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12Apr

Let’s talk about saving money on household gadgets

Who here has never been pulled in by an advert promising that a new gadget will change your life in minutes? Or hear friends and family rave about products that transformed their life? Soon we are on Amazon and Google reading the reviews. After hours of research you come to the conclusion you are none the wiser, because the one bad review gets stuck in your head, tarnishing all the good ones. So how to find out what is really a good buy??? I have lived through the above situation many times. But now, having a minimalist life goal, I have been evaluating what objects are really necessary in my life, before purchasing anything. And especially household gadgets, which are often expensive. It is hard not to fall into the trap of Googling reviews and this is something I really don’t want to spend a lot of time and energy into though, I prefer to spend time with my son, plus there are the daily chores which take up a lot of my time. I appreciate having plenty of time to rest too! Since leaving my parent’s home and setting up my own I have bought quite a few household
5 mins read
700 Views
31Mar

Banana and dark chocolate chia pudding

I  laid in bed yesterday thinking since when did I become such an angry, inpatient person? I have been snapping at everyone recently and even beeped my horn at a slow driver yesterday – a big no-no in England. The feeling of guilt ate me up afterwards. How must I have made that driver feel? What if it was an old lady or a teenager learning how to drive? I am a strong believer in “owning up”, in the sense that I don’t like using external reasons to blame for my own actions. But this week I am going to have to make an exception and blame my period. The changes are palpable, not only in terms of emotions but also in regards to my stomach. My diet has changed considerably in the last few months, I have been trying to cut down on refined sugar and starchy foods and as a result I have been craving chocolate less and less, or in fact any sweet stuff. Result! But do you ever feel like sometimes food rules your emotions? My period then came and like clockwork, chocolate is all I thought about. Food is an emotional thing, and my body
3 mins read
978 Views
22Mar

Coconut and pineapple easter cakes in egg shells

I always make an effort to make something special when big holidays are coming. Something to make the table shine and people smile. We just bought a new house so we’re going through a happy but stressful moment. My husband is working crazy hours, going straight to the new house to do renovations after a full days work in the office. This left me feeling like a single mum (I respect those women so much), meaning that I have had to deal with a lot on my own: work, son, shopping, housework, the dog…here’s hoping this lonesome juggling won’t last much longer. This means our quality time together over the Easter holiday will be brief, so I want to make an extra effort to make the house and the food feel special. I thought that cakes that are hatching out of eggs fit the bill, right?! And thank goodness the weather has officially transitioned to spring, the warmer days inspired me to go for a pineapple and coconut flavour mixture. We are big egg consumers around here so it was easy to collect the shells, but if 20 sounds like too much, halving the recipe works well too. Coconut and
3 mins read
829 Views
18Mar

Honey Chai Easter cookies

The first time I listened to Nirvana was in my cousin’s bedroom. My cousins were quite a few years older and the coolest kids I knew. I got hooked listening to Nevermid and listened to Come As You Are on a loop. I wanted to tell everyone about it. I was a little late to the party though, this was in 98, so my enthusiasm received a lot of eye rolling because Nevermid was so last year, or so the cool kids told me. Eighteen years later I receive somewhat the same reaction when a mere few months ago I expressed my love for Chai lattes. Chai tea, according to snobs around me, was old news. Chai was out, turmeric was in. Although as a teenager I liked to imitate my cousins, these days I no longer feel embarrassed for not having tried all the latest trends. So better late than ever, I have started to experiment with chai spices.  I am no expert, but I played with the spices combination in this recipe at least 10 times now, and it is truly addictive. I am not moving on to turmeric any time soon, I am truly in love with
3 mins read
1182 Views
14Mar

Let’s talk about minimalism

In the last few years there’s been a growing theme in my life: consumerism and excess. I have never been a shopaholic or one to impulse buy, in fact I feel I really think things through before spending my money. What got me thinking about excess and minimalism was the amount of time I was spending cleaning my house. What has cleaning got to do with minimalism? Hold on, I will get to it. Saturday morning is when the cleaning happens in my house. Cleaning is not a fun activity for me, but I don’t really mind doing it as it results in a dust-free, organised house. Nevertheless, the process used to be highly frustrating due to the high amount of small items around the house, getting in the way. I may sound like a drama queen, but I am sure a lot of busy mum’s out there know what I mean. That’s when I decided to do a little research about how to achieve a more minimalistic lifestyle, a life that contains only the essential, the things that bring me happiness, all the rest was just getting in my way. I am no someone that gets easily attached to things
3 mins read
844 Views
08Mar

Matryoshka felt bookmarker

The DIY making persona has a lot to do with my parents. A lot of the basic skills I now know as a wife are thanks to my mum, invaluable advice such as dust before you hoover and how to fold egg whites into cake batter.  This DIY was inspired by my mum and Mothering Sunday, it’s a super cute felt Matryoshka doll.  Matryoshka means “little matron” in russian, and I fell in love with their little round shape and cute little faces after my sister went on a trip to St Petersburg and bought everyone a set. They are super easy to make, and they make a great gift for book lovers. Materials: Felt pieces Scraps of fabric Sharpie pens Cotton thread and needle Scissors PVA glue Small brush 3mm ribbon Template. Click here to download and print it How to: 1. Cut out the printed template  2. The outside, black border of the template will be the back of the matryoshka, the inside lines in grey will be the front.  3. Place the template on top of the felt and draw the shape on it 4. Cut out the inside (grey) holes and repeat step 3, this time outlining
3 mins read
897 Views