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LIFESTYLE: CAFE ROUGE CROQUE MONSIEURS AND GIN BLOOMS


We recently went along to Cafe Rouge in The Mailbox Birmingham to try out their iconic Croque Monsieurs and Gin Blooms. 

The Croques are a regular on the Cafe Rouge menu but not something that you really hear much about! A Croque is a classic grilled Emmental Cheese Sandwhich on sourdough with Bechamel sauce. 

They have 5 Croques to choose from, the have the original Monsieur and Madame and the NEW Chicken Club, Hot Smoked Salmon and Portobello Mushroom. 

We were lucky enough to try 4 out of the 5 Croques and we had lots of Champagne and Gin and frites too! 

The Croques were sooo good, it was lovely to try all of the different flavours. It's just a sandwich but it's grilled and covered in cheese and creamy bechamel sauce (SO GOOD!) My favourite had to be the Chicken Club, it was really lovely tender chicken. The Portobello Mushroom one comes with Goats Cheese, Baby Spinach and a drizzle of Truffle Oil, it was really good! It's not something I would order usually for myself but I would order that again it was so tasty! 

We got to try a few different Champagnes with the food which tasted really good and really complemented the food. We also got to try their new Pink Gin Blooms which were lovely, i'm not really a big Gin drinker, it's not something I would usually order but it was really nice and refreshing and it was a nice sunny day so went down very well. 


Overall it was such a lovely event, we got to try some lovely food and met lots of lovely people. 

Thanks to Cafe Rouge for the invite and for having us. 














* we were invited along to the event to try the new croques, our food and drink was complementary. I have not been paid for this feature.  

LIFESTYLE: 10 WAYS TO UPDATE YOUR HOME FOR SPRING


Spring is on its way, well, according to the calendar anyway, the weather seems to have other ideas. But whilst we wait for it to show its face in terms of sun and warmth, there are some small additions and chances you can make to your home to ensure it’s ready for spring.

These are the simple ways to update your home for spring this year.

Change your cushion covers and throws
Cushions and throws are easy ways to add some colours into your rooms, and whilst heavy jacquard and velvet fabrics work well through autumn/winter, changing them for linen materials and printed cottons makes them ideal for spring/summer.

Switch from deep and dark colours through winter to lighter and brighter shades in the summer months.

New bedding
Give your bedroom a new look with some printed bedding or a clean and crisp new set. Again choose something bright and light that will give the room a clean feeling that we associate with the brighter days of spring.

Flowers
Floras for spring might not seem revolutionary, but it works. As much as we love the idea of plants throughout the house, make your home spring-ready with the addition of flowers. Whilst it might not be cost effective to have fresh flowers in every room, add in some fake ones to the spaces that you don’t sit for hours.
Keep fresh flowers in your living room or kitchen, and then add in some fake ones to your bedroom, bathroom or dining room. This way you’ll add some instant colour to the space and won’t have to worry about replacing them regularly.

Colour
Add bright colours or pastels to your rooms in the forms of vases or other trinkets, perfect if your rooms are mainly neutral shades as this will definitely make them more spring ready.

Rearrange furniture
Give a room a new look by simply moving around the furniture if you can. It’ll take a little heavy lifting and effort, but it won’t cost you a thing and you’ll give the space a whole new look.

Solar garden lights
With the days getting longer, and hopefully the sun making a more regular appearance adding in some First Lighting solar garden lights will make your garden instantly more appealable. If you have some lights outside you’re more likely to utilise the space once the sun has gone down, and solar garden lights are easy to install and incredibly cost effective too.

New scents
Change the scent of your rooms and home by adding in some new room diffusers and candles. Keep things light and fresh which are perfect for spring and summer.

Remove clutter
If you’d prefer your home to be bright and clean for spring, you might prefer to pack things away like cushions, throws, vases etc. Remove bits of clutter from the rooms and keep things tidy this season.

Replace curtains
Change the curtains in your home from heavy fabrics, to lighter and thinner design which are great to let even more light into the rooms. Perfect for when the sun is shining the whole day.

Bring more light to your hallway
The hallway is the first place that guests will see, and if your hallway doesn’t get a lot of natural sunlight, it might be best to add some lights to the space so that it’s bright and light throughout summer. Interesting and fun table lamps will add novelty, or keep things fuss-free with wall lights.

Buy a new rug! You wouldn't believe how much difference a rug makes to a room. I'm actually on the lookout for a new rug for our living room as ours is just getting old and tired. I'm after something light and neutral so if I change the colours of the room that it will still fit in. By going for a nice light colour i'm hoping that the room will look fresher and bigger. We have carpet in our living room so i've used the infographic below to help pick out the perfect rug. We have quite thin carpets so I think a nice thick rug will add some texture to the room.









* Sponsored Post

LIFESTYLE: HOW PHYSIOTHERAPY CAN HELP YOU STAY FIT?

The Role of Physiotherapy in Preventative Health Care 

We all understand, on some level, that the best way to stay healthy is to take steps to protect our health. Most of us now accept that doing certain things, or not developing bad habits can keep us healthy for longer. For example, taking regular exercise and avoiding drinking too much alcohol are both proven ways to get fit, and stay healthy for longer. 

Over the years, steps and actions like these have been explained to us multiple times. So, for those who take health seriously not drinking too much and taking regular exercise is almost second nature. 
However, there are other less obvious things that you can do to protect yourself from disease and from aging prematurelyFor example, did you know that your local physiotherapist could potentially play an important role in keeping you fit and healthy? 

What are physiotherapists?
When you think of physiotherapists, what is the first thing that pops into your head? 
I bet you think about someone being helped back to fitness after a serious injury or an athlete being treated so they can train more, and become stronger. This is only natural, because that is how we see physiotherapists portrayed in the media. 

How can a physiotherapist can help you to stay fit?
However, did you know that a good physiotherapist could help you to stay fit too? You do not have to be seriously injured, or be an athlete to be able to benefit from their extensive knowledge of your body’s musculoskeletal system. 
There is no need to wait to be injured, or for disease to take hold before seeking their help. If you suffer from muscle tension, or have started to notice a particular weakness in a limb a physiotherapist can help.  
He or she can analyse your symptoms and give you a thorough check up. Doing so allows the physiotherapist to diagnose the underlying cause of the problem. They can then put together a treatment regime that is tailored to your needs. Taking this approach allows you to spot problems with your body early and tackle them before they become more debilitating. 
You can also use a physiotherapist to keep you mobile as you age. Their expertise will enable you to keep your body strong. This means that you will be able to carry on exercising for longer, and, therefore stay fit and active well into old age. 

How to find a good physiotherapist ?
Whether you are looking for physiotherapy in Northwich, or in another town you need to take the time to do a little research. It is important to find a practitioner that is properly qualified, well regulated and has the experience you need.   
For example, if you live in the UK, finding someone who is registered with the Health & Care Professionals Council would be a good idea. You can check to see if your physiotherapist is registered with them here.  

If you live elsewhere in the world you need to identify the relevant governing body, and look for a trained practitioner that is registered with them. It is also important to look for a physiotherapist with relevant experience of treating your particular issue or condition.





*collaborative post 

OUTFIT POST: NEW LOOK STRIPE MIDI DRESS


Dress:  New Look* // jacket: Topshop // Necklace: Charmed Ivy // Trainers : Converse // Bag: Deb & Dave (from Florida) 

Wow, today has been such a lovely day. I have been working quite alot recently so it's so nice to get a Monday off! The weather has been gorgeous all day so me and Clint got up and ready and went to take these outfit photos. A guy actually stopped and was chatting to me about being more confident whilst being photographed and gave me a few tips which was lovely. We then nipped to tesco and got some sandwiches and peach iced tea and sat in the park and had a little picnic. Now i'm quickly putting together this blog post and then i'm going to sit in the garden for the rest of the afternoon. 
I really want to concentrate on blogging again so if you know of any blogging events or opportunities let me know. 





 





* I was gifted some New Look vouchers for a blog post and used them to buy this dress, I haven't been asked to feature the dress and I haven't been paid for this post.

OUTFIT POST: SPIRAL GALAXY VENUS BACKPACK


We went to the park today to take these outfit photos, i'm so happy with how they turned out. I wasn't sure how i'd be feeling today as i've been ill for a few days. I haven't been able to blog as the laptop has been making me feel sick. Hopefully i'm on the mend now, i'm still not feeling great but i'll be back at work tomorrow. Bit of a boring outfit today apart from my amazing backpack* from Spiral, I use it for the gym and I featured it on my blog earlier this week. I went back to the gym today after having two days off, I didn't overdo it but I was happy and felt good when we were done. 

outfit details: 
Coat: Simply Be* //  Jeans: New Look // Scarf: Clothes Show // Roll Neck: Primark //
Boots: Public Desire // Cardigan: New Look 

HELLO 2015!


I'm not normally a new year, new me type of person however this year i've decided to be a little more proactive. I've sorted out my phone which is something that i've put up with for months, the battery was playing up so I got it replaced. I've booked my first driving lesson, I did driving lessons before but I quit, I intend on sticking to it this year and I want to have passed my test this year. One of my goals this year is to get teaching experience, I need to apply for the PGCE course to become an art teacher however it's a very hard and demanding course. You need to have alot of teaching experience to get accepted onto the course which I don't have so I intend on getting some this year so I can apply. I know everyone says they are going to loose weight in the new year, but as I mentioned i've never really been someone who changes just because it's a new year, however this year i've joined the gym and started eating healthy. I've only been doing it for a week but I already feel better, I feel good and happy and that can only be a good thing. I'm doing it with Clint so thats making it easier aswell. we've been going to the gym together which is really good. I really want to stick at it, it's hard because I do lovee food, if you follow me on instagram you will know this haha. Finally I want to improve my blog. 2014 was a really good year for my blog, I worked with some amazing brands and had some amazing opportunities however I want 2015 to be better. I want to concentrate on my photography, which I think had improved so much over the years. I also want to read more blog and comment on other blogs more. I feel I don't network enough so maybe this will increase followers. My followers haven't really increased that much however my analytics says otherwise so i'd love to know why people arn't following my blog?

I hope you've enjoyed this post, it's a little different to my usual blog posts. I hope the blog should be back up and running as normal this week so keep your eyes peeled for some new content.
If you want to follow my blog you can here on bloglovin




EVENT: SMIGGLE BULLRING BLOGGER EVENT

I went along to the Smiggle event at the Bullring yesterday. Smiggle is an Australian based stationary brand. I've never heard of Smiggle before but the store opened last week in Solihull so I have had a little look as I walk past to work. It's a really bright store and it's full with amazing colours! The product range is amazing, they stock everything from pens, pencil cases, gadgets, notebooks, diarys, literally everything. They do different things in different designs and colours. The store are always developing products and they have such a fast turnaround so they always have new products and designs coming out. My favourite products were the milkshake pencil cases ( picture below), the keyrings and the Advent Calender . The Advent Calender is such a good buy! Its £20 or 2 for £30 which is great if you have more than one child, inside is 25 stationary gifts! It's so much fun and so different. I think it would be great for teachers to have in their classrooms, you could let one child open a window and get a present throughout the month or buy if for your child /friends children.

The event was great, we got introduced to Smiggle and the chance to have a look around the new store. The staff were all really friendly and knew loads about the products and the brand.
The products are amazing, I love how much effort has gone into each product and how unique everything is. They have lots of unisex colour / styles which is great so there really is something for everyone! They have so many pens and gorgeous notebooks, ( i'm a stationary freak btw) which I think would be great for all ages! THEY HAVE SMELLY GEL PENS honestly I felt 12 again! I used to love using smelly gel pens in my school books because they smelled so good when you would open it! They have snake puzzles, basketball games and more gifts and gadgets that would be great for all age groups!

I had a great time at the event and love the brand, I know my teacher friends will love it! And my little cousins will love the goodies we were given at the event. I am putting together a Christmas Gift Guide and think there's so many amazing things at Smiggle that you could buy kids as gifts for christmas or birthdays! so I'll be sure to include those.

Find your nearest Smiggle store online here Smiggle UK Stores