One Year until We Say “I Do”

“Seems silly, doesn’t it? A wedding. Given everything that’s going on.” – Ginny Weasley
“Maybe that’s the best reason to have it. Because of everything going on.” – Harry Potter

Hello lovely readers, fellow bloggers, and (for this post) beautiful Bride-to-Be’s!
Its definitely been a while since I’ve found myself on here or find myself having anything to actually write about. I’m sure we’ll all look back on the year 2020 with a hugely mixed bag of emotions. A year of complete upset to each and every one of us, lightly dusted with sprinkle of happiness and gratefulness for everything we hold dear. Our family, like many others, has experienced heartbreak this year and it almost feels awkward (and… well, wrong!) to even start thinking about or planning for better times ahead… However, those who we have lost would want it this way, and we honor their glorious lives by thinking ahead to a better future despite their absence that will not doubt be felt at the making of every new memory ❤

Last November, Kris dragged me up Aira Force and Gowbarrow Summit in Ullswater, Lake District for our usual trek! Half way up, I twisted my knee but Kris was absolutely determined to get to the top! He began staying really far ahead of me and only returning only to give me sweets (if that’s not positive reinforcement then I don’t know what is..) until we got to the peak. The view was breathtaking; it was raining, it was muddy, I couldn’t see through the glasses because of water speckles, and we had the entire summit to ourselves surround by the rolling fells of one of the most gorgeous parts of the United Kingdom. Perfect. And then I turned around, and Kris was on one knee. When I say the world felt like it tilted on its axis, I really mean it! I felt like I was going to pass out! Then I asked him if he was joking, got down in the mud with him and ugly cried with sheer delight! He’s definitely the man for me if he can take that level of snotty, wet, unattractiveness and not secret that ring back away in his coat like it never happened…

After reveling in our newly engaged bubble for the festive season (we didn’t want to rush ahead with Christmas coming, and we really wanted to take time to enjoy all of the feels with our families, friends, and each other), we began our wedding planning in January this year. This was when the hard bit started…
I, like many women, have often found myself daydreaming since I was a small child about what my wedding day would be like. Its extremely exciting (and terrifying)! To be honest, I became completely obsessed and had a serious case of mention-itous. Back in the present day, I scoured Instagram, Wedding Magazines (possibly one of the most useless things I’ve ever bought but I think its a right of passage to purchase one), Wedding Fayres, and I have lost count of the amount of times I’ve found myself on the wrong side of Pintrest looking at things I would never ever even consider as an a option saying “Oooh, thats an idea.” (FYI, no its not, put the phone down and STEP AWAY!). And obviously, whilst Kris is involved as I love to have his opinion, I have found his usual opinion is ” Whatever you want Princess.” *insert dramatic eye roll here* This is not the answer of my dreams… Princess doesn’t know what she wants!!!

It was only when we’d booked our venue and been for a second viewing (my parents in tow), that I actually sat back and genuinely thought about how I’d like our wedding to be. How it could be like us, not like everyone else on Insta, Pintrest, you name it. And that is one of thee biggest pieces of advice I could give anyone just starting to plan a wedding. Whilst its completely acceptable and so much fun to get lost down a rabbit warren on Pintrest, make sure you come back to the matter at hand. Be true to yourself (I didn’t want corny, but see me there, throwing in the whole genie from a lamp advice).

With that in mind, here I am writing the introduction to my mini-series about our wedding. Just snapshots! You may find it completely boring, you may find it insightful, you may find it fascinating purely because you love anything ‘wedding’ (like me). And for me personally, I wanted to write a little bit about certain parts of the organisation and run up as almost a memory bank… Like a highlight reel that I can look back on when we’ve been married for 50 years (if I’ll even be able to use the newfangled computers by then, who knows?! But I could always ask a grandchild of ours to read it to us for one of my homemade shortbread… or, you know, a fiver).

So, if you’re here for this journey, Welcome! I hope you enjoy ❤

Next Stop is… Choosing Our Venue

Love SSA x

Our Journey to finding our First Home so far – It’s as easy as One, Two, oh…

Hello lovely readers! Long time no see. Long time, naff all to do and write about more like… To be honest with you all, I worked throughout furlough and whilst I did hike up my healthy eating and exercise, I just didn’t think you’d be interested in my new-found hobby; Hula Hooping.

So, onto the subject at hand… Kris and I have just set up a new Instagram, a house one (yes, we’ve become those people)! Its called – wait for it –  ‘Let’s Décor-Sait’, ha! We are not the kind of couple to let a good pun go to waste. Kris had been joking about documenting our journey for a while, mainly when I’m being a bit ‘extra’ because he thinks its hilarious. We shall see…

Anyway, this post isn’t about furniture or lifestyle. Instead, its about the process that we’ve been through to get our house. I’ve personally found that I could never find just a list; a list of how, what and why. I’ve desperately wanted a step-by-step of what comes at each stage of the process, and couldn’t seem to find one… I suppose its different for everyone. So I’ve decided to write about how we’ve gone through the process in hopes that it may help another Sammy looking for help somewhere. Like I said, this list is purely what’s happened to US, during a pandemic… So, who knows how helpful this will actually be!

• The first step for us was to go to the building society. We chose Nationwide as I’ve been a member since I was a child and have heard good things about their mortgages rates. We did go in with the intention of booking an appointment to see how much we could borrow, but we were told by an advisor that they actually do it a little differently now. Because a Decision in Principle only lasts for 90 days, they now ask you to no apply for one until you’ve had an offer accepted on a house. They found that a lot of buyers weren’t finding their dream home within the 90 days and therefore had to reapply, thus affecting their credit rating. We were advised go online and fill out their mortgage calculator, that would give us a rough estimate of how much we could borrow. I will leave the link for the calculator below.
• So now we had our price range, we could get to the fun bit! The viewings! I’m not going to lie, that buzzing feeling quickly evaporates… I ended up quite down and despondent at viewing house after house, only for them not to be our dream home. We did view different types of houses, to get a better idea of what we wanted, which is definitely something we’d advise as you may find you love something that you initially said you didn’t like. The only thing we didn’t view was a new build. We were quite adamant about wanting an older style house for the space, although the simplicity of new builds is very very appealing! In regards to viewing houses, you’ll find that everyone will have an opinion. Focus on what you want, not everybody else. Take feelings on board, but ultimately the decision has to be yours. We viewed a fabulous house that we loved but it had a steep driveway (and I mean STEEP! My car couldn’t get up it). This would mean that my Mom wouldn’t have been able to visit safely until we’d had the drive done. Me and Kris talked it over after many tears and decided that even though we loved the house and had the cash to make it work, it was going to cause more harm than good initially. On to the next we went…
• Now you’ve got your house, put in your offer! Be realistic. Think about any changes that need to be made, building work that would need to be carried out ASAP, the ages of the bathroom and kitchen… These things will add up. Also, really think about what the house is worth. Kris and I did have heated discussions about this! Back in the day, the system was a lot calmer, you’d go in with a lower offer, spend a few days bartering. Now? We found it to be quite cutthroat! Houses would vanish off the market in a matter of days AND sell for bang on or above listed price. So really consider how much you love the house and what you can afford. Once your offer is in and accepted, the ball starts rolling!
• Once we’d had our offer accepted and received our acceptance letter from the estate agents, we contacted our Financial Advisor. He was recommended to us by a very close friend, and he was marvellous! He told me exactly what we needed; three months payslips, three months bank statements, evidence of deposit, ID’s, and knowledge of any other credit cards, loans etc that we had. Within one morning he’d applied for our mortgage, had it accepted, and we even knew how much the monthly bill would be! Cannot recommend an advisor enough. He also recommended a consurveyor to us, and sent over all of our paperwork to them, at our request. Incidentally, this is the day that lockdown happened…
• The next step for us was filling out some forms for the solicitors, general queries about both of us and where the money was coming from. If you’ve been given a ‘gift’ from a parent or family member, this will need to be declared and you’ll have to prove where its come from. Time consuming, but they need to make sure its legit. During the first week, I felt very anxious!
• We didn’t hear anything for a while after this due to lockdown… After about 8 weeks we had our valuation completed on the house and Nationwide officially offered us the mortgage. The solicitors then sent the mortgage deed to us, which we signed and had countersigned, and returned to solicitor.
• The solicitors then ordered the searches on the property and had the draft contracts through from the seller’s solicitors, for which they will submit enquiries for. I try to keep up to date with our solicitor without being too annoying (even though I’m sure I am). Every two weeks, if I haven’t heard anything I drop him an email and just politely ask if he needs anything from us, and give us a rough idea of what’s occurring. I find it really difficult to not be in the know, so doing this makes me feel productive. To be honest, our solicitor is very polite and thus far, quick at replying. He lets me know what he’s doing and what’s next; I’m happy with that! He also submitted a form to me which I had to sign regarding my Help-To-Buy.
• Two weeks went by and we received our Survey/Searches Report last Friday. Everything is okay there so now its just finalising the contracts, signing our lives away, and getting a completion date! As far as I’m aware, after that its exchanging money, setting up home insurance and… MOVING!

So there it is, its a bit iggldy piggldy, but that’s how its gone for us! And there’s still abit left. Overall, its been 14 weeks thus far for us. But then again, we have all decided to buy during a pandemic! Mom always says ‘Nothing worth having comes easy’, and my goodness, is she right!
It seems nerve-wracking and it is. I’ve been on edge and anxious for weeks because I’m terrified that it’ll fall through. I haven’t told many of my closest and dearest friends because I’ve been so scared! I’m still a bit nervous, whereas Kris is very confident. Luckily, we keep in touch with the sellers who are a wonderful couple, and she is exactly like me! She said if she sits still for long enough she convinces herself that we’ll back out and has to text me. I feel her pain! Its been really nice having that connection, very heart-warming and comforting especially during this strange time where none of us know if things are up or down! We’re popping to the house on Saturday to do a bit of measuring and have a socially distanced catch-up.

I’ve got absolutely everything crossed that the contracts come through this week, if not early next *crosses everything* I’ve also set up our Instagram page today, so if you ever get bored and fancy a browse? There’s not much there yet, but hopefully there’ll be plenty of content very soon ❤

If one person finds this page of waffle even a little useful, I’ll be happy. Obviously, for professional advice please see your bank manager, financial advisor, solicitor, or if you’re just starting out, Martin Lewis is a great go to – Money Saving Expert is great and he explains things simple terms (which, if you’re like me, is needed!).

Stay safe out there!

Love,
SSA x

 

https://www.nationwide.co.uk/products/mortgages/our-mortgages/mortgage-calculators/mortgage-affordability-calculator

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/mortgages/

 

 

Giving the Greens a Go!

Hello everyone! Can we just take a moment to breathe a sign of relief at it finally being… FEBRUARY! I don’t know about you guys, but my mood already feels elevated, the January Blues are OVER and I’m loving seeing the colours of the sunrise as I drive to work. Spring is on its way, People!

So, as I said in my last post, I made sure to challenge myself last year and I definitely had a better year because of it. With that in mind, I began my first self-inflicted challenge of 2020 – going vegetarian. *dramatic dun dun duuuuurn*

Now, it sounds so easy and so simple to just not eat meat for a month, and I suppose for most normal folks; it is. However, for people that know me well, they are fully aware that I grew up believing veg was the devil. I hated it all. Yes, even peas. It was the bane of my parents’ lives that I wouldn’t eat vegetables, and they really REALLY did try. You name it, they tried it; veggies in mash, hidden veggie sauce, mushrooms chopped up so small that they looked like part of the mince meat. I WASN’T HAVING IT! In fact, it was a huge surprise when I went to university and suddenly started eating all your mainstream vegetables. I know Mom was a bit put out that I’d done it without her after she tried so unbelievably hard during my childhood, but the deep sense of relief she felt that her daughter would finally have ‘normal’ eating habits soon dispelled any of her annoyance.

And that, my friends, is how my journey into the fruit and veg aisles began. I started small, mainly onion and mushrooms, eventually tried carrots, peppers, peas, and cabbage. Now, I eat anything. Even sweetcorn, which was another thing that sent a shockwave of disbelief through the family as I’d always maintained an immovable stance that I’d never eat anything that looked like little, yellow teeth. And yet… Here we are. To be honest, the only vegetable that I truly despise at this point in my life, is the brussels sprout. I just can’t get the taste for those tiny cabbages…

Having a newfound love for all things grown (I say newfound, I graduated in 2014 – so have technically been eating a variety of veg for the last 8 years or so), I’ve been thinking about if I could go ‘veggie’ for quite a while. My co-workers are pescatarian, and I’ve had other friends who have gone veggie in the past and raved about how much energy they had, and quite frankly, after a very busy Christmas and knowing that I had an even busier 2020 on the way, I decided that I could do with a little extra energy!

With this in mind, if anyone is considering it, I just thought I’d do a quick blogpost on how I found going cold-turkey (pun intended) – some tips and also some things that I noticed over the journey. Before we begin, I can’t stress this enough; I will point out now, that I am NOT a medical profession. The thoughts and feelings of this blogpost are my own, based upon my own experiences. Should you require any official information or are unsure, please contact a professional!!!

• It may seem too simple, but I did my research! By becoming veggie, its easy to assume that you’ll just be upping your intake to 8-a-day and you’ll just get all of your vitamins from all the veg you’re consuming. Wrong! I decided to become a lacto-ovo-vegetarian, so I was still able to consume milk, eggs and cheese. I made myself aware of any vitamins and minerals that I could be lacking when giving up meat. You need to get them from somewhere. You need to make sure you’re getting enough iron, calcium and vitamin B12. I made sure to vary my new diet and try new foods. I added pulses and beans to my meals, not only are the great for iron but some also give a meaty texture to dishes. When I ate carbs, I tried to make sure that they were wholegrain, and I fleshed out a lot of meals with lots of dark green, leafy vegetables. I also purchased some fortified granola – which I used for breakfasts or snacks with fruit.
• I tried LOTS of new recipes! This was one thing that I was absolutely determined to do. I don’t like having the same 7 meals every week anyway, I find it really monotonous, and so I was determined to continue in my usual habit and find lots of new, exciting recipes that could keep our mealtimes varied (because we can’t forget, I made everybody do this veggie thing. If I was in the house for dinner, there would be no meat for dinner). It absolutely worked. Looking back over the month, I don’t think we’ve tried a veggie recipe that we didn’t like. Believe me, there were plenty recipes that upon first glance, made me and Kris give each other dubious looks, but every single one was gorgeous. I even used a few meat ones and made those, sans the meat. And some, we just made up as we went along; the mushroom stroganoff and the tortilla lasagne were definitely big hits. I’ll pop a few at the bottom of the page if you’d like to try!
• Personally, I’m not a massive fan of fake ‘meat’. Not only because (for me) very few of them actually have the texture, but mainly because I don’t think it actually lends anything to the dish you’re making AND I was determined to do vegetarian as naturally as possible. I did have a couple of Quorn sausages, and even tried the new Birds Eye ones (both have quite a good taste actually!). We even tried the Powered by Plants ‘meatballs’. Despite the taste and textures of these nifty supplements being okay, I did come away from mealtimes feeling really bloated so I’ve concluded that they are acceptable in small doses but mostly, not for me.
• Bloating – I personally didn’t experience any bloating. To be honest, I’m pretty sure I look bloated most of the time and I’ll tell you right now, its just fat 🙂 I do drink sooo much water though, so that probably helped.
• Energy levels – my goodness, the first two weeks I felt WEAK. I felt tired, I could sleep for hours and hours, my skin was really rubbish too. I don’t know what happened, but around the third week in, my energy levels spiked and have stayed that way ever since! My colleague at work even asked me if I had licked batteries prior to arriving at my desk… My mood has also steadily improved, I sleep just as well if not better, and I get less headaches and tiredness after my evening meal.
• Finally, did I miss meat? The truthful answer is no. I didn’t miss meat at all. I didn’t miss buying it (being a veggie is really nice on your purse strings!), cooking with it, or eating it. I found that I actually missed fish and shellfish a lot more than what I missed beef. I don’t regret giving up chicken at all.

All in all, my experience as a vegetarian has been really quite wonderful and liberating! I’ve enjoyed some positive effects (whether those are real or just placebo effect, who cares?!), have a much more natural diet, I’ve found great new recipes, and most importantly for me, I’ve taken control back over my diet from when I let it roam free over the festive period and officially had a blood-type of ‘B’ (for Bailey’s) as of January 1st.

So… Officially finally. That big question… Am I going to stay veggie? I would have to say, I’m going to remain flexitarian. If someone asks me if I eat meat, I’ll be saying yes because I still do! I will have lamb with my Easter roast at my Mom’s, and I will eat the odd piece of fish if I fancy it. However, I am going to (and have already, during February) maintain a mostly vegetarian diet. I feel better for it AND I really enjoy it, so why not?!

I hope this has helped any of you who have ever thought about going veggie, but aren’t sure if its for them. It’s different for everyone, but if you don’t try it, you’ll never know!

Love,

SSA x

 

P.S. Recipes are below. DISCLAIMER: some are meat recipes, but I just omitted the meat during cooking and added more veg of my own choice.

Enchilada Lasagne

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/mushroom-stroganoff

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/spiced-mushroom-lentil-hotpot

 

Welcome to the New Decade..!

Hello everyone, and a very Happy New Year to you all!

I trust you all had a wonderful festive season, and are now in that strange, foggy lull of not knowing what day it is (even if you’re back at work!). Apologies for the radio silence over the past few months (I’m kidding myself if I think you’ve actually noticed, but its nice to be polite), but its been 100 miles an hour here lately.

Now I’m not going to do a really long post reminiscing the last decade or year, because way too much has happened and to be completely frank, I do not have the time nor brain-power right now #festivefog. What I will say, is that there have been many ups and downs in the past ten years; none of which I can or would change as they shape who we all are. 2019 was quite the spectacular year for me. I really pushed myself to do things that I was afraid of, and I had a better year for it. So, that life lesson, along with my superb family, friends and fiancé (OMFG!), are going forward with me into the Twenties!

I don’t know about you guys, but I really feel January. Yes, we’re usually on the ‘come-down’ from all the festivities of December; yes, we’re all broke because its a five week month; and yes, even though we’re desperate to step away from all the beige food, you can’t quite help yourself reaching for those remaining Fox’s biscuits in the tin (because if you don’t eat them they’ll a) just go to waste and that would be a TRAVESTY, and b) the quicker you eat them, the quicker they’re gone and the house can be treat free ready for your diet). But I’ve always been amazed at what January can do for a person! This is the month where most people find hope. Whether that be the hope that the new year will bring better luck than the previous, or for the hope of the person you will become; fitter, slimmer, more positive, more assertive. I don’t know where it comes from, but its hope and positivity for better-ness. And for this, I like January!

Taking away from last year, I will henceforth venture into 2020 with the exact same attitude as I entered 2019! I will continue to do and try new things that scare me, whether that be a new class or a life adventure! So, I urge you to tear off the cellophane of your new 2020 diaries (that you will promise to do your best handwriting in), exercise that writing hand (that you’ll have forgotten how to use since being off work for the shutdown), and MAKE SOME PLANS! Get togethers, walks, coffee catch-ups, a new fitness class; whatever you want, just do it.

So whatever you are hoping to achieve in the Twenties, I wish you the very very best for 2020 and the coming years. May your lives and hearts be full.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Love,
SSA x

 

 

Just Keep Swimming…

Hello my darling readers,

You know, I’m not sure if its because I had such a brilliantly, wonderful, busy weekend and now I’m on a come down after being so proud of everyone and what we’d achieved for Cancer Research UK, but my god… I have been feeling so low, negative, despondent, and generally down-in-the-dumps this week. Not only at work either, but when I get home too, which is very unlike me.

I’m usually quite a positive person and I love my job; I have a whinge like everyone else, but then I usually feel like I can catch and juggle with whatever life/work throws at me. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a super long to do list, so this is normal for me. However, this week has just been blegh..! The things that are on my list are either being held up by others, or are growing in numbers due to the requests and belief from customers and colleagues that I can make things happen with a snap of my fingers (I may be a Samantha, but I’m definitely no witch)! The little, do-able tasks that are there are piling up because I feel so frustrated with the big things, that I can’t be bothered to do them! All in all, I feel like a swirling ball of grey, angry energy that could pop at any given moment..! I just really want to run away from it all, build a fort, and stay there until my Dad tells me its okay to come out. Even going home for early nights in bed with a book isn’t helping, so you know that work stuff must really be on my mind!

*breathes*

I’m not going to sit here and tell you all about how I’m going to change my lifestyle, or my point of view, or start drinking herbal tea or whatever. I’m simply writing this to tell you that there will just be days or weeks like this in your life. Its simply just a deep trough, next to a tremendous peak. As a very wise and forgetful fish once said, “Just keep swimming.”; she never forgot the things that mattered. Breathe, and keep going. Just keep chipping away at that to-do list. Its not going anywhere, nor can you get around it, so you might as well plough through it! Whatever it is, ask for help or guidance. My Mom has always says that “there’s nothing that can’t be sorted”, and I have wholeheartedly believed that for 27 and a half years. People will help if you tell them you need help. You’re not alone. Even if they can’t help you physically, you’ll feel much better after pouring it out to a parent or bestie.

Now, I’m taking five minutes away and then going back to my ever-present, incoming emails; to read, flag, add to the to-do list, and then, ask for help. Oh, and then I’m playing squash with my Dad after work, because I find using a racket to aggressively bash a rubber ball off a wall; extremely relaxing.

*chip chip chip*

Love,

SSA x

 

 

Race for Life Reflection

Good Morning Everyone, and a very happy Monday to you all!

I am… Absolutely shattered!
Yesterday was the day that I’d been working towards since registering for Race for Life. Now, I am not a natural runner… I’m not lean and graceful like a gazelle, instead I’m more on the curvier side; like a hippo, if you will. But I persevered through the training sessions, along with the boobage, and arrived like the early bird ready to catch the metaphorical worm that was the Race for Life track!

I won’t bore you for a long time with what happened in the interim, but a quick word of advice, GET THERE EARLY! My parents all got stuck in traffic, and since Mom had the pins for my back sign, I had to leave for the race without seeing them first, and without my sign! It gets so busy, and definitely go to the loo super early too. Me and Rochelle kept needing it constantly because of the nerves, and the line was about as long as the track!

Race for Life gets all those taking part to gather at the podium to share survivors stories, and they give you all a warm-hearted thank you for not only taking part, but also for the money that you all raise. They also used some local Personal Trainers to help us all singing along and get us warmed up before the race. It’s actually a very emotional time, and you don’t expect it! You’re aware of why you’re running the race, but you get so caught up in getting ready and raising your money, that I think you forget about who YOU’RE doing it for and the memories that you have with those people. It all gets brought to the forefront at this particular moment, those who’ve fought, those you’ve lost, and those who are still fighting every day. I did it for my Nanny b.b., and also my Aunty Margaret and Grandad Malcolm, both of whom are still with us today and fighting this disease! I began to feel very sad that I hadn’t found Mom in time, and would be running without my tribute, but at that exact moment (I don’t have a clue how he found me in a sea of 1800 people; its obviously a parent thing) my dearest Papa grabbed my shoulder and presented me with my tribute and four safety pins! I could have cried with happiness! ❤ We pinned me in on the way to the start line, and set off to The Greatest Showman’s ‘This Is Me”!

There were points when it was hard (remember what I said about me not being a natural runner!), and it got so hot at times that I thought I was going to keel over from stitch… But seeing the sign that says ‘Finish line this way!’ and sprinting down the last stretch towards the victory bell whilst you’re whole family cheers you on, made it all completely worth it! As I rang that bell, I felt so so sooo proud! And extremely emotional. I was so proud of my amazing family, who had all taken the time to come and support me on the day; swapping shifts, moving things around, assisting me in making sure I was race ready. I was proud of how much we’d raised! We’d absolutely smashed our target! And, I was also proud of myself! I wouldn’t even run for a bus back when I was a teen, now I’d just done a 5k race and actually RAN for 85% of it! I never thought I’d do anything like that, I didn’t think that I could. But I DID! I’d also smashed my personal target of raising £100, and actually raised £160 (with more donations still to go!)! Proud, is definitely how I felt. Of everything, and everyone ❤ ❤

My goodness, it was such a amazing day! As Mom calls it, “It’s a memory day.”, and I wholeheartedly agree. We couldn’t have asked for a better day” The sun was shining, our family was there, we had a wonderful picnic together and then went off to the pub to congratulate ourselves, catch up, and be an awesome, if slightly dysfunctional, family.

I’d just like to say an absolutely huge thank you to everyone! To every who supported us, donated to us, and sent their well wishes for the race! We really appreciate it, and are so grateful from the bottom of our hearts! ❤

To anyone thinking of walking, jogging, or running at a Race for Life event next year, please do it! Go and get registered! It really is one of the best days that you will have. Don’t think that you can’t do it, because you can! Their website lists all of the races and Pretty Muddy’s that you can take part in. If you’d still like to donate, I’ve left the link at the end of this blog post.

All my love,

SSA x

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/samanthas-race-for-life-3704

Together; we CAN beat cancer!

 

Social Media Detox

Good Morning readers! I hope you’re all well! It has been a while, hasn’t it? Nearly two months, I think…

As the title of this piece suggests, I’ve been taking a very much needed break from social media. My reasons were twofold:

1. Since Easter I’d barely had time to sit back and relax. It had been all systems go! Every week was chock-a-block at work, and every weekend was littered with parties, birthdays, weddings, hen parties, travelling back and forth… Of course, these are wonderful things that were happening, and I was extremely grateful to have been included and invited! But you get the idea. I was exhausted. Physically and emotionally shattered. I am sort of used to life being 100 miles an hour, but I definitely needed to just sit (at home) and be still after this.
2. I’d become disillusioned with the whole point of social media. I’d lost hours (like many of us), mindlessly scrolling through Instagram and Facebook, looking at people I didn’t know and past things I didn’t really care about. I’d also noticed that I’d become quite envious and cynical of good things that were happening to others (most of whom I don’t even know!). I feel that if everyone could let themselves admit it, then we’d all say we’ve felt this way during our time vegging out on SM. We’ve all felt jealous of something happening for someone else; often “hrmph-ing” about their achievements (but liking the post anyway, cos, you know… God forbid you should let anyone know you’re feeling a smidge peeved and spiteful about the whole thing), and, then inevitably, we compare ourselves to them (“Why haven’t I got that?” or “Why aren’t I that lucky?” or the classics, “She’s not even that pretty anyway!” and “Oh my god, I wonder where that tops from?! I must purchase this immediately!” because obviously, when you purchase that top you’ll automatically be amazing like them and a better person).

So yes, anyway, I decided that instead of losing hours on social media and thus losing many hours of my life that could be used experiencing something useful that could actually benefit me, I decided to take a break. I tuned out of Instagram, Facebook, and SnapChat. If my friends wanted to talk to me (and visa versa), we’d text, call or actually SEE each other! I decided to be PRESENT and enjoy the moments that make my life what it is. And you know what? It was one of the best things I’ve ever done! I’ve noticed quite a lot, but these are the biggies!

1. As if by magic I’ve started to sleep so much better! It’s probably to do with the amount of blue light I’m now not getting. Instead, I’ve gone back to reading before bed. I love my sleep and always have 8+ hours a night, but my sleep is definitely less fitful and I drop off much quicker.
2. I’m much less concerned about doing things and getting that picture for Instagram. Obviously, I still love to do things, but instead, I’m completely immersed in the activity, scene or conversation!
3. My biggest change is that I’ve become much less critical over myself. Of course, I still have wobbly bits that I absolutely loathe, or love handles that absolutely refuse to budge (argh!), but I’ve almost gone for the more natural look… I no longer feel compelled to buy into the latest fashion or something that I’ve seen someone wear on Instagram. Nor do I feel compelled to wear make up. In fact, I haven’t worn make up for the past four weeks! Other than moisturiser, the only things I’ve been doing are been drawing my eyebrows on and mascara-ing my lashes purely because I think they accentuate my natural features. And that, right there, is the crux of the matter, I now only accentuate my natural face and no longer use make up to cover up what I see as imperfections, or indeed to make things look more perfect. In fact, it’s been fantastic! I have way more time in the mornings, and my skin has never been clearer or more youthful!

So… To sum up, my break from social media has been extremely beneficial for me, in both my life and well-being. I feel refreshed, present, balanced, happier, less stressed, less critical of myself and others. I do still have my Facebook and Instagram accounts. In fact, I went online today and culled my following, so now I only see the posts from people I know and like, or influencers who actually inspire me (they’re usually food based, because… well, who isn’t inspired by gorgeous plates of food?!)!

A social media detox isn’t for everyone, even spending just a little more time off your phone can be beneficial. But if you do feel like I did and have the willpower, definitely give it a go! Come on, think about it! What’s the worst that could happen? Would you reeeeally be missing out on anything that better than your own amazing life? I doubt it.

Love,

SSA x

 

p.s. calligraphy found – https://www.joanquiros.com/blog/calligraphy-journal/calligraphy-journal-17-hiatus

Rapunzel, Rapunzel – Grow Gorgeous Hair Care Review

Hello you lovely lot who (hopefully) keep coming back to listen to me waffle on relentlessly about my life, habits and Sammy Strikes Again moments!

So, for this blog post I thought I’d do something completely different. I’m going to review some hair care products that I’ve been using the last couple of weeks, and just go over what I ordered, used, and any results I’ve seen.

Now, my problem with my hair, is that is very long. Don’t get me wrong, I love having long hair! Its almost like a safety blanket. I love to try different up-dos, having mermaid waves, and I like to twiddle it (I play with my hair constantly, how I don’t have bald patches I’ll never know). I don’t find it a chore either, so bonus! The only thing with it is… Well, actually I have two issue with it. One, its so long that it often feels and looks flat. Just weighed down by its own sheer length; and two, its not very thick. It looks thick! I think that’s because I wear it curly quite a lot. Anyway, the past month or so, whether its due to season change or what, but its looked more lifeless and limp than ever! And I’ve had really dry ends, which can make it painful to brush since it knots more. I don’t really have a big hair routine, not like I do for my skin. I usually wash my hair twice a week in whatever I can get my hands on, I let it dry naturally, I don’t use an products other than hairspray, but I do use a curling iron about four to five days out of seven.

So, like any normal 20-something woman, I follow a few beauty goddesses on Instagram and one that I favour in particular absolutely RAVES about these products. She doesn’t get paid by them to post ‘Ad’s’, she just really values that actual product! Also, she has really glossy locks so obviously I thought ‘I’ll jump on that bandwagon!’, and here we are.

This is what I ordered:

Hair Density Shampoo Intense – £29.50 (the shampoo and conditioner came as a bundle)

Hair Density Conditioner Intense – £29.50 (part of the bundle, otherwise £19.00 each)

Back to the Roots Hair Masque – £24.00

End Split Ends Serum – £19.00

As it happened, they have an offer at the moment whereby you get a free full-size product when you spend over £65, so I chose the Scalp Detox Scrub which is worth £28.00. The order also came with a free sachet of the Thickening Hair and Scalp Mask Intense! All of the items came with free next day delivery, and were superbly packaged!

They all smell fresh, almost of minty pomegranates! None of these products smell fake, like factory engineered strawberries or coconuts, they smell exactly like salon products! And this smell LASTS. I mean it, I could still smell the shampoo on my hair well into three days after! Which I think we can usually agree that the shampoo smells great in the shower, but usually has little to no scent once its dry or the next day, so this was a lovely surprise!

I started, as instructed by the packaging, with the Scalp Detox Scrub. It had never ever EVER occurred to me to scrub my scalp, but then again, I scrub my body so why not my scalp. The scrub claims to get rid of any excess product, and thus, revitalise the roots giving more volume and according to some of the other reviews, an extra day without washing. It is a bit difficult to use if you’ve never done it before, you have to get the scrub on the roots and obviously a mass of hair like mine, can sure as hell get in the way! Once its on its actually very satisfying and the menthol smell and tingling on your scalp is really soothing!

Once you’re thoroughly scrubbed, I hopped into the shower to use my new shampoo and conditioner. I didn’t use Back to the Roots on this day, as I didn’t know whether you could use two treatments on your scalp straight after one another, and there online chat wasn’t very helpful (they just send you the instructions again and again until you scream). So I figured that too much concentrate on your scalp couldn’t be good, and would use that another time. Now, the shampoo! One thing I really did notice was the lack of foam! It hardly bubbles up at all, which is something I think all of us are used to! I later found out that Grow Gorgeous are anti-foam due to science showing that its not necessarily kind to your hair! You learn something new every day! Make sure that you rinse all of the little scrubbing particles out, this can take a while, but its more reason to stay under that warm water. You do have to use a generous amount of both the shampoo and conditioner, but they really do leave your hair squeaky clean (LITERALLY)!

Before I dried (well, partially, I never fully dry it as I feel like it makes it drier, if that makes any sense) I used a good dollop of the End Split Ends serum. It smells just like the shampoo, and its extremely lightweight which is something I didn’t expect. Other serums have put me off in the past because I feel like they hang onto my hair and cause it to need another wash sooner… But this was heavenly!

In regards to the Back to the Roots, which I used about four days later when my hair was ready for its next wash, that was also strange to apply having never used a masque before. you have to apply it directly to the roots. I parted my hair the strips as if i were highlighting it, and just massaged it into the roots as I went. Again, this also has a salon smell and gives a menthol coolness to your scalp. Its not uncomfortable, just made me cold haha! The instructions say to leave for 10 minutes or longer, so I left it for 20, naturally.

So, my opinion! Actually, from what I can see and what I have experienced with my own hair these past couple of weeks, I really rate these products! My hair does have more volume and definitely isn’t as flat! It does feel a bit thicker too, and is definitely glossier than it was (photo uploaded above, its hard to take one of the back of your head!). It behaves a lot better than it did; hardly any flyaways, less dryness, easily managed. As for going for an extra day without washing, I haven’t really noticed, but I only washed my hair twice a week anyway! However, my main concerns have been met (so far) by the products that I chose. I would definitely recommend the products that I’ve had experience with and am currently very hair-happy!

Hope you enjoyed my first go at a review!

Love,

SSA x

I purchased these products with my own money. This review is completely unpaid and the thoughts/feelings are completely my own. I just really enjoyed and loved these products!