Where has the knitting gone?

You may have noticed a severe lack of knitting posts recently, well chances are you haven't but I wanted to discuss it anyway.

Do you ever find that you have all these things you want to do, but either life gets in the way or something else just crops up? I have been getting a lot of that recently.

I started reading The Mortal Instruments, which is a absolutely amazing series, but where I was so into reading that and wanting to read it all the time I ended up having no time for anything else, either that or I come home from work and flop myself down in front of the TV with my laptop which achieves nothing.

Something I am trying to do now though is give myself enough time to do everything I want to do, without over doing it on one particular hobby. At the moment I read on my commute to and from work because I have a kindle which is small so it's easy to do on the packed tube, I knit on my lunch break because it allows me to put in my headphones, ignore everyone and detach myself from work (it's also very relaxing after a stressful morning) and in the evenings I do exercise 3 times a week and on the other 2 evenings I make sure I am actually doing something, normally taking photos for the blog and writing posts. I'm all about being productive with my time at the moment, although weekends are a completely different matter!

It's only this past week that I have got back into knitting so here is what I have been up to.

Nothing fancy, just another plain vanilla sock to go with the first one I knitted, despite the fact that they are completely different colours, I'm sure they will still make a lovely pair.

It feels good to get back into knitting, I forgot how relaxing it is.

I know this post was a bit all over the place, but I hope it makes sense.

I'm very happy with my new mini schedule and I find that I am being a lot more productive, lets just hope I stick to it.

Fitness Wish List

I'm not sure why I have never done a wish list before, they are so much fun to make! I live in bit of a dream world as it is, and I love fantasising about all the pretty things I wish I could afford, although to be honest I will probably pick up quite a few of these items up when I am in Florida! 

Seeing as I am getting more into my health and fitness I thought I would make a list of work out clothes and accessories that I think would be useful because.

1. A pair of booty shorts from Pink by Victoria's Secret. One of the first things you learn in pole dancing is that the more flesh the better. This is not to be sexy but you need skin to grip to the pole or you just end up sliding down. I particularly like these ones because of the cute polka dot pattern.

2. A pink protein shaker. I think this one is pretty self explanatory. You need the special shaker bottles or the protein powder and water won't mix properly and you will end up with icky lumps.

3. This low back tank top, once again from Pink by Victoria's Secret. I'm quite fed up of working out in my boyfriends old t shirt and think this tank is the right mix of cute and practical.

4. The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno. Eating clean is cutting as many processed foods out as possible and trying to live on things our body can process easily, i.e fruit and veg. I have been introducing this into my diet slowly but think the book is definitely worth picking up to educate myself more.

5. A pair of Yurbuds, pink of course! I have quite large ears (thanks dad) so must ear buds fall out of my ears, but Yurbuds actually measure your ears and have different sizes. They are also sweat resistant so great for working out!

6. A pink iPod shuffle.  I mainly work out at home either early in the morning or late in the evening so it's not fair to my family to have my music blaring out. I'm not keen on wearing a arm band to keep my phone in so the shuffle would be perfect as it already has a clip.

7. A pair of Mint Green Nike Free Runs. I hear great things about these trainers, and they will look great in the spring!

8. Some protein powder. I have started doing enough strength training to warrant needing some extra protein. I'm currently looking for a good one, although muscle milk has cookie dough flavour which sounds tempting. If you have any recommendations let me know!

9. A gym bag from oGorgeous. Not only are these designed by Cassey Ho (my total girl crush), they are very feminine and practical bags with plenty of pockets for organisation and you can even put your yoga mat through the front pocket, perfect! The style I like is currently sold out so when I see it back in stock I will be sure to snap it up.

Looking at this list makes me happy, but I'm annoyed I forgot to add that I am after a new Black Milk swimming costume too. What's currently on your wish list?

Recent Skincare Repurchases

I think it's always great to see what people have repurchased, it gives me more faith in a product if I know someone has used it up and liked it enough to get it again rather than trying to find something better so I thought I would share my recent repurchases!

Happy shiny new products, sad empty products.

I have repurchased the Emma Hardie cleansing balm, which is by far my favourite cleanser I have ever tried. With a price tag of £34 this beauty isn't cheap, but it is fantastic! I actually have a whole post dedicated to the amazingness of it right here, but to recap it just removes all the make up and underground grime from my face and leaves my skin feeling very clean and soft.

I went to Scotland the other weekend and didn't take my cleanser as I only had hand luggage, I'm not surprised that I am now breaking out, something that hasn't happened since I started using the cleanser.

The other product I repurchased is Pixi Face Shield moisturiser with SPF15.

This is a lovely basic moisturiser, with minimal ingredients and feels great on my skin. 

I have had issues with moisturisers in the past where I get a rash of little bumps under my skin which I think is a allergy. I know it is probably one ingredient that would set the rash off but I've never managed to figure out what it is, but luckily this moisturiser doesn't have that ingredient in it!

It sinks in quickly, moisturises my dehydrated skin, is unfragranced and without any nasties so it doesn't upset my eczema and its just a great basic product that I think would suit a lot of people, and lets not forget it has SPF!

I believe Pixi skincare is only available to buy in store at the moment, I purchased this from the boutique on Carnaby Street and it was £26.

Have you repurchased anything recently? Or are you more of a 'grass is always greener' type person?

Motivation Monday #1 Blogilates

I've decided to start a new mini series all about the people who inspire me to get fit and healthy.

First up in this series is the amazing Cassey Ho.

Cassey is a pilates instructor who runs her own blog, Blogilates, which she posts everything about healthy living, from cute workout outfits to great recipes like macaroons, which I have tried and this is a great substitute for the real thing. 

She also has a YouTube channel with over 100 free workout videos, which are something I have started doing a few times a week and really enjoy.

I find Casseys videos very inspiring and motivating, Cassey stands there with a huge smile on her face talking about random stuff which you just have to laugh at or you will cry with the pain.

My favourite series of workouts at the minute are her Victoria's Secrets workouts, she even has one called bombshell beauty so I think the title shows that she is up for having a bit of fun.

Cassey also has a second YouTube channel, BlogilatesTV where she talks more about food, answers health and fitness questions, vlogs and posts about her personal challenges. 

I love watching this channel too because it is so informative!

A bit silly, but another reason I love Cassey is because she is so feminine.

She has her own range of gym bags which are all pretty and girly, she also likes to wear cute clothes when working out because she talks about how if you look good you feel good and want to work out even harder. The best bit though, is that she has amazing nails too (I know, bit odd for me to notice) but considering she lifts weights her hands are still in lovely condition and she often matches her nail colour to her gym outfit, and even loves a bit of nail art, something I can definitely get on board with!

OK I think that is enough of me declaring my love for Cassey Ho and Blogilates, but seriously if you are looking for great free pilates based workouts check her out, she seems so warm and friendly, and she is in amazing shape which inspires me want to work out harder so I can eventually look like that too.

Let me know if you have any inspiring people you think I should check out!

Third Month on Weight Watchers

Here we are, in April, the month that I go to Florida (so excited!!) and also the month that all the hard work I have been putting in goes out the window as I gorge on pancakes, buffalo wings and fried pickles. Oh well I can always pick myself up and start again when I'm back!

Anyway, the figures.

Weight lost this month - 7.5 pounds

Total weight loss - 18 pounds

It was a great result this month, but I was quite ill for one of the weeks and couldn't eat, which gave me a big loss, and I think the pole dancing and starting doing pilates has really helped accelerate the weight loss this month.

I am definitely getting into eating more healthily. Weight Watchers helps you cut down the calories and somewhat teaches you what foods are better for you and which ones aren't, but you can still have a lot of chocolate and processed foods on weight watchers and I am going to try and clean up my diet and get rid of as much processed foods as possible. This is something I am doing gradually as it's a hell of a lot different to how I have been bought up, and it requires a lot more planning on my behalf, what with preparing lunches for when I'm at work and making sure I get all the ingredients for meals at the weekend to save me having to go shopping after work. 

I have also kicked it up a notch with the exercise too, I introduced doing pilates using Blogilates on Youtube who is amazing, very inspiring and motivating and I even went swimming today, something I hope to keep up at least once a week.

As I mentioned, I am going to Florida in just over a week and so the diet will go well and truly out of the window. I will try and do some exercise whilst I am out there, but I hold no promises, hours of walking around theme parks might be enough to kill me anyway! 

Hopefully I won't completely undo all my hard work, but I anticipate quite a big gain, I won't let it get me down though and I will use everything I have learned in these three months to move the gained weight quickly and then some more! 

Nescafé Café Menu Review

I have never been a huge hot beverages drinker, mainly because they don’t agree with me, but also because I’m not too fond of the taste. However, this has changed in recent years and I am finding I can have hot drinks in small quantities (I’m talking once a week, at the weekend when I’m at home just to be safe!) and that I am really starting to enjoy the taste.

I had started treating myself to a small flavoured skinny latte (3 Weight Watchers points) from Costa on a Saturday when doing my weekly food shop, but as you all know, Costa is not the cheapest habbit to have.

Then one day my mum bought these home, so I decided to try them out to see if they could become my weekly treat drink.

At just 73 calories for the vanilla flavour and 66 calories for the caramel flavour these make a great low calorie indulgent coffee (the amount of calories in a large starbucks with cream is quite terrifying) and these only come in at 2 Weight Watchers points each, which in my eyes is a massive bonus.

All you do is pour the contents of the satchet into a mug, add boiled water and stir. The satchet contains all the coffee, flavouring and milk so there is no need to add anything extra. These even get a thin layer of foam on the top like a coffee from Costa would making it look really authentic!

As with most things you prepare at home, these do not taste as good as something you could get in the shop, but they definitely make a nice alternative.

The caramel one smells a bit like crème brulle, and the taste of coffee is stronger in this one, it tastes how it says on the box, coffee with a shot of caramel.

The vanilla one is a bit more on the mellow side, the coffee taste is less strong in this one and the drink tastes a bit creamier. Surprisingly this one to me tastes the sweeter out of the two.

Both drinks are great and I really recommend them as a cheaper alternative to getting a latte in a coffee shop. My personal favourite is the vanilla one, but they both do a good job.

Has anyone got any good hot drink recommendations for me? I’ve gone a bit crazy in trying all the varities since finding out I can start drinking them again!

Restaurant Review - The Diner Soho

Whilst out with Sophia from the Tattooed Tea Lady the other week, we decided to go for dinner and the place that we chose to go was The Diner.

You may have heard of The Diner before, or at least seen a picture of the menu on Instagram as it is very popular with anyone who likes trendy places or American food.

If you hadn’t guessed by the title of the restaurant, The Diner is a American themed restaurant, with the menu inspired by a 50’s diner (complete with a Lumberjacks breakfast, eggs, bacon and pancakes that are served all day!) with the interior feeling a little bit more modern, but definitely with a nod to the diner style with its leatherette booths and bar that holds center stage.

After being seated in a lovely roomy corner booth, we studied the menu.

Being a American themed restaurant it had all the usuals, chips, burgers, hot dogs and all day breakfasts. It didn’t have a huge seletion to choose from, but I think most people would be able to find at least one thing on the menu that they are happy with.

I went for the steak and chips, one of my favourite meals and something I order quite often.

The steak and fries comes with two fried eggs on top,  I wasn’t too certain on that combo so asked for no eggs and for my steak to be cooked medium.

When the food came out I was very impressed, you get a nice amount of steak for the price you pay and it was cooked perfectly. My only complaint with the steak is that it was a little on the chewy side. The fries where lovely, thin and long, golden brown, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I doused these with salt and vinegar and very much enjoyed them.

I think the meal was very tasty and pretty good value for money, I had steak, fries and a diet coke all for under £15. They also served some delicious looking cocktails, but I am off the booze for the moment.

I also have to take a moment to compliment the great service we received. Our waitor was a lovely friendly guy who was very attentive and made sure we had everything we need, including my vinegar! The service is also very fast and they have a kids menu making it great for the family.