Lifestyle: Five Ways To Spend A Lazy Sunday

I work full time in a hotel, so it's not always possible for me to have the weekends off, as it's not your typical 9 to 5 Monday to Friday work week. We have guests staying seven days a week, so I work weekends, evenings, bank holidays and even on Christmas day. (which really sucks!)

So when I have a weekend off, I really relish it. I always plan lots of fun things to do with my boyfriend on the Saturday so it's usually a busy day. But Sundays are my favourite! As it's a day for relaxing, pampering, chilling out and preparing yourself for the busy week ahead. 

So I thought I would share with you some of my favourite ways to spend a lazy Sunday. 

Baking 

I love to bake, it's so much fun. I loving creating a mix of healthy and indulgent recipes, from a lemon drizzle loaf and chocolatey rocky road, to oaty banana cookies and healthy muffins.

Here is an easy, peasy two ingredient recipe for these delicious oaty banana cookies.

You will need: 1 medium banana, 50g of rolled oats

Slice and mash the banana, add the oats, mix together, and there you have it!

I like to add in a squeeze of Choc Shot, to give it a little hint of chocolate flavour, but you could  throw in some raisins, chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit - anything you fancy really!

Then simply shape in to six cookies, and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, so your cookies don't stick. Pop them in the oven for 15 minutes, at 180°c.

Best served warm straight from the oven, enjoy!

(Based on my recipe, they work out at only 50 calories per cookie.)

 Netflix marathon

Hands up if you love a good ol' Netflix binge? Yup, guilty!

There's nothing better than grabbing some cosy blankets, a bag of popcorn, a mug of tea and settling down to watch your favourite show. Some of my Netflix favourites are: Orange is the new black, Orphan black, Warehouse 13, Lie to me, and Dexter.

(If you don't have Netflix, I have linked each show to where you can buy the box sets, cos' I'm thoughtful like that)

Pancake Sundays 

There's nothing like getting your Nigella on, on a Sunday morning and whipping up a batch of pancakes. Banana pancakes are my absolute favourites, especially topped with fresh fruit or warm berries and a drizzle of Sweet Freedom, perfection!

Here is the link to my recipe, if you'd like to get flipping!

Fail to prepare, Prepare to fail

I am irritatingly organised. Everything has it's place, and everything is always in it's place. 

I love to write lists, I have hundreds (slight exaggeration) of scraps of paper and notebooks, with little notes/to do lists/must buys/shopping lists scrawled on them. 

I always write myself a to do list every Sunday morning, and tick each task off as I complete it.

My Sunday jobs include: Washing my make up brushes, Stripping, washing and drying my bedding, Making my bed, Making sure my work uniform is clean, dry and not crumpled in a heap on the floor, Washing my hair and preparing my breakfast for the following morning.
I find preparing everything the evening before, makes Monday mornings far less stressful.

Sunday stroll

Sundays are a great day to go out for a lovely, long walk. Be it with your other half/family/friends, or even solo. I find going for a leisurely walk so relaxing, you can get outside for some much needed fresh air, and it helps to put yourself into a positive mindset for the busy week ahead. Grab your headphones, whack on your comfiest trainers, and don't forget your camera to take some pretty snaps.

I hope you enjoyed this 'Lazy Sunday' post. Are Sundays your favourite day of the week? How do you like to spend a lazy Sunday?

I'd love to know, leave me a lovely comment below.

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Love Laurenx

Fashion: Get The Label Converse Trainers*

I was recently offered the chance to review some Converse, from the lovely people at Get The Label. Of course I jumped at the chance! I love wearing cute trainers and pumps, as comfort is always key with me. I'm not one for four inch stilettos, give me a pair of ankle boots or trainers any day. 

After browsing their website, I chose this classic blue pair*

I love the lace up style and vibrant blue colour of these trainers, especially the classic 'all star' branding.

I think these trainers will look fab paired with jeans, casual dresses or skater skirts.
 They are a great staple shoe for all seasons, as they will add a pop of colour to any outfit, and can be dressed up or down. 

I have paired my converse with my favourite grey jeggings and a cosy oversized grey knit. I think it's the perfect outfit for Autumn, comfortable, yet stylish. 

They are extremely comfortable shoes, and don't rub my feet. The grip is great. I have been wearing these trainers non-stop, and they have been brilliant. They are a very durable shoe, as they have a thick rubber sole. 

I would say they are quite true to size. I am a 7 and they fit like a glove.

Overall, I am a big fan of these Get The Label Converse Trainers, they are stylish, comfortable, come in a variety of different styles and colours, and are very reasonably priced at £34.99.

The Converse range is available from Get The Label, check out the entire collection here.

I hope you enjoyed this 'Converse Trainers' review post. What do you think of Converse? Will you be treating yourself to a pair? 

I'd love to know, leave me a lovely comment below.

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Love Laurenx

*Get The Label kindly gifted me a pair of Converse for the purposes of a review. As always, all opinions are my own. 

Lifestyle: Fridge Raider

I am a big fan of Closer magazine; it's one of my favourites to get stuck in to, along with Cosmopolitan and Women's Health. 

I love the real life articles, celebrity gossip, fashion pieces and beauty news. But above all I love the healthy living/eating/wellbeing tips section, the 'Fridge Raider' page in particular. 

I love having a cheeky nosy into celebrities fridges, to see what dishes they are eating, cooking, loving and recommending. 

So I thought I would take a leaf out of Closer's book, and give you lovely lot a nosy into my fridge.

Let's get started...

1. Where do you shop?

I shop at Tesco. There is only a Sainsbury's and Tesco in my nearest town.
I love Tesco, as they always have great offers and deals on.

2. What is your typical daily diet?
I always start my day with a litre of water, and a big mug of green tea. Then breakfast is usually either Total Greek yoghurt, granola and fresh fruit, or wholemeal toast with eggs, and a piece of fruit. Lunch is a wholemeal sandwich or pitta bread, with chicken, turkey, ham or egg, salad and a piece of fruit. Dinner varies depending on what I'm in the mood for. It might be a chicken salad, or oven-baked chicken, sweet potato fries, cooked in Lucy Bee coconut oil, or baked fish and vegetables. I snack on fresh melon, carrots, frozen grapes, a square or two of 85% dark chocolate, Propercorn or Metcalfe's skinny popcorn and Nakd products. (I love the bars, nibbles and raisins)

Is there anything you refuse to eat?
I'm not really a fussy eater, I like most foods and I'm always up for trying new things.
But I'm not a fan of cottage cheese, baked beans, avocado (I know, I know...) and custard.

4. What is the strangest thing you eat or have eaten?
I don't think I eat anything particularly strange. I love apple, cheese and pickle together.
I always prefer eating my chocolate freezing cold from the fridge, the harder the better.
I also bite in to my ice cream, which I have been told is quite odd.

5. What would you cook to impress your partner?
My boyfriend is a bit of a fussy eater (Sorry Ian...) so I would cook him something I know he loves!
Fillet steak, cooked medium-rare with homemade skinny chips, and lots of tomato ketchup. With either lemon meringue pie or lemon drizzle loaf with Hocking's ice cream (A local Devon brand) or my much-requested vanilla buttercream cupcakes for dessert.

6. What is your guiltiest food pleasure?
If I am going to indulge in something it would have to be either, an ooey gooey chocolate dessert, doughnuts, fruit crumble, ice cream, pick and mix, freshly baked cookies or my rocky road. As you can tell I have a major sweet tooth! As for savoury, I love a good juicy burger or a curry with papadums and mango chutney.

7. What is your hangover cure?
I rarely drink, so I am lucky enough to hardly ever get hangovers.
But my go-to cure has to be a litre of water, ibuprofen, a big mug of green tea, a bowl of fresh fruit, usually melon, mango and berries, and a breakfast of boiled eggs and wholemeal soldiers.
I always crave fruit as my body is feeling dehydrated from the alcohol.

8. What is your takeaway order?
Living in a small town, we have less than a handful of takeaways. A chip shop and a pizza place.
I love treating myself to a takeaway pizza once in a while, maybe once every two months; I always get a chicken, mushroom, sweetcorn and pepper pizza, but I'm also partial to a good old ham and pineapple!

9. What are the top 5 items in your fridge that you couldn't live without?
Fruit
I love fruit. I have grapes, melon, mango, pears, peaches and apples in my fridge at the moment.
Salad vegetables
I have tomatoes, salad leaves, cucumber, carrots and peppers.
Condiments/Jars
I have Branston pickle, mustard, gherkins and green olives.
Lean meats
Chicken and turkey are perfect for sandwiches, salads and pitta bread pizzas.
Eggs
As they are so versatile, you can scramble, poach, fry or boil them. Slice them on top of toast, or on a salad, use them in banana pancakes or French toast. A fridge staple!

I hope you enjoyed this Closer-inspired 'Fridge Raider' post, I would love to know your answers too! If you do this 'Fridge Raider' post, I would love it if you left the link to your post below, or tweet it to me so I can have a nosy! @clumsybaby

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Love Laurenx

Life Update: Ch-ch-changes, far too many boxes and sweet freedom

There's a lot going on in my life at the moment, so I thought I would catch you up on what's new with me. *Drum roll please* The big exciting news is that I am finally moving out! Yay! 

My current living situation is quite different to most; I actually live in at the hotel where I work as a receptionist. My dad also works at the same hotel, so I live with him in the Manager's accommodation. I actually love living with my dad, as he's the best person I know. Although we live together, I still pay my own way by buying all my own food and paying for my bills.

The reason I am so eager to 'fly the nest' as it were, is 1. To actually feel like a proper adult, and stand on my own two feet 2. My bedroom is so teeny tiny and cramped, that we literally have to crawl across the bed to reach the other side of the room. 3. To have my own space, a place to call my own and a place where I can do whatever the heck I want.

I'm not moving far away at all, just across the road actually, which is a massive bonus as I don't have to hire a removal van, #winning. (To be honest, I live in the smallest town that when you 'move out' you'll never be more than ten minutes from where you used to live...)

I will be moving in to a one-bedroom flat with my lovely boyfriend, which is also in hotel staff accommodation. It's not the best flat in the world, but it's cheap, it's my own place and I can easily continue to save up for a mortgage, without being all kinds of skint. 

We will hopefully be moving out in October, which is great but also quite soon. So from now until then I will be busy packing, sorting, organising and filing all the useless crap I have accumulated in my 22 years, under b for bin. 

Seriously, since when have I owned so many clothes? And I still have bugger all to wear... typical.

I also have about 23748893 dvds, oops. 

I have come to the realisation that moving out is bloody expensive. Luckily we already have some of our main items, such as; a sofa, dining table and chairs, a fridge, a vacuum cleaner, pots and pans, a bed and my old bedroom furniture. So we aren't starting from square one. 

But we still have quite a few things on our to buy list: a freezer, a bookcase, crockery, cutlery, a toaster, kettle, microwave, assorted kitchenware and gadgets. Along with general home décor pieces, like cushions, vases, throws, wall prints, picture frames etc (aka 'girly stuff' as my boyfriend would say) then of course we have the very mundane: cleaning products, kitchen roll, towels etc. 

And finally we need to do a big food shop and stock up our (not yet purchased) freezer, fridge and cupboards. Phew! Wish me luck...

*Excuse the random selfie, I had no clue what photos to use for this post. So here's one of me looking very happy to be moving out. Nailed it Lauren...

Moving on... (see what I did there) it's also my birthday in October, on the 17th to be precise and I will be turning 23! I can't wait to eat my body weight in cake, open presents, spend time with my favourites and have a glass or two of fizz. 

It's also my boyfriend's birthday on October 9th, and he'll be turning the big 3-0! 

(Sorry Ian, but you're old now, hehe)

It's going to be a very busy October, with our birthdays, moving out, working full time, keeping up with my fitness routine and attempting to have a social life, so blogging might have to be on the back burner for a while (we also might not have internet in our flat straight away), which makes me a little sad, as I love writing posts and chatting with all you lovelies. 

Don't fret, you're not rid of me just yet, you'll still be seeing my mug popping up social media, as I love me some instagramming. 

Click here to give me a cheeky follow. 

I hope you enjoyed this chatty 'Ch-ch-changes' post, Are you also moving in to your first place?
Perhaps you have any moving out top tips? Or some cheap but still cute homeware gems?

I'd love to know, and any advice is much appreciated, leave me a lovely comment below.

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Love Laurenx

Lifestyle: Life Through My Camera Roll

I don't know about you, but I take so many photographs on my iPhone. I'm forever snapping away at anything and everything, and the majority of the photos I take don't make the 'Instagram cut'. 

So I thought I'd share with you, some of the pictures on my camera roll.

 From food and fashion, to beauty bits and everything in between.

Let's get started...

1. Feeling pretty sassy in my new midi dress. A right steal from Primark!
2. I love going out for long walks in the woods, and I was lucky enough to watch the most beautiful sunset.
3. Cupcakes galore! I went to a Food and Craft fair last weekend, and spotted the cutest stall selling handmade cupcakes, for £1.00 each. So I just had to pick some up!
I went for the Banoffee, Chocolate strawberry, Chocolate jazzie and Cookie dough.
Banoffee was my personal favourite, with the gooiest toffee centre... mmm
4. There's nothing like tea and cake on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

5. These grapes though. *insert heart eyed emoji* They have the most amazing cotton candy after taste. Pop them in the freezer for a few hours, and they are heavenly.
6. I am in love with this bright red lipstick from Elizabeth Arden, in the shade 'red door red'.
I know I will be wearing it non-stop throughout Autumn.
7. I love green tea. I usually stick to the basic original green tea, but it's nice to mix it up every now and then. This fudge melts flavour is amazing! Bravo Twinings, bravo!
8. I've been loving working out lately. I've been doing a mix of cardio, dance and interval training.
I'm feeling pretty good about myself at the moment.

I hope you enjoyed this 'Life Through My Camera Roll' post.
What are some of your favourite camera roll snaps? What has made you happy lately?
Perhaps you're a cupcake fiend like me?
I'd love to know, leave me a lovely comment below.

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Love Laurenx