Weesse's Giving Guide....Part One

I LOVE Christmas!

Like, ADORE it! I love everything about it. The build up, the music, the films, decorating the tree, the scrummy food, quality time with family and friends & all that jazz. I also love giving gifts so it's just an ideal time of year for me. Howevs, I'm the biggest procrastinator when it comes to selecting gifts for peeps. I trawl the Internet for weeks in advance, hit the high street & lose countless hours to Pinterest as I feverishly try to locate the perfect pressie for each of my recipients. And it's blooming knackering! 

My plans to be super duper organised this year have been scuppered due to crappy back pain (Boooooooo!) so in my house arrest-cabin fevered state I'm thinking that online purchases will be the way to go for me this year, to ensure I don't end up in a tizzy the week of Christmas, running around grabbing gifts that I'm not really happy with. Hate Hate HATE that! 

Of course, like most I'm on a budget (always!) so I gotta be clever with my choices. The present has got to fulfill some criteria before it even becomes a contender. 

These are as follows (in no particular order): 

Be within budget
Be pretty, quirky, fun or practical 
Be personal 

I've made a start & thus far, I'm quite happy with my selections, although I do have HEAPS still to get. In my online travels I've discovered some lovely ideas for gifts & thought I'd share them with you. Just in the off-chance it may help someone out there who's feeling lost, uninspired or is in blatant denial that they need to start thinking about it pronto. Please note if you're likely to receive a gift from me....don't worry there's no spoilers here! Just nice ideas that may work for other. 

For Everyone

Photo from www.matalan.co.uk

A few weeks back I saw a billboard add for these alphabet scarves from Matalan in support of Alder Hey Children's Hospital  & thought they were such a cute, personal gift that are for a good cause, are great quality & don't cost the Earth (Only a tenner for the adult ones and a fiver for the kids' versions). They've ran out of some of the letters already but apparently more are due in and if you sign up to their email alert they'll get in touch when they become available.   Everyone needs a new scarf at Christmas (it's like the law) & with a range of cool colours & your initial on there, it makes for a super gift that gives back to those less fortunate. Result! 

Photo from www.guitarguitar.co.uk

This a bit of wild card pressie but I really think it could be for anyone. It's a ukulele (or a uke to the pros out there)! It's small, easy to learn and fun to play. Over the last few years it has over took the recorder as primary school teachers' go-to instrument for teaching music to pupils and with so many YouTube tutorials to hand (Check out 'Ukulele Mike'), you could be playing your favourite Crimbo tune by the time the brussels are ready.  They come in various colours, are relatively cheap and it's something a bit different for someone who like a fun surprise on Christmas morning. 

Check out Guitar Guitar Glasgow for their range or go in store. They're are loads of online sites offering deal too.  

For Her

Photo courtesy of www.burtsbees.co.uk

I actually got given this as a birthday gift in September from our lovely friend Jules and instantly fell in love with this range. One sniff was all it took. Burt's Bees originated in Maine in 1984 when the founders Roxanne Quimby and Burt Shavitz had a chance encounter, hit it off and and started a business creating candles from unused wax from Burt's beehives. The rest is history as they say (which is most interesting and worth a read) and they've created a uniquely packaged, gorgeously nature-based products that smell so yummy and feel great on your skin. Granted

I've only tested the products in this particular set so far but I definitely intend to try more of their range.  As I type this I have my tootsies slathered in the coconut foot cream under a pair of fluffy bed socks!

Best Buys

The Burt's Bees site has this in sale at the moment for £12.99 including other products and gift sets. However Boots also stock a lot of the range and if you're planning on taking advantage of their 3 For 2 offer, this particular set is currently the same price and you'll bag 1,299 Advantage Points too. A wee gift for you too!

Photo from www.selfystick.com

If your best friend, sister or mum loves taking selfies but hasn't quite got the knack of ensuring her full face is the pic, this is the pressie for her. A novelty gift that she'll love and that all the family can enjoy all year round. My hubby recently bought our dance troupe, The Kennedy Cupcakes a Selfy Stick and I tell you, we had sooooo much fun with it. A rather long wait at a gig was no longer a drag as we kept ourselves occupied creating fun groups selfy pics and videos. 

It comes with a Bluetooth remote and is relatively compact for taking on a night out. Holiday pics will never be the same again with this. 

For Him

My hubby is very difficult to buy for as he buys everything for himself. Throughout the year, if he sees something he likes, he buys it , hence making birthdays and Christmases a bloomin' nightmare to be honest. I like to buy surprise gifts for folks so sit doesn't sit well with me to have to purchase a gift that's been requested (unless there's  been a wish list for me to select from, leaving the element of surprise intact). I therefore rrrrrreeeeally dislike just giving vouchers or money. Im in no way criticising those who choose this option and in fact, I personally very much like and appreciate receiving cash to splurge in the January sales but when it comes to gifting I'd much prefer to pick out a gift that I feel is just right, wrap it up and see their reaction on Christmas morning as they tear off the paper to reveal the surprise. Selfish as it may seem....I want to get something out of giving a gift! 

The above quandary continues with hubby as we speak and with mu dad's birthday being 23rd December, he's not much easier to buy for either, especially when you're competing with mum and Mimi to purchase his favourites first.  

Photo from www.dermalogica.co.uk

When it comes to skincare, some men do and some don't...care that is but if they've got the tools to hand, they'll be more than likely to start. I've always been a fan of Dermalogica products and although of course I've never tried this kit (no jokes about having stubble!), you can bet you bottom dollar that this will be worth the money for your man. There's lots of sites offering their Shave Kit but two of the best prices I've come across are on UK Beauty Club  and John and Ginger. 

Check out www.dermalogica.co.uk for their full range of products available. 

Photo from www.beardo.co.uk

If he aint into grooming and he loves a novelty gift with a purpose, I recommend a Beardo UK hat. They were quite popular last year but if your man or mate hasn't already asked Santa for this, I think it's a winner for the guy who likes a laugh (and doesn't mind others laughing at him!). There's an option to remove the beard on some of the range too for those clean shaven days. Prices start at £20 and there's even a kid's version!! 

Stocking Filler Alert!

Photo from www.beardo.co.uk

They also sell this novelty set of beer tashes. Not as practical as the hat but think of the Christmas Day photos!

So, will that do you for now? Bear in mind it still is only November so there's plenty time for me to wrack up another list of potential pressie ideas for you. 

Happy shopping. Off you pop to buy a Selfy Stick, a Beardo hat and a ukulele.....can't WAIT to see the pics! 

Weesse x

Put A (Properly-Sized) Ring On It

Beyonce was right you know...if you like it then you should put a ring on it.

BUT it's a whole lotta useless if that ring doesn't fit!

At this time of year, when husbands, wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, mums, dads and various other friends and relatives are wracking their wee brains for gift ideas for their loved ones, anything, ANYTHING to make it easier is an absolute blessing.

So, imagine our delight when jeweler friend of ours Christina Rose Leon posted about her jewelery sizing service.

She visited Mimi, Weese and the rest of The Kennedy Cupcakes at their rehearsal at Shona Halford's Dance Studio Lanarkshire  in East Kilbride last week to demonstrate just how great an idea this is. Christina is a genuinely lovely, warm, friendly and evidently very knowledgeable when it comes to jewelery.

Christina came to the studio and gave us all a sheet on which we indicated our jewelery preferences, including: preferred metal, preferred colour of stones, preferred necklace length and preferred finger for rings. 

She then also sized us all using a contraption that looked like a set of jail keys. 

She was full of EXTREMELY useful information on how best to size, what to think about (e.g. my (Mimi's) hands are CONSTANTLY cold, therefore this makes my fingers contract) as well as advice on what metals to wear together (note: NEVER wear gold next to a hard metal like platinum..the gold will wear off super quick).

Christina then collected all of our information and compiles a wee personalised file. This information can then be emailed to your spouse, friends or family (or discreetly popped inside a potential gift-giver's coat pocket), avoiding the whole debacle around guessing sizes and jewelery preferences.

Let's face it, if you're going to spend a lot of money on a piece of jewelery, you better make sure it's RIGHT.

Christina herself has some beautiful ready to buy items available through her website. She also does bespoke items (you can find a photo of Weese's gold and ruby ring Christina made for Lisa's 30th birthday here). So not only can Christina come and measure you while taking note of preferences THEN provide you with all that information in one handy file...you can then purchase some gorgeous accessories from her or have something made just for you. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Who knows, even Cupcake baby Finlay will be buying mummy Lynne a gorgeous diamond necklace with matching ring from Christina for Christmas this year...he has no excuse now he knows her size! 

Mimi x

Matching Undies and the Rights and Thongs of Weesse.

So....

Your shoes have to match your handbag.

Your socks need to match....each other.

And your bra should match your undies.

All of the above I struggle with. 

I'm not too fussed about my handbag matching my shoes to be honest. I usually go through a phase of using the same handbag for weeks at a time so teaming it up with matching shoes ain't on my agenda really. In Winter I opt for a colour palette of greys, blacks, dark greens & generally more Autumnal shades so my all handbags & shoes tend to fall in to this category & work together beautifully. 

My hubby knows that I don't make any effort to ensure my socks match (unless he's paired them in advance) as nine times out of ten I'm stealing his, grabbing the first two socks I can find out of his drawer before he catches me (which he always does!). 

However the concept of matching bra & undies is one I occasionally strive to adhere to but end up failing miserably on day two of the attempt. Mission aborted. Back to the mismatched items pour moi. 

Mimi & I were recently treated to a  gorgeous lingerie set from ULTIMO when we attended their launch at Glasgow's House of Fraser (see blog post link below). Getting new underwear is always a treat & we both adore our new fancy undies. It was such a thrill to carefully unpack the set from it's box &  tissue paper, slip it on & then put on my frock for a night out feeling that little more dressed up! All matching & feel fabulous, I was safe in the knowledge that if I got knocked down by a bus my dignity would be left intact. 

No but seriously, wearing that set gave me an all important little boost. There's no denying that a matching set can make you feel more dressy, maybe sexier & more, together really. Taking time to plan an outfit seems perfectly normal & integral to feeling awesome on a night out, so why not take the time to make sure what's underneath is looking as 'together' as your outerwear?!  

Despite loving wearing matching lingerie I rarely treat myself to such delights. I tend to spend money on well-fitting but pretty-boring-to-look-at-bras (usually black or white) but never buy matching bottoms, opting for your supermarket multi-packs of thongs instead. Shhhhexy!!! Maybe I'm a bit of a Scrooge or maybe I can't be fussed doing a little more leg work in finding the perfect lingerie that is both supportive AND pretty! Who knows?! But it's time things change me thinks! 

Ultimo founder Michelle Mone launches her latest Parisian inspired lingerie collection ‘Adore Moi by Ultimo’ in Debenhams TODAY! Michelle is a gal who knows how to wear (and design) the perfect matching pair & when she offers us gals some handy tips in getting it just right in the undies department you better listen up! 

1.     STOCK UP: The general rule is that you should get 2-3 wears out of your bra before washing. This means that you need a minimum of 3 matching briefs to see you through, so make sure you always stock up and buy your underwear with a 3-1 bra/brief ratio.  

2.    BE WISE WHEN WASHING: when it comes to lingerie, there’s nothing more annoying than opening your underwear drawer to find a selection of mismatched bras and briefs. It’s my pet hate. So, always wash your sets together and hand wash them rather than machine wash. Not only will this ensure they are treated with extra care and attention, but it will prevent any straying thongs. 

3.     COLOUR CO-ORDINATE: A very simple and effective approach to lingerie is to colour coordinate, allowing you to interchange your briefs and bras. My advice is to pick two or three colours that you wear most, and stick with those – for example, black, white and leopard print. Of course, with patterns and print you might not always get the perfect match, but if it’s close enough it counts! 

Here's a sneak peek of this stunning collection. Personally, I'm loving the all-black ensemble! 

So with Santa lists being written all over the country I think it's about time I add something delicate & divine to mine. I'll need to get myself down to Debenhams pronto to try on the collection, then promptly drop some hints in hubby's direction.....or get sending some changing-room selfies perhaps?!!! 

Ladies, do you do this matching undies malarkey?  Are you aghast at my revelations of my boring bras & multipack thongs? Apologies if I offend you ( Michelle, if you're reading this I hang my head in shame!). I promise from here on in to try harder to be more matching.....and hopefully more fetching if that bus comes hurling round the corner. 

Weesse x

Links

http://www.debenhams.com/lingerie/ultimo

http://www.ultimo.co.uk/

http://mimiandweesse.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/bravo-for-ultimo-house-of-fraser-launch.html

Sleep. Eat. Work Out. Cook. Repeat.

Sleep. Eat. Work Out. Cook. Repeat. 

That right there is my life. 

These days it feels like all I am doing is cooking food! And you know what…that’s not such a bad thing.

My life is filled with food storage containers. So. Many. Containers. Because in order for me to get the best workout possible, reap the benefits of that work out and see better results, I am all about my food prep. 

Here’s what a typical day looks like.

7:30am- Get up, etc. Grab snacks and lunch from the fridge. Whizz up a fruit smoothie (strawberry, blueberry, apple, half a banana, raspberry) or eat 2 (pre-cooked) boiled eggs.

8:15am- leave the house for work

6pm- return home from work and cook dinner. Often I cook salmon fillets in the microwave, or grill chicken with lots of veg and add brown rice. Dinner may also involve reheating chilli con carne made the night before.

7pm- leave house

7:15-9:30pm- Get my work out on somewhere

  

9:30pm arrive home, make a protein-rich snack like GF toast and whole nut peanut butter or cheese

10pm- MEAL PREP CENTRAL. This can generally involve cooking the following night’s meals, making soup, organising the next day’s lunch and putting it in the fridge, cutting up fruit for breakfast, boiling eggs for breakfast, portioning snacks for my working day etc etc.

12midnight- Go to bed.

Meal prepping has allowed me to make great progress with getting plenty of fruit n veg, fibre and protein! It’s just all about thinking ahead and planning. My making my own food I also know what's in it. Yeah, low fat, low sugar low whatever food might be low in, well everything, but you’ve got to ask yourself…WHAT’S IN IT?! 

So, what are my top tips for meal prepping and general food organisation?

1. Write lists. Lots of them. Use Excel (LOVES a spreadsheet) and bask in the glory of your awesomeness.

2. Think a day in advance. What are you having for dinner tonight? Don’t know? What if you asked yourself that question about tonight’s dinner last night. You’d have had more time to decide and would have probably made a healthier choice.

3. Read food labels. If you can't pronounce, or have never heard of, an ingredient, it's not a good sign. 

4. Suss out where sells what. I shop in Aldi for 90% of my food, but I can’t get my bread, rice or fruit bars there, so I get them from Tesco. We go straight from Aldi to Tesco to home and it’s DONE. Also, get familiar with your supermarket and where they keep things. That way you avoid wasting time walking down aisles you don’t need to. TIME IS MONEY PEOPLES. 

5. FREEZE. Making soup? Great! Wanna make this scenario even more fabulous? Make lots and freeze at least half. Same goes for any stews, cooked meats, homemade pasta sauces, even breads etc. You won’t be reaching for the Dolmio if you’ve for a tomato rich homemade ragu in the freezer in need for a little thaw.  

6. Invest in food containers. There is a food storage box monster and he steals tubs on a regular basis. Buy plenty in different sizes (microwave and freezer safe) that DON’T LEAK. Avoid the cheap stuff for food you will be transporting. No one was a soupy handbag.

7. Get into the habit. Do your meal prep at the same time of the day/week and it will become like any other habit. 

8. Use a macro/calorie counting app to keep track of your nutrition. I use MyFitnessPal as a guide. No app can substitute for a personal trainer or nutritionist, so using an app like this great as a guide for keeping track and increasing your own awareness of the quality of what you eat. 

9. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t prep or fall off the wagon. You are a human being. Get over it.

10. I don’t have a tenth tip but couldn’t leave it at just 9 tips. Sorry. 

So when I'm home from work and I am standing over a pan of lean minced beef, chopping courgettes and boiling lentils and leeks, I could wallow in self pity and say that I wish I was lazing on the couch instead. However, I know that I am making every effort to out goodness into my body without having to go to ridiculous extreme lengths or spend a lot of money. 

Happy prepping!!