Hannah Elizabeth

One of my goals for this year was to read 12 books, which averaged a book a month. Whilst I knew this probably wasn’t going to happen at the start of the year, I knew I would always read more on holidays and potentially in stay at home annual leave too. On my trip to Jamaica, I read 4 books, which was honestly a little disappointing as a tool 7 books with me, but nevertheless, I enjoyed getting back into reading and thought I would share my reviews of the books starting with It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover.  This story was bought for me by a friend for my birthday last year but it’s been on my to be read for a while. I really enjoyed the writing style; I loved how it was easy to read and addictive. I was reading what I thought was a beautiful romantic story of two lovers, but I was surprised and shocked when the story took a turn. Having said that, the entire scenario was handled with honest raw truth and gentle grace, which truly explored the intimate details involved in a traumatic

A short and sweet vlog with utility room updates and holiday prep.  Click here to watch the vlog or see below.  I headed to work for my last shift before returning home for 2 weeks of annual leave. When I got back, the plumber had already arrived half an hour early and scared me to death because it was so unexpected. They ended up finishing the tiling and grouting, but unfortunately the final part for the toilet wasn't in, so it was still a waiting game to get a functional toilet and sink. Honestly, I'm getting very frustrated about the whole thing.  The day before, the utility room units also got fitted which I had hoped would run smoothly, but sadly that also wasn't quite the case. Nevertheless, they are now all fitted and I will share the entire process soon. In the meantime, the vlog has a sneak peak of the utility room.  On Friday, it was all about holiday prep. I packed and sorted my toiletries, all ready to add the final touches in the morning. I did a few jobs aroun

Well after months and month of delayed work, the utility room renovation was finally started. Long story short, when I first looked at the house, I knew there would be potential to out in a downstairs toilet and I didn’t love the utility room cupboards but it was practical at present. When I got the keys, I was shocked to see that they had ripped out the units and left exposed plaster work and damaged the brick. I tried to fight it but unfortunately my solicitor advised it wouldn’t be successful. The conversations when back and forth with the sellers for a number of weeks and the final responses were:  I ended up organising for the same company who did the main bathroom upstairs to renovate the area and add a downstairs toilet. When I became unhappy with their work, I obviously cancelled the project which was suppose to start in September. I then arranged for another company to come and do it for the week of my annual leave in October, but that sadly also fell through. I posted the jo

I was first introduce to Wild deodorant almost 3 years ago . I loved the product but wasn't convinced that it worked long term for me because of how much I sweat. Well, for the past 3 months, it's been the only deodorant I have used and I have fallen in love and regret wasting so many years!  I restarted using it, in a goal to declutter and use up all the products I have. I read that the more you use it, the better it works and it can't be more true. I can't even say that it took a long period of time, just 3 weeks and I got the full benefits. I well and truly put it to the test on my recent holiday to Jamaica. It was 30C degree weather for the majority of the time and I used it once in the morning and once in the evening. I was happily surprised that it was even semi-waterproof with the scent still lasting throughout swimming.  Alongside my new bedroom, I decided to get a new case to match and I love the green combination. I treated myself to a normal sized cartridge r

I've had a lovely week away and unplugged from the majority of the online environment. Like I said last week, I've really taken it upon myself this week to be gently accepting of my own limitations.  It’s funny. For a while there, I lost my passion and joy for blogging. I always said I never wanted it to feel like work and that if it ever did, I would stop. I've taken a few breaks this year in order to prevent that, but on the plane journey to and from Jamaica, the majority of my time was spent writing content for the blog or planning future ideas and I loved it.  I have a whole bunch of blog posts already written and scheduled and I'm so excited to start sharing again. I have some very exciting product reviews and collaborations to be shared, I am going to be sharing all my book reviews for the year and the final big renovation project is almost finished so be ready for step-by-step progress updates! 

I've decided to take a couple of weeks off to enjoy some much needed annual leave and to hopefully finally get the utility room and cloakroom finished. I will be back after my return from Jamaica! 

I spent time with family and friends, finally had some significant progress with the utility room and got excited with choosing decor bits!  Click here to watch the vlog or see below.  The week started with my staying covid positive. It didn't go negative until day 7, in the evening, which meant I couldn't go back to work until day 9. I did however, finally stop ordering takeaway and get a grocery delivery which made my fridge nice and full.  There was a little progress with the utility room as I finally got the plastering done, started painting and the tiles got half way laid. I couldn't get a painter to come in time so I ended up doing it myself. I did the ceiling first and then painted the walls. Walls look good enough given the shocking plastering which I will share more about later, but the ceiling looks crap. I ended up organising for a painter to come and finish the job.  Of course, as if my week couldn't get any worse, before my 3 night shifts, I noticed a huge

This year's series is going to be my Bloom & Wild bouquet deliveries. This month had no problems with the delivery and it was so simple to edit my order. As I got an extra bouquet last month, I editted the date to be slightly easier which was so easy do and instead of getting a surprise, I selected the specific bouquet of choice February's floral arrangement was called "The Kirsty". This contained 20 stems including roses, carnations, stocks, limonium, rosemary and alstroemeria. It's such a delicate and beautiful arrangement and I thought it was perfect for Valentines. Described as "whisper-soft shades, fragrant stocks and zesty rosemary [to] completely soothe [the] senses". I cannot recommend this service enough and it's the Christmas gift that keeps on giving. I am so glad I asked for this! If you are interested in getting your own letterbox flower delivery, you can get a  discount  here. 

It's been a while since I wrote a post for my "Your Guide to a Day Trip to" series. I feel like I need to go back and write one for Rotterdam and Amsterdam too because I never wrote one for either of them last year! Having just been to Krakow in Poland, I thought this was a perfect time to write one for the ever increasingly popular city.  Krakow is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River, the old capital, has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, economic, cultural and artistic life. Often named in Europe's most beautiful cities, its Old Town and castle have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Whilst most people go for a few days, if you only have a short 24 hours there, here is what I would recommend you do:  Explore Wawel Castle and the grounds. I ever went in the pouring rain and it was still stunning to see. It reminds me of York with the wall you can walk around, but it's s

I've been desperate for a true summer holiday for what feels like years now. For me, a true holiday is sitting in the sun, reading a book and dipping in and out of the pool. Growing up, I always went to all inclusive hotels and I absolutely loved every second. I had the time of my life meeting new people, having all the food and drink, getting involved in the activities and watching a show every night. It really was a dream life looking back.  I do like city breaks and exploring a new country with everything the culture brings, but it's not something I would class as a relaxing holiday and usually I come back more exhausted than before. I haven't been to an all inclusive for years. Since Covid-19, I've been on a couple of city breaks (Poland and the Netherlands ), and then Portugal (a very different party holiday). In the few years before Covid-19 hit, because I was a student and trying to save money a little, I instead went to Croatia (my first Airbnb experience), plus

I had a semi-relaxing day, my dad came over to build a wall and then I got Covid-19.  Click here to watch the vlog or see below.  Thursday was my first day not having workmen in the house and it was nice to have a lie in. I had a very lazy morning, before getting ready to head out. I went to the bank and the post office, before calling at my cousins. We were suppose to be going out for the afternoon, but instead I just headed over for some snuggles for an hour as baby D wasn't feeling very well.  In the evening, I did my 23 and Me test which I'll talk more about when the results come in, but I also had Hilary's blinds come over to do some quotes on shutters for the bay window in the lounge. I was shocked by the cost and I think it's currently way out of budget but maybe one day. I have two other independent companies coming over in the next two weeks, so we will see how much they quote.  On Friday, my dad came around to build the stud wall. Due to different phone calls

Following on from last month's post, that was actually written at the very start of the year, I spent the first week or so of the year designing and creating my online bullet journal with Canva. There were a lot of pre-existing templates and drafts that could be used, some of which were free and some of which were paid for. I really wanted to completely personalise mine, using some ideas as inspiration. I knew I wanted a simple introduction and the first page needed to be people's birthdays. I wanted to keep my trackers quite simple. I spent hours and hours designing my own table and graph, then finally found one that was pre-made and was already made, so ended up using that and editing it slightly. I know some people have different designs and ideas for mood trackers, weathers and for hobbies. I personally love the year overview and colour co-ordination style so I decided to keep it simple and keep them all the same. I have created a tracker for mood, weather, social life and