Coco: My (spoiler-free) ramblings

I saw Coco in the cinema on Sunday and it was AMAZING.

I've had a frantically busy week and haven't had time to plan/write a lengthy blog post, or to take any blog-worthy photographs for that matter, so I thought I'd write a short post on my main thoughts while watching Coco. Don't panic, there are no spoilers!

However, some of these thoughts are mysteriously specific and won't make the slightest sense if you haven't seen the film, so in that case perhaps you should save yourself the confusion and stop reading now. Don't say I didn't warn you.

• Wow, this film is visually spectacular and beautifully colourful.
  
• Coco (the character) is completely not what I expected and I love her.
  
• Hooray, I still remember some Spanish from my A Level days!
  
• Dante's face reminds me of the hyenas in The Lion King.
  
• The plaza reminds me of the Magic Kingdom and I really wish I was back there.
  
• I really love the way they're bringing Mexican culture to life in this film. It feels so authentic!
  
• Why can't you just let the poor boy do whatever he wants to in his spare time as long as he does his shoe-related activities when he's supposed to?
  
• The security in many of this film's prime locations is a lot more lax than I'd like.
  
• That is one excellent twist which I didn't see coming, and this is one heavy storyline for a children's film.
  
• He just admitted to WHAT in a Disney film?
  
• This is shaping up to be even sadder than the first twenty minutes of Up, and that's something I never thought I'd say.
  
• Remember him! Remember him!
  
• There's a river of tears running down my face and I can't do a thing to stop it.
  
• I LOVE THIS FILM. 

Have you seen Coco? What did you think? 

A Beauty and the Beast tag

The wait is finally over... I saw the live-action Beauty and the Beast in the cinema last weekend and loved it! It was so beautifully done from start to finish and, in true Disney fashion, every little detail was taken care of. The new songs fitted right in with the old favourites and I fell in love with them straight away, particularly 'Days in the Sun' and 'How Does a Moment Last Forever'. I already want to see it again, and again, and again, and again.

The lovely Danielle posted a Beauty and the Beast soundtrack tag on her blog a few weeks ago and seeing the film has inspired me to complete the tag myself. I already loved everything about Beauty and the Beast but this new film has definitely rekindled my love for it even more. 

Here are the questions and my answers - please feel free to join in and post your own answers if you'd like to!


Belle // As Belle's little town is in France, which French town/village would you choose to be a resident of?
I've only ever been to France twice - once to Disneyland Paris in 2014 and once to Toulouse in 2008. So, although I'd love to live in a Disney park for the rest of my days, I'm going to say Toulouse as that's a more realistic answer! The food was excellent so I'd be happy enough with that option.


Gaston // Judging by your actual taste and not knowing their 'true identities', who would you go for - Gaston, LeFou, Maurice or the Beast?
I love Maurice - he's softly spoken, kind, loyal, a bit absent-minded in an endearing way, and a lovely man all-round. Someone like Gaston would be my worst nightmare!


Be Our Guest // While at the castle, who from the staff would you befriend?
Mrs Potts. Her motherly nature and calming phrases remind me of my lovely mother so I'd feel very much at home if I stuck close to her. (On a side note, my mother now reads my blog - hi Mami!)

Beauty and the Beast // Of any song in the world, which would you and the Beast first dance to?
I'll choose the beautiful song we danced to at our wedding for our first dance - I See the Light, from Tangled. It still gives me goosebumps whenever I hear it.


Beast Lets Belle Go // Would you rather save your father from the dungeons and never find love/live alone forever, or leave your father to live his last days in the castle alone and marry the love of your life, living happily ever after?
I would definitely have to save my father from the dungeons, whatever the personal cost was for me. Thinking of him all alone in the castle (or all alone anywhere, for that matter) makes me very sad!

Transformation // Choose only one to keep and use for the rest of your life; Books or Mirrors?
Books books books! I'd be much happier if there were no mirrors in my house.


Human Again // Under the spell, what household item had you been turned into? And what would human function would you miss most?
My favourite household item is my bed so I'm inclined to say I'd turn into one of those. The human function I'd miss most would be curling up on the sofa or in bed in my pyjamas to read my book... if I was an actual bed I think I'd struggle to even hold a book let alone read one!


Death of the Beast // Share a (beastly) trait of your own to kill off.
I think I'd go for my astounding overthinking abilities as this trait permeates every area of my life without fail.  

Have you seen Beauty and the Beast yet? What did you think? 

A lovely date day

Although we've been married for a year and a half, we still love having a 'date day' every few weeks where we spend some quality time together and, as a bonus, avoid doing the housework. A few weekends ago, we had a spontaneous date day on a sunny Saturday.

We got all wrapped up and decided to walk into Penarth for a coffee and a hot chocolate. We mostly wanted to make the most of the weather as we hadn't been able to go for a walk for weeks!

After a lovely brisk walk into the centre of Penarth, we stopped in Coffee #1 for a drink. I had the Choc Full O' Nuts hot chocolate and it's the best one I've had for months. We should really go to Coffee #1 more often, although we do also have a small (large) obsession with Caffe Nero. 

After finishing our drinks, we decided to get the train into Cardiff for some food, shopping and a cinema trip. Believe it or not, despite living in Penarth for a year and a half, I've never gone on the train to Cardiff. I frequently get the bus if I can't be bothered to drive, but the train was a much nicer experience!

I needed to pick up one of Neil's birthday presents from the Disney store while we were in town, so I bought this beautiful bag for myself while I was there. It's almost too pretty to use... almost. 

After finishing our shopping, we decided to try the new Five Guys restaurant in the Brewery Quarter as we'd heard so many good things about it. I went for the cheeseburger with lettuce, ketchup, onions and green peppers, and we shared a large cajun fries. It was most definitely the best burger I've had for a long time - probably the best one since going to America in September. As for the chips, there were gazillions of the things. Neil and I can eat like horses, and we still couldn't quite finish the large between us! I personally don't like heavily seasoned chips so I'd go for the normal variety next time, but the cajun fries were very tasty and not at all greasy. We also bought a bottomless soft drink each... be prepared for the huge range of choices. 

After finishing our food, we made our way to the cinema to see Dirty Grandpa. It was a pretty hilarious film but I didn't expect it to be THAT dirty. Zac Efron and Robert de Niro make an excellent comic duo!

To round off our day, we walked to the bus stop to catch the bus back to Penarth. The bus stops just outside our estate so we didn't have too far to walk on the other end of our journey. We were also back by 9:30pm which meant we had a relaxing few hours in front of the TV when we got back. 

A perfect date day!

Twelve posts of Christmas #2 - Favourite Christmas films

One of my favourite things about the Christmas period is snuggling up with the Christmas tree lights on and watching a Christmas film (or several Christmas films). I also have an annual ritual where I sit and wrap presents while watching a festive film and eating a big bag of crisps... I'm definitely a creature of habit.

I thought I'd list my top ten Christmas films as part of my 'twelve posts of Christmas' series. Do you agree with any of my choices below, or do you have any to add?


1. Santa Claus the Movie
This is my favourite Christmas film of all time and, for me, it's totally synonymous with all things Christmas. For as long as I can remember, my brother and I have watched this film on Christmas Eve with a load of festive snacks. It's wonderfully old fashioned and unintentionally hilarious, and it'll ALWAYS be my favourite Christmas film.

2. Home Alone
I must have seen this film about fifty times and it never gets old. I always wanted to live in Kevin's house when I was younger and now I just wonder how much their mortgage must be, but that doesn't make the film any less appealing. I love the plot, love the soundtrack, love the acting, love the setting... what's not to love? 'Why are you dressed like a chicken?'

3. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Yes, Home Alone 2 deserves its own separate entry. Although I marginally prefer the first instalment, Home Alone 2 comes a very close second. I love the Christmassy New York scenes, not to mention the fact that the two burglars should definitely have been killed by Kevin's antics at least five times each by the end of the film.

4. Miracle on 34th Street
This film makes me well up (several times) every time I watch it. Such a traditional film which is heart wrenching at times, and with a lovable non-tacky Santa Claus as a bonus. The ridiculously far fetched ending makes me love it even more!

5. Nightmare before Christmas
I'm never sure if this film should be classed as a Halloween film or a Christmas film, so I always watch it in between the two. It's such a clever film with an excellent soundtrack, beautiful imagery and imaginative characters. 'What's this? What's this? There's colour everywhere!'

6. The Santa Clause
I haven't watched this one as many times as the top three but it still makes my top ten. I love the fact that the opening scenes are a lot more authentic than other Christmas films... everyone can relate to ruining the Christmas dinner! This was one of the first films I ever saw in the cinema and I'll always remember laughing hysterically when Santa fell off the roof!

7. Muppet Christmas Carol
So much love for this film... another one I used to watch with my family from a very early age. We have a lot of in-moments we love about this film which no one else will be able to fathom, such as 'squashed baby face' and 'Spirit? Yes? Nothing'. Ahhh, good times!

8. Arthur Christmas
The newest film on the list, but definitely worthy of a place in the top ten. My husband and I saw this film in the cinema a few years ago and immediately fell in love with it. Although some of the the old films can never be beaten, it's good to see that lovely Christmas films with a bit of longevity are still being made.

9. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Although I must admit that I haven't seen this film for about fifteen years, it used to be a Christmas staple when I was younger. I remember finding the whole thing totally hilarious and I eventually wore out the video tape on which it was recorded!

10. The Holiday
Not strictly a Christmas film in the same sense as the others, but it takes place at Christmas so I'm sneaking it in at number ten. This is definitely a feel-good film which always makes me feel cosy and Christmassy... it also initially makes me think a house swap might be a good idea (for about ten minutes).


What's your favourite Christmas film?

300 posts!

Happy new year! I've somehow timed my latest blogging milestone to coincide with the new year... what a convenient coincidence.

I thought I'd continue with my milestone tradition by discovering which posts have been most popular since I started my blog. I changed my blog name and URL in the first half of 2014 which had a detrimental effect on my blog views, so a lot of the posts below also featured in my '200 posts' entry. However, there are a few newbies in there (specifically the restaurant reviews!) and I'm hoping there'll be a few more new posts in my '400 posts' entry, whenever that milestone comes around.

So without further waffle (I do love a good waffle), here are my ten most popular posts...

1. Hollister Addison... best perfume ever?
2. Film review: The Great Gatsby
3. Frantic about Florida #2
4. Duffy the Disney Bear
5. Costa, Nero or Starbucks?
6. Cineworld Unlimited card
7. There's no surprise quite like a McFly surprise 
8. New York #4 - Rockefeller Center
9. Restaurant review: Harvester
10. Restaurant review: Cedar Tree Farm 

The ten posts above are clearly a very eclectic mix... from beauty to film reviews to Disney to holidays to restaurant reviews! This proves that all kinds of unique people with different interests read my blog, and also that people seem to enjoy reading a wide variety of posts from contrasing categories on a lifestyle blog. I've never liked to pigeonhole myself into a particular category in any aspect of my life, and this philosophy applies to my blog too.

Have you read any of the posts featured above? What posts would you like to see more of in 2015? Let me know!

Monthly cinema round up: July

I know I've said this about nearly every month this year, but where did July go? I only went to see two films last month which is a shockingly low tally for me and is an indication of how busy I am at the moment. I'm actually speed-writing this post in between paying wedding bills and composing wedding emails... it's fair to say that the wedding has taken over my life.

So what films did I manage to fit in last month?


How to Train your Dragon 2
Such a lovely film! I only vaguely remember the first film as I fell asleep for a large proportion of it while watching the DVD. I should add that this was due to extreme tiredness, so no reflection on the film itself. This film is a great stand alone film in its own right so you won't feel as if you've missed out if you haven't seen the first instalment. Lots of funny moments and a few tear jerking moments... you will definitely have a lump in your throat at some point during the film. You will also secretly want a pet dragon.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 
AMAZING. Fantastic visual effects, spectacular characterisation (for both the people and the apes) and a captivating plot. Although I love Caesar (the head ape) and his little family, Maurice (the orangutan) is by far my favourite character in this film. I was on the edge of my seat throughout and was genuinely afraid during some scenes as the heightened emotions and grave sense of danger are portrayed so effectively. The tension between human and ape is obviously very apparent as it was in the first film, but I didn't expect the violent injection of tension between the apes themselves. I think I like this sequel even more than the first film, and that's really saying something!


And my favourite film in July was... Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Hopefully I'll be able to fit in a few more films this month in between wedding planning/stressing. Check back next month to find out!

Monthly cinema round up: June

How did June fly by so quickly? Seriously? Although the month disappeared in a whirl of work excursions, birthday celebrations, wedding planning and house decorating, I somehow still managed to go to the cinema eight times. I'm amazed!

Here's what I saw in June...


Maleficent (twice)
Yes, I saw it twice because it was so good. It was visually stunning and Angelina Jolie was brilliant as Maleficent. I liked the twist on the original Disney tale and enjoyed hearing the story of Sleeping Beauty from a completely different angle. My only complaint? Princess Aurora was extremely irritating!

Blended
I haven't been impressed by a lot of Adam Sandler's more recent films but I really enjoyed this one. Drew Barrymore is great (as usual) and the plot is funny and interesting enough to keep you absorbed until the very end. Also visually impressive... it's mostly set in Africa!

22 Jump Street
Hilarious. I loved 21 Jump Street and I definitely wasn't disappointed by this sequel. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are a brilliant comedy duo and some scenes had me doubled over with laughter. 'IT'S IN MY MOUTH!' I urge you to see this film.

Edge of Tomorrow
This was ok... just ok. It probably just wasn't my type of film, but I couldn't quite get my head around the plot as I could see numerous plot holes. You're probably supposed to be concentrating on the epic action scenes instead of trying to get too involved with the plot! Not one for the DVD collection (unless Neil buys it...).

Godzilla
I didn't think I'd like this film but I was pleasantly surprised. Good plot, lots of suspense, and plenty of scary monsters. Again, it's not really my type of film but I did genuinely enjoy it.

Three Days to Kill
I wasn't sure what to expect from this film as I hadn't seen any trailers, so I was a little apprehensive. Luckily I thought it was great and got sucked in to the plot from the outset. The characterisation was strong throughout and the concept was very clever. Again, one to add to your list!

Chef
Ahhh, this film could have been so much better. Although the constant shots of food were mouth watering and made the film worth watching, I felt as if it was a missed opportunity. The ending was rushed and too predictable, even for me. Some of the earlier scenes seemed very laboured... it's such a shame that more time wasn't devoted to building on the storyline in the second half of the film. The token appearances from Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jr just seemed pointless and out of place. Not one I'll be watching again, especially not when I'm hungry!


And my favourite film in June was... 22 Jump Street!

Birthday haul

It was my birthday a few weeks ago and I was lucky enough to receive lots of money and gift cards as presents from generous family and friends. The money and gift cards were very welcome as I needed to buy lots of new clothes due to going down a clothes size in the last year. Half my wardrobe has been given to charity shops, so my birthday money gave me the perfect excuse to go shopping!

I had lots of New Look gift cards as it's a commonly known fact that it's one of my favourite shops, so here's what I treated myself to from there...

New shorts! You can find them here and here

Black slingback court shoes

Peplum top. So pretty!

Flat white shoes - now out of stock

Lots of dresses! I'm only giving a little preview of these

as I'm saving most of them to wear on my honeymoon

A few people also gave me money for my birthday so I went shopping in Cardiff a few weeks ago... I love a bit of guilt-free shopping. 

I love Superdry tshirts! Coincidentally, mint and pink are my favourite colours

at the moment.

Short Disney onesie from Tesco

I've been waiting for these two DVDs to be re-released for ages... 

they both happened to become available just after my birthday! Thanks, Disney. 

Disney Princess bag from the Disney Store. £2.50! 

New bags from Primark. I couldn't choose between black/white

and coral/stone so had to get both! £6 each

A few make up items

I made the most of various sales and online discounts to make sure I made the most out of my birthday money and got the best value for money I possibly could. I'm really pleased with my haul and think I did quite well!

Do you have any of these items? Have you written a haul post lately? Send me your links, pretty please! 

Monthly cinema round up: May

It's hard to believe that this is my fifth cinema round up of the year... this year is flying by in a haze of wedding planning and general tasks which mostly involve me running around like a headless chicken. In spite of the hectic nature of the last few weeks, I still managed to fit in five trips to the cinema with my Cineworld Unlimited card.

Here's what I saw in May:


The Other Woman
The trailers for this film looked hilarious so I was a bit worried about seeing it in case they'd put all the funny bits in the trailer in order to mask a generally awful film (like they did with Bad Teacher). However, after a slightly slow and cringeworthy start, this is a genuinely funny film with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. It won't win any Oscars but it wasn't a bad way to spend two hours. Cameron Diaz is still beautiful, in case you were wondering.

Bad Neighbours (twice)
Bad Neighbours is the first film I've seen twice in the cinema this year... probably because it's the funniest film I've seen all year. Seth Rogen and Zac Efron are both excellent and this is definitely one I'll be buying on DVD. Although the topic of the film (bad neighbours!) is actually my worst nightmare, it was very funny to objectively watch other (fictional) people suffering from the mishaps caused by partying student neighbours. Zac Efron even does a bit of dancing which reminded me of his High School Musical days. Oh, and there's a cute baby in it. Everyone loves a cute baby.

Frank
Probably the weirdest film I've ever seen. Yes, I know it's supposed to be a weird film, but it wasn't my thing at all. Just plain weird. However, I did appreciate the frequent references to social media marketing as I actually understood those. I liked the general message the film was trying to portray, but it was just a bit too odd for me I'm afraid.

X-Men: Days of Future Past 
Loved this film. Star studded cast, brilliant acting and some amazing visual effects. I haven't seen the original X-Men trilogy but I didn't feel lost or confused during the film at all. This is a great stand alone film, in my humble opinion. It has made me want to watch all the X-Men films now though... that was probably their intention all along. Marvel excels again!


And in May, my favourite film was... Bad Neighbours! Why else would I have gone to see it twice?

Check back in a few weeks to find out what films I watched in June. I've already seen two films this month so I suspect it'll be a longer update!

Monthly cinema round up: April

I didn't go to the cinema much in April unfortunately,  it was a crazy busy month with lots of wedding planning and house activities! However, I did manage to squeeze in four films... two more than I need to see every month to break even on my Cineworld Unlimited card.

So here are the films I did have time to see last month:

Noah 
I wasn't too bothered about seeing Noah and I probably won't buy the DVD, but it's definitely worth seeing if you have a few hours to spare. An amazing visual spectacle and great acting... just don't expect it to be based on the biblical story or you'll be very confused after the halfway point!

Calvary
There isn't an ounce of happiness in this film, but I did enjoy it in a morbid kind of way. It was very cleverly written and the characterisation of every single character was extremely detailed and very plausible. So not a film to watch if you're already feeling low, but not one to be ruled out altogether.

Transcendence
An excellent and very thought provoking film. It was fascinating in parts and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the film. This film will really make you wonder what scientific feats we might be able to achieve in the not too distant future, and will make you question whether this scientific advancement is a positive or a negative thing for humanity. I was slightly confused by the ending, but I think I might just have been tired!

The Amazing Spiderman 2
This film is... amazing! It's probably my favourite of all the Spiderman films I've seen to date (including the Toby Maguire trilogy). I loved the characters and the storyline, and the soundtrack was a bit epic. Although some people thought the film was too long and that the writers had tried to pack too much in, I thought it was very well made. I definitely can't wait for the next instalment. Oh, and I want to be Emma Stone. Please?


And my favourite film last month was... The Amazing Spiderman 2! Check back early next month for May's round up...

Monthly cinema round up: March

Although I had a very busy March, I still managed to fit in six trips to the cinema with my Cineworld Unlimited Card. Not bad!

Without further ado, here's what I saw in March:

Non-Stop 
I wasn't expecting too much from this film if I'm honest, but I actually really enjoyed it. The plot was engaging and the level of suspense was great, even if the ending was a little predictable. Liam Neeson is very good as always!

The Book Thief

Possibly the saddest film I've ever seen. A heartbreaking representation of life in Nazi Germany, told from the perspective of a little girl and occasionally narrated by Death. Apparently the book it's based on is entirely narrated by Death, but I'm guessing it would have been too difficult to sustain that narrative technique throughout the film. I cried (silently)  for the last hour or so of the film... I couldn't watch it again, but I definitely want to read the book!

Muppets Most Wanted
Hilariously random. Who doesn't love the Muppets? However, I did prefer the previous film, purely because I can't stand Ricky Gervais. Constantine does make a brilliant villain though!

A Long Way Down
A moving dark comedy which focuses on four very different individuals who are dissatisfied with their lives for various reasons and are at breaking point. I was excited about seeing this film after watching the trailer, and it definitely didn't disappoint. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel awkward, you'll feel fortunate... it's brilliant! 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Captain America is actually one of my least favourite Avengers, but this was a great film. There were a few surprising twists... possibly they wouldn't be surprising for bigger Marvel fans, but they were surprising for me. Definitely worth seeing!

Labor Day
This was an extremely intense film which actually makes the viewer feel quite uncomfortable at times, and this is precisely what was intended due to the nature of the plot.  A very well made film which was tense, emotional, sad and heart warming in equal measures.


And my favourite film in March was... A Long Way Down, closely followed by The Book Thief (even if it did traumatise me).


I've got lots of great films lined up for April already... look out for April's round up in a few weeks! 

Monthly cinema round up: February

This is the second post in my 'Monthly cinema round up' series. Unfortunately I didn't see as many films in February as I saw in January... I blame the new house and the fact that February went insanely quickly.

So what films did I see in February?

Dallas Buyers Club
Amazing film. It tackles so many prejudices and misconceptions about the HIV virus which are sadly still prevalent in communities across the world, and the acting is spectacular. Matthew McConaughey is phenomenal and just keeps getting better with every film!

That Awkward Moment
I've heard lots of bad reviews about this film, but I thought it was great. It was good to watch a film told from the male perspective for once, and it made me laugh a lot which is generally what I want from this kind of film. Zac Efron also plays a starring role... I have a bit of a soft spot of Zac Efron.

The Lego Movie
Loved it! Every seat was filled when Neil and I went to see this, and there was only one child in sight. Adults will definitely enjoy this film a lot more than children will due to the often very subtle humour and use of irony and satire. 'Everything is awesome!'

Cuban Fury
Another great film. How can Chris O'Dowd be so endearing in the IT Crowd and so hateful in this film...? Nick Frost's dancing was a definite highlight! Entertaining, easy to follow and just generally a feel-good film.


My favourite film last month was... Dallas Buyers Club. A difficult choice this month, but this film really left a lasting impression on me.

Look out for March's update in a few weeks!

Monthly cinema round up: January

I've decided to start a new monthly series... a cinema round up! Since investing in my Cineworld Unlimited card, I've seen a LOT of films. I thought my blog would be a great place to keep track of how many films I've seen each month and to (briefly) document what I thought of them. I'll also post my favourite film every month... I suspect that a lot of people will disagree with this month's choice! But hey ho, variety is the spice of life, as they say. I'm not sure who actually uses that phrase, but it is quite applicable here.

So here's what I saw in January:


Frozen
I love love love this film more than words can express. I'd already seen it once in December but absolutely had to see it again this month. I love the characters (especially Olaf), the plot, the soundtrack, the costumes, the Disneyfication... huge thumbs up!

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Lovely heart warming film. I'm not always a big fan of Ben Stiller but this is definitely one of his better films. Some people would probably think parts of the film were just too random, but I thought it all worked together really well.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Amazing film. Idris Elba is fantastic as Mandela, and the film is hugely inspirational, harrowing and awe inspiring throughout. It's made me want to read up on South African history and to learn more about the horrors of apartheid, and I assume that the film is a very accurate representation.

Delivery Man
Although this film is a comedy, it has some very sad undertones. I thought it tackled the complex issues really well and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. It's just a shame that there were little children in the screening who messed around for the whole film! I strongly dislike the fact that children younger than 12 can watch 12A films in the cinema, especially films of this nature.

The Wolf of Wall Street
I'm afraid I'm not going to rave about this film like everyone else seems to be doing. Brilliant acting, great story, and it's easy to forget that the film is three hours long as it does really draw you in. However, the film is full of swearing and drug use and I really despise both those things. One major observation about this film... Donna from Neighbours has gone up in the world!

12 Years a Slave
One of the most harrowing films I've ever seen. Again, the acting was amazing with a spectacular cast but I don't think I'd have the stamina to watch this film again! It contains some extremely graphic scenes which won't even begin to scratch the surface of what people suffered during that period.

American Hustle
Not the best film I saw in January, but it was very humorous and had a good plot. Jennifer Lawrence and Christian Bale are brilliant!

Last Vegas
I LOVED this film. I thought it might be one of those films that tries too hard to be funny, but it was genuinely hilarious. Morgan Freeman was definitely my highlight in this film. 'You had fifty people in here?!' You probably won't find that quote funny unless you've seen the film. Let it be known that I laughed until I cried at that sentence for about ten minutes.


And my favourite film last month was... Frozen! No contest.

Check back at the beginning of next month for February's update :)

What I bought with my Christmas money...

I received lots of Christmas money thanks to the generosity of my family and Neil's family, so I couldn't wait to hit the January sales. I don't treat myself very often as I'm obsessed with saving money, particularly at the moment as we're getting married and buying a house this year, so it was nice to have some money to spend on myself. 2014 is going to be a very expensive year so this might be my only chance to treat myself!

I needed to buy a few new dresses as a lot of my existing dresses are too big, so I decided to raid New Look. I used to absolutely love New Look in my teens and early twenties, but there was a period a few years ago when I couldn't find anything I liked in there because everything was either too expensive or too chavtastic for me. However, they've really improved in the last year or so and I now constantly have a few New Look dresses on my wish list.

I needed a new 'dressy' dress and this one was just what I had in mind. It fits perfectly, it's the exact shape I like and it's very pretty! The lace detail is beautiful. The belt came with the dress and it was in the sale, so I was really pleased with this purchase. This black dress is now sold out, but you can still buy it in burgundy. 

This daisy dress cost £10 from £22.99. It's perfect for work or for an evening out as it can be dressed up or down depending on which accessories or shoes I decide to wear, and I really love the pattern. This dress has now sold out. 

I've also had my eye on this beautiful ditzy dress from Animal for months, but it's always been too expensive for me to buy until the price was dropped in their Christmas sale. Look how pretty it is! Please ignore my pasty legs. This will be great for work and for holidays, and I'm already looking forward to wearing it on our honeymoon to Italy. I actually bought this dress from Extreme Pie's website as it was a few pounds cheaper on there. In case you hadn't already guessed, I love flowery clothing.

I've needed a new little black bag for ages and I absolutely fell in love with this black lace bag from New look as soon as I saw it. It was a bargain at £9.99! The strap can either be worn over the shoulder or tucked in and carried as a clutch bag. I also desperately need to learn to walk in heels so I couldn't resist buying these beautiful black lacy shoes. I can't actually walk in them yet... hopefully practice makes perfect. Both the bag and shoes conveniently go perfectly with the new lacy dress shown above!

I also thought I'd buy some nice patterned tops to wear to work or for other more casual occasions, and I found these two at very reasonable prices in Debenhams and New Look. I love the bird images on the first Red Herring top from Debenhams. I wouldn't usually buy white tops but I thought this one was really cute. As for the second top from New Look, I never thought peplum tops would be very flattering for my shape but I've now discovered that they actually look quite nice and they're very different to the tops I usually wear. More flowers!

I also took the opportunity to buy a new Yankee Candle as mine has nearly run out. £8 in Asda for a medium sized candle... bargain! I can't get enough of the Rainwashed Berry scent.

Lastly, I bought Ratatouille and the Bon Jovi Greatest Hits album as they've both been on my wish list for years. They happened to be very low in price on Amazon after Christmas so I snapped them up while I had the funds to do so. Ratatouille is a lovely film (all Disney films are lovely), and everyone loves listening to a bit of Bon Jovi. It's my liiiiiiiiiife!

I'm really pleased with all these bargains and feel as if I made my Christmas money stretch very far indeed. I bought lots of different things for various occasions and have now had my shopping fix for the year!

What did you buy in the January sales?

Christmas presents... the entertainment edition

I won't be writing just one 'What I got for Christmas' post this year as I like to write about things in detail, so the post would be far too long with way too many photos. Instead, I thought I'd write a series of posts on the gifts I had for Christmas, split into a few different categories. I love categorisation.

I had so many lovely presents from my family, Neil, Neil's family, friends from work and other friends scattered around the country... thanks everyone! :)  Hopefully everyone enjoyed the presents I gave to them as much as I love the gifts from them.

The first category I've chosen is... Entertainment!

I had 5 DVDs for Christmas this year from my family. We watched Nativity 2 on Christmas Day, and I can't wait to watch the others. I've never seen Cars but I've heard great things about it. Toy Story is just a classic which everyone loves, and I loved Olympus has Fallen and Gatsby when I saw them in the cinema. I want to make sure I watch all my new DVDs before the end of January... I'll let you know how I get on. I think I might need a new DVD rack!

I also had the Nativity soundtrack for Christmas from my sister, brother-in-law and nephew. For those of you who know me well, you'll know that I absolutely love the Nativity and Nativity 2 films and soundtrack. With catchy songs such as Sparkle & Shine and Good News Song, I'll definitely be listening to this CD all year round and not just when it's Christmas!

I also had two lovely books for Christmas this year... The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World from my brother, and The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days book from Nicola, Mathew and Osian. The Disney book is already making me 'homesick' for Florida as I want to find out more and explore some of the hidden and fascinating facts detailed in the book, and I can't wait to bake some treats from the Hummingbird book. 

So I've got plenty to keep me occupied for the next few months! What DVDs, CDs and books did you have for Christmas? 

Ten things I love about Christmas

Did you all have a brilliant Christmas? Are you all still full of food and wearing your onesie/Christmas jumper? After having a lovely build up (including Fake Christmas with Neil last weekend) and a great Christmas Day yesterday, I thought I'd write a quick blog post about the ten things I love most about Christmas. It was very difficult to whittle it down to 10, believe me!


1. The food

Food just has to be on top of any list about the best bits of Christmas. Or is it that just me? It's the only time of year where I can totally justify eating as much as I want without worrying about calorie counting, going to the gym, eating healthily and so on. Although my mother's beautiful Christmas dinner is always the highlight, I also love having trifle and cold chicken at tea time, ice cream and chocolate at random intervals throughout the day and copious amounts of sweets and crisps. I love food!

2. The stockings

I love our stocking tradition and will be quite sad when this tradition comes to an end. Ever since I can remember, my siblings and I (just my brother and I in recent years) have got up early to open our stockings, then we run downstairs to see the presents under the tree before waking our parents if our squeals of excitement haven't woken them already. Although we had proper woolly stockings stuffed with presents when we were younger, we've had big gift bags for the last few years as they're a lot more practical. I had fluffy socks, a DVD, chocolates, sweets, pretty stationery, toiletries and much more in my stocking this year... long live stockings!

3. The presents

I still get excited about all the presents given to me, but I also get just as excited about seeing other people's faces when I give them their presents. I think this is a sign that I'm getting older! I had lots of lovely presents from my family on Christmas Day this year including DVDs, books, pyjamas, baking things and perfume, but I think my favourite present was my new pair of beautiful boots from Fat Face.

4. The standard Christmas Day outfit

I definitely don't go out to buy a dress specifically for Christmas Day. Who needs a dress when you can wear fluffy pyjamas and a hoodie? I'm afraid there's no photo of me in my Christmas Day outfit... I don't think people need to see that.



5. The chocolate

I know chocolate should come under the 'Food' heading, but it just has to have its own place on the list. I would stop myself in horror on an ordinary day if I decided to eat half a mini box of Quality Street chocolates before 10am. However, on Christmas Day, this is perfectly acceptable. This might be a hotly debated topic, but Quality Street are by far the best Christmas chocolates!

6. The tree

I love Christmas trees and published a blog post last week on my favourite Christmas trees of the year. There's nothing better than sitting around in pyjamas around the Christmas tree with the Christmas lights on! There's something very comforting about a Christmas tree... have I said 'Christmas tree' too much in this paragraph?

7. The company

Christmas is such a great time to spend quality time with my parents, my siblings, Neil, the in laws and my handsome little nephew. Everyone comes together from various corners of the UK, no one needs to rush away, everyone wants to catch up on each other's news and the camaraderie is brilliant. It's a shame we can't all be in the same room more often!



8. The novelty crackers

Who doesn't love crackers and their random novelty gifts? Yesterday we acquired two pairs of tweezers, two little packets of playing cards, a bottle opener and lots of paper hats.

9. The relaxation

I'm usually super busy all year round and find it hard to sit down and do nothing, so Christmas is a great chance to just relax, recharge the batteries and indulge in some guilt-free reading. Does December have to come to an end?



10. The films

I love the films that regularly get rolled out for Christmas. Home Alone 1 and 2, Santa Claus the Movie, all Disney films, Nativity, The Santa Clause, Elf, Jingle all the Way, Muppets' Christmas Carol... who doesn't love these films? Yesterday we managed to watch Toy Story 3, Home Alone 2, Muppets' Christmas Carol and Nativity 2. Christmas film fest!

What do you love most about Christmas? I'm sure there are lots of blog posts floating around on this topic so feel free to send me some links!

Christmas tag #2

I took part in my first Christmas tag over a fortnight ago, so it's now acceptable to take part in another one. I'm especially excited that this one is being published on 1st December, so I've just opened my first advent calendar window.

These questions are from Makeup Pixi3's blog... I've just been trawling the internet for Christmas tags. That's how much I love talking/writing about Christmas!

Some of the questions are similar to the first post I did, but I'm going to answer them anyway. Did I mention that I love Christmas?

Giant Christmas tree in Ikea

1. Do you prefer a real Christmas tree or synthetic?
I've never had a real Christmas tree, so I'd have to say I prefer synthetic. I think the mess caused by a real Christmas tree would drive me mad! I also like the idea of being able to roll out the same Christmas tree every year rather than struggling home with a new one every Christmas.

2. You're in a coffee shop, it's December, what do you pick?
A skinny hot chocolate. I do occasionally try the Christmas varieties such as Costa's Honeycomb hot chocolate, but I do love a good old plain hot chocolate.

3. Whats your favourite colour scheme for decorating the tree?
I'm not fussy, I like it to be as colourful as possible! The main colours are usually gold and red, but I always throw in a bit of silver, pink, green and blue too.

4. Giving or receiving?
I do love giving presents and I really enjoy choosing presents for other people and seeing their reactions, but receiving them is pretty good too! I still lie awake with excitement for hours on Christmas Eve when I think about the presents I'll be opening the next morning. I'm just a big kid at heart.

5. To mince pie or not to?
To mince pie! I refused to eat them for years because I thought I'd hate them (I thought they'd taste of meat which put me off...), but they're actually extremely tasty. I always eat them cold though which seems odd to some people. I'm just not a fan of warm mince pies.

6. What's your traditional Sunday lunch?
We always have chicken rather than turkey for Christmas lunch as we all prefer chicken. We also have little pigs in blankets, peas, carrots, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, stuffing, gravy... I think that's everything! We then have lovely ice cream for dessert, and maybe a festive swiss roll. Who needs Christmas pudding when you've got ice cream?

7. Christmas day fashion?
Fashion? I wear pyjamas and a hoodie!

8. What's your favourite Christmas song?
Nothing beats 'Oh I wish it could be Christmas every day'. I also have a childish love for 'Santa Claus is coming to town', even though I remain terrified of Santa Claus. Long story.

9. What's your favourite Christmas film?
I can't choose just one... Home Alone 1 and 2, Santa Claus the Movie, Nativity, Nightmare before Christmas, Muppets' Christmas Carol and Miracle on 34th Street are a few favourites off the top of my head.

10. Open presents before or after lunch?
Before, obviously! We'd never be patient enough to wait until after lunch.


25 days to go! Has anyone else got any Christmas tags to share? There's still time...

Christmas tag #1

I love Christmas. In fact, I think I love it a little bit more every year. I love absolutely everything about it, from buying presents to choosing an advent calendar to eating multiple Christmas dinners to lazing around in my pyjamas on Christmas Day. Nothing can quite sum up my love for Christmas!

I came across Ella's Christmas Tag last weekend so obviously I had to take part in it. HAD TO. I've numbered this post (#1) as I'm hoping I'll come across many more Christmas tags in the next few weeks. If I don't, I might just make some up. That's how much I love Christmas.

Christmas at my parents' house last year

What time of the year do you start your Christmas shopping?
I usually start in September, although I do tend to pick up little random gifts throughout the year. I have to start in September to spread it over a few pay cheques! I have 20 people to buy for this year... the number seems to increase every year.

Do you have any festive recipes for food or drink you limit solely to the Christmas season to share?

I've never cooked anything for Christmas Day as I always go back to my parents' house for it. However, this year I'm considering baking something for tea on Christmas Day. Maybe some shortbread biscuits shaped like Christmas trees? I'll keep you all updated!

Tell me how Christmas goes down in your home
My brother and I usually wake up at around 8am... this has got later over the years! Daf comes in to my room and we open our stockings together (I love this part!), then we go downstairs to see the presents under the tree. Once my parents are up and we've had some breakfast (usually chocolate from our stockings...), we settle down in front of the tree to open all the presents. After we've opened everything, we read our books/play with our new toys while the Christmas dinner simmers nicely and makes the house smell delightful. We usually eat our lovely dinner at around 2pm. After dinner, my sister and her husband arrive with my little nephew, then we open presents all over again. We then watch Christmas films, eat chocolate and have a chat throughout the evening. I love Christmas Day!

Do you have any Christmas traditions?
Daf and I always used to watch Santa Claus: The Movie on Christmas Eve but we haven't done that for a few years. We always do everything in exactly the same order on Christmas Day and have done for as long as I remember. A traditional Christmas is the best Christmas!

Do you have a favourite festive coffee?
I don't like coffee... I do like a Christmassy hot chocolate though.

What's your favourite Christmas song?
Oh I wish it could be Christmas every dayyyyyyy...

What do you do on Christmas Eve?
We go in to town as a family on the afternoon of Christmas Eve to sample the atmosphere and to do some last minute shopping (either to Carmarthen or Llanelli). My parents always go to a church service in the evening. Meanwhile, Daf and I usually watch a Christmassy film, wrap any last minute presents and eat crisps. Lots of crisps.

What's your Christmas wrapping strategy? Do you have a strategy?
I buy all my presents first then dedicate a night or two to my wrapping. I put a film on (last year my films were Home Alone 2 and Beethoven!) and get stuck in. I genuinely enjoy wrapping presents!

What's your dream gift this year?
I haven't asked for anything big this year as more than enough money is being spent on the wedding and the potential house... I'll be happy with a few DVDs and maybe some pyjamas.

Describe your Christmas tree. How tall? Real or artificial? How is it decorated?
The little 3ft tree I have in my flat is a bit pathetic as I was too tight to buy a high quality one. However, the Christmas tree in my parents' house is lovely. It's a 6 foot high artificial tree with gold and red tinsel. It has coloured lights and lots of coloured baubles and little figurines, and usually lots of Christmas crackers and chocolates too.

Do you decorate just the tree or other areas of your house e.g. windows, bannisters?
My flat is very small so I don't decorate much of it. I would make more of an effort if I actually spent Christmas there, but I always go home to my parents' house. My parents have lots of decorations spread around the house, and I especially like their fireplace decorations. I can't wait to have my own house so that I can decorate it for Christmas!

What do you wear to Christmas parties and what do you wear on Christmas day?
I usually wear a black dress to Christmas parties... black dresses are suitable for everything. On Christmas Day I wear pyjama bottoms, snuggly socks and a hoodie. I secretly wish I could wear my Christmas Day outfit more often. A lot more often. 

40 days to go!

Monsters University

Disney films rock my socks. This is no secret, and you can read posts about my enthusiasm for Disney films here and here. Disney have released some excellent films during the last year (Frankenweenie, Brave and Wreck-it Ralph), so I was super excited about seeing Monsters University. I absolutely love Monsters Inc and thought it was a great idea to release a film about how Sulley and Mike Wazowski actually met and became friends, rather than making a sequel which might have had a samey plot to Monsters Inc.

I love Sulley, so my boyfriend bought me a Sulley teddy for Christmas last year. Imagine my excitement when I heard that Disney were releasing a Sulley costume for Duffy the Disney Bear! You're right, I was pretty excited. You probably can't imagine the true extent of my excitement though... When I saw the costume in the Disney store a few weeks ago, I absolutely had to buy it.

Sulley and Duffy!

I was originally going to take Sulley to the Monsters University screening (yes, I'm that sad), but after buying the Sulley costume I decided to take Duffy instead. Consequently, I rocked up at the cinema on Saturday afternoon with my Duffy teddy and had my photo taken in front of the Monsters University billboard. A little boy was having his photograph taken with his Sulley teddy before I went to pose for mine so I actually had to queue, but this didn't deter my enthusiasm. As you can tell, it was very sunny outside which impeded the quality of the photo somewhat. How inconvenient.

I'm not going to write an actual film review as I'm not very good at those and I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I absolutely loved Monsters University. The characterisation was great and the animation was amazing, as you'd expect from a Disney Pixar film. There were a few twists which I didn't see coming at all, which again disproves the argument that Disney films are horribly predictable! The young Mike Wazowski was adorable, and there were some clever links between Monsters University and Monsters Inc. Squishy was probably my favourite character apart from the main two protagonists... I wanted to pick him up and give him a squishy squeeze. His mum is also a brilliantly humorous character, and the film is worth watching just for her!

Duffy at the cinema

I'm already excited about the next two Disney films coming out in the next two months... The Lone Ranger and Planes. Keep them coming, Disney! Has anyone else seen Monsters University? What did you think?