Lifestyle – Page 8

DIY HEN DO GOODIE BAGS

Published on April 29, 2017April 28, 2017 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Hey guys,

I am currently away in Coldigham, Scotland, for my best friend Emily’s Hen Do! I shall tell you all about it once back, but for now I wanted to share with you the Hen Do goodie bags I made for the weekend. Emily wanted a bit of a spa vibe for the weekend as we have a hot tub at the house we’re staying in, so I have created the goodie bags with the wellness and pampering in mind.

Bath Salts: I spotted some test tubes filled with bath salts on Etsy and thought they’d be cheaper to make myself rather than buy. So I bought a massive pack of test tubes from Ebay as well as two different bath salts, Epsom and Himalayan and then some dried rose petals for the extra prettiness factor. I thought this was the cutest idea and I love love love the results!

Incense: Who doesn’t love incense, it’s the perfect way to add some atmosphere and relax, whether it be in the bath, whilst doing yoga or just chilling with a book or some music!

Throws: May seem like a random choice and it was a spontaneous buy aha, but I just fell in love with these little throws from non other than Poundland! Our cottage is just a short walk from Coldingham Bay beach so these throws can have multiple functions from beach towels, yoga mats or throws to snuggle under when we watch movies sitting in front of the log burner!

Vegan Truffles: Emily is vegan and so we are making the whole weekend vegan. So of course I had to ask Anna the friend I’m living with at the moment, to make me some vegan truffles for the hen do. She is a chocolatier and her chocolates are amazing!! And you can’t have a goodie bag without a little treat now can you?!

Tea Tubes: Again another idea I saw on Esty and loved. I also decided I could make these myself too. I got the loose tea from my dads cafe, a delicious Blue Lady and a Green tea.

Badges: Emily is turning into a bit of an eco warrior and so I thought although I know they won’t look as good as bought ones, I’d recycle some bottle caps and turn them into badges! Not amazing aha but ok I think!

Well guys I hope you enjoyed this post and are having as fabulous a weekend as I am!

Love Carina xo

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Published on April 22, 2017April 22, 2017 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Hey guys,

It’s a very important day today!

“The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.” ― Gaylord Nelson

“It’s going to take all of us, gathering our voices and acting together. Saying,”Not on our watch” to create a future for humans, animals and the environment.” ― Eileen Anglin

I am slowly becoming a little bit of an Eco warrior, don’t get me wrong I don’t nearly do enough, but it’s a ‘I don’t nearly do enough yet’. I am working on it, slowly making small changes and that’s all I’d like to ask of everyone too! If we all work together to change small habits we can make big changes!

Our societies are currently living such unsustainable lives. We are hurting our earth, its inhabitants and our ecosystem – something needs to change!!! Let’s all start making some little changes – every little helps and it’s important we all play our part and look after the earth!!!

I will be writing more detailed posts in the future about the changes I have been making to do my part to help the environment! So keep your eyes peeled!

Love Carina xo

SMOOTHIE CLEANSE!

Published on April 20, 2017 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Hey guys,

After another week of not loosing anything – oops – I have decided to do a 4 day smoothie cleanse this week. Four days of only drinking smoothies – woo aha! Lots of vitamins, not many carbs and hardly and sugars! I need to get into the swing of not allowing myself treats again aha!

I always wonder why I allow myself treats occasionally when I know they are not good for me in the first place, for three reasons. One, the obvious being weight wise. Two, they create a risk of me falling off the wagon. Three, I think I might be lactose intolerant (I will write a post on this sometime) so chocolate and the likes give me a bad stomach!

I am starting today and I will be drinking three smoothies today. I am excited to see how it will make me feel, if I will feel satiated enough and also how my stomach will react.

I will write down all the smoothies I make and will share my favourites with you at the end of the four days!

So let’s begin!

Love Carina xo

MINI GETAWAY – DESTINATION – PEAK DISTRICT

Published on April 12, 2017September 2, 2024 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Hello my beautiful readers,

So first of all just a little apology, I have no days off this week and am struggling to find the time to write and take photos, so there will be no What I Eat In A Day today I am afraid but instead you’re getting this lovely post about my mini getaway to the Peak District! Enjoy!

Last week was amazing! About three weeks ago I found out one of my best friends was coming to England and had some time to see me, so I managed to get some time of work and we booked a last minute mini midweek getaway to the Peak District for some peaceful time amongst nature. Here’s what we got up to! (P.S. sorry about the photo quality I only had my phone with me)

Day One – Jane Eyre Trail and Stanage

We met at Manchester Piccadilly station, did a quick food shop at Sainsbury and then took the train to Hathersage (about 1h) where we arrived at our hostel just before 10am. We were very lucky they hadn’t locked the door yet (they are officially only open 5pm-10pm). I mean I knew check in was only at 5pm, but I didn’t expect no access at all until 5pm, usualy hostels are open and have at least a locker room for bags, but we found none of that here! The guy at least allowed us to dump our bags behind the reception after we put everything we needed for the day into my small backpack. We quickly put our food shop in the fridge, made a humous wrap to take with us for our lunch and went on our way. We didn’t really have a plan or a map aha so with the only information I had for a trail being it was called the Jane Eyre trail, we just asked about and the locals were friendly and pointed us in the right direction!

Hathersage was the inspiration behind many a scene from Charlotte Bronte’s classic Jane Eyre. On the edge of the village lies a church where Robin Hood’s friend Little John is buried and next to it is a quaint little parsonage (pictured above) in which Charlotte Bronte once stayed. During her visit she began writing her novel; her influences become clear as you wonder aound the area. In the graveyard one can find gravestones engraved with the names of Eyre and Elliot for example. Furthermore, North Less Hall (pictured below) is said to be the inspiration behind Thornfield, and local ledgened has it that a mistress of the Hall was kept imprissoned as a mad woman and later died in a fire which destroyed part of the building and had to be rebuilt. It’s a pretty building but not quite as majestic as I had in mind from the BBC series aha.

The first good view of Stanage. The natural rock cliffs of Stanage and surrounding moorlands influenced Charlotte Bronte too, it is visible in the part of Jane Eyre where she wonders the moors lost before her cousin finds her. The scenery from here was stunning, although sadly it was a bit of a murky day to begin with.

Although murky to begin with, once we finished this roughly 3 and 1/2 hour trail we went and sat in a cafe when the sun came out and stayed all afternoon. We moved outside and soaked up some rays whilst enjoying our books.

Day Two – Win Hill and Lady Bower Reservoir onto Derwent Damns Viewing Point

Day two took us on an unplanned detour up Win Hill on our way to Lady Bower Resevoir, but it was well worth the extra 2 hours hike. Pictured below is our first view from the resevoir at the beginning of our climb up Win Hill.

Eventually after a hard climb for me and my unfitness aha, we made it to the top and the views were phenomonal! Absolutely stunning! Sadly it was just far too windy and cold to linger for long though.

What I loved most about this hike was the diverse landscape around us, we walked through fields, heather moor land, pine forrests and next to the resevoirs… The ever changing nature made the hike even more interesting to the eye!

In the evening I had the luck of being able to briefly meet up with a friend I’d made whilst volunteering in Corrymeela over last year, as she only lived a 15 minute drive away! This was super lovely as I hadn’t seen her since November.

Day Three – Hike To Castleton

Day three was probably my least favourite walk, although parts like the beginning where we walked along the river for a good 1-2 hours was really beautiful. However I am not used to walking for so long, so I was feeling not just physically but also mentally drained aha. (Garden envy shown below – I mean how idyllic!)

What made it worse was that I google mapped how long it would take to walk from Hathersage to Castleton failing to realise that the time given was obviously for the route following the main road and not the public footpaths. Annoyingly the public footpaths aren’t always sign posted very well at all either, so of course we also ended up taking a couple of wrong turns leaving us having to climb over barbed wire fencing aha and adding even more time onto our walk. So what I thought was going to be a 2-3 hour walk ended up being a 5 hour hike aha! But there was loads of cute lambs around, so that made it better aha.

Eventually we arrived in Castleton, I was rather tired so, so we didn’t stay long and got the first bus back to Hathersage. It was a long walk but not as inclined as the day before and not as varied scenery, but there was still some stunning views!

Day Four – Hathersage

On our last day we just chilled. We had to check out of the hostel by 10am and then we just browsed the shops in Hathersage and I did a little shopping. There was a little arty shop where we picked up some new reads, I bought Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee and Travelling to Infinity by Jane Hawking (the story behind the movie A Theory of Everything) which I am excited to read! There was also a little cute interior shop with some jewellery and I treated myself to some new little black stud earrings from Pilgrim. After some shopping we walked back to the Church, searched for the Eyre grave stones and then went for a short 30min walk. The sun slowly started to show it’s face as we returned to town and after grabbing some lunch at a little deli cafe we then basked in the sun outside the cafe for the rest of the afternoon reading our new books. It was a glorious end to a perfect mini getaway!

Love Carina xo

THE ART OF SAYING NO!

Published on April 8, 2017April 8, 2017 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

“Imagine you’re at a party. A guy offers you a drink. You say no. He says ‘Come on, one drink!’ You say ‘no thanks.’ Later, he brings you a soda. ‘I know you said you didn’t want a drink, but I was getting one for myself and you looked thirsty.’ For you to refuse at this point makes you the asshole. He’s just being nice, right? Predators use the social contract and our own good hearts and fear of being rude against us. If you drink the drink, you’re teaching him that it just takes a little persistence on his part to overcome your ‘no.’ If you say ‘Really, I appreciate it, but no thanks’ and put the drink down and walk away from it, you’re the one who looks rude in that moment. But the fact is, you didn’t ask for the drink and you don’t want the drink and you don’t have to drink it just to make some guy feel validated.” —The Art of “No,” JenniferP

Hello my beautiful friends,

I saw this online and I think it is a very true and important lesson we all have to learn. This applies for me in so many situations, I am terrible at saying NO to people, because I either a. don’t want to offend b. be perceived as rude or c. giving in is just the easier option instead of having to keep fighting for your NO until it gets awkward.

Like Jennifer says, often it is something we didn’t ask for, we don’t want it so why feel obliged to accept it?! Giving in eventually does not teach people to respect your decisions but gives the impression you’re easy and that they just need to be pushy for a bit and they’ll get their own way. Saying NO and being true to what I feel and want is something I need to work on, even with friends. If they are good friends they should understand if you don’t want to do something or go somewhere for example and you should not feel bad about perhaps letting them down or offending them. In the end it is your life and you should be doing what makes you feel best.

I’d like to think that in certain situations I am a leader, but actually mostly, especially in social situations I am a follower and I don’t want to seem needy or bossy by fighting for what I want, so I just come across blasé and follow others decisions.

I find it strange how the notion of offending someone is so hard wired as unacceptable into many peoples brains, to the extent that they ignore their own hearts, instincts and thoughts of what is right, just to follow that unwritten rule. I was just watching A Girl With A Dragon Tattoo the other day, and at the end Martin Vanger the bad guy says something along the lines of: ‘It is strange how strong the fear of offending someone is. You knew there was something not right, but you came in regardless when I invited you in. I didn’t force you to come, you ignored your instincts because you didn’t want to offend and willingly came in.’ So again, even in a situation of danger, the fear offending was stronger than the instinct to run.

So it is important to learn to speak for yourself and stick to your guns, learning to say NO and being selfish sometimes is something we should all give some thought to! Let me know your thoughts on the subject!

Love Carina xo

WHAT I EAT IN A DAY

Published on April 5, 2017March 3, 2025 by simplycarinaxo1 Comment

Hello my beautiful friends,

Here’s a what I eat in a day from last week as I am currently in the Peak District!

So after a couple too many drinks the night before aha I had a breakfast to help cure my mini hangover. Dippy eggs, bacon and an Innocent smoothie.

I had a late start at work, my shift only starting at 12pm so I could enjoy my breakfast in peace and lunch at work was only at about 3pm. I got this yummy avocado chicken salad!

After work I hit the gym and so dinner was a bit later, but I was ready for it. I made a little portion of a chicken green veg stir fry with some corn on the cob, which I absolutely love to eat with just a little butter and salt – yummy!

Love Carina xo

MARCH FAVOURITES

Published on April 3, 2017 by simplycarinaxo3 Comments

Hello my beautiful friends,

So we are now into April and it’s time I share my March monthly favourites!

Vikings – OMG you guys, so if you haven’t watched this yet you must get onto it! Vikings is a historical drama which follows the story of Ragnar Lothbrok a farmer who filled with a curiosity to explore rises to fame by raiding England. I don’t really want to give anything away, but there’s a great set of characters, cinematography is dark and matches the style of the show and it really is up there with Game of Thrones regarding brutality and action. Of course it is fictional however it is inspired by the sagas of the Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the best-known legendary Norse heroes and notorious as the scourge of England and France, and I love getting a look into the culture of past societies.

Ratings: IMDb – 8.7/10 Rotten Tomatoes – 91%

Face Spritz: I have been loving this Vitamin C face spritz from the Body Shop. I use it every morning after I cleanse my face and it just makes me feel fresh and awake!

Ball Mason Jars: After watching so many bloggers and vloggers drink their smoothies in beautiful jars I had to get myself some of these gorgeous Ball Mason Jars! I love them so much and use them every single day! I made sure to buy big jars, 945ml, as it makes me drink more, and I never drink enough aha. So if I have one of these glasses filled with water next to me I will continue to sip at it throughout the day.

Smoothie Bowl: My berry smoothie bowl or smoothie has become so much part of my morning routine that I don’t feel right and refreshed in the morning if I don’t have it aha. Here’s my recipe:

1 large banana – frozen berries (about double the amount of the banana) – 1/2 tbsp of cocoa powder – a little almond milk

Blend together, you will need a good blender and something like a muddling stick to stir the fruit, you want a nice thick consistency, so start with only a little milk and rather keep adding to it. Then top with whatever your hear desires aha. I usually use oats, chia seeds, cocoa nibs, fresh fruit and coconut.

Audible – Ok so I am obsessed with audible at the moment! Audible is a monthly subscription service of audio books. I only signed up for the free trial and payed for one month before cancelling as I can’t afford £8 a month at the moment, however they also have some cheap books which you can buy without being subscribed. So I stocked up on a couple of audio books which keep me company on my walks to town. 4-5 days of the week I walk to town and back whether it be for work or for the gym and it’s around a 25min walk so I get a good 1h of listening in most days.

The book I enjoyed most recently was Bleak House by Charles Dickens. I had seen the BBC adaptation years ago and enjoyed it, but the book was even better and is definitely worth a read, although the BBC adaption is totally worth a watch too.

Well that wraps my monthly favourites up, I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you’ve been loving in March too!

Love Carina xo

WHAT I EAT IN A DAY

Published on March 29, 2017March 29, 2017 by simplycarinaxo2 Comments

Hello my beautiful readers,

Time for another what I eat in a day.

So yesterday, as most Tuesdays, I had a day off and spent all morning working on this blog and planning future posts. For my breakfast I made this yummy smoothie: 1 banana, 10 frozen strawberries, 1 slice of pineapple, 1tbsp of cocoa, 1 tsp of matcha powder, 1 tsp of green boost powder!

At 1.30pm I was still working on my blog whilst catching up on watching YouTube, but paused to make a quick bite of lunch – courgetti spaghetti – yummmm! 1/2 a courgette, a handful of olives, tbsp of green pesto, 1 slice of ham, pepper et voila!

In the afternoon, I went to the gym doing some cardio and some weights. When I got home I cooked some dinner – a tasty green veggie stir fry rice dish! Broccoli, green beans, kale, bean sprouts, onion, garlic, chicken and soy sauce! Twas very yummy and I treated myself to some beer too, a light 2.8% small bottle from Lidl.

After dinner, I ran myself a bath and had another beer and watched some very powerful and interesting documentaries about the meat and dairy industry – I will write a post about these documentaries soon! Well that’s it for today or rather yesterday aha! Hope you enjoyed!

Love Carina xo

MINI PRIMARK HAUL

Published on March 24, 2017March 24, 2017 by simplycarinaxo2 Comments

Hello my beautiful readers,

On my day off on Tuesday I went into Newcastle in the afternoon as it was such a nice day, although really windy, and I just needed to get out of the house for a bit and enjoy some me time. I popped into Primark as I needed some new leggings and trainers, but as usual ended up picking up a couple of other things too, so I just thought I’d share!

First I just picked up some plain black leggings; they are my no.1 wardrobe staple. I then spotted this cute peplum top for only £3 and had to get it. Admittedly it’s not quite warm enough yet to walk around in tops aha, but it has such a cute floaty shape and is great for layering. Shoe wise I only needed new light breathable trainers but I fell in love with these greeny/grey slightly sturdier trainers and had to get them too!

Next I decided to treat myself to some new gym wear; having new stuff to wear to the gym is always motivational don’t you think? So my old gym trainer were very worn through and needed replacing, these black ones are super lightweight and airy which is perfect for the gym. I always get sweaty feet and hate trainers which are too thick and don’t let your feet breath, so I hope these will do the trick. On my way to town on Tuesday I dropped of some clothes at a charity shop, including a pair of gym leggings which were just too large, so when I saw these beautiful leggings I had to get them! Such cute floral pattern with a bit of meshing at the knee – I am in love! Although I’m a sweaty mess at the gym it’s nice to at least feel a little pretty in what you’re wearing aha. I also decided to get a new sports bra as I really liked the back mesh like pattern.

Just to mention, this is the first time I’ve posted photos of me in skin tight clothing and part of my stomach out, but you know what, it’s all about self love, and I felt great taking these photos and knowing I’m on my journey to self improvement makes me very happy and proud, this is my body, the only one I’ll ever have and I am learning to love it!

Love Carina xo

WHAT I EAT IN A DAY

Published on March 23, 2017March 1, 2024 by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Hello my beautiful friends,

It’s time for another What I Eat In A Day post!

Last week I stewed up some plums which were just a bit past ripe to enjoy, and then totally forgot about them. Yesterday morning I spotted them in the fridge and decided to make some French toast as it’s amazing topped with stewed plums! I had a soft roll which needed eating so I cut it into three parts and then dunked it into my cinnamon and egg mix (cinnamon is a must for me when making French toast) and then fried it in the pan (no butter or oil). The plum compote I just warmed up in the microwave and enjoyed with the French toast. I also made myself a berry smoothie to drink throughout the morning. I can’t do mornings without a smoothie aha, it’s so much a part of my routine now!

For Lunch I had some vegetable soup with low sugar toast (Warburtons tiger bread at 0.5g of sugar per slice is by far the lowest sugar bread I have found). For some reason however, I started feeling full and a bit queasy halfway through my soup so didn’t manage to finish it.

Dinner was a bit of a naughty meal as it was the leaving do from one of my work friends. We all went to an Italians and enjoyed some yummy food. We all had olives and bread for starters, then for mains I ordered a breaded chicken with asparagus in a tomato sauce with vegetables and garlic bread (the only thing that was disappointing was that there was so many potatoes in the vegetables I was hoping for more greens) but the chicken was super tasty and such a large portion that I only managed half and got the rest wrapped up to take home. With the meal I enjoyed a glass of white wine and the we got a shot of limoncello on the house after dessert. Although I was really full I indulged in a hazelnutty thing with meringue and chocolate filling for dessert.

So that wraps up my what I eat in a day!

Love Carina xo