The Crazy Days

I've been slacking off from my blogging duties again! The truth is, I've just been out having too much fun! I thought the best way to bring you up to date was in pictures...


Cornwall
Ricky and I enjoyed a long weekend in Cornwall where we mainly just spent time relaxing and eating lots of yummy food! Got to make the most of it whilst I can get away with eating whatever I like without worrying about my waistline!

Ricky getting cosy in the caravan with his trashy magazine!

Me and a giant ice cream... wish it was real!

Baby Shower
One of my bestest and oldest friends, Jenny, threw me a baby shower with a few of my close friends. Bump and I were given so many presents and I was so overwhelmed with all the love coming our way! It was a lovely day and it was a great excuse to get everyone together.

Such a beautiful and delicious cake!

Mouse and Alex enjoying the party food buffet - and look at all those presents on the floor!

Me looking through all the wonderful presents!

So many goodies from my lovely friends.

Brekkie!
Ricky and I enjoyed a Sunday off together and since the weather was really nice and sunny, we headed off for a late breakfast al fresco! You can't beat a full English on a Sunday morn!

Ricky enjoying his breakfast.

Zoella Beauty Launch
I went to London with a group of friends to attend the launch of my friend Zoe's new beauty range. I've known Zoe for years and it was so exciting to see her doing so well and the products are amazing as well! I had a great night admiring the amazing venue and spending time with Zoe and my friends. Check out the collection here and here!

Me, Mouse & Jenny posing outside the venue.

#zoellabeauty

So pretty! View from the terrace.

Yummy treats!

Jenny, me & Beth

So many balloons!

Considering I'm now 7 months pregnant, I've been having so many adventures! And I'm planning to continue to do so for as long as I possibly can :)

The Mother Daughter Weekend

A couple of weekends ago, Ricky was spending the weekend with some friends and so my Mum and I decided to spend some quality time together! 
I've always been really close to my Mum and although it sounds cheesy, she really is my best friend.

On Saturday we went into Bath for a lovely dose of retail therapy - and of course Mum treated me to a couple of bits and bobs (and bought a few presents for Bump as well). We stopped for lunch at Le Parisien which has been a favourite of ours for years. There's very few places in Bath that you can sit outside for lunch and enjoy the sunshine but the outdoor seating and use of delicious, locally sourced ingredients put Le Parisien at the top of our list.

Mum - Ready to tuck into her baguette and cuppa.

Me - Already tucking into my baguette!

After enjoying such beautiful weather all day, on Saturday evening we decided to head to Weymouth bright and early the next day.
We set off at 9am on Sunday and the weather looked rather cloudy... but as we approached Weymouth, the clouds parted and an amazing blue sky was greeting us! It was heaven!

Mum and I soaking up the sunshine.

Cream tea... Yum!

After a few hours sunbathing, we headed off in search of food and indulged in chips followed by a cream tea. 
All in all, it was the perfect Mother Daughter weekend!

The Summer Holiday

I have to admit that the idea of a whole summer without a holiday abroad was not something I was very happy with - however I am very glad to say that I was wrong to feel this way. Even before Ricky and I knew that Bump was on the way, we had decided to save money and have five nights in Cornwall this summer and it was so lovely!

Ricky - "Ooh it's cold!"

Trevone Beach

We spent some of our days at the beach soaking up the glorious sunshine. We visited Trevone beach and Padstow beach and both were just as good as any beach we'd been to abroad.

Rock Climber Ricky

Cliff Selfie!

Cliff Views

We also went on some cliff walks and the views were amazing - and check out that blue sky, not a cloud in sight!

Mmm... cream tea!

The rest of our time was mainly spent eating - cream teas, BBQ's, chips and pasties! We also wandered around some of the towns that were nearby and browsed the little trinket shops for hidden gems.

Ricky at Padstow Harbour

Sunflower Dress - Primark, £10 (ish)

If you look hard you can spot Bump too!

All in all, it has to be said that when the weather's behaving itself, a UK holiday is unbeatable. Ricky and I will be back in Cornwall in September for a final getaway before Bump's arrival!


Where are you going / have you been on your summer holidays this year?

The Disney Obsession

I don't think I know anyone that doesn't love a bit of Disney and with Bump on the way, I am looking forward to having an excuse to watch all of my Disney DVD's over and over again! There's just something about Disney that turns me into a little girl again and I feel like I can be carefree and silly for the duration of whichever classic I've chosen to watch. I am not ashamed to admit that I listen to Disney tunes on my iPhone every now and then (and really struggle not to sing along out loud!), the songs are just amazing!

Anyway, that's enough about me and my Disney obsession - this post is actually about this super cute exclusive range of Minnie Mouse Alicebands that ASOS have recently brought out. 

I had a bit of fun doing some posing in my sequin and velvet ears! Sometimes it's just good to be silly and forget about the grown-up stuff for a little while. 

Minnie Mouse Aliceband - ASOS, £10.00

I like these ears as they are classic Minnie, but the exclusive range at ASOS has loads of cool variations including leopard print ones, floral ones and even studded ones! You can have a Minnie alter-ego for all occasions!

I hope you enjoyed having a peek at my Disney/ASOS escapism - I'm now off for a holiday to Cornwall for even more escapism! Fingers crossed for sunny weather.

The Perfect Sunday

Sometimes you just need a quiet weekend to do some life admin and spoil yourself. I found myself home alone this weekend and spent the time cleaning and tidying, doing the weekly food shop and having some 'me' time which was just what I needed after the excitement of last weekend.

Let's start off with my outfit choice for this slouchy Sunday...

White Maternity Shirt - Topshop, £29
Black Maternity Skinny Jeans - H&M, £7

Sorry for the blurriness - I wasn't quite ready for the self timer!
I bought these maternity pieces during my epic shopping trip last weekend. I'd wanted a casual white shirt for ages and I'm definitely going to wear it after my pregnancy.

The jeans were an absolute bargain in the maternity sale in H&M. I'm trying not to buy too much maternity wear but I thought a pair of black skinnies are quite a staple wardrobe item - and for £7 I couldn't go wrong! I bought them in a bigger size to give my belly some growing room but they have belt loops (surprisingly hard to find in maternity jeans) which means I can tighten them up for now.

Now, I'm definitely not a beauty expert and in my books, less is more when it comes to make up. This is probably mainly because I don't have the patience to spend hours on my make up routine.

Lip Paint - Topshop
Bronzer - Max Factor
Creme Puff - Max Factor
Eye Shadow - Revlon
Eyebrow Pencil - Soap & Glory
White Eyeliner - Maybelline
Mascara - Rimmel

This is my slightly battered make-up collection - not in it's entirety but these are the bits I use the most and what I wore today.

As you can see, the outcome is quite natural but the red lip just gives a bit of interest and worked well with my simple, monochrome outfit.

Since I went and did the weekly food shop, it was only fair that I got myself a cheeky treat...

Cup of tea + scones with jam and clotted cream + an afternoon watching what I want to watch on TV = the perfect Sunday!

The Days Out

I've been trying my hardest to write an update every week but I'm afraid last weekend the heat got the better of me and I spent the days in the sun and the evenings going to bed very early! I've always been a fan of an early night but since Bump has made his/her home inside of me I've taken it to a new level.

Last weekend I really made the most of the sun because, let's face it, we never know how long it's going to last! On Saturday I popped out for lunch with some friends and chatted away for a fair few hours whilst getting slowly sunburnt on my right arm (ouch!). Ricky and I spent Sunday having a wander around Bath where we indulged in an Italian treat for lunch at Prezzo and then stumbled upon the strEAT festival being held at the Royal Crescent which involved food, drink and live music.

Ricky relaxing on a deckchair in Bath before our Prezzo lunch.

Ricky at the Royal Crescent strEAT festival.

During the week my wonderful Daddy found me a little car to purchase with my savings as I figured running for the bus was going to become more and more difficult as Bump grows. I was so excited to get straight out in it. I had really missed the freedom of being able to jump in your car and go anywhere at any time as Ricky normally uses our main car for his commute to work. Watch out world, Emma's on the loose!

On Friday evening, my friends Lauren and Sophie made their way from Guildford to Bath for the weekend. I hadn't seen these girls since leaving Topshop and we had had this reunion planned since I left. Our weekend mainly revolved around food and we kicked off with a trip to Wagamamas on Friday evening. On Saturday we jumped into my new car and headed to Bristol. It was crazily busy but we managed to shop until our feet hurt (I'll save my purchases for a future post) and then stopped in at the supermarket on the way home to stock up on a healthy (!) dinner of pizza, ice cream and chocolate brownies. We spent Saturday evening stuffing our faces and watching 'What To Expect When You're Expecting' which just made me even more excited to meet Bump! On Sunday (today), we decided to have a slightly more chilled day and headed to Bath to have a wander and enjoy the sunshine. We stopped for lunch at Giraffe and then I gave the girls the 'budget' tour of Bath which involved peering over the wall into the Roman Baths!

Sophie (L) & Lauren (R) - Awaiting our yummy Giraffe lunch.

Mexican Chicken  Burger & Skin-On Fries - Giraffe, Bath

All in all, it has been a hectic couple of weekends! 
And tomorrow I have my second scan - I can't wait to see Bump again and hopefully find out that he/she is doing well and whether we will be having a girl or a boy! Eeeek!

The Sun & The Seaside

Another week has passed in a blur where we have had some gorgeous weather and I attended my first ever away day for work (slightly overwhelming but not as scary as I'd imagined).
Bump has been growing rapidly and I now have no hope of fitting into any of my summer clothes from last year! It's really nice to start to see the effects of all the work my body and Bump have been doing and there's no stopping him/her now! My next scan is in just over two weeks and I can't wait to see how much Bump has developed. I still haven't had any weird food cravings but my favourite sweets at the moment are Starburst - I may have just chomped my way through a family-size bag. Whoops! 

After admiring the beautiful clear blue skies and bright sunshine from my office window last week, I was looking forward to spending a sunny weekend with Ricky. It seems that I may have forgotten that we live in England and it is therefore never sunny when you have the time off to enjoy it! That didn't stop us making the most of our weekend though!

On Saturday Ricky and I popped round to see my Grandparents and then went out for some lunch. 'The Rivo Lounge' has just opened in Chippenham and it had caught our eye a few times so we decided to try it out.

Caramel Milkshake, Twisted Chicken Club Sandwich, Ricky eating The Rhode Island Hot Dog

 'The Rivo Lounge' is a retro cafe/bar/restaurant serving all your favourite dishes but all with something slightly special and unusual about them. For example, I went for a Club Sandwich which was served in ciabatta bread, with provolone cheese, guacamole and cajun mayonnaise - still a classic but this one was extra special! I also had a caramel milkshake - amazing! Ricky went for a hot dog topped with chilli beef and as you can see, enjoyed it very much! 'The Rivo Lounge' is one of many 'Lounges' dotted around the UK but they had all managed to escape my radar! I will definitely be visiting again and will be recommending them wherever I go.

After throwing a child-like tantrum because I wanted to go to the seaside, Ricky and I set off for Weymouth on Sunday morning. The weather wasn't as fine and bright as it had been during the week but I could see patches of blue sky and that was enough for me! I squeeeeeeezed into one of my bikinis from last year ready for a day of sun (hopefully), sea and sand. The weather didn't improve much but we had a great day sitting on the beach, wandering round the shops and enjoying a drink at the harbour (non-alcoholic for me!).

Ricky & I

Weymouth Beach

Hope you've had a fabulous weekend and have got an exciting week ahead of you!

The Girls

I spent the whole of this week looking forward to Friday & Saturday (I suppose that's kind of normal when you work Monday to Friday).

On Friday I went to see my midwife at the Birthing Centre to hear the baby's heart beat. It was amazing! His/her little heart is pumping away so quickly - around 150 beats per minute! My next appointment will be in around 4 weeks when I will have my next scan and Ricky and I will hopefully find out whether Bump is a boy or girl... and then there will be nothing to stop me shopping like crazy!

On Saturday I went back to Guildford to meet with my lovely friends, Grace, Sarah, Holly and Emily. After another visit to GBK (yes, I am addicted and now have a free burger on my next visit thanks to the GBK app!), we snuggled on the sofa and had a massive catch up. Grace has just got engaged so there was plenty of baby and wedding talk - exciting times! 

Another visit to GBK! (Left to right: Grace, Emily, Sarah, Me, Holly)

Giggles with my girls.

I love spending time with my friends and although we all live in different places and have busy lives, we all still make time for each other. I find it amazing how whenever we get together, it feels like no time has passed and we are transported right back to our Uni days when we all lived together. It's very easy to slip back into feeling 18 again, even though we're getting engaged (Holly & Grace) and having babies (me!) - we're growing up! Scary!

Hope you've enjoyed the sunny weekend - let's hope it lasts, I want to go to the beach!

The Food Baby

Ricky and I had some days off together this week and we made the most of it by doing what we do best - stuffing our faces! And of course I managed to fit in some shopping as well...

Hot Chocolate & Tea - Costa Coffee
Roast Dinner - Toby Carvery
Burgers, Milkshake & Elderflower Fizz - Gourmet Burger Kitchen

Yummmm! Although all the pregnancy apps I have read have said that there's no need to eat for two, I certainly haven't held back over the past few days. The roast had plenty of veg though so that's good, right?

Floral Wide Leg Jumpsuit - £24.99, New Look
Cream Peplum Cami - £9.99, New Look
Black Zebra Print Joggers - £17.99, New Look
Wide Leg Floral Trousers - £17.99, New Look

Black Swing Vest - £6.99, New Look
Floral Print Midi Skirt - £19.99, New Look

To state the obvious, I have gone a little New Look crazy recently. I've got to that stage where my normal clothes are feeling a little bit too uncomfortable but maternity sections are generally dull, dull, dull! So I've been buying clothes a few sizes too big so that I can get away with wearing them now and I will still be able to wear them when the bump gets bigger! Now we all just need to pray for a great English summer so that I can actually wear all of these amazing items.

Pack of 2 Winnie The Pooh Bodysuits - H&M, £7.99
Tigger Top & Leggings - H&M, £7.99

"I <3" Socks - H&M, £2.50

I vowed that I wouldn't buy any clothes until we found out the gender of the baby but it was just too hard. I couldn't buy myself some nice new clothes without thinking of the little person growing inside of me! H&M really came up trumps when it came to unisex baby clothes that weren't plain white or yellow! Who doesn't love Winnie The Pooh and Tigger too!?

That's all for now, have a good week!

The Life Changer

I have been a very very bad blogger but I promise it's not all down to me being lazy - I have had a lot going on in my life over the past few weeks!

Let's start from the beginning...

Friday 7th March 2014 - My last day at Topshop
Such a sad day as I had to say goodbye to many good friends and the fact that I was actually moving away made it even worse as I knew I wouldn't see some of them for a while. Of course, I ended the day with a bit of a leaving bash where, I am sorry to say, I got a tiny bit tiddly. Long story short, I left my evening bag on the train home which contained my camera, my credit card and my driving license - bad times! I did however remember my handbag, balloons, giant cookie and all the other lovely leaving presents I had received so it wasn't all bad! So yeah... no camera = lack of photos for blog.

As a leaving present to myself I bought two new 'Lip Paints' and wore the red one to my leaving do. They're so great as they last all night and don't rub off onto my teeth which is my ongoing lipstick nightmare!

Lip Paint in Tallulah (Red) & Elevate (Pink) - Topshop, £8.00 each

Monday 10th March - First day at my new job
The first day at my new job was scary but everyone made me feel really welcome. After at first feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the new information, I started to relax and am now enjoying working at the University of Bath (and definitely enjoying having evening, weekends and bank holidays off!).

Sunday 6th April - The BIG ONE!
There's no point beating around the bush... this was the day that I found out I was pregnant! Now you can see why I chose the title 'The Life Changer' for this post! Such a massive, happy surprise for Ricky and I and we are so, SO excited! Luckily our new flat has two bedrooms! As you can imagine, we have been busy planning, saving money and generally preparing to become parents. I am now 14 and a half weeks pregnant and the baby is due on the 20th November. I'm going to be a Mummy!!!!!!

Babyyyyyyyyyy

There's not much that can follow up news that big! Ricky and I have now moved house and I'm ashamed to say that there are still boxes to be unpacked. Now we have to figure out how to clear out the spare room - it won't be spare for much longer! 

If you have any questions about pregnancy or anything you would like me to include in my next post then please leave me a comment below.