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Category: #HappySelves

  • Be the Boss | QueenBeady

    Be the Boss | QueenBeady

    Be the boss

    Do you ever have those moments where you just sit there & think “boy, I love my life” kinda times? I seem to going through one of those phases & I so desperately hope that it doesn’t end any time soon.

    I spent a lot of time wallowing in self-pity after the wedding last year. I comfort ate, I never exercised so I just ballooned in weight. All that hard work for the wedding was in tatters. Sadly, I’m one of those types of people who never stick anything out. You know the type, the ones who jump on a bandwagon do it twice, maybe three times & then become bored so just give up. Whatever it was becomes a distant memory. 

    I’ve been determined to keep being positive in 2015. It was one of those so-called “resolutions” that we all make on New Years. So far, so good. Okay, I’m not immune to an odd moan from time to time but generally I feel it am a happier person. 

    So, what’s making you keep to your promise I hear you all ask? Well I will tell you if you really are keen to know.

    At 25 I still haven’t passed my driving test. I am a sad, sorry state of affairs that relies on public transport (sob!) or the taxi of Mr C. Whilst it’s great to be driven around like a lady of leisure I most certainly don’t feel like one. So, after the kind donation of my Nana’s salmon pink corsa (she’s called Mavis don’t you know, so for the purposes of this post you will know who, sorry, what I am referring to!) So, on Sunday Mavis got her first test drive on the open road. No, not just on private land, an actual road with other passing cars tooting along next to me. I can’t tell you how wonderfully frightening it was but I got the taste of freedom (albeit Mr C was in the passenger seat keeping a mindful eye on matters.) I can’t believe, in fact, I hate to believe that I have gone so many years without driving. So, it is now my duty to make sure I pass my test this year & be my person without having to to rely on terrible timetables or my husbands schedule. 

    Secondly, we
    have finally joined a gym. For a mere £25 a month I can swim and gym to my heart’s content. And it’s not just me doing it, Mr C is coming along for the ride too (hey, you see what I did there right?) After being told by the doctors that in order for his back to get better he must swim & gym up to three times a week. Whilst he drives me nuts with his “Come on get a jog on” comments and the “you go first & I will follow” orders, secretly I am super happy that he’s joining me. It means we can both get fit together & it gets us out of the house too. In the meantime I am dropping the lbs (or at least I hope I am!) to a newer, slimmer & more toned me. I can’t wait to see my results in the next few weeks! 


    Thirdly, I’m just enjoying life. The things I previously disliked would not have even been sniffed at, but now I am learning to just accept things. Those who know me or know of my rambling “about me” I proclaim to dislike cats. Well, for Xmas the father in law bought mother in law a kitty cat much to her delight (& to my horror!) after weeks of squirming when it came near me or tried to touch me I decided to finally pluck up the courage to stroke her. And in return I got a nice little lick on my finger and then a playful claw to it. I exclaimed “You little shit!” I smiled and it actually hugged my arm. According to my mother in law I’m the only person she comes to. So maybe this cat-hating devil lady (yes, that is me) may have thawed over & decided that she may have a little hole in her life that can be filled with some kitty love….

    Life is kinda funny right? I have read some truly beautiful posts recently from Megan at Wonderful–You and it made my heart bleed, but all the same empowering. Accepting things in life sounds like a cowards way out but in truth, it’s accepting it & how we deal with circumstances that slowly makes us a better person. I’ve finally come to realise that. I’m a twenty-five year old woman (yes, a woman) and try as I might I have carved my own little life for myself, there is no point trying to change things drastically. Just be a better person, doing things that make you happy with you & who you actually are! I’m finally taking back some of my self-worth & I’m on that path to ”Be the Boss” of my happiness. 

    Rebecca xxx

    Follow me on Twitter | Instagram | BlogLovin | Pinterest

  • When Your Mini-Me has to Step In | QueenBeady

    When Your Mini-Me has to Step In | QueenBeady

    DressKode jeans

    Top Fred Perry | Jeans C/O DressKode

    So, Christmas is a time for friends & family oh and wait a minute… overindulging! So much so that I was recently bulging at the seams trying to fit in to an outfit I wanted to share with you. My wonderful cousin stepped in to my shoes & paraded around in my latest arrival from DressKode & obviously rocked it. The high waisted jeans are super flattering & can pull in any waist (except, maybe not mine!) She teamed it with a pink Fred Perry top which is one of her absolute staple pieces. She was quite taken with these jeans and said that they were surprisingly comfy too. Thank goodness for my mini-me stepping in! Have you overindulged over the festive period too?

    Rebecca xxx

    Follow me on Twitter | Instagram | BlogLovin | Pinterest

  • Framing Memories | QueenBeady

    Framing Memories | QueenBeady

    the other duckling memory frame

    If there is one thing that makes me super happy, it’s reminiscing back to six months ago on our very special wedding day. I’ve rambled from start to finish & then some more about our imperfectly perfect day back in June 2014. I’m terrible, but I still haven’t had my dress boxed & dry cleaned which is at the top of my to-do list this year. I want to cherish that dress with my life. It holds so many magical moments in the delicate lace. I had a vision that I would also dry my flowers, or at least some of the gypsophila (baby’s breath to you & I!) to hang in a beautiful, vintage style frame. I knew exactly what I wanted. So when I browsed The Other Duckling I found the most perfect thing. After watching one of Zoella’s old youtube videos a while back she had something similar that I just knew I had to have. This gorgeous Memory Frame retails at £12.95 & it really is perfect for framing my dried gypsophila. In an amongst the website there were some beautiful vintage pieces that were perfect for any home finishing touches! I’m creating something of a montage on our living room wall which, when I have my fabulous Thomas Kent Wall Clock & a commissioned Amsterdam piece from Sian Lewis Original City Artwork all framed & amongst other bits and pieces I will be sure to share it with you. I’m all about making our home a home now the wedding is over & I could not be more excited!

    Rebecca xxx

    Follow me on Twitter | Instagram | BlogLovin | Pinterest

  • Breaking a Habit of a Lifetime | QueenBeady

    Breaking a Habit of a Lifetime | QueenBeady

    Resolutions

    ”I’m too cold.”

    ”My head hurts.”

    ”God, this house is such a mess.”

    I probably utter these words a thousand times a day. I’m a complainer. I have to face facts & accept it. Or should I? I’m never one for making New Years resolutions, simply because I know that I will break them. I’m not much of a rule breaker. I’m terribly boring. But I saw a little anecdote on Pinterest about complaining. It said, ”Go a full 24 hours without complaining and you’ll be amazed at how your life will improve.” I sighed when I read it because I knew this was me. I need to have a complaining ban. I need to be more positive. So no, I won’t just accept it, I’m going to make myself a better person by being more positive. When my head hurts I will go take a paracetomol and ride it out & no-one will ever know. When it’s cold I will put a heater on & warm myself up, no-one will ever know. When the house is a mess, I will get up (off my fat arse! That’s another NY resolution that needs work!) and do a bit of tidying, no-one will ever know I’m miffed.

    You see a theme here? It’s all about doing & making those positive, tiny steps to get you out of that ”Negative Nelly” rut. I’ve gone in to 2015 knowing we had a fabulous year and it’s very hard to beat a year where you married the love of your life/soulmate but why can’t 2015 be even better.

    This year is all about creating memories, being whimsical and spontaneous. Laughing till my sides hurts, sharing amazing days outs & travelling the world with the man I love. It’s all terribly soppy but I feel I’ve been terribly guarded this last year or so. It’s time to start living & enjoying the now.

    I hope wherever you were saying goodbye to 2014 you were happy & that is all that will ever matter.

    Rebecca xxx

  • October’s Degustabox | QueenBeady

    October’s Degustabox | QueenBeady

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    You know when it’s your birthday and you unwrap your presents in one of two ways, you’re either a person that’s frantically rips the paper off at mammoth speed to then move on to the next one or you are someone who peels things carefully, savouring each moment. I fall in to the latter category and when my subscription of degustabox lands on my doorstep at the end of the month I can’t wait to carefully to unveil what goodies are inside. October’s was a culinary dream & pretty much everything in the box made me shrill with delight.

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    Kent’s Kitchen Meal Kits RRP £2.50

    Stop what you are doing. Put down your jar of fake curry now. This is what you need to be doing from now on. I say this so strongly because this is what I have just had for my tea. To say it was delicious would be an understatement. The wonderful meal kits from Kent’s Kitchen are an easy 1, 2, 3 step process. Fry your chicken or choice of meat and add the pots one by one and see your meal cooked within 20 minutes or so (don’t forget a tin of coconut milk for the Bengal Curry.) Simple yet so effective. Mr C & I have been leaning towards the curry’s that include a powder recently, it just seems to create so much more flavour and this one has to be one of our favourites that we have tried. Despite it being a Bengal curry it did taste very fragrant like a Thai Curry which is my favourite dish, this is probably why it is such a winner!

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    Brioche Pasquier Sliced Brioche Loaf RRP £1.69 & Brioche Pasquier Pan au Lait with Choc Chips RRP £1.60

    To say I’m not a savoury fiend, would be a downright, total lie. But, when you add chocolate to some scrummy milk bread I cannot resist. Going all continental I have been enjoying a Pan au Lait every morning (& quite possibly every evening but shhhh!) because they are simply to die for. I’ve already had the pleasure to eat these two products in the past so it was only right to be thoroughly thrilled at the prospect of creating one of my signature dishes with Mr C, bread & butter pudding with the sliced brioche. I can’t wait to make it this weekend on a cosy, wintery Sunday afternoon.

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    Jelly Belly © RRP £2.50

    I didn’t even get a look in with these when they arrived. They firmly entered Mr C’s mouth and were laid to rest in his stomach. I think it took him T-Minus ten seconds to eat all these so overall I would say that they went down a (sweet) treat!

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    Solo Marshmallow Creme RRP £1.99

    As the biggest fan of ‘’Fluff’’ this made my eyes light up. I’d never tried the toasted marshmallow version so I was excited to get a spoon and dig right in. It was delicious but very rich which meant only 2 spoonfuls would be enough, anymore I’d be in a marshmallow coma with my head over the toilet. I think I’m going to create the delicious fudge recipe with it instead of spooning it like Nutella!

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    Blue Dragon Sweet Chilli Sauce RRP £1.39

    I love, love, love sweet chilli sauce. Especially to dip Thai style vegetable rolls in! However, I’ve gladly sat and doused numerous crisps with the sauce at great measures. It is just too yummy to stop at one or two. Receiving two of these means I will be kept in ‘’Sweet Chilli Heaven’’ for some time.

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    Special K Cracker Crisps RRP £1.89

    I’m on a diet so it disgusts me to think I’d happily sit and quaff on about 5 packets of crisps if I wanted to. So imagine my glee when I found the Special K Cracker Crisps in the box! At 60% less fat these little crisps make it feel less sinful. Although BBQ flavour isn’t exactly my favourite, they were actually really flavoursome which surprised me! At £1.89 it’s at the higher end of what I would want to pay for a family-size bag of crisps, if these were on offer I’d definitely think about getting them for a healthier alternative.

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    Bear Paws RRP 55p

    I can’t say that I was a huge fan of these. Mr C gladly wolfed them down. I’d describe them to taste a little like those strawberry winders all the ‘’cool kids’’ would get in their pack ups at primary school. I never did like them. Whilst I praise the ‘’no added nonsense’’ strapline (which actually lives up to it’s premise – they are made of only apples, pears, strawberries & little sweet potato extract!), the fun aspect of the paw shaped fruit shape for kids is great too, sadly it just wasn’t for me!

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    Enhance Drinks RRP £2.49

    I’m a water fiend & I will drink pints of it a day. I’m also weaning myself off diet coke which has been a task but I’m getting there. I’ve been trying to think of ways to spice up what drinks I have and this has been the perfect answer! I love orange and passion fruit so it’s reminiscent of a J20. At just 1 calorie per drink it means I can have a couple of fruity drinks a day and not feel guilty about it!

    What I haven’t tried yet…

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    Get Buzzing Bars RRP £1.30

    I love the aspect of nuts and oats. I love anything like this. I don’t know why I haven’t delved in with this yet but the combination is perfect for me & I have no doubt that I will be dying for more after I’ve tried it. Whilst some may feel the price bracket is a little steep for 1 bar I have seen something similar in our local shop retail at nearly £2! So to me, this is quite the bargain.

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    Dr Oetker Extra Dark Chocolate RRP £2.49 & Dr Oetker Fine Dark Cocoa Powder RRP £1.89

    This coming weekend I’m ready to get my bake on. These babies will feature heavily in the making too. I’m hoping to make my famous chocolate pecan pie. One of Mr C & I’s favourite puddings! Absolutely shockingly bad in the calorie stakes but oh-so finger licking good in the taste stakes. Once I’ve made it I will gladly share the recipe with you all.

    So, to round up another fabulous degustabox would be to say that it was fabulous! As I’m not a beauty addict but a huge food lover this is the perfect subscription box for me. With it coming up to Christmas it would also be a great idea to buy a subscription for a loved one too. To help you on your way I have a discount code QCICX which will save you £3!

    I’d love to hear from you if you sign up!

    Rebecca xxx

    C/O degustabox for review purposes. All views are explicitly mine I am not influenced by any other factor.