Strike A Pose: Fashionista Biscuits from Biscuiteers at the #BiscuiteersXBloggers Event

All dressed up for some me time with some wonderful fellow-bloggers and The Biscuiteers! 

Exactly a week ago I headed down to the Big Smoke for some well earned chill time with the wonderful ladies at Biscuiteers. The event called #BiscuiteersXBloggers was held at their Biscuit Boutique on the Northcote Road in London, and was part of the re-launch of their new-look Fashionistas Biscuit Tin for London Fashion Week 2015. 

The beautiful tin of fashion-forward biscuits contain 16 iced biscuits inspired by on-trend pieces by designers such as Matthew Williamson and Charlotte Olympia. 

If you can't afford an original MW dress or CO bag then why not dunk the biscuit version instead? 

I love the concept, and as usual I was blown away with the attention to detail on this tin when I got to see it in the flesh...it really is stunning and would make the perfect gift for any fashionista! 

The Fashionista Tin, Biscuiteers, Priced at £39.50

Lights, Camera, Fashion! We've teamed up with fashionista and style guru Alice Naylor-Leyland to bring you a truly fashion forward collection filled with biscuits inspired by British designers including Charlotte Tilbury, Matthew Williamson and Alice Temperley, not forgetting the accessories to match! You can even mix and match the outfits. Perfectly packed and delivered to your door, it's the only accompaniment to the latest edition of your favourite glossy magazine and fizz! 

"This week I'll only be eating the most fashionable biscuits, they are divine." 

Matthew Williamson

"Looking forward to dunking the Charlotte Olympia shoes into my tea!" 

Charlotte Olympia

"As a bonus, they come housed in a tin almost as adorable as the biscuits themselves" Harpers Bazzar

Flavour: vanilla

This tin contains 16 or more of our delicious handmade biscuits

#BiscuiteeersXBloggers

Back to the event. 

On arrival I was greeted by the wonderful PR team from Biscuiteers, and enjoyed mingling with some gorgeous fellow bloggers, while sipping on some incredible gin cocktails from the wonderful Sipsmith Distillery who were there to attend to all our gin-based needs. Perfect. 

The guys from Sipsmith attending to all our gin-based needs! 

An amazing iced biscuit drinks menu stood at the bar! Biscuiteers you are incredible! 

Sipsmith gin and slimline tonic o'clock! 

Sipsmith sloe gin with lemon tonic, it was immense! 

I always love visiting Biscuiteers, and this was my first time in their larger Northcote road boutique (their other smaller boutique is in Notting Hill) I enjoyed a lovely Christmassy themed visit to the Notting Hill store back in 2013, you can read all about it here. 

The Northcote Road boutique is exquisite and jam packed full of stunning iced wonders. I genuinely didn't know where to begin, but enjoyed a good nosey round, snapping pictures of my favourite items to share with you, my lovely readers. 

Up close & personal to The Fashionista Tin

The Fashionistas Tin - #AliceXBiscuiteers 

Hanging iced biscuits adorn the ceiling in the boutique!

A beach hut made entirely from biscuits and icing - YES. TO. THIS

These roar-some biscuits (see what I did there?) would definitely have been Bert's first choice #dinomad

For ME? Oh...you shouldn't have Biscuiteers! ;-)

The Biscuiteers tins are so beautifully designed and make fabulous keepsakes long after the biscuits have been munched. 

Literally my dream cake #bookworm

For smaller budgets these stunning iced biscuit pops - cute or what?

The pièces de résistance was this ahhh-MAZING dino cake adorned with iced biscuit dinosaurs and flying Pterodactyls! WOW. 

After a whole lot of window shopping and making many mental notes for future purchases, the wonderful Biscuiteer girls had arranged for some brilliant fashion bloggers to chat about their experiences working with fashion brands, and a little informal Q&A session. We heard from the super lovely and fellow Breton-obsessed Liv from What Olivia Did, stunning and very funny Kristabel from I Want You To Know and super Lucy from Shiny Thoughts, whose passion for fashion was infectious! If you don't already follow these lovely ladies then do, they really are at the top of their game & I love reading them. 

During the talk the lovely Biscuiteers ladies explained that they consider themselves very much a fashion brand rather than a food brand - they release their biscuits in 'collections', much like the fashion industry, and their 'pieces' are incredibly design led - it is almost incidental that they taste blooming amazing too! So, it makes huge sense that they would therefore choose to work with fashion-forward bloggers, who care about trends, style and looking fantabulous! 

I was honoured when the Biscuiteer marketing and press team re-iterated that they select the bloggers they work with very carefully; I felt proud to be part of that band of Biscuiteers-Bloggers...it is moments like those that all my hard work on the blog pays off & I feel glad that I work as hard as I do. 

I was particularly excited to hear from fellow-blogger and all round awesome lady Liv, from What Olivia Did. I have been following Liv's fashion blog for well over a year now, and was excited to meet her in the flesh and have a natter. We have very similar tastes when it comes to fashion, especially since my recent 6.5 stone weight loss - now I finally feel confident enough to embrace the brands and styles I have always coveted. 

Beautiful, passionate Liv talking about her experiences as a blogger working with brands. 

Us bloggers putting the world to rights! 

While listening to the lovely ladies talk I felt reassured that I am making good choices when it comes to my blog - that I am right to be selective with who I choose to work with, and what reviews I accept. I felt proud that I do turn down many collaborations because they don't sit comfortably with my blog's content/concept. I felt empowered listening to other bloggers agree, share stories, laugh and encourage each other as we pave the way in this still fairly 'new' blogging world we find ourselves in. 

It was awesome to hear the Biscuiteer team recognise our importance in terms of PR and marketing for them, and other brands alike - I loved to hear that they consider our blogs to be important 'publications', and that they understand the power in the words we type.

Not only was it cracking to hear from these esteemed bloggers, it was also great to mingle with the other bloggers attending the event - it was especially cool to chat to lovely blogger/illustrator Ella Masters - she and I have a lot in common having both shifted bucket-loads of weight over the past two years. I have followed Ella's incredible illustration talent for a long time, and it was great to catch up in the flesh and swap weight loss stories. 

After the talk we were all treated to manicures from London Grace, a new up and coming bar/salon in London followed by a biscuit icing masterclass which was so much fun...

Thank you Fabiana for my gorgeous nails! 

So many colours...so little time! 

After my nails had dried, and I was feeling more than a little bit wobbly after a few too many Sipsmith gins I headed to the back of the boutique to their beautiful icing cafe to have a go at icing some of the biscuits from the fashion collection myself.

I must admit that I have had a little bit of practice having iced at their Notting Hill cafe before, and used their book at home on multiple occasions to ice my own homemade biscuits (remember my dinosaur skeleton biscuits?). However, the gin consumption definitely didn't help my already not very steady hands. It was super-fun to have a play though, and the end result provided lots of giggles ...

My plain biscuits before I attacked them with icing...

I had to do a striped number, right?

Still wet... I gave them my best gin-fuelled shot. Ha! 

To try and take my mind off of my pretty poor icing attempts I ate three delicious macarons and felt immediately better. :-)

Who doesn't love a macaron?

And of course, I couldn't help but swoon majorly over the amazing collection of Cornishware red and white china on display - Biscuiteers use it exclusively in their cafe/boutique, and although the blue and white is my favourite from Cornishware, I loved seeing this alternate colour looking vibrant and stylish. 

Cornishware love!!

Once my biscuits were dry and I knew that drinking any more gin would be a big mistake, I headed back to Bedford with a lovely goodie bag in tow (thanks guys!)

Once again, I had a ball Biscuiteers - and left feeling empowered, excited and proud of my role as a Biscuiteers blogger. 

Bye bye Biscuiteers! Their boutique by night... 

A beautiful goodie bag - thanks to Biscuiteers, Sipsmith, Teapigs, Benefit Cosmetics, London Grace, and Royal Albert for their wonderful gifts. 

The morning after the night before - a cuppa in my gorgeous new Royal Albert (great name!!) teacup... #happyblogger #whathangover

Bye for now

Mrs B

xxx

If you'd like more info on the ranges from Biscuiteers then why not follow them on their social media platforms:

biscuiteersltd on Twitter

Biscuiteers on Facebook

biscuiteersltd on Instagram

the biscuiteers on Pinterest 

biscuiteersltd on YouTube

Hello Party! *Review & Giveaway*

We love an excuse to party here in the Bishop household, so when fabulous personalised party decorators Hello Party contacted me to ask if I'd like to feature their totally awesome party-ware on my blog, how could I refuse? With two special birthdays on the horizon, I knew I had the perfect occasions to choose decorations for. 

Hello Party specialise in personalised posters, banners and bunting: with a wide range of designs to choose from, and varying options for any budget, they've got your party decoration needs covered. 

I really enjoyed browsing their website, and soon fell in love with (you guessed it) their biscuit themed collection. This set the wheels in motion for how we were going to celebrate Bert's second birthday (back at the end of August). We had already planned our weekend away: a stay in a caravan on the coast in Pagham and a visit Peppa Pig World (read all about our fabulous day with Peppa here)...but I wanted to host a special 'party tea' for Bert while we were away to give him an authentic birthday experience fresh from my own memories of childhood birthday teas. 

As soon as I saw the Hello Party biscuit collection I knew that hosting a biscuit tea party for Bert would be perfect - not only because he loves biscuits almost as much as his mummy, but because packets of biscuits would be easy to pack in the car and transport to the caravan. Perfect! 

We ordered 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' biscuit bunting (I chose not to personalise this string as I knew I would want to reuse it time and again!), a large personalised biscuits poster, and a large biscuits birthday banner. 

I cannot tell you how thrilled I was with the items when they arrived - I couldn't wait to set up the biscuit tea party and make fabulous biscuity memories with my boy! 

His biscuit tea party was a complete success - he genuinely couldn't believe his luck when he woke up to find a homage to all things biscuit awaiting him outside the caravan for his birthday breakfast...

Is there anything cuter than a sleepy, pyjama-clad boy with bed-hair? 

Bert sat atop the table proudly - excited by the prospect of being allowed to inhale multiple biscuits before 10am! Well...you're only two once, right? 

The adults dived into the biscuits as well - it was a treat for all of us...we felt very nostalgic as we bit into biscuits that reminded us of our own childhoods...

Custard creams, pink wafers, party rings, bourbons, Oreos, NICE, fig rolls, jammy rings, malted milk AND shortcakes. 

Wow, that's a lot of biscuits!

A biscuit tea party fit for a king! 

Bert loved seeing his photograph on the personalised banner and the colours and illustrations were so bright and eye catching that he kept looking up at them and shouting "Bert" and "biscuit".

I'm allowed biscuits for breakfast? Really?

Which are your favourite?

I'm pretty sure the other holiday makers on the campsite thought we were a bit barmy, but it was all good fun, and a brilliant way to start off Bert's special day. 

The poster, banners and bunting really helped to set the scene beautifully and made the whole experience extra-special. 

One in each hand, good boy Bert! 

I was truly blown away by the quality of the partyware from Hello Party, and would recommend them time and again to anyone looking for high-end, fantastic quality party decor. 

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, as it is obvious the quality of the products just by looking at them. I opted to have our biscuit banner and poster printed on thick and super strong board, with a gloss finish and our bunting printed on paper, but Hello Party have multiple options at checkout and depending on your budget you can have your items printed on either 170gsm good quality paper, on 3mm foamex board (pictured) or on 'cling' a removable, multi-positionable digital printing film (wall sticker). 

Personalised with a photo of my cheeky chap! 

I won't admit just how many biscuits we munched through during Bert's birthday weekend, but needless to say we were all pretty sick of the sight of them by the time Monday came around! Ha. Naturally, after a couple of days my taste for them returned - you can't have too much of a good thing, after all. 

I bet the caravan wall had never looked so good! :-) Please note that the paper biscuit garland was purchased separately (I have a LOT of biscuit themed stuff!)

Prices vary depending on the product, size and material option chosen at the checkout but to give you an idea here's how my items were priced:

A2 board/gloss biscuit poster = £31.99

'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' biscuit bunting = £21.00

Small board/gloss banner = £15.99 

Hello Party also cleverly offer a 'keepsake' option whereby they create smaller prints of your items on either paper or board with fold out easel to keep long after your party is over. These options come at a small extra cost, just work through the 'keepsake' option at checkout. 

Instead of having keepsakes printed I loved the biscuit poster so much that I have given it a 'forever home' in my tea & biscuit themed dining room/study...

Hello Party biscuit poster in it's forever home. 

My Stepdad's 60th Birthday

This weekend just gone we celebrated my stepdad's 60th birthday with a big BBQ and garden party at his home in Surrey. Once again, Hello Party supplied us with a collection of their brilliant party-ware this time from their 'Birthday Beer' collection, which is perfectly apt for my stepdad Rob as he is rather partial to a pint (or six two!)

Again we opted for one poster, one banner and one string of bunting - this time all printed on paper. Considering the paper option is their cheapest printing option, I couldn't fault the quality of them, even in comparison to Bert's biscuit collection printed on board, they were still fantastic - the paper (more like card) is thick, strong and the print quality is vibrant and each item had a super-professional finish. 

In fact, the paper banner and poster were such good quality that blu-tack wouldn't keep them up and my stepdad ended up screwing them to the fence using his drill! Haha! They definitely weren't going to fall down after that! 

I would advise to get your rolled paper posters/banners out of the tube and lie them flat with a weight on them for a day or so before your party (pop them flat under a rug or something) to help flatten them out and make them easier to stick up using blu-tack, or get your drill out like us, ha! 

Drilling up his own birthday banner! 

We attached the banner to the first panel of garden fence as you exit via the patio doors, it looked really fab and was a great welcome to our guests as they arrived. 

Beer banner

This super-sized banner was priced at £16.49. 

Rob's birthday beer poster. 

The large beer poster was stylish but fun, designed to look like a massive pint of beer and personalised with my stepdad's name and age, it was the perfect way to decorate the garden quickly. 

This A1 sized poster was priced at £27.49.

The final item ordered was 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROB' beer-themed bunting which was priced at £27. 

Rob's birthday bunting

'HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROB' bunting from Hello Party

We hung the bunting in the marquee and it looked just brilliant among the lights - the final pice of the trio from Hello Party, this bunting really tied all the decorations together beautifully. 

The party was fairly low-key and was more about getting the family together to celebrate Rob's 60th year than going all-out with an all-singing, all-dancing event - so these stylish but understated pieces from Hello Party were the perfect addition to our day. 

We threw beers into an ice filled tank, chucked some burgers and sausages onto the BBQ and lit the candles on Rob's (homemade by me) Black Forest inspired birthday cake...everyone enjoyed catching up over good food and drink, and the decorations really were the icing on the cake (so to speak). 

Look at that smile!! My stepdad Rob (left) with his Uncle Bob (right) at the party - I think they were enjoying themselves! 

My homemade black forest inspired birthday cake for my Stepdad's 60th. 

My favourite pictures from the party - a great time was had by all! 

Discount Code & Giveaway

If you'd like to order from Hello Party I can offer you an exclusive 10% discount code to use at the checkout: 

(This code will be valid until the 31st October and there is no minimum order value.)

WIN! WIN! WIN!

The kind people at Hello Party have offered up an awesome prize package worth £87 for one lucky reader of my blog. You could win:

1 x A2 (420mm x 594mm ) poster on paper with no finish = £19.99

2 x A3 (297mm x 420mm ) posters on paper with no finish = £29.98

1 set of bunting up to 24 characters = £36.00 

Plus free delivery 

If you'd like to be in with a chance of winning this super party package then enter via the Gleam app below! 

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! 

(UK entrants only/competition closes 31/10/15 11:59pm)

Hello Party Giveaway 

If you'd like to find out more about Hello Party you can find them on these social media channels:

@hellopartyuk on Twitter

Hello Party on Facebook

@hellopartyinsta on Instagram 

hellopartypins on Pinterest 

Disclaimer: I was sent six personalised party decorations for the purpose of this review. All words, opinions and images are my own. 

See More Competitions at: ThePrizeFinder 

Lemon Scones with Lemon Curd and Clotted Cream #whitworthsbakingchallenge

Today I'm bringing you a super-quick and easy recipe for bakers of any skill level. The humble scone. Truly one of my favourite homebaked treats, and one that I enjoy playing with ... plain, with fruit, with cheese, with citrus flavours, with feta and olives...the possibilities are endless, and the end result far superior to anything you might find of the shelves of a supermarket. I made these lemon varieties as part of the #whitworthsbakingchallenge and shared them with my extended family at a gathering a few weeks ago - they were gratefully devoured by all, and the lemony flavours gave the whole eat a super-summery feel! 

These scones are simply flavoured with finely grated lemon rind and juicy plump Whitworths sultanas, I served them with generous dollops of both clotted cream (naturally!!) and lemon curd (homemade if you're feeling über-creative in the kitchen). 

Ingredients

90g Whitworths sultanas

75g unsalted butter, softened

225g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 large lemon, finely grated peel

pinch of salt

35g caster sugar

1 medium egg, beaten

75ml whole milk

120g lemon curd

227g clotted cream

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 200℃/Fan 180℃/Gas Mark 6 then lightly grease a large baking sheet.

2. Mix the flour, baking powder, lemon peel and salt in a bowl and then rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.

3. Stir in the sultanas, sugar, egg and milk to form a soft dough, handling as little as possible to keep the scones light. 

4. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until 1.5cm thick, then fold half over the top of itself (this gives a nice natural break to cut them open once baked), then flatten slightly using the palm of your hand. 

5. Cut into either 12 large or 24 mini scones, using a round cutter, re-rolling as required. 

6. Bake in the centre of the oven for 10-15 minutes until risen and golden, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

7. Once cooled split and fill the scones with lemon curd and clotted cream. Serve and enjoy! 

I whole heartedly recommend giving homemade scones a try if you've never made them before - such an indulgent afternoon treat - and slightly stale scones also make the best bread and butter style pudding (that is if you have any left over!). 

Happy baking my blog reading beauties and hope you all enjoy this week's Great British Bake Off which is based on all things pastry! Yum yum! I can't wait! 

Mrs B

xxx

Perfect 10? - A little update from Mrs B...

Those who read my blog regularly will know that over the past two years I have been on quite a journey. I decided I wanted to be the fittest and healthiest Mum to Bert, and so embarked on a fairly dramatic lifestyle change which has seen me lose 6 stone 8 lbs in total. I've slimmed down from a UK size 20 to a size 12 and am ultimately a much healthier and happier person because of it. 

It struck me this weekend that I haven't written much on here about my weight loss, health, diet or exercise recently, and decided it was time for an update for those of you who are interested. 

This weekend has been an important one for me - I have achieved two things (which I'll write about later in the post) that have caused me to end the weekend on a real high, feeling invincible, unstoppable and hugely proud of myself. I wanted to mark these awesome feelings with a blog post, and spread the positivity a little. So please, if you have the time to read on, indulge me...

Since achieving my weight loss I am asked regularly how I did it, what 'plan' I used - people often assuming I must have stuck to a specific eating plan, or meal-replacement scheme to achieve such a big loss. I feel it my duty to explain to anyone who is interested or will listen that there is another way - there is a way to lose weight and get fitter that means you can still have your cake and eat it too! It isn't a magic diet pill, or a hypnosis tape, it doesn't involve surgery or jaw wires, it is called balance and moderation. It worked for me, and will for you too. 

At the beginning of my journey I understood that my diet needed a big overhaul - I began to calorie count and through that process I learnt to eat fairly clean, to exorcise moderation in all things, to avoid too much alcohol, to cook from scratch as much as possible - I now try to avoid overly processed foods, and I only eat homemade cakes/puddings (shop bought ones are always a disappointment!). In terms of exercise I have burned the majority of my calories through fast power walking on a daily basis, but I also threw into the mix some cross training (until my cross trainer broke). 

Over the two years I have learnt so much about the science of food/nutrition and exercise - I understand that to gain/lose/maintain body weight you can follow a literal calories in vs calories burned equation, and simple calculations can help you to achieve your goals. I have also learned that not all calories are the same - of course you could choose to eat your daily calories in french fries and milkshakes alone, and in theory as long as you don't eat over your calorie goal you would be able to maintain/lose weight despite the unhealthy choices - but would you actually be healthy? No. Would you be playing havoc with your blood sugar? Yes. Obviously, it is much more complicated than that - but on the whole I now try to eat as many 'good calories' as I can, I try to fill up on vegetables, fruit nuts, good fats and complex carbohydrates instead of refined white starchy carbs like white bread and pasta. I try to keep a balance in all things - and the result has been successful weight loss, a huge improvement in fitness, and in turn a much happier and more balanced mind. 

If anything has shocked me the most about my journey over the past two years, it has been how dramatically my mindset has changed, as well as my physicality. I am an infinitely more positive person since gaining control of my eating and exercise habits. Taking the guilt out of one of my biggest pleasures (food/eating/cooking/baking) has really been a lightbulb moment for me. I no longer beat myself up after 'binging' on rubbish foods or drink, and doing no exercise to combat it, I don't look in the mirror every day and feel despair and disgust (strong words, but I really did)...Instead I see someone who understands herself, embraces her passions, and works hard to ensure they don't have a negative effect on my health, my weight and ultimately my wellbeing. 

What I've also learned is that being thinner won't fix everything - at one point during my bigger days I really had 'being thin' up on a pedestal - if I could shift the weight then everything negative in my life would be fixed. I imagined a perfect body, with the perfect life to go with it, and it just doesn't work like that. Instead, I've learnt that there will always be things about my body that I dislike, no matter my dress size or the number on the scale there will always be niggles I wish I could change...but I can't, and those quirks are what makes me who I am, they define me - and I have honestly learnt to embrace them. Sure, in an ideal world my feet would be smaller, my hair would be curly, my breasts pert and perky, I would have golden tanned skin, a cute button nose and legs up to my armpits - but it just isn't going to happen, and I'm not going to waste another 28 years of my life concentrating on stuff that just doesn't matter. Instead I hold in my hands perspective and priorities, I see clearly now that I am in control of my life - I pull the strings in my own puppet theatre, and if I want to achieve things and make them happen, then I can. 

Interestingly, as I've lost the weight and exercised more what I want to achieve has changed - firstly my aims were small - I just wanted to get to a size 16, and then as I achieved that I realised I could take it further. My goals changed dress size by dress size, stone by stone, and pretty soon instead of just focussing on how I looked, what the scales said, and what number was in my clothes label, I began to also focus on how I felt - physically, mentally: how certain foods made me feel, how staying hydrated left me feeling much more alert and happier, made me eat less, which in turn helped me reach my weight goals. Instead of getting pleasure only from weight losses I started to get immense pleasure from smashing exercise targets too: the first time I walked over 5 miles, then 9, then 10 miles, achieving 'fastest mile' records, and losing inches rather than pounds all have become strong parts of my motivations which push me on each day. Two years on from when I embarked on this journey I'm left with a whole new way of life, a new set of priorities and goals - instead of just looking better and feeling more confident when I look in the mirror I also want to be physically stronger, fitter, I want to teach my son by being an incredible role model - I want him to see exercise, good nutrition, but a passion for food as the 'norm': ultimately, I want my family to live a long, happy, balanced life. 

There's something that came with my experience of pregnancy and childbirth that gave me a huge sense of empowerment - I came away holding my gorgeous baby but also thinking 'holy shit look what my body is capable of'. I felt powerful, invincible and the moment Bert was born all my priorities shifted - it was like a smoke screen had been lifted and suddenly I could see that all of the minutiae I had been stressing over in the past were just not important anymore, and instead what I should be focussing on was my own health and happiness (not just for my sake, but for the sake of my family). I vowed that if I were to ever have another child I wouldn't be fat and unhealthy going into that pregnancy, I wouldn't be "high risk" because of my BMI, and I wouldn't be stuck in a rut of unhealthy living. Instead I would be a healthy weight, I would be fitter and my life would be full of balance - and I feel so good to have achieved that. I am now ready to think about expanding our family, I am hopeful and positive for the future - excited at the prospect of giving Bert a brother or sister one day soon (fingers crossed!)

Along with losing the weight and gaining fitness I have also gained a fresh and positive outlook on life - my glass is most definitely half full, I appreciate just how lucky I am, and I recognise how hard I work but also know to give myself a break sometimes. I cannot be everything to all people, I can only do my best. I try hard to put myself only around people that make me feel good, positive and happy, those who ultimately share my outlook, and whose bones are kind. I have spent too many years of my life being drained by negative people, and wasting energy trying to 'save' people that just don't want to be saved. I guess the point of all this splurging from my virtual mouth is that I want to impress a message, harsh as it may be, to anyone reading this who may be stuck in the same rut I was...

If you want to lose weight, do it. 

If you want to change your career, do it. 

If you'd like to settle down and meet the perfect partner for you, do it. 

If you have health issues that need addressing, address them.

If you are in an unhappy relationship, make a change.

If you've always wanted to travel, book that ticket. 

If you'd like to start a blog/write a book/learn a language, start it/write it/learn it.  

Whatever it is, if you want it, I mean REALLY REALLY want it then you can absolutely make it happen!

And if the things you think you "want" are wholly and completely unachievable, let them go. Don't waste your precious time and energy chasing something you'll never achieve. 

A few months ago I wrote this post about the frustration I was feeling regarding being a stay at home mum and no longer bringing in a wage, I felt desperate and like I had no options - I couldn't see the wood for the trees and felt so worried about what we were going to do for money. And then I gave myself a good talking to! I wanted to earn money, but I didn't want to go back to full time work, I wanted a job that enabled me to stay at home with Bert and I was the only one who could make it happen. So I had a good think about my skill set, I talked to friends and I explored avenues I had been toying with for years...I took the plunge, I started asking around, I saw gaps in the market and I jumped in with both feet, swallowed my fear, embraced my inner American and started to say "hey, I can do this", "I can help you with this", "I'm good at this" and began to see that my skill set is unique, and deserves a salary. Four months on and I am now working as a freelance Social Media Consultant and Business Development Manager, I have three wonderful clients, some great business associates, really interesting projects on the horizon, and I'm learning to fit it all into my life as a busy stay at home mum. It feels amazing to be working, to be creative, to be back in the 'grown up' world, to feel useful and to be learning and developing every day. It is quite an incredible breakthrough for me to finally realise that my skills are pay-check-worthy, and that I have a lot to offer the world. And it feels even more awesome to know that I went out there and made it happen. Of course encouragement and guidance from friends and family have helped no end, recommendations from great mates have gained me new clients, and for that I'm so thankful. But ultimately I am in the drivers seat of my own life and every day I'm learning the importance of self-belief, drive, kindness and positivity. 

I truly believe that my shift to a balanced and moderate lifestyle has helped to achieve this balance in mind, and although of course I still have my off days, on the whole life is damn good and I feel lucky every day for what I've got. I'm no longer dwelling on what I don't have, and I'm working hard to celebrate and enjoy what I do. 

In terms of my weight loss I have been successfully maintaining my weight at around the ten and a half stone mark for the past six months. I now understand what is 'enough' for me day to day in terms of calories, I enjoy treats and blow outs, but work hard to pull it back so that it doesn't have a huge impact on my weight overall. I still eat cake, I still enjoy fast food, I still drink gin and tonic - but I am moderate with it. And those times I'm not moderate with food I put in the extra work physically to burn it off - it is a delicate balance day to day. Overall I feel in control and that is the main thing. After a year and a half of continual weight loss, and six months maintaining that loss, I decided it was time to think about the future, and any new goals on my horizon. 

Looking forward, ideally I would like to get to a final weight goal of ten stone. It would put me a good ten pounds into my 'healthy weight' category according to the BMI scale (10 stone 10 lbs for my height is classed as a 'healthy' weight, 10 stone 11lbs is classed as 'overweight'). I don't have a specific time frame to achieve this - I am ultimately happy and content at my current weight and dress size, but as with anything, there is always room for improvement, goal posts can always change. 

I am aware that of course, if I am to fall pregnant again soon (fertility gods pending) then I will undoubtedly put weight on and all weight losses will be put on hold: but I feel confident that I have learned enough lessons to ensure that the amount of 'baby weight' I gain will be reasonable, moderate, and should be fairly easy to get off again once a new addition arrives. 

Pretty much my mantra! My Mother In Law saw this on her holiday in Portugal & I just had to share it on here...

Aside from my future weight goals, and my hopes for growing our family, I also have goals in terms of fitness...

I'd like to return to the University of Bedfordshire to undergo a third Bod Pod test to fully understand my current physical make up (body fat percentage, muscle mass etc) - I have found my two previous experiences to be truly enlightening and would love to see what improvements I've made to body since my last round of testing back in July 2014. 

I want to work on stepping up my activity levels and intensities. I have power walked for two years with some fabulous results, but now I'd like to also start to focus on becoming stronger, building muscle mass, and toning rather than just exercising for weight loss. 

I took the first plunge into the world of more intense exercise this weekend when I took part in my first ever Park Run. Not only was it my first ever Park Run, it was my first run full stop. I'd never attempted running before the weekend - partly due to my own fears and reservations, partly due to my three slipped disc back issues. But I decided to give it a try - if it was agony I could always stop and lo and behold I completed a 5k run and pushed Bert in the buggy the whole way!! Did I run every single inch of it? No. I power walked when I needed to, I listened to my body and understood my own level of fitness - but I did manage my fastest ever mile (11 mins for those who are interested) and I completed 5k in 38 minutes and it felt INCREDIBLE. 

No, I won't break any speed records for that time, but I didn't do it to break records or win medals - I did it as a personal challenge, a demon I needed to beat, something I needed to prove to myself. I no longer need to be afraid of exercise. I can do it. My body is incredible. And the more I do it, the better at it I will become - I will get faster, I will get stronger. My husband is a testament to this: two years ago he couldn't run for a bus - in May he ran a marathon in a brilliant time. Change can happen. 

I will definitely do Park Run again, and I will only be in competition with myself. I would love to beat my times and continue to prove to myself that I can achieve whatever I set my mind to. I'm hoping that my back will hold out - I'm going with the notion that my almost constant power walking isn't that different in terms of impact to a semi-regular 5k run, and I'm hoping that it may even help to ease my disc issues by improving my strength, building up my core muscles and improving my overall fitness...obviously if my back says otherwise I will have to rethink things, and that too is fine. Que sera.

5k Park Run fun! 

Aside from completing my first 5k run this weekend, I also enjoyed a personal victory when I managed to fit into a UK size 10 vintage dress when browsing at a Vintage Fair in Bedford on Sunday. Although I didn't end up buying the dress, as the top half was a little too 'shoulder paddy' for my liking, I was chuffed to bits to have gotten into it easily. It wasn't made of super-stretchy material, it was a fairly fitted tea dress, and I got it on!! I didn't have to fight with the zip or wage a war with the seams, it just fitted. This was a big deal for me... A) Because I never imagined in a million years I would ever fit into a size 10 and B) because I have literally never been able to fit into a size 10 item of clothing ever before in my life! I'm not your average normal sized girl who put on a few stones in pregnancy, I have literally been fat/overweight since childhood. As a 13 year old I wore a size 16, so this size 10 tea dress was a big deal for me.

Do I consider myself to 'be' a size 10? No. 

Am I closer to believing that this might one day be achievable? Yes. 

Am I hell bent on being a size 10 come hell or high water? No. 

I am happy in my own skin, and truly believe health, happiness and fitness levels are the most important thing. But I'm also human, vain and a lover of fashion - so of course the notion of achieving a 'perfect 10' in terms of both stones I weigh and dress size is a cool notion for me. 

It's nice to know that it's a possibility for my future, it's a goal that is in sight. 

The size 10 vintage tea dress I tried on at a Vintage Fair in Bedford today - excuse the toilets shot, it was the only place to try on the clothes! 

This weekend has been a truly glorious one full to bursting with all of my favourite things I am left feeling so thankful, and so excited for what the future holds. 

This weekend I am winning. The glass is overflowing and I have gotten the balance exactly right. It won't happen like that all of the time, and that's fine too. You've got to take the rough with the smooth after all. 

We have spent the weekend as a family, we have had my lovely cousin Vicky to stay with us, and I have relished playing the role of 'hostess' - I do love to entertain. We have squeezed every last bit out of our weekend together and if I could pick a weekend to be my Groundhog Weekend then the one that just passed would be it. 

Saturday and Sunday have seen me do my first 5k run, eat a delicious brunch at my favourite restaurant, bake two new-to-me recipes, cook a delicious dinner for us all, enjoy a couple of cheeky gin and tonics, I have had proper quality time with both Liam and Bert, I have crocheted, blogged, gone for a long walk with my boys, done some vintage shopping, eaten tea & cake, fed the ducks, caught up with friends and family on the phone, and even managed a smidgen of proper 'work' thrown in there for good measure. 

I am excited for what next week will hold, and am feeling über-positive about the future. 

Bert and I on our long walk today. He is my world, and the reason I push on to achieve my goals.