Thursday 19 December 2013

Blogmas Day 19: Labels and Stereotypes



Hey everyone, I wanted to talk to you today about labels and stereotypes.  I spoke to and helped a great Irish couple today. They were the nicest customers I spoke to all day. There was a store detective watching them the whole time and it makes me sad as they had no intention of stealing anything and spent hundreds of pounds with us. It was the fact of where they are from of the community to which they might belong that meant they were watched like a thief. I didn't  realize my shopping center had the store detectives but the poor male customer did,as he said he gets it everywhere he goes. 

I would hope we could move on from prejudice and embrace different people not assume they are something they may not be.

Take care x  

Wednesday 18 December 2013

Blogmas Day 18: Boots Star Gift Early release NO 7 Ultimate Collection




Hey everyone, next weeks Boots star gift has been released early! It is the No 7 Ultimate Collection. 

The Ultimate Collection is an exclusive set of the best No7 beauty staples. This great gift set contains everything  you need to feel great in your own skin.  No7 is exclusive to Boots and is designed and manufactured by them. 
The gift Contains:
  • No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Day Cream (50ml) 
  • No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Night Cream (50ml)
  • No7 Blissful Body Wash (200ml)
  • No7 Completely Quenched Moisture Lotion (200ml)
  • No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Lotion Normal/Dry (200ml)
  • No7 Beautiful Skin Dry Skin Rescue (50ml)

If you have not tried No7 yet now is the time to do it. The gift set is better than half price at £32 from £65.

Also if you have not had the Boots foundation Match Made service get yourself down to a large  Boots store now.  Its free and will be the best 5 minutes of me time you will have all week. The No7 consultants are specially trained and will find the perfect colour and texture for your skin. A reasonable price for a perfect product!

Take care x

Blogmas Day 17: Get to know me Tag

Hey everyone, I thought it would be fun to do the Getting to know me Tag. Some members of my family read my blogs and they might not know all off these answers. Here we go:-

Get to Know Me Tag 

The Questions:

Vital Info:
Name : Grace  Carter
Nicknames Gracie, El Graco ( thanks Barb)
Birthday  26th January 1987
Place of Birth  Worcester, Worcestershire
Star Sign  Aquarius
Occupation Boots Customer Assistant, Business Owner

Appearance: 
Hair colour : Usually dark brown
Hair length  Long
Eye colour  Blue/ Green
Best feature : I like my eyes the best as they are such an unusual colour. 
Braces I did wear braces but when they made my retainer I bet down so it was not the right fit for my teeth. I could never get them on so some teeth have moved back. 
Piercings  My ears
Tattoos Yes a phoenix on my right shoulder blade.  
Righty of Lefty Firsts: I’m ambidextrous 
Best friend  I have a few close friends but my best friend is my  fiancĂ©e Paul
Sport  I like to play sports but not watch them.
Real Holiday I love a holiday that has relaxation, adventure and fun.
Concert I have never been to a concert.




Favourites: 
Film  Ooh this is hard The Tourist or Robin Hood Prince of Thieves
TV Show  Friends OR Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Colour Red or Blue
Song Too many to say just one!
Restaurant We don’t really go to restaurants but I do like Tobey Carvery.
Store I love Boots!
Book  the Harry Potter books all 7
Magazine  I like to read OK, it has fashion, beauty and celebs
Shoes Uggs

Currently... 
Feeling I am feeling hopeful for the future.
Single or Taken Taken
Eating Chicken Kiev with home-style chips and peas. 
Listening to Michael Bubble Christmas Album
Thinking about Christmas and  our Wedding
Watching The Saccone Joleys- I love this family so much. I have never met them but I feel like I know them so well. 
Wearing Black jeans and blue jersy top. 




Future: 
Want Children . Yes I would like 4.
Want to be married. Yes and the date is set!
Careers in mind. I would love to be a teacher or run my own business. 
Where do you want to live in the UK or USA.


 Do you believe in: 
God. Yes
Miracles  Yes
Love at first sight  Yes
Ghosts Yes but I never want to see, hear or feel one. 
Aliens Yes but I am not comfortable about it. 
Soul Mates  Yes
Heaven  Yes
Hell Yes 
Kissing on the first date . No 

Anything else you want to know, ask in comments below:-

Take Care x

Blogmas Day 16: The true meaning of Christmas




Hey  everyone! Christmas is a special time of year. I have always loved Christmas as it  is a time for families to get together and show each-other how much they mean to them. Of course I love to buy gifts for my friends and family and receiving them is lovely too but this is not  the true meaning of Christmas. The true meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. 

I am not going to preach to you so don't worry! I am a Christian and have been all my life. Therefore I think it is important to remember Jesus at this time. I want to show you that the traditions or things we do at Christmas have meaning and history behind them. 

We give gifts in remembrance of the three Kings and the gifts they gave Christ. 

The angel on the tree is a symbol of the angel Gabriel and the angels that announced  Jesus birth.

There are more but lets not over do it.

Take care x


Blogmas Day 15: Which Christmas Sweet Tin




Hey everyone, one great thing about Christmas time is the sweet tins that come into the stores. The question is, which one do you like best and why. I am going to list the contants of the two most traditional ones in this post;-



Roses

I used to have these as a child as my Dad's favorite was the coffee one but when the coffee one was taken out my parents switched to Quality Streets.

  • Brazilian Darkness - A chewy toffee square with pieces of brazil nuts, coated in dark chocolate. I love this as it is different from the rest of the sweets in the tin and  there is not a bar like it on a regular shelf. Something special for Christmas. 
  • Cadbury Dairy Milk - One  square of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate divided into two squares 
  • Golden Barrel - Milk chocolate in the shape of half a barrel, filled with caramel.
  • Caramel Velvet - Cadbury Caramel piece, with added truffle inside.
  • Caramel - Cadbury Caramel Toffee piece, Hard toffee in cased in Cadbury Dairy milk Chocolate.
  • Country Fudge - Rectangular fudge piece, coated in milk chocolate.
  • Hazel in Caramel - Crescent-shaped milk chocolate with hazelnut plant engraving on top, filled with caramel and a hazelnut 
  • Hazel Whirl - Dome-shaped milk chocolate, patterned with spiral twirl, with hazelnut in centre.
  • Strawberry Dream - Square-shaped milk chocolate with strawberry seed engravings on top, filled with strawberry-flavoured cream fondant .
  • Tangy Orange Creme - Square-shaped milk chocolate with orange engraving on top, filled with orange-flavoured creme fondant .
  • Coffee Escape - New for Christmas 2013, Cadbury have re-released the soft coffee centred chocolate. Go on Dad you know you want to!!!
  • Signature Truffle - New for Christmas 2013, this is a truffle encased in milk chocolate. Finally a tin with a truffle in ... bad decision by mars to remove it from theirs!!



Quality Streets

This is a good family all rounder, I have a few favorites in this one

  • Milk Chocolate Hazelnut with caramel.
  • Chocolate Noisette Pate (Hazelnut Triangle). This is creamy and smooth. I love praline and this is just the same.
  • Chocolate Toffee Finger .
  • Toffee Penny.
  • Vanilla Fudge. Simple yet satisfying. 
  • Strawberry Delight.
  • Coconut Eclair. Like bounty but not so sweet.
  • Caramel Swirl.
  • Milk Choc Block.
  • Orange Crunch .
  • Orange Creme.
  • Toffee Deluxe.

Let me know what your favorite is in the comments box below.

Take care x

Blogmas Day 14: Poems


Hey everyone, I wanted to post some seasonal inspiration. As I still don't feel good and Paul is still typing up and posting my blogs, I wanted to share some Poems I have been reading in bed. 

Our Christmas

Christmas came early for you and for me
Christmas with no gifts to open
Christmas without any yuletide tree
Christmas with words of love spoken
Christmas was walking to York hand in hand
Christmas in awe at the Minster
Christmas togetherness was just what we planned
Christmas was chaffed legs and blisters

Christmas was cups of tea served early morn
Christmas was being together
Christmas was loving from dusk until dawn
Christmas remembered forever
Christmas was driving through floods for the view
Christmas ‘our planning’ was starting
Christmas our Christmas meant so much to me
Christmas our bitter sweet parting 


Blogmas Day 13: Dog Commands


Hey everyone, I wanted to write a post on the 5 commands I think are absolutely important to teach your dog.  It is important to try and keep your commands to one word accompanied with an action. 

 Leave - One finger held up ( as if you were going to take it to your moth and say shhh)


Leave it is the basic dog training command you use to tell your dog not to pick up something he's approaching. It can prevent him from eating something harmful. It is also helpful if you have children so you can teach your dog not to eat or touch their toys. 
 Drop with hold hand out in a cup shape in front of the dog.
Training a dog to drop it ensures that he'll let go of anything he's picked up in his mouth. I also use this for playing ball so I don't have to touch the ball as  I use an arm.
 Sit - Point to the floor
The sit command is usually the first command people teach their dogs. It is a  basic, but important command.  It can be a safety command or simply tells the dog to sit down so you can accomplish a task. 
 Down- Flat palm move in a downwards motion.
The lie down command is important for several reasons. It can calm an excited dog down. He will settle when you have visitors and will be a comfort for him too. It also can stop him when he might be trying to misbehave.
 Stay/Stand
The stay command is useful in a number of situations. It can keep your dog out from under your feet, or it can save his life by preventing him from running into dangerous situations. Also you may want to dry off your dog and this is not easy to do if he is sitting or lying.
Take Care x

Blogmas Day 12: Boots Star Gift Soap and Glory Yule Montey



Hey everyone, this week Boots star gift is the Soap and Glory Yule Monty. Boots have really thrown a curve ball as the last few years this gift has been the last one before Christmas but the rumour is that now the last one will be No 7. So this gift is very exciting, it contains 9 full sized products from the fabulous Soap and Glory range.  I have this gift on my list at £ 27 down from £60 we will have to wait and see.

The gift set includes:
§  Sugar crush body wash soap & glory's super fresh sugar crush body wash (which doubles as bath bubbles) mixes mouth-watering kaffir limes, sparkling lemons, sweet vanilla musk and coconut oil. Energizing, revitalizing – it’s an instant wake up call for tired minds and bodies, with coolcapsule x to cool and refresh, radiance-boosting kiwi water juice, and a super creamy suds  moisture-boosting base. Your skin will be left soft and you will be eenergised and ready for the day.
§  Righteous butter body cream award winning body butter with softening shea butter and aloe vera. Use this after a shower or bath and lock in the moisture, your skin will be soft and smooth.
§  Heel geenius foot mask  renovates rough feet in a single overnight session, doubles as a foot cream, and will give even the roughest of cuticles a run for its money. Featuring allantoin, glycerin, macadamia oil, menthol, bilberry, orange and lemon fruit acid smoothers. If your feet take a daily battering, give them a little rest and rejuvenation. Get ready for the Christmas party season and show off your beautiful feet!
§  Hand food hand cream contains shea butter, macadamia oil and marshmallow . Smells beautiful and keeps hands soft and looking their best.
§  Peaches and clean face cleanser want to remove make-up and impurities in one clean sweep? Reach for soap & glory’s indispensable daily face cleanser, peaches and clean™. It’s gentle, effective, melts away make-up (even waterproof mascara), and re-energises your complexion in two minutes.  The soap and glory  oxyginseng technology - an amazingly effective, organic complex that helps increase circulation and cell respiration (which then turns up blood supply and toxin removal), and also speeds oxygen and nutrient delivery to fight aging and re-energise skin. Their fusion peach & gojuice™ (peach and goji berry extracts) - rich in antioxidants and vitamins a & c. Give your face all the nutrients and minerals it needs to fight off the winter weather and stay looking fresh.
§  Thick and fast super volume mascara this super volume mascara creates amazingly, longer, fuller, fabulous lashes. Featuring superfill™ false lash fillers, shine amplifiers, noflake24 technology and super-fine no-clumps natural wax film formers. Flutter those long gorgeous lashes ladies!
§  Scrub of your life  body buffer  it’s thick, it’s foamy, it’s fantastically fresh, it’s satisfyingly stuffed with just the right ratio of scrubbing beads.  Polish away the dead skin, encourage cell renewal and blood flow to prevent or reduce cellulite.
§  Butter yourself body lotion fruity body moisturiser containing exfoliating ahas, orange waterjuice™, shea butter, peppermint oil & fruitliquid fig. Fancy a fruit explosion, smother yourself in this rich body lotion and take your senses back to summer!
§   Sexy mother pucker lip pumping gloss in pink out loud.  A super-sizing, extra-strength collagen lip shine for plump smooth shiny lips.
§  The huge toiletry bag that can be used for storage of bathroom items, make up or even an overnight bag.

Do you have a favourite Soap and Glory product, let me know in the comments box.


Take care x

Monday 16 December 2013

Blogmas Day 11: Vlogging



Hey everyone,  I am planning on re starting my vlogs soon, as I have not been very well at the moment and actually have no voice right now. Once I am back to  normal I will relaunch the vlogs yey!

Here are a few topics I am going to Vlog about please feel free to add anything in the comments you want me to talk about:-

Christmas traditions
Wedding venues
Dog training
Flat re-decoration and make over
Christmas Crafts

Take care x

Blogmas Day 10: Wedding Talk



Hey everyone. We have been talking weddings at my house. We are getting married in 2015 and it has occurred to us that we need to start paying deposits and making wedding payments. This is our order of priority:-

The Venue
The Photographers
The DJ
The Other forms of entertainment ( surprise)
The transport.

We have a dilemma we are trying to solve which is where to hold the ceremony. I  have been brought up LDS and  Paul and I have attended several times and feel it is the right church for us but for complicated reasons we will not be regularly attending until after we get married. 

We need to decide if we will get married in an LDS church or in a C of E church. There are pros and cons for both which I will discuss in more depth in a later post. 

Blogmas Day 9: Family Christmas Gathering



Hey everyone, on Saturday ( 7th December) we had a family Christmas gathering and it was great. We booked the express Inn from 2-5 and paid for food to be provided. The food was great quality and very generous portions. The function room is nicely decorated and has a private bar.

It was great to see everyone and we have all agreed that we should have a meet up twice a year one in summer and one in winter. 

Family is so important and we want to really get to know everyone again and keep it up. My only regret is not having presents for everyone but we are going to be better organised for next year and I have a few things  in mind already.  I love all my family  and will see you all soon!

Take care x

Blogmas Day 8: Job update





Hey everyone, I wanted to give you a quick job update. I am loving my fragrance job! It is amazing how much you learn every day. I now know where most the perfumes are  and which ones are popular with each age rage. 

This weeks favorites are Hugo Boss bottled night ( for men) and Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy ( for women ). Both are on offer at boots at the moment but Midnight fantasy is half price at £9.99 for 50ml! 

The fragrance star offer is Hugo Boss Orange for men and the Hugo Boss Orange Gift Set for women. Both great gifts  better than half price this Christmas.





Blogmas Day 7: Christmas shop




Hey everyone, I have not been very well for the past 2 weeks and have been writing the posts and my fiancee has been typing them up but he thought he was publishing them but they had not been published. So over the next few hours I will be publishing them and so we will be back up to date.

There is a Christmas shop in Lechlade near where we used to live. It is open 7 days a week Monday to Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 11-5. It sells all manner of traditional chrisstmas items from wooden  advent  items to light up decorations.



Friday 6 December 2013

Blogmas Day 6



Hey everyone, today I want to give yo an update on my new role in Boots.
Today was technically day 1 on fragrance as yesterday I was putting out delivery and helping customers with makeup. 

Today was tough but fun. I have to learn about the different fragrances, learn where there are and all the offers that are on. I am still very comfortable with customers which is a huge plus. 

Most of the beauty team are nice to work with, but I do find a couple of them  a little brash and rude at times. I think it is the area of the country I now live, the nearer to London you get the less tact and politeness people seem to posses. 

I am enjoying the role  though and can't wait to tackle this new challenge.

Take care x


Thursday 5 December 2013

Blogmas Day 5: Weight loss

Hey everyone, I wanted to update you all on my weightloss plan. I am walking my dog 3 times a day snd eating 3 balanced meals. I do have a sweet tooth so most days I have a treat but everything in moderation! 

It is also my Dads birthday today, happy birthday Dad. We have a tradition at home to keep birthday cards up for 1 week, which is why the Christmas decorations used to go up on the 12th December. 





Take Care x

Blogmas Day 5: Permanent job!!!

Hey everyone, This post said it was published yesterday but there was an error so I am re posting it now. 

I wanted to let you all know I have been given a permanent job at boots and will be working in beauty until Christmas and possibly fragrance for long term. I am very pleased and can't wait. Tomorrow 5th is my first day on beauty. I will let you know how it goes. Take care x 

Wednesday 4 December 2013

Blogmas Day 3: Weight loss

Hey everyone, not every Blogmas post is going to be about Christmas. Today I reached another weightloss mile stone, I have lost 1 stone 5 lbs (19lbs). I am proud of this achievement and hope to continue.

As I have said before I have PCOS which makes it hard for me to loose weight. I have don't it so far by eating 3 meals a day, walking the dog 3 times a day and going to work. 

Do you want to know more about PCOS? 

Take care x 

Monday 2 December 2013

Blogmas Day 2: Christmas Songs


Hey everyone, today is the second of December already. Some of you will have already put up your Christmas tree and Christmas decorations but in our family we had always waited until a week after my dads birthday.  Today I want to talk about things that get me into the Christmas spirit. 

Music is a very powerful and can incur strong emotion. I love Christmas music from Christmas carols and hymns to The Xfactor Christmas Single. Nothing gets me in the Christmas mood more than the Christmas No 1's CD. Rocking around the Christmas tree, merry Christmas everybody, i'm dreaming of a white Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, All i want for Christmas is you and so many more.

I put on the CD and sing away and all my happy memories of past Christmas's. 

What are your favorite Christmas songs.

Take care x 

Sunday 1 December 2013

Blogmas Day 1 : Salt Dough Christmas Tree Decorations


Salt Dough Christmas Tree Decorations



Supplies List
  • ·         ½ Cup of Salt
  • ·         ½ Cup of Water
  • ·         1 Cup of Flour
  • ·         Olive oil
  • ·         A rolling pin
  • ·         Pastry cutters in various shapes
  • ·         Some paint - you can use anything from acrylics to metallic sprays and glitter glue
  • ·         An apron or old clothes you can get dirty

Step One: Make the Dough
 Put the salt and flour into a bowl, then add the water slowly and mix. After about ten minutes of kneading, it should form a soft, mouldable ball.
Tip:If it's slightly too sticky, add more flour and if it's slightly too dry, add more water.


 Step Two: Cut the Dough Into Shapes
Now you have got your ball of dough, is time to roll I out flat and get creative. Yo can uuse pastry cutters, roll into thin sausages to create letters or freehand shapes with a knife. When you're making hanging ornaments, don't forget to make a little hole to thread through ribbon or string.

 Step Three: Set the Shapes in the Microwave
Once you have made your decorations you need them to set. Place them in the microwave on a greaseproof paper covered plate, for two or three minutes.  You can air dry the but this will take a few days, so you will have to have somewhere safe and out of the way to leave them.


Step Four: Paint the Decorations
Now for the fun part.  You can paint salt dough with pretty much any paint, from acrylics to metallic sprays. I love to use glitter and craft jewels. Finish by coating them with a clear varnish and you can use the year after year.  

Please leave me some comments if you like this idea, and let me know if you have tried it.

Take care x