Sunday Best

aka Primark meets Mad Men.
You won't find any expensive designer clothes on this blog I am afraid (unless they are 2nd hand from Ebay or the charity stores). I think its important to save money whenever possible, after all, we can't take it with us when we get to the end can we.
Since I was a teenager I have been in love with the 1960s, influenced by my parents tastes in music no doubt (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Simon & Garfunkel, Elvis, The Kinks, and even The Shadows). I just managed to born in the 1960s, coming 4 weeks early in December 1969, typical me, too impatient to wait.
I love the 1960's classic look, high hair, black eyeliner and tunic style dresses. I even managed to pull it off for church this week.

Dress - Primark Link
Leggings - Primark Link
Boots - Ebay Link
Glasses - Specpost Link
Earnings - Claires - Link

Hair tutorial from Cherry Dollface

V

Sister You Smell Like A Hippie

I love love love perfumes, but I most certainly do not like a £40 price tag. My absolute favorite perfumes are L'Eau d'Issey and Jean Paul Gaultier Classique but now that I am a single Mom I have to watch my pennies more than ever. I have heard all the fuss about Lidl's perfume Suddenly which costs £4 and smells very very similar to Coco Chanel (at around £70), and I have even bought it a few times, and I have to say, they are right, its really lovely.
But my favorite smelly-likey has to be Marks & Spencer's Isis perfume, which costs £16 a bottle and smells very similar to L'Eau d'Issey.
As yet, I have not managed to find anything decent that smells like the Jean Paul Gaultier (except a very cheap and nasty rip off which lost its scent after about an hour), which is a shame.
This week though I popped in to M&S after work to buy some Isis and was totally swayed buy the new range of perfumes they have Linky. After much debating the old hippie in me won out (I was born in the 1960's after all), and I settled on Patchouli and it is absolutely gorgeous. These days £22.50 on perfume is a treat, so although I think it may be my new favorite, I will be supplementing it with the £4 Suddenly from Lidl.

V

She Sells Sea Shells On The Sea Shore - Week 1

A 52 week photo project of the seashore where we live.

Week 1

January 09th 2015

New Years Eve / Day

On New Years Eve my sister and her husband

renewed their wedding vows. We all went to the service, had some food, 

and then to a close by friends house to see in the New Year.

Thats my camera shy brother (Bruce) in the kilt btw

we came home in a cab at 2am and poor wee Oscar was totally exhausted,

but by his own admission he had a brilliant time (the friends home we were in has 7 children).

New Years day was an all together more relaxed day and we enjoyed a lovely dinner of

chicken stew and dumplings followed by chocolate Christmas pudding and cream.

Oscar came to dinner in his pyjamas because he was still a very sleepy boy :)

Valerie

She Sells Sea Shells On The Sea Shore

Ok, well perhaps not 

Happy New Year !

Lets hope its our best year yet

To start the year off I have made a few goals for myself.

1. Sketch EVERY day

2. Be asleep before 11.30pm EVERY night

3. Read my scriptures EVERY day

4. To carry on healthy eating and loosing more weight 

(did I mention I have lost 2 stones since September?)

5. Busy myself in service

6. Try and get to our Temple at least 4 times

7. Get outside more often.

In preparation for 7 I have decided to take a picture (or 2 or 3) of the beach 

where I live, every week and make a feature of the changing seasons

on the blog.

I love living by the sea, I don't think I express it often enough.

Here are the first weeks photo's (actually taken in December)

If anyone is actually reading this, and have set any New Year goals,

please let me know, I love to hear how others are doing.

All the best in 2015

Valerie

xxx

What A Year

I started the year in January full of optimism.

I had a feeling changes were on the horizon, but I wrongly assumed my big life event

of 2014 would be Oscar starting school. 

In February Oscar had his 5th birthday ! 

I could hardly believe he had been dancing around the sun for 5 years.

March was a quiet month.

I spent a lot of time cooking and knitting and thinking about my faith.

In April we sadly marked the passing of another year since we lost our baby, Ellie-Rose.

April is always a sad month now.

May was very busy. We went to Edinburgh to say goodbye to one of our missionaries. 

I went to our Temple in Preston and had some special experiences, and we also had Duncan's birthday 

and Aimee's birthday.

natural history museum - Edinburgh

In June Oscar had his school induction days and did really well. 

We also had some actual sunshine

In July the school holidays began 

and Oscar did his first ever stage performance with his theatre group.

In August, my baby started school !

September !

We went on holiday.

I found out my husband was not the man I thought he was,

our marriage ended.

In October we had to re-home the pets, and ourselves.

The children and I moved to a little apartment of our own.

In November we just really did some settling in. I focused a lot on my Faith, and 

began to establish new routines.

December, and I coped with my first post break up birthday and wedding anniversary.

Oscar did his 2nd stage show.

My friend and I started our little business venture, 

and we celebrated Christmas where I had my mind firmly fixed on our Savior Jesus Christ.

Who knows what 2015 will bring. 

My Faith has grown and grown this year, and because of that

I can trust my future is safe in the Lords hands

Happy New Year when it comes !

See you on the other side.

Valerie

xxx

Oh Sunday, How Much I Love You

Going to Church every Sunday makes me happy,

but its so much more than that. It really is a day to stop and see what

the Lord has given us, and to enjoy it.

Some days are harder than others to accomplish this, but I think that as long as

we know that the small wonders of every day life are always there, and it is only our ability to 

appreciate them that alters then some comfort can always be had.

The view from my window in the morning

Faded flowers in the church foyer

Or lesson for today - Lord Is It I?

A View Of The River From Church

A Cheeky Little Cat On The Garden Wall

Candles And Our Savior

A Selfie In My Dressing Gown

My Bedside At Night

I hope you all had a beautiful and peace filled Sunday.