Back To Reality But Not For Long

Hope you all had a lovely Easter bank holiday weekend, it was lovely wasn't it?  The weather was glorious, well almost.  We did have a storm on Saturday evening which I thought was rather exciting, I love watching storms while I am all nice and dry inside from the comfort of home.  Other then that the sun was shining and the temperatures were scorching.

Most of my weekend was spent with the neighbours out in the garden catching the rays and eating lots of BBQ food, yum, in fact the only exception to this was Friday.  It was my Nan's birthday on Sunday and as you can imagine with the loss of my Grandad a couple of months ago we were a little concerned with how she would cope.  We invited her round to ours for the weekend and spent Friday out and about in the sunshine.

We started off at the RHS Hyde Hall Gardens.  This is where the majority of the day was spent and lots of photos were taken.

From here we moved on to Battlesbridge for a quick stop at the antiques centre and finished off at Paper Mill Lock with a scone topped with clotted cream, jam and a strawberry - delicious.  For some reason after the gardens I didn't take any photos (shame on me, I know) sorry ladies, next time, I promise : )  I was just too busy enjoying the time with my family.

What did you get up to over your Easter weekend?

Love Gem xxx

Things I Am Loving At The Moment

Wow, yesterdays post seems to have sparked a lot of interest from a lot of you out there.  It seems we are all seeking that inner thrifter within ourselves.

I cannot believe the change in the weather these past few days.  I know they said it would drop in temperature but seriously, come on this is taking the biscuit.  Never mind, at least it makes us appreciate the sunshine and heat when it is here and hopefully it will be here again soon and that isn't our so called 'British Summer' that we have just had.  Instead of thinking about this dull weather I am trying to focus on the exciting times ahead that I have planned, that I will be able to share with you along the way.

So on a brighter note (well brighter then the weather anyway) I thought I would share with you some of the things I am loving at the moment.

Pretty Flowers

Rose flavoured Lemonade

 I can't get enough of the stuff, although it isn't cheap so it is a rare luxury for me to have a bottle of this : )

 These gorgeous handmade earrings made by Jessica if you are wanting to buy some for yourself contact Lynne and I am sure she can arrange this for you : )

Strangely for me, I have been enjoying cross stitch, I didn't think this would be for me, but I really quite like it.

James, Isn't he lovely? : )  We will have been together for 5 years this August, although we have our moments he knows I love him loads and loads ♥

This photo was taken a while ago, Aug 2009 to be precise at V-Festival in Chelmsford.

What are you loving at the moment?  I'd love to hear.

Love Gem xxx

Virtual Coffee - My Saving Progress

It's that time of the week again ladies (and gents), Tuesday is here already which means it is Virtual Coffee day. 

If I were really having coffee with you today I would offer you a cake or bun of your choice especially for Bee happy as she requested these on last weeks post and I promised I would bring them along : ). 

If I were really having coffee with you today I would tell you that I'm doing well so far with my saving.  A month or so ago I invested in this book.

I am loving it.  There are some brilliant tips in it, some of which I am pleased to say I am already following.  Always a bonus in my eyes, even better to know you are doing something right : )

I'm still not finished reading it yet, I have a little way to go.  It is my bedtime reading and sits next to my bed for me to delve into each evening after a long day at work.  What I love about it is how easy it is to read, you can read as much or as little as you like in a sitting and it is so easy to pick up from where you left off.  It has been written in sections for example, Crafts, Shopping, Food etc.  I'm sure I will be referring back to this one in the future, watch this space.

If I were really having coffee with you today I would tell you that I am actually quite enjoying this whole thrifting and saving experience.  I would be lying if I told you that it was easy, because it is far from it, old habits are not easy to break, but I am slowly getting there.  It has given me the opportunity to have a real good clear out and make a bit of money from things I no longer want or need.  I feel I have a clearer space around me and I can appreciate the things I have got and no longer feel the need to impulse buy (whether this feeling will last we will just have to wait and see).

So until next time ladies.

Take care

Love Gem xxx

Bootslaes and New Arrivals : )

As mentioned in Fridays post I spent Saturday at a local boot sale but rather then spending my money I was there to make it.  I am not a fan of early mornings so the one we go to is perfect for us.  It is called Lazybones Car Boot Fair, sellers don't arrive until 11am, buyers at 11:30am.  We picked the perfect day for it, it was packed and the sun was shining the whole time.  In the space of 3 hours we made £108.40 myself and Mum were very chuffed with this, especially as the most expensive item we sold was for £5, not bad hey.

I was very well behaved and didn't spend a penny, it was so hard not to venture away from my stool to have a nose at what other people were selling but I really do need to start saving my money, seriously there is to be no exceptions.  It is hard, very hard as I love spending money, usually on things I don't need but this all has to stop : (.  Myself and James are saving for our own place and although this is something we have been talking about for a couple of years we have never really actively done anything about it, until now. 

What did you get up to this weekend.  I hope you all made the most of the glorious sunshine that was to be had.  it was a scorcher this weekend, unfortunately my shoulders and neck are feeling the brunt of it today!

Love Gem xxx

Beautiful Sunshine

I am loving this sunshine.  It is like summer.  I have been venturing out in my summer tops with no cardigan or coat, it is bliss.  Everyone seems so much happier when the sun is shining, I am easily getting used to this way of life.  I thought I would share with you some photos of the beautiful sunset over London the other day, it was gorgeous, although the pictures don't really do justice to the colours that were running through the sky.

We always seem to get such beautiful sunsets where I work.  Some days I am working till 8 in the evening so it is nice to be able to sit and watch the sky change colours as night falls.

It's Friday at last and time to enjoy another weekend.  This week seems to have flown by and I shan't complain.  I am hopefully doing a boot sale tomorrow with my mum (fingers crossed the sun will remain shining for us).  We have been having a serious spring clean recently and have collected so much stuff to get rid of.  We are hoping to be able to book up a Spa break at Ragdale Hall with the money we get for our sales, we did this last year and it was brilliant.  

So what have you got planned for the weekend?

Hope you all have a good one.

Love Gem xxx

Fishy Feet

Not sure of any of you may have heard of this new craze that seems to be sweeping the nation, or you may even have tried it yourself.  I’m talking about the fish pedicures. 

I went for my first one the other day and excuse the pun, I am hooked ha ha.  I have just booked up to go again with a group of friends at work as we have been having many discussions around the subject recently. 

I had no intentions of going when I did, I was out shopping with my mum and we walked past the shop and slowly backtracked and walked straight in.  It cost us £10 for 15 minutes which I thought was a bargain.  Of course I had to take some snaps while we were there so I could show you all, and to prove that I did it as well J.

The only way I can describe it is like a jet of air bubbles flying at your feet.  When I first dipped my feet in and they all swarmed towards me I really didn’t like it at all and didn’t think I would last 2 minutes, let alone 15 but once you get used to it and start to relax, it does feel really nice, honest.  You are just going to have to trust me on this one.

Go on give it a try, you know you want to!

Love Gem xxx

Paper Mills Lock

Last Friday was my Mum’s birthday.  We spent the day in the glorious sunshine and visited Paper Mill Lock.  I could have kicked myself when we got there for the pure fact that I had not found it sooner.  It was lovely.  So peaceful and picturesque, I can’t wait for the summer to see it in it’s full beauty, however I can picture it being very busy.

First stop was the tea shop to get some drinks and cakes.  I opted for tea and scone with jam (it had to be done) Mum had hot chocolate and scone with jam and Dad had a tea with a slice of carrot cake.  We then walked to a sunny spot and parked ourselves on a bench overlooking the lock and all the boats.  It was gorgeous, so much so I am going to leave it there for the talking today and leave you with the photos I took on the day. 

Hope you all have a great weekend.  I will be posting soon about my lovely swap parcels recently received,  how exciting hey.

~ Gem x