New thing every week in 2015 #2

After publishing my first 'new thing every week' post a few days ago, it's now time to look at the new things I did in the next ten weeks of 2015. I'm really enjoying putting this series together as it's reminding me of all the great times I had last year, so it's definitely something I want to continue in 2016. It's almost doubling up as a 'highlights of 2015' series!

So, here goes... the second ten weeks of 2015 were more photo heavy than the first ten so there's plenty for you to feast your eyes on. 

Week 11 (12-17 March) - Went to a housing rally in London.

Week 12 (18-24 March) - Went on a Bannatyne's spa day for Fee's hen weekend. 

Week 13 (25-31 March) - Celebrated our seven month wedding anniversary.

Week 14 (1-7 April) - Went to the Forest of Dean for Fee and Dave's wedding. 

Week 15 (8-14 April) - Tried Katsu curry at Wagamama... it was good.  

Week 16 (15-21 April) - Went for a walk around Cosmeston Country Park on my own. 

Week 17 (22-28 April) - Went on holiday to Amalfi.

Week 18 (29 April - 5 May) - Had a Limoncello Fever.

Week 19 (6-12 May) - Bought a hanging basket for the front of our house. 

Week 20 (13-19 May) - Had a make-your-own pizza from Asda.

Look out for the next instalment in a few days!

Twelve posts of Christmas #9 - Christmas presents: gifts I can eat/drink

If you've read my 'gifts I can wear' post, you'll already be aware that I'm splitting my 'What I got for Christmas' posts into three instalments. I love nosing through other people's Christmas present summaries so I consequently enjoy writing similar posts myself... I assume most people are as nosy as I am!

Today's instalment is all about the gifts I received which I can eat or drink. There were quite a few gifts in this category, as you're about to find out. Don't worry, I'll re-start my diet in March once these are all gone.

A large pile of chocolates and sweets from Neil, family, friends and colleagues.

My love for hot chocolate and marshmallows is well documented... I had

these lovely presents from my parents, my parents in law, and my colleague Chris. 

I also had more hot chocolate and a pretty Cath Kidston mug from Amy...

this one wasn't photographed with the rest as I opened it a
few days before Christmas Day as instructed!

My parents bought us these tasty-sounding chutneys... I can't wait to try them

with some cheese and crackers. I know that makes me sound like an old lady but I don't care.

Limoncello and Prosecco from my colleagues... I feel a Limoncello Fever coming on. 

Have you written a blog post about all the food/drink you received for Christmas? Like me, are you trying to be mildly sensible but just CAN'T STOP EATING? Hopefully I'm not alone in this affliction...

My new favourite drink... Limoncello Fever!

I discovered a new drink on our recent visit to Amalfi... the amazing Limoncello Fever.

I've been a big fan of Limoncello since our honeymoon last year, so I was intrigued when I spotted the Limoncello Fever on the bar menu of our favourite drinking haunt in Piazza Duomo. It was made up of Limoncello, Prosecco and papaya syrup which sounded pretty tasty. I was torn between ordering something new and ordering something I knew I loved such as a Bellini, but I decided to go for the new option just to try it out. I was hooked at once and drank several more before our holiday came to an end.

The lovely staff at our hotel kindly gave us a bottle of Limoncello when we left Amalfi which meant I had a third of the ingredients I needed to recreate my new favourite drink.

Possibly as a result of my enthusiastic raving about my new favourite drink, I had a bottle of Prosecco and another bottle of Limoncello for my birthday as I mentioned in my last blog post. I also eventually managed to track down some papaya juice in Asda's foreign food aisle so I was all set. I was determined to have a few Limoncello Fevers to celebrate my birthday weekend as it seemed like the perfect occasion to indulge in a few homemade cocktails.

We set up our new garden chairs on the Sunday afternoon of my birthday weekend and I eagerly made myself a Limoncello Fever in one of our fancy cocktail glasses. It might not have been quite the same as the ones I had in Amalfi (probably because I had to use papaya juice instead of syrup), but it was still pretty good.

I sat in the garden for an hour or two on that Sunday afternoon, reading my Kindle and drinking two Limoncello Fevers. Our cocktail glasses are huge, but it's a drink that goes down very nicely and is dangerously easy to drink. It was a perfect afternoon and I haven't felt that relaxed for a very long time. I think it was probably the combination of being outside, reading a good book and being considerably mellowed by my potent cocktails! 

Do you like Limoncello? Or Prosecco? Or papaya juice? Or possibly all three? If so, I urge you to try a Limoncello Fever one day. I promise you won't regret it!

My birthday haul

I haven't done a 'What I had for my birthday/Christmas' post for a few years... probably not since the crushing stress of planning a wedding. Yes, it really is that bad, but the end result is totally worth it. I thought it was time to rectify this delay as I received so many lovely presents for my 29th birthday a few days ago.

I asked my parents for money for my birthday this year so that I could spend it on a Pandora bracelet which I've been coveting for a long time. I specifically booked a day off work last Friday so that I could go into town to buy my new bracelet. I love it! I bought the bracelet and the 'B' charm with my birthday money from my parents and my grandmother, then Neil bought me another charm over the weekend as a late birthday present. I think the Pandora shop might become an expensive habit over the next few months!

As well as my Pandora bracelet, I also had more jewellery for my birthday... a Jon Richard necklace and bracelet from Neil and a beautiful homemade bracelet from Sarah, my lovely colleague. I've already worn all these unique pieces in the last few days and they'll definitely be coming on holiday with me in September. 

A girl can never have enough toiletries (just ask my overflowing bathroom toiletry rack), and I had more than my fair share for my birthday from my in laws, Sian and Amy. I'm very excited about using the Body Shop bath jelly as I'm currently using the Frosted Cranberry shower gel which I had from Sian for Christmas, and it smells amazing. The Ted Baker goodies from Sian also smell really lovely... everything made by Ted Baker seems to smell divine. Last but not least, I can't wait to try out my in-shower gradual tanning lotion from my in laws. I'm ridiculously pale/transparent at the moment so it's a very welcome solution! 

No birthday would be complete without a few entertainment presents. I have a well populated Amazon wishlist which influenced certain purchases from Neil and my sister... Big Hero 6 and The Theory of Everything are two of the best films I've seen in the cinema this year. I also loved Delivery Man last year, and who doesn't (secretly) love Taylor Swift? Shake it off! 

I've never ever bought a pair of sunglasses worth more than £5, so I was very excited when Neil's parents bought me this lovely pair for my birthday. They definitely look more classy than my Primark specials! Another definite item for my holiday list. 

It definitely wouldn't be a real birthday without some new Disney pyjamas. Neil is well aware of this as he started the Disney pyjamas tradition so he now has to continue with it until the end of time. This resulted in some lovely new summer pyjamas with Eeyore emblazoned all over them... how cute are these?! 

Neil also bought a lovely Animal hoodie for my birthday as he knows I'm partial to that kind of thing. He's a good one! 

I've been banging on about discovering the amazing Limoncello Fever since our recent holiday to Amalfi so it's no surprise that I received the two key ingredients for my birthday from Edwina and my in laws. I've had two Limoncello Fevers today and I can confirm that they're delicious (and quite potent) in this country too. 

Neil's parents' pets are also very generous when it comes to my birthday and they bought me some lovely candles this year. They're very clever!

Although I managed to wait until my birthday to open most of my presents, I actually opened Sarah's presents two days early this year. I had a very stressful day on Tuesday and I'd arranged to meet Sarah at the cinema in the evening. She had my birthday presents with her, and I'm sure you'd agree that it would have been very rude not to open them in front of her. I'll be honest with you here... the Tangfastics are nearly all gone already. However, I haven't tried the hot chocolate sachets, marshmallows or the mug yet so I'm looking forward to those! I really love the inscription on the mug: 'Friends are like stars, you don't always see them  but you know they are there.'

As well as my bottle of Prosecco, Edwina bought some lovely flowers for my birthday which brightened up the office on Thursday. They're also doing a great job of brightening up my kitchen windowsill with their yellows, pinks, purples and greens. 

Another purchase from my Amazon wish list... my sister and my nephews bought me a heat guard for my precious GHD straighteners which will be very useful when I go on holiday. I also had some pretty Cath Kidston earrings from Amy which I can't wait to try out. 

Nicola bought me a New Look gift card for my birthday so I merrily spent it in town the following day. Here's what I spent it on... look at these beautiful colours! 

Last but not least, who doesn't love having chocolate for their birthday? If you don't love having chocolate for your birthday, I don't think we can be friends. Thanks, Neil :) 

So there's my birthday haul for this year... I've been very lucky! Have you written any haul posts lately? I'd love to read them if so, I'm very nosey when it comes to other people's gifts!