2014 Highlights

My first blog post was my highlights of 2013, so I thought I'd do a little round up of my favourite memories and life moments of this year.  

Liverpool life

 John and I have lived in our house in Liverpool for 13 months now, and one of my favourite things this year has been life in Liverpool. I really love our little house, and where we're located - close to cute independent cafes and restaurants and a very short train journey into town, but also with lots of lovely local walks around and by the waterfront.

This year, I also had 6 months of having my sister and brother in law living closer (in Manchester), which meant spontaneous weekend hang outs and even the occasional weeknight get-together were possible. I loved having family so close, but am really excited for them as they move back to Scotland.

I feel really settled here, and this year have become friends with some really amazing people. I feel like the friendships I've made here in Liverpool are testament to God's faithfulness - as I've lived in quite a few different places and feel sad at having close friends scattered and not in my day-to day life - yet God has provided people here for me too. 

Paris

Any quality time with John is amazing, but the 4 days we had together in Paris with no distractions (other than me getting a chest infection) was a really good memory. My favourite things of the trip were the amazing french pastries, our macaroon mission, wandering around the beautiful city, and visiting the beautiful and iconic sights of Notre Dame, the Sacré-Cœur and the Eiffel Tower (which was stunning at night).

Graduating (finally)

It felt like a big accomplishment to finally graduate! It took me a few more years than I had thought after leaving school in '08, but I worked really hard to gain my degree and am glad I persevered through the last 3 years. The last 2 years of my degree were particularly difficult due to my health, and there are a number of people that supported me in amazing ways to achieve it. 
On the day my mum, dad and brother came from opposite ends of the country to celebrate with me and John.

Summer with Clover

This year Clover came and lived in Liverpool with us for a few months in Spring/Summer. She is the most friendly, lovely dog to look after, and I loved having her and going on lots of walks!

John at University of Liverpool

This year I've been so proud of how John has not only been doing so well at uni, but also I am so happy for him that he's found the subject/vocation that he is really interested in and loves so much. 

Here's to a happy and healthy 2015! I am excited to see what the year will bring...

Fi x

Keeping active in colder months

One of my resolutions for this year was to be more physically active, and become stronger and fitter, following on from a long period of inactivity due to health. In summer I really enjoyed talking long walks, which was especially spurred on by lovely bright sunny weather, having a dog for a few months who required regular walking, and the promise of ice cream if I made it far enough. Roll around autumn/winter, dark nights and cold weather, and I have found that being curled up on the sofa with a hot drink is much more appealing than venturing outside and doing some exercise.

In light of this, being active in these colder seasons takes a more concerted effort. 

Here are some of my favourite ways of staying active:

Dog walking or just walking! I love this as it's a gentle option and doesn't involve any pre-planning other than grabbing your coat, boots and gloves. In these seasons, I tend to walk more during my weekends and on days off as it's very dark before and after work.

Swimming and aquaerobics is a great option since its an indoor activity, can be done no matter what the weather, and if it's dark outside. I particularly like aqua-aerobics as it helps keep me motivated to do a full hour of exercise, as the instructor is there to keep me engaged. The session I go to is really good as the instructor varies the excercises week to week, and usually incorporates a section of upper limb weight training, which I love as I really need to work on the strength in my arms.

A new favourite way to stay active is cycling. Liverpool has recently launched loads of city bike stands, all across the city. The premise of city bike is that you register online (which can be done via your phone), top up your account with credit, then go to a stand and pick up your bike. Bikes can be picked up and dropped off from different stands which is so handy. A couple of weeks ago, my sister and I rented bikes in the city centre, rode along the waterfront and dropped them off at a stand 5 minutes from my house. Also, these bikes are so comfortable to ride, they don't give me any wrist/upper limb pain which is amazing for me.

Fi x

Getting into skincare: The Body Shop's Camomile Cleansing Butter

I really wanted to write a post about a skincare product which really love, and has changed my outlook on skincare.  I have not ever really been too excited about skincare, and to be honest was pretty lazy at taking care of my skin - mostly using face wipes to remove makeup, and only very inconsistently actually washing my face (tut tut).

The Body Shop's 'Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter'  has changed all that for me.

This cleansing butter is brilliant as it removes all makeup, including waterproof eye products without having to scrub and pull at your eyes. It cleanses the skin really effectively without feeling harsh and leaves the skin feeling lovely and moisturised, and has a lovely gentle smell. I use this by taking a small scoop and massaging it all over my face (onto dry skin), and then wash it off using a flannel and warm water. This product also works well mixed with a small amount of brown sugar to make an effective facial scrub, which helps to remove dry skin. 

It costs £12 but you can always buy it as part of some deal (psst - the Body Shop currently have 40% off everything). 

I have always had a very simple skincare routine of cleansing + moisturiser, but this product has made me start to really enjoy my little skincare regime and has meant I've started researched other skincare ingredients and products, so I may have a few more reviews coming soon.

Happy face washing!

Fi x

Being content

Seeking contentment is something I have always struggled with. I tend to get very excited for the next stage of life, which can mean I feel dissatisfied with what I have, where I live, where am I in my life. It's not that I don't find joy in my everyday being - I am very happy. But sometimes I look back on situations and think that I didn't appreciate how great it was at the time. For example, when I lived in Aberdeen I went to school 2 of my best friends -  we saw we each other every day, spending many hours of the day together, and rarely going a weekend without hanging out. I was so blessed to have met such amazing friends there, and I so appreciated it at the time - but only looking back did I realise how good I really had it.

There are 2 things that I've read recently that got me thinking about being content. 

Hannah Maggs (www.hannahmaggs.co.uk) - who writes a blog/makes youtube videos, is a new mum, and has recently started a business - has spoken about the concept of blackout. 'Project Blackout' is a challenge to switch off the internet for a set amount of time, regularly, and spend time doing things without feeling the need to be updating facebook, instagram, twitter etc. Myself, I feel that I have to re-learn how to relax and spend leisure time, as currently my automatic way to relax is my grabbing the laptop and a cup of tea (sometimes for unhealthly periods of time). Whilst the internet is an amazing way of connecting with people, exploring interests and learning; an unhealthly proportion of it can exacerbate discontentment, feelings of inadequacy and make it seem like everyone else is living a more perfect, successful life than you.

During the same week as thinking about blackout, in church we studied Psalm 73, which describes someone who feels frustrated and discontent with their life, away from God. They are envious of those who have money, health, and seem to have no worries. However, the psalmist realised that all he was envious of was temporary. I took this passage as an encouragement to continue to trust in God; to look to Him for contentment and happiness,  and not be consumed by desire for material things and to know things that pain, stress, are only temporary. 

So in summary, I want to balance both enjoying each day, without internet dominating my time, or feeling reliant on it to relax; and try to keep perspective that God has all the big (and little) things planned out for me, and that truely being content will come from knowing Him more.

Fi x

A little trip to Paris

This July we took a little trip to Paris. John had been a few years ago when travelling around Europe, but I hadn't been since I was a toodler squeezed into a cot in Disneyland Paris.

This trip was a treat to celebrate my birthday, graduation and our 3 year wedding anniversary. We stayed for 4 nights in a studio apartment in Montemarte that we found on airbnb (https://www.airbnb.co.uk/). I would really recommend that Montemarte area if you're planning a trip to Paris - it's more reasonably priced and still very easy to get into Central Paris via the Metro.

For this type of holiday - a 'city break' - 4 days was an ideal amount of time, as we didn't have to try and squeeze everything in too quickly, but managed to see most of the places we had wanted to (minus the Musée d'Orsay). For me, the highlights included the amazing cathedrals, Eiffel tower at night (cheesey but true) and the delicious food. Paris is just such a beautiful city to walk around and spend time in, I would love to visit again.

John & I decided to 'vlog' our trip - as a fun way to look back and to share with our friends & family.

Here are the videos documenting our trip.

Fi x

Liverpool favourites - Bold Street edition!

It's been a few months since I noted down a few of my favourite finds in Liverpool, since then I've found a few more stand out places - which all happen to be on Bold Street. John & I resolved at the start of the year to make sure we spend more quality time together, which has happily resulted in us trying more food/cafe places. So, here's round 2 of my favourite places to hang out/eat in Liverpool...

[The Italian Club]

I first visited this quaint Italian restaurant with a friend, which we stumbled upon when walking past. From the outside, it looked like it had a really nice atmosphere. The prices are so reasonable - we split a salad and a massive pizza and it only came to about £5 each! (This restaurant is listed on the Indepdendent's top 50 cheap eats.) The pizzas are totally amazing, the best I've had outside Italy without a doubt. Yum yum!

(The picture is from when I took John, who, being a boy, refused to share a pizza and therefore we had waay to much food! We did get it packaged up to take home though.)

There is also a sister seafood restaurant called The Italian Club Fish, which is also on Bond Street, and also amazing (albeit more expensive).

[Leaf]

Leaf is an independent teashop/cafe/bar. It's open 9am til midnight - and serves delicious food to suit any time you go. It also a venue for some small gigs, and other events you can pay for (such as the 'pudding club' - where pay something like £12 and get a 5 course meal consisting entirely of deserts - amazing). They do a lovely afternoon tea, which I treated my sister to for her birthday - I'd highly recommend it for a treat/special occasion. (You need to ring up and book at least 24 hours in advance for afternoon tea.) 
The best bits in my opinion: the large menu of teas, the rich chocolate brownies, and weekly (free) acoustic nights.

[Bakchich]

Bakchich specialises in Lebanese street food (if you've not had it before, think humous, yummy marinated, chargilled meat, baklawa...). But really, you just need to go there and try it - it's so delicious! Everything is really fresh, and there's great veggie options too.  I'm now completely converted to falafel after being totally against it (I blame the dodgy supermarket pre-packaged falafel wraps).

All this talk of food has made me hungry, so I'm off for a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits!

Fi x

Recipe book: blueberry muffins

Blueberry muffins are my favourite kind of muffin. This recipe, has developed through trying many other recipes. These, for me, are the ultimate blueberry muffins because  of the yummy "coffee shop" style crumbly topping.

Ingredients

For the muffins:

3 cups plain flour

1 1/2 cups caster sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

2/3 cup veg/sunflower oil

2 eggs (a very ripe mashed banana works well as an egg substitute)

2 cups blueberries (I use fresh, but tinned or frozen would work)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

For the topping:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup plain flour

50g butter (cubed)

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

Method

1. Make the cake batter...

Beat the eggs, then mix in the oil, sugar and lemon juice. Mix the baking powder and flour together (do this in your weighing bowl to save washing up) and add to the wet mixture. Carefully fold in the blueberries. It helps to lightly coat the blueberries in flour before mixing in, as it prevents the blueberries breaking up.

2. Make the topping...

Mix the dry ingredients, then rub in the butter. You can adjust the amount of cinnamon to your personal preference.

3. Assemble & bake...

Put the cake butter into muffin cases, and top with the topping. Bake in an 180°oven until ready (25-30 mins).

Enjoy with a cup of tea! 

Fi x