more manageable size and slip on more easily for 'in and out of tent shoe requiring missions'. They come in either the classic style (more matt) or this high gloss finish and in a beautiful range of colours.

I chose this Fuchsia pink pair as the Mint ones were out of stock so my attempts at grown up sophistication were quickly forgotten as my heart took over and my mouth said "pink" to the sales assistant in Kurt Geiger.

I plan to wear these to brighten up the laborious task of sorting out our new garden while listening to Glastonbury loudly on the radio. Ankle deep in mud and loving life? You can take the girl out of Devon......

Available from Hunter

The Weekend Round-up

So this is a little different. I don't usually blog on the weekend but I was flicking through some of the pictures I've taken over the past two days and decided to share. Saturday was started off with a bowl of porridge and strawberries in bed while catching up on my YouTube subscriptions. Jake decided that Saturday would be the day of reckoning for our garden so fuelled on porridge I got up and set to work.

Of course every keen gardener needs a pair of trusty wellies. These bright bad boys are from Hunter and are the shorter length boots that are great for summer and festivals (full post coming on Wednesday, just in time for Glasto). Kitted out and ready to go we spent a few hours hacking at the chaos outside, mowing the lawn (not my job) and thwarting a 9ft thistle (my job :s) before deciding that enough was enough and the garden was just about presentable for a BBQ.

BBQ lit and I decided that I would make a pitcher of Pimms for one...in a pint glass. Yes I am that classy. It also wasn't my only pint of Pimms, but the less said about that the better. The men took charge of the meat, I made an Orzo Salad (recipe here) and also a Moroccan Fruited Giant Cous Cous salad. All very tasty. Sadly we lost the men to the football around 8pm but even I have to admit (quietly) that the Ghana Vs Germany game was pretty entertaining.

So Sunday morning rolls around, a LONG trip to the local recycling centre to dispose of garden waste ensues, but all made better by coming home to an elevenses of homemade scones (recipe tomorrow morning, ready for Wimbledon). Served with clotted cream (first) and a fruity jam (second) these little beauties are what June is all about.

Note: The jam then cream Vs cream then jam debate is long running on our house, but I am right I am sure of it. The other way around just seems wrong! Jammy knife in the clotted cream? I think NOT!

Homesense Haul

On Sunday I was in need of some cheering up, and like a good boyfriend, mine knew that shopping would be a great cure. So off we went to Homesense, an two storey shop devoted to the home wear section of TK Maxx. I was in heaven!

First thing I picked up (as my boyfriend tutted and muttered something about not needing things) were these Le Creuset storage jars. They are in a lovely pale blue colour and will look lovely on our kitchen worktop. 

The larger jar is for utensils (as pictured below) and was £7.99 (RRP £20) and replaces the ikea plant pot we were previously using. It was never a long term solution so this nicely replaces the plant pot and will look lovely in our future kitchen as well as the current one. 

The smaller jar with a lid was £12.99 (RRP £24) and we are using for teabags on the counter top. It is too nice to keep stuffed away in a cupboard and our kettle goes on almost hourly therefore this will be great addition. I did consider getting another for sugar, but neither of us nor our 'regular' guests take sugar so seemed like a waste.

The next thing I picked up was a photo frame, again in blue (did not notice this theme until now!!) which matches a slightly bigger frame we already have. This is currently in the window on our stairs but may move to a more suitable home when I have put a few more things together. This was £6.99 (RRP £18) which I thought was a bit of a bargain.

On a slightly less glamourous note we needed pint glasses. When we last had a BBQ the men had to use our usual tumblers which didn't hold enough and apparently "make the beer go flat". I don't know much about these sort of things so I dispatched Jake to have his pick of the glass department. We both liked these so they went in the basket (getting heavy by this point!). They were £5.99 so cheap enough that they can be taken into the garden without fear and we do have a stone kitchen floor...not much bounces.

And then finally, recipe books. One of my favourite purchases from TK Maxx as they are reasonably priced and normally have a good selection. Homesense didn't disappoint and we picked up these two.

As you could possibly guess the home brewing book wasn't my first choice but I got the Le Crueset jars so I wasn't about to put up a fight. This was £5.99 (RRP £14.99) and will keep the boyfriend busy one afternoon I'm sure!

Jamie's America had some interesting recipes in and we both like Jamie's books, they are no fuss and don't normally include too 'out there' ingredients. This is great for a fussy eater like me! Jamie was £12.99 (RRP £26) and I will report back if we give any of the recipes a go.

I would love to know what Homesense/TK Maxx bargains you've found recently. Let me know below...

The Follow Up: Mulberry Bayswater Review

So as promised I am reporting back with a review of my slightly under loved Mulberry Bayswater. Sadly I didn't manage to use it every day for the past week, mainly due to not needing quite such a big bag, however I can still recap the main points.

Firstly the size, this is a BIG bag. It easily accommodates A4 folders and paper which makes it great for work, however personally I feel this is too nice a bag to 'waste' as a work bag.

The bag is also reasonably heavy when empty. It is Natural Vegetable Tanned Leather which is relatively hard wearing and smells amazing. It even makes my living room smell nice just by being in it.

It is just one big compartment inside. This is great for holding huge amounts of stuff. The downside? Finding your lip balm in under 5 minutes is less likely.

As you can see there are a couple of small pockets on the back of the bag. I tend to put my phone in one of the two lower slip pockets, and keep things like train tickets or things I need to be able to reach for quickly in the zipped compartment.

This is the stuff I have inside currently. I also have a bag liner inside which protects the suede lining. 

So the run down of what I am currently lugging about is:

• Primark umbrella (I always lose umbrellas)
• Michael Kors purse
• Cath Kidston pouch with small essentials e.g. lip balm, pen, makeup compact etc
• brown leather credit card pouch
• small Le Pliage pouch with headphones in
• Mac lipstick in Speed Dial
• Sharpie
• Hair Clip
• Robinsons Squash'em in Summer Fruits

With this inside the bag is nowhere near full. I would also normally have my iPad inside, a notebook, some work papers etc but today I am travelling relatively light!

Another noteworthy fact is that the shape of the bag can be changed. There are buckles inside the bag which can be slackened off to increase the size of the bag. I also like doing this if I know I will need to be in and out of my bag a lot as holding it in this way makes things much easier.

So my thoughts? It is a lovely bag, a bit big and a bit heavy for me personally to want to use every day but that is mainly because I have other more suitable options.

Would I sell it? Hell No, it's a classic! The price of Mulberry seems to be ever increasing and I am glad I bought it when I did. 

Would I recommend it? Probably, but as a good friend I would advise you to look at other similar priced offerings first to see if they are perhaps a more practical buy. Of course I would have to come with you to play in the Mulberry shop...my favourite pass time.

See you Monday for Beauty Blog Post Week :D

Travel Thursday

                            

I found this on Pinterest the other day and it got me thinking. While I have never been one to pack my life into a backpack and takeoff for far flung lands, I do LOVE a holiday and appreciate getting to experience new cultures and cities.

Due to many factors (pennies in the piggy bank being one) this plan may never come to fruition, however it is always a good idea to start planning. 

So with that in mind, my travel goals are as follows:

1. Go skiing in Austria (fingers crossed Dec '14)

2. Go to Paris

3. Go to New York

4. Go to London (booked September '14)

In the spirit of all good goals I am giving myself a deadline of my 25th birthday. That is only 10 months away but if I can do 3/4 I would be a happy bunny!

So if you were to wish the world bon voyage, where would you go?