Everything is Dressed in White

Such a lovely time to look out the window and marvel at the snow. I'm just so thankful I am not at work or stuck on the road. Fully warm and cosy with my tea and a book! Hope everyone is safe! ❄☃️

Just A Quick Post to Say...

It's my 2-year anniversary at work today! 😄

Time has really flown so fast. I have learnt so much during my time in Birmingham. In a few days I will be moving on to a new job miles away from this city - a job that I have prayed for so much and was generously given to me.

I will truly miss the friends that I have made in the lab. Everyone is just so lovely and I know I have a special bond with each of them. The management at work is so good that I want to use it as a model for my career and personal life. I know that I will always be able to look back to the fond memories I have of this place. I am happy to be moving forward but at the same time I am sad to be leaving the comforts of 'home'.

Thank you, Team Microbiology at City! Sending love and positive vibes your way!

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Weekend Wind-Down

I have so much to catch up on in this blog! So much has happened in the last few months and I'm just happy to have a quiet weekend sipping green tea and burying my nose in a book.

As always, Muffin Break at The Bullring is my go-to wind-down place. I really should come here more often. Quality, affordable food - and the place is pretty quiet, too, so it's good for some reading time! I had the Roast Tomato, Rocket and Ham Tartlet this time. I was having a sore throat and a runny nose so I was feeling up for something savoury rather than any of the cakes. All good - will come back next time for some sugary fix! I do miss having the mud pie. Mmm!

Birthday Fun!

One of my best girls celebrated her 25th birthday yesterday. It was such a fun night - we had dinner at Byron Burgers, watched Wonder Woman at the cinema, and shared a Strawberry and Butterscotch waffle at Creams!

Many many more birthdays to come, my dear! 🍰

Sleepless In Seattle

I just finished watching Sleepless in Seattle. Such a great movie - I'm giving it the number 2 spot on my list of faves. Number 1 will always be Mulan, of course! To be honest, I can't decide between Mulan and 50 First Dates. Actually. considering all factors (i.e. music, cast, storyline), from now on it'll go like this:

1. Mulan
2. Sleepless In Seattle
3. 50 First Dates

I've only ever watched Sleepless In Seattle once. The other two I've seen countless of times. But I'm sure this won't be the only time I'll get to see it. Looking into the future, I imagine myself cuddling next to my husband and watching it with him on a nice, quiet evening at home. 💕

Oh, how I love so many things about this movie! Since it came out in 1993, the feel and the look of it just takes me back in time to Oman - another one of my hometowns. I think when I was a little girl, I've always liked American films. The ones with the nice jazzy music, the ones where the ladies wore baggy joggers and socks that go over them... I don't know - those films just give me a sense of comfort. Think Home Alone and Matilda. I really like Meg Ryan's hairstyles in this movie. Those braids are just so cute. And the pieces of jewellery she wore - so oldschool and pretty. The pieces of china that Annie and her fiance were looking at - makes me feel giddy. It just looks too different from all the minimal and pristine white pieces of today. I love how there's not too many characters that you can't keep track of all of them and I love how there's a balance between the young and old. And oh - how lovely is that house that Jonah and his dad lived in. That deck is amazing!

I like how simple this movie is. Nothing too outrageous. Just nice, and ordinary - yet extraordinary at the same time. So, so good. I'm definitely going to have to see this again at some point. The Empire State Building also just reminded me of how much I miss watching The Mindy Project! I'm gonna have to look up new episodes.

Ahh, to visit America again. Don't get me wrong - I absolutely loved my time in California and Las Vegas when we came to visit a few years ago. But Seattle... New York... Ahh, there are so many wonderful places I'd love to see in the future.

Watch this space :)

Love is Kind

For my 26th birthday, I had a beautiful ring made for myself. It's a hand-made sterling silver ring with a rose gold heart. It's got mine and my other half's initials, too - to remind me that love is kind 💕

I ordered it from Carole Allen Jewellery at Not On The High Street. I would say it's my first high-end jewellery purchase and I really wanted one that wouldn't tarnish so easily. You get a choice of a copper heart or a rose gold one. I paid a little extra for the rose gold but it's worth it as I would love this ring to last a long time. It's a little big for my ring finger (I ordered the smallest size which is J) so I tend to wear it on my middle finger these days. But the owner can definitely make a smaller size for you if you wish as it is a personalised service. I don't really want to get mine resized as I am very happy with it the way it is. I absolutely adore its hammered matte finish - adds some character to it!

I don't wear it at work (as I work in the Microbiology lab - I wouldn't dare get my precious ring all bacteria-infested! Haha!) but I keep it in a pouch in my bag at all times, ready for use when I'm elsewhere. It's quite easy to clean. I use the fabric pouch that one of my earrings came in to give the ring a gentle wipe. I've also washed it with handsoap and water and it still looks good as new. I've read that sterling silver can be washed as normal anyway. But generally I just put the ring away when I need to wash my hands.

I would love to order more from Carole Allen. Her pieces are just simply lovely and they make great, thoughtful gifts! Delivery is very speedy as well. I am extremely delighted with my purchase and I wanted to write this post as soon as I received my ring but I never got the chance to until today. Still in love with it from Day 1!

Review: Rooftoppers

Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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New Go-To Restaurant

On my 26th birthday, I dined with my lovely parents at Barnett's in Sunderland! It's a new-ish place which I've never heard of until I did a quick Google search of new restaurants in the area.

We watched Beauty and the Beast (which was amazing!) at the cinema then walked about a minute to the restaurant. I love how it's one of those below-ground-level places.

The cuisine is English and the menu looked good! Upon arrival, there was no one at the floor so we just picked a table and had ourselves seated (hehe!) and then the waitress came out of the kitchen to greet us. She was the only waitress at the time so I guess it was just her and the chef. Regardless, she was so friendly and accommodating and made a good first impression of the restaurant.

We each had a three-course meal and I ordered the chicken pate for starters, pork belly with mashed potatoes and vegetables as my main, and tiramisu for dessert. I loved my meal and the parents couldn't say enough good things about their food, too. And mind you - my parents really are food critics!

The food was soooo good and I normally don't say this about English food. It's just not your bog-standard pub food. This really is the real deal - haha!

I had such a wonderful time dining there and if not for the amount of popcorn I consumed at the cinema 😀, I'm sure I would have finished everything on my plate.

Three words to describe Barnett's - delicious, affordable, perfect! The ambience was also very nice and I would love to take my boyfriend there on a date night when he comes to visit.

And I'm not just saying that because I spent my birthday there. My tummy really approves of the place!

19 Degrees in Sunny Sunderland!

The weather was soooo nice today. Really good to be home ☀

Photos taken at our beautiful Seaburn Beach! We had the usual fish and chips at Queens Cafe and nommed on ice cream by the seaside. Everyone was in a happy mood - adults and children alike. I loved seeing so many cute dogs today. And of course, the seagulls! Such a lovely day. I would've thought I was in Spain!

Holding My Peace

There's one thing I did today that I'm proud of.

I held my peace.

It isn't always easy. Most of the time I choose not to do it. But this time it had been called for. I held my peace. And I regret it not one bit.

Asking for God's guidance as I make choices in life.

Note to self

I read something today. It said, "Bloom where you are planted".

Review: The Marble Collector

The Marble Collector by Cecelia Ahern
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Jughead

Just finished watching Season 1 Episode 5 of Riverdale. I kinda had a little crush on Juggie since the first episode - but on this recent one the butterflies in my stomach were in full bloom.

Just look at how cute his smile was when Betty expressed her approval of his suit!

Hands down to attractive guys who don't know they're just that. 💓

My, My Love

Thank you, darling dear, for being my cherry on top. I was going at my own pace, minding my own business, not having a care in the world - and here you came waltzing in and making everything so much better even when I didn't ask for it to be. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Counting down the days to when I can hold your hand. May God bless you always.

<3

Favourite Kind of Day

Absolutely love having time to snuggle in bed (or on the couch, like today!) and read. No better way to spend a work-free Friday than with my best girl Cecelia Ahern! She must be one of my favourite authors and I find it exciting every time I come across a book that she's written which I haven't read yet.

Today I'm reading The Marble Collector which is pretty recent. It is a little different from her previous books, I would say, mainly because of the not-so-decent language some of the characters use from time to time - but hey! I trust Ms. Ahern's skills and I'm sure this is one of the books I'll think about a lot even after I turn over the last page.

Pretty Pearls

"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all."

I came across this pretty find while browsing at Selfridges in Birmingham. It's a pair of pearl earrings (that look white or slightly pink depending on the light) with heart-shaped gold-plated backing from the Grace Flair collection at Folli Follie. Of course they're inexpensive and will likely tarnish with time but I would like to use them as an everyday pair for days when I feel the need to look extra presentable.

A beautiful gift for myself at a time when I need reminding that I can and will bloom even through life's adversities - the way God has let me all these years. 💝

Review: Talon

Talon by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Barely There Glasses

It has been over two years since I got my previous glasses and now it's time for an update! I decided to go for rimless ones this time around and I'm so happy with how they turned out.

I've been browsing different optical shops for a while now and nothing really caught my fancy or were way above my budget. When I went home to Sunderland, I popped round to the local Specsavers and to my dismay there wasn't really anything that I felt was suitable for my petite face. However, one of their staff was very helpful (Hi, Nicola!) and she told me that the lenses can actually be made smaller (both height and width as required) and I simply needed to choose the frames (or rather the handles) that I wanted. Also, as I live in Birmingham, they could get it posted to their branch here when it's ready.

So, ta-dah!

I absolutely love my new glasses. They come with the thin and light lenses and I paid no more than £130 for them. I think it's a very good deal considering that I had the lenses customised to fit the width of my face better. They look and feel as if I have nothing on (although viewing it from the side, the lenses can still look thicker than normal as I do have quite a high prescription).

Hoping my new glasses will last me another two years! Here's to seeing our beautiful world even more clearly! ❤

Baby Rolls

See you soon, my beautiful baby niece! I love you ❤