Style slump- update 1

Eurgh, I'm so frustrated with being in a style slump (which I first mentioned here). I know that LOGICALLY I really need some chic basics to wear day to day but instead I went out and purchased these Zara bad boys...

You can buy them here

Yes, they are gorgeous, yes, they're a bargain at only £19.99 but do I need them? Er, that'll be a big fat NO then!

This is why I think the personal shopper may be helpful, I'm always tempted to buy with the heart, not the head; these heels, gorgeous as they are, have no place in my life at the moment.

On  a more productive note, I have booked in with the personal shopper at House of Fraser, I have a package from ASOS with this sensible basic in (that I'll try tonight) and a giant package from J Crew due any day now. It's the first time I've tried J Crew but there is a further 25% off sale goods at the moment which made the price of their basics comparable to most high street stores and from what I can gather, they have a reputation for long-lasting, stylish basics.

Finally, I'm going to sit down later with a coffee and read this blog post here about finding your own style, I've only had a chance to have a quick glance but it defo looks interesting.

Another update coming soon, hopefully focusing on some things I need, not just gorgeous things I want!xxx

It's obvious he's a Pisces...

...just like his mammy! Finn took his first dip in the swimming pool today; we were prepared for him to hollar after about ten minutes but he lasted a full FORTY and didn't even cry when we got him out to get him changed!

The giant inflatables were also out and both Steve and I went sliding off them in a ridiculous manner. Thankfully there is no photographic evidence of this, though the memory of a six foot four giant ginger man flying off a children's inflatable will be etched in my memory forever!

xxx

Sunday Summary 2

Yesterday (Sunday), we headed up to Steve's parents to spend a few days away from home. They're still in France so it means we have the run of the whole house! 

To start, we headed to Chillingham Castle, apparently the most haunted castle in England (but no, we didn't witness any paranormal activity)!

It was quite interesting reading a recent post by Janine at A Handful of Peanuts, talking about not taking time to enjoy the moment; I'd bought a special offer on Groupon to get half price entry to the castle but when we arrived, they drew my attention to the small print: the offer wasn't valid on that day. We ended up having to pay full price and my excitement of a bargainous family day out was pooped on from a great height. Annoyed is an understatement! Then I stopped. I saw Steve and Ben running round the castle grounds enjoying the sunshine, I looked down at smiley happy Finlay strapped to my chest, I looked at the stunning sunshine that drenched the picturesque castle grounds we were sat in. I was missing the moment entirely. 

Sometimes you need to make sure these beautiful moments aren't lost to sweating the small stuff, that really, when you look back, never really mattered anyway.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend folks.xxx

Sunday Summary 1

On Saturday the weather was glorious, it was frustrating that we spent most of the day having to run yawnsome errands rather than making the most of the beautiful sunshine. However, in the evening we were off to the evening wedding party of friends Clara and Jamie, taking place on a gorgeous farm in the Northumberland countryside.

The whole thing was pretty spectacular, the most amazing part (and saying a lot about how much these two are loved) is that nearly everything was given or made for them, from the real ales, to the HUGE vegetarian banquet to the even huger marque that the dancing took place in- all made just for their special day. 

We did have our 'smart' shoes with us, but after we spotted the bride had swapped her sandals for white trainers, we took our cue from her and grabbed our wellies from the car.

Excuse the lack of decent photos, a certain 13 week old baby decided he didn't want to miss a single second and was pretty much wide awake the whole evening!

{Just after the bouquet thrown... and caught by the 87 year old grandma!}

{Ben and the beautiful bride}

{Ben and the boys}

{Fading light}

{The baby that would not sleep}

{Ben and Alex}

Congratulations guys and enjoy the honeymoon (which they are spending in a lighthouse- how romantic!)xxx

Style, shopping and, er, stuff.

Imagine a sad, slightly resigned face; that's my face every morning when I go to put something on. Rewind a year and I was sorted, I had a pretty smart work wardrobe that I liked, plenty of 'going-out' clothes for meals/ drinks/ theatre etc and, when the time came, I managed to buy a load of cheap maternity stuff that, being honest, wasn't the most stylish stuff but as it was only going to be worn short term so I was happy to compromise style for economy for nine months. 

But now...

Now I stand in front of my wardrobe with a sad, slightly resigned face. I seem to have very little 'casual' stuff that I actually feel comfortable in, everything seems to either be too frumpy, too impractical/ young (e.g. skirts too short) or too 'clearly fashion from 18 months ago'. Everything is just a little, well, bleh.

So, I've decided to do something about it. 

I'll keep you posted on progress, it'll be slow as I don't have bags of money, but here's what progress looks like so far:

1. Make an appointment with a personal shopper
I'm going to make an appointment with a personal shopper; I've left my contact details with the one at my local House of Fraser, though by all accounts, Debenhams and John Lewis have good ones too (they don't work on commission and are free). Hopefully the professsionals can offer some inspiration as I'm currently walking round the shops like a zombie, buying things then returning them within a few days as they don't feel like 'me'.

2. Get some role models
I'm going to try identify those who have similar body shapes to me (where I also like their style) and take inspiration from there. I discovered this part of the Vogue website recently and it's a great source of inspiration being able to see how style evolves. I have since developed a bit of a girl crush on Alexa Chung, not that we have a similar shape mind you (I happily have more junk in the trunk, and everywhere else), I just love her style.

3. Use blogs as inspiration

I love browsing at blogs such as Cupcakes and Cashmere for the gorgeous, 'put together' clothes but, realistically, they don't suit my lifestyle or budget. Occassionaly though, I'll be inspired by a blog to purchase something I can afford. Tonight I purchased this simple grey t-shirt based on a review on Buy Now Blog Later. I bought a Cheap Monkey dress from ASOS last year based on one of Laura's reviews and was really pleased with the quality. I think it's useful to find a blogger whose opinion you trust and whose style you admire, and then shamelessly steal be inspired by their ideas.

4. Sort my hair out

As you'll have noticed, I had my hair dip dyed for a couple of years and while I loved it, I was really bored of it. I went into the hairdressers and asked for this type of cut...

And this type of colour...

Well, the result was more blonde than brown (cue photo from night out stolen from Facebook)...

I am defo NOT a blonde! I looked all washed out and ill. I went back and had a brown semi put on but it's already starting to fade which still leaves me with the question, what the hell should I do with my hair???

Anyway, rant over. I'll keep you updated and hopefully I'll find my casual/ chic/ mama mojo again soon!Happy Friday. xxx

Sunday Summary 2

Once a year, Newcastle comes alive at night (or rather, more so than usual)for The Late Shows. The concept is pretty cool: numerous venues that are normally closed to the public or, at least closed at night, open their doors to everyone. Everyone who attends gets a funky glow stick so people wander round the city illuminated, as though we're all part of some secret society.The best bit? It's all pretty much free of charge. 

In the past, I've attended with friends and was usually accompanied by a cheeky bottle of sloe gin in my bag for top-ups when walking round the venues. This year, we had the boys with us and it added a new, more placid vibe to the night. We began with dinner at a local Lebanese restaurant Albaik.

{Falafel is probably one of my fav foods of all time}

{Amusing how in every photo Finn is eye-balling the food}

We managed to fit in a visit to a pottery, a print works and Seven Stories (the national centre for children's books aka heaven for two English teachers) where they had exhibitions on Enid Blyton and 'How to Train a Dragon'.

{In the story telling chair with my boys}

{Ben trying his hand at being a Viking}

{The Gruffalo and his little friend}

{Handsome boy}

{Funky graffiti}

{Runaway horses above a doorway}

{Ben tries his hand at operating the printing press}

Another lovely weekend, and the best part? Next week it's half-term so Steve and Ben are off for a whole week!

Sunday Summary 1

The North East Children's Cancer Run has been a bit of a family tradition, both for Steve's family, my own and, well, probably most families in Newcastle! 

The aim of the day is to raise as much money as possible for running five miles around the course (or a mile round the children's course). This was the first year that Ben was able to do the full course and, motivated by the free picnic all runners receive at the end, they ignored the mud and came in at a respectable time of one hour three minutes.

{Well done boys, you make me and little Finlay proud} 

Extra special thanks to my parents who sat and kept me and Finn company while the boys ran.

We had a busy weekend so part two will have to wait until tomorrow, until then...Rx

Howick Hall

A rare and beautiful thing happened in England last bank holiday weekend- the sun came out; sunshine over a three day weekend is a seldom witnessed but beautiful creature. We made the most of it by enjoying every last ray while out and about in Northumberland, including our first visit to Howick Hall and Gardens (just past Alnwick).

After a long grey winter, it finally felt like spring had sprung!

{My baby boy}

{So delicate}

{Ben negotiating the map, the grounds were a LOT bigger than we had anticipated}

{Kissed by the sun's rays}

{Blossoms}

{Heavenly scent of Eucalyptus from the sticky sap of pine cones}

{You'd think Finlay was on solids the way he is eyeing up Steve's scone}

The weather justified a picnic, but as we had lunch before we went, we 'made do' with giant slices of cake and scones from the coffee shop. Howick Hall was the home of Earl Grey (as in the tea), so really we should have had some but instead opted for milkshakes!I had the courgette cake which, if you should visit, is a must.

In a totally random aside, I loved that top photo but it highlighted how desperately I need my hair doing; it look less dip-dyed and more like I've just let my roots run wild! I'm getting it cut and dyed tomorrow (with 11 week old baby in tow) so wish me luck! 

Hope you're enjoying a bit of warmth where ever you are,

Rach xxx

So it's been a while... but I have a very adorable excuse!

Introducing the very lovely Finlay Graham Sanderson-Smith

So what can I tell you about this gorgeous young man? He was born three hours after my due date, 03:05 with wide awake blue eyes, red hair and weighing in at a respectable 8lb 5.5 ounces. 

Needless to say he's rocked our world and we're utterly smitten. Though there have already been countless amazing moments being a family of four, the highlight for me is undoubtedly seeing the love between Ben and Finn- it just melts my mammy heart.

Anyway, sorry for being away for so long, I'm sure you didn't even notice but it's good to be back nonetheless! 

Rach xxx

Bumpy bookends!

Yesterday was my lovely mum's 60th birthday! We went to see the fabulous Beautiful Burnout at Northern Stage  in Newcastle. My Dad has been itching to get a photo of his two grandsons 'in transit' and so here is Kim and I with our bumps at the theatre. Kim's 38 weeks and I'm 26 weeks now! How the time flies! Can't wait to snuggle my little nephew.

PS- Taking my mum to Harrogate at the weekend, any suggestions welcome!xxx

A super easy felt craft (heart created by hand)

Though I love crafty things, I'm afraid my skills in the 'crafty' department are somewhat, mmmmm, none existent simple.

That said, I was a little bit smug pleased about how this turned out. It's not going to fill you with awe but, if like me, you're not the most talented craftster (and yes, I did just make up that word) on the block, it may offer a little inspiration:

A Lovely Little Heart

You need:

• felt (about 50p a sheet from Hobbycraft)
• thread
• buttons (I got a giant bag for 99p from Hobbycraft)
• ribbon
• stuffing (pulled from one of Ben's old soft toys)
• fabric glue (again, Hobbycraft, £2.99)

1. Cut the your desired shape. To make two either fold fabric in half and cut at the same time of use the first shape as a template. You may want to pencil sketch onto the felt first.

2. Using fabric glue, stick buttons on (this holds design in place while you stitch). Once glue has dried (about 20 mins), stitch buttons on with thread. NB- it can be tough pushing needle through glued area so you may want to use one of those little rubber thumb protectors. 

3. Glue the two shapes together and leave about 20mins. Leave a gap to add the stuffing.

4.Stitch round the edge, don't worry if it's not perfect- the glue should hold the stuffing in and it all adds to the charm (at least that's what I told myself).

5. Stuff it- poor Spongebob!

6. Tuck a little piece of ribbon in the top, glue the gap where you inserted it and, when dried, stitch over that. 

Done! It took me about 30 minutes from start to finish but I found the whole experience really relaxing.I've since had a go at making bits on my friend's sewing machine and, I'm not going to lie, it's far easier and the results much more professional! I'll share those soon...

Take care and hope you're all having a lovely weekend.xxx

Sunday Summary (Life lately)

This isn't strictly restricted to Sunday but hey ho! Here's a summary of our half term escapades:

{A rare date night at a local Lebanese restaurant} 

{Tree climbing}

{Horse riding- how cute are the little ear muffs to keep the flies out? NB- Ben didn't have a helmet on as it was only a short guided walk}}

{A terrifying friendly scarecrow}

{And to think he's the father of my children!}

{On the farm}

Photos taken from both the Lakes and at home. Seriously don't know how the time crept away from us!

Hope you're all enjoyed the holidays if you were lucky enough to have half-term off.xxx