Showing posts with label Monthly Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Monthly Review. Show all posts

Sunday, 3 August 2014

July Review

In Life

Last month was good as I finally started getting back into the swing of things with my blogging, hurrah! I got lots of things done on my 'too do list' including furnishing the house and having a cocktail party!

What We Watched

Maleficent
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Hercules

I'm going to start reviewing the films I watch in a separate post. You can catch my July review of the 3 films above tomorrow here on the blog!

What I Read

The Book Thief - Even though I knew what was coming for most of the book, this was a heartbreaking book! Amazing though, and definitely worth a read if you haven't already.

My Favourite Posts

COCKTAILS MADE EASY
HERB 101 - LEMON BALM
THE MAKINGS OF A 90S PARTY and A 90's PARTY & A DIY PHOTOBOOTH

Laura xXx
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Posted by Laura at Sunday, August 03, 2014 0 comments Labels:

Tuesday, 11 February 2014

January Review

In Life

Oh dear, what a terrible blogger I have been! Only 3 posts in January! Well I have been kind of busy I guess. It is now less than 4 months until our wedding, and I a freaking out a little bit! Things are just starting to come together though which is nice. The invites are nearly done, I've been making decorations, and my AMAZING guest book has arrived, which I can't wait to tell you all about at some point!

So you may not be seeing quite as much of me until the wedding is over, but I will be posting a fair amount over on my wedding blog Wrapped Up In Weddings if you want to catch up there. I've started a series of wedding nail designs  (pic below) and I think I might start reviewing Make-up for those wanting to do their own make-up on their wedding day. My latest post is about my experience getting  a free bridal make-up less on at Bobbi Brown! You can see it here.


Also, at the end of January I went on a little Skiing holiday to Avoriaz in the French Alps! I may do a post about this if I get time, because it was AWESOME! Here's a pic of the boys because they look way cooler than I did.

I am aware I have been slacking a little bit on the blog front, so I have given myself a challenge on Instagram to post a photo a day. You can see how I am getting on here.


What We Watched

What I Read

I'm back into Game of Thrones at the moment, ready for the new series! (in March is it?)

My Favourite Posts


HEALTHY ICE CREAM RECIPE - MINT CHOC CHIP
REVLON CHALKBOARD NAIL ART REVIEW

Laura xXx
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Posted by Laura at Tuesday, February 11, 2014 0 comments Labels:

Wednesday, 1 January 2014

December Review

In Life

Well, where did December go?! Not much to report except for the usual fun and festivities. We had a great Christmas spent with the family at Chris's parents house, but how come Christmas day goes so fast!? Now that it is January it is time to seriously start planning this wedding! Gah, I am running out of time!

What We Watched


This Is 40
Anchor Man
Wreck it Ralph
Thor
The Avengers
Iron Man 3
The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug
Pitch Perfect

So we watched a lot of movies because its Christmas and thats what you are meant to do right?! My favourite out of all of these was actually Iron Man 3, and I am now getting quite into the whole Avengers franchise. I need to watch the Capatin America film now!

What I Read

Twilight - Eclipse 
Twilight - Breaking Dawn - Phew, I finally finished Twilight! I have to say, by then end of it I found it had grown on me, and I think these two books were my favourite. I'm interested to see how the films have interpreted them!

My Favourite Posts



Laura xXx
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Posted by Laura at Wednesday, January 01, 2014 0 comments Labels:

Tuesday, 3 December 2013

November Review

In Life

This has been the first month spent in our new house and it has been lovely! Mostly we have just been settling in, and spending most of our time in the house. We have particularly been enjoying playing Resident Evil 6 on Chris's XBox 360, something I thought I would never say!

What We Watched

When Harry Met Sally- Believe it or not I had never seen this classic before. Definitely worth a watch if you haven't seen it before!
Doghouse - This was awful. I should have realised when I saw it had Danny Dyer in it really. I would describe it as a terrible Shaun of The Dead for 'lads' who may or may not have watched The Evil Dead. Netflix needs to get some more decent films, we seem to be scraping the barrell somewhat!
Enders Game- This film was entertaining enough, I found it to be rather an anti-climax though. Did anyone else who has seen it feel the same way?
Captain Phillips- Tom Hanks is a bit of a legend really isn't he? Are there any films he isn't good in? I was on the edge of my seat for this whole film!
The Hunger Games - We re-watched this before we went to see the new one. As good as I remembered it!
Catching Fire - I have been so looking forward to this coming out! I have to say, I wasn't overly impressed with the first half of the film. I think that perhaps because so much happens in the book it was never going to quite be able to re-create it, and they had to take a few short cuts to get there. But the second half totally made up for it! It was exactly as I imagined it, I was particularly impressed with the casting for Finnick, I thought he was spot on!

 In terms of TV I have been really enjoying Masterchef The Professionals, and I have also allowed myself to get into I'm A celebrity this year, I think it is worth watching for Ant and Dec alone!

We've also been watching Southpark and have been loving the Black Friday/Game of Thrones themed ones on at the moment. Looking forward to the last instalment!

What I Read

Mocking Jay (The Hunger Games) - Obviously I loved this! I think it is such a well written and clever trilogy. I was really sad when I finished it!
Twilight - New Moon- I haven't been quite so enthralled by Twilight so far. It strikes me that the characters are all really rather annoying. But I do want to know what happens next, so I am persevering and reading Eclipse at the moment.

In Blog Land

This month I have had two blogger/creatives meet ups. First of all I went to a Winchester meet up with Harriet and met the lovely bloggers from Rusty Rambles, Housewife Confidential , This Is Your Kingdom and Chocolate Cookies and Candies. We had a fab time ate yummy food, drank yummy drinks and had a good old natter!

Saturday was the long awaited Creatives Christmas party! There will be a large post about this coming up soon, we had a wonderful day!

My Favourite Posts









Laura xXx
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Posted by Laura at Tuesday, December 03, 2013 0 comments Labels:

Friday, 1 November 2013

October Review

In Life

Well this has been a pretty big month in terms of life changes, we finally moved into our very first house! You can read a bit about our house hunting experience here. I'm going to be talking lots more about it soon I am sure. I'm currently a bit addicted to Pinterest, getting inspiration for decoration and finding DIY's!

What We Watched

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs - Cute film, the monkey was my favourite!
Hansel and Gretel - Terrible film, need I say more?
Carrie (the original) - We watched this to get us in the mood for halloween. I read the book a little while back so I remembered most of what would happen. Undoubtedly it is a weird book/film, but I thought Sissy Spacek did a great job playing Carrie, and I wasn't expecting to see John Travolta!
We finally watched the last episode of Breaking Bad, which I thought was done really well! It's nice to see a TV show that ties up all the loose ends!  Walking dead is back, hurrah! Although I kind of forgot how scary this can  be! I've also been enjoying Once Upon A Time. Oh, and we've also been watching The Wrong Mans, which I think is great!

What I Read

This month I decided to take the plunge into teen literature.
The Hunger Games - I really thought this was a fantastic book. I have seen the film but I definitely appreciate it more now that I have read the book.
Catching Fire - This was fantastic too, although I felt that the ending was a little bit hurried. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the final book which I am reading at the moment.
Twilight - I was keen to find out what all the fuss was about this book. I found that it was an easy read but not a huge amount seemed to be happening. Evidently all the action had been left until the very end of the book. I'll crack on with the second one soon and see what I think of that.

My Favourite Posts

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Posted by Laura at Friday, November 01, 2013 1 comments Labels:

Monday, 30 September 2013

September Review

In Life

At the beginning of this month Chris and I celebrated 6 years of being together, and 1 year of being engaged! Chris had a gig with the wonderful Emma Stevens, which I was able to go along to. The festival was called Weyfest, and for some reason there were Daleks and other Dr Who related things there! Emma dedicated the song 'Once' to Chris and I which was ever so sweet, and prompted a shout from the audience of 'When are you having babies!?' to Chris, which he seemed to pretty much ignore. After Emma's set we hopped over to the main stage where UB40 were playing, they were super awesome, and I think we managed to catch all their best songs!

Here we are kissing a Dalek.
And here I am getting shot by one. They are fickle these Daleks.

What We Watched

2012 - This film was so ridiculous, i'm not sure if the makers intended it to be taken this way or not, but actually I loved it! As the world was literally collapsing around them, our main characters seemed to escape each time with no more than a second to spare.
The Other Guys- I've actually forgotten what happened in this film already. But it had Will Ferrell in it, so not a total loss.
Elysium - This was a pretty cool film. It was directed by Neil Blomkamp who also directed District 9 (awesome film!) I loved the performance of Sharlto Copley in this (also the lead character in District 9), I thought his portrayal of a bad/crazy guy was great!
The Dark Night Rises - I'm not going to lie, I find Batman confusing. There's quite a lot of political stuff going on and if you haven't seen the previous films recently it is a bit tricky to know quite what is happening. Having said that it was quite enjoyable. I do think Christian Bale's voice as Batman is ridiculous though, and why does he insist on using it when he is talking to someone who KNOWS THAT HE IS BRUCE WAYNE!?

And of course Dexter and Breaking Bad. I was pretty disappointed with the last episode of Dexter, not to ruin it for any of you that haven't watched it yet, but it left me feeling really dissatisfied. It seems that a lot of popular shows end with something purely for the 'shock factor' rather than anything else. I am hopeful for the last episode of Breaking Bad though, which I will be watching tonight! Excited!

What I Read

Happier at Home by Gretchen Ruben - I read The Happiness Project a little while ago and thought that was great! While this book did seem to cover some of the same subjects again, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it!
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making - I haven't quite finished this one actually, but I am really enjoying it so far. I am quite a fan of fantastical adventures and this certainly falls within that category! It reminds me a bit of Alice in Wonderland. Worth a read.

In Blog Land

My blog was featured in the 'Blogs we love' section of Reloved this month. What a lovely surprise! Thanks to Rebecca from Musings From the Pigeons Nest for spotting this!

My Favourite Posts

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Posted by Laura at Monday, September 30, 2013 3 comments Labels:

Saturday, 31 August 2013

August Review

In Life

The 31st of August marks exactly 1 year since Chris and I got engaged! I can't believe how quickly the time has flown by, it is crazy! I guess now it is seriously time to get to work on the wedding planning. Eek!
My friends moved into their house which is just down the road from where we will be living. I am itching to move into our new place now, I just can't wait! I have been doing a bit of a stock check, seeing what items we have and what we need. I've been to the shops to buy a few things, we now have lovely new bedding, a sieve, a potato masher, a dustpan and brush and an ironing basket! I get immense pleasure out of packing all of these things away neatly in a box ready to be used once we move in. It must be nesting or something!

What We Watched

Worlds End - Classic Simon Pegg and Nick Frost movie. Not as good as Sean of the dead but still great!
Kick Ass 2 - I was blown away by this film. Go see it!
Dear John - This is the kind of thing I end up watching on the TV when Chris is out gigging. I never used to like soppy romances, but I think I must be going soft in my old age because I quite enjoy them now.
Waterworld - Chris told me I needed to see this. It was pretty good. I love the concept that the world is now covered in water!
Grown Ups - Yep, this was quite funny!

What I Read

The zombie survival guide by Max Brooks - I had been wanting to read this for a while but actually found it a bit disappointing. I'm not sure what I was expecting though, it did a pretty good job of covering all bases. I think maybe, for me, zombies just aren't as entertaining in print. I need to see the action happening on a screen.
Dash and Lily's book of dares - A sweet book about a couple of teenagers that get to know eachother through a notebook. I think this is maybe meant for younger readers than me, I liked the concept but the book didn't really wow me.


In Blog Land

One giveaway finished and another began! If you haven't entered yet, you can still win this awesome Kenwood Blender worth £119.99!



My Favourite Posts

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Posted by Laura at Saturday, August 31, 2013 1 comments Labels:

Wednesday, 31 July 2013

July Review

In Life

So we have had a little bit of a set back on the house buying front. It looks like our seller is going to take longer than we thought, so in the mean time we shall be viewing some other houses. It is a bit of a pain, but hey, maybe we weren't meant to buy that house after all, and the perfect one is just waiting around the corner. Fingers crossed.

What We Watched

Jack The Giant Slayer - We saw this on the plane out to Turkey.  It was ok, it made the flight go faster!
Despicable Me 2 - Yay, I love this. The minions are my favourites and Agnes is the cutest!
Jurassic Park 2 - A classic, but I don't think I had ever seen this the whole way through until now.
Letters to Juliet - A bit of a soppy one, but enjoyable.
Zoom - I'd never heard of this but it was actually quite fun! Just a silly superhero movie with Tim Allen.

Plus Dexter is back on, woohoo! We have also been watching Falling Skies and New Girl.

What I Read

A Game of Thrones - This is a super long book so it was all I got round to reading this month. My Kindle told me it would take 27 hours when I started reading it, I'm nearly finished though! Only 2 hours left to go! As you may know, I am quite obsessed with the TV series, so I thought I would start reading the books too. Did you know that although the TV series is called Game of Thrones, it is actually only the first book in the series that is named that (Plus an A at the beginning). The series of books is called A Song Of Ice and Fire!

I'm thinking of doing some Game of Thrones themed blog posts, so watch this space if you are a fan!

In Blog Land

While I was away on holiday I had 4 lovely girlies guest post for me. I loved all of their posts and they had clearly put loads of effort in! So thanks once again girls. Find the links to their posts below;

Erica's DIY Pom Pom Necklace

Also, I'm hosting a giveaway which ends on the 27th August. If you are planning a wedding or party it could be just the thing for you! Find the post here.


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Posted by Laura at Wednesday, July 31, 2013 2 comments Labels:

Monday, 1 July 2013

June Review

In Life

We have now actually signed the contract for our new house! It still doesn't feel real but I am so excited to move in after our holiday at the beginning of July.  I have lots of packing to do!

What We Watched

After Earth - Yup, I enjoyed this. Good work on not adding a crazy random twist M. Night Shyamalan!
Superman - I wasn't a huge fan of this to be honest. There was a bazillion plot holes and it was way too complicated. Kept me entertained for a couple of hours though.
The Thing - I've seen this before but since this is the prequel to the 80's movie we decided to watch them in the correct order! I think they did a really good job of including all the little details from the 80's film.
Hunger Games - I had been wanting to watch this for a while, and it didn't disappoint. It was pretty much what I was expecting, I'm looking forward to the next one coming out.
World War Z - The zombies in this were the craziest I've seen! I always love a good zombie film (or even a bad zombie film!), but this was mostly the first of the two.
A Few Best Men - Not the best film ever made, but it had a few laughs. It had quite a few famous people in it I wasn't expecting, including Olivia Newton John!

 We also caught up with Game of Thrones. Man I love this show! Since it finished I have been filling the void by watching Comic Book Girl 19's youtube channel. She has videos which go into depth about the histories about each family, and she really knows her stuff! You can find her channel here.

I am looking forward to reading the books and I think it will probably help to have a little bit more background knowledge coz it sounds flippin' complicated!

What I Read

Born Liars: Why we can't live without Deceit - This was a fascinating read, not my usual sort of thing but really interesting none the less! I must have bought this when it was one of Amazons Daily Deals, because I can't imagine I would have paid full price for it. Basically the book talks about why people lie and how people lie, drawing on studies carried out in the world of psychology, neuroscience and philosophy. Clever stuff!
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - I was hoping this was going to be a really uplifting book, but unfortunately it was actually a little depressing. Great writing no doubt, but it's not going to be one of my favourites I have read this year.

In Blog Land

Thursday the 20th marked the day that crafters joined across the UK for the etsy craft parties. Fortunately two of my blogger friends Rachel from OhNoRachio and Harriet were hosting one in my home town of Southampton.  We had such a fab day, you can see my post about the day here.

Google reader said goodbye! Don't forget, you can follow my blog on Bloglovin' here.

My Favourite Posts

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Posted by Laura at Monday, July 01, 2013 6 comments Labels:

Saturday, 1 June 2013

May Review

What We Watched

Quartet - This is a very sweet film based in an old peoples home for retired musicians. Billy Connoly is very funny in it.
Star Trek Into Darkness - I'm not a huge Star Trek fan but I did really enjoy this.
The Great Gatsby - I was really looking forward to seeing this and it didn't disappoint! Loved it!

 Game of Thrones - We just started watching this 2 weeks ago, and we're already nearly at the end of the second season! We're enjoying it (obviously), the plot is great, but it's a bit incestuous isn't it? I'm not used to all this nakedness either.

What I Read

Hope: A Tragedy - I should have guessed from the title that this book would not end well.  Up until this point it was fairly light and humorous writing. Despite the fact that it focuses heavily on holocaust survivors... Lets just say an elderly Anne Frank Makes an appearance or two!
Vision in White - Despite the awful title of this book it was actually a good read.  Since I am planning a wedding it was quite topical. The book is about 4 girls that run a wedding venue, this one is about the photographer but there are 3 more books each focussing on a different girl. 

In Blog Land


I was nominated for a Liebster award by Sara from Color.Paint.Create. Thanks so much Sara!  I'm going to cheat a bit because I was kindly awarded one of these a little while ago (see it here), so I will just answer Sara's questions;

1) When and why did you start blogging? A year ago on tuesday! I started blogging because I wanted to keep a record of my life and all the crafty things I was doing. I also wanted to meet like minded people.
2) What are your longterm goals? I guess I would really like my blog to be a source of income for me. Either that, or open an amazing shop with lots of pretty things in it!
3) When you aren't blogging, what are you doing? Reading, going to the cinema, watching Game of Thrones, and at the moment planning a wedding and getting organised to move house!
4) What's your favorite memory? This is a difficult one. I have a really bad memory. I suppose it would have to be getting proposed to, that was quite good.
5) What was the last thing you learned to do? I bought an IMac recently, and it has taken some learning to get used to that! 
6) What is your greatest accomplishment? To have blogged regularly for a whole year! There is probably something more important but I can't think of it right now!
7) What traits/characteristics did you inherit from your parents? All my friends tell me I am like my mum. I think it is usually when I am telling a story or something. I guess I just have similar mannerisms!
8) What motivates/inspires you? Seeing the fantastic things that other people have achieved. I love reading blogs for this reason, it gives me something to aspire to.
9) What is something you've always wanted to do? I used to want to write a sitcom. I would still like to do that now actually.
10) What's stopping you? I can't find the time!
11) How do you feel right now? Like I need a cup of tea.

Katie from Hook Line and Sink Her also nominated me for a versatile blogger award! Thanks Katie I'm going to cheat again I am afraid, but I will name 7 things about me as the award requires;

1. I eat with my knife and fork in the wrong hands even though I am not left handed.
2. My favourite Ice Cream to eat at the cinema is Mint Choc Chip - I have it every time I go! If I am eating it at home on the other hand, I would opt for Cookie Dough.
3. I don't have many shoes. I know girls are supposed to have loads but I am really failing in that department.
4. I really like avocado. I would eat it in all my meals if I could. I once had a burger at Deans Diner with guacamole in it and it was the best thing ever!
5. I get stressed quite easily, especially if i suddenly realise that my room is a mess like I just have done. Aargh!
6. I love the the colours turquoise and mint and every shade in between.
7.  I have 41 nail varnishes. Most of them I don't even use!

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Posted by Laura at Saturday, June 01, 2013 5 comments Labels: , ,
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