Hannah Elizabeth

As I will discuss in my  Wren kitchen experience post, I hadn't planned on renovating my utility room until next year at the earliest. It wasn't particularly in the budget and whilst it wasn't ideal to not have a downstairs toilet, for the vast majority of the time, I was going to be in the house alone so it would have been absolutely fine realistically. Unfortunately, given the mess that I walked into when I first got the keys to my new house, I had no choice but to make it a priority. Again, I'm trying to fight the sellers for damages, especially because the plumbing and electricity is incredibly unsafe.   I originally wanted split the room in half to make a toilet and a much smaller utility room. In the toilet I wanted a sink and toilet and the boiler boxed in. In the utility room I wanted a stackable integrated washer dryer and a tower unit, which would house the vacuum, mop and ironing board.  Currently, it also houses the electricity box and meter, and the gas ...

I've shared about Smol before and it really is a company I love. I've previously talked about their laundry tablets , but this time it's all about the dishwasher. I've never had a dishwasher before, so it's quite new to me and I am so far loving it. I didn't think I was going to use it much, given that I live alone, however when I read about the water saving benefits of a dishwasher vs hand washing multiple times a day, it made so much sense!  I decided to try the free trial prior to get the subscription and the box was delivered quickly. It was actually my first piece of post to the new house. The standard pack holds 30 tablets, whilst the free trial pack holds just 9 tablets, but gives you a great opportunity to test the product out. Just like their other products, they are animal cruelty free and kept safe in a unique child locking cardboard box. Unlike other products of this type, this makes the packaging completely recyclable.  Described as the world's ...

I could have sworn I'd written a post on virginity and birth control, but apparently I never did. Unless, I can't find my own post. But perhaps, it'll be a post I write in the coming months. Long story short, I ultimately decided to wait to loose my virginity until I felt ready and felt I found the right person. I never felt pressure to have sex or felt I needed a time frame. For me, when I felt it was the right time, it was the right time. I started seeing my first serious partner in February 2019, then we officially started dating in April 2019. From there, I quickly felt ready. I fell in love hard.  Given my profession, I felt I knew quite a lot about birth control and the options available. I decided that personally, I didn't want to reply on someone else having that control so condoms were a no go for me. Also, we tried them once and it wasn't as sexy as I'd hoped! I know there are also more natural methods - which my sister is very for - but I personally n...

I finally had some downtime and had a couple of meals out with friends. I also showed a sneak peak of the finished kitchen and the finished bathroom! Click here to watch the vlog or see below.  With things in the house stress and bathroom remodel finally calming down a little, I finally said yes when a friend asked if we could meet up. I was originally planning on going to the cinema afterwards, but after working straight nights for 3 weeks and making the mistake of sticking to night shift mode, I found it really difficult to convert back to a normal sleep pattern. I was a little late for the meal due to traffic, but we enjoyed a yummy meal at Chiquito's before I drove her back home.  The next week ended up being the Queen's funeral on the Monday, and I was quite surprised but shocked that my Wren kitchen delivery was still coming. I'll share an entire post explaining the experience in the next couple of weeks, but despite almost every item being damaged the two units in th...

Buying your first home should be an amazing, very exciting adventure! I thought now that I have officially been in my new house for just over a month, I would share some key things if you are just considering buying your first home. As a forewarning, this process will bring all of the emotions your way, but - I've been told! - it will be very worth it.  The investment of buying a home is one that you will always be glad that you made at the end of the day. But, buying your first home also comes with a lot of things to do, and you might not know where to start. I've always said it should be something that we are taught in school! If this sounds familiar, keep reading along, because today I'm partnering with MoversBoost to share some great information. They provide local moving leads to relocation globally. Talk with a lender first Before you do anything, talk to a lender. Let them run the numbers for you so that you can see if it is even feasible to buy your first home. Whi...

Apologies in advance who saw this post without any content. I have now written this post for a second time, after the writing somehow disappeared. Luckily, I checked and saw so I was able to correct it the following day.  Skin + Me is a company I have used for well over a year now and I absolutely love it. I have been using their personalised  treatment  and absolutely love it. I love the design and packaging of the product, as well as their simple, daily doser delivery system. As a pre-existing customer, I was offered a free face wash and moisturiser when they first launched and I have been trialling it for the last 2 months. With the house move and everything else, I haven't quite gotten around to posting my review so here we are!  I placed the order and then received the delivery just a few days later. I love how all three products came in a small letterbox sized box. I really do think they have a very precise packaging team, because I love how each box has space...

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died at her home, surrounded by family, on September 9th 2022. Whilst to many it wasn't a shock, I continued to be in awe of the work she continued to do until the week of her passing. She was even photographed meeting with our new Prime Minister and smiling. At 96 years old, she was a true star. She engaged repeatedly in events and joined the celebrations for her Platinum Jubilee this summer. I love my grandma, but she barely leaves the house, let alone does anything else, at almost a decade younger.  Today, we remember the Queen for everything she stood for. To the strong woman who loved horses and dogs. To the grandma who raised a family. She was the UK’s longest-serving and oldest ever monarch. Her reign saw a period of significant change with 15 prime ministers serving under her and she was a stable figure throughout numerous historic events.  I've loved seeing all the videos and coverage of the funeral proceedings in the wake of h...

Life is finally getting a little back to normality. I've had a few busy work weeks, but it should quieten down a little soon! Click here to watch the vlog or see below.  I ended up going back to Wakefield for the bank holiday. I was working on the Sunday, so I headed down bright and early on Monday morning. My oldest sister was also up for the weekend, and I haven't seen her in Yorkshire for probably 6 years, so it was lovely to have her in my home town, instead of seeing her in hers. We met up at Newmillardam for a lovely brunch with both the kids and the dogs. Freya even got a puppuccino.  In the afternoon, we had a family barbeque at my aunt's house. It was quite small and intimate but very nice. My grandma shockingly also attended which was lovely. I don't think she's left the house, other than to go to the hospital since lockdown started. It didn't finish too late which was lovely, so we ended up buying Top Gun in the evening to watch at home. I absolutely ...

I was initially going to do all the painting and redecorating myself, of course with my no ex. When the relationship ended, I decided it would be far too much for me too do myself and realistically, would take forever. Given that I've never painted before myself, I also didn't know if I'd been any good so I ended up hiring someone to come and do the work. They had great reviews and had a week free when my house was suppose to be completed. Unfortunately, the house got delayed and therefore I had to inform my decorator, who then sadly wasn't available. I found another decorator who also had good reviews on Facebook, albeit no one I knew had used them. I booked him about 2 months in advance and he was able to do the whole house the week I got the keys, meaning it was completed when I moved in.  As most of you know, I'm quite a decisive person and once I have my mind made up, it doesn't really change. Most of the colour schemes were already set due to reusing the c...

With all the house moving details and crazy busy summer plans, I haven't shared any meal inspirations for a while. I've been getting Gousto meal boxes roughly once a month for the past year, after making the switch from Hello Fresh. I prefer the menu options with Gousto and in my experience, much better service and satisfaction policy. You can get  60% off  your first box with my code if you would like to try your own.  This is a traditional style easy to bake meal, with a twist. Start by making the crispy potatoes. Cut the into chunks then roast them in the oven for 30 minutes, with salt, pepper and oil. I personally don't like onions and salsa, so if I was to remake this, I would just fry the pepper strips until soft for the vegetable.  In a bowl mix oil with smoked paprika. Soak the basa stips. Gently put the basa onto soaked skewers in a snake like fashion, then fry for 5 minutes on either side. Delicious!  Let me know if you make this or something similar! ...

I would like to start by saying a huge thank you to everyone for all the love and support since my last post. I have received so many messages and emails to check in on me, and I really do appreciate it so much. I tend to have posts written 2 to 3 weeks in advance, so I actually wrote that post almost a month ago. I've had some time away from working on my side hobbies and it's been very much needed. I am thankfully in a much better space now, and whilst things aren't perfect, they're getting better so here I am, back doing what I love and writing just like I want to be. I actually find this platform very reflective and helpful.  Today is another big milestone in both my career and education as it's my first official day of my postgraduate Master 's degree. I feel like this has come around so quickly; it feels like only yesterday I was researching programmes, but in actual fact it was 10 months ago!  As soon as I started my Midwifery undergraduate studies, I kne...

I think this will forever be the hardest and realest post I have ever written, but in a way, I hope for my own mental health that it helps heal me, even just a little.  You may have noticed that over the past few months I haven’t quite been myself. I’ve tried so very hard to put on a smile in front of others, to maintain a good sense of normality in my life, but the truth is, I feel anything but happy and my life if far from what is usual. I feel so alone. I wake up and cry; I go to work and cry; I come home from work and cry; I go to bed and cry. And the cycle continues.  The last two and a half months have truly been the hardest time of my life. I never thought I would ever say that again after my parents divorce, ripping my dream idillic family apart, or I failed Medicine at university, after spending my entire life working towards being a doctor. For those moments, I just felt numb. Today, I feel complete sorrow. I feel like a huge part of me has split away and I don’t kno...

I packed up the moving van, said goodbye to the rental and officially moved into my first house as a home owner! Click here to watch the vlog or see below.  Moving day started bright and early. We woke up at 8am, for the van to arrive at 9am. When I woke up, I started tracking my integrated fridge freezer and although I'd asked for an afternoon delivery, it said it was 30 minutes away. Mum was already up and dressed, so I got her to head to the house to let the fridge freezer in, and then I got ready and started loading the valuables into my car.  The moving van didn't arrive at 9am, so at half 9, I called them to make sure they were still coming and they said they would be there within the hour. I shared a detailed post about the moving van process last week, so be sure to read that if you want more details! When it finally arrived, we loaded up, headed to the new house and unloaded in each room. Then I unloaded my car with the valuables, before heading back to the rental....

I've been in my new house nearly 3 weeks now and I have officially unpacked and decorated as much as I can...for now! There are still a few bits to do to complete the property as previously mentioned. The kitchen, lounge and master bedroom should be complete by the second week in October and then the utility room and downstairs hopefully as soon as possible after that, but that's currently a work in progress and has been a delayed a little. I'll find out more soon!  I'm planning on doing a room tour for each room and I just don't know where to start. I was obviously going to start downstairs and work up, but given that the downstairs rooms are the ones waiting for things to be finished, I think I'm going to have to leave those to last. What do you want to know? What room are you most excited to see?