Saturday 28 June 2014

Ducklings, Boats and Burgers

I spent a few days last week visiting the boy (I like to not use his name online, but if someone could come up with an alternative to "boyfriend" that I could use in future posts, please do in the comments. It would be much appreciated!) in Cambridgeshire, where I was treated to good weather, food and views! Of course I took a few snaps to capture the beauty of the weekend...

I think I've mentioned in a previous post that his parents run a pub in this cute little village. Last week they hosted their annual hog roast with live music, food and a great atmosphere. I was unfortunately way too excited about the food to actually take a picture of it! 

The following day, we went out on the "Bon King" boat (get it? If you don't, your mind is too innocent! xD), with his parents, where I drank, sunbathed, fed the ducklings, and admired the views from the river. 









We then went to the cutest pub garden for dinner and wine. 



On my last day, we ventured into Cambridge for dinner before my train home. We'd both heard a lot about Byron Burger from friends, so decided to give it a try, and my-oh-my! We were not disappointed! 



I went for the Classic Cheeseburger, while he went for the Byron Burger (with fries and homemade chips for sides).




My favourite part of this place was the milkshakes though! Thick and creamy, I went for the Oreo while he opted for Chocolate. Both were exquisite. 


Have you been anywhere interesting lately? Leave it in the comments, I'd love to hear your own experiences! 

Saturday 21 June 2014

Happy Birthday, Confessions of an Essex Girl!

How much can change in a year, huh? It's mad to think that the whole reason I started this blog was to have a place to write down and rant about the issues I was having with the end of my relationship and now, exactly a year on, I've been back with said ex for quite some time, and I can honestly say I can't remember us being so happy before. As you're reading this, I'll be on a train to stay with him for his parents' pub's annual summer hog roast (apparently it's this big thing!). I've even been invited to his sister's wedding this August, something this time last year I wouldn't have even imagined. This past year has definitely proved to me that second chances aren't necessarily a bad thing, and that they can improve things drastically!

I joined the #2014BloggerChallenge this year, and gained some of the most wonderful readers through this! I've reached about 60 followers on Bloglovin, which I'm so so proud of. Even though a lot of bloggers wouldn't think that that's a lot, I disagree completely. Imagine 60 people in a room. That's a lot of people. People that enjoy reading little slices of my life. And that makes me incredibly happy.

I read all of your comments, and I appreciate every single one of them. It makes me smile that some of you would take the time out of your day to read and comment on my posts.

So here I am, a year on, back in Essex for the summer, where I've made some wonderful friends through this little blog, been able to grow as a writer, and even write about topics that I've now become more confident about writing (beauty/fashion etc.). I know a lot of bloggers run competitions for their blog birthdays, or giveaways. I can't afford to offer you free stuff if I'm honest, nor do I have any connections with companies to get them for you. But I can offer my complete gratitude.

Thank you so much for reading (heck, even enjoying) my little blog. Let me know in the comments what's your favourite type of blog post! And here's to another year of Confessions of an Essex Girl!

I love you guys!!!

Thursday 19 June 2014

Michael Kors Dupe

After years of reading beauty/fashion blogs and watching Youtube videos, it seems like almost every "big" beauty blogger has a Michael Kors watch. I've become a victim of desire and trust me, if I had a spare £250, I would have had me one of these a long time ago!

I was on the search for a more affordable watch for work, stumbled across this beauty in River Island, and was shocked at how similar it is to the Michael Kors Rose Gold watches that everyone and their mother seems to be in love with.




(Left: Michael Kors, Right: River Island)

The River Island images look a little more gold than rose-gold, but in real life, they're a lot rosier! I had to have a few of the links removed by a jeweller (I have chicken arms!), but the actual watch only cost me £28, which considering how similar it is to the Michael Kors ones, is saving me a hell'a lotta dollar! 

I've even been stopped by people I was serving at work, asking me if it was a Michael Kors watch! It's that similar!

You can buy the watch here or in most River Island stores! 

Sunday 15 June 2014

Father's Day

This post isn't to bitch about my dad. I love him, I do, he's just been more of a silent figure in my life rather than an active one like a lot of dads out there. My parents divorced when I was 2 and a half, so I've only ever known my mum to be an active parent to me, my brother and sister.

When my dad lived closer, we'd see him every fortnight for the weekend. He'd take us out and do dad stuff, then take us back home to our mum until next time. When I was about 10, the visits got a lot less frequent, and after a series of strange events, he ended up moving to Manchester, a 5 hour drive from Essex. We now see him no more than twice a year, with phone calls every few weeks. 

But anyway, the whole point of this is to be able to celebrate the day with my mum, the woman who has raised 3 kids completely on her own, and turned them into respectable human beings. Imagine being left on your own after a stressful divorce, and not being able to have a breakdown or even appear to be upset, because you have a 5 year old, a 2 year old and a 6 month old baby to look after. I can't. 

She worked her butt off all year in a not-so-well-paid job, and cut back on spending money on herself so that we would all get to do the things we wanted to do (me and my sister to dance, my brother to play ice hockey), and to take us on a holiday every year. I never once felt like I missed out on any childhood experience from not living in a single parent family. 

My beautiful mother has lived her life for her kids, and I can't put into words how much I love her for that. I hope one day I can do something big to repay her for everything she's done for me. 

I love you, mama! 

Monday 9 June 2014

99 Pointless Questions

I had a sudden realisation the other day that this very blog will have its first birthday next Saturday! A whole year since Confessions of an Essex Girl reached out onto the interwebs to rant about boys and uni and every life problem you could imagine! So obviously, a very special post will go live on Saturday! But until then, I thought you lovely lot would enjoy these 99 Questions That Nobody Asks! 

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
    Closed. I hate leaving doors open when I'm sleeping!

2. Do you take the shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels?
    I very rarely stay in hotels, but I don't bother taking them if I do. I find that they're not really         very good quality anyway.

3. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?
    Out. I wriggle around a LOT during the night, so by morning, my bed's a state!

4. Have you ever stolen a street sign before?
    I personally haven't, but over the last two years at uni, my boyfriend and his housemates have       accumulated a wet floor sign, a barrier and a tree after drunken nights out...

5. Do you like to use post-it notes?
    I like to think I do, when really, I just have a shit-ton of unused post-its in a draw.

6. Do you cut coupons then never use them?
    I get sent vouchers and things, put them in my purse, then completely forget they exist.

7. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?
    I'm not too sure... A bear would pretty much kill me instantly, whereas I might survive a bee         attack (or have a really slow, painful death), but I'd be scarred for life...

8. Do you have freckles? 
    Over summer, I get freckles down my nose and weirdly on my hands...

9. Do you always smile for pictures? 
    It depends on the circumstances. If it's just a normal picture, I'll smile. But on a night out,             there'll be smiles, pouting, and silly face-pulling!

10. What's your biggest pet-peeve?
      When people don't use manners. Is it really that hard to say please or thanks you? And people       who eat with their mouths open. And slow walkers... A lot of things!

11. Do you ever count your steps when you walk?
      I walk a lot, so I definitely wouldn't have the patience for that.

12. Have you ever peed in the woods? 
      I don't think so, no!

13. Pooped in the woods? 
      Definitely not.

14. Do you ever dance even if there's no music playing? 
      I do that quite a lot actually...

15. Do you chew your pens and pencils? 
      If I'm bored, I'll chew the end of my pen, sure.

16. How many people have you slept with this week? 
      Little intimate... Um, I have a boyfriend?...

17. What size is your bed? 
      I have a double at uni, and a single at home in Essex.

18. What is your song of the week?
      Nobody To Love - Sigma.

19. Is it okay for guys to wear pink?
      I don't see why not. A light pink shirt could look pretty attractive on a guy if you ask me.

20. Do you still watch cartoons? 
      I wish I did! *goes to binge-watch Powerpuff Girls*

21. What's your least favourite movie?
      Suckerpunch. The only movie I've actually walked out of the cinema early for.

22. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had any? 
      My freezer. No-one would suspect a freezer.

23. What do you drink with dinner? 
      It depends where I am. Sometimes squash, sometimes water, or if I'm out, maybe a bit of             wine.

24. What do you dip chicken nuggets in?
      BBQ sauce, always!

25. What's your favourite food? 
      Pizza.

26. What movies could you watch over and over and still love?
      Mean Girls, Despicable Me, Frozen & Bridesmaids.

27. Last person you kissed/kissed you?
      My boyfriend.

28. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
      Nope.

29. Would you ever strip/pose nude in a magazine?
      I'd say no, but there's that whole never say never thing. Maybe if it would raise a lot of money       for charity or something then I'd be more inclined to do it.

30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
      I wrote a cute note to Lily & Ella for our Valentines box swap?

31. Can you change the oil in a car?
      I don't drive, but I probably could...

32. Ever gotten a speeding ticket?
      I don't drive...

33. Ever ran out of gas? 
     ...

34. Favourite type of sandwich? 
      It sounds so strange, but banana... It's SO good!

35. Best thing to eat for breakfast? 
      Poached egg on toast and Pop Tarts are my thing right now!

36. What's your usual bedtime? 
      Probably sometime between 12 and 2am... Unless I'm working, when it's like, 6am!

37. Are you lazy? 
      Unfortunately so!

38. When you were a kid, what did you dress as for Halloween? 
      I was a witch every year!

39. What's your Chinese astrological sign? 
      A rooster, I think.

40. How many languages can you speak?
      Just the one. I used to speak French quite well until I took it for A Level, hated it, and lost all       passion I had for it!

41. Do you have a magazine subscription?
      I haven't bought a magazine in over 2 years...

42. Which are better, Legos or Lincoln Logs? 
      Legos, I don't even know what Lincoln Logs are?

43. Are you stubborn?
      Oh yes!

44. Who is better, Leno or Letterman?
      I've never seen one of their shows the whole way through.

45. Ever watch soap operas?
      Nope!

46. Are you afraid of heights? 
      If I'm behind glass, I'm fine, but there's still that little twinge of fear!

47. Do you sing in the car?
     All the time!

48. Do you sing in the shower?
      More often than not.

49. Do you dance in the car?
      Nope.

50. Ever used a gun?
      No, and I wouldn't want to!

51. Last time you got a picture taken by a photographer?
     If club photos count, then about 2/3 weeks ago. If not... Probably a photo-shoot me and my          friend did about... 4 years ago?

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy? 
      No way! I love them!

53. Is Christmas stressful?
      Not at all. I love making sure I've picked the perfect gifts, and the relaxation of the actual day.

54. Ever eat a pieriogi? 
      I have no idea what that is!

55. Favourite type of fruit pie?
      Cherry.

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?
      Teacher, fashion designer, model... I was a strange child.

57. Do you believe in ghosts?
      No.

58. Ever have a deja-vu feeling? 
      All the time!

59. Take a vitamin daily? 
      Yep!

60. Wear slippers? 
      I prefer fluffy socks...

61. Wear a bath robe?
      As in a dressing gown? Sure, every morning after my shower!

62. What do you wear to bed? 
      Either an oversized shirt and pants or, uh... nothing? ;)

63. First concert?
      S Club United. Oh yes.

64. Wal-Mart, K-Mart or Target?
      Sainsburys. Good ol' UK!

65. Nike or Adidas?
      Neither.

66. Cheetos or Fritos? 
      I used to LOVE Cheetos! Do they even sell them in the UK anymore?

67. Peanuts or sunflower seeds?
      Ew, neither.

68. Ever heard of the group Tres Bien? 
      Nope...

69. Ever take dance lessons?
      From the age of 3 until 17!

70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse to have?
      Not at all, nor do I think it even matters.

71. Can you curl your tongue?
      Nope. I don't have any weird talents like that!

72. Ever won a spelling bee? 
      We didn't have any, but I used to ace my spelling tests ;)

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy?
      I have this weird thing where I can't cry in front of people. But I've had a moment on my own       where I realised that everything in my life was going so well, I got a little overwhelmed...

74. Own any record albums?
      Nope.

75. Own a record player?
      Nope.

76. Regularly burn incense? 
      I burn candles a lot.

77. Ever been in love?
      Yes.

78. Who would you like to see in concert?
      McBusted, Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift.

79. What was the last concert you saw?
      McFly. For the 5th time!

80. Hot tea or cold tea?
      I don't like hot tea, but I do like iced fruit teas.

81. Tea or coffee?
      Coffee.

82. Sugar or snickerdoodles? 
      What's a snickerdoodle?

83. Can you swim well?
      I can swim, but I wouldn't say well!

84. Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?
      Can't everyone?

85. Are you patient?
      Not particularly!

86. DJ or band at a wedding?
      I haven't been to a wedding since I was 8, so I haven't experience them, but I'd say DJ?

87. Ever won a contest? 
      A few. My first was a drawing competition when I was about 6. I won a felt colouring set.

88. Ever have plastic surgery. 
      Again, never say never, but I'd like to think not.

89. Black or green olives?
      Neither!

90. Can you knit or crochet?
      Nope, I used to be able to cross-stitch though.

91. Best room for a fireplace? 
      Living room, definitely .

92. Do you want to get married? 
      At some point, sure.

93. If you're married, how long for?
      I'm 20... No plans for that anytime soon!

94. Who was your high school crush?
      I had a few, but my last one ended up in a relationship with me for 2 and a half years!

95. Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way?
      Not quite that extreme, but I'm pretty stubborn. Silent treatment's my favourite.

96. Do you have kids?
      Ohhhh no. It still shocks me that so many people I went to school with have kids now.

97. Do you want kids?
      Not right now, but when I'm older, settled down, and feel like I can let my independence go,         sure.

98. What's your favourite colour?
      Aqua blue.

99. Do you miss anyone right now?
      A little. Which is sad considering I saw them this morning! <3

Well done if you got this far! Thanks for reading, and watch out for my special post next week!