My reading challenge: November β›„πŸ“š

The penultimate installment of my reading challenge is here!

This year has gone seriously quickly.

I’m quite looking forward to reflecting on all the books I’ve read this year though.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at what I read last month and what I’ll be reading this month…


What did I read last month:


The big little festival by Kellie Hailes

&

The Husbands secret by Liane Moriarty

I enjoyed both of these. The big little festival was a very easy read and I really enjoyed its cosy vibes. The husbands secret took a little bit to get into it and you had to really focus on each character to keep track. When the characters started to link together it was a bit easier to follow and towards the end the chapters were a much more manageable length which I liked, and this made it quite gripping as the story really got going.


This months books:


A Christmas Gift by Sue Moorcroft.

One Christmas can change everything…

‘Georgina loves Christmas. The festive season always brings the little village of Middledip to life. But since her ex-boyfriend walked out, leaving her with crippling debts, Gerorgines struggled to make ends meet.

To keep her mind off her worries, she throws herself into organising the Christmas show at the local school, and when handsome Joe Blackthorn becomes her assistants Georgines grateful for the help. But rheres something about Joe she can’t quite put her finger on. Could there be more to him than meets the eye?

Georgine’s past is going to catch up with her in ways she never expected. But can the help of her friends new and old make this a Christmas to remember after all? ‘


T’was the night shift before Christmas by Adam Kay

‘Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat… but 1.4 million NHS staff are heading off to work. In this perfect present for anyone who has ever set foot in a hospital, Adam Kay delves back into his diaries for a hilarious, horrifying and sometimes heartbreaking peek behind the blue curtain.

T’was the nightshift before Christmas is a love letter to all those who spend their festive season on the front line, removing babies and baubles from the various places they get stuck, at the most wonderful time of the year.’


&

A wedding in December by Sarah Morgan

‘The White family are gathering for Rosie’s whirlwind Christmas wedding. First to arrive are the brides parents, Maggie and Nick. Their daughters marriage is a milestone are determined to celebrate wholeheartedly, but they are hiding a huge secret about their own, they are on the brink of divorce. The last thing they need is to be trapped together on an irresistibly romantic Winter wonderland.

Rosie’s older sister Katie is worries that impulsive, sweet-hearted Rosie is making a mistake so she is determined to save her sister from herself, if only the irritatingly good looking best man, Jordan, would stop interfering with her plans…

Bride-to-be Rosie loves her Fiance but is having serious second thoughts. Except everyone has arrived – how can she tell tell she’s not sure? As the big day gets closer, and emotions run even higher, this is one family Christmas none of them will ever forget.’


I am so ready for cosy Christmassy, festive, reads πŸ“šπŸ“š

This is definatly one of my favourite times of the year to grab a book.

I’m glad I’ve got mine ahead of time as it can get so busy at this time of year and these kinds of books are great for grabbing a few moments of calm in all the Christmas chaos.

Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚

Halloween party fun! πŸŽƒ

Today we had a little family Halloween party!

We all got a few bits together, costumes & food and headed to my twin sister Sarah’s house, with her family, my husband Tim, and my sister Charlotte and her family.

The kids (& me) were very excited.

Noah was desperate for a party and this was the perfect time to do it as we were all working on Halloween.

We popped on our costumes and Halloween themed clothes to get into the Spooky spirit.

& first things first, we needed to decorate!

Once everybody had arrived we tucked into some yummy party food whilst watching a bit of Hotel Transylvania.

(If you would like to know how to make these cupcakes head over to my previous post )

For our activities we had Spooky Halloween arts & crafts…

…A bat pinata,

& a game of ‘Pin the eyes on the spider.’

It was lots of fun!

πŸŽƒHAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODYπŸŽƒ

Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚

Autumn πŸπŸ‚πŸŽƒ

Autumn, or fall as some as you may know it, is one of my favourite seasons!

& heres why…

A chance to cosy up with a good book.

U unlimited crunchy, colourful leaves.

T ime to warm up with a hot choc/Coffee or two.

U umbrellas & cosy coats.

M assive jumpers.

N ights in!

I love this breezy, crisp lead up to Christmas. Cosy, contented & colourful.

πŸΏπŸ¦”πŸ¦‘πŸ‚πŸƒπŸβ˜•πŸŽƒπŸŒΎπŸ‚πŸƒπŸ

Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚

πŸ”Ÿ years!πŸŽ‰

So, last weekend me and my Uni friends met up, but this time it wasn’t any old meet up, it was our 10 year friendaversary meet up!

Let’s take it back to the start

In 2009 I did my first year of university at the University of East London (UEL).

Whilst studying for my degree in Early Chiodhood studies (ECS) at the Stratford Campus I was introduced, at the beginning of a morning lecture, to Kirsty & Tarana and as they say, the rest is history!

And we’ve been friends ever since!

I only studied at UEL for a year before returning to my hometown to complete my studies, but we always stayed in contact and have met up at least every few of months, in London.


So, that’s the background, let’s see how we celebrate 10 years of friendship.

As I said, I went down to London last weekend to meet the girls and we had a fun day planned.

Meeting at Stratford, we headed to Leciester Square for lunch.

We always had a tradition of getting the pizza hut buffet after some of our lectures during the Uni year and so we thought this was the perfect tradition to start the day with.

It was really good!!

I havn’t had the buffet in ages πŸ•

Once we had eaten and had a catch up we headed to the main event, Matilda The Musical!!!

We wanted to do something we had done together before, as it’s a special occasion, and we all love musicals so we chose this one as it’s a brilliant story (A children’s one, very apt for ECS graduates) and none of us have seen it before either.

The musical is AMAZING!! The actors were fantastic, really talented and very funny. How those children get up on that stage and perform like that is beyond me but it is aweosme to watch.

The music ans songs by Tim Minchin are brilliant too. You’ll be singing them for days, trust me!

If you are a fan of the book or the classic film (as I am) then I would 100% recommend this to you!! It won’t disappoint.

It was getting late once we had made it out of the theatre so we said our goodbyes and headed home.

It was a really fun day out and a great way to celebrate two of the loveliest people I know.

Even though I only went to UEL for a year I will always be glad that I did. It was a great experience in halls and I met some lovely people, including these two, so I will always be grateful for that.


I hope you are enjoying the last few weeks of the Summer holidays!


Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚

Holiblog:Disneyland Paris🌟 The Parks πŸŽ πŸŽ’🎑

This second edition of holiblog is all things Disney parks.

There are two parks at Disneyland Paris, accessed via Disney village.

Disney village is so magical in itself, with it’s fun and tasty treats and happy Disney tunes on loop. It is lined with Disney shops and lots of cool eateries too.

It even has a cinema.


The two parks are Disneyland & Disney Studios.

Disneyland is akin to Magic Kingdom in Florida, it houses Main Street USA and the Disney castle, although this Disney castle is Auroras, in stead of Cinderellas. I actually love this, it’s so cool that they are different ones.

Disney Studios is much like Hollywood Studios in Florida. It has all the Studio style buildings and American streets.


🌟 Disneyland 🏰


This park is the bigger of the two and is home to classic rides such as The Pirates of the Carribean, Phantom Manor, Thunder Mountain, Hyperspace Mountain, The Carousel and much more!

The Disney illuminations take place at the Disneyland park. The lights show, fireworks ans music were amazing.


🌟 Disney Studios 🎬


Disney Studios is home to classic rides such as Rocking Rollercoaster Ft Aerosmith, Tower of terror and Toy Story land. Toy Story land was awesome and had some cool and different rides to the one in Florida.

We met loads of Characters here that we needed to tick off our list, the rest of the crew, Donald Duck & Pluto.

I also got to meet Goofy again 😁 My fave!


& just look at that Disney Castle!! 🏰πŸ₯Ώ

So pretty πŸ’– So magical 🌟


It really is one of the most magical places on earth!

Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚

Holiblog:Disneyland Paris🌟 Newport Bay Club Hotel βš“


βš“ Newport Bay Club Hotel βš“


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 πŸ‘ŒπŸ»πŸŒŸ

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 πŸ™‚

My reading challenge: July πŸ“š

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 β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†
  • The house across the street By Lesley Pearse β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†

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.


πŸ“šπŸ˜ŠHappy Reading πŸ˜ŠπŸ“š

Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚

My May half term diary β˜€οΈ

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 πŸ‘πŸ»

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 πŸ’™

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 πŸ‘ŒπŸ» 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 β™‘


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 β™‘

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… πŸ–’

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 πŸŒŠβ˜€οΈ The weather was great.


I hope you enjoyed or are enjoying your half term!


Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚

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 β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†
  • Tell me I’m wrong By Adam Croft β˜†β˜†β˜†

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’ πŸ˜‚πŸ€”

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! πŸ“š

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

Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚

What I got for my birthday!


As you may know from my previous post ’28 πŸ₯³’ 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. πŸ˜‹

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 πŸ™ŒπŸ»

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 πŸ₯°


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

Here’s to my 28th year!

Until next time,

Roseanne πŸ™‚