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Tuesday 28 April 2015

April Favourites

 Hello there! I really have no idea how, but it is time for a round up of my monthly favourites! I honestly don't know where these months are flying by. So let's get into the things that I have been loving throughout April!

Sunshine
 This month spring really does seem to have sprung. Gone are the days of freezing cold snow, and the week beginning the 20th had fabulous weather. Days of endless sunshine, with highs of 19 degrees made me feel like I was no longer in Sheffield, but actually somewhere hot. Even if at times throughout the month it has been windy, the sun has been beautiful. It really does seem to make everyone feel a lot happier and a lot cheerier, which is always a plus.

I know I used this in my #52weeksofhappiness post, but it was such a beautiful day!






































Flowers
 It's been lovely walking through the parks on the way into uni and seeing all of the flowers in bloom. I have purchased and repurchased daffodils to sit in our lounge which has been really lovely and added an extra 'spring' element. Tom was also lovely enough to buy me some tulips which have been sitting in my room on my bookcase. Seeing all of the flowers in bloom, with the backdrop of the brilliant sunshine has made for a happy month!



James Bay
 After the long wait, James Bay's album was released at the end of March. Entitled 'Chaos and the Calm' it is simply beautiful. I'm so gutted that when I found out that he was playing in Sheffield it was too late and tickets had already sold out.  My favourite tracks are 'Craving', 'Best Fake Smile', 'When We Were On Fire', 'Collide', and 'Get Out While You Can'. I actually found it really hard having to pick my favourite tracks, as honestly I love them all. There isn't one track that I think 'oh I'm going to skip this one'. If you haven't listened to the new album, I would highly recommend that you do so!

J Lo 'Live' Perfume
 Now I'm not normally one to go for the perfumes that celebrities 'make'. However, I was on the lookout for a new perfume this time last year for when I went away to Lanzarote and after smelling this one, I just had to have it. I have found myself reaching for it a lot this month, I don't if it's because it's becoming sunnier and so is making me get into the holiday spirit, or simply the smell, but I've been loving it. As I didn't use it until I went away to Lanzarote, a lot of good memories come flooding back when I wear it which brightens my day! I'm not very good at describing scents, so here it what it says on the website: live is a beautiful blend of orange, lemon, pineapple, peony, violet, caramel, vanilla, tonka beans and sandalwood. I know this may sound like a lot of ingredients, but I think they all work together well as they must only have a small amount of each.
 I also really like having perfume bottles that look pretty on my dresser, and as you can see this is one such example!






































White Pumps
 As the weather has been getting warmer, I've been pulled towards wearing pumps a lot more and leaving the boots behind. I picked up this pair from Primark when I went to Leeds for the weekend and I really love them! They look great with tights, but I've been wearing them with jeans and a brightly coloured varnish on the toes. I look forward to wearing them with dresses and skirts come the summer months! The only downside (as you can probably see) is that I managed to scuff one of the toes whilst I was walking down to uni. I don't think it'll affect them too much, but I may have to somehow colour it in!






































So there you have it, my April favourites! Is there anything that you have been loving in particular this month?

Love Jess xxx
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Saturday 25 April 2015

#52weeksofhappiness-Week 49

 Hello there! I cannot believe that we are now on week 49! I really need to start thinking of what I can do on a Saturday once week 52 is reached. I may still have the posts being about my week, as I really like looking back and seeing all of the different things I have done, but I'll do it in a different format to that of the #52weeksofhappiness. You'll just have to come back and see!
 Sunday was both my mum's and Tilly's birthday (I know it's a weird coincidence), and of course as I am in Sheffield it was a shame that I couldn't celebrate with them. On Monday I had a much needed catch up with Megan at Coffee Revolution in the Union where I had a cappuccino and a salted caramel brownie (well it would be rude not to wouldn't it?). I've found that, especially this semester, it's been hard trying to meet up as regularly as I would like with people, as we're all just so busy! I'm looking forward to June when all my essays/exam will be out of the way (meanwhile I'm not looking forward to May all that much) and I can hopefully see everyone a bit more before everyone goes off to do their own thing over the summer!
 Wednesday was an extremely busy day. After my seminar and lecture I went for a drink in the sunshine with my friend Jen, and then we happened to run into Abbi which was really nice! I had a 'Antioxidant' innocent smoothie which is kiwi, lime, wheatgrass and flax seeds. It may sound a bit strange but I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was! I will definitely be having it again. Later on in the afternoon I met up with Katie, Jade and Phoebe as it was Phoebe's birthday and we went for lunch in Interval. It was such a beautiful day and was so lovely to be able to sit outside! I had a Lemon Pepper Chicken wrap with a side of wedges, and I know you may think this a bit extravagant for a lunchtime, but this was acting partly as my evening meal as well, as I went to watch the Varsity Ice Hockey match of Uni of Sheffield vs. Hallam uni. I had never been to ice hockey before, but I remember loads of people going last year and saying that it was really good, so I wanted to go this year. We didn't win the ice hockey, but we won varsity as whole! It was eye opening to see the rivalry of the two uni's in a sporting context- it was like a football match when the away fans meet the home fans!
 On Friday I managed to meet up with a few english buddies as we took a visit to Gelato Original. This time instead of a waffle, I just went straight for 4 scoops of mango sorbet, with mango puree. (I just really like mangoes okay). The waiter did raise an eyebrow at my mango overload, but it was just so yummy! I think from looking at the photo I took they actually gave me 5 scoops- well I wasn't complaining!

Birthday Girls

I was midway through the brownie when I realised I hadn't taken a photo!

The weather has honestly been amazing this week- just like summer!





































What made you happy this week? 

Love Jess xxx
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Tuesday 21 April 2015

A Trip to Ickworth House

 Hello! Today's post is going to be another one about a little trip that I took a few weeks ago. My mum, dad and I went to visit Ickworth House over the Easter weekend, which I really enjoyed as I had never been there before. One of my favourite things to do is to visit stately homes, and I always love going to visit new ones. It was a sunny day but wasn't that warm, so unfortunately we didn't get a chance to have a walk round the grounds. As always I took a few photos that I would like to share with you!




 While we were at the house, they had on a 'living history' display from the 1930's, where actors were walking around performing actions as they would have been done back in the 30's. It was quite strange as they weren't allowed to talk to any of us as they had to stay in character the whole time. It was a really interesting element that was added to our visit! I really enjoyed my trip and would like to go back again in the different seasons to see how it changed over time.

Have you been anywhere new recently?

Love Jess xxx
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Saturday 18 April 2015

#52weeksofhappiness-Week 48

 Hello there! How has your week been? I swear these weeks are just going by quicker and quicker! This week was my first one back at uni after the Easter holidays, and now the holidays seem like forever ago. On Sunday I went to the gym in the morning, and in the afternoon I went to visit Phoebe, Alice, Katie and the rest of their house for a few hours which was lovely as I hadn't seen them in ages.  As usual the rest of the week was spent getting back into lectures and seminars, and I'm now in the position where I need to make a decision over which modules I want to take next year- I can't believe this has come round already! Unlike most other English courses at Universities, I don't actually have to take a dissertation as it's an optional module, and I honestly don't know whether I want to take one or not. It obviously is good that you have the choice of whether you would like to do one, but in  a way I wish someone would just tell me if I should do one or not! (I even resorted to looking online at a magic 8 ball). I have a week to make up my mind, so this time next week I will know my final decision! 
 Wednesday was a fairly busy day, as after lectures Reesha and I went for a catch up at the new gelato place in town! (Now that I know where it is I'll be going all the time). We both had a chicken bagel, which was followed by a 'chocolate madness' waffle. With all of the waffles you were able to choose what flavour ice cream it came with, and they accidentally brought me vanilla rather than mango, so I had two scoops in the end! The waffle had a layer of nutella, with cream, strawberries and chocolate sauce on top. It was honestly so good. In the evening I went to the club night Itchy Feet at Leadmill, which I mentioned a few weeks ago- if you missed that post it's a night where they play jazzy type music and everyone gets dressed up (and it doesn't happen on a regular basis, I think the one I went to before was in February). This was really fun and they had a live band perform. One of the band members was playing what seemed to be a metal washboard, and I just thought, how does someone discover that they have that talent? Do they just pick up a washboard one day and discover they can 'play' it?

The blossom is finally out and is so beautiful!



The gelato place used teapigs teabags- they were just so fancy!











































What made you happy this week?

Love Jess xxx
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Tuesday 14 April 2015

Doing Something Small Can Lead to Big Things

 Hello there! Today's post is going to be another one where I share my thoughts aloud. Recently I have been seeing so many stories of people going through a bad time in their life, and adverts for numerous charities saying that they need more money. I want to be able to do something, and change someone's life for the better. As I'm not in a full time job, I know that I can't commit to giving money to a lot of charities every month, and as I'm so busy I don't really have that much free time to be able to give up to say work in a charity shop. 
 A few weeks ago I received a letter from Cancer Research UK, and a part of it was advertising their service called 'Giveasy', where if you buy something from a participating shop online, that shop will then donate money when you make a purchase. Cancer Research is a charity that is particularly close to my heart, as I lost my Nanna to cancer 7 years ago, and I know a lot of people who have suffered through it. That being said, I also know a lot of people that have been able to get over their cancer, and come out the other side. This wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for charities like Cancer Research. 
 If you're going to be shopping online anyway, why not let it make a difference to someone's life? The point is, yes it's great if you're able to go out and actively fundraise for causes, or have the ability to be able to donate on a regular basis, but if you're like me and want to be able to help, but feel as if you are unable to participate in these fully, this is a great way to do a small bit towards something bigger. I mean, if you sign up, and tell two people about it who then sign up to it, and they all tell two people etc, then a lot more people will be able to contribute to something that will be helpful. 
 Obviously there are a load of charities or causes that you may decide to help over my choice, but just know that you can do something to help, and it doesn't have to be a massive thing or commitment. I know a lot of people wish they could help more, but like me don't have enough free time to give up, but there are schemes like Giveasy, that make it just that, easy. Something small may not seem to make much of a difference, but in the wider of scheme of things, it can become massive and lead onto helping those charities or causes, which is the ultimate aim.

If you do want to download Giveasy, you can do so by following this link.

This quote is so applicable; both to this situation and life itself.










































Love Jess xxx
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Saturday 11 April 2015

#52weeksofhappiness-Week 47

 Hello there! How has your week been? This was my last week back in Suffolk for the Easter holidays, as I came back to Sheffield today and was reunited with Tom! Sunday of course was Easter day, and I had a little egg hunt around my house! I remember one year it was actually nice enough weather so I had a egg hunt outside! This was obviously a rarity. In the evening we had a pavlova that my mum had made: if you remember my post last week where I discussed Pudden day, you'll know that I had 4 slices of pavlova, and my mum's one really is the best! We had raspberries and peaches on top- I really need to learn how to make them myself. 
 On Easter monday we took a trip down to visit my grandparents which was lovely as I hadn't seen them since Christmas. The rest of the week was mainly working, but on Thursday evening I went to the Suffolk Stonehouse in Bungay with Lewis, Ned and Josh. It was strange being out with them without Tom being there! We'd never been to the Suffolk Stonehouse before but it was really lovely. It's a pizzeria and when we walked past we thought we weren't going to be able to get a table as it looked packed, but luckily they had some space downstairs which meant we had our own private function down there! I've told them all that they need to come visit Tom and myself in Sheffield as I do miss them when we're away!
 I've had a lovely time being back at home for a few weeks, but for some reason I've definitely felt a lot older this holiday. I think it's because I'm getting closer to the end of my second year, and now the end of university seems to be drawing ever nearer. I know it's a year and a bit off yet, but if these past two years are anything to go by, it'll go in a flash. What's made me happy this week, is the undoubted truth of the fact that I'm lucky enough to be able to have two homes. I know that Sheffield is definitely the place that I want to continue living in, but I also know that Suffolk will always be another home for myself. 

I had the 'Waveney' pizza: flat mushrooms, truffle oil, tomato and mozzarella! 



The weather was gorgeous yesterday!

My mum made a lovely ham, leek and potato pie for my last night at home!












































































































Reunited with Tommio <3

What made you happy this week?

Love Jess xxx
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Tuesday 7 April 2015

Another Trip to Southwold

 Hello there! One of the first ever posts I did was a 'Trip to Southwold', which if you're feeling nostalgic you can view here and last week we took another little trip to Southwold. This time we went to the Pier side, rather than the town side like last time. I took a few photos that, as always, I would like to share with you! 




We stopped in the cafe on the Pier, where of course I had a coffee! But my Mum, Dad and Grandad shared a pot of tea, and I just loved the design on the teapot!







 Southwold is one of my favourite places to visit when I am at home; it's such a cute town, and of course it's near the sea which I love! The sun began to show more towards the end of our trip, which made the sea all around us sparkle. I also managed to pick up a couple of homeware bits from the little shops on the pier (nautical themed of course). I love being able to come home and re-experience places from my childhood, and it makes me appreciate even more what Suffolk has to offer. If you are ever in the area, I would definitely recommend making a trip!

Have you revisited anywhere from your childhood recently?

Love Jess xxx
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