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The little things in life... 30 week update

Well here we, pretty close to week 30. 1 day away to be precise! How did that happen so fast?!

So.. I am now feeling rather large and heavy. My bump is solid and there is no way around it, so to speak!! Simple tasks I have taken for granted like shaving my legs, putting my shoes and socks on and getting out of the bath have become near on impossible. That last sentence actually makes me cringe, I should NOT be shaving! I have been converted to a more natural way of hair removal; sugaring. Otherwise known as Arab waxing. It's often thought of as waxing, but actually its completely different especially in the pain stakes!


A sugar substrate is applied to the hair but not to the skin (that's the difference that as a result causes less pain to wax) and then basically its pulled off to remove the hair. Sounds easy doesn't it! I'm not so sure about that bit but it's pretty quick to have done! It's good for sensitive skin and I've never been left with a rash, irritation etc. The other bit that I have grown to like is that you don't actually have to grow your hair that long! Not as long as I have known people have to grow it for waxing anyway.




Anyway I've gone off on a tangent again, but what I was trying to say is I really think I should get myself booked in and let someone else help me out! So the answer to my friend who I had a very detailed discussion with this week I think would be trim, trim, trim!!!! (Sorry if its too much info for some of you!! But I did promise to be honest!) 

Back to my pregnancy update: I always thought as I got further into pregnancy that movement would slow down in the third trimester, surely my poor baby is restricted with space? Well... No this hasn't happened, the movements just feel more sharp and intrusive somehow. I still sit and watch my tummy waving and poking around, which I do love to do and I am sure I will miss one day. 

 We had a scan this week and as I expected from the feeling of her hiccuping she is now head down. When I last saw the midwife my tummy was measuring slightly over, however the scan showed she was perfectly on track. I was starting to worry I was cooking up a baby hippo!

On Friday just gone I had my first Lazy Daisy birthing class. For those of you that have never heard of it I have linked it for you. I said in a previous post I wasn't sure how I would feel in these classes and I was a little worried that I'd feel awkward and slightly out of place and that perhaps it may be a little too "hippy" for me. I went open minded and willing to try and get into it, it felt strange at first but after a little while I relaxed and enjoyed it overall. We learnt some breathing techniques as well as some gentle movements, mainly the idea being to open yourself up to make room for baby not only during labour but also during pregnancy. 

This is so useful as I all of a sudden have two tiny feet in my right ribs at all times! Nice little footrest hey! Although u was sceptical I have already taken bits away from the first class on how to open up and balance my posture. Not easy to apply when I'm driving all day for my job but good to use when I can especially when trying to relax in an evening. I will do a post on just this next week once I've had another class and know a little more. 

This is bump this week, making sure she's seen that's for sure! I'll be 30 weeks in a few days, I can't believe it!



What else is new this week? Well I have actually ordered our travel system- finally! Just got to hope it arrives now before baby does! 

I am currently reading into water and home births, how nerve wracking! I will let you know what my initial thoughts are next time I post but all I can say for now is eeeeek! 
Lots of love,
Hayley xxx 

The little things... Soak your troubles away with bubbles

It's Sunday again, how did that happen? They always come around so fast and before I know it I'm back at my laptop or on the road working on a Monday morning. I like to make the most of a Sunday, usually I don't plan on doing much except spending time at home with my family and the dog, tinkering around the house and generally being quite lazy. That's what's Sundays are for!

I always ensure I spend time on a Sunday at some point to have a nice, long soak in the bath and to enjoy a bit of me time and pampering. I usually do things such as hair and face masks, have a good body exfoliation scrub, basically a pampering session. I must admit I'm not very loyal when it comes to bath products, I am a bit of a magpie and love looking for new products to try, especially when it comes to bath bombs and bubbles. Although Lush is a favourite of mine, just walking around there makes me smile especially coming out of there with something new every time, so much choice!

For my birthday the lovely people at work gave me a lovely gift box of cocoa and Shea butter melts for the bath. How cute are they?! They're like mini cupcakes and the girly girl in me loves the sparkle and tiny, unique decoration on each one! I wish I could share the smell with you, they smell good enough to eat!! What's even better about these is the key ingredients are perfect for moisturising skin that needs some TLC, perfect for pregnancy! 



They are from Honeyz in Whitby, although it's a long way to go for a bath bomb you can shop online. When I was in Whitby last week I had a good look around, I have been before but they often have new things to look at in there. I often come away with a treat and this time it was a pretty heart shaped soap and some mini bath Fizzers. I think they are really reasonably priced, sometimes I can begrudge paying too much for something you can only use once and then is washed away down the plughole!



Today we have friends over for dinner, but later on I will definitely be having a soak, easing these third trimester aches and pains and ensuring my skin gets a good looking after. 

First though I need to do some tidying, I did it yesterday and I always wonder how did it end up like this again?! I spent all day yesterday putting up curtains, hoovering, throwing clutter away and trying to sort out baby things. I think I deserve an extra long soak today! 

Lots of love,
Hayley xxx

The little things in life... Our Mamma Mia wedding #3


The final instalment.. I never expected to write 3 posts on our wedding when I first thought about it but hey ho! Why not?! 

So in the last post I covered speeches and cutting the cake on the garden terrace and then how we went up to the Bedouin style top terrace at the Melenos for the wedding breakfast looking out over the bay of Lindos. I LOVE this place. It will always be so special to me and I just get that overwhelming feeling when I look back at it and when I think about the day and the day after having breakfast with my husband, eek! It took some time to get used to that word!!! 

The meal was a Greek meze and the food just kept coming, just when you think you had finished the meal another plate would be served. We really wanted our guests to experience it all so we made sure this is was the area we really went all out, alongside the photography package. 

The terrace didn't need much accessorising, I think the surroundings are beautiful enough, I mean what could be more romantic than the sun setting whilst eating with all your favourite people, with dolphins leaping down below in the bay? 

I did opt for a few little lanterns, some sparkly mini stones to add a bit of a glitz, the odd vintage touch such as the Mr & Mr's bunting and the luggage tags as name place cards! I love anything vintage and "shabby" so really wanted to incorporate it subtly where I could. Things such as my flowers, the decor, my accessories etc. 




At the venue where we had our meal etc we could only have toned down, subtle music which was fine with us, anything more would have ruined the atmosphere and feel of the place. So after the sun had gone down and we had finished the thousands of courses we headed down the cobbled streets to a little private venue for dancing! Some of this venue is open air and Is so traditionally beautiful! I added some fairy lights to it and the lanterns were brought from the Melenos to here to be used again. 

Choosing our first dance was so difficult! We didn't want anything too modern but nothing too old either, and obviously a song we both liked and meant something. We went for a Savage Garden track in the end.



I love this photo of me and one of my closest friends airing our legs at the end of the night!!!



So that was the day pretty much! There is lots more in between but I could be here all year telling you! If you want to know anymore about the day, Rhodes or getting married abroad just ask away, I love yabbering about it! 

A few more of my favourite photos: 






Lots of love, 

Hayley xx

I own the copyright to all photographs

The little things in life... What's new this week?


This weekend I will be 29 weeks pregnant, almost that big 30!! I can't quite believe it? I've felt a little nervous this week and apprehensive about my pregnancy and am really looking to week 30 as a next milestone. Every week that passes I think well that's another week she has been baked for and another week closer to being in our arms. 


There's no real reason for that uneasy feeling I guess it's just the usual pains and strains of a bump that is growing when your skin won't allow it, her movement becoming cramped in there so it comes a little sharper and just the general third trimester naff feeling! This week I did have a little scare though when I had some "spotting", instant reaction is PANIC! I've never felt so scared for bump or myself. But... After speaking with the midwives and some close friends my mind was at ease. It's apparently not out of the ordinary in the 3rd trimester when your cervix is soft and tender, sorry to be so graphic!!!! But I think this has all lead to me being a little on edge, that and the lack of a ten hour sleep which I used to enjoy most nights!!!! 

One new little moment that we have quite often is hiccups! It's very cute I must admit, although sometimes when she is very low it's like having a pulse between your legs, slightly odd! 

This last week has been busy with work (as usual), now on countdown to maternity leave- approx 8weeks to go! Hoooooray! I often work at the seaside in Whitby, Yorkshire as it's where our office is located and so it means staying away from home weekly. This week I had company as Ben and his parents came up for a few days for a mini holiday (whilst I worked sadly!). But it was lovely to have company in the evening. A few photos from the beautiful Whitby this week: 



I will share a few more photos of Whitby this weekend once we have sorted through them and uploaded them all. 

So what else is new? 

We have had a mass clear out of the dressing room which was much needed, cleared out the babies room ready for it to start making progress and finally we have had a bedroom overhaul. Or at least started it, it's a start! It's a room we have left pretty much except for painting the walls and carpeting since we moved in as we have tended to focus on downstairs more in the key rooms. Like the rest of the decor in the house we wanted something warm, cosy, quite vintage country yet stylish at the same time. We found ourselves drawn to the tartan style check print that we have used in the front room but in a darker, warmer colour. The bed is sorted (except for the odd cushion that I've ordered) but now we need lamps, curtains etc to finish it off! I also have furniture to upcycle too, lots to do!!!! Here is a sneak preview: 


I have mentioned before about doing a bit of a house tour, maybe I will start doing this room by room soon! It's not all that exciting but I love looking at other peoples houses for inspiration and to be nosey. And I love my house so why not!!! 

Lots of love, 

Hayley xxx

The little things in life.. A changing body #1

So I've moaned and groaned enough about the stretch marks war and the way in which you seem to lose control over things such as your every growing, protruding tummy. I've also mentioned in previous posts products that I have been using as weapons of prevention, or at least with the hope of preventing or at least minimising the damage.

I have had some new products to try this week including a brand I have never used before, Maison d'Anu. I looked up some more info on the brand and their key aim is to provide natural, non-toxic products to harmonise your natural balance. On first glance the products look smart, glossy and top end in this market. I was lucky to be able to try three of the products; Prevent (stretch mark lotion) RRP £22, Rescue Ginger (anti nausea pressure point roll on and also the peppermint version RRP £8.


First up the Prevent lotion. I love this packaging, and the pump top is so useful! Some creams can get so messy and you can often end up with too much cream, but this design will not allow that. Before I used it I looked at the ingredients, I don't usually do this but since being pregnant I tend to be quite obsessive about what I'm putting on my skin. I was quite shocked to see the ingredient "cetearyl alcohol" , straight away I thought eurgh.. No thank you, alcohol on sensitive, over stretched skin, I don't fancy being tortured!!! I guess I was surprised too to see an alcohol based ingredient when the tag line of d'Anu is how natural they are! Well.. How wrong was I?! I looked it up and it turns out it's a completely safe ingredient made from coconut oil! So on to trying it out....


The first thing I noticed when squirting onto my palm ready for my swollen tummy was the smell!!!! It smelt like I was at a spa, amazing! Completely different to any of the other creams I've been using which all seem to smell of coconut or cocoa. I think it's the ylang ylang oil, I absolutely love it! When I put it on to my skin it was absorbed quickly and felt lovely and smooth. It's a product I will keep using as I do really like the texture and smell, but my only worry is that its quite strong and if used in the day it could mix with your perfumes and be a bit potent, but that's just a watch out!

So the rescue oils... I must admit when I saw that the one was ginger I felt myself turn a little green! Since all the sickness I have had over the last few months sometimes the smell can really turn me away from ginger! But... I did try it and actually I prefer it to the peppermint variety. It's really subtle and sweet , I only wish I'd known about these products when I was at my worst. These are a definite for my handbag and then onto !y hospital bag, for those moments I need some relief. Really easy and no fuss, just roll onto your pressure points, no mess!


Overall I like these products and would happily continue to use and recommend to others.


The other product this week is the Palmer's Tummy Butter for stretch marks. I have been using the standard, original product which is more of a cream than a butter. This is a harder butter which melts into your skin, little more hassle to apply as it can be quite hard in the tin but it left my skin so moist it felt freshly buttered the next morning!!

All in all a good week for skin products, and the battle of the stretch marks continues.....

Lots of love,
Hayley xxxx

The little things in life... {Pbloggers Guest Post} Me? A parent?

Pbbloggers were looking for posts regarding being a parent, I know I am not a parent yet (I am sure having a dog doesn't count even if I do mother him!) but they thought it may be nice to share my thoughts on becoming a parent for the first time.

You can find them on these links below:



A parent, it sounds quite frightening yet so simple? I looked up the definition and it basically says "a persons mother or father", that doesn't sound too difficult! But when you really think about it there is a lot it could mean. And that is the scary bit.


The first thing that comes to my mind is love. And I am certain my daughter will have all the love she could possibly need from me and Ben, and well she is being born into such a loving family that this part isn't a worry to me at all! 

The biggest fear I have is the responsibility that comes with being a parent. It'll never go away and that little person will one day be big and still depend on you, but I know the satisfaction you will get back just makes it all worthwhile. I've no idea what it will be like having someone depend on me completely but Its something I will learn and can't wait to!  I know there will be hard times and I'm sure I'll want to run away at times, but I do that now so whats the difference? One thing I am not daft to think is that there is a right and a wrong way of parenting, you surely build up your own style that suits you? 

A key thing for me will be to take the advice I want to use and ignore the rest, there is so much around in books, online and being kindly offered by those people around you. The secret will be to remember they mean well but that you don't have to use it all! I have learnt to do this in my working life, not sure it'll be the same personally but I'll give it a flipping good go! 


I read in my Prima Baby magazine this week that you should follow your instincts and trust that they are right! We shall see how that pans out! 

Lots of love,
Hayley xx



The little things in life... Our Mamma Mia Wedding #2 The Big Day

Well here I am, back in a hotel room yet again on my lonesome. I lead such a glamourous life at times. Sat in my room in my pjs at 7pm eating room service in bed watching Holby City, maybe not so glamourous hey! 

So next installment here we go...

I have had some lovely feedback on my last post about getting ready for our wedding in Lindos, Rhodes. It was really enjoyable to write and to look back at the photographs when putting the post together, it brought back so many memories. I would love to re-live that day, who knows maybe one day we will go back and renew our vows! In the mean time we hope to go back there sometime soon for a holiday. 

So the big day... 


We are fairly traditional but not entirely. The night before our wedding it would often be tradition for the husband and wife to be to stay away from one another until they see each other at the alter. This wasn't for us, I knew I would feel relaxed and happy if I was to stay with Ben up until we left on the actual day to get ready for the ceremony. I didn't regret this choice at all, it was lovely to wake with him, have breakfast and then go and laze by the pool for a few hours until me and the girls went off to the Melenos to get all dolled up ready for the wedding! Sunbathing by the pool was quite surreal, sat with my rollers in, ensuring my toe nails were well painted and having giddy chats with all our family and best friends, it made it even more exciting! No stress or worries, I knew that Lindos Weddings would have it all under control and I had nothing to do but get pretty and arrive. 



We didn't get married until 4.15pm so about lunch time the girls, my mum and I went into Lindos to go to the Melenos to get ready. Lindos is the most beautiful, old town that is pedestrian only so we had to walk up the cobbled streets with rollers in, I will always remember that little walk and the girls seeing the chapel and little hotel for the 1st time! The few hours we had to get ready went so fast, it wasn't long until the photographer arrived to take a few pictures of us girls before we headed up to the chapel. The hotel was on the side of the hill just below the chapel, you had to walk past to get up to the chapel. Although we were around the back of the hotel (looking out to sea on the terrace - just perfect!) we could hear the guests arriving in convoy chatting and laughing, it sent me a bit jittery and very excited! It was only then I think that it hit me - OMG I AM GETTING  MARRIED !!! All of the guests had been taken to the town and met in the square at a little bar before all walking up to the chapel together with Ben. 


When my dad arrived at the hotel to come and get us it felt so real! Nerve wracking but I have never felt so excited!!! We had a few photos and then off we went to the chapel.




Where we were walking up it was quite hidden by all the trees but as we went up the steps (quite tricky to manoeuvre in a tight long dress!!) we could see everyone stood there, eeeek! My heart nearly jumped out of my chest! I all of a sudden felt really emotional and tears came from nowhere! We didn't have much to say really with our vows except I do and our names, the registrar spoke in Greek and then English, it all went so fast! As we were about to say "I do" out of nowhere a donkey appeared above us, next to some of our family and was eyor-ing away loudly! We couldn't stop laughing, something I will never forget. Along with the dolphins in the bay we had a few unexpected guests! 



Once we had composed ourselves we did our vows and my Grandad did a reading for us. It was just how we hoped it would be! And then... we were Mr and Mrs C! 


We had some great group photos up at the chapel and then we all went to the garden terrace at the Melenos for Pimms and the speeches. We didn't have formal, long, boring speeches where everyone has to force a laugh out instead the best men buddied up and 
did a great double act, then my dad and then Ben. All over fairly quickly and all perfect for the feeling of our day, relaxed and informal.

 We also cut our cake down here, we were having a big Meze meal so thought it best to have cake in the evening later but thought we would cut it whilst the photographer was there.  Ill put some photos here of the garden terrace and the cake etc, I will do another post of the wedding breakfast and then the dancing etc later in the week when I get chance, I am just aware these posts can become very long and probably a bit dreary if i go on, and on, and on! 



Lots of Love, 
Hayley xxx

All photographs are our own and we own the copyright at all times 

The little things in life... What I have been loving this week

So this week has been a tough one at work and I need to relax a little.. I thought maybe lazing in bed writing this may just help. I've tried a walk and baking today but I still feel uptight and grumpy so this is a last resort before an early night. Usually baking does the trick but my Creme Egg brownies look a bit of a flop, miffed off! I'm usually not too bad at baking, maybe I've lost my touch!! I think I'm just worn out after a long week, I've driven something close to 1200 miles in 3 days and I'm starting to think it's not ideal when 28 weeks pregnant. Anyway, this isn't all that positive is it and this is all about what I have been loving and not what has been infuriating me!

Bit of a mixed post today, some beauty and some lifestyle;


Firstly I have been loving the Barry M new glitter polishes, OK so they have been out a while and I am a little late to catch on but I have been in love with the Jelly polishes the last few months or so. I'm not usually very blingy and the only sparkle really that I behave like a magpie around are diamonds, but I saw these on line and had to try one out even if it was just for a statement nail. I chose the pink glitter shade and I wasn't disappointed! The only issue I find is that it takes a few coats to get good coverage but I've never known a polish dry so fast, all good. 




The other beauty item I've been in love with is the pure coconut oil that I mentioned on my "pre-baby holiday" post. I have had such a down week about my skin and really on the warpath to fight any potential stretch marks, I don't think I have new ones (yet!) But my old silvered lines are more noticeable to me now, probably because I'm looking so hard. So in the battle of the marks I have continued to use Palmer's Cocoa Butter and Soap & Glory Righteous body butter but to top it off I have taken the oil usage up a notch! I mentioned before it's a pain because it goes solid and you have to warm it to use, but if it helps at all I'm willing to do a little work even if it means getting the hair dryer out on it!! I was doing some reading up this week and lots of sources say coconut oil and almond oil really are the most highly recommended, jam packed with vitamin E. Of course you want the natural form though if you want to give it a good go! This shows how it looks before and after heating, difficult to capture but I've give it a go! 



The other things quite high on my like list and my agenda this week have been (and still is) getting a jobs list sorted to get our home finished and perfect . When we bought our house it was a 100% renovation job but worth it as its all our own now. However we did most of the big tasks and the main rooms are done and just how we want them but we haven't done too much recently to finish off! So this week we have had the carpet finished on the stairs and landing, it now looks almost complete! Sad but I love it! There are a few other bits that need doing but are all too petty to mention! Except the babies room of course, which I'm pleased to say is in progress. We have cleared the room now ready to start putting cot etc in and deciding what other furniture we need to source. I tend to dig around for old pieces of furniture and upscale to keep in with the rest of the house, I always enjoy this bit! This is one of my dressers in the kitchen. Its something I found on gumtree at a bargain price and then revamped using Annie Sloan Old Ochre chalk paint. 




I am starting to get restless with the house a little as we have 12 weeks until our due date, if she comes a little early then that leaves us around 10 weeks, well weekends really to be realistic! Eeeek! And even then we have some pretty busy weekends coming up with birthdays, anniversaries etc - best get cracking with this list!! 


Lots of love, 

Hayley xxx

All photographs are my own and I own the copyright at all times


The little things in life... Our Mamma Mia Wedding #1 The planning

I mentioned in my first blog post about our wedding in Lindos, Greece and shared a little photo of me and Ben on our wedding day. I am asked quite often about our wedding and what it was like getting married abroad so thought I would write a little post for you all about it, also because I love re-living it time and time again! We always knew we would would get married abroad but it was just a case of when and where. The Caribbean had always been a thought but to get our family and close friends over there was just a little too much to ask but also we wanted something that didn't just feel like we were  just at the beach for the day.
 
When we finally got engaged (after almost 10 years!!) we started to plan straight away, we always said when we got engaged it would be to get married and not just think about it for a few years! we looked at different countries and places but Greece really stood out for us and when we came across Lindos we knew it would be perfect for us! We were really lucky and stumbled across Lindos Weddings, a wedding planning company run by a British couple but who lived out in Lindos. We booked our wedding date, chapel and venue without actually seeing them for real! It was always our plan to see these places for the first time on the wedding day with our family and friends, it was risky but with Lindos Weddings putting us at ease and seeing the photos etc it just made it more exciting! However, about six months before the wedding we were looking for a last minute holiday and a last minute cheap deal to Lindos popped up - so off we went!
 
We really were not disappointed and as soon as we saw the venues then we just knew that we had done the right thing and it made us even more excited for May 2012! When we sent out invites we really didn't expect anything more than our direct family mums, dads and sisters and brothers to be able to come, we appreciated that it was expensive to go on a holiday and that asking people to attend was a big ask, but we just had the thought that it was what we wanted, we didn't want a huge wedding and we would be thankful for those that could come and join us. We were really surprised with the RSVPS that we got! we had pretty much 40 people attend, almost everyone that we had invited! It was really touching to know that so many people would be joining us in Greece for our special day.
 
 
Planning the wedding was better than I ever imagined, I had a few stressful moments when I couldn't find the right bridesmaid dresses that I wanted, I couldn't decide on my wedding dress, I couldn't find wedding shoes, all quite small issues in the grand scheme of things! But the big things like the venue - we chose a quaint, tiny little chapel over looking the bay (Agios Demtrios) rather than one of the more busy places on the island, the evening venue (The Melenos) and the venue for dancing (The Village Cafe) were really easy decisions. We saw them and knew it was just what we wanted!
 
My wedding dress was a La Sposa, Pronovias Lace dress. It was perfect - exactly what I had in mind. Travelling with the dress was an experience as I really didn't want it to be put into the hold on the plane with all of the suitcases - what if they lost it?! So I packed it into a small hand luggage case and just hoped they wouldn't weight the case as it was pretty heavy!  I also packed in my shoes and jewellery, I couldn't risk being a bride without these things!
 
 
I got my bridesmaid dresses made in the end by my nan, I just couldn't find a dress in the style I wanted (Think Grecian, one-shouldered goddess) and in the colour I wanted. Although it was tricky fitting in fittings and I am sure it was a nightmare for my nan the end result was just what I had dreamt! It was really important that me and all the girls felt comfortable, bearing in mind it was Greece and although it was late May it was still hot, hot, hot! I think the dresses did the job perfectly for them, although at the end of the night I have some brilliant photos of them tucked in their knickers so they could dance more freely!!! hehe! One thing I was unsure of when choosing my own dress was whether I went for a "beach style" dress, short and light or if I went for exactly what I had always loved. One piece of advice I'd give is you only get one (most of the time!) so don't compromise! I knew my dress was very figure hugging down to the thighs and heavy. But I am so glad I did it, yes I was hot at times but I just hitched it up to get some breeze around my legs when the opportunity came! (Very lady like!)
 
 
The wedding planners did most things for us, they sent us lots of photos and literature to look through and we were also able to do our own research and send over any ideas we had. It was so easy because they did all the hard work for us! I chose the flowers, the cake, the decorations, the seating plans, the reading at the service, the music etc etc and they just did it all for me! The only thing I actually did was the favours, and I just got traditional sugared almonds in little bags and took them with me to give them when we arrived. This was the exciting bit - especially all of the decorations! I wanted it pretty and romantic and slightly vintage - Think Mamma Mia! Our venue where we had the wedding breakfast was a beautiful Bedouin tent style terrace at a little boutique hotel, The Melenos and it looked out onto the bay of Lindos. The time we had our meal was perfect as we saw the sun go down and at one point some of our guests shouted that there were dolphins out in the bay leaping around! It was like someone had put them there just for us! It really was magical.
This is the view the following morning from the hotel:
 
 
At the time of looking at photographers we came across some gorgeous photos on facebook, when we asked Lindos Weddings if he was on there list of suppliers he actually wasn't at the time but they were completely happy for us to use him as they knew him and his photos are out of this world! He now is their recommended photographer and I can see why! There were various packages on offer and after some consideration we just wen for it and went for one of the most expensive packages, we wanted to capture everything we could possibly afford! Apart from the wedding breakfast this was the most expensive investment of the wedding. We are so glad - I love our photographs! They are more than I could ever have imagined, he really captured not only us but some great moments of our guests that we can keep forever. Apart from the obvious posed photographs we would never have known he was there, he really was worth every single penny to us. I love looking at his website http://www.giannelis.com/en/
 
 
 
 
On my next post I will talk about the actual day and how it went and not just the girly details like this post! I felt it was a bit much to do all at once, I don't want to bore you all to death!
 
Lots of Love,
Hayley xx
 





The little things in life.. Stylfile -Useful or just a gimmick?

This week I have had the opportunity of trying out some funky looking products from Stylfile. Those of you that watch The Apprentice may remember Tom Pellereau, the winning inventor from a few years ago - well these are his inventions and his brand in nail care.



I love finding new products and often have a good look around the high street for products or brands that catch my eye. Although these are available in many places including Boots, Amazon etc I haven't come across them personally when out and about. Although I am not sure how I have missed them with their bright, vibrant packaging I am sure they stand out on the shelf.

First I tried the S File which is curved, feels a little awkward when you first start filing but then when you get into the flow it is nice and easy and starts to feel more comfortable. It was easy to file into a nice curved shape, I am unsure if it would be so easy to get a straight, more blunt shape though if that's the shape you are after. The S-Buffer was similar to use and with this product I really did like the result. It has 4 edges to it and they are numbered, so you know which stage to do first. The end result was a smooth, shiny nail and I have decided this is something I really should do more often - I'm forever covering my nails in polish and gel etc and then taking off and not necessarily looking after them and taking them back to their natural state after.

I also tried the emergency file - like a mini version of the big S File and it comes with a coil protector and attaches to your keys. I like the idea of this and again it looks pretty funky. However its quite big and having it jangling from my keys could be a bit annoying, I popped mine in my make up bag though and it did that job perfectly! The protector is a brilliant idea - I'm sick of finding broken, floppy emery boards in the bottom of my handbag so this is a great solution.





Lastly I have the nipper clipper - as you will know my baby is still cooking and is a way off arriving yet however having teeny nails myself I was able to test this out on both my toe and finger nails (the pinky one at least). The clipper has a big handle for easy grip and what I loved more than anything was the little window hole at the end so you could see what you were cutting - a nail and not a tiny finger ideally! What I really loved about this though was the tiny baby file that comes with it! It's so cute! I also showed it my sister who has a newborn baby and she says their nails are so soft and little that a file rather than a clipper is perfect and much less hassle.




The products are well priced, they won't break the bank anyway and I genuinely do think they may last a long time so you could get your moneys worth. If I am honest I usually buy the disposable type of file but this has shown me that maybe that's not necessarily the best choice - money wise or results! The brand itself I think is vibrant with personality and that's something I like. I have never really thought of buying someone else a nail file ( a bit boring!) but these products would make great gifts, they're fun and packaged really nicely - I wouldn't mind receiving these anyway!

If you want to find out more check out the website: http://www.stylfile.com/index.php
Please note these are my own photographs and I hold the copyright at all times.

Thank you to Stylfile for the opportunity to test these out,

Lots of love,
Hayley xx

The little things in life.. Welcome to the 3rd trimester

Well here we are, the home stretch! I'm expecting this to be the worst part as this is what all the books etc lead you to think.


I am now pretty much 27 weeks pregnant so only 13 weeks to go if she can hold on that long. I'm actually feeling pretty good at the moment, miracles do happen! I just hope it lasts, I have lots to do and lots of exciting things happening in the next few weeks so I need to feel as good as possible! I've had compliments all over the place this week on how well I look, considering I've just come off the back of that nasty bug then I'll take that!! I do think the contributing factor though is that I am not like a yellow tinged ghost at the moment because I have a bit of a tan from our hols. It'll soon fade! If I don't wash so much will it stay longer?! 

My tummy hasn't stopped growing and my belly button is weirdly looking a tad squashed.. Attractive. And my back.. Well I'm sure it's only going to get worse, I can't decide if it's from the weight of my bump or my chest but it feels like I'm going to break in two sometimes!  But my skin on my tummy is lovely and smooth since my holiday, the little flashes of vitamin D it got from the sun must have done It the world of good. I'm continuing to use coconut oil and I'm always using Soap & Glory's Righteous body butter. I LOVE this product. It's in a pumpy bottle so I have it in the bathroom and can just have a pump when I'm in there and after baths etc, it's so smooth and my skin seems to love it, it just sucks it right up! 

I'm finding my organs are starting to feel a bit restricted now and when I've eaten a lot it can be quite uncomfortable, as if my dinner is sat on my lungs! It also feels sometimes like baby is up there too using them as pillows. I had the midwife earlier in the week and baby is measuring slightly ahead at this stage, I just hope it means she's had a growth spurt or she will come a week early and not that I'm cooking the biggest muffin you have ever seen! The only other complaint I am moaning about this week is leg cramps, they are back with a vengeance! Right when I am in a deep sleep I jump up off the bed with the worst pain, my legs feel as if they have rocks in them and then the next day I'm walking like a little old man because they ache.

Yesterday I spent the day with my sisters, Natasha and Amy shopping (oh and my baby niece) and having lunch, generally a nice girly day. I managed to have quite a good trip. I'm going to do a quick post on all the bits I bought later so I won't share too much here, but I'm making progress- finally!! My goodness though how expensive are babies??? 


After shopping I took the girls to BabyVision which is a private clinic where you can get various ultrasounds including 4D! We had been there before for our gender scan at 16 weeks. Our last visit was a bit of a different experience really, (I'll probably blog about this at some point) and wasn't very positive for us. Nothing to do with the place as they were brilliant but it was identified that we needed to see a consultant back at the hospital because there was concerns about one of her little hands, it just seemed what was supposed to be a positive experience turned into a bit of the unexpected. This visit was perfect! 


She looked so content and cuddled up into me, giving herself a little cuddle whilst yawning away. I now see why her movement can feel quite sharp too, her legs are so long!! No idea where she's got them from!! When she was prodded she just turned away from view and cuddled in further, camera shy and too busy sleeping.

This week I've also booked my Lazy Daisy classes, for anyone that doesn't know about them then you should look it up. It does sound a little "hippy" sometimes in write ups etc but one of my friends did them and really recommended I at least give them a try as I do feel a little anxious sometimes about getting her out in to the world. They are classes to help relaxation, good posture and position for relaxing but also labour, breathing techniques and basically about making the experience feel more comfortable and natural- or that's what I think anyway! I will let you know how it goes, but for me I think anything that helps even a teeny bit is worth every penny spent! I'd love to know if anyone else has done these classes or hypnobirthing? 

The other job on my list this week is to look at antenatal classes... The thought of these terrify me a bit! Sometimes I think I may be better off not knowing too much, but then is knowledge power?! Mmmmm no idea. 

I have had some great feedback on my blog this week, one tweet from Lord Sugar! How crazy is that? I didn't expect anyone to read it never mind someone like him! 


Well that's it for now, 

Lots of love,
Hayley xxx
 
(I have put links on any brands or comanies so you can find out more if you wish to)