2018 Travels - BLOGMAS DAY 12

Good day everyone, happy 12th day of Blogmas! 

This year has been lovely for my little travels. Let's have a little recap shall we...

COPENHAGEN & LOMMA; SWEDEN - FEBRUARY

I whisked Dan away like the smashing girlfriend I am to Copenhagen and to visit our friends in Sweden for a week. It was delightful. We did typical touristy things in Copenhagen - Tivoli Gardens, we saw Nyhavn which was stunning and strolled around the little streets. It was freezing cold and snowed which just made me so happy. It was the perfect way to celebrate Dans birthday and start the year off. 

Jönköping; SWEDEN - MAY 

So off I popped to my favourite place again with my best friends Sanna and Joe for baby Tova's Christening. This was a little break which I was so stoked for with my best friends. I unfortunately got super poorly on the holiday but I still enjoyed my time in this beautiful, picturesque place. I love it every-time and want a trip back in 2019 to see my second family! 

NERJA; SPAIN - JUNE 

Our 'main' holiday of the year was with Dans friends who have now become some of my best friends. 10 days in the sun in Nerja, somewhere I'd previously visited twice before. The beach is stunning, the food is fucking sweet as and the company was great. It was honestly the funniest 10 days I've had and I would do it all over again, it was something we all needed and it was just lovely. 

PARIS - SEPTEMBER 

This was my birthday present from Dan, a trip to Paris. In our heads it was going to be beautiful and romantic, it was actually quite grimy and weird. But who are we to complain, we got to spend some lovely time together and that's all that matters to us, no matter where we are in the world. Next year there are already plans and I can't wait to share some more adventures with Dan. 

Already have some  travel plans for next year...but for now they are a secret! 

Have a great day everyone x 

What am I grateful for? - BLOGMAS DAY 11

Hey everyone! 

I always speak about how important gratitude is to me and especially at this time of year, you reflect on what has happened and how you've managed to get through things. For that, I show gratitude. 

In life I am grateful for many things, here are just a few: 

FAMILY 

In what has been a hard year for my family, they've still all been there at the hardest time and as a family we have managed to get through everything together. Love has grown and bad times are replaced with this love and laughs. In the worst of times we build each other up and for that I am forever grateful. I am grateful for the house my parents have put over my head for 23 years and letting me come back when things in life haven't turned out right. I am grateful that my brother has always been my best friend and that he has brought my gorgeous nephew into my life to help my love and confidence to care for someone grow. 

I am beyond grateful to have my family, today, tomorrow and forever. 

me, my nephew and dan

DAN, MY BOYFRIEND

Love is so important to me so to be in love with this special human means the world to me. I've spoken about how much he's helped me grow as a person a billion times but god, I am so grateful for his existence. Without him the past 2 years would have gone a very different way because he picks me up the best he can, he wants to help me grow for our future together. He is incredible and I am so grateful for his love. 

MY FRIENDS

A few stand out - of course - but I am very lucky and grateful to have so many supportive friends in my life. Not everyone holds onto friends they made when they were little once they leave high school, luckily I did and for that I am so grateful. As we grow and we spend less time together the time we do means so much more as adults building our lives. It's great to see everyone grow. 

MY THERAPIST 

I've had a bunch of counsellors in my life but this year I had to go private because it was just time to take control myself. I met my therapist and he helped me to try and change my life. Through ups and downs I am so grateful to have found him, that he let me see life in a different way. Even though I am still having bad times they are less frequent than before. For that I am grateful. 

CREATIVITY 

I am super grateful for the creative blood that flows through me, I hadn't ever touched on it when I was young but as I grow I try to be creative everyday. It makes me feel great and like I'm spending my time more productively than before.

LIFE

As simple as that, I am grateful for life and for the things it is due to bring to me. 

What are you grateful for? Let me know and have a great 11th day of Blogmas! 

Shannon x 

Holiday Bucketlist - BLOGMAS DAY 10

Good day everyone! I hope you are having a lovely day.

On todays Blogmas post I'll be highlighting some places I dream of visiting in my lifetime. I've always been far more interested in visiting European cities than the wider places on Earth. However, there are a couple that stick out. So in this post there will be a few with a mixture of both. 

NEW YORK CITY 

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This is my dream and always has been since I was a tiny little human. Luckily I've met a boy who also wants to visit, my plan is that this will be our honeymoon destination. No hot, chilled holiday. I want a busy, jam-packed, sightseeing, unforgettable get away and New York will be the perfect place. If I could get up and move anywhere in the world it would be NY without a doubt. I was born for busy cities that never sleep. 

STOCKHOLM 

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I have visited a few places so far in Sweden - Jönköping, Malmo and Lomma - all quite quiet and sweet little places. I want to visit Stockholm to see what this part of Sweden is like, it would probably be the most touristy I would have ever been in Sweden. Rather than off my nut on overly expensive alcohol. It looks stunning. 

SYDNEY

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Again, another dream since I was young. Although, I think if my life had panned out differently I would have gone travelling to Australia but god knows what my life would have been like then! I would love to go on a long holiday like my in laws recently did, they did a cruise from Australia to New Zealand and it looked great. I'd love to do that one day with Dan! 

CREMA, ITALY 

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Dan and I have a plan to travel around Italy one day and Crema is at the top of my list of places to visit. This little Northern Italian town is the home of one of my favourite films 'Call Me By Your Name'. That movie made me fall in love with the thought of Northern Italy, it looks gorgeous. Crema looks like the perfect little place to visit on a warm Summers day and it'll be a dream come true when the day comes. 

Now I'm sure that has brought some sunshine to your Winters day, have any of these ever been of interest to you? Let me know! 

Shannon x 

Christmas Tree Brownie Baking - BLOGMAS DAY 8

Hello everyone! As you can tell from the title I took on some Christmas baking. I got a recipe from Sainsburys here after looking on my trusty Pinterest. Usually I'm a decent baker, the same applies here but my opinion on the finished product may be slightly different... 

Ingredients

• 150g cook’s Belgian dark chocolate (76% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
• 150g unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs
• 125g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• zest and juice of 1 clementine (I USED A SATSUMA, CAUSE THEY'RE JUST THE FUCKING SAME TO BE HONEST)
• 3 tbsp port (I USED RED WINE AS AN ALTERNATIVE) 
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• a good pinch of ground cloves
• several gratings of nutmeg
• 100g plain flour
• ¼ tsp baking powder

To decorate 

• 75g royal icing sugar
• 1-2 tbsp gold and silver sprinkles – we used star sprinkles
• 12 x Cadbury chocolate fingers

Ingredients taken straight from the Sainsburys website 

I love baking at the best of times but at Christmas time it's even better to have fun and experiment with recipes you've never tried before. Dan and I are planning to make Terry's Chocolate Orange brownies again soon, they ruled last time and Dan definitely got a lot of credit with his work friends. 

I cannot wait for Christmas time in the future when I have my own home and can freely bake whenever the fudge I want, and be a mum who bakes cookies for their kids when they get home from school. Or the mum who makes gingerbread men as little presents for people, I want to be THAT extra. 

They turned out looking fairly decent, so pat on the back to me. A great way to spend only a couple of hours on a day off! 

I'd say the following out of ten: 

Taste - 5/10 (personal preference) Dan said 5/10

Ease of baking - 8/10

Disaster level on my part - 6/10 (they look OKAY) 

Just to remind you the entire recipe is here so let me know if you're trying these out for Christmas! (I'd advise you to avoid using ground cloves however, they made them taste WEIRD. What else do you have planned to bake or cook this Christmas season, let me know! 

Shannon x 

Christmas Tag - BLOGMAS DAY 7

Good day everyone! I hope your Blogmas is going well and you're super stoked for Christmas.

I've done a Christmas tag that I just found somewhere online, lots of fun and has me thinking so much about Christmas. 

1. Use one noise to describe how excited you are for Christmas.

RAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH - Which is the noise that little boy makes it that vine,  I watched that DAILY for a long time. 

2. Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?

Nuh uh, although Dan and I exchanged Christmas pyjamas on Christmas Eve last year and we are making it our 'thing'. 

3. What holiday traditions are you looking forward to most this year?

My favourite tradition is the way we open our presents, it's my favourite thing. My dad will sit and read out the label for the present and honestly, it's the most homely feeling. My Grandad used to do it and those were the best times. 

4. Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

Fake! I think when I have my own home I'd quite like a real tree, but then sometimes they look like utter shite. 

5. What is your favorite Christmas film?

I have a few, The Grinch, The Santa Claus movies and Christmas with the Kranks. Basically if Tim Allen is in it I'm going to feel Christmassy as fuck. 

6. Where do you usually spend your holiday?

Growing up was obviously with my parents, sometimes my Grandparents. But now I am in a serious, grown up relationship so it is split between my family and Dans family. This year we are at mine Christmas Eve/Christmas Morning and then off to Dans in the afternoon. Two Christmases, YAAAAAAS.

7. What is your favorite Christmas song?

Last Christmas by Wham! - Classic. 

8. What is your all-time favorite holiday food/sweet treat?

Pigs in Blankets and honey roasted parsnips can literally do me. 

9. Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?

Honestly, I get the biggest buzz out of buying and wrapping gifts for people and then I get so excited for them to open the presents. So without looking like a suck up, I definitely prefer giving gifts. 

10. What is your favorite thing about Christmas?

The vibe, is that a thing? Just the Christmas vibe makes you feel all lovely and great. 

11. When do you start getting excited for Christmas?

It depends on the year I suppose, there have been a couple where the month of December has passed and it doesn't even feel like Christmas. But now with a boyfriend and a little nephew it's all a lot more exciting, so I am stoked already! 

12. What is the best Christmas gift you’ve ever received?

That is so hard! I think my dolls house when I was very young was the best, I would still play with it now if it was socially acceptable for a 23 year old. 

13. What is the worst present you’ve ever received?

As much as I love cheese, I didn't really care for receiving an engraved cheeseboard. Maybe when I'm 37. 

14. As a kid, did a sibling ever receive a present that you wished was for you?

Nope, my brother liked games for his xbox and I liked dolls and what not.

15. What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

New York without a doubt, but that is my answer for everything. Dream place to visit for a weekend? New York. Honeymoon? New York. Take a dump? New York. 

16. Most memorable Holiday moment?

I will never forget walking into my Nannie and Grandads living room and seeing the pile of presents so huge that it touched the ceiling. Our Christmases back then were insane. 

17. Do you make New Years resolutions? Do you stick to them?

I do but I rarely stick to them, I can't remember when I ever have. Never been one to say I'll stop eating rubbish in the New Year or go to the gym because it would just never fucking happen. 

18. What makes the holidays special for you?

Family! Always family, and now it's extended it's even more special. 

19. What’s the best part about Christmas for you?

The same as above, creating memories and traditions that I will carry throughout my life! 

20. You have been granted one Christmas wish… What will it be?

To bring good health and happiness to my loved ones. That would be the best. 

If you enjoyed it then you can do it too, let me know if you do and let's chat about Christmas! 

Shannon x 

Welcome to Blogmas! - BLOGMAS DAY 1

Hey everyone! 

It's happening, I haven't done this since 2014 and I've hardly blogged this year at all - silly me. I am here and I am full of Christmas spirit, I'm ready to eat all of the mince pies, watch all of the films and wrap ALL of the presents (Dan cannot wrap presents). 

What is in store for Blogmas 2018 I hear you ask? Well I've got some fun little gift guides for you, Christmas baking, some takes on Mental Health at Christmas time, a look at the last year and what to look forward to in 2019.

2018 has been a big, fun, strange and scary year so let's see what we have to reflect on.

I am super excited for this so please join me and let's have a merry old time! 

Shannon x