My reading challenge: August 📚

August edition

So, what did I read in July…

As I was on holiday and I’ve started my volunteering for the library Summer reading challenge, I actually ended up reading three books in July.

& for August I am going to try and read more too as I also have some time off, lots of reading time!!

In July I read:

The Prison Doctor by Dr Amanda Brown

Every breath by Nicholas Sparks

&

The guilty party by Mel McGrath

The prison doctor was a really interesting read, and tbf as horrendous as you’d imagine.

I have to say that I didmt enjoy this as much as ‘This is going to hurt’ by Adam Lay, which is a similar format but from the perspective of a Junior Doctor.

As always the Nicholas Sparkes book was one that I couldnt put down, a heart warming story, definitely one for all you Sparks fans.

The guilty party was a really interesting read, not only was it a gripping story but it was also quite thought provoking too. Do you really know how you would react in a certain situation? Can we ever know until we are in that position? And how profound are the decisions we make on our own lives and on the lives of others?!?

This months books are…

Give me the child by Mel McGrath

‘Imagine your doorbell rings in the middle of the night.

You open the door to the police

With them is your husbands eleven-year-old love child. A daughter you never knew he had.

Her mother has been found dead in their South London flat.

She has nowhere else to go.

Would you take her in?

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

As the guests arrive at beautiful, remote Mitchells Inn, they’re all looking forward to a relaxing weekend deep in the forest, miles from anywhere. They watch their fellow guests with interest, from a polite distance.

With a violent storm raging, the group finds itself completely cut off from thr outside world. Nobody can get in – or out.

And then the first body is found…

And and horrifying truth comes to light. There is a killer among them – and nowhere to run.

All that she can see by Carrie Hope Fletcher

Cherry has a hidden talent. She can see things other people cant, and she decided a long time ago to use this skill to help others.

As far as the rest of the town is concerned, she’s simply the kind-hearted young women who runs thr local bakery, but in private she uses her gift to add something special to her cakes so that after just one mouthful the townspeople start to feel better about their lives. They dont know why they’re drawn to Cherrys bakery – they just know that they’re safe there and that’s how Cherry likes it.

She can help them in secret and no one will ever need to know the truth behind the gift.

And then Chase turns up and threatens to undo all the good Cherry has done. Because it turns out she’s not the only one who can see what she sees…

I can’t wait to get stuck into these 🙌🏻

As always, any recommendations are welcome 😁📚

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

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Holiblog:Disneyland Paris🌟 Newport Bay Club Hotel ⚓

⚓ Newport Bay Club Hotel ⚓

This hotel is hands down one of the best hotels I’ve stayed in.

The theme of this one was an American Yacht club, absolute nautical perfection.

We were all so glad we chose this one as part of our holiday package deal.

It was so Disney as well which was just epic. It just had that magical Disney, themed to perfection vibe going on

& if you’ve been to Disney you will totally get what I mean, and if you havnt then go, right now because then you’ll understand the magical awesomeness that is Disneyland & Disney parks.

You have to experience to understand just how magical it is.

Let’s take a look!

Our room was a family room so we all shared.

My absolute favourite part was the bed head boards!!! Look at those Mickey ears SO DISNEY.

It was a good size for us all and I really liked the little get ready area before the bathroom, this was really handy with 6 of us.

We had a lake view room and what a view it was.

As well as all this there were two breakfast rooms to choose from, Cape Cod & The Yacht Club.

The hotel also boasts a gym, bars, it’s own gift shop and an indoor and outdoor pool.

These were great.

The surrounding area

The area surrounding the hotel was so beautiful too.

Most of the Disney hotels are around this main lake and it is a lovely view, as I mentioned.

The hot air balloon was really cool and the view from up there was amazing.

You pass through Disney Village to get to the parks and this was also really cool.

Again, themed to perfection and buzzing with activity.

The Mickey Cafe for Meet & Greets. Loads of Disney gift shops, food stalls, restaurants and even a cinema.

(Which we were tempted by before we remembered it would all be in French 🤣)

Having been to Disney World & stayed off site and going to Disneyland Paris & staying in a Disney hotel I would 100% recommend staying in a Disney hotel.

It’s an amazing experience and it adds to the holiday in so many ways.

They are brilliant, the facilities are incredible and the perks are great too.

Extra magic hours was one of my favourite perks 👌🏻🌟

These mean you get into the parks early and miss queues for some rides that are always rammed.

The Disney meal plans are awesome too, so many resturants to choose from (varying depending on the plan you choose)

& most if not all were buffets (including the hotel brekky) so amazing value for money.

It really enhances the whole Disney experience.

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

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Chocolate Orange Brownies.

I thought I would do another recipe post and what better than brownies, Chocolate Orange ones none the less!!

Rich, gooey, indulgent and orangey.

I love baking and for any of my fellow Terry’s Choc orange lovers out there, you will LOVE this 👌🏻

My twin sister Sarah tagged me in the video for this recipe on Facebook. I will leave the details linked down below.

Chocolate Orange Brownie Recipe

❤🍊🍫😋

Ingredients

  • 150 g Dark Chocolate

    • 150

  • g Terry’s Chocolate Orange

    • 200

  • g Unsalted Butter
  • 3 large eggs (or 4 medium)

    • 275

  • g Caster Sugar
  • 90g Plain flour

    • 35

  • g Cocoa Powder

    • Zest

  • of 1 Orange (or 1tsp orange extract
  • 300g of Terry’s chocolate orange chopped

Before

After

I love the texture (& of course the taste) of the Choc orange segments that are pushed into the tops of the brownies, amazing.

These were so gooey & sticky and I am just obsessed with chocolate and cake and chocolate orange as a flavour combo so these were an absolute winner.

I took these to my Nieces 2nd birthday party and they went down a treat.

Let me know if you give these a go, and what you think of the recipe too.

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

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My reading challenge: July 📚

Into the seventh month we go and with two new books to start.

Both of these are new purchases that I have made recently, I seriously cannot resist a 2 for 1 book offer (WH Smiths what are you trying to do to me!!)

These are two very different books, and one in particular is very different to what I usually read.

What I read in June

  • Poppys recipe for life by Heidi Swain ☆☆☆☆☆
  • The house across the street By Lesley Pearse ☆☆☆☆

This months reads are…

The Prison Doctor By Dr Amanda Brown

This is the book that is different to my usual but it looks so interesting.

I’ve always enjoyed real life crime and found it fascinating since I studied Jack the Ripper in GCSE History.

I really liked Adam Kay’s dairies of a Junior Doctor, so I thought this would be an intruiging crime version, along a similar theme.

‘MY TIME INSIDE BRITAINS MOST NOTORIOUS JAILS.’

&

To a completely different genre …

Every Breath By Nicholas Sparks

‘Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she’s been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years.

With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family’s cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future.
Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother’s early life and recapture memories lost with her death.

When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable . . . but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways.

📚😊Happy Reading 😊📚

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

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Windermere 🏞🍃☀️

I’m not going to write alot in this post, just simply share with you a beautiful place that me and my husband recently visited for out 3rd Wedding anniversary 💍 (3 years since my blog began, in preparation for the wedding!)

So, enjoy!

Windermere, The Lake District

Orrest Head (Walk) Winderemere

Claife Heights (Walk) Winderemere

Cautley Spout, Windermere

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

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My May half term diary ☀️

I love doing a diary for each school holiday, it’s a great way of remembering what Ive got up to, a 21st century diary 👍🏻

Friday 24th May 2019

Me & Tim got some good use out of our Unlimited Cinema cards tonight by watching two films!

We watched ‘Detective Pikachu’ followed by ‘Rocketman’.

Both were really good. We had already seen Detective Pikachu and we just wanted to see it again, great for any Pokemon fans ✌🏻

Rocketman was also really good but not my fave of the recent biopic films.

Saturday 25th May 2019

Today I met up with my friend and her boys at the park. I took Noah & Casey with my to play with her boys.

They loved the bus ride.

We had a great time at the park, enjoying the sunshine and playing with all of the boys 💙

Me & Tim took the boys to see ‘Secret Life of Pets 2’. This was Casey’s pick as he loves cats 🐈 & he really enjoyed himself.

In the eve, once I’d dropped the boys off, me and my friends met up again and had a Chinese together at a local buffet restaurant. So good.

& a great opportunity for a catch up!

Sunday 26th May 2019

A busy weekend rounded off with a family day trip to Cambridge for some retail therapy.

Me & Tim drove down with my twin sister Sarah, Noah & Casey, whilst my older sister Charlotte drive down with her husband & Evie.

It was a lovely day and we enjoyed shopping (First stop, Primark of course!) Followed by some yummy lunch from our favourite Italian which we introduced to everyone, Aromi 👌🏻 Their veggie pesto lasagne is the one.

The kids loved the play area too.

Monday 27th May 2019

Cult Cafe for Tea, Cake & Games.

This has become our bank holiday Monday tradition and it’s great.

We usually chill on the bank holiday ans as the weekend was busy this is what we did. In the afternoon we decided to get out for a bit, Cabin fever was setting in!

This was really lovely ♡

Wednesday 29th May 2019

Today, with work, we visited a local farm.

It was a lovely day, really chilled It was fun being outside and visiting a farm I hadn’t been to before either.

Friday 31st May 2019

Today we met my friends little boy, Finley ♡

We hadn’t met him before and it was lovely to have cuddles he is adorable.

& it was a great excuse to get the girls together and have a bit of tea & cake.

Our friend was home for the weekend too which was great timing.

We went to my other friends in the evening for dinner which was great too.

Sunday 2nd June 2019

To round off the half term we decided to again take advantage of the lovely warm weather by taking a trip to Felixstowe.

‘Oh, I do like to he beside the seaside… 🏖’

We enjoyed a lovely meal of fish & chips, Mr Whippy & doughnuts on the beach. We had a lovely stroll along the prom before heading into the pier for some amusements. The perfect afternoon.

I even had a little paddle 🌊☀️ The weather was great.

I hope you enjoyed or are enjoying your half term!

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

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My reading challenge: June!

June is here!

The 6th month of the year is here, halfway!! That’s insane.

So, I have reached the halfway point of my reading challenge too and I’m super happy that I’ve made it this far and am managing to keep it up, and still enjoying it too, which is a bonus!

In May I read…

  • Summer at the Little Duck Pond cafe By Rosie Green ☆☆☆☆
  • Tell me I’m wrong By Adam Croft ☆☆☆

So, what am I going to read this month?

Poppys recipe for life by Heidi Swain

‘Things haven’t always been straightforward in Poppy’s life but her dreams are finally within her reach.

She’s moving into a cottage in beautiful Nightingale Square, close to the local community garden, where she can indulge her passion for making preserves and pickles. She may not have the best relationship with her family but she is surrounded by loving friends, and feels sure that even her grumpy new neighbour, Jacob, has more to him than his steely exterior belies.

But the unexpected arrival of Poppy’s troubled younger brother soon threatens her new-found happiness and as the garden team works together to win community space of the year, Poppy must decide where her priorities lie and what she is prepared to fight for … ‘

I love Heidi Swains books and she is definitely one of my favourite authors.

I love how all her books are stand alone but that the characters from the other stories pop up in them.

They are a lovely read and I always want to read her new ones straight away, anticipating their release for weeks. This book only came out on June 1st so I’m excited to have this to read this month.

&

The house across the street By Lesley Pearse

‘Is there a murder across the street?

Its 1964 and twenty-three year old Katy Speed is fascinated by Gliria and the goings-on at the house over the road.

Who are the mysterious women arriving in a black car most Saturdays?

Then one night, Gloria’s house burns to the ground. In the wreckage, bodies are found.

And Katy’s horror turns to disbelief when her father is arrested and charged with murder.

Determined to prove his innocence Katy sets out to uncover the truth about the mysterious house across the street. But that means uncovering the real murderer and risking her own life…’

My husband chose me this one for my birthday, because, in his words ‘your nosey and you like a good mystery’ 😂🤔

I have really got into this one so far and I like how it’s set in the 60s, all the other mysteries and thrillers I read are usually set in modern times so it’s really interesting.

Two very different books again for this months challenge!

Happy reading! 📚

Let me know what books you are loving at the moment 😊

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

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What I got for my birthday!

As you may know from my previous post ’28 🥳’ I recently celebrated my 28th birthday.

I love reading/watching peoples ‘What I got for my birthday’ blogs/vlogs so I thought I would do it again this year.

**Disclaimer**

I’m not boasting, I really just like to show my appreciation for my presents and remember them when I look back on my posts & I know some people like these kinds of blog posts too.

Let’s get started.

My main birthday present from my husband Tim was my coffee machine.

I’ve wanted one for a little while but it’s a bit of a luxury so I haven’t bought one, my birthday seemed like a good opportunity to add it to my list and I was very lucky to get one.

Tim bought me the Nespresso Lattissima One.

I love it! Especially the milk frother as it makes delicious lattes, my favourite coffee. 😋

My sister bought me these cute glass mugs to go with it.

I love reading! So I always welcome receiving books for my birthday.

Mrs Hinch’s book was on my list as I like her, her insta is hilarious!! My older sister got me this one.

My work friend got me a little book all about Mindfulness as I really enjoyed the positivity of my ‘Mindfulness March’ challenge.

& Tim chose the book ‘The house across the street’ for me as he thought I would enjoy it 😊

I LOVE bath stuff, especially Lush bath bombs! And I got a good little haul this year. I cant wait to try these all out.

One of the most exciting bath bombs I got was ‘The Comforter’ it’s my absolute fave Lush product as the bubble bar but now it’s a bath bomb too 🙌🏻

I also picked out these lovely bubble baths when me and Tim were in Tesco just before my birthday. They smell incredible.

Fruity and honey/vanilla scents are my ultimate fave when it comes to bubble bath and these are just amazing, they almost smell good enough to eat!!

I also got lots of lovely shower gels and a super cute polka dot travel toiletries bag that can hang up in the shower, pretty & practical!

I got a couple of Harry Potter bits for my birthday too.

I got this cool book from my brother in law which has all the different character wands in it and lots of information about them which is really cool.

I also got this cute little coin purse from my Mum. This is perfect for travelling and when using a smaller bag, plus its in the shape of a golden snitch, what’s not to love!

Along the lines of Harry Potter, my lovely husband Tim bought me and Sarah a Harry Potter activity themed day out in London. We will be having Magical Harry Potter afternoon tea and attending a magical potions cocktail class in the evening. Its going to be so epic, I can’t wait!!!!!!!!!!! ⚡⚡

I’ll pop the details below incase you are interested in that kind of thing:

‘The Cauldron’ Cocktail potions class

The Potions Room Afternoon tea

I also got lots of yummy chocolatey treats…

& a great selection of new nail varnishes including some pretty pastels, summery coral and colour changing heat/cool gel nail varnishes.

& the standard birthday pyjamas.

I love my Auntie presents from my favourite little people too 🥰

I hope you enjoyed having a little look at my pressies.

Here’s to my 28th year!

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

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28 🎉

28

So here it is, my 28th birthday! 28 years of me, 28 years of us🎈

I mean, I couldn’t blog from the age of 0-10 so I feel like this may be the most poignant 10 years of my life so far (that I am capable of blogging about)

This year, 2019, mark’s 10 years since I turned 18 and that is just so crazy to me because it honestly feels like yesterday.

10 whole years of being a fully fledged adult (who by the way totally doesn’t feel like one even now)

But aside from that I feel like these last 10 years, the first 10 of my adult life have been quite important!

10 whole years of working with children in one setting or another, whether it be on placement, work experience or employment.

I completed my compulsory education and A Levels…

Then went to Uni for 4 years and completed a Ba Hons degree.

It’s been almost 8 years in my first childcare job and 5 in my job as a Teaching ssistant, a job I love, the career I strived to have.

I met the love of my life & best friend during these 10 years ♡ We visited what has now become our favourite country, Italy (Several times) and we got engaged there and are now Husband and wife, for almost 3 year! (8 together)

We have a mortgage!!! We own our own home, which is very adult and sensible (& at times infuriating haha) Who knew owning your own home was so expensive!!

We got our own pets, 2 Guinea pigs. Sadly Remus is no longer with us but Captain is still going strong.

I’ve become an Auntie 3 times!! And it’s the most wonderful, lovely, fun, heart bursting, love filled, hilarious and joyful role that I’ve ever had. I love those little guys, they are so awesome.

& last year me and Sarah finally made it to Hogwarts ⚡ Florida ’18 was a holiday of a lifetime and it was as amazing (infact probably more amazing) than we could ever have imagined.

I think 18 year old Roseanne would be pretty pleased with how it’s going so far.

But, what do the final couple of years of my twenties have in store?

What do I hope to achieve before I enter the realms of my thirties?

  • Learn to drive
  • Visit a few more places in Italy
  • Complete a half marathon
  • Reach my SW target
  • Continue to improve my running
  • Re visit the HP tour with all the new bits.
  • Learn to be more content
  • Worry less
  • Have a short break in New York to celebrate our 30th birthday

What’s on your list?

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

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My Reading Challenge: May 📚

May is here!

& that means it’s time for another two books for my reading challenge this month.

In April I read:

  • Spring at the little duck pond cafe (Book one) by Rosie Green ☆☆☆☆
  • Friend Request by Laura Marshall ☆☆☆

I have added in my star ☆ rating (out of 5), this month, in order to give you an indication of what I thought of the books that I have just read.

In May I will be reading:

Summer at the little duck pond cafe (Book 2) by Rosie Green

‘Jaz Winters stuck a pin in a map and fled to the village of Sunnybrook, looking for a brand new life – and after a rocky start, it’s beginning to look as if she made the right decision. Her blossoming friendship with Ellie and Fen has seen her through some dark times, and she’s managed to land two jobs – waitressing at The Little Duck Pond Café and working as a weekend tour guide at Brambleberry Manor, the country house that’s been in Fen’s family for generations.
Sure, life isn’t totally perfect. There’s the irritating know-it-all guy who keeps popping up on her manor tours, for a start. He seems determined to get under Jaz’s skin whether she likes it or not. But she supposes he’s a small price to pay for the relative peace she’s found, living in Sunnybrook.
But just as Jaz is beginning to think rosier times are on the horizon, a shock encounter looks set to shatter her fragile happiness.
Will she be forced to flee from Sunnybrook and everyone she’s grown so fond of? Or will she find the strength to stand her ground and finally face up to the nightmares of the past?‘

Tell me I’m wrong by Adam Croft

‘What if you discovered your husband was a serial killer?

Megan Miller is an ordinary woman with a young family — until a shocking discovery shatters her perfect world.

When two young boys are brutally murdered in their tight-knit village community, Megan slowly begins to realise the signs all point to the lovable local primary school teacher — her husband.

But when she begins to delve deeper into her husband’s secret life, she makes discoveries that will make her question everything she knows — and make her fear for her young daughter’s life.

Facing an impossible decision, she is desperate to uncover the truth. But once you know something, it can’t be unknown. And the more she learns, the more she wishes she never knew anything at all…’

I’m looking forward to these two as they are very different and I love a thriller with lots of surprises, twists and turns.

I also really love Rosie Green’s series of books! They are so easy to read, have lovely characters and really remind me of the books by Heidi Swain who is one of my favourite authors.

Happy Reading!

As always, any recommendations welcome 👍🏻

Until next time,

Roseanne 🙂

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