48 Questions (Part 2)

Here's the rest of the 48 Questions showing my preferences for movies, shows, foods, and whatever other goodness may be thrown in there. If you're just tuning in and would like to see Part 1 first click here. Otherwise, let's get cracking!

48 Questions (Part 1)

A brief look at some of my favourite products, movies, shows, and other lifestyle choices through a wonderful game of 48 questions I found on Jen Kakio's blog.

A Nail Tale

Have you seen these images from the Daphne Groeneveld for Jill Stuart Spring 2012 Campaign by Mario Sorrenti?

HairFlair

My family and I are picky. Have you noticed? We have a lot of tick boxes that need to be checked off before we give our approval. I'm super excited to tell everyone all about...

Theatre Geek Critique

I make no bones about it. I was a Theatre Geek in school. The costumes, the make up, the ability to step into other people's lives for a few minutes was so fun and exciting. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was to get to take my kids to see Red Riding Hood at the Regent Centre this weekend.

Silent Almost A Year

Earlier in the week I blogged about some issues floating around which have caused neglect of my blog, causing me some unusual stress, and how I choose to deal with it all. It's time to tackle the issue head on and share with everyone. 

Grounded

I've had a very interesting and somewhat stressful few days. My blog has born the brunt of it through extreme neglect. I miss all the friends I've made here online which means I couldn't stay away any longer. I decided that while I'm not quite sure how to share what's been happening I could at least share  with everyone how I've been trying to deal with it.

Soho at Christchurch

{image source from soholifestyle.co.uk}

I had a lovely lunch with my friend this weekend. They treated me to an amazing pizza experience at Soho in Christchurch. It was a really great treat to have such a wide variety of artisan pizza's to choose from. I had the Grecian Gourmet.

{image source: me}

It had Feta cheese, sweet potatoes, spinach and cashew nuts

with a pesto dressing. It was really yummy.

This is one of their current advertised specials: Soho Christchurch has gone crazy on Thursday Nights- 2 for 1 Pizzas and Cocktails

Join our Weekend Warm Up on a Thursday Night in Soho Chistchurch. Choose a pizza and a cocktail and get the same again FREE 

Book a table at Soho Christchurch: 01202 496140

This is not a paid advertisement. I just liked their food. The place is pretty popular though so I would thoroughly recommend booking a table instead of just showing up, otherwise you might not get a table without a long wait. For those who are in the area and would like to see more of what food and drink options they have, here's their menu.

Boscanova Cafe

{images from www.cafeboscanova.com}

{image soure: me}

Remember the less than ideal experience at the Cliffhanger the other day? My wonderful husband decided we needed to give this type of event another go to celebrate one of our rare kid free moments. We'd had Boscanova Cafe recommended to us on multiple occasions so we decided to give it a whirl.

This place just about made me squeal with joy. It's not some super posh fancy place. It's like a coffee house cafe straight out of Seattle. The cappuccino was literally the best I've had since I left the Seattle area and the breakfast options were the perfect blast from home. Actual thick American style pancakes (which were amazingly wheat free and yet still springy), real honest to goodness maple syrup, and bacon just like from back home hit my homesick spot and stamped it down nice and tight. 

The decor is ecclectic and fantastic. It's so much fun to explore it all from the tiny pieces of art painted/drawn on the backs of chairs, to the lamp shades made out of empty paper cups, to the painted murals on the way to the toilets. (Nothing like trying to grab a photograph of a mural that approaches the toilets before someone see's you and thinks you're a perv.)

Really and truly, this place made my day. All of the staff were super friendly. They had no idea they'd end up on my blog and this post is completely unsponsored. If you're in their area and hunkering for some good old American breakfast grub, I can happily recommend giving them a go. 

It's been one of those...

 {image source from here}

This is going to be one of those posts that will be as confusing and confounding as my day. Are you ready for the ride?

Porcelain

{sources for images contained in collage here}

Growing up I always wanted that picture perfect flawless skin I saw in all the fashion magazines. I would try searching high and low for beauty products that would provide the best results. I no longer try to recreate those images of smooth, blemish and pore free faces for the sake of looking like the girls in the magazines. I've learned through my life experiences that the condition of our skin can be a reflection of what is going on in our bodies and minds. While I take better care of myself on the inside than I used to, I'm still hunting out those products that can help me continue to detox myself from the outside.

Rhinefield House Hotel

Want to know what we do here in England whenever the sun decides to grace us with it's presence? We run out into the nearest forest, watch wild ponies roam free, search for hidden treasures and find wondrous things like the Rhinefield House Hotel having an open wedding planning event. 

What do you get up to in the winter sun?

xoxo

Back to School Par-Tay

Ok, so it's not back to school from the summer and it's not September so there might be a flaw or five by choosing this song but I'm ok with that. Besides, I can't watch this through without laughing. The cheese in it kills me.

Tea Time

Dragonfly Teas Cape Malay Organic Rooibos Chai Tea

I was excited to find a Rooibos version of Chai tea. In an effort to continue a detoxification process I've been working on for a long time,  I'm limiting the amount of caffeine I consume.  Rooibos leaves are caffeine free so this is a great way to try and explore some chai love. 

Pros: The cost is fairly reasonable. It's organic. An organic product is always a great tick in my box. I'm a big believer about minimizing the toxins I'm ingesting. All toxins take a toll on us. Its aroma is really lovely. It smells almost cinnamon like. 

Cons: This makes me super sad. This tea tasted like bad tuna to me at first. Seriously. As it cooled, the flavor seemed to mellow and tasted more like a normal chai.

Conclusion: It's affordable and has a lot of positives. If you love chai tea it'd probably be a great purchase. I'm not sure this would be something I would drink everyday personally. There's something I really like about sipping a super hot drink when you come straight out of the cold and wet. Since I'm not that fond of the flavor until it cools, this doesn't fit that bill.

If you're interested in learning more about detoxification or cooking my friend Gwen @ Saturdays with Maggy is inviting others on a detoxification process for the body, mind and soul this year. I'm excited to see what she and others do along their journeys.

Do you guys have any Rooibos Chai teas you recommend?

xoxo

Bringing In A Lucky New Year

{img src here}

I grew up in the South in America and bringing in the New Year means black eyed peas, turnip, mustard or collard greens, and ham. The great (or awful depending on how you look at it) thing about having kids is there is inevitably one of these moments. "But why do we have to eat this stuff today? Why? Why? Why?"