Happy Days: Any Day of the Week

Have you ever felt so caught up in everyday, mundane problems, challenges or just a hectic schedule that you've found you haven't been fully present?
I know I have... but lately I have realised that it only seems to happen on certain days. Just recently I have noticed my favourite day of the week is on a Friday; when I feel energised, calm, refreshed and to be honest really great!
I started questionning why this was and why I favoured Fridays more than any other day and the answer was simple...

I do the things I enjoy the most.

On a Friday, I attend two fitness classes at my local gym. I start the day with a 45 minute Spinning session and then straight afterwards participate in an hour long Body Balance class. I have found this really helps me unwind and reset after a long week and gives me a chance to stretch properly after working hard. I finish with a short meditation where it allows me to put any problems, negativity or things on my to-do list to one side, just for a moment or two and fully be in the present moment to just be. 
This really helps to set me up for the day and week ahead.

I think it is very important to try and stay present and welcome everything that happens in our every day lives. To do this, I like to note everything I am grateful for on a daily basis, whether I'm sitting somewhere quiet or walking outside. I particularly like to give thanks for everything that has happened and for all that I have and for the people I know. It really helps to relax and centre me.

What is your favourite day of the week? Can you list three things you are grateful for today?

Live, Laugh, Love,
Karen Eleanor xXx

Coffee & Cake at M&S | World's Biggest Coffee Morning

During a recent shopping trip with my Mum, we popped into the Marks & Spencer's Café for a coffee and slice of cake. While here, I spotted a poster advertising the "World's Biggest Coffee Morning" in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support. Throughout September, for every coffee and slice of cake bought in the Café, M&S will donate 5p to the Macmillan charity.

These charities are very close to my heart and I always try to raise and donate money when I can, so seeing this, I couldn't resist ordering a coffee and slice of cake... although I don't need too much persuading when it comes to cake! But, it's for a good cause, right? ;)

I enjoyed a lovely Vanilla Latte and slice of their Coffee and Walnut Cake and yum, yum, yum, it was delicious! 

So, if you are near an M&S Café this September, why not treat yourself, I'm sure you deserve to! Especially as you will be helping raise money to support such an amazing and important charity. I know that 5p doesn't necessarily sound a lot, but for every sale made during the month, that's a lot of pennies donated! The official "Coffee Morning" event is said to be taking place on the 25th September and I hope many people contribute and do what they can!

Do you have a favourite type of cake? Do you prefer a Latte, Cappuccino or a Mocha? Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to know!

Live, Laugh, Love,

Karen Eleanor xXx

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I have not been contacted by M&S or Macmillan and have not been sponsored or paid to write this blog post. I saw the advertisement and wanted to raise awareness to this cause and help spread the word to as many people as I can. All photography is my own.

Brighton | 2015

For the last weekend of our "summer holiday" my sister and I organised a trip to one of the UK's most popular seaside destination's, Brighton. It's one of the places that has been on our bucket list for a while now, so when we had the opportunity to, we decided to take a visit.

We've always been intrigued by the cobbled streets, the infamous pebbled beach and the abundance of little vintage tea rooms and unique shops selling all sorts of little treasures. After travelling by train and stopping for a bite to eat, we headed off exploring all these things... and they didn't disappoint!

 The Lanes was our first stop. This was one of the streets we really wanted to visit while we were in Brighton, especially after the amazing things we had heard about it. Hidden away down a narrow side road, The Lanes, consisted of a row of tiny, little shops selling everything from jewellery, cupcakes, antiques and chocolate! One of the most popular shops that everyone who visits needs to see, is Choccywoccydoodah. The place you can buy pretty much anything your heart dsires,  all made from cake and chocolate. The little dog in the picture above was one of the sample's in the shop's window display. Imagine having that at a party or birthday celebration? It's so cute, I wouldn't want to eat it!

 Our next stop, was of course, the beach! I would say the walk from the pier, down to the seafront should definitely be considered as a workout in itself, haha! We spent some time down by the sea, gazing out at the horizon, before making our way back up towards the pier.

After getting lost a couple of times and walking round in circles, we found ourselves at The North Laines. Another street tucked away down a side road, filled with many antiques, vintage shops, market stalls, pubs and cafés. Every single shop is unique from the next and you never know what you are going to see around the next corner. These streets were jam-packed with retailer's selling jewellery and bag's on stalls, used books, clothing, fudge and trinkets. We were so overwhelmed by it all, we didn't know where to look first! While browsing we stumbled upon a store called Snooper's Paradise. A shop filled to the brim with stock, selling all sorts of items, from your general bric 'n' brac to musical instruments and home decor. 

Before making our way to the exit, Shula and I spotted a photo booth; a vintage style booth with a box full of props next to it, inviting people to have their photo taken. Once in the booth, there were no mirrors or video screens, just the lens of the camera and money slot. Four black and white photos were taken, so we had the opportunity to make four different poses, but had no clue when the photo would be taken... only when the flash went off! 

We had a fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed our day. If you've never been to Brighton before and would like to pay a visit, I would highly recommend doing so, but would advice planning your trip and making sure you have a few days to explore. Shula and I went for the day, but found we would need to spend at least a couple of days there to truly appreciate it. Maybe spending one day at the pier and on the beach and the next day making the time to explore unique tourist spots such as The Lanes or even viewing the art galleries or seeing a show at the theatre.

Have you ever been to Brighton? What did you like most about it? Have you been anywhere this summer you'd recommend visiting? Let me know in the comments below!

If you'd like to read more about our trip to Brighton then you can head over to my sister's blog Life Of Shula to see more.

Live, Laugh Love,
Karen Eleanor xXx

May Favourites | 2015

Hello!

This month has gone by so fast! I cannot believe it! I have only chosen three favourites this month because these are the ones that stood out the most to me and ones I found were worthy of a mention.

My Favourite Breakfast: Nearly Every Morning I have made (and enjoyed!) this porridge and think it is the best breakfast combo... EVER! It consists of porridge oats made with almond milk, with chia seeds, a chopped banana and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Sometimes I add a small handful of sultana's too and a drizzle of honey! Simple, yet delicious... every time!

Lush's Handy Gurugu Hand Cream: Over the last few years I have suffered from very dry hands, especially around my knuckles. This makes them very sore and can often bleed, leaving my hands to look like I have a thousand cuts on them and very red. I have tried and tested many hand creams that claim to help with this condition, but have found that almost all of them made my hands sting when I applied the cream or they were really greasy. On a recent shopping trip I paid a visit to my local Lush store. I asked one of the sales assistants, her advice on any hand cream she would recommend. She showed me four different creams she thought would benefit me and let me sample each of them so I could decide which one I preferred. I chose Handy Gurugu and it is brilliant! This cream is made with Fresh Organic Lemon Juice, Chamomile Blue Oil, Organic Peanut and Pumpkinseed Butter along with other moistorising and soothing ingredients. This cream is a very heavy, butter based cream ideal for hard working hands! Honestly, this cream is a miracle worker. I had only been using it for less than 48 hours and my hands had healed. It was fast working, my hands were no longer discoloured, chapped or dry. I hadn't seen them so smoothe and moistorised for so long, it was incredible! I highly recommend this cream to anyone who wants a good, long lasting hand cream that helps moistorise, even after you've washed your hands!

Trip to Breamore House: For my Mum's birthday this month, me and my family visited Breamore House in Fordingbridge. First we were able to look around the museum they have there before making our way up a long gravelled drive way to the House itself. We spent a few minutes beforehand though, visiting the small church just next to the grounds. When we got to the house, a lady told us a brief history of the house, owners, etc, before guiding us into the dining room where we were met by a tour guide who then took us around the whole house explaining what the different rooms were once used for and about the families who lived there 100 years ago and those who still occupy the house today. It was very interesting to learn about Breamore, the House and all of its history. We all had a lovely day and then ended it with a lovely meal at a close by restaurant!

Have you visited anywhere interesting this month or discovered some magic beauty product you now swear by? If so, let me know in the comments below.

Live, Laugh, Love,
Karen Eleanor xXx