Saturday 22 October 2016

Sainsbury's Halloween Haul.

So, I was on a driving lesson the other day and I had to stop to get some money out to pay my instructor. We stopped at Sainsbury's and I went to use the cash point, which happened to be out of service, so I had to go inside to get cashback. As I walked inside the shop, I couldn't help but notice all the fantastic Halloween items on sale.

As I was on a driving lesson, I had to resist buying it all. So I asked Kieran when we next go into town if we could pop into Sainsbury's on the way back, to get decorations, costumes and other Halloweeny bits and bobs.

I probably spent more than what I should have done but some of it we can use again for next year and we will definitely have a Halloween to remember this year. Unfortunately I have misplaced the receipt, so I cant tell you the individual prices but it came to in total around £80-90.

I'm so happy with the things I have purchased. keep reading if you are interested or looking for some last minuet Halloween ideas.

 Halloween costumes.

 
I got 2 vampire costumes for the boys and a pumpkin costume for Imogen.
Beth's costume still fits from last year so I was going to put he in it again this year but she has fallen in love with the pumpkin costume that I may have to purchase another.

I love these costumes, the vampire costumes look so smart and they light up with red flashing lights. And Imogen looks so cute and funny as a pumpkin.

The cost of the vampire was £14 and the pumpkin was £10
The vampire costume also comes with a mask.
 
I also got some fangs, face paint and some fake blood, just in-case the didn't want to wear the mask.

 Decorations

I got so many decorations and there is a good selection in Sainsbury's this year. I cant wait to put them up with the kids.





 
all of these priced from £3-£8
 
Other Bits And Bobs 

I got a few other bits and bobs that i have saved for last as they are my favourite.

 


I got these for my little girl Bethany, she will love having her hair and nails gone for Halloween.
I cant remember how much the nails were but they weren't too much and as you can see from the picture the hair accessories were £3.
I absolutely love these I think they are so cute.

 This terrifying craft kit is one of my best buys. Its fantastic for getting your little ones involved with decorating your house with the posters they make. me and my little ones had so much fun with this.
the set comes with a selection of different coloured card, big, spongy bats and pumpkins and small ghosts and skulls, spooky sequins, pipe cleaners and pompoms. 
The only problem I had with this item, is that it comes without glue, so if you do decide to buy it make sure to get glue too if you don't have some already. 

 
 i don't seem to wear jewellery very often, since having my little ones, as it tends to get played with and pulled about. last year i decided to get some dangley skeleton ear rings and completely forgot to wear them on Halloween night so I was going to wear then this year but then I saw these and they looked awesome so I couldn't resist.
 these were £3.


Buckets for TRICK OR TREATING I got four, one for each of my little monsters they were £1 each which I think is really good for the money.

I saved the next two items for last , as I really love them.



 These lights are so much fun I love.
 They cost £10 and are well worth it.
I don't usually buy flashy, musical decorations as I think they're sometimes a bit tacky but these are amazing and I couldn't resist.

last but defiantly not least.....
 Is this beautiful Halloween themed candle holder.
I fell in love with this the moment I saw it and it cost me £10.
I love the way the silhouette of a tree appears on the wall behind. And how the light shines through the windows of the haunted house.  

And that is it. Halloween is one of my favourite holidays and I'm really looking forward to it this year. How about you?? Tell me what you do on Halloween and about the spooky stuff you have purchased and creepy crafts you have come up with.

Thanks for reading and have a happy Halloween. 

"The wind of change blows. some build walls, while others build windmills."





Wednesday 19 October 2016

Paranormal Experiances

Ever since I was a little girl I have seen unexplainable things and had unexplainable experiences with the paranormal.

Being that time of year again and the month of Halloween, I thought I would share a few of my experiences with you little pumpkins.

There are so many people who claim to have had and experience with ghosts and the paranormal, yet most seem fake and are only there to get views and attention on social media. Everything I tell you about my paranormal experiences is 100% the TRUTH! Some of them may have a scientific theory behind them but I don't think it makes the experience less scary and some I don't think can explained.

sceptic or not there are so many reports on people all around the world through out history that have claimed to have had some sort of encounter with the paranormal and whether you have experienced something or not I think it's a little naive to rule out the idea of paranormal beings completely.

so without further ado I give to you.....

Five Of My Paranormal Experiences.

1.GHOST AT THE END OF MY BED.


When I was really little, maybe 2 years old or so, my mum told me I would often come down for breakfast and talk about the old man who sits at the end of my bed and tell me stories. Personally I don't really remember this event and I was too young to remember but my grandmother also confirmed this story and even if it is just a young child's imagination it doesn't make the story any less creepy.

2. BATHROOM HAUNTING.


It was really late at night. I was 5 at the time and I remember it clearly. Me and my brothers were all tucked up, fast asleep in our beds but my mum and her boyfriend at the time were still up, doing what ever it is grown ups in the 90's did. I woke up to a loud BANG!! The noise had also woken my brothers up.  I got up out my bed and walked out of my bedroom door on to the landing to find my mum and her boyfriend breaking the lock on the bathroom door.

The reason they were braking the lock off the door was because it had locked all by its self from the inside. My mum thought that maybe one of us kids were locked in there but the bathroom was empty and no windows were open so no-one could have got in or out, if  it was the case that someone had locked it.  we had an old and very stiff slide lock on our bathroom door, so it could not have been locked from the outside. I have thought maybe if the door had been slammed then the lock may have slid across but that seems very unlikely considering the lock was so stiff.

One of my brothers had also experienced being pushed out of the bathroom by an unseen force earlier on that day.

This experience is just one of many that I had experienced in my mums house. others include disembodied foot steps, strange knocks at the door or around the house, lights and appliances turning on and off, things being thrown, e.c.t. 


3. GHOST CHILD.


I  had moved out of my childhood home at this point and was looking after my two young boys, they must have been about 2 and 3 years old at the time.

It must have been about 6pm, as I was running them a bath and getting them ready for bed.

I could hear the boys giggling and playing together nicely. I went to check on them and to see what they were up to. They were in my bedroom being cheeky little monkeys. I told them to stay out of my room and closed the door behind me before placing them back in there own room where they continued to play happily.

I then went to check on the bath, as I did this I heard loud footsteps running on the landing I peered out side the bathroom door  to see what I thought was the back of my eldest child Cameron  toddling  into my bedroom. the door was open which was odd as I thought they were too little to open doors at that time.

I quickly rushed out of the bathroom to go and retrieve him from my room and said firmly "STAY OUT OF MY......." I stopped mid sentence and I turned my head to find both the boys in their room playing nicely together.  I checked my room and realising there was nobody there I closed the door behind me and continued to get my two children ready for their bath.

4. DISEMBODIED BREATH.


Me and Kieran were in the car, just chatting, as couples do. He told me that he had fallen asleep downstairs on the sofa one night and that he had been woken suddenly by 2 loud disembodied breaths in his ear. I didn't believe him as we often play pranks on each other and he often tries to scare me or make me jump. I laughed at him, brushed it off and didn't think much of it, UNTIL... About two weeks later.

The boys were at school and I had plenty of time before I had to pick them up. I put the t.v on, curled up on the sofa and drifted off to sleep. I was also woken suddenly by two disembodied, almost pant like breathes in my ear. I had no pets and there was no-one else but me in the house at the time. lets just say I defiantly believed him after that.

this wasn't the last time I experienced terrifying things happen in that house either.

5. NEW HOUSE HAUNTINGS.


When I got pregnant with my youngest baby Imogen, we had to move house as there was not enough room in our old house for 6 of us. we moved into a 3 bedroom house with a third of an acre of garden in a nice little village location. Least to say it sounds perfect for our family.

This experience takes place in our current house about 6 months after we had moved in.

My partner Kieran works most nights and this night was no different. He went off to work and I was left at home to look after our four beautiful children.

about a week or two before this event happened Kieran for one reason or another had gone in the loft and hadn't put the loft hatch back, leaving a dark opening in the landing ceiling. it felt oppressive to walk past and I remember nagging him to close it up as it made me feel extremely uncomfortable.
I don't know whether or not there is a link between the loft being left open and this particular event but a part of me feels like maybe they are.

Anyway, it was a Friday night Kieran was busy at work and me and the children had just watched a light hearted, family film,  just as we do every Friday.... I had just gotten the children settled in their beds. I looked up at the loft noticing the dark oppressive void in the ceiling. It made me feel uneasy.

The baby was still wide awake and overly playful, so I went back downstairs with her, until she was ready for sleep, the whole time feeling an unexplainable anxiety.

I was up at about 6:30am that day, so I was very tired and couldn't wait to get some shut eye but when the time came and I could finally get that long awaited  sleep, I just couldn't. I would drift off for ten minutes or so then wake up startled, this happened for at least an hour maybe two. I just could NOT settle and neither could baby Imogen. Finally me and Imogen fell asleep but Imogen was still restless. she'd  move about a lot and would cry in her sleep every so often.

At about 2am, I was suddenly woken up by a BLOOD CURDLING SCREAM!! It was my youngest boy Charlie, screaming my name. I was tired and didn't really want to get out of bed, especially as the baby laying next to me was a ticking time bomb and ready to wake up at any moment, so i told him to come in bed with me, trying to reassure him he'd only had a bad dream and every thing was alright. He told me he was too scared to move, so I plucked the courage up to go and get him and bring him in with me. About five minuets later my eldest boy Cameron also climbed into bed with us and not long after that our little bop (Bethany) came into the bed too.

I had all four of my children in bed with me. We topped and tailed, the boys where down the bottom end of the bed and us girls at the top. Something must have spooked them all enough to come in my bed, and even I have to admit I felt quite restless and a little jumpy myself.

I looked at the time, it was 3am at this point and I had finally drifted back off, when once again I was woken by Charlie asking if I was standing next to him. I told him that I  wasn't and that I was trying to sleep. He told me there was a woman standing by the bed looking at him..... I told him there is no need to be afraid and that I wouldn't let any harm come to him just ignore it and try to sleep.

needless to say I didn't get any sleep for the rest of that night but my children did luckily. and the loft hatch was put back the next day.

I haven't seen any full apparitions since living here but we do often see a shadow figure at the top of our stairs and on occasion in our hall way. it doesn't scare me so much now as I'm used to seeing it.

So there you have it.... Five of many of my spooky, scary and true paranormal experiences. I hope you enjoyed reading them and they didn't scare you too much.

I'm more at ease with the paranormal now. It used to be something that really scared me and I have tried all sorts of things to either stop myself believing in the paranormal or try to rationalise the things I have seen.

I have come to the conclusion, that I'm not completely out of my my mind and that maybe some people are more susceptible to the spirit world than others and just because you haven't necessarily witnessed something, doesn't mean it doesn't exist....

I have no intention of encouraging spirits or ghosts or whatever you want to call them into my life, more than what I have already but I have come to realise that seeing and experiencing the paranormal is a part of who I am. And I defiantly have an interest in the the paranormal due to what I have seen and experienced.

I know I'm not the only one with strange experiences with the paranormal, so please leave comments as I would love to hear about your stories and experiences.

Thanks for reading and....
                                             

                 HAVE A HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!


"To be upset over what you don,t have, is to waste what you do have"




Monday 17 October 2016

Making Sloe Gin

In my last post I wrote about going sloe picking and the benefits  of sloes, one of those benefits being sloe gin.

Well last night I finally decided to make some, and here is how I did it.

  • Wash your sloes and place them in a clean bowl or container.
 

  • Replicate the first frost by pricking the sloes with a cocktail stick, you can also put them in the freezer over night.

 

  •  Fill a clean empty bottle up a third of the way up with sloes.

 


 
  • A third of the way up with sugar.
 
(I used a funnel to pour the sugar in, to make it easier.)
 
 
  • And a third of the way up with gin.
(any gin of your choice will do.)

  • Give it a good shake and mix it all up, and wait for 2 to 6 months.

All the sugar settles on the bottom, so make sure to turn or shake the bottle each day for the next few months.


And by Christmas your sloe gin should be ready.

The last stage of the process is to strain your sloe gin and to remove any pips or anything that has not dissolved DO NOT DO THIS UNTIL THE VERY END, when it is ready to be put it in preferred sized bottles perfect for gift giving.

And that is all there is to it. 

It is so simple to make and tastes deliciously sweet with an almost syrupy texture.

Thanks so much for reading, and good luck having fun making sloe gin.

 
 


 " I am thankful to all those difficult people in my life, they have shown me exactly who I don't want to be."

Sunday 9 October 2016

Autumn Sloe Picking.

I love the summer and i am always sad when it is over. The cold snaps, windy nights and shortened daylight hours are just a few of the things I don't like about Autumn. However there so many things i love about Autumn, and sloes are one of them.

Prunus spinosa other wise know as blackthorn is native to Europe. it is a small tree/shrub that grows in hedgerows and has spiky branches. In spring it produces beautiful white flowers  and in the Autumn it produces blueish-black berries known as sloes.

This is what they look like




I remember when I was a child my mum took me sloe picking. She taught me at a young age never to eat wild berries unless I was sure they were edible as some are poisonous and may cause bad tummy ache or worse. as these berries were new to me I asked her if I could eat one, casually she replied "yes if you want to". Expecting the berry to be sweet and delicious I popped in to my mouth and began to bite down. It DID NOT  meet my expectations and I quickly spat it out. It wasn't sweet and yummy but instead  EXTREMELY  sour. it was one of the worst things i have ever put in my mouth.

So if they taste so bad, why pick the sloes in the first place i hear you ask.... Well i will tell you why.... I pick them to make sloe gin.

For those of you who have never had sloe gin or don't know what it is, you are truly missing out. It is one of my favourite alcoholic winter beverages. It is sweet tasting with a warming sensation, perfect for Christmas presents and surprisingly easy to make. It also keeps for a long time and matures well.

Here's me drinking the last of some sloe gin I had made 2 years previously.

Please make sure you have the land owners permission before you start. Have fun!!

5 Facts About Prunus Spinosa

1. Sloes can also be made into jam or preserved in vinegar  

2. You can use the juice from the fruit to dye linen which is red to start with but turns blue when washed.

3.blackthorn wood makes good fire wood, that burns slowly with a good heat and little smoke.

4.the health benefits of the plant include relief for fatigue, helps with digestion, helps to relieve a sore throat and also helps with kidney function.

5. Birds, bees, butterflies and other wildlife and insects love it.
"Don't look back, you're not going that way".



Sunday 2 October 2016

make a kawaii planner.

I am probably the most disorganised person in the whole entire universe. But ever since i have started my blog, my mind has exploded with lots of different ideas and crazy thoughts. The problem is i have nowhere to store  them... I need a planner!!....

Another problem is the fact its October already and the planner I want to is a bit  expensive for something I am only going to use for 3 months.

so I decided to make my own. that way I can personalise it the way I want and maybe look to getting the planner I would really like in the new year....  I just need something temporary for the time being.

if you are interested in making your own personal kawaii organiser than please keep reading my quick and easy, step by step tutorial on how I made mine.

Lets Start.


  • Grab Yourself A Notebook.


 
I found mine laying around the house but you can get them in places like home bargains fairly cheap.  


  • design your first page/cover.


  • divide your pages up into 7 sections.


I chose simple rectangles for my sections. you can choose whatever shaped/ sized sections you  want.... Just make sure you have enough room to writyour daily events in them.

  • Go over with a black pen and write the days of the week in each section.
Don't forget to rub out your guidelines.

  • Now you are ready to decorate your planner.
Use different stickers washi or deco tapes post it notes and gel pens to add your own personal touch.
I got most of my stickers from blippo.com
But you can pick them up easily from a stationary or craft store.
  • now you are ready to write things in your planner.
  • finishing touches.
I used a cute tab to mark the month of the year so i can find an event easier.
make sure if you do this to stagger them
i got the tabs of ebay They come in a lot of different cute designs and they are also reasonably priced.

another good idea is to put post it notes in the front so they are easy to get to if you need them they also help put personality to your planner as the add a bright splash of colour.
You could also try adding pockets for extra notes .


This is a fun little project for all ages whether you're at school/work or just need an extra space to store excess thoughts

Thank you for reading. I hope you have as much fun making your planner as I did making mine.





"The seed of goodness is found in the soil of appreciation"




 

Saturday 1 October 2016

Finding Yourself And Being Happy With Who You Are.

Growing up I was bullied A LOT!! as unfortunately so many people are and I know I'm not alone in this.

  It has had a big effect on my life, self-confidence and worth as a person. I often felt alone, depressed and very anxious. These negative emotions followed me through to adulthood.

I tried so hard to be like everyone else. I wanted to be popular and fit in so badly. I tried to do things and enjoy things others did just because they where popular and I thought people would like me more, without taking into consideration any of my own thoughts or feelings. All I knew was I was really unhappy and things weren't getting better, in fact things got so bad that I stopped eating and I turned to self-harm.

It seemed the more I tried to get people to like me the more they hated me.... I kept asking myself, what's wrong with me, what am I doing SO wrong for people to hate me SO much. I cried every day and became really depressed, with no one I felt I could turn to.

During college I got pregnant with my first baby. Me and the dad didn't stay together long.

I got a job working in a Chinese takeaway, and a man came in. we talked on occasion and I found out he was divorced with 4 children of his own...He seemed to be friendly enough, and he seemed to take an interest in me. Even though I was pregnant with another man's baby.

Being 17 and pregnant I felt lost, vulnerable and I didn't know what to do or where to go for help.... 

Although he was 20 years older than me, I ended up getting into a relationship with the man I had met in the Chinese takeaway. Thinking, he knew how to raise a child maybe I would learn to love him in time and we could be a real family.

A year or so into our relationship I was pregnant with my second baby and we got married. I wasn't really ready to have another baby, but I thought it would show him how much I wanted our family to work.

He was a beautiful baby and we called him Charlie.

A long story short, things didn't work out between us. He became very controlling and i was more unhappy then ever. We split up not long after Charlie's first birthday. It was a very messy break up and he did whatever he could to make life hard for me. 

During the divorce I spent a lot of time on my own with my children and I realised just how happy I was by myself. I didn't need a man to look after me, I didn't need a lot of friends to be happy or a lot of money and material things in my life.

I found what I really needed was to be happy with who I am and to be comfortable with my own company. I could have my own hobbies and interests. Whether or not I shared those interests with anyone else didn't matter because they made me happy.

I also found the less I cared about what others thought about me and what I do the more people would take an interest in me whether I wanted their attention not.

Loving yourself,  knowing your self-worth and having a positive attitude towards life are important aspects of having a happy life.

For a very long time I had felt extremely bitter at the people who had bullied me or I had felt wasted my time and let me down., thinking they had stolen a huge chunk of my life and childhood.

I felt so angry towards the world, and that also made me feel bad. UNTIL...
               I HAD AN EPIPHANY!!

I had realised that I was also the one who perceived things and reacted in a negative way and I was the one who wasted so much time being angry thinking about it. Let me make myself clear, it is never okay to bully or hurt anyone ever!! But at the same time I am the only one in control of my own actions, thoughts and happiness. I will not turn myself into something I hate because of what someone else has done, I don't want to be bitter and angry at the world any more and I am the only one who can change my life for the better. I will never forget the bad experiences I have had in my life as they are still a lesson learned, but I will no longer let them effect me in a negative way.

I now have an amazing family and great friends around me... What more could I possibly need?
                                           



Life can't always be perfect. There will be days where you feel sad and alone or anxious about what the day will bring. But stay strong, keep your chin up and try your best to stay positive both physically and mentally and most of all appreciate what you have even if there just little things.

Obviously we all have our own lives and experiences. And we all think differently.  But nonetheless i hope my thoughts and experiences helped you in some way.

Thank you for reading.

" my love is unconditional, your action is irrelevant".