DIY: Handmade sugar scrub

This is a really simple DIY for a handmade sugar scrub that you can make with everyday household ingredients.

Ingredients:
500g granulated sugar, olive oil, few drops of fragranced essential oil, dried herb (I used dried thyme but you can use anything you fancy).

Method:
- Pour sugar into a big bowl or saucepan.

- Mix in the olive oil. It is up to you how much oil you use. I use enough to soak the sugar but not too much that it's really runny. You still want quite a stiff consistency.

- Add the essential oil (you can use any fragrance you like) and the dried herbs.

Instructions:
- Rub & massage a tsp of the scrub into your hands.

- Rinse with warm water. Use soap or lemon juice to take the oil off.

- Pat dry and enjoy your super soft hands!

I leave mine by the kitchen sink so I can have it at hand whenever I like!

The wedding of the year! Josh & Natalia

I mentioned before that some of our closest friends got married last weekend. It was the most beautiful and most emotional day!
I have known Josh since I was seven years old, we grew up in church together as little kids. Sam has known him since they were eleven growing up in school together. It was Josh that first introduced me to Sam so I can happily say that it's thanks to Josh that I married the man of my dreams! It was so special to stand beside this guy on his wedding day with so much history behind us marrying the girl he's waited so long for and she was worth the wait! We met Natalia around the same time Josh did and giggled behind his back as we watched him blatantly flirt with her. The rest is history and they had the most special day with lots of family & friends cheering them on! They are one special couple!

The ceremony was beautiful. They got married in the same church where Sam & I said our vows so it brought back all sorts of crazy emotions, so special to be married in the same place. The reception venue was just down the road. We drank, danced & feasted on some incredible Polish cuisine (that's where Natalia is from). Her family travelled all the way from Poland & bought lots of love and fun along with them.

The speeches (all 1 million of them!) were mindblowing and emotional and his brothers wrote a song for them which was part of their speech! Such fun!

Congratulations Josh & Natalia! We love you! Can't wait to do more life with you in this new & exciting adventure!

The wedding cake

Some of our best friends got married last weekend & I was honoured to make their wedding cake! I went for a pink ombre design that I was inspired by on Pinterest but the bride had the very same idea.

Two tiers of lemon, one vanilla cream, a few sugar flowers and many hours later this was the result! I was so pleased with the result & I think they were too! It was such a beautiful day!

P.S. You can sort of spot some empty shelves! Our house is slowly being packed up!

Let's just take a minute...

...to introduce this beautiful boy! My nephew!

JOSHUA GABRIEL born on the thirteenth day of may two thousand and thirteen!

I have never been in love with another boy until this little one arrived nine days ago! He is total joy! I am totally smitten and I am so proud to be his auntie! I am so proud of my brother & sister-in-law. They are doing so well & although it was so strange at first to think my brother has become a daddy I knew he was always born to be one. He's always been so great with kids and kids adore him. I can't wait to see little Joshua looking at my brother like he's the most amazing guy in the world when they can start doing more things with each other & have big long conversations! This little one is so lucky and his parents are even more blessed!

I'm a little obsessed. I can't get enough cuddles with him! Oh, and he smells so good! I am totally broody, like crazy broody but I think we're going to wait a little longer, I think I still need a good amount of cuddles & quality time before someone else gets all the attention. Hehe.

Little Joshua Gabriel, YOU ARE SO LOVED!!

Reflecting on life lately...

I was refelecting back on a journal I wrote when I was younger, about 17 years old. I had been dating Sam for nearly two years and I had written down my questions over when we'd get married. Little did I know I still had a good few years to wait. I'm really suprised at how much depth I wrote in at such a young age. I didn't even realise that I wrote so much.

I came across a picture I had stuck in my journal of myself about 6/7 years old with a few questions next to it which I thought were worth sharing. I think it's been a really good way of remembering who I am and what I want for myself. I'd encourage you to try it.
Find a picture of yourself at a young age, when you were naive about the world and innocent to most things. A picture you love of yourself and ask these three questions:

1. What does this little girl/boy deserve in life?
2. What are your desires for her/him?
3. What do you want to say to her/him?

This has been a really significant thing for me to do from time to time. It really helps me to remember my desires and what God's promises are for me.

'May you grow up to be righteous, may you grow up to be true, may you always know the truth and see the lights surrounding you'. - Bob Dylan

Snapshots

I thought I'd start taking little snapshots of things in my daily life. Sometimes I am so focused on capturing moments or events that the little things in life get lost.

Started eating more fruit bowls & fresh salads to go along side my three-days-a-week at the gym, definitely feeling the great effects of it all.

Having a lot of fun with these porcelain painter pens. Going crazy decorating things for the new house to brighten & freshen things up a bit.

Lavender flowers & extract. Excited to start experimenting with this new flavour.

His & hers gym trainers. I haven't owned a pair of trainers for years but since we're getting our gym on we thought it was time to invest. His are blue, mine are purple.

Enjoying loose leaf tea. I'm a tea snob.

What I'm reading now. Highly recommend.

Chocolate & stem ginger pie

This is one of my favourite things to make! Oh, it is beautiful! If eaten straight from the oven it is sooooo gooey and gorgeous.

This recipe is for a big pie but I just halved the ingredients to make these four individual pies. You can use as much or as little chocolate as you like & it doesn't matter what kind it always turns out good. I have used lots of different ones before.

Ingredients:

12oz plain flour, 8oz butter, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 6oz caster sugar, 1 egg, 2tsp vanilla essence, 1tsp mixed spice, 7oz milk chocolate (chopped), 4oz plain chocolate (chopped), 2 pieces of stem ginger, 2 tblsp demerara sugar (caster sugar will be fine).

Method:

- Grease the cake tin or individual tins & preheat the oven to 180oc or gas mark 4.

- Sift the flour & baking powder into a bowl and add the butter. Rub together to make a coarse crumble. 

- Stir in the caster sugar. Measure about 8oz of the crumble mix and set aside.

- With the crumble you now have, add the egg, vanilla essence, mixed spice and mix into a dough/paste - it is quite a sticky dough but don't add anymore flour.

- Press it into the base of the tin. I found putting a little oil on the back of a spoon and pushing the mixture around works great (see below)

- Scatter the milk & plain chocolate & stem ginger into the base. If you forget the stem ginger - add it to the crumble top instead like I did!

- Cover with the remaining crumble and scatter the demerara sugar on top.

- Cook individual pies for 30 mins or whole pies for 50 mins. Allow to cool for 10 mins before removing from the tin.
- Eat straight away with double cream or ice cream! YUMMY!

- If you make this beforehand you can heat the pie in the microwave for 30 seconds and it will make the chocolate gooey again. Perfect for leftovers if you have any!!