Aloha! It's finally the end of January and the busy period at work is over! I can finally get back to blogging and wedding planning!

This week has been so busy. I've been working pretty much 12 or 13 hours per day!

And this has been my mood for most of the week!

On Friday my boss said if we stayed until 9pm we could have the weekend off!

This was celebrated when I got home with a tub of my favourite ice cream, a couple of beers and falling asleep on the sofa!

I've spent much of this weekend catching up on sleep and relaxing! Now I think I might go bake something and finally get some proper use out of my mixer! 

Have a great week everyone!

Xxxx

January Sales Haul !

Aloha! This post is a bit late going up as I know the January sales are almost over but I thought you'd all like to see what I bought (mostly with my Christmas money!)

American Eagle Hoodie - £20

I just loved this when I saw it on the American Eagle website before Christmas so I was so pleased when it went in the sale! American Eagle clothes are such good quality, they last for years! And now they have a UK website! No more pesky import charges for importing from the USA!

F&F at Tesco - £5

This knitted tunic was a bargain for only a fiver! It's nice and long so I can wear it with the new leggings my mum got me for Christmas! 

Black Lace Top - £3 from Next

Burgundy Collared Top - £4 from Next

The next town over from mine have a next clearance store so I popped in with my mum one afternoon and picked up these two tops for a grand total of £7. They are really handy for wearing to work but they are also suitable for dressing down with jeans.

Blouse - £7.99 from H&M

Technically not a sale purchase but I loved the pattern on this so I had to buy it. I've ended up buying this in plain black and plain white too because it's just so comfy!

Fleece Jumper - £5 from F&F at Tesco

PJ bottoms - £3 from Next

I'm a big fan of cosy PJ's and I saw the bottoms first in the next clearance store. Then when I popped into Tesco later that day to pick up a few things, I spied this jumper which matched the bottoms almost perfectly. These keep me nice and toasty at night!

Fiorelli Bag - £52.50 from John Lewis

I know I featured this in my John Lewis Haul post but it's so pretty I had to show it off again. I've used this bag every day since I bought it and I just love it. It fits all my rubbish in it! Ha ha!

Make Up Bag - £4 from Boots

I love it when boots reduce all their Christmas gifts to half price! This cute cat make up bag was just £4 and I love it! It's definitely very me!

Black Skirt - £8 from Very

A bit of a boring purchase but I'm always in need of a new black skirt for work! This one has ribbed effect detailing down either side so it's a bit different to the ones I already have. 

Leopard Print Blouse - £14 from Very

I like this blouse but I wore it to work one day and my boss spent the entire day calling me Bet Lynch (google her if you don't know who I'm talking about). Now I'm scared to wear it :(

Lace Underwear - £3.99 each from American Eagle

I genuinely don't wear pants from anyone other than American Eagle or Victoria's Secret (Pants snob, I know). They are just so comfy and they wash so well (hate when underwear goes all bobbly and discoloured!)

Meow PJ's - £12 from Very

These were an essential purchase due to the Meow emblazoned across the T-shirt.

They were straight out the packet and worn as soon as they arrived!

Leopard Boxy Top - £7 from Very

I love this wee top. It's a nice silky material so I can wear it to work and pass it off as a blouse! I've had it on a few times now. It looks really nice with a black skirt and tights and a black blazer.

So that's everything I bought in this year's January sales! I'm sure I'll be writing another of these posts in a blink of an eye! The years are going so fast! I definitely don't need any new work clothes for a while so I can get some pennies into my wedding fund!

xxxx

TheSundayPost - 23rd January

Aloha! Sorry I've been rather quiet this week! It's been a pretty busy one at work!

Here is what I've been up to this week!

Last Sunday was my brother's birthday but he was away on a lad's weekend so on Monday night we all headed out to Pizza Express to celebrate his birthday. The food was particularly good which was probably because I was absolutely starving having only had a small bowl of soup and some breakfast biscuits all day!

We've had more snow this week but only in West Lothian it seems! It's all gone now!

I've spent most of this week in work! I've been working until 7 or 8 almost every night this week which is pretty hard going. The light is in sight though! Only one week to go and January is over!

We got a new mattress! It is literally the comfiest thing in the world. If I thought getting up for work in the morning was hard before, its about to get worse!

So that has been it for this week. Another pretty dull week involving far too much work and not enough play!

xxxx

TheSundayPost - 17th January

Aloha! It's Sunday once again which means it's time for this week's Sunday Post!

Here's what I've been up to this week!

This week has been a long and busy one once again! I've been working between 10 and 12 hour shifts all week, trying to get all my tax returns done in time. I'm getting there but there's still another 2 weeks to go!

As I've been working so hard, this weekend called for a treat! Fajitas is my favourite meal. And accompanied by a cheeky little beer, they are even better! My mum bought me a few of these mason jar drinking jugs for Christmas. They are the perfect size for a whole 440ml beer can so I can look a bit more ladylike with my drink haha!

We've had plenty snow this week! Especially yesterday! We went to visit our niece in Edinburgh and by the time we got home, all this snow had appeared! 

So now I'm off to do some research for an amazing idea that Mikey came up with for our wedding. I'll share it on here if we decide to go for it! If your nosy though, check my twitter ;) (@sunskittlesblog)

And if you've missed some of my posts this week, you can find the links below: 

John Lewis Haul

Chicken Myers Recipe

Have a fab week!

xxx

Foodie Friday | Chicken Myers

Aloha! Today I have a recipe for one of my favourite dinners ever! My mum has been making Chicken Myers for a long time, but it seems not many people know about it! It's basically like a creamy curry with broccoli, mushrooms and chicken!

But don't take my word for how tasty it is! Here is how you can make it for yourself!

Ingredients:

- 1 tin condensed chicken or mushroom soup

- 4 to 6 chicken breasts

- 1 broccoli

- 4 teaspoons double cream

- 4 heaped teaspoons mayonaise

- 1 teaspoon curry powder

- Some strong cheddar cheese for sprinkling on top

Method:

1. Add the chicken breasts (either chopped or whole) into an oven proof dish, along with the raw broccoli. You can add mushrooms if you wish (about 4 large mushrooms will do).

2. Mix the condensed soup, mayonaise and double cream in a separate bowl. Then add the curry powder to the mix.

3. Pour over the chicken and broccoli and mix through so the sauce is evenly distributed.

4. Grate the cheese and sprinkle over the top. 

5. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes at 200 degrees celcius. You can grill for 3-5 minutes at the end to crisp the cheese if you wish!

6. And voila! Serve with rice or potatoes!

I hope you love this dish as much as I do!

xxxx

John Lewis Haul

Aloha! This is the first of quite a few haul posts over the next couple of days/weeks! First up it's John Lewis! Mikey and I were kindly gifted a couple of vouchers to spend in John Lewis when we got engaged back in May but I've only just got around to spending them!

So here is what I bought!

Bodum Coffee Bean Grinder - £25

I know it says this is £35 on the website. But I definitely only paid £25 in store!

I love me a good coffee and when we were in Dublin, I noticed the coffee tasted much fresher as all of Mikey's family ground their own beans! So of course I had to jump on the bandwagon and buy a coffee bean grinder! I use this all the time now and it's been great!

Bodum Caffettiere - £14.99

Of course, because I had bought a bean grinder, I decided to pick up a new caffettiere! I wanted one that matched the bean grinder so I went for this one!

Illy Coffee Beans - £5.89

These were the coffee beans Mikey's cousin had in his house so I grabbed a tin of them. They seem quite expensive but one tin lasts between 10 and 15 caffettieres full so compared to a take-away Starbucks it's pretty good value for decent coffee! (And the same tin is £6.50 in Tesco).

Fiorelli Bag - £52.50

My precious! I've been in need of a new bag for work for ages so I decided to treat myself to this beauty! I think it looks a lot nicer in real life than it does on the website! It's got a much more matte look in real life! And even better, it holds all my rubbish that I insist on carrying about with me!

John Lewis & Co Blazer - £25

This was Mikey's choice of gift from the vouchers! It was reduced from a whopping £160 to just £25. I couldn't believe how reduced it was. It was so impressive, I insisted that Mikey get it. It's actually part of a suit which they didn't have trousers for so Mikey is just going to wear it as a blazer with a pair of charcoal trousers (which match perfectly!)

If you or your other half is looking for a new suit/some new workwear, I suggest you check out the John Lewis clearance! But hurry because it ends on Sunday 17th January!

So that's my vouchers well and truly spent, but I think we both did pretty well out of them!

And now I'm really in the mood for a coffee...

xxxx

TheSundayPost - 10th January 2016

Aloha! Wow, it's the 10th January already!

This post is a little late going up this week. It's been a crazy busy week, unfortunately containing nothing fun!

Here is what I've been up to!

On Tuesday I went back to work after a lovely Christmas break! Monday was the all important extra Scottish bank holiday so I spent it wisely (sale shopping!) Work has been crazy this week as I've now got only 3 weeks to get all my client's tax returns complete and submitted. It's gonna be a long haul!

On Friday night we saw our first proper snow of the winter! It was totally unexpected!

Mikey was out so I spent the night in my cosy PJ's, eating chocolate and colour coding my work to-do list. Wild!

On Saturday we went for a little walk as I had not been feeling too great in the morning (probably the chocolate!) I took this picture looking over from our street to Bathgate town centre. It wasn't until I looked twice that I noticed the swan in the bottom right of the picture! It was doing a good job of blending in with the snow! We stopped for a coffee on our way back, and bought some tasty treats from the butcher (including some Stornoway black pudding, which is apparently now a super food!)

Sorry there wasn't very many posts from me this week.

You can see what I got in my blogger secret santa HERE. 

Things are likely to be quite quiet here throughout the month of January, as work is expected to be manic. I do have some posts scheduled for next week though so hopefully I'll manage to blog at least once a week!

Have a great week!

xxxx

Blogger Secret Santa 2015

Aloha! Last year I took part in a blogger secret santa run by the lovely Char at T-rexes & Tiaras and it was great fun. So of course, when I saw on twitter that she was running one again this year, I just had to sign up!

My secret santa was from Jenna Louise who blogs over at Floral-etiquette! Here is what she picked for me!

Cat Apron!! If you read my baking wishlist post before Christmas you'll know I was really wanting this! Baking has been so much more fun with this in my life!

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites. I hadn't tried these American chocolates before! They are really tasty! Peanut butter chocolates are my favourites!

I do enjoy a secret santa! It's a fun challenge to find an amazing gift for someone, especially when it's someone you don't know. You also get to stalk their twitter and blog for ideas! Ha ha! 

Thanks so much to Jemma Louise for my lovely gift, and also to Char for organising again this year!

xxx

TheSundayPost | 3rd January 2016

Aloha! Welcome to my first Sunday Post of 2016!

You might have noticed that my blog has had a little makeover to freshen it up for the new year!

This week has been quite busy as my uncle and cousin were here from Norwich so we've been out and about a lot more than usual! Here's what we've been up to!

1 & 2 - We went into Edinburgh and spent a day wandering around the winter wonderland! I finally got a shot on the big wheel and the star flyer! Just as well I'm not scared of heights! Afterwards, we went to Tony Macaroni for lunch. It's well worth a visit! I had shared a Hawaiian pizza and a spaghetti carbonara with my mum and it was delicious!

3 - We had a day's shopping in Livingston where I managed to get my hands on the first of many bags of mini eggs! These are my weakness at this time of year. I could eat them all day!

4 - I baked some yummy salted caramel and peanut butter brownies. It was a test run for my stand mixer, which I have to say, performed very well! I'll share the recipe on here soon!

5 - I got me some new bed sheets for the new year! I had some vouchers for Primark for Christmas (haul coming soon), and decided I needed to get some fresh bedding. This tartan duvet cover set was only £13 for a king size set and it goes really well with my bedroom theme!

6 - The new year has begun! We didn't do anything this hogmanay, except sit in, have a nice meal, and enjoy some alcoholic beverages! Someone was setting off these fireworks in the park opposite our house as the clock struck 12! 

7 - Smudge was my first footer (kind of). Because face-timing a cat is normal.

8 - I met my auntie's new puppy! He's a cross between a Chinese puffball and a shitzu and he is just adorable! His name is Frankie because he arrived at my auntie's house right in the middle of Storm Frank! I need one!

So that has been about it for this week! 

Here's some posts you might have missed this week:

What I got for Christmas

Boxing Day Sale Haul

My Year in Review | 2015

Hello 2016!

xxxx

Hello 2016 !

Aloha! Happy New Year! I hope your hangovers aren't too bad this morning and that you all had a wonderful Hogmanay (New Year's Eve for the non-scots readers).

2015 was a great year for me. I got engaged, graduated with a law degree, went to Mexico, and got a graduate job. But did I achieve my 2015 goals?

In my Hello 2015 post, I set myself 4 goals for the year.

1. To save for a mortgage deposit. This one I did not achieve. In fact, my savings account is empty. Oops!

2. To lose 2 stone by May. I achieved half of this by losing 1 stone before we went to Mexico in May. I've put it all back on though! Unfortunately in the latter half of the year I developed a problem with my right knee. I'm currently on a waiting list for an operation to repair damage to my knee which is making exercise difficult!

3. To be more organised. This one I think I have done quite well with! I've had much fewer blogging breaks in 2015, I managed to successfully take part in Blogmas, and at work I like to think I've got a good system going on with colour coding and different trays for different work. I keep a log of what job is in what tray too! Go me! Hopefully I can continue this in 2016!

4. To secure a full time job after Uni. I did achieve this! I had a formal job offer in July to join a firm as a trainee tax accountant (the type of work I wanted to do after uni)! I got the job offer 3 days before graduation so it was lovely to tell my lecturers at graduation that I had a job!

So what are my goals for 2016?

Well...

1. To save £1000 for our wedding. This is going to be difficult as Mikey is currently doing a post graduate so money is a bit tight, but I'm going to give it my best shot. Our wedding is hopefully going to be in 2017 so hopefully we can get our budget together by then!

2. To get fitter. As my knee problems continue into the new year, I'm not going to set myself a weight loss target, but I will aim to be fitter by this time next year. I successfully quit smoking in June 2015 (wasn't even one of my goals but I did it) so at least my lungs are healthier!

3. To blog at least once a week. No blogging breaks allowed this year! January will be difficult as work will be super busy, but hopefully I'll at least manage my weekly posts though!

4. To keep our flat (fairly) tidy. Especially our spare room! I'm not too bad for leaving mess lying around (since we moved house anyway), but our spare room is a bit of a tip most times. I just tend to chuck stuff on the bed and close the door so I can't see it! I'm going to attempt to tidy out all the boxes that are still lying under the bed, then keep the place tidy so we are prepared for any unexpected guests (no more running around mad with the hoover 10 minutes before mum arrives)!

So that's what I want to achieve! Fairly simple things as I don't want to put too much pressure on myself this year as it will be my first full year with no university pressures dragging me down! I want to enjoy 2016.

So let's get this year started with steak pie at mother's house, and seeing my best friend (and maid of honour) who I haven't seen for a whole year (she moved to Aberdeen).

xxxx