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Read - Why not brush up on some classics? There are so many great books available for free Online because they’re out of copyright. Check Project Gutenberg for a comprehensive selection. Reading off a computer screen isn’t great, but hey, they’re free!
Watch – Indulge your inner geek and watch The Guild. A web-series about a group of gamers who meet in real life after playing Online together for ages, it’s hilarious, especially if you know a World of Warcraft addict or two!
Make – Waffleberry Pudding, it’s so easy and so delicious! I’m sure soy custard could be used in place of the creme fraiche + egg mixture to make it vegan too. It’s a great use for the several boxes of frozen raspberries that are taking up far too much room in my freezer!
Treat Yourself To – Some Sugarpill eyeshadow. Shrinkle’s new line has just launched, and I, like many, have been waiting for it. There’s some gorgeous, bright colours available and I’m planning to place an order as soon as I get paid. Use the code “hello15″ to get 15% off!
Participate - In Gala’s month of Radical Self-Love (also see her vlog post here). I think this is a really lovely idea!
How are you spending your week?
Virgin Experience Days and Marriott Hotels are offering blog readers the chance to win a delicious meal for two. The competition is open to people all over the world, so for entry information, please follow the link to the new Competitions and Giveaways section!
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* Grape-flavoured anything! * Finding what appears to be my perfect vintage messenger bag on eBay – I hope it’s as good as it looks in the photos * Finally starting to understand Land Law properly * Supermarket deliveries – a real life-saver this week! * Reading trashy magazines on trains * Satsumas * Geeking about Lost * Relaxing with the boy’s copy of Wired UK (I’d have subscribed myself if he hadn’t) * Finally managing to choose an essay topic I’m happy with * Lovely blog comments * Chocolate-filled pancakes * The news that the UK is finally getting access to the full Palm Pre app catalogue (in March, but still, good news) * Getting to try on a £200,000 diamond ring – that definitely counts as sparkle! *
What’s making your week sparkle?
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I haven’t posted a meme in quite a while, I couldn’t resist joining in the fun!
If I were a month, I’d be January.
If I were a day of the week, I’d be Friday.
If I were a time of day, I’d be 5:30pm.
If I were a planet, I’d be Mars.
If I were a sea animal, I’d be a Shark. (well I am studying law!)
If I were a direction, I’d be West.
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If I were a piece of furniture, I’d be a Bookshelf with sliding ladders.
If I were a liquid, I’d be a Mint Julep.
If I were a gemstone, I’d be an Opal.
If I were a tree, I’d be an Oak.
If I were a tool, I’d be a Swiss Army Knife.
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If I were a flower, I’d be an orchid.
If I were a kind of weather, I’d be a Thunderstorm.
If I were a musical instrument, I’d be a Theramin.
If I were a color, I’d be Red.
If I were an emotion, I’d be excitement.
If I were a fruit, I’d be a strawberry.
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If I were a sound, I’d be the sound of a coffee machine brewing.
If I were an element, I’d be Fire.
If I were a car, I’d be a Mazda RX7.
If I were a food, I’d be Umeboshi.
If I were a place, I’d be home.
If I were a material, I’d be lace.
If I were a taste, I’d be umami.
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If I were a scent, I’d be the smell of fabric conditioner.
If I were an object, I’d be a flash drive.
If I were a body part, I’d be the eyes.
If I were a facial expression, I’d be a shy smile.
If I were a song, I’d be The Everlasting.
If I were a pair of shoes, I’d be big stompy goth boots.
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via The Fab Brunette let me know if you decide to post it too!
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Indulge – Instead of dragging yourself out food shopping, be lazy and have it delivered and order yourself something indulgent you wouldn’t usually have!
Make – A TV chef recipe! Preferably something that really made your mouth water when you saw the show. This week I’m planning to make (sorry to any vegetarians / vegans) the Hairy Bikers’ Lancashire Hotpot and Delia’s Carbonara.
Listen – To the music of your formative years. Find all the stuff you used to listen to as a kid on Last FM or Spotify, etc., and indulge in a little nostalgia!
Read – The Wikipedia article of the day each day, it’s amazing what you can learn and what interesting topics you can find yourself clicking through to if you do this regularly!
Watch – Skins – the show that always leaves me very thankful for my very conservative family and relatively “tame” childhood!
What do you have planned for the week ahead?
Yes, you read that right! I can’t speak for people in other countries, but for those of us living in the UK, it’s hard to find a home-delivery cupcake company if you don’t live in London.
A couple of days ago I had a real craving for cupcakes and, lacking the time to make any, decided to investigate bakeries that deliver to me. There were a few options, but they all hand-deliver and delivery would cost more than the cakes I wanted to order, so not particularly practical unless it’s for a celebration and thus, a nice large order. So, on a whim, I decided to look on eBay and actually found quite a few bakers willing to send cupcakes through the post.
So, being the girl that I am, I picked the cheapest and placed an order for these beauties! Now, ordering cupcakes for postal delivery is not for those who are easily upset by excessive packaging! These were individually wrapped in clingfilm, boxed, then the box was inside another box full of bubble-wrap. They still arrived a little squashed, but completely fresh and ready to be eaten!
 I’d already eaten one by the time I remembered to photograph them
The verdict? Yummy! Sweet and delicious with the best buttercream I’ve had in ages, certainly better than I could have made (I always lose patience when making buttercream, and mess it up) and arrived two days after I placed the order (baked on the 26th and posted yesterday). I totally recommend Redcaz’s cupcakes to anyone who fancies a little indulgence by mail! She does other flavours too, and larger cakes, as well as lots of craft items I haven’t even had time to look at yet, but I just wanted to post and really recommend these! I meant to save a couple for breakfast tomorrow, but I ate 4, the boy thoroughly enjoyed the other two, and if I wasn’t trying to be healthy at the moment, I’d get straight Online and order another flavour to try.
Can you recommend any mail-order cupcake sellers or other purveyors of delicious baked treats?
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* Trying new energy drinks * Finally getting the shower fixed so it drains properly (it’s been playing up for weeks) * My Senseo machine – my morning coffees have been essential this week * New blogs to read * Getting a great price for my old phone on eBay * Checking things off my to-do list * Law subject “Key Facts” books – I can see they’re going to be a revision lifesaver already! * Messing around with the blog layout – I’m not 100% happy with it, but getting close! * Being proved right about (good) things – it’s always nice! * The marked improvement in our home Internet connection * Working hard and feeling good about it * Managing to pack light for this weekend *
What’s made your week sparkle?
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Here’s this week’s suggestions on how to add a little extra sparkle!
Read: Alright Tit, the blog of an exceedingly talented writer all about her experiences being diagnosed with cancer at 28. Seriously, give it a read, even if it really doesn’t sound like your sort of thing, you’ll be captivated by the archive in no time.
Make: Sugar Cookies! The perfect simple, delicious treat, and almost as importantly, great fun to decorate!
Try: Meditation, someone has suggested it to me as I have trouble shutting my brain off at night, it takes me ages to get to sleep as my thoughts are always racing. The Change Blog has some tips.
Watch: Series 3 of The Secret Diary of a Call Girl starts on the 28th and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s funny, sexy, dramatic, and Belle has some really fabulous outfits! It always makes me want to go shopping for really beautiful underwear!
What are your essentials for this week?
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Happy Thursday! It’s past mid-week and the weekend is only a couple of days away! This week I love:
* eBay – I’ve managed to get some great bargains this week, mostly on things I needed to buy anyway, instead of the usual impulse purchases, so for once eBay has legitimately helped me save money instead of spend it!
* Raw Chocolate – I doubt I could do the raw food thing, not without coming into a fortune and becoming a lady of leisure, but raw chocolate was recommended to me as I love dark chocolate. It’s an absolutely delicious treat, if it wasn’t so expensive I’d be a new convert!
* Asian Supermarkets- There are (at least) three in my town and I swear, I don’t know what I’d do without them for quick meal ideas and healthy snack food (and Pocky)! Though the boy thinks I’m odd for taking a tub of pickled daikon to crunch on at work!
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* Big Love- Someone mentioned it last week in their TiLT (my apologies, I can’t remember who) and I realised I hadn’t seen past season 2, so I’ve been catching up!
* Sleep – After a few weeks of coughing like a 40-a-day smoker it’s nice to be (almost) sleeping normally again. Though it’s really difficult to get up in the morning at the moment! Can’t wait for my weekend lie-in!
* Other – Playing Saboteur and not being tooterrible at it, Cajun flavour seed mixes, Cadburys Creme Eggs (not sure what I think about them being sold to Nestle though), watching kittens being cute, fresh coffee.
What’s making your week sparkle?
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I’m trying out a new idea this week. Each Monday I will post a list of ideas for the week ahead, including something I believe it is important to do this week, a celebrity birthday / historical as an excuse to chill out and “celebrate” by appreciating a movie or record, a blog or website to read, etc. I hope in time this will grow into something rather awesome!
If you do one thing this week: Donate anything you can afford to the Haiti Earthquake Appeal.
Read: GOOP - Gwyneth Paltrow’s beautifully-designed website full of all manner of interesting articles. Although it doesn’t appear to work in an RSS reader, you can sign up to receive all new posts by email instead.
Celebrate: Pink Floyd’s The Wall hitting number 1 in the US today in 1980. Make it your soundtrack for the day!
Make: Rich Tomato Soup with Pesto, because winter calls for delicious hot comfort food, and what could be better than soup?
Watch: Well, we’re spoilt for choice this week since most of the US dramas that didn’t re-start last week start up again this week. If you watch one UK show however, make it Being Human. A drama about a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost living together, it has a brilliant sense of humour and Aidan Turner as Mitchell, the vampire, is more than a little nice to look at!
Comments and suggestions are always welcomed, but since this is a new feature I intend to write regularly, your opinions would be especially welcome right now!
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