Lady Bug Says ... 25 Random Facts

I have seen a few of these posts floating around and thought I would join in, I love getting to know the person behind the blog a little better!

1. I have 1 sister, 2 step sisters and a step brother.

2. I lived at home, and in the same house from when I was born until I was 19 years old. I didn't get on that well with my sister when we lived together, but now we are pretty much best friends. So much so that she is going to be my maid of honour :)

3. I got engaged on 6th October 2012 and I am getting married on 7th September 2013!

4. I am a real homebody, give me a cosy night in any day.

5. I love the smell of onions frying!

6. My Dad wanted to name me Kerry, I think I suit Vicky much better though :)

7. When I was at school I thought I wanted to be an events planner/wedding planner, I am much happier with the direction I went in (kitchen designer) and actually love going to work each day. I get to be creative and love getting feedback from clients.  

8. As much as I try to be organised, I am convinced it is not meant to be. I frustrate myself with my messiness!

9. My favourite food is either spaghetti bolognese or my Mum's roast potatoes.

10. The Mr says I largely watch 'crap tv' but we are both obsessed with Bones and religiously watch it together.

11. I was quite good at school, but once I got to 6th form I lost a lot of interest and ended up leaving after taking my AS Levels, I have had a full time job since leaving at 18 years old.

12. We really wanted to do an American road trip, visiting Man vs Food spots and all the theme parks in Florida for our honeymoon, but it is going to be hurricane season so we are having to rethink our plans!

13. Whilst at school I learnt to play the flute, recorder and keyboard, but gave them up as I cannot read sheet music, I used to just memorise all the songs!

14. I love looking back at photos but always seem to forget to take them!

15. I do nearly all the cooking in our house, other people cooking and possibly not cooking meat etc. enough actually scares me!

16. I am lucky in that I got to travel a fair bit when I was younger. I have visited lots of places including Florida, Majorca, Madeira, France, Italy & Gambia.

17. I went to Lapland when I was 6 years old and when I visited Santa I lost the teddy bear I had had since I was born, I cried all the way home :(

18. My favourite films are Shawshank Redemption, Love Actually, Bring It On & 10 Things I Hate About You.

19. One of my favourite places in the world is my Dad's house in France. It reminds me of happy summer holidays with my parents being together.

20. Whilst at school I used to get bullied for being super skinny, I was so glad when at 19/20 years old I finally got some curves!

21. Whilst watching Glee/Revenge/Jersey Shore my sister and I text each other a running commentary.

22. I am not a very strong swimmer, and panic a little if the water gets too deep.

23. Whilst on holiday I can quite easily spend the whole day lounging in the sun, reading at least a book a day, usually more.

24. I am the biggest lightweight, I used to be able to drink like a fish, but if I have 1 white wine spritzer I feel tipsy! Consequently I don't really drink any more and am always the designated driver.

25. My Mum is the one person I can talk to about pretty much anything, we have always been super close and I can't imagine it being any other way - Love you Mum!

So now you know a little more about me! Please leave a link if you have done a similar post, I would love to know a bit more about you!

Lady Bug Says ... Recipe 1 - Moroccan Lamb Stew

As I said in my New Year aims post, I wanted to start trying some new recipes, so today is the first recipe of many!

I had a look through my many recipe books and magazines and settled on a Moroccan Lamb Stew from a Good To Know Recipes magazine.

I adapted the recipe to suit 2 people and substituted a few things that I forgot to buy!

Ingredients

Meatballs

1/4 onion, finely chopped

200g mince lamb

1tsp ras el hanout spice mix

1 egg yolk

Sauce

1tbsp olive oil

1/4 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove

1tsp ginger (I used dried, fresh is probably better!)

1tsp ras el hanout spice mix

1 can chopped tomatoes

Salt & Pepper to season

Method

1- For the meatballs mix in a bowl the minced lamb, onion, ras el hanout and egg yolk. Season with salt and pepper and form into golf ball sized balls.

2- Heat the oil in a pan and fry the meatballs for 5 mins until they start to colour.

3- Then add the rest of the onion and soften for a few minutes.

4- Add the garlic, ginger and ras el hanout and cook for a minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and season to taste.

5- Simmer for 10-15 minutes and add a little water if the sauce gets a little dry.

I served this with couscous flavoured with red onion and peppers and some broccoli.

It was pretty damn tasty and quick to do, much speedier than using lamb chunks. This one has earned a place on our to cook again list!

Now I just need to learn how to take decent photos of food!

Lady Bug Says ... Goals For The Year

I don't really like to give myself New Year's resolutions, because everyone know resolutions nearly always get broken! But I do like to give myself some aims for the following year, something to aim to do/try but not set in stone that I must!

In 2012 I aimed to...

Eat my 5 a day - I can't say that every day I got my full quota of fruit and veg, but across the week I think I did pretty well at getting my 35. I have become a big fan of a big pile of veg on my plate at dinner time

Worry less/ more positive thinking - I have really struggled with this, despite really trying to be positive, I think it is all too easy to slip into that negative frame of mind!

Read at least 1 book a month - This I did, I read 15 books on my Kindle, re read 12 books on my bookshelf and read 5 new books. 2012 was definitely the year I got back into reading and I am looking forward to reading more in 2013.

Take a photography course and learn how to use my camera properly - Yeah this didn't happen, if anything I fell kind of out of love with my camera :( I love it in the Spring/Summer months when taking photographs outside, but during the darker months, taking indoor shots just isn't working for me! Probably one of the main reasons why outfit posts have become somewhat slim on my blog! If I wasn't saving for my wedding a new camera would be on the top of my list!

So, enough of looking back, what am I aiming for in 2013?

Save for my wedding - My wedding date seems to be hurling towards me crazily fast - less than 8 months to go! The Mr and I are determined that we do not want any wedding debt after our wedding day, so these next 8 months are going to all about saving up, cutting back and a lot of wedding DIYing (something you would be interested in seeing?)

Drinking more water - I suffer a lot from headaches and not drinking enough water is probably not helping, so I am aiming for 3 pints of water a day!

Be more organised - I am one of these people that is forever putting off doing things, then leaving myself with a ton of things to do all in one go, making me more than a little stressed! So organisation is required, managing my time better and keeping on top of things!

Cooking more adventurously - I am an avid cookbook/cookery magazine purchaser, but they don't get used anywhere near as much as they should. So I want to try and cook one new recipe that I have never tried before and hopefully find some new favourites.

Have you set yourself any aims for 2013? 

Lady Bug Says ... Guess Who Is Back

Long time no speak!

The only explanation I have for my absence is that 24 hours is not enough hours in a day!

Over the past few months I have been up to a fair bit, which I thought I would share with you, to catch you all up and start the new year a fresh!

Firstly back in November I attended a charity hair show put on by DKN Hair, with clothing and make up by students at Somerset College. It was an amazing night all in aid of raising money for the Exeter Stroke Unit.

Later in November I spent the weekend working at the Homebuilding and Renovation Show. By the end of it I couldn't feel my feet and had pretty much lost my voice but I loved getting to talk endlessly about kitchens and things to people who actually wanted to hear about it!

The weekend went really well and I am pretty proud of the fact that I did everything from booking the stand and designing our back unit to organising our show freebies(a flat pack egg box!) to designing the brochures. 

Then in  December it was the Mr's work Xmas party, where we got to stay in a pretty nice room with a fabulous view that managed to even make Torbay look good!

Then came Christmas, 11 wonderful days off work filled with visiting lots of family and friends, eating far too much cheese and giving and receiving some amazing presents!

The Christmas tree on Christmas day at my in laws with somewhat crazy!

Over Christmas we managed to take Daisy on some really nice walks, now she is 8 months old she can handle a good long afternoon out, though she does then enjoy a nice long snooze on the sofa when we get home!

A little outfit of the day in the woods!

Most of the pictures I have taken recently have been of Daisy, she is growing so quickly and I don't want to miss he cute puppy stage!

Look at those paws!

Sleeping with her Christmas collar on!

Christmas day was all a bit too much for her!

Being a floating puppy head :)

I have also been indulging in a lot of yummy food, I am really going to try and cook some more new recipes this year and maybe share them with you all if it is something you would be interested in seeing?!

Smoked haddock and spinach risotto

New Year's Eve scallop pasta dinner, it was delicious if a little bit too rich!

It wouldn't be Christmas without some sparkly nails!

So, all caught up?

This weeks posts are going to include an outfit post, some new year's resolutions and maybe a foody post if I cook something blog worthy!

Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and a brilliant New Year!

Lady Bug Says ... A Mini Bit Of Pleather

After seeing the gorgeous Milly from Pearls & Poodles wearing this cute pleather skater skirt I knew I needed it in my wardrobe! I managed to get my hands on it when I went on my birthday shopping trip and spent many hours in the massive Primark in Bristol. It makes my local one seem so small and badly stocked!

I bought it a size bigger as a have a little fear of short short skirts that have the ability to fly up and flash my underwear! So now it sits nicely somewhere between my waist and hips :) I did have my trusty nude tights on, but then Daisy decided that jumping up at me and snagging my tights was a great idea! She is well behaved most of the time, but has cost me 4 pairs of tights so far this week!

This photo has just emphasised to me how much I need a haircut, I don't think it has ever been this long!

Black flatform heels - H&M £20

Pleather skirt - Primark £12

Knitted jumper - Primark £10

Rose gold collar necklace - H&M £8

Outfit total £50

Lady Bug Says ... As Smart As It Gets!

The dress code at my work is well, pretty much non existent! Being the only female I don't tend to dress too smart for work, I would kind of look out of place against the polo shirt clad males!

I tend to air on the side of smart casual most of the time, you can't generally go wrong with that! But every now and then it is nice to make a little bit more effort.

I was recently sent this boucle biker jacket from Very as a little thank you for working with them recently. I have a similar one from Primark and even being somewhat of a die hard Primark fan I can definitely see why this Very jacket costs a lot more! I t is definitely worth the money, it fits like a glove!

Unfortunately this photo is the best of a bad bunch! I seem to be rocking the 'pissed off' look in 99% of the photos!

Flatform heels - H&M £20

Pleather stripe trousers - Next £8

White Shirt - Next £28

Jacket - c/o Very

Outfit total - £56

Lady Bug Says ... Insert Predictable Autumn Related Title Here!

Hello, remember me?

I am blaming my absence on being swept up in wedding fever, there was me thinking I could relax and just enjoy being engaged until at least after Christmas, but apparently if you want to get married in under a year you have to start sorting things NOW! But now that we have set our date, booked our venue and the registrar I am definitely slowing down on wedding things for a while!

Last week it was also my 24th birthday which I quietly celebrated with time off work, spending time with the Mr and my family, doing a little shopping, eating a lot of yummy food and blowing out candles on various cakes!

Whilst shopping in the massive Primark in Bristol I stocked up on a few bits for Autumn, you can't start the colder seasons without purchasing some new knitwear can you? Surely it is some kind of law?! 

Daisy wanted to get in on the outfit photo action, shiny blonde fur and cute puppy dog eyes - all models own!

Studded ankle boots - Crafted via Republic £25

Ponte skinny trousers - Primark £9

Thin knit jumper - Primark £6

Leather style jacket - Primark via Ebay £25

Stud and pearl necklace - Primark £5

Outfit total - £70

Yes I am a walking talking Primark advert as always!

Lady Bug Says .. A Little Absense & A Big Smile!

It has been more than a little while since I last blogged, so I thought I would catch you all up on what has been happening in the whirlwind that has been the last few weeks!

Firstly my much awaited for order from the 50% off Models Own sale arrived!

Peach Sherbet, Thunder & Lightening, Indian Ocean, Hed Kandi Ibiza Mix, Concrete Mixer, Utopia, Pinky Brown, Green Flash and White Nail Art Pen.

I couldn't resist a little bit of clinging on to the Summer nail art with some of the pretty pastel colours :)

If you follow me on Twitter I am sure you will probably already know my pretty exciting news, the Mr asked me to marry him after nearly 5 years of being together. I of course said yes and have already started planning our wedding for next year!

It was a complete surprise, to be honest I would have put more money on winning the lottery than being proposed to! But he had planned it perfectly and I have been walking around with the biggest smile on my face ever since, I can't wait to be a Mrs :)

The boy did good when it came to picking a good sparkler too!

I won't share too many details of how he actually popped the question but this photo he made made me smile so much!

The only dampener on our perfect weekend was our poor little pup getting stung by something and having an allergic reaction, resulting in a very expensive trip to the emergency vets on Sunday evening :( She was a million times better after the vet saw her though so it was well worth it!

We had a few engagement drinks with our friends this weekend, one of our friends gave us a bottle of homemade cider champagne, yum!

I promise the Mr isn't actually this short, he just had to squat down a little so I didn't end up spilling champagne all down myself!

All in all a good few weeks! I will try to not bore you all with wedding chatter promise!

Lady Bug Says ...Bristol Fashion Week AW12

Last Friday I attended the bloggers show at Bristol Fashion Week. It was a fab afternoon filled with cake, bubbly, catwalks and TGI Fridays :)

The show included some of the big trends for AW12 including metallics, gemstone colours, winter florals and heritage. 

I loved this cross detail maxi dress from Phase Eight paired with a big statement necklace.

The models red hair and victory rolls were beautiful!

Pretty tailored cocktail dresses :)

I wore:

Grey suede flatforms - H&M £20

Black body con skirt(worn under) - H&M £4

Black vest top(worn under) - H&M £5

Black knitted midi dress - H&M £7

Necklace - Accessorize 50p

Outfit total - £36.50

Lady Bug Says ... DKN Hair - Insight

Daniel Neaves and his talented team of stylists are hosting an evening full of hair, beauty and fashion to showcase their skills and the up and coming trends in the hair world!

The wanted to let the South West beauty blogging community know all about the event and I am more than willing to lend a hand spreading the word!

If you would like to attend the evening, please do purchase a ticket! After all, all proceeds from the event go to a very good cause :)

Lady Bug Says ... A Little Bit Of Very

I was recently contacted by the PR people at Very about taking part in a blogger Google+ hangout with Fearne Cotton, but unfortunately as I was working I was unable to take part but they have kindly sent me some information about the hangout and Fearne's new range.

You can see the video of Fearne chatting to some lovely bloggers here and view her new collection full of some pretty amazing dresses here.

Disclaimer - I have been compensated by Very for posting about the Fearne Cotton Google + Hangout, but I do genuinely love the collection, especially this dress!

Lady Bug Says ... Big Wheeling!

Evening :)

On Sunday I spent a lovely day with my Mum and Sister, filled with a farm shop breakfast, a spot of shopping, swimming in the wave pool, a trip on a big wheel and a yummy carvery dinner! A busy but fun day :)

The wheel was a little bit bigger than I anticipated, especially as I am not a big fan of heights, but I was fine as long as everyone kept pretty still! There were some pretty great views of Torbay to be seen too!

My sister with her pretty ombre hair, my beautiful Mum and me, all looking a little worse for wear as we had just been swimming!

Trusty grey flatforms! - H&M £20

Patterned jeans - H&M £20

Grey jumper - Next £12

Leather Jacket - Primark via Ebay £25

Necklace - Primark £5

Outfit total - £82

Yes, I am aware I live in this jumper and necklace combo, I am just getting my moneys worth!

Lady Bug Says ... Boux Avenue - Bristol Cabot Circus Opening

I was lucky enough to be invited to the opening of the latest Boux Avenue store in Cabot Circus in Bristol earlier on this week, an invite I couldn't really turn down. It meant a lovely day off work, meeting some gorgeous blogging ladies and viewing more pretty underwear than I could possibly justify purchasing!

I loved the sleek boudoir feel of the store, especially the small tablet screens dotted around showing what the underwear looks like on a beautiful moving model. If only my own bum looked so good in a pair of pretty knickers!

I'm also completely sold on their way of displaying underwear, so much so that I can't imagine ever wanting to rifle through over stuffed rails of bras again! The beautiful counter top displays are accompanied by pull out drawers beneath, each neatly labelled with a different size. No having to look through what seems like hundreds of bras to only find they don't have your size anyway! With them stocking everything from a 30A to a 40H I'm pretty sure there will be something for everyone!

I was impressed by the range they stock, everything from simple basics and girly bralets to lacey numbers and super soft pyjamas. They have also branched into lovely scented products including candles, hand creams and yummy body butters.

The dressing rooms are pretty much how I need my house to look! Plush carpets, panelled walls, a variety of mood lighting and a discrete intercom concierge service, so no sticking your head out the door asking for a bigger size!

I also managed to get a picture taken with the main man himself, Mr Theo Paphitis and blogging lovelies Katie and Lily

On our way out we also received a lovely goody bag, I will show you the contents in my next post!

Thank you Boux Avenue, Fluorescent PR and the below ladies for a fab day!

Grace

Katie

Tara

Lily

Laura

Hayley

Milly

Lady Bug Says ... A Daisy Update

I recently asked if you would all like a puppy updated and some of you said yes, so I thought I would let you all know how she is doing!

She is now nearly 16 weeks old and has been home with use for nearly 8 weeks. During that time she has more than doubled in weight and increased even more in overall size! She has learnt so much and is now completely toilet trained and knows a wide variety of commands including sit, stay, lie down, paw, roll over, come and leave it. She has also just about mastered going up and down the stairs. It has actually surprised me how quickly she has learnt things! She can now go out for walks and has discovered a love of the beach, especially swimming in the sea and digging in the sand, she isn't so fond of having to have a bath afterwards though! She also loves playing with ice cubes, eating cold carrots and sleeping on the sofa.

So on with the cute photos, I can't believe how much she has grown!

At 9 weeks old, chewing leaves and barely able to get up onto the decking!

11 weeks old and not quite getting how to play with the Frisbee!

12 weeks old and enjoying sleeping in the kitchen whilst I am cooking dinner!

14 weeks old and loving her new toy!

15 weeks old and nearly too big for her favourite corner!

15 weeks and claiming her favourite spot on the sofa!