Would You Rather: Christmas Edition

I was tagged by the lovely Leah from Love Leah  to have a go at the Would You Rather Tag but with a Christmas twist!

Eat brussel sprouts or cauliflower cheese?
I have to be honest and say I dislike both of these but as it has cheese on it I would have to go with the cauliflower!

Have twinkling lights or still lights?
I have a mixture of both on my tree, but I do love lights that twinkle as it makes me feel really festive.

Eat gingerbread or Ferrero Rocher? 
It has to be Ferrero Rocher even though they have the cheesiest adverts I can't resist them!

Open your Christmas presents with only immediate family or with all your family members?
For me it would be immediate family, when the presents are opened first thing in the morning it is usually just the three of us and then we spend the rest of the day with either side of our families.

Cook Christmas dinner for the whole family or don't eat Christmas dinner at all?
I would cook as for me the dinner is a big part of the day and something I look forward to, and I'm sure Mr S could be roped into help!

Have a real Christmas tree or a Fake Christmas Tree?
My tree is fake as I don't like the idea of finding pine needles for rest of the next year!

Use blue,yellow, white or multi-coloured lights?
I prefer multi-coloured lights but I do have a string of just blue ones as well!

Eat mince pies or Christmas cake?
Always Christmas cake as I love the icing and marzipan.

Wake up at 6am or 10am?
As I have a 10 year old the chances of me being still in bed at 10am are slim to non existent so I guess 6am!!

Drink champagne or hot chocolate?
Champagne as much as I like chocolate I'm not a huge fan of hot chocolate.

Eat Heroes or Roses?
That is tough but it has to be Roses as they remind me of my childhood.

Get a puppy for Christmas or a kitten for Christmas?
As much as I love pets I wouldn't want one as a Christmas present as I don't agree with it, if you want a pet then look to adopt a rescue one and make sure you are fully committed to it's care.

Watch Elf or Home Alone?
It would have to be Home Alone, as much as I love ELF I just howl with laughter at Home Alone.

Only be able to listen to Christmas songs all year round or never hear a Christmas song again?
All year round as I do love a good Christmas song and it just wouldn't be the same without them.

Wake up bright and early and get all of the best boxing day sale goodies or stay warm and cosy in bed wearing your new Christmas pyjamas?
Definitely stay in bed if I want to shop the sales I'll do it online from the warmth of my bed!!

I was meant to tag four people but as I have left this so late please feel free to take part if you fancy doing so!!

Happy Christmas!!

Le Petit Ballon Wine Club*

I am quite partial to the odd glass of wine or two, but I will admit that I actually know very little about wine. I am not a wine snob and I tend to drink whatever is on offer and once I find something I like I stick with it, so when Le Petit Ballon Wine Club got in touch with me and asked if I would like to try their festive wine subscription box I thought well why not! 

The idea behind the company is that Master Sommelier Jean-Michel Deluc has carefully selected all the wines on the site so all you have to do is subscribe and wait for your wine to arrive! 

I was sent two rather nice bottles of wine, one white and one red (which is great as I love white wine and my husband is rather partial to red!). 

The red was Bindi Sergardi La Boncia 2016 Chianti, and the white was Chateau des Bois Macon Milly-Lamartine 2015, which are both wines I have never tried before. Also included in the box is tasting notes for both bottles and this is where the box really shines for me. As someone who is clueless about wine these cheat sheets are a brilliant idea. 

On these sheets is information about the estate the wine comes from, suggestions for food to pair with the wine and tasting notes. There is even a guide as to how long the wine can be kept for (2022 in the case of these two bottles but with Christmas on the horizon I doubt they will last that long!!). 

What appeals to me is the easy to understand, jargon free way these notes are presented making it ideal for those like me who don't have a great knowledge of wine. 

Also included in the box is a little magazine called The Gazette which features recipes, tips and even wine trivia! 

Should you wish to try the service it works in the same way as most subscription boxes in that you can choose to skip a month or cancel at any time. For the box I received the monthly cost is £24.90 and there is an option for a more expensive box at £39.90 per month aimed at those who are more knowledgeable.  In order to find the wines that you will enjoy there is a wine profile for you to fill out which then helps to suggest wines that would be best suited to you. 

Should you wish to buy more bottles of the wine you have been sent then these can be purchased via the website and subscribers get a special lower price for each bottle. 

With Christmas fast approaching it also worth bearing in mind that you can gift subscriptions to the wine lovers in your life!

Overall I like the idea of this box as it has introduced me to wine I wouldn't have considered before and for will appeal to those who are just discovering wine and also to those who have more knowledge.

Bottoms Up and Chin Chin from me!

 

Hello.......

Well it's been awhile since I last blogged and you may have been wondering where I am (or maybe you weren't bothered- I wouldn't blame you if you weren't).

The truth of the matter is my time has been taken up a combination of my actual proper day job, studying for a jewellery related qualification and general life stuff which meant something had to give so sadly it was the blog!

So what have I been doing since we last spoke, well apart from working, studying and joining a mixed martial arts gym not much! Yes you read that right I have joined an MMA gym but that is a post for another day!

Anyway I'm sure most of you are here for the fashion and I will be honest that after what has felt like a few months in the wilderness and losing not only my mojo but also some of my confidence in the last month I have regained a sense of self so bought a new dress for my works Christmas party.

Disclaimer some of these photos were taken at my work place in the staff room before we went out!!

I nabbed this dress from Boohoo for the decent price of £22 and I am so pleased with it, I did pop a camisole on underneath from Primark as where the dress wraps over it was quite low and draped open when I sat down! I also treated myself to my first ever Scantilly bra from Curvy Kate in the black Friday sales and you can see some of the strap details under the dress. I was going to wear some shape-wear to try and smooth out my VBO but in the end I decided sod it there is nowt wrong with my VBO so ditched the shape-wear and got on with it!

Taking my new Voodoo Scantilly bra out for the night!! #scantilly #curvykate

A post shared by NattyNikki 💋 (@nattynikki) on Dec 1, 2017 at 11:53am PST

I had a fantastic night out we went to a pub called The Church, the food was great and the DJ played so many indie songs that I felt like I was a student again!

Sadly this dress is no longer online but there still lots of velvety dresses to be had!

Also huge thanks to Scantilly for finally making a bra that doesn't look like scaffolding but please consider expanding your sizes as I have had to squeeze into a 38HH which is slightly small in the cup but worth it for how the bra fits!

Hopefully I should be back soon and I intend to talk about being plus size and going to the gym!

Stay tuned!

Outfit August 2017 Day Twenty Five

Hello and welcome to Day 25 of Outfit August which means we have reached the end of yet another week and the end of August is getting near!!

Fridays in my office are usually a dress down day although to be fair we are never suited and booted in our office!

This was my outfit of choice, a New Look Curves top from last year and my old Simply Be Jeans which are the most high waisted jeans I have ever owned!! 

I am pleased to say I think my mojo is slowly returning and this outfit made me feel great yesterday (so much so that I wore it again today!!), the top is bright and colourful and got me out of the funk I seem to have been in. 

I think it also helps that the sun has returned and I have a lovely long bank holiday weekend to enjoy!

I hope you all have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend and that wherever you are the sun is shining!

Don't forget to check out the other ladies also taking part

Leah 
Kate
Mookie
Cathy
Christy
Becky  

Outfit August 2017 Day Twenty Three

Apologies but I am a day behind due to suffering a cluster of migraines this week which have knocked me about- but fingers crossed I am feeling better so hopefully I am on the other side!

Day 23's outfit is a lovely dress from Navabi which I chose last year after winning a giveaway!

Whenever I wear this dress to work everyone comments on it, and I always feel rather swish!

This is the only 'proper' wrap dress I actually own which isn't stitched together down the skirt, so it is all swishy when you walk and in the humid weather it allows the air to circulate!

I must admit that normally Navabi are a bit beyond my budget but I do appreciate their clothing and the fact that there is actually a retailer offering high end pieces in plus sizes. This dress is well made and quite heavy and for me is a piece that will stay in my wardrobe for many years to come.

Don't forget to check out the other ladies


Leah 
Kate
Mookie
Cathy
Christy
Becky  

Outfit August 2017 Day Twenty One

Well I'm on a roll two outfit posts in two days- yes I'm just as surprised as you are!!! The dress I have today I don't think I have shared on the blog before, I bought it from Becky (Does My Blog Make Me Look Fat) last year when she was having an epic clear out.

Given how I rubbish I have been feeling of late it was rather nice to put this dress on today for work and like the reflection in the mirror, hence the spam of photos!

This is a Modcloth Bea and Dot dress which when it comes to Modcloth I think Bea and Dot are my favourite as I find they fit well and are made to last.

My shoes are from Primark and were a lucky find on the end of an aisle all on their own so I grabbed them and gave them a loving home!

Hopefully this is the start of me feeling a bit better and fingers crossed I will be back again this week with more outfits.

In the meantime don't forget to check out the other ladies

Leah 
Kate
Mookie
Cathy
Christy
Becky  

Outfit August 2017 Day Twenty

Hello and apologies for the radio silence, after getting off to such a good start I suffered a confidence wobble, and this unfortunately led me to not wanting to blog.

Outfit August 2017 Day Five

Its time for Day Five of Outfit August and as I had an early start this morning to take husband for a MRI scan I opted for a quick and simple outfit.

Outfit August 2017 Day Four

Hello and welcome to day four of Outfit August and after a week of wearing leggings as the weather was awful I finally got my legs out today!

Outfit August 2017 Day Three

Welcome to Day Three of Outfit August and today's outfit is well a bit boring sorry! It's an old t-shirt dress from New Look as I wanted something comfortable for wandering around in.

Outfit August 2017 Day Two

Time for day two of Outfit August and the photos were quickly snapped in between rain showers- so much for the summertime!

There has been a lot of chatter in the plus size world about the brand Monki and the fact that some of their oversized items are generous in fit- enough so that I have seen bloggers upto size 28 wearing some of their items. It should be noted that Monki are not a plus size brand and are not advertised as plus size but due to the way the clothes are cut some pieces in the largest size they do (normally a size L) fit those of us in the plus size range.

Outfit August 2017 Day One

Once again it is August and that can only mean one thing- yes the awesome Leah from Love Leah is running Outfit August and as in previous years I have decided to take part!

Modcloth Library Assistant Dress

Hello I hope you are all having a lovely weekend, I got major sunburn yesterday at the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival so today finds me recovering!

I wanted to share with you a dress that I have wanted for so long and finally managed to find on Ebay and make it mine!

It is the Modcloth Library Assistant dress which appealed to me not only because I loved the dress but because I always wanted to work in a library!!

Feeling Giddy in Gilda OOTD

I am a very bad blogger as I have several outfits that I bought some time ago but never got round to sharing!

The dress in question today I actually bought from Lindy Bop earlier in the year when they had one of their flash sales on. It was a dress I had wanted for ages but I kept hanging on until it was reduced to a price I was willing to pay!

Days Out- Croft Castle

It's time for another Days Out post and this time it is the turn of Croft Castle.

This is the furthest property we have visited as it is situated in Yarpole which is Herefordshire and quite a drive from where we live.

Weekend OOTD with Navabi*

Hello I am finally back with a new outfit post- yes I know it has been awhile!
I headed out this weekend for lunch with my family as we were celebrating my birthday, my mums birthday and Fathers Day all in one!

Days Out- Coughton Court Alcester

We recently made our second trip to a National Trust property and this time we decided to try Coughton Court (pronounced Coat-un) as we drive past it a lot but had never visited.

Days Out- Packwood House Lapworth

As it was Mr S's birthday recently I treated us all to a family membership with The National Trust (I pay for it monthly to make it affordable). Most weekends we had reached the point where we were stuck for ideas on where to go as there are only so many times you can visit the same coffee shops!!

31 Outfits of May Days Seven and Eight

Hello and welcome to days seven and eight of 31 Outfits of May, I have doubled up today as I didn't have time to sit down and blog yesterday-blame my afternoon nap!

Yesterday we headed off to Studley Carboot which is massive and somewhere I love to go for a good mooch and of course a hotdog from one of the many food trucks!!

We had to be there for 8.45 to meet my in-laws so I just threw on a comfy outfit and away we went!

My jeans are of course my trust Evans skinnies and my hoody and top are both from Everything Five Pounds. I took a chance with these and I'm glad I did as the top is actually from Dorothy Perkins and the hoody is Evans so not bad for a fiver each! My trainers are Nike and were a really good find on Ebay for about £11 brand new!

Also a special mention for my Tardis necklace which I got as part of  a gift swap that I took part in!

We managed to find a second hand BMX bike for Oliver for £20.00 and of course he also came home with two more fidget spinners!!

Onto today's outfit and as I was tired this morning I just grabbed my old New Look T-shirt dress and Aldi leggings and off I went!

To be fair I didn't wear my trainers all day at work I changed when I got there into some ballet flats that are too flat for anything apart from wandering around the office in!

Excuse the photos but these were taken after work and I am flagging today!

See you tomorrow!