New Handbag Arrives

I won some money on the lottery the other day, and it just so happens it was just the right amount to frivolously purchase myself a Cambridge Satchel. I love these bags and of course I had to get it in fluorescent orange. It is amazing, the colour is eye bleedingly bright, and the smell of the leather is perfect. I think my friends would agree that this bag could have been made especially for me.

I will definitely be getting another one, (don't tell Adam) perhaps a fitness challenge reward...

Have you bought yourself anything frivolous recently?

Sherbet Lemon Shoes

These beauties arrived yesterday, I love them, thank you ebay.

They are not my usual style, I usually try to avoid peep toe, but I am trying to be a little more adventurous now I'm 30! Hehe.

I stumbled upon the United Nude shop in London when we were up ther for my birthday. Their shoes are fricking ridiculous, but I found them completely enchanting and got a little bit obsessed. I did consider an metallic orange pair with blue heel struts for my wedding shoes, but couldn't justify the £199 price tag, no matter how taken I was with them. So I did the next best thing, I turned to ebay, and came up with these beauties. They are made out of some strange foam type pastic and super light. In all honesty I don't know how much use I will get out of them, but they are just nice to have.

I still have United Nude on my ebay search alerts, so I may still find the ones I was actually after, fingers crossed.

What do you think of my shoes?

Off Target

I am a little bit annoyed at myself at the moment, I am only 2 weeks in to my 4 runs a week personal challenge, and I am already short on last week! I only managed 3. There was a little bit of disruption last week, and my usual routine was thrown out slightly but that is no excuse. 

I seem to have a fear of running at any time of the day that isn't first thing in the morning. I try to tell myself it's because it's the only time I can feasibly fit in a run during the day, but this just isn't true. It's because I am in fear of strangers, or worse someone I know seeing me run, scrutinising my wobbly bits, sweat marks and baboon bum red face. I know think I can't possibly look as bad as I imagine, but that doesn't stop me getting paranoid about it.

So this week I have an added challenge of going for a run in the afternoon/early evening, when it's busy and people are everywhere. I may stick to slightly quieter roads but I will do it. I will have to if I want to make up for that missed run last week with 5 this week! Wish me luck.

Do you ever lie to yourself, so you can pretend it's not your fault?

Congratulations J & N

It turned out to be a beautiful day, a very long day but worth it. I managed to get my hair dyed, dried and make up on in the morning. I had to be at the venue for 10am to help with the set up of the reception area, and we managed to get all the bunting and pompoms up, tables laid and flowers put out just in the nick of time. We just had enough time to get changed into our glad rags and leg it to the ceremony.

The bride looked stunning, as she made her grand entrance at Swallows Oast, the formal vows were said in the oast, with all their friends and family squeezed into the little venue both in seats and peering down from the balcony. Everyone then made their way down to a wooded area for their personal vows and ring exchange.

With the formal stuff over it was time to party! This was the card we got the bride and groom, it doesn't look like them but the alcohol consumption wasn't far off. So although I think all involved are feeling a little jaded today, it was both a pleasure and honour, to be a part of J & N's special day.

What did you do this weekend?

Boxes

Today I have mostly been putting this beast together and filling it with books and sundries. I love it, I've been wanting one for a while and it has helped a hell of a lot with our storage issues. I just nee to add a few more cupboards in at the bottom, (they are fiddly buggers) and then I'm done. I've got another one for the bathroom but that is most definitely for another day.

Tomorrow is our friends wedding, so I have to get up super early, hopefully fit in a run, dye my hair, and get spruced up by 9:30 at the latest. I have to be at the reception area to help set up at 10:00. Wish me luck!

Are you doing any DIY this bank holiday weekend?

Sky

It seems to go on forever, with the occasional puff of a cloud or a tiny sun lit moon. I love looking at the sky, to me this is the best part of my morning run. We have been so lucky with the weather recently, and it seems every time I go out there are new things to see. My mind just wanders, maybe I am a little crazy making up tales for the little clouds and where they have come from, but I don't care. Sometimes I imagine who else may be looking at the same sky, and how much longer I will be able to catch the sunrise, before the sun is just too lazy and I have to run in the dark. Hopefully a little while yet.

This was the sky on Wednesday morning...

And this was how it looked today.

Do you ever just take the time to look at the sky?

Best Mans +1

We are going to a friends wedding at the weekend, which ordinarily I would be quite excited about, but  for this particular wedding I am the Best Man's +1. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do, and everyone else I know at the wedding is either a bride, groom or bridesmaid! I'm sure it will be fine it's just going to be a little strange going to a wedding on my own not knowing any of the guests. 

I'm a bit shy around strangers, so I have offered to help with the reception set up in the morning, to hopefully get familiar with a few faces before the actual ceremony, so I don't look like a complete sad sack. But this has it's own problems, do I get ready before set up and run the risk of ruining my outfit/ make-up whilst lugging around hay bales and bunting, or do I take a chance and hope there is somewhere to get changed, there. (Going home in between is not an option, it's about 30 mins each way.)

Though once all the set up dramas and ceremony are over, I'm pretty sure we are going to have one hell of a party, and let be honest that's what it's really all about.

Have you have been a best persons plus one at a wedding?

Photography Project

As I have mentioned before both my boyfriend and I are quite interested in getting into photography. However we are both quite bad at getting completely carried away and then not actually seeing things through, so my idea is to pick a project and see it through as best we can with our existing cameras, i.e. a standard holiday snap digital number and our iphones. 

The project I have chosen is a 365 challange, where we take a photo a day for a year. I thought this would be a fun one especially as it won't be long before there is 365 until our wedding day! So then we definitely have a specific start date and end date.

It will also be quite fun to see how our style develops over the year, and to work out if we enjoy it enough to actually see it through. If we do, we are discussing the possibility of treating ourselves to a couple of fancy cameras after the wedding, to help with awesome honeymoon snaps, but that is just us getting all carried away again.

So I'm thinking maybe a flickr account might be helpful, and maybe monthly updates on here?

Have you ever done a photography project?

I Fell Over

This evening, after yoga, I did something I haven't done sober for years, I fell over. Yoga always makes me a little dozy, which didn't help, but I slipped off he curb and fully went down. Luckily I didn't hurt myself too badly just grazed my hand, bumped my knee, and finally came to a stop on my back in the road with my legs in the air. Classy. Thankfully there was a nearby strong man to pick me up, which wasn't at all embarrassing...

When was the last time you embarrassed yourself?

Vintage and Emerald

Weekend over and back to work, why do they fly by so fast. I have been decorating my kitchen, just a bit of a revamp, so big chunks of Saturday and Sunday were spent buying and assembling wall cabinets. I did manage to slip out for some fun though.

Our friendly local tattooist Madam Butterfly, has branched out into vintage clothes and nik naks, and Saturday was the grand opening of her new shop Starfire Vintage. So I popped down with one of her favourite customers, my Dad. There was stacks to look at and definitely something for everyone. I lover her decor, it looked like it had come from an old fairground ride.  

I was quite taken with the beautiful cushions, think I might pop one on my Christmas list...

Sunday we had the perfect excuse to pop out for breakfast i.e. the kitchen is a hell of a state. So we made our way down to the old town and tried out Emerald, we've not been there before but they had Eggs Benedict on the menu so I was sold. It was really tasty and Adam was happy because there was a bit a bubble and squeak included on his full English. The green touches inside were great, and even the ol' guy serving had a green top on!

I love our Old Town, it's a great place to go for breakfast on a Sunday, so many places to try...

What did you do this weekend?

Bloglovin'

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I am attempting to get my blog out there, not sure why to be honest but it's something do :o)

Hobby Collector

I have a confession. I, Chloe Donovan am a collector of hobbies.

I think it may be a bad habbit picked up from my Dad, we both do it but to be fair mine aren't quite as expensive or all consuming as his. Although I'm working on it...

Over the years I have had many hobbies, some I still pick up on now and again others I have no interest in ever doing again.

Currently I dip in and out of, knitting which I really enjoy and am still improving in I'm just not that quick so I get bored half way through so sometimes it takes me ages to finish anything. This orange top I did in a couple of months, whilst attending a knitting club, but I also have a big thick cardi which has been on the go for about 8 months....(Might be time to find a new knitting club)  

Crochet is one of those hobbies that I keep picking up in the hope that one day it will just click and I will be amazing, but so far that hasn't happend, I've managed a couple of granny squares, and a flower of sorts (with a lot of help), I have got pretty good a bunting though which is handy...

My go to hobby will always be baking though, it's just so easy to share with others, can be done on spur of the moment (ingredients permitting) and I love that you can see something though in no time, which appeals to my inpatient nature. I just really should do more, especially as I have a cake decorating course on the horizon, ooh exciting...

I think I will probably be adding a new hobby to the collection shortly, both the hubby to be and me quite like the idea of photography, and it could be a good one for us to do together. We have agreed to use the camera we already have to start with as fancy cameras are quite pricey. We will just have to see how we get on, and then maybe treat ourselves after the wedding if we like it. I've got a project in mind that could be fun we just have to make a plan on how to do it together...

What hobbies do you have?

*Sensationail*

I don't think I'm overly girly, but obviously I am a girl and I do like to look like one. Most of the time I have the best intentions of painting my nails but only get around to it every once in a while, even then it doesn't seem to stay nice for that long and either chips off or gets picked off. Not a good look... 

So when my bestie got me a Sensationail kit for my Birthday I was quite excited. A little faff every couple of weeks for pretty fingers, sounds good to me.

Like I said before the sickly Barbie pink that came with the kit wasn't really me, but gave it a go, and actually I didn't hate it. 

You have to make sure your nails are clean, use a gel base coating, base coat, 2 coats of colour and top coat. Using the U.V. lamp in the kit to set each coat in 30 - 60 second. You have to avoid the shin because the polish heats up under the lamp, but I think I did alright for my first attempt.

It lasted perfectly for the first whole week, and the first chip appeared on the following Tuesday, chipped a little bit more but not too much, and I am a picker so most of that was my own fault. So all in all I think it lasted amazingly well. I was impressed anyway, it made my nails feel a lot stronger and you can see in the picture where it has grown up. Picture was taken on the 13th day.

So all in all very happy and will definitely be using it again, in fact I have today. You can use it with normal nail polish you just can't use the U.V. light to dry it as it will melt, which is what I have done they are a nice dark purple now, just have to see if they last as well. 

Mini Milestone

Right so today I actually completed the first week of my challenge, I have managed 4 runs this week!! This may not be a biggie to you hardened runners out there, but for me this is quite an achievement. I just have to make sure I stay focused and carry on like this no matter how tired I am first thing.

The first 2 were good runs, and I didn't seem to have a problem getting up and out, but the last 2 weren't so good, I chose the check my Instagram feed before leaving which took half an hour, so then I was running late getting ready for work, whoops. So that will have to stop. I also managed to get in a hill this morning. I didn't do it on purpose ( I was being a good friend and took a detour to drop off a Birthday card), and I didn't enjoy it, but it showed me that I should probably get some hill training in too. Which shouldn't be too much of an issue Hastings has some wonderful hills.

So yay for mini milestones, now to decide if I should buy myself something pretty now as a reward, or after a month. Probably should wait until I've done it for a month, then I will know I definitely deserve it. What should it be, oh the choices, what do I want?!?

Do you reward yourself for reaching targets?

Little Festivals?

How do you feel about festivals?

I went to V Festival a number of years ago, and I remember enjoying most of it at the time. There was obviously the huge queues for nasty toilets, showers that some scumbags used as toilets, and camping. But other than that, I had a lot of fun with my friends got a bit drunk and saw quite a few cool bands.

I just really am not a fan of camping, or people, I'm really not a fan of them anymore either, the older I get the less I seem to like a crowd.

Though having said that I really feel like I should go to a few festivals, maybe not the big ones but little ones would be ok. And although I feel like I should like camping because it seems quite trendy at the moment, I really think glamping would be more my style. Especially as I am a class 'A' bitch if I don't get enough sleep. 

So does anyone have any suggestions for a 2014 festival, quite small but with good bands and plenty of other things to do, with the option of glamping or similar?

Do you think that might be too much to ask for?

Running on Sunshine

I'm an on and off runner, I'm not very good, I enjoy it when I'm out there but I struggle with my frequency of runs. So I have a plan I intend to run at least 4 times a week. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I can't manage Tuesdays as Monday night yoga seems to make me have a sleep time coma, and I find it nigh on impossible to get up in the morning.

Anyway back to the plan, I have set myself up with everything I need to stick to it, I have an interval app, GPS app and of course Spotify for the actual running, I've got enough P.E. kit and trainers. I even have a goal! I have an obstacle run at the end of October and ideally I would like to enter the local half marathon next year...

Now all I need to ditch is the friggin excuses and negative thoughts. I love how running makes you feel, not so much during but definitely afterwards. I feel more lively, I can get up earlier and have less cravings for naughty food. I just have to remember that when it gets tough.

So far so good though I was out Monday, and this morning, and check out this beautiful sunshine, that makes it worth getting up early too.

Do you enjoy running?

Meet Molly

I would like you to meet Molly Mittens, otherwise known as Molly Moo, Moogles or the Moog. She has been with us for 1 whole year in September, and is already queen bee in our flat.

We got her when she was a tiny kitten, and she wasted no time in making herself at home, she is a Ragdoll cat, with a love of boxes, bags and boys. Oh and of course a regular tummy tickle.

She likes to pretend she is shy, but she is actually a bit of a diva...

If she can get in it she will, but her favourite place to sit is on our headboard in the bedroom...

I just thought she should be on here somewhere seeing as her attention seeking, sock stealing, cute looking ways are the reason a lot of stuff doesn't get done. OK well that's not strictly true but she is so easy to waste time on.

Do you have a pet that craves attention?

Juice Fast Over

Well the juice fast is finally over, I'm not going to lie it was tough. I know I only did 3 days but I really missed actually chewing something. The juices weren't so bad in themselves just not chewy enough! I did lose 6 pounds though!!! So well worth it, I will probably put most of it back on over the weekend though. As you can see from my pic I celebrated eating solids with a huge breakfast and caramel coffee, oh how I have missed coffee. 

Although I will definitely do it again, might even try 4 days next time. I think it might just be a case of experimenting with the juices to see which ones work best for me. It's not so bad once you get past the first couple of day. I do have a mental note I need to make for next time though, as it seems your stomach is ever so slightly sensitive to real food after just juice for 3 days, and I probably should have stuck to fruit and veg for the first day instead of the big breakfast and huge burger I had for tea...

Have you tried the juice diet, how did you do?

Photographer Done

Well yesterday we went to see a very lovely lady in Saltdean. I had found her details online and was instantly drawn to her website and blog, with tons of sample photos of her work. We had emailed each other a couple of times, and to my delight she was free for our date so we arranged a meeting. I was on a high all day and really excited to meet her at her home. I just hoped that she would be everything I imagined. I needed have worried she was super excitable, and made all the right noises when we were talking about our wedding plans, made notes and suggestions to cover all the things we wanted to happen with our photos. Neither myself or my man are that confident in front of a camera, and she put us completely at ease. I don't think she realised, but she also helped us to work out timings for the day.
It was a joy to meet her and hear how enthusiastic she was about our plans, I think she will fit in just right with our friends and our plans for the day. Still 400 odd days to go but it's starting to feel very real. Caterers next!
If you are looking for a enthusiastic photographer check her out http://www.sarareeve.com/

How do you feel about having your photo taken?

Juice Day 1

Today, we started our first proper experiment with juice fasting. We have decided to attempt 3 days, so that it will be over by the weekend. I have heard however that the first 3 days are the worst...

This is the beautiful green concoction that we had for breakfast, I also made up enough for me to have at work, we used:

Apples

Celery

Orange

Lemon

Ginger

Spinach 

We then had a fruity one for dinner. 

It is tough. If only because my man has stopped with the cigarettes too so he is driving me a bit mad. 

My tummy was grumbling something chronic this morning and we have both suffered with hunger pains and headaches. Hopefully it will get better seeing as this is only the first day, and more importantly I hope the weight loss/detox kick start will be worth it. I will check in Saturday with how it went and results! 

Have you ever tried juice fasting? How did it make you feel? 

Wedding Planning

So in an attempt to buck my procrastinating ways, I have given myself a deadline of Christmas to get the bulk of my wedding planned.

 So far so good. The venue, registrar, dress and the all important ice cream van, have been booked and deposits paid. We are meeting a photographer on Thursday, caterer in 2 weeks and we were testing favours this evening. Not bad going considering the wedding is next September. 

Next on the agenda is my shoes, dj and wedding rings. 

Do you think maybe I am over compensating, or am I doing the right thing?

The Worlds End

After my Friday night fun I had quite a lazy weekend, I played with my Sensationail starter kit that a friend bought me for my Birthday. I think I did quite well, it's not really my colour, a sickening Barbie pink (Pink Chiffon) but I think I can cope with it just to see how long it actually lasts.

We then went round to my folks for a very tasty Chinese take away, and watched The Double a Richard Gere spy movie. It was a bit of a slow starter, but had a few twists as the plot unfolded which made it a bit more interesting. I'm not sure I would recommend it as such, but it wasn't horrible.

Then we went to see The World's End on Sunday, it was so funny. We went at the perfect time too. Hardly anyone in the cinema, so no problems getting our popcorn and finding our favourite seats. We are big fans of the cornetto trilogy so fun to see all the same actors in new roles, and a few new faces. I loved how they reminisced about when they were teenagers and the references to old school friends (marmalade sandwich). It's well worth a watch, Simon Pegg is great as the unlikely hero and the dynamic between him and Nick Frost is spot on as usual.

Are you a fan of the Cornetto Trilogy?

Birthday Drinks

So last night I went out for some more birthday celebrations, first my mister and me went for dinner at the Black Market. I think the food we had was Persian, that's what it said on the menu anyway and it was delicious. I had Zereshk Polo, chicken with berries and pistachio, and Adam had Ghormeh Sabzi, green beef stuff, I can't remember what was in it but it was good, I will definitely be having that next time. Would highly recommend going there for food if you are ever in the area, they do some great burgers, seafood and pizzas too.

We then met up with a couple of friends for some drinks in the old town. I started the night with some Black Cherry Bulmers, but it was far too sweet to have more than 2, so ended the night with my trusty Jack Daniels and coke. Did a bit of dancing and made it home about 3:00am. Felt a little fuzzy this morning but nothing a gallon of water wouldn't fix. Maybe I'm not over the hill quite yet :o)

Do you have a go to tipple of choice?

Mad Hatters Tea

Well it happened, I turned 30 yesterday. The world didn't end, I didn't wake up with a full head of grey hair or deep set wrinkles all over my face, so I'm ok. Also my bestie reminded me that I am the youngest in our group of friends, which is nice.

So for my birthday my boyfriend an I went to the Sanderson hotel in London for the Mad Hatters Afternoon Tea. It was amazing! Sandwiches, loose leaf tea and cake lots of cake. It was so rich we didn't feel like we needed anything else for the rest of the day.

We just mooched around London for the rest of the day, we had the best of intentions to go to a museum or gallery, but it was so hot and getting from A to B seemed to take so much effort. But in all I had a great day. Now I'm off for dinner and drinks with friends to continue the birthday fun.

How do like to spend your birthday's?

Pre 30th blues

Well Wednesday was a rough one. It was the day before my 30th birthday, and for some reason this particular birthday has put a little black cloud over me for the past few weeks and playing havoc with my emotions. I know, I know it's only a number but I just couldn't shake it.

What made things worse is my friend cancelled our plans for the evening, and my other half had gone to watch the cricket for the evening, so I spent it all on my lonesome.

So to make up for it I pigged out on 2x pecan slices for lunch and a box of milk tray for dinner (courtesy of my ma and pa). Then I finished my book The Glass Painters Daughter and fiddled with my wedding plan file, can't say I really achieved a lot but hey I was feeling sorry for myself.

How did you feel when you turned 30, or is it yet to arrive?