Wednesday 12 September 2012

I'm not dead,

Yet: Freshers week is still to come! Everything is fab and I've been having a great time training, drinking and meeting all the other mentors :) will update properly soon, thanks for bearing with me lovelies!
Mucho love,
Fran
Xoxox

Thursday 6 September 2012

Naturally, darling?

What I thought I'd share with you lovely ladies today is I'm having a bit of a hair crisis of late, do you ever feel like you've just gone through EVERY hairstyle and don't know where to go with it anymore? Well, I do.  My solution thus far has been ignoring the situation, and I'm a little bit scared of the hairdressers too, which sort of explains why I've not had a haircut since I started this blog!  I think it would be quite nice to grow it, but I've only ever had really long hair when there was dye (or at least a MASS of highlights!) involved and I was just stressing about roots and how it was in really bad condition.  For a while now I've just been focusing on getting it back to all of my natural colour and getting rid of a hideously short bob I had:
ugh.
I really like it as well when you see people with thick long red hair, and I think it's a lot easier when you can just tie your hair back in a top knot and not have to put loads of effort into straightening, and lets be honest - I dream of being able to have a fish plait a la Blake Lively, somewhat convinced that it will make me look like Blake Lively.  
Maybe not.
But on the other hand a couple of people have said I looked my best when I had shortish blond hair, and despite the maintenance there is something about being blonde that I love!  ANYWAY I'm biting the bullet and even if it's just for a trim I'm going to the hair dressers, so I thought it would be good to look through my old photos at all the hair styles to try and figure out what I like best.  There was some pretty terrible moves though hair wise, so I thought I'd share it; the good, the bad and the bleached, sort of like the hair timelines in COSMO. Warning: major poser alert! But this is me, 14 through to 21...

God, sorry for the my face overload!
If anyone fancies having a go of their own hair timeline then please leave me a link to your blog, I'd love to check it out! 
Any thoughts on what people think looks best would be great too, as long as it's not the bob! ;)

Until next time :)
Fran
xoxox

Wednesday 5 September 2012

Book Love: Roald Dahl

The first of my author quotes, inspired by my lovely book obsessed friend Lauren, who I went to see this afternoon :)

Tuesday 4 September 2012

Movie Love: Brave

"if you had the chance to change your fate, would you?"
Brave was really good, eep! Me and my mum were crying and everything haha
xoxox

Monday 3 September 2012

Music love #1



I've not tried this out before, but I thought it might be quite good to do a lyrics post every once in a while, a bit like my Movie Love Quotes.  I tend not to like music so much for catchy guitar riffs or things like that, it's more when lyrics really reach out to me and I feel like I can relate.  So I'll kick off with a few of my old favourites:

Fleetwood Mac - Dreams

"Now here you go again
You say you want your freedom
Well who am I to keep you down
It's only right that you should
Play the way you feel it
But listen carefully to the sound
Of your loneliness
Like a heartbeat, drives you mad
In the stillness of remembering 
What you had, And what you lost
And what you had, And what you lost"

Joni Mitchell - A Case of You
"I'm frightened by the devil 
And I'm drawn to those ones

that ain't afraid 
I remember that time you told me you said
"Love is touching souls" 
Surely you touched mine 
'Cause part of you pours out of me 
In these lines from time to time 
Oh, you're in my blood like holy wine 
You taste so bitter and so sweet 
Oh I could drink a case of you darling 
And I would still be on my feet 
I would still be on my feet"


Prince - When Doves Cry
"How can you just leave me standing? 
Alone in a world that's so cold? 
Maybe Im just too demanding
Maybe Im just like my father too bold
Maybe you're just like my mother
Shes never satisfied 
Why do we scream at each other
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry"



Does anyone else have any favourite lyrics that stick with them? 
Muchos love,
Fran
xoxox

Strawberry Fields Forever...

It's now 6 days until I go back to Sheffield, waaaaa!  For the past few days I've been doing a LOT of lists of stuff to take, packing on and off and going to the shops to pick up MORE things, how organised?!  Me and my mum went to Liverpool on Sat so this is my little haul post :)
1. Professional Tweezers; £1.99 Superdrug
    Swear I've been through like 5 pairs of tweezers in the past few months,
    and none of them got adequate purchase!  When I got home I tried these    
    babies out and they're really good and well worth the price!
2. Coralista Blusher; £23.50 Benefit at Debenhams
    Its killed me to spend this much on makeup but I love Benefit and I've    
    really wanted this for a long time, so when I got a Debenhams voucher for 
    my birthday I'd figured I should just bite the bullet!
3. Coralista Lipgloss; £13.50 Benefit at Debenhams
    Thought I might as well go the whole hog, plus I'll be coordinating!
4. Batiste Dry Shampoo; £1.45 Superdrug
    I've never tried the Cherry flavour but it smells REALLY nice!
5. Oral B Electric Toothbrush and TriZone 4 Pack Replacement   
    Toothbrushes;
    £29.99 and £11.99
    This was the most saddening purchase of the day, now that I'm going to go  
    back I can't use my mum's anymore with a different head on it so I've had  
    to buy my own, ugh.  On the plus side though I've noticed my teeth are   
    looking a lot whiter, don't know if it's using an electric toothbrush or the 
    cutting back on the coke and red wine front, but either way I'm happy! 
6. Me trying out my new lipgloss!
7. Cream Slippers; £3.50 Primark
8. Polka Dot Shirt; £12 Primark
    Similarly to the Woodstock shirt crisis, I didn't know if the rivets on the 
    collar are something I can really pull off, but then I thought why not and  
    decided to buy it anyway.  I really loved Stella McCartney's polka dot     
    dresses that she designed for Kate Winslet and the like, and I figure this is
    probably the closest to Stella I can manage for a while!
9. Duvet Cover; £7 ASDA and Single Fitted Sheet; £3.50 Primark
    Do you like?  My mum treated me to some new bedding, hopefully my new
    room will look really nice, I'm pretty excited to be moving in now.
Tomorrow my mum has got the day off work so we're going to watch Brave at the movies haha, big kids much?!
Until next time folks,
Fran
xoxox

Thursday 30 August 2012

My day in pictures...

Today has been one of those awful days when loads of jobs build up and it's been terrible!  British gas' voice recognition doesn't seem to register my accent as english for some reason, but on the plus side Sky is sorted, I've registered for Uni and I've sent all my thank you letters for my birthday - do you like my Cath Kidston stationary? I'm in love! As well I was going for a bit of an experiment on my nails and the jury's still out on them, has anyone else tried Zooey Deschanel inspired French Manicures?
Also, it is now 10 more days until I move into halls and I am officially bricking it. Don't tell anyone.
Muchos love,
Fran
xoxox

Wednesday 29 August 2012

Our little weekend away...

Last 'weeksworthofpicturesinonego' post for a while, I promise!  Me and Rich had a fab time away at his auntie's caravan in Northumberland, there was lots of takeaways, XFactor watching, trips to the beach, drinking wine and we even fitting in a trip to a castle!  You'll have to excuse the blue anorak thing, don't think I took it off for the whole weekend!
















On the way back from the caravan we went to the Metro Centre in Gateshead, did a little bit of shopping and watched Ted at the movies - it was really funny!  We only had our phones for internet at the caravan too so I've got a couple of posts in the pipeline, but at the mo' I'm still in my pj's at half 3, really need to wash my hair and I've got a train to catch to my dad's in an hour and a half, waaa!
Until next time,
Fran
xoxox
ps.  Is there any suggestions anyone has for future posts? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
pps. Thanks to thelifeofemily-alice. for letting me know how I don't actually have a button for letting people follow my blog, I never really thought about it before!  I've added onto the right hand side a Join This Site button, which would be lovely if anyone wants to haha!

Wednesday 22 August 2012

Movie Love: Stranger than Fiction


"As Harold took a bite of Bavarian sugar cookie, he finally felt as if everything was going to be ok. Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives. I know the idea seems strange, but I also know that it just so happens to be true. And, so it was, a wristwatch saved Harold Crick."

In Durham...

After a 7 o'clock start and a LOT of travelling, I finally got here!  The day didn't get off to a bad start, I had a McDonalds breakfast with my mum, then I got the train to Manchester Picadilly where I saw Jade  Jones, the girl who won the gold medal in Taekwondo at the the Olympics!  She was still in her Team GB tracksuit and was carrying a big red duffle bag, wish I'd taken a picture!  
Then I had a Cafe Nero break while I waited for my train to Durham, and when I finally got there at 2 o'clock, there was Rich waiting for me in his brand new car :)  Now I'm going horse riding tomorrow with Richard's cousin, Friday is Rich's 21st and Sat-Mon we're going to his auntie's caravan so expect a MASSIVE photo overload for this week ladies, apologies in advance!
Until next time,
Fran
xoxox

Monday 20 August 2012

"There are places I'll remember, all my life though some have changed..."

This weekend I...
Sorted out Rich's presents
Had lunch out with my mum at costa
Had dinner out with my dad at La Tasca for a birthday treat :)
Watched 'Stranger than Fiction'
Ate fried chicken for supper and slept over at my dad's place
Watched a West Highland Terrier chase an Old English Bulldog
Spent all of Sunday afternoon painting up my bike with my cousins
Ate Fillet Mignon with a homemade creamy tomato sauce pasta that the kids learnt to cook
And shot beer cans with a cross bow!
All in all a very successful weekend, which is why I've just chilled today and sorted out one of rich's presents - I'm making him a scrapbook and it's VERY time consuming!  Tomorrow I really need to start packing for Durham, ugh.
Until then my dears!
Fran
xoxox


Friday 17 August 2012

The Birthday Spesh...

Well, I think it's about time I gave you ladies a bit of an update!  My birthday was absolutely wonderful; I had the best time catching up with my family, sunning it up and eating a lot of barbeque food - it was exactly what I wanted!  After the weekend...
Monday I spent being incredibly hungover, then I had to go to a boxercise class I'd already agreed to - ABSOLUTE HELL!
Tuesday Rich went back home and I spent the day unpacking and generally sorting - it's his birthday on the 24th so I'm fretting a bit over what to get him!
Wed, Thur and today I've been working in the kitchens at the nursing home!  I'm not sure how many more times I'll be coming in now with Durham (I'm going to Durham btw on Wed folks!) and then on the 9th I'll be moving back to Sheffield!  Kitchens have been quite fun - I've been on my feet ALL day but I've only been working 10:30-6 so it's been alright. Seeing as I'll never be going to boxercise again I could probably do with the exercise!
Now it's friday night, I'm drinking a glass of wine and looking forward to my lovely weekend plans ahead!  I'll leave it to my next post to let you know what I've been up to, and in the meantime enjoy my birthday snaps and little memories of the weekend!
Muchos love,
Fran
xoxox
 
{Obv new profile pic haha!}
 {Me and Rich before the four of us went out for our meal in Liverpool :)  I ended up going for cheesy garlic bread and pasta with a side of home-made chips, yum!}
{Me and my dad surfing it up!}
  

 {Me and my mum- this was on my actual birthday on the Saturday, where we had lots of pizza, burgers, sausages and booze outside - perfect day!}


 {Rich with my stepbrother Jack and my other stepbrother's stepchildren - hope you're keeping up! ;) }
{One of my birthday pressies off Rich - how sweet?  On the Saturday night we stayed up talking outside all sat around the fire burner}
{Loving Basil posing for the family portrait!} 
{When it got to night time (and we all eventually got out the hot tub!) we set off parrafin lanterns into the sky and lay out on the grass}


{My stepmum, Dad and Aunty all made this cake together,  I was so chuffed!}
{I don't have any pictures but we had an It's a Knockout race - gunge tanks and popping balloons included - the kids loved it!}

Wednesday 8 August 2012

"One thing I can tell you is you gotta be free..."

Beatles title can only mean one thing ladies... I've been shopping in Liverpool again!  Me and Lauren got the train in to get some last minute clothes/accessories in because it's my birthday at the weekend and I don't have enough clothes!  Now one of the (many) advantages to having two sets of parents is that instead of a birthDAY, it's more of a birthWEEKEND haha.  The plan is to go for a meal on Friday with my mum, Roy and Rich, on the Saturday (the proper day) have my stepbrothers and their girlfriends come over and have HOPEFULLY a nice bbq, then on the Sunday pop over to Liverpool where my dad and Julie are sorting out my birthday party: Hawaiian style!  Now a girl can only have so many emergency new outfit's in her wardrobe which is where today came in; I really needed an outfit for the Sunday that looked vaguely beachy. 



{Dress: £5 Topshop - think it was marked wrong, win!}
I was having a mooch in Topshop when I came across this little beauty and it was exactly what I wanted - something plain and timeless that I won't absolutely cringe at in ten years!  I wanted to pair it up with some gold and white accessories, and I'm still on the lookout for a nice necklace so I might have to have a look at stuff I already have, I couldn't find ANYTHING that I wanted.  
{Hair clip: £3.50 Claire's}
Trying to not look completely out of place with the Hawaiian theme haha - I'm wearing some black wedges and a black clutch with this outfit and I think when you do monochrome you have to inject a bit of colour in, so two birds with one stone I guess!
{Bracelet: £4 Miss Selfridge}
Not sure if I'll wear this on the Sunday but I thought it was really cute :)
{Bracelet: £6.50 Claire's}
{Eyelashes: £5.95 Miss Selfridge}
Has anyone tried these by any chance??  I've been wanting to give the Katy Perry ones a go for a while now so expect a review after the weekend!  Oooh as well, I didn't know but Miss Selfridge do 10% discount: 60p off my eyelashes? Don't mind if I do!

Now back to my strict Johnson's Holiday Skin tanning regime - ginger level paleness and white dresses do not a match make!
Muchos love,
Fran
xoxox

ps. Forgot to say, I'll be turning 21! :)