What I wore in New York

I've been meaning to blog for a while about what I wore in New York. However, I must admit that my main motivation for publishing this post today was the lack of time and opportunity to take photos for any of my other potential posts. Roll on the lighter evenings!

While I'm busy admitting to things, I thought I'd talk about the military operation of me packing to go on holiday. It starts with a big Word document (set up immediately after we book a holiday) which details every single piece of clothing, every accessory, every toiletry and every miscellaneous item I'm planning to take with me. The packing itself usually commences about three weeks before we leave. Although part of me is very jealous when Neil somehow manages to pack his suitcase in 25 minutes, I do secretly enjoy my long-winded and highly organised packing process.

The photos of me in New York were all taken outside, so I'm only going to detail my coats, boots, hats and scarves because that's all you can see. To complete my outfits, I took a pair of jeans, a few jumpers, warm dresses, leggings and tights, along with some nice dresses for the evenings. I packed light on shoes and bags (for me), but definitely didn't pack light on hats, scarves and gloves.

I've linked to the relevant items where I can in the photos below, but most of them are either sold out or not in existence any more.

Parka from Dorothy Perkins, scarf from Joules' Ebay store, and
black boots from Shoe Zone 

Kate Spade hat from Ebay, scarf from Joules, coat from Debenhams,
bag from Kate Spade and boots from Ugg

Hat from New Look, scarf and gloves from Asda, coat from ASOS,
and bag from Kate Spade 

Hat and gloves from Accessorize, bag and scarf from New Look

The hat was a gift from Italy, and the scarf is from Primark 

Hat from New Look and scarf from ASOS 

Hat, scarf and gloves from New Look, bag from Kate Spade 

Is your packing process a bit like mine, or do you pack like a normal person? 

Why autumn is my favourite season

While everyone else was basking in June and July's heatwave, I secretly couldn't wait for autumn to arrive.

The house was unbearably hot, the office was unbearably hot, the great outdoors was unbearably hot. Everywhere and everything was unbearably hot and I longed for the day when it would be cool enough to wear my tights and boots again.

August came along and decided to be its usual frizz-inducing hot and rainy self, so I was delighted when autumn finally announced itself.

Here are just a few reasons why autumn is my favourite season...



1. Memories 

I don't think summer will ever feel the same for me after the events of two years ago. The summer of 2016 was riddled with tests and uncertainty, and every summer since has brought back vivid memories of that horrible time. Once October arrives and autumn is in full swing, I instantly feel a little better.



2. The cooler weather 

I absolutely adore dry autumnal days. Cold, crisp and sunny days are far more enjoyable than a sweltering hot day, in my humble heatwave-hating opinion.

3. Ugg boots 

Following on from the previous point, autumn provides the ideal weather for my beloved collection of Ugg boots. Dry and cold is the perfect combination for these comfy beauties!

4. Wearing all the layers

Wrapping myself up in a big coat, jumper, hat, scarf and gloves makes me inexplicably happy. I feel a little incomplete in the summer without all my cosy layers and accessories, and autumn's cooler weather also means I've got more items to colour-coordinate. What's not to love?



5. Pretty trees 

I love autumn leaves, whether they're still attached to trees or if they've fallen on the ground. They're beautifully instagrammable, they make me smile, and they can brighten up the dullest of days.

6. Jessie's favourite season 

Autumn is also Jessie's favourite season. The summer is too hot for her as she's got such a thick fur coat, and I felt so terrible for her during the heatwave. She couldn't go for long walks and couldn't even get particularly cool at home, so she's in her element at this time of year.

7. Catching up with friends

I always seem to cram most of my meet ups with friends who don't live locally into the autumn. I caught up with Sarah, Liz and Fee last month and have got another few outings planned for this month, including the annual Christmas shopping trip with my university friends (which generally involves more eating than shopping).



8. Candles 

I light candles all year round, but I love bringing out the autumnal and Christmassy scents once October arrives. Is there anything better than lighting a cinnamon-scented candle and curling up on the sofa in your pyjamas with a hot chocolate and a good book?



9. Hot chocolate 

Talking of hot chocolate... I know I drink a lot of it all year round, but it feels like an extra special treat when I drink it during the autumn months. I had to stay away from hot chocolate during the heatwave which made me even more grumpy!

10. Christmas! 

Once autumn is here, I can officially start my Christmas shopping. Once I've started my Christmas shopping, it's only a matter of time until I can start sneakily adding Christmas touches to the house and digging out my Christmas jumpers. And now that Halloween is over and November is here, it really is nearly Christmas!

What's your favourite season? Are there any other autumnal fans out there? 

My holiday shopping wishlist

There are just 13 days to go until we're back in Walt Disney World... where has this year gone?!

As a general rule, I don't particularly enjoy shopping. However, shopping while on a Disney holiday is a completely different ball game and adds an extra element of pre-holiday excitement. I've got quite a few things on my shopping wish list for Florida next month.

I wrote a blog post about my holiday shopping wishlist last year, and it actually helped me to (mostly) stick to my must-have items rather than buying anything and everything. Consequently, I've decided to go the same thing this year!

Firstly, I've been coveting lots of things from the amazing stores situated in Disney Springs and at the parks...

Thanks to Instagram, I really want to bring home

some kind of pink/rose gold spirit jersey.

I'm hoping to treat myself to a small Dooney & Bourke bag

to use in the parks.

We'll be buying a few Disney-themed dog toys for Jessie on our travels. 

THEY'RE NOW SELLING DUFFY AND SHELLIE MAY PANDORA CHARMS. 

Capitals were completely necessary there. 

How cute is this beautiful Minnie Mouse plush from

the Flower and Garden Festival?

I'm on a mission to collect all the Disney dogs.

I might add Nana to my collection this year!

We want to get a cute Ratatouille-themed print for our

kitchen (just not one that costs as much as this one).

I always add to my fridge magnet collection whenever we go on holiday. 

I need to wear a lanyard every day in my new job...

perfect opportunity to buy a Disney pin!

Although lots of the items I bring home from Florida tend to be from Walt Disney World itself, we also enjoy visiting the many shopping outlets nearby. '60% off' signs are very common in these outlets and I love a good bargain. With this in mind, I've got a few non-Disney items on my list.

I'm on the hunt for a little black bag, so I'll be scouring the Kate Spade outlets. 

I'm in desperate need of new gym/running clothes, and Under Armour
is much cheaper in the US than in the UK.

I shouldn't really buy any new Ugg boots, but... 

I might blog about my holiday purchases when I get back... do you think I'll stick to this wishlist? 

My Florida wish list!

I can't quite believe that we're off to Florida in 20 days! Although April seemed like such a long way away when we booked this holiday last October, 2017 has absolutely flown by so far. I definitely feel ready for a break and some retail therapy, and Orlando is the perfect place for both in my humble opinion.

I make lots of impulse purchases while we're on holiday, particularly when we're in Orlando and bombarded by the Disney factor and outlets galore, but there are a few items I'll specifically be looking out for so I thought I'd share those on my blog before we go. I'll have to narrow it down in the next couple of weeks as I won't be able to afford everything on this list, but I can dream!

Minnie Mouse - I've got a few Minnie Mouse teddies
but I love her pink and white dress so want to buy this specific one!

Baymax - I feel I need my own personal healthcare companion.

Minnie Mouse jumper - I love cosy Disney jumpers for
lazy days at home (or dress-down Fridays in the office!)

Chip mug - I haven't been able to find one of these in the UK so
 I'd love to find one when we're in Walt Disney World!

Disney Parks Pandora charm - It's really difficult to choose just
one Disney charm but I think this one is my current favourite.

Dooney & Bourke Epcot Flower and Garden Festival bag - I've seen
this bag on Instagram a couple of times and I love love love it, but it'll most likely be
beyond the constraints of what I'm willing to spend on a bag!

Kate Spade bag - I probably won't end up getting the pictured bag as it's a new season
item so won't be on sale in the outlets, but I'll be happy if I leave Florida with any
type of Kate Spade bag.

Fossil watch - I'm looking for a new silver watch so I'll
be paying the Fossil outlet a visit. 

Ugg boots - I did promise myself that I wouldn't buy any more of these this year
but I might be persuaded otherwise if I see a nice pair in the outlet!

I might blog about my purchases after I get back so hopefully I manage to pick up a few things from this list. Wish me luck! 

Outfit of the Day... summer dress and Ugg boots!

I thought I'd do a quick 'Outfit of the Day' post in honour of last weekend's sunny weather! Just like my first Outfit of the Day post, I'm wearing a few items from Florida...

Dress - Dorothy Perkins

Ugg boots - Journey (Florida)
Bag - Guess (Florida)

I love the kind of weather we experienced last weekend. Not quite cold enough to put away my beloved Ugg boots, but pleasant enough to wear a light summery dress. My pasty legs are a slight concern (I wore skin coloured tights), but they won't be getting brown any time soon so I should probably just accept them!

This outfit features my favourite bag in the world. I bought this bag in the Guess store in Florida's Mall at Millennia last year as a treat to myself. I would never usually spend that much money on a bag! In my defence, Guess bags are much cheaper in Florida and there happened to be 25% off all bags on the day I bought this one. It's the perfect size and the neutral colours mean I can wear it with almost all the clothes I own. I love it!

This dress was a recent purchase from Dorothy Perkins... it also had 25% off when I bought it. You should have noticed by now that I'm very rarely willing to pay full price for anything. I thought the dress would be perfect for my honeymoon, but I ended up wearing it last weekend as it's much too pretty to stay in my wardrobe until September. 

What did you get up to last weekend? Do you love the Ugg boots/summer dress combination too?

Outfit of the Day... just because I love my new bag!

Drum roll... this is my very first Outfit of the Day post. The outfit isn't even that special, but I really love my new bag so wanted to include it in a blog post. I find myself wanting to blog about everything I ever see/buy/do/eat... if only there were more hours in the day!

Scarf - Camden Market, London (ancient)

Leather jacket - Oasis (last year)

T-shirt - Universal Studios, Florida

Jeans - Gap 

Ugg boots - Journey, Florida

Beautiful pink bag - Dorothy Perkins

I've been looking for a big pink bag in this kind of style for months so I was rather pleased when I saw this beauty in Dorothy Perkins last weekend. I hadn't bought myself a bag for a while so I thought I'd do something nice for myself. I love bags and I love pink things... it had to be done. The bag is very spacious and conveniently has a long shoulder strap as well as two little handles. It has a zip closure which is perfect for a paranoid android like me, and it looks and feels like a really high quality bag for a high street price. I love it! 

The rest of the outfit isn't particularly spectacular, but I do love my Ugg boots and it was nice to be able to wear my leather jacket rather than my hooded waterproof coat for a change. Spring appears to be just around the corner!

The bag isn't on Dorothy Perkins' website yet for some reason, but you should be able to find it in your local store. Has anyone else bought this beautiful bag?