Oh My Life! - Tales of My Life and Times - Christmas at the Birmingham Botanic Gardens.

Hi!!!

It's Christmas Eve which means two things - 1) Christmas is tomorrow! and 2) it's Blogmas Day Twenty Four. Last night I met up with my friends for a Christmas outing. We went to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens to see their Christmas lights trail which I'm going to tell you all about today.

 

 

The lights are beautiful and they really make the best of the setting of the botanical gardens  - the trees are illuminated, the light reflects onto the ponds and every structure glitters.

 

The trail is about one kilometre in total but it takes a good hour or so (at least), especially if like us you'll be stopping for hot drinks, eating biscuits and posing for photos.

 

 

It was really lovely to go and see the lights and celebrate Christmas together and it was nice to do something a bit different, too. Now, not only do we have lots of lovely photos, we also have lots of lovely memories.

Thanks for reading Blogmas Day Twenty Four.
Where have you been recently? Do you have any other comments or suggestions for future posts? Let me know in the comments.
There will be one more Blogmas post tomorrow, so I'll speak to you then.

Enjoy your Christmas Eve!

GingerSnaps xxx

Oh My Life! - Tales of My Life and Times - A Visit To Warwick Castle (And Why You Should Visit This Summer).

Hi!!!

Today I'm going to tell you a little bit about a day out that Elf Girl and I went on back in April and also tell you why you should also go on a similar day out. We went to Warwick Castle, a popular heritage site that is local to us, and we had a great day.

I hadn't been to Warwick Castle for at least 6 years - I'd been on many a childhood family and school trip - and so I was excited to see the new features I'd seen advertised, and of course to spend the day pretending to be royalty with my best friend.

The first thing we did when we arrived was head over to the new Horrible Histories Maze. As Horrible Histories fans, and big kids, we were excited to see what it would be like.

 We weren't disappointed.

It was one of the highlights of the day. There are several sections within the maze based on different historical periods. It's more about finding those places than finding the way out and it is so much fun. There are plenty of photo opportunities, and lots of bitesize information, and it's fun for all ages.

When you leave the maze, there are two exits - one for the grown-ups, one for the children. The children's exit is like an obstacle course, and I can tell you first hand that it is a whole lot of fun, even if our heights did make it a bit complicated - I had to walk across the tops of the obstacles but I think it made it all the more enjoyable.

The State Rooms are open to visit, and so we saw a range from bedrooms to libraries to chapels.

The rooms are gorgeous, although I will say that there isn't as much information available in them or about them as there is at similar heritage properties, which is something to bear in mind if you love your history, like me.

However, they are still very much worth a wander through. Oh, but just to warn you, we did hear a really odd hissing noise in the library and we practically flew out of the room because our first conclusion was "It might be a ghost". It was hilarious, and probably not a ghost, but do let me know if you hear it on any recent visits, haha.

The Mound and the battlements give great views of the castle grounds and the Warwickshire landscape - which is beautiful - as well as allow you to be taken back in time to the castle' s history as a defensive site. I think my last visit before this was on a school trip that was centred on defensive castles - in the same year we studied William the Conquerer, so it was with that time period in mind - so it also called back a few memories to be up on the battlements again.

The grounds are home to several birds of prey, gift shops and restaurants (where you can stock up on sweets and toy swords), small archery workshops for children and lots of shows.

We saw an amazingly informative and totally hilarious Horrible Histories show, but at other times of year there are other cool shows - such as epic War of the Roses battles over the summer, which sound incredible. There are also falconry displays and trebuchet shows (their trebuchet is the largest working siege machine in the world) on throughout the year, which are awesome, and were a staple part of visits for me when I was younger.

There are several other cool things to see and do at Warwick Castle but I would recommend following our plan for the day.

I had so much fun - of course spending the day with my best friend probably helped a lot, but I'm sure the castle and it's grounds played their parts too, haha.
Oh, and there are Ben and Jerry's vending machine in the car park, and if that final statement hasn't convinced you, I don't know what will.

I had such a great time, and I'm so glad we went - you should definitely put it on your list for 'Days Out' ideas, it's well worth it. I mean, really, what's better than spending the day scanning round a castle in pretty dresses, pretending to be princesses with your friends? Not much, I'd bet.

I hope you enjoyed this post.
Have you been to Warwick Castle? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts? Leave me a comment to let me know.
Thanks so much for reading.

I hope your day is brilliant!

GingerSnaps xxx

Oh My Life! - Tales Of My Life And Times - My Birthday!, Family, Friends, Bunting and Balloons.

Hi!!!

As I've recently celebrated my birthday, I thought that I'd fill you guys in on what I got up to because I often find this kind of thing quite interesting, and thought you would too. So, without further ado, let's talk about my birthday.



I had my family get-together at my Auntie's house in Watford this year. I've got family in various places around the country and almost everyone managed to make it (except those who were away/had prior commitments and so couldn't).
We spent the afternoon eating lots of yummy food and catching up. The garden was decorated with bunting, garlands and photographs of me throughout the years, all of which my parents had either put up or made, which was ever so thoughtful.
I was given some wonderful cards and presents, too, which I'm extremely grateful for.
 I had a fantastic time and am so happy that I got to spend the day with my family, having fun.

 

Elf Girl came round for a cup of tea a few days before my birthday and gave me some lovely presents and a card while she was here. It was great to see her and I'm very lucky to have a) such a great best friend and b) received such lovely things.

We also did a joint birthday kind of thing yesterday with our friends which involved lots of food, a very snazzy playlist, time in the hot tub and some hilarious group photos featuring various props.
It was a really great day and it was good to see everyone.

 

And that is the summary of my birthday! We're going to the cinema tomorrow for Elf Girl's actual birthday which should be lots of fun.

What have you guys been up to recently? Anything exciting? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts? Let me know in the comments - I'd love to hear from you.

Thank you for reading.

I hope you have a spectacular day!

GingerSnaps xxx



Oh My Life! - Tales of My Life and Times - Roses, Wishes, Fairy Lights, Balloons, Candles and CAKE!



Hi!!!

So, before I begin, I would like to address the fact that I haven't blogged in about a hundred years - holidays, weekends away, visiting family and friends and good old fashioned bloggers block amongst other things can take the blame. I feel like summer is probably when I end up blogging the least, and I am so sorry about that but hopefully you've been spending lots of time outside enjoying the sunshine and so haven't been at your computer all that much to notice.

Anyways, today I wanted to talk to you about my birthday back in July and the kind of things I got up to. I hope that you enjoy and that you find this interesting...

Little Disclaimer: I am under no circumstances writing this as a way of "showing off" about what I did for my birthday or the kinds of things I received. I know that I am incredibly fortunate for everything that I have in my life. I am writing this because I find these types of posts interesting to read and to write and I hope that you enjoy this. xxx

 



I was born on the 24th of July and so that is, quite predictably, my birthday.

This year was a "milestone" kind of number and so it called for something extra special.

It has always been the case that I spend time on my birthday with my family and that we have a bit of a celebration-get together-meal-type thing (usually at my house) and this year was no different.
 

I woke up on the morning of my birthday to big silver number balloons and tonnes more pink and silver balloons dotted around the house from my lovely Mother - balloons are one of my favourite things and I was delighted.

 Somewhere along the line this year, I was bitten by the DIY bug and so I spent some free time making decorations to make everything lots more colourful and pretty and I spent the morning of my birthday hanging those up and cooking (because food, obviously).

Elf Girl came round to my house in the morning as well to say "happy birthday" and she also gave me a lovely card and gifts. She made a "birthday box" to put my presents in and every present was very thoughtful and creative (homemade presents are the best kind) and I absolutely loved everything - Thank you, Elf Girl!

I spent the afternoon getting ready.

 I put on one of my favourite dresses which has a 1950s silhouette and the most beautiful colours to it - it makes me feel like I'm going to a carnival in the 50s with all intentions of clearing the place of milkshakes and candyfloss.

I also put on my Chucks, because I didn't feel like wearing heels that day and Converse look good with dresses - it is an actual fact, let's not pretend it isn't.

 I then did my makeup which consisted of lots of rose and gold tones on the eyes and a peachy lip and popped a jewelled tiara/hairband on.

And then, somehow, the day had flown by and people were showing up at the door.

I had so, so much fun that evening. Lots and lots of birthday cake was eaten, photos were taken in the "photo booth" that I had DIYed (featuring handmade props and backdrop), fairy lights lit up the garden and party poppers scared the life out of everyone.
I was also lucky enough to get some super nice and special presents and cards off of my family as well as some money off one or two people as well.
 I am so, so fortunate to have received such beautiful things from everyone - big, huge thank you to everyone!!!!!

 

A few days after my birthday, Lauren came round for a catch up and she gave me a really cute Pop! Disney Vinyl of Princess Belle - I adore Disney and the Vinyl is so sweet, Belle now sits pride of place on the coffee table!

 

Also, a week or so before my birthday I met up with the other side of my family and ate homemade Pavlova that was covered in birthday candles and did cards and presents - all of which were very thoughtful, beautiful and will be well enjoyed - as well as going out for a rather fancy meal and I would just like to say a huge big thank you to everyone for that brilliant weekend.

 

I had the most amazing birthday in the world and I feel extremely lucky.

Thank you again to everyone for all the birthday wishes as well as the cards and gifts. Big love xxx

 

Well, I think that's everything, I hope that you have enjoyed reading this post today and that I'll see you again for my next post.

When is your birthday? What do you think the best part of birthdays is? Do you have any comments? Do you have any suggestions for future posts? Be sure to let me know in the comments.

I'll speak to you all soon, guys.

 

Have an utterly awesome day!

 

GingerSnaps xxx



Oh My Life! - Tales of My Life and Times - A New York Minute, Dancing in the Street, Free Fallin' Buskers and Milkshakes.

Hi!!!

So, the other weekend I headed down to my beloved London with my wonderful mother for a day full of all of the best things and I had an amazing time. I thought that I'd tell you all about it today and I hope you'll enjoy this post.

I was doing some browsing around the interwebs a few weeks ago and I found out about the (free to visit) "Fifth and 57th" installation at the Old Selfridges Hotel in London to celebrate the opening of the new Tiffany and Co store in Selfridges on Oxford Street. I have always loved Tiffany and could sit at my computer or stand at the counters admiring all of their exquisite pieces of jewellery all day long so this just seemed like a must for me. I was telling my lovely Mom about it one day and she suggested that we go together on a weekend. We ended up going on the last day it was running - the 12th of this month - and we had a great time in London.

I hadn't been to London in a while as I'd been fairly busy and so I was really looking forward to taking a trip down - it is one of my most favourite places ever. We drove down on the Sunday morning, caught the train from Watford and walked from Euston Station to Covent Garden because we love spending time there. We looked around the markets and smelled and spritzed numerous perfumes in the high end shops before continuing on to Oxford Street. I love walking around London and on our way up to Selfridges we passed many a school trip in Leicester Square which is where we passed a pretty good busker with a guitar who played "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty and made me smile and sing along until we couldn't hear him any more. We were just about to walk up Regent Street and we noticed that the bottom of the road was closed off and we stopped to figure out if we could still walk that way.

It turned out that we could indeed walk that way, and I am very pleased we did. Every Sunday in July, Regent Street has been completely closed to traffic so that "Summer Streets" can take place. It features performances and workshops from dance acts and musicians, benches and deck chairs in the middle of the road, games (such as Penalty Shoot-Outs) and pretty flowers everywhere and nearly everything is free (except, I think, for things like food or certain games which have small fees). One thing I really liked about it was that I had the ability to see people's faces and to see people enjoy themselves. I love London, but it is true that on the busier streets like Regent Street and Oxford Street, you see less of people's faces and more of the backs of people's heads. I really relished being able to see people smiling and being able to stop and take photos without being in someone's way. That and being able to dance around in the middle of the road to "Uptown Funk" and not get run over because that is pretty hard to beat.

We managed to drag ourselves away and continue on to Oxford Street where we had a quick look around Selfridges before heading next door to the installation which was at the Old Selfridges Hotel. I hadn't ever been into the hotel but it is a great space which I really believe should be used more often. We were given our free guide brochures by the girls at the entrance and walked up the stairs to the installation itself. As we turned into the space, I instantly felt that my expectations had become a reality. Bright lights and the sounds of busy streets filled the room and we walked through the doors of a subway car to be greeted by a lovely Tiffany and Co employee and a slice of New York itself. There was a little corner inspired by Central Park which featured a beautiful backdrop, a crisp white bench and a "blossom tree" - we took photos and admired how pretty it was. We moved further along and found ourselves living the New York life, with "Walk | Don't Walk" signs flashing at us and projections of a subway station on the 1837 plain white Tiffany boxes that surrounded us - 1837 were used as Tiffany and Co was established in the year 1837. We watched a short film about the "New York Minute" and the influence Tiffany and Co and its founder, Charles Tiffeany, have had over it - for example Tiffany and Co had one of the first public timepieces on display in New York City by which everyone set their watches. We moved from there to the recreated Tiffany and Co storefront which looked identical to the one that sits on the corner of 5th and 57th Street in the Big Apple itself and watched a master engraver at work which was incredibly interesting. We then grabbed a complimentary bagel from a street cart and headed over to Charlie's Bar - a speakeasy inspired bar named after Mr Tiffany - to see the gorgeous décor and check out the scene. Finally, we caught the stunning "Manhattanhenge" Sunset which, as if it were not special and beautiful enough alone, transformed as it set, to become a gorgeous Tiffany Diamond, the boxes surrounding us turning blue and sporting white ribbon. It was a fantastic end to a brilliant exhibition. I had such an amazing time and was incredibly pleased that we went.

The rest of the day featured lunch at Selfridges, window-shopping on Oxford Street, more dancing and actual shopping on Regent Street, walking on walls in the rain in Leicester Square, dinner at Bella Italia and milkshakes on the motorway to keep us going until we got home.

 

I had the most brilliant day - a big, huge thank you to my fabulous mother for joining me.

 

Browse the Tiffany and Co at Selfridges website (HERE)

Browse the Selfridges website (HERE)

Find "Summer Streets" (HERE)

Find Bella Italia (HERE)

And listen to "Free Fallin'" (HERE)

I hope that you have enjoyed this post, it was lovely to sit and think about all the cool things we did while I was putting this together. It's my birthday on Friday so the next time I see you I'll be another year older (and ready to write more posts!).
Have you been to London recently? What do you think about the idea for Summer Streets? Did you get to go to the exhibition? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts? Please do let me know in the comments below.
I'll speak with you guys soon.

 

I hope your day is full of joy!

GingerSnaps xxx

Oh My Life! - Tales Of My Life and Times - Road Trip!, Disney Sing-a-Longs, Air Guitars, THE DAY OF THE DOCTOR, Gavin and Stacey Times and Mr Blue Sky!

Hi!!!

Today's post is a good'un! (I know, I'm so modest...) Alllll the way back in April, I went to the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff with one of my favourites ever - of course, my ever fabulous best friend Elf Girl (find her tiny elf-self HERE) - and it was, as you can imagine, a pretty epic day.

From where we live, it takes about two and a half hours to get to Cardiff, but we know how to handle such road trips - with air guitars and rock songs and Disney soundtracks and selfies in traffic, which is just the best. Like, seriously, I had such a great time spending two and a half hours sat in a car!

When we got to Cardiff, we had something to eat before heading over to the giant blue thing that is the Doctor Who Experience.
We bought our tickets and then had a bit of a walk round, taking photos of the bits and bobs that are sat lining the queue.

Once you get inside, there's the Interactive Experience that gets you much more involved in it all. I don't want to spoil it for any of you Whovians out there, but it is awesome!
Do it the GingerSnaps and Elf Girl way and make sassy comments the whole way around, feel confused about why random people keep talking to you and always elbow your way to the front.

Upon leaving the interactive bit, we entered the Exhibition Hall which is where all of the sets and artefacts are.
We ran around like crazy people trying to see everything and take photos with everything and we did pretty bloomin well. We also had our photo taken in the TARDIS - twice - and saw lots of really interesting things. There is more up the stairs from here, from lots of more recent episodes, which is cool, and we had loads of fun being silly and trying to pose like we were "running away from the bad guys" which inevitably involved falling over! Ooops! 

 

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Mermaid Quay, which is right by the experience, entering the children's colouring competition at Starbucks - including a FRIENDS reference - and making it to the wall (!!!), and heading out to Barry to fangirl over Gavin & Stacey and to get ourselves on every kids arcade ride possible (including a rollercoaster simulator on which we nearly lost a purse!)

The way home included singing ELO (Electric Light Orchestra) and Queen at the very tip top of our lungs and lots of laughing.

So, thanks to Elf Girl for asking me to join her, I had such an absolutely brilliant time. Go and check out her excellent blog (HERE), and the posts she has done about our day (HERE) and (HERE), the latter includes captions of epic proportions for some of the photos seen here, and some of her own - should make you chuckle.

To find out more about the Doctor Who Experience, click (ME).

Thank you for reading, I hope that you have enjoyed this post, and that this was interesting - especially for the Whovians amongst you.

Have you been to the Doctor Who Experience? What did you think? Would you like to go? Do you have any comments or suggestions for future posts that you'd like to see? Let me know in the comments below.

See you all soon,

 

Have an superb day!

 

GingerSnaps xxx

 

Oh My Life! - Tales Of My Life and Times - My Birthday, Chicken, Photo Booths, Awesome Gifts and Cards and Cake... Lots of Cake.

Hi!!!


So, as some of you will know, my birthday was last Thursday and I thought that I would share with you all the wonderful things that I did.

I just want to make everyone aware of the fact that I do know how lucky I am to have family and friends like I do and who can/do treat me on my birthday. I am in no way posting this to make others feel bad or to flaunt how lucky I am, it is just because I like to give you guys an insight into my life and thought that this kind of post might be of interest as its the kind of post I enjoy reading. I hope you enjoy and we are all on the same page as to my appreciation.

My celebrations began on the Friday before last, when I spent my afternoon with Elf Girl (HERE), opening my birthday presents from her early.
She got me such wonderful things, all of which I love, and I'm really grateful to have such a brilliant best friend.
We proceeded to spend the rest of the afternoon eating Pot Noodles and discussing Oasis, singing Disney songs, Paint (HERE) songs and Bowling for Soup - otherwise known as our skill set in a nutshell.
These are always such brilliant times.

My "celebration" celebrations began last Sunday, when my friends and I all went out to Nando's (that place is like our mother-ship, and you can find it HERE) to eat our usual (definitely the mother-ship) chicken burgers - beanie burger for Elf Girl - and chips with Peri-Peri salt and Extra Hot, Hot Sauce.

My friends (including Lauren - HERE - and H - HERE) gave me some lovely cards and presents, we all took far too many selfies and sneaky off-guard shots, posed for group photos and hugged lots.

Later on in the evening, after one of our friends, Z, had left and after we'd nipped to the loo's, we found a Photo Booth and jumped in (there were only 4 of us but it was a bit of a squeeze since it was an ID Photo Booth for passports...) and took a photo from the set each (because it was the same photo printed 4 times). We then went in in pairs and me and Elf Girl went all 2.0 on the pictures we did at Morrison's last year (HERE).

Then the others left and myself and Elf Girl stayed outside for a while, singing a very poor rendition of Copacabana (HERE) and rolling down a hill... We are such children it is untrue.

Thanks to all of my lovely friends for an awesome evening out and for the cards and gifts. I'm very fortunate to have them.

Then, it was left until my actual birthday to celebrate. I got up in the morning and opened some bits and pieces from my parents and opened all the cards that were sent through the post or dropped at the house by the sender. 

My parents truly spoilt me with a pair of Docs (Dr Martens - HERE) which I have wanted since forever as well as a load of other wonderful things - thank you!

My cards are really beautiful, with lovely sentiments, details and colours. Elf Girl got me a Moon Pig (HERE) card which looked like a cover of Vogue and had all of our inside jokes as the surrounding article names which was cool. 

My Mom and I went out in the morning and had some lunch from Pret (HERE) and then headed off to get ready. I sat and did my face/hair/nails while watching some of my reality TV guilty pleasures and then I got dressed up to go and have a meal with the family at my Nan's house.

I wore an Ombre, white and blue, dipped hem dress and my new Docs, wore my hair curled and used some Soap and Glory (HERE) makeup - which Lauren got me for my birthday - creating a white and blue eye with a nude lip.

I went to my Nan's house and met up with all of our family for curry, presents, cakes (I had three...)and photos.

The food was delicious, the (mainly juice based) Bucks Fizz was a treat and a half, the presents I was given were absolutely amazing and I had such a wonderful time.

I also liked spending time getting a couple of family photos with everyone dressed up and I just really enjoyed myself. I feel like a good time was had by all, even though we were fit to burst upon going home.

Thank you to all of my family for the wonderful day and for my gifts and cards. I'm very lucky to have such a brilliant family and very lovely things.

The final celebration was going to Belton House (HERE) with Auntie S (HERE) for a day out, a catch up and some library envy. Would deffo recommend for a visit.

I had a great time - thanks S!

That's it for today then, and I guess for this month. I'll see you tomorrow for my July Summary - it should be a good un'.

When's your birthday? What do you think about what I got up to? What is your favourite part about birthdays? Any comments or suggestions for future posts? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading.

Have a very happy day!

GingerSnaps xxx





Oh My Life! - Tales Of My Life and Times - My New House, Update Two; Baths, Beds, Falling Off Ladders and Being Half Way There

Hi!!!

Long time, no house update. Sorry! But, here we are, and for those of you who are interested, house update number two is ready.


If you haven't yet read my first update, or it has been so long you can't remember the details, then (HERE) it is.

Since we last spoke about this topic, we have made a nice load of progress. All the wallpaper we wanted gone is just that, we've taken bathroom tiles to the rubbish tip/landfill/recycling place, carpets have been given to a nearby cat sanctuary and not so nice wardrobe units dealt with. The kitchen units have now been cleaned about three times and floors have been mopped. We've also painted the ceilings with emulsion. That's were falling off a ladder comes into things.

I am incredibly clumsy so.... I honestly don't know what made me fall, I just realised I was falling half way to the floor. I've been told it was a rather fabulous fall, and I had supreme bruises on my leg to prove it. I did finish that ceiling though, I had too much to do to feel sorry for myself!

We have bought laminate floors and underlay for the rooms they are needed in, and are happy with them. All we need now is for them to be fitted!

We have ordered a bath and shower enclosure with appropriate add on's (and had it delivered), and I ordered a bed yesterday which I couldn't be happier with. On the topic of bedrooms, I've gone against the original feature wall ideas - it just seemed like the right thing to do - and am looking at other wallpapers currently. I may not have a feature wall at all, I may just use a delicate/not-so-in-your-face wallpaper on all the walls in the bedroom. I am also revisiting an idea I had for a quote/lyric above the bed, as mentioned (HERE), let me know if you have ideas or suggestions. Wardrobes are in the process of being sorted (my fussiness means it is going to take a bit more time to sort out than planned, but more on that when they are sorted).

We still have some things that need to be done, as you can tell, but I feel so happy. After every purchase, every finished job and so on, I have found myself saying "We're half way there," and I am so filled with joy to say so. I feel a refreshed sense of positivity and optimism for this whole thing - it can get dampened slightly if you feel you are getting nowhere, which is why feeling "half way there," is such a big deal to me. Big smiles.

That is all that I have to tell you at this current moment in time. I hope that this post has been interesting and that you've been enjoying all my updates.
Are you moving house or refreshing any part of your house at the moment? Or are you maybe just playing with the idea? Do you like hearing my updates? Any suggestions for future posts? Let me know in the comments.
OK then, that leaves me with only one other thing to mention. I have recently gotten BlogLovin', and there is a button on the top right, so if you want to follow then please do, it would make my day!

I hope you have a great day!

GingerSnaps xxx

Oh My Life! - Tales Of My Life and Times - Noodles, Peter Kay, ExtraHot Hot Sauce, Fall Out Boy and Birthdays!

Hi!!!

Today I want to tell you all about how I spent my time a few weekends ago. I know, I'm behind on my blogging a bit, but oh well - win some lose some.

On the Friday night, my older cousin came to stay with us. After a group walk around my neighbourhood in my pyjamas (I'd like to say that's the first time I had done that, but it wasn't...), we returned home with a Chinese takeaway; the line up including Singapore Noodles and Sweet and Sour Chicken. We also opened a bar of Dairy Milk, and sat and watched "Peter Kay In Conversation" which was still on our Sky Planner (other TV thingys are available). We were originally going to watch "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" (great film!) but we needed to download it from Sky On Demand first, and it took forever!

On Saturday morning, my cousin went home, I washed my hair and we went around to the new house. We finished stripping all the wallpaper upstairs with the help of a steamer, and a friend of ours came round to help paint the living room and kitchen. I left at 4 because I was going out 6:30, but everyone else stayed at the house until 7 or something! I kind of felt bad for not staying and helping but sometimes your social life needs attention.

Some friends and I went out to Nando's for something to eat to celebrate my friend H's birthday, mentioned (HERE). I say "some friends" because there were about three or four people who were invited that couldn't make it, and that was a massive shame. Still, we all ate chicken, as you do at Nando's, and had a really good  time. I had a Medium spice Chicken Burger with Chips and the Extra Hot Sauce served in a black bottle marked with a red X, and couldn't resist a White Chocolate and Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake and a cup of tea.

For those interested, I wore a cream peasant blouse, skinny jeans, my Converse High Tops and some braces.

If you want to see the Nando's website and find out more, click (HERE).

Then on Sunday, we went out for a cooked breakfast and for a little shop. From there it was around to the new house for a bit, and then home to watch the football on the tellybox. I half watched, half caught up on my blogging/blog reading. My Nan came round for dinner and we dropped her home because we were off to see Fall Out Boy that night.

I adore Fall Out Boy, and have done since, I don't know, about 2009. The tickets were a Christmas present, so I had been excited for a really long time.
I do have to tell you about our struggle getting into the gig, though, because it was so odd.
We joined the queue in the car park with everyone else, and were then told that we needed to go down ten flights of stairs because we were in standing, not in the seats. I wouldn't have minded so much but we had already climbed up and down said stairs twice to pay for parking, and then we had to queue down a hill, up the hill, down the hill again, up the hill again and then in a spiral to get to the doors.
Once inside, though, everything changed.
The first support act, who I believe were called New Politics, were playing some great music and very loudly telling me to follow my dreams, we dived into the scrum at the merchandise stand for a wristband, and we managed to find ourselves a great spot. The second support act was The Pretty Reckless, and they were alright.
Then it was Fall Out Boy. The minute they came on stage, they had everybody captivated. Their set was so, so awesome. I literally couldn't have been more pleased with the gig. It was amazing and everyone there enjoyed themselves. Also, there were old interview/film clips played throughout the gig, and that added to the experience, making it a bit more personal than just them playing music. I'd also like to mention the slideshow that was shown during the gig, as it included so many of the amazing musicians we've enjoyed through time, and really showed everyone there how well the band know good music.

 I knew Fall Out Boy would be good, but they exceeded my expectations by miles.

We did have to leave 5/10 minutes early because we were on one of the highest floors of the car park and didn't want to be stuck in the car until 1am. We were gutted about leaving but I think it was for the best. 

We got home and made tea and toast. I found Lee Evans - Big on TV, so I suggested we watched that while we ate. Then it was bed time. 

That was a great day. 

The days that followed included H's birthday and Saint Patrick's Day (posts HERE), and doing some more work on the new house.

It was a good week.

And that is that. I'm glad to have finished this post, and I am sorry that I have been behind on my blogging this month. I hope that this post was interesting and that you enjoyed having an insight into my little life.

What have you been up to recently? What do you think of what I have been up to? Any suggestions for upcoming posts? Fancy a chat? Let me know in the comments.

I will see you next month (eek - can you believe its April tomorrow?) for a summary, but for now I bid you farewell.

I hope your day is supreme!

GingerSnaps xxx

Oh My Life! - Tales Of My Life and Times - My New House, Update One; Wallpaper, Screwdrivers and A Spot Of Elbow Grease.

Hi!!!


Since getting the news about us moving house, everything has become about the house - and I actually quite like it...

See, the thing is with us is that we didn't have a moving date, and are not living in the new house yet. We did this for a number of reasons, and I am glad we did because it means that we have time to get things ready and make sure that everything is the way we want it to be.

So, we have spent weekends and evenings stripping the wallpaper from the bedrooms, pulling up carpets, ripping out wardrobes and beginning a clean up. A friend has been over to slap some emulsion on the kitchen walls and the members of our family who live locally have been round to see the house - and they all like it!

I really like the fact that I can see progress after every visit, even if we only do a "little bit". It is really satisfying to see that you are getting somewhere, and it keeps you motivated to do more.


Let's not forget though, the time spent in DIY stores, home-ware departments and reading magazines and books for inspiration. It is so nice to know you have a project to work towards and so, even though I probably won't use it, I am trying to get ideas from almost everything.

However, I am struggling to choose my feature wallpaper (for my bedroom) as my two options are utterly gorgeous. I'm also contemplating paint colours, accessories, and lighting.

It's very exciting but can be a little bit frustrating when you need to make decisions and are unsure.

So, for the moment, that is all I have to tell you. There is other stuff, but you might find that boring and we wouldn't want that, now would we? I did want to keep you up to speed though, and I hope that you liked reading this.

What do you think about moving house? Are you moving house too? Are you maybe just toying with the idea? Do you like hearing my updates? Did this post interest you? Let me know in the comments.

OK then, lovely people, I will be sure to speak to you lot very soon.

Have a very, very good day!

GingerSnaps xxx

Oh My Life! - Tales Of My Life And Times - I Do Love A Onsie, A Disney Movie and Making A Two-Tonne Of Meringue Goodness...

Hi!!!


I thought I'd fill you in on one of my recent "lazy days". I feel like, in a strange way, I find "lazy days" work better as "Oh My Life!" posts, but you guys might not feel the same way. By the way, if you don't, then feel free to look through that little archive on the right hand side for something that takes your fancy.


I got up recently with nothing to do and nowhere to go (at least not particularly) and so decided to take up the opportunity to have some time to myself.

I had a shower and washed my hair when I woke up, and threw on my onesie when I got out. I'd actually like to put in a disclaimer in about the whole "onesie" topic...

From the day the onesie first hit the high streets, I decided that they were morally wrong and completely unacceptable. I also decided I'd never buy myself one. However, my mom bought me a super fluffy onesie from Next for Christmas and so I gave it a go. I LOVE IT! DO NOT knock the onesie until you have tried it - I guarantee you will enjoy it, even just a little bit. Also, my advice is to never buy a really cheap onesie; I'd advise a slightly more expensive one as it is much more comfortable and a lot less... meh. Oh yeah, and always opt for super fluffy!

So, yeah, I put on my onesie and made myself very, very comfortable on the sofa armed with a cup of tea. I spent most of my morning watching The Big Bang Theory, and eating the last of the Christmas Quality Street. Then it was scrambled egg on toast for lunch, which just improved my day further.

In the afternoon, I made the decision to check out what movies were on my Sky On Demand - other TV doobrees are available. I found "Mickey's Magical Christmas" and decided to watch that, despite it being January. I found the film really enjoyable, and I do love a good little Disney movie. I am an, if not *the* Ultimate Disney Addict/Fan.

Later on, like after dinner later on, I made a choice which involved creating some lovely meringues. I couldn't find the electric part of the whisk so worked up an hour's worth of a sweat before finally finding it... Oh My Life! But, I did end up with some pretty pink rose flavoured mini meringues to enjoy. I guess all's well that ends well. Especially when meringues are involved.



And, so, that's it. Considering this post was about a whole day, I kind of expected more of a lengthy post, but the joy of a lazy day is that there is very little to say and yet so much happiness can come from them. While it was a "lazy day", I tried to do some things, because I hate feeling like I have wasted a day.

I hoped that this post has been enjoyable for you. Have you had a "lazy day" recently? What do you get up to on a "lazy day"?

Have a really good day everybody!

GingerSnaps xxx

Oh My Life! - Tales of My Life and Times - Intense Retail Therapy, Cute Animated Films and Special K.

Hi!!!

I thought I'd fill you in on what I've been up to since we last spoke. My Mom and I are staying at my Auntie's house at the moment and it's filled to the brim- good job it's a big house, eh?

While we've been here, I've done some serious shopping at Lush - I flipping love Lush, OK, and I'm trying to get Loz (blog HERE) addicted too - as well as buying some bits and bobs at Marks and Spencer's, TKMaxx. I also tried a really nice new "punch" type thing from Costa. You'll know it when you see it, so try it, it's good stuff. I also went a bit spending mad at Primark, and was so pleased with everything I bought - they have some really nice stuff in at the moment. Plus, I watched Wreck It Ralph with all the kids in my family and we all loved it. Would highly recommend it to everyone - great film.

I began my day with Special K cereal which I hadn't had in a while and so I'd forgotten how nice it was. I saw an advert this morning for Special K porridge, unless that was a dream, and so I might just try that so long as I didn't make it up. My youngest cousins are staying at the moment too, along with their Dad and so we went along with them to the cinema to go and see Despicable Me 2, which for some reason, said cinema are still showing in the mornings. It was really great and I enjoyed it muchly (even if we did arrive 15 minutes late because of the awful traffic)! Then it was over to the shopping centre for some food at the "Golden Arches". Whilst we were there I popped into John Lewis to begin my Christmas shopping - I know its really early but every single weekend from November to December is pretty much booked up with exciting shiz, so I had to start somewhere. I picked up some decorations, some wrapping paper and tags and a gift for someone...
I've just done bath time and bed time with the little ones and I'm pooped.

I hope you enjoyed that insight into my life lately. Let me know in the comments what you've been getting up to and I'll be sure to get back to you.

I hope that you're day is very, very cool.

 

GingerSnaps xxx

 

 

Oh My Life! - Tales of My Life and Times - Phsyco Horses, Playgrounds, Chunky Knits and Bob the Builder.

Hi!!!

So, how are we all? I hope we are all well. I wanted to do a bit more of a life-y type of a post today because they are probably my favourite kind of blog posts to read on the blogs I love (for more on those, see my Blogger Profile). For me, reading about what someone's been up to, where they've gone on a day out and so on is really relaxing and inspiring. It makes me think of all the wonderful things that I could do very easily and that I don't appreciate.

From Friday night to Sunday evening a couple of weeks ago, I looked after some of the little people in my family - 3 and 5 years old - whilst one of the "big" people in my family and his wife went on a weekend break. I was more than happy to look after them and spend some quality time with them because I loves them muchly.

Saturday was a nice day, the morning was a bit busy, but some other little family people - 8 and 10 - came over in the late afternoon/evening with their mom and their (slightly crazy) dog, Rosie. We all pulled wellies and mismatched coats and jumpers on to go out picking blackberries. It was a bit of a walk, with Rosie running rings round us. Me and the eldest children's mom helped the youngest over the wooden fence and we went over to the huge blackberry bush in a mixture of toddling (the youngest), running (the oldest), walking (the "grown-ups") and jumping (the dog). We managed to pick loads and loads of blackberries, thankfully, without many thorn related injuries.

 

Then we came across a huge apple tree and so while the little ones climbed a different tree, I picked apples with the other "grown-up", and the 8 year old boy helped, going all Spiderman on us to reach apples. Then some horses came into the field, and although they were calm, we got the children back out of the field with the dog - who was going mental - out, back into the house and into the kitchen. We put the two full tubs of blackberries away. Then the 10 year old girl came up with the idea of grabbing some more blackberries from a different field (Oh My Glob, you guys, this is confusing!) 

 

We've headed back out but to a different field to avoid the horses. Everything was going fine - we put the bag of apples on a post by the gate and got to blackberry picking. And then I spotted the horses coming back into the field. They weren't calm anymore. They recognised us as "the people with food" and so started to started to chase us. "Don't run, cos horses are like dogs, they'll only get excited", I said whilst running faster than I ever have!  So, the ten year old girl's gone back to her mom - who was calm... somehow - and the other small person ran behind me. I didn't know this. I've thrown myself over the fence and face-planted the floor and I've heard, "Help!" and I thought "He's gonna die!". So, I tried to get up and help, just as he's flung himself over the gate and landed on his feet. I swear to you, he is really Spiderman!

After avoiding *that* potential catastrophe, and making jokes about how I thought I'd pulled a lung - is that possible? - we went into the living room for games and cuddles and really bad jokes with the little people.

It was like a really awful feature in a really awful country living magazine.

Sunday was a day of free reign and no pre-arranged things. I threw on a really nice chunky knit cardigan from BHS, my Boxer Boots and a really nice Skull print scarf from Primark (as well as a top and jeans - obvs). I decided that we should have a super fun day, and so I took the little ones to the park down the road, which was brilliant. They absolutely loved it, and so did I. We went on the See-Saw, the swings, the slide, the zip-wire, and some other weird contraptions which I don't believe have names. We had a blast. Then it was onto the flower festival at the local church where the children put roses in a display and "made a wish". They had a favourite display (the one with little butterflies and squirrels and the like). From there it was onto MacDonald's for Fish Finger Happy Meals with Smurf toys for them and Chicken Nuggets for me (not in Happy Meal form).

After that jam packed part of the day, we headed back home. It was a rather chilly day, and so we sat in the living room smothered in blankets watching a Bob the Builder DVD followed by a Mike the Knight DVD.

 

Then their Mom and Dad came to pick them up, and I cleared up...

 

Fun times.

 

I hope you've enjoyed this post and that you like more life-y posts as well as my reviews. If you have any questions or nice words, then please do leave me a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

 

Have a beautiful day!

 

GingerSnaps xxx