The Weekly Happy Edit

The 5 happy things showcased in the news this week...

1. Shrek and Smurf: The Rescued Coloured-in Kittens 

These two gorgeous little kittens were rescued by police when investigating a house in Bradford. They are now being cleaned well cared for and well be ready for happy new homes very soon!

2. Paralympian's Stolen Bike Returned

Tim Farr is a British paralympian with a huge personality. So, it is no wonder that when his £5000 specially-made bike was stolen from outside his house, a crowdfunding site for a new one raised nearly £2000. Well, this money will now be donated to charity as his bike has been recovered from a pawn shop after being sold for just £150.

3. Gene Therapy Reduces Sight Loss

Sight-loss is undoubtedly an incredibly difficult disability to deal with. A new and recently proven therapy now represents hope for thousands of those who would otherwise become blind from the rare disorder called 'choroideremia'. A treated patient said of the therapy 'it has opened a new chapter of my life for me when I thought that the book was about to close'. 

- Jonathan Wyatt

4. Mother Reunited with her Kidnapped Son 22 years on

Zou Qixiu was reunited with her son who disappeared from their home in 1994 at the age of four years old. He was abducted my human traffickers and sold to another couple. After recently having his own child he thought about the anguish his mother must have suffered and still be suffering. He got in contact with 'Baby come home' website and tracked down his mother. His parents were illiterate so could only do what they could to track him down which including going door to door. There were huge celebrations on his return.

5. Disney to make Maleficent, Mary Poppins and Jungle Book Sequels (and Cruella)

Any release of a Disney movie is good news to me! Fortunately, we have four to keep us busy. There will be a Marry Poppins sequel starring Emily Blunt, a Jungle Book and Maleficent sequel (starring their original casts including Angelina Jolie) amd to top it all of a brand new 101 Dalmations spin-off called Cruella. They also confirmed further future releases- in 2017, 2018 and 2019 which should be more than enough to keep our thirst for Disney quenched.

Have you had any happy news this week?

ARW x

A week of healthy office lunches

I have a confession. I never, ever make and bring lunch to work. I have another confession. I am terrible at Maths. I am of the opinion that these two statements are directly related. This is because when I employed the help of my not-so-mathematically challenged colleague, I worked out just how much my daily lunch splurges were costing me. The grand total was around £2600 yearly. Not to mention all the calories I must be gorging on every single day!

Here is how we worked it out for the skeptics. 

Average daily lunch/ breafast/ snack spend: £10 

Average weekly spend: £50 

Average monthly spend: £200

Average yearly spend: £2600 

Which in normal people terms equals most of this:

LUX hotel, Maldives, Private Pool Villa, £690 per night

Larson & Jennings, £225

Chritian Louboutin, £575

YSL, £1350

The problem is I just want to be lazy when I get in and whats-more I hate whatever lunch I do bring in. So, I challenged myself to a week (well, everyone needs a Friday treat) of healthy and easy work lunches. Here is how it went. 

Monday

Feta, cucumber, avocado and edamame bean salad with feta and simple dressing. Gluten-free pita chips with taramasalata 

Tuesday

Lean turkey slices with cherry tomatoes and cheddar, cucumber snacks. Hummus and pretzels, berries and protein flapjack.

Wednesday

Leftovers: quinoa and currant salad with a butternut squash and broccoli salad (tomatoes and avo in for good measure). Sour cream and onion corncakes, pear slices and shortbread. 

Thursday 

More leftover quinoa with spinach, sweetcorn and feta. Hummus crisps and homemade cinnamon balls with blueberries.

Fri-YAY

Okay well not quite a week...

Comment below with any tips you have to help me continue with this healthy habit!

ARW x

Weekend Home Sense Haul

This weekend was an incredibly special weekend. This weekend marked my first ever visit to HomeSense. I went with my boyfriend to get ideas for his new flat but I soon realised that HomeSense is a lot more than just cheap interiors! For those who don't know, HomeSense is the sister company to TK Maxx. Imagine Anthropologie, then imagine Home Bargains, then imagine they had a baby and you have HomeSense.

Homesense gives you that feeling of picking up a pair of oven gloves in the exact colour of your kitchen and turning them over to find they are only £2.50 at Home Bargains, combined with the little rush that you get when you stumble across beautifully hand-painted Indian coasters in Anthropologie and are forced to watch slightly more of your paycheck disappear as you enter your pin than you would have liked. It really is the best of both worlds.

The entire store is laid out like a little journey through an eclectically designed house by sections of what you would find in certain rooms. The entrance is made up of little glass squares, each filled with happily discounted treasures.

As you begin your journey, you chance upon hand-stitched Moroccan stools, little lanterns and glasses that come labelled as handmade in India, Scandi-style mirrors and vases of silk flowers.

You  wade through the mix of furniture and paw over the dozens of rugs...

My exploration on the first floor culminated among shelves and shelves of scented candles, beautiful books and, best of all, the stationery and arts and crafts.

And a party section that could have been straight out of one of Lauren Conrad's chic blush pink and gold glitter celebrations. 

   

With a basket loaded with candles, an Italian lifestyle book, other trinkets and a very unhappy boyfriend trailing behind me I trotted off upstairs...

Upstairs I was met with a health food and European deli food collection boasting fresh Italian pasta and French soupe de poissons, It was even complete with a tea corner (who doesn't love herbal teas?)

Delving further into the nooks of upstairs I stumbled across a selection of sherbet yellow mini Le Creuset pots. Think individual bubbling potatoes dauphinoise or miniature thatched apple pies at your next and most impressive dinner parties! 

The plates and bowls came in a mismatched collection of blues that could rival Anthropoligie's bowls that I am always lusting after.

Tupperware, cake decorating goodies fit for Mary Berry and even bobbles...

Finally my journey came to an end (mostly due to my boyfriend's complaints) in what I can only describe as the being inside someone's bathroom cupboard section, where items ranged from hairbands to rubber ducks and everything in between. I bought some 'celebrity favourite tan' from James Read and a konjac sponge. Both these little extravagances made easy purchases due to the slashed price tags.

I would definitely recommend bringing one of these along to carry your bags and hurry you along.

There is nothing better than laying out all your beautiful finds when you get home. Mine included:

- A little box for my jewellery, keepsakes and those loose bits that never seem to have a home in my room

- A tupperware lunch box with a separate pot for my salad dressings or dips

- Calming blend of tea from the English Tea Shop

- An avocado and mint luxe scented candle which says 'hello beautiful' and 'you are my inspiration' inked in gold foil

- A little DIY set to make things such as labels and gift wrapping

- Dark chocolate covered cashews

- A ginger and sea salt 3-wick soy candle

- An Italian coffee table book with recipes and interior inspiration

- A konjac sponge to use with my face wash

- Raw chocolate with Goji berries

- James Read body tan 

All for under £60. James Read tan alone is usually around £35! 

So if I were you, I would pop along to your nearest HomeSense as quickly as you possibly can. Here you will find all the information on your local store: http://www.homesense.com/find-a-store

Also, a little blog update- I am now going to be posting Monday, Wednesday, Friday evenings! Who doesn't need a weekend break?