Goodbye February

I am writing this in my newly built home office and I am so pleased we decided to go ahead and get sharps in to design and build.  I find this new room a haven from the world, a place to retreat should I need to take time out for the hustle and bustle.
I am much better compared to this time last year, anxiety has not disappeared, (I am not sure it ever will) but it is at a level I can manage now.  That has helped everything else get back on track and on board.  I am grateful that I have my partner and family around me and that they have made me realise that no matter what they are there for me.  I highly recommend if you are every struggling in life to find someone to speak to, whether it be the Samaritans, doctor, trusted friend or a family member.  It is easier said than done but I urge anyone who feels they are up against it to speak up, speak out and tell someone how you feel.

I cannot believe we are now in March, boy this year is really moving at a pace but I am glad we are heading towards spring (although winter was not hideous and cold just hideous and wet).  As yet Ofsted have not been into check us out and the pressure is felt, I have decided to ignore the pressure and do what I have always done and that is my job to the best I can with the tools I have.  There is no way Ofsted will see me or my team in a bad light, we are good at what we do and I lead a fantastic team.  I am making sure we are spot on without pilling on the stress and pressure others may be getting.

This new home office has a place for me to take time out, to work and to do my craft, something which has helped me keep stress and anxiety under control.  I am back to dressmaking as I can get to my sewing machine and this is a love I have always kept hidden until now.  I love dressmaking, I am still a novice but its a bit like my beauty passion, it is not hurting anyone and I love trying out new things, new methods and building a wardrobe of clothes that are unique.  Next I will be back to jewellery making too, I have the space now!

So onto what I have loved in February.

TV

• Not strictly TV but watchable all the same and that is House of Cards - Kevin Spacey is amazing in it and I have had to watch season 2 twice now.
• Eastenders - it was great to see Stacey back in the square.
• Jonathan Creek - he is back for a short season and the first episode was great.
• Silk - another BBC programme that is fantastic.
• Line of Duty - gripping.

Film

Thanks to Netflix and now Amazon Prime I have watched a fair few films this past month, the stand out ones are:

• Out of Time
• The Final Destination Films
• Iron Man (1 and 2)
• Olympus has fallen - watched last year on a flight, glad its on Netflix

Beauty

• I have loved my Sigma brushes this month.
• MAC creme blush (all shades) less drying at this time of year.
• MAC lipstick in Fanfare, a beautiful pink.
• Lush body bars, smell divine and soften the skin.
• Inglot shadows.
• My Urban Decay Naked 3 pallet
• Smashbox pallet

Eats

• Mini eggs, I love when Easter is close and I have an excuse to eat them.
• Miller and Carter restaurants, we had an amazing meal in there last week and it is now our new place to go.
• Sodastream
• Nespresso, still making great coffee.

I hope you had a wonderful February and enjoying March.

2014 Mission Statement

Happy New Year!

I first started to post back in 2012, in fact my actual first post was 31st December 2011 (click here for recap).  I am still very new to this blogging thing and I sometimes wonder why I started to do it, I enjoy reading others and I do gain valuable insight into other things, I always learn wonderful things from others and I like to be open minded when finding a new blog to read.  For instance I enjoy reading blogs about beauty, education, fashion, organisation and lifestyle and I like to think my musings cover some of those things too.

I decided that I would not write resolutions for 2014 but have a mission statement instead, to me that feels like less pressure trying to stick with it and there is room for movement, to tailor it as the year progresses.  My mission statement for this year is to build upon what I have started already, so continue to evolve and self improve, to learn from past mistakes never making the same mistakes again.  I am going to learn new things and continue to do the things that make me happy.  So there you go pretty open ended, I will say yes more and seek challenges more often.

Last night was lovely, for the first time in a while I have spent Christmas and New Year in the UK, I normally go to Washington DC for the holiday break.  Although I missed spending time with that part of the family I was glad to be home for the holiday, it meant I could sleep in, mooch around in PJ's go to the stores when I and Mr JAEG wanted and relax with my loved ones.  Last night involved a few drinks with Mr JAEG and the family, watching the fireworks on the TV.

I am not going to do a complete 2013 favorites as I have used so many products and I have not kept a full note on them all but I will be reviewing what I have enjoyed using in December.
The first thing I have been enjoying is hot chocolate, I have finally found a chocolate powder I actually like when mixed with warm milk.  It is Spanish drinking chocolate and very nice, not too rich and blends nicely with soya milk.

I purchased mine from Amazon, a gamble that paid off.

The next thing I have been enjoying is the new coffee machine Mr JAEG and I purchased just before Christmas, it is from Nespresso and it makes the best coffee ever from a 'capsule' machine and I have tried a few over the years. It is very stylish and matches the kitchen perfectly.

This machine comes with its own milk frother and is far superior to other disc machines.

My next item also sits in the kitchen.

I was given a bread making machine for Christmas, it's from Lakeland and makes a loaf from start to finish in 3 hours, perfect size for 2 people.  The smell of fresh baked bread fills the house and makes it very homely, we both enjoy trying different types of bread and the beauty is as the loaves are small there is no waste.

I am also enjoying Sweetbird salted caramel syrup, nice with the aforementioned hot chocolate and coffee.

We have spent some time decorating the house, so my next item is a paint.

This is from Craig and Rose and the shade is 'Sensual Silver' from their opulence range found in B & Q. This shade is not a shy shade it is out there loud and bold but it suited the room perfectly.

I have been enjoying candles, well it's that time of year.

The Pecksniff's candle was a Christmas gift and the Yankee candle was purchased in the sales.  The Pecksniff's is an orange scent and as you can see from the label on the Yankee candle that scent is apple.  Both burn lovely and clean and fragrance the rooms very well.

I have new reading glasses, so they have to make the favorite list.

The case floored me to be honest it's like an old school style pencil case with a slide out top.  I won't use the case for the glasses but I like how funky the case and glasses look together.

Onto 2 beauty products to finish off.  This time of year my skin really plays up it becomes dry so I absolutely love the Body Shop body butters, my current love is vanilla but is am also loving the gingerbread fragrance and the almond so I am switching between the 3 depending on what I am doing that day and what perfume I'm wearing.  I also like using almond oil grape seed oil for the really dry days.

I am also using Johnson's eye make up removal pads, I am reviewing my skin are routine and thought I would trial the pads for a few weeks and see how effective they are.

I am also looking to expand my make up brush collection and will be researching some over the next few weeks.

I was also given a pair of Doc Martens for Christmas, I have no picture of them at the moment but they are the real deal! No knock off copies here, they are in pewter and are a thing of beauty and will be wearing them in for a few days.

What have you enjoyed using during 2013?