Get to know me Tag

Hey everyone. I'm back.... I have had some problems with internet so all my internet time was taken up with my degree but its all sorted now. 

I  thought I would kick start my blog with a Get to know me Tag. So here we go:-

The Questions:

Basics: 
Name  Grace Carter
Nicknames  Gracie, Gracia
Birthday  26/01/1987
Place of Birth  Worcester
Star Sign  Aquarius
Occupation  Boots Fragrance Consultant ( Waiting for qualification)

Appearance: 
Hair colour  Dark Brown
Hair length  Long
Eye colour  Blue/Green
Best feature  Eyes
Braces I wore braces for 1  year when I was 17 but my retainer didn’t fit as I bit down when mould was being taken.
Piercings Ears
Tattoos Yes a phoenix  on my right shoulder blade.
Righty of Lefty Firsts: I was born left handed but my year one teacher made me write with my right hand so I’m now ambidextrous.
Best friend : Cheesy but true  ..my fiancée Paul.
Sport I like to play different sports but I don’t follow any.
Real Holiday: We went to Orlando, Florida last year and it was amazing. We can’t wait to go back for our honeymoon.  We will be going to sea world and bush gardens.
Concert: I have never been to a concert.

Favourites: 
Film : Ooh this is difficult- Bride-wars, all Harry potter films and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.
TV Show : Friends, One Born Every Minute
Colour Red or Blue
Song : Too many to mention
Restaurant: I have not been to many and don’t have a favourite.
Store : Boots of course!!
Book : The Harry Potter series
Magazine ; OK
Shoes : Uggs for comfort my leopard print heels for fashion.

Currently... 
Feeling : Relaxed
Single or Taken: Taken.. we have been engaged for 3 years together for 5.
Eating : Cornflakes.
Listening to : You tube songs
Thinking about  Our Wedding in 2015
Watching The Biggest Looser Australia.
Wearing Jeans, slipper socks, and a t-shirt.

Future: 
Want Children : Yes, I like even numbers but I think two is not enough so four I think.
Want to be married Yes.
Careers in mind : I am loving my job on fragrance and would like to be a fully qualifies fragrance consultant. Who knows what else the future brings.
Where do you want to live: I enjoy living by the sea so I’ll stay in       Kent.

 Do you believe in: 

God :  Yes, I have been brought up LDS.

Miracles : Yes

Love at first sight : Yes

Ghosts : Yes but wouldn’t want to see or hear one.

Aliens : Not sure

Soul Mates : Yes.. I have found mine. 

Heaven Yes

Hell  Yes

Kissing on the first date : No

Weightloss re-start

Hey everyone, now all the Christmas food has gone its time to do my re-start.

My re-start consists of meals from scratch, walks with Vinnie and no junk food. Then we will buy a wii u and I will use that every day. I have an active job and I am on my feet for 8 hours a day constantly. 

The reason for this re-start is that I have never been happy with my weight but I couldn't afford to buy good food as healthy food is expensive. Now my wedding is on the horizon I want to loose it once and for all.

Take care x 

Wedding Planning

Hey everyone, we have been talking more about wedding plans. We are currently looking for a wedding cake baker. I didn't realize how much difference there is between suppliers. Paul and I have been attending wedding fairs for two years and at our first wedding fair people said they had bookings for September 2015.  Yet when I inquired with a baker today they said they didn't know what they would be doing that far in advance. That far in advance, are you mad that's only 18 months away.  Needless to say we will not be using that supplier. 

My one piece of advice today will be, prioritize your suppliers. What is most important to you? Search out that supplier first and don't settle until you find exactly what you want. 

Blogger Challenge 2014: New Years Inspiration

Hey everyone. I would first like to apologize for failing Blogmas, I had a few problems which meant I couldn't get my laptop to type properly and a bunch of other things, but I will do it for 2014. 

Happy new year! I am writing this post as the first post for the Blogger Challenge, the title is New years inspiration.

I chose this quote as it reminds me of several things. Firstly we should always have dreams or goals to motivate us. Secondly that if we want these dreams or goals to become reality we need to work hard at them.

Take care x

Blogmas Day 19: Labels and Stereotypes

Hey everyone, I wanted to talk to you today about labels and stereotypes.  I spoke to and helped a great Irish couple today. They were the nicest customers I spoke to all day. There was a store detective watching them the whole time and it makes me sad as they had no intention of stealing anything and spent hundreds of pounds with us. It was the fact of where they are from of the community to which they might belong that meant they were watched like a thief. I didn't  realize my shopping center had the store detectives but the poor male customer did,as he said he gets it everywhere he goes. 

I would hope we could move on from prejudice and embrace different people not assume they are something they may not be.

Take care x  

Blogmas Day 18: Boots Star Gift Early release NO 7 Ultimate Collection

Hey everyone, next weeks Boots star gift has been released early! It is the No 7 Ultimate Collection. 

The Ultimate Collection is an exclusive set of the best No7 beauty staples. This great gift set contains everything  you need to feel great in your own skin.  No7 is exclusive to Boots and is designed and manufactured by them. 

The gift Contains:

• No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Day Cream (50ml) 
• No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Night Cream (50ml)
• No7 Blissful Body Wash (200ml)
• No7 Completely Quenched Moisture Lotion (200ml)
• No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Lotion Normal/Dry (200ml)
• No7 Beautiful Skin Dry Skin Rescue (50ml)

If you have not tried No7 yet now is the time to do it. The gift set is better than half price at £32 from £65.

Also if you have not had the Boots foundation Match Made service get yourself down to a large  Boots store now.  Its free and will be the best 5 minutes of me time you will have all week. The No7 consultants are specially trained and will find the perfect colour and texture for your skin. A reasonable price for a perfect product!

Take care x

Blogmas Day 17: Get to know me Tag

Hey everyone, I thought it would be fun to do the Getting to know me Tag. Some members of my family read my blogs and they might not know all off these answers. Here we go:-

Get to Know Me Tag 

The Questions:

Vital Info:

Name : Grace  Carter

Nicknames Gracie, El Graco ( thanks Barb)

Birthday  26^th January 1987

Place of Birth  Worcester, Worcestershire

Star Sign  Aquarius

Occupation Boots Customer Assistant, Business Owner

Appearance: 

Hair colour : Usually dark brown

Hair length  Long

Eye colour  Blue/ Green

Best feature : I like my eyes the best as they are such an unusual colour. 

Braces I did wear braces but when they made my retainer I bet down so it was not the right fit for my teeth. I could never get them on so some teeth have moved back. 

Piercings  My ears

Tattoos Yes a phoenix on my right shoulder blade.  

Righty of Lefty Firsts: I’m ambidextrous 

Best friend  I have a few close friends but my best friend is my  fiancée Paul

Sport  I like to play sports but not watch them.

Real Holiday I love a holiday that has relaxation, adventure and fun.

Concert I have never been to a concert.

Favourites: 

Film  Ooh this is hard The Tourist or Robin Hood Prince of Thieves

TV Show  Friends OR Keeping Up with the Kardashians

Colour Red or Blue

Song Too many to say just one!

Restaurant We don’t really go to restaurants but I do like Tobey Carvery.

Store I love Boots!

Book  the Harry Potter books all 7

Magazine  I like to read OK, it has fashion, beauty and celebs

Shoes Uggs

Currently... 

Feeling I am feeling hopeful for the future.

Single or Taken Taken

Eating Chicken Kiev with home-style chips and peas. 

Listening to Michael Bubble Christmas Album

Thinking about Christmas and  our Wedding

Watching The Saccone Joleys- I love this family so much. I have never met them but I feel like I know them so well. 

Wearing Black jeans and blue jersy top. 

Future: 

Want Children . Yes I would like 4.

Want to be married. Yes and the date is set!

Careers in mind. I would love to be a teacher or run my own business. 

Where do you want to live in the UK or USA.

 Do you believe in: 

God. Yes

Miracles  Yes

Love at first sight  Yes

Ghosts Yes but I never want to see, hear or feel one. 

Aliens Yes but I am not comfortable about it. 

Soul Mates  Yes

Heaven  Yes

Hell Yes 

Kissing on the first date . No 

Anything else you want to know, ask in comments below:-

Take Care x

Blogmas Day 16: The true meaning of Christmas

Hey  everyone! Christmas is a special time of year. I have always loved Christmas as it  is a time for families to get together and show each-other how much they mean to them. Of course I love to buy gifts for my friends and family and receiving them is lovely too but this is not  the true meaning of Christmas. The true meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. 

I am not going to preach to you so don't worry! I am a Christian and have been all my life. Therefore I think it is important to remember Jesus at this time. I want to show you that the traditions or things we do at Christmas have meaning and history behind them. 

We give gifts in remembrance of the three Kings and the gifts they gave Christ. 

The angel on the tree is a symbol of the angel Gabriel and the angels that announced  Jesus birth.

There are more but lets not over do it.

Take care x

Blogmas Day 15: Which Christmas Sweet Tin

Hey everyone, one great thing about Christmas time is the sweet tins that come into the stores. The question is, which one do you like best and why. I am going to list the contants of the two most traditional ones in this post;-

Roses

I used to have these as a child as my Dad's favorite was the coffee one but when the coffee one was taken out my parents switched to Quality Streets.

• Brazilian Darkness - A chewy toffee square with pieces of brazil nuts, coated in dark chocolate. I love this as it is different from the rest of the sweets in the tin and  there is not a bar like it on a regular shelf. Something special for Christmas. 

• Cadbury Dairy Milk - One  square of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate divided into two squares 

• Golden Barrel - Milk chocolate in the shape of half a barrel, filled with caramel.

• Caramel Velvet - Cadbury Caramel piece, with added truffle inside.

• Caramel - Cadbury Caramel Toffee piece, Hard toffee in cased in Cadbury Dairy milk Chocolate.

• Country Fudge - Rectangular fudge piece, coated in milk chocolate.

• Hazel in Caramel - Crescent-shaped milk chocolate with hazelnut plant engraving on top, filled with caramel and a hazelnut 

• Hazel Whirl - Dome-shaped milk chocolate, patterned with spiral twirl, with hazelnut in centre.

• Strawberry Dream - Square-shaped milk chocolate with strawberry seed engravings on top, filled with strawberry-flavoured cream fondant .

• Tangy Orange Creme - Square-shaped milk chocolate with orange engraving on top, filled with orange-flavoured creme fondant .

• Coffee Escape - New for Christmas 2013, Cadbury have re-released the soft coffee centred chocolate. Go on Dad you know you want to!!!

• Signature Truffle - New for Christmas 2013, this is a truffle encased in milk chocolate. Finally a tin with a truffle in ... bad decision by mars to remove it from theirs!!

Quality Streets

This is a good family all rounder, I have a few favorites in this one

• Milk Chocolate Hazelnut with caramel.
• Chocolate Noisette Pate (Hazelnut Triangle). This is creamy and smooth. I love praline and this is just the same.
• Chocolate Toffee Finger .
• Toffee Penny.
• Vanilla Fudge. Simple yet satisfying. 
• Strawberry Delight.
• Coconut Eclair. Like bounty but not so sweet.
• Caramel Swirl.
• Milk Choc Block.
• Orange Crunch .
• Orange Creme.
• Toffee Deluxe.

Let me know what your favorite is in the comments box below.

Take care x

Blogmas Day 14: Poems

Hey everyone, I wanted to post some seasonal inspiration. As I still don't feel good and Paul is still typing up and posting my blogs, I wanted to share some Poems I have been reading in bed. 

Our Christmas

Christmas came early for you and for me
Christmas with no gifts to open
Christmas without any yuletide tree
Christmas with words of love spoken
Christmas was walking to York hand in hand
Christmas in awe at the Minster
Christmas togetherness was just what we planned
Christmas was chaffed legs and blisters

Christmas was cups of tea served early morn
Christmas was being together
Christmas was loving from dusk until dawn
Christmas remembered forever
Christmas was driving through floods for the view
Christmas ‘our planning’ was starting
Christmas our Christmas meant so much to me
Christmas our bitter sweet parting 

Stephen Holland

Christmas is Here

Christmas is here
Christmas is here
Christmas we waited
All this year.

Christmas is joy
Christmas is joy
Under the tree
Is an all new toy.

Christmas is hope
Christmas is hope
Let us all skip
The spinning rope.

Christmas is peace
Christmas is peace
It always comes
With amazing grace.

Christmas is light
Christmas is light
Streets and homes are
Shiny and bright.

Christmas is here
Christmas is here
Bringing everybody
Near and dear. 

Tirupathi Chandrupatla

whats Christmas

Christmas isn’t about toys
Christmas isn’t about money
Christmas is about giving food to the needy
Christmas is about loving your family
Christmas is to get time to spend with your family

What’s Christmas
Christmas is about the holiday
Christmas is about loving what you get
Christmas isn’t about sending cards

Christmas is about love 

Jeffery McNutt

Take Care x

Blogmas Day 13: Dog Commands

Hey everyone, I wanted to write a post on the 5 commands I think are absolutely important to teach your dog.  It is important to try and keep your commands to one word accompanied with an action. 

 Leave - One finger held up ( as if you were going to take it to your moth and say shhh)

Leave it is the basic dog training command you use to tell your dog not to pick up something he's approaching. It can prevent him from eating something harmful. It is also helpful if you have children so you can teach your dog not to eat or touch their toys. 

 Drop with hold hand out in a cup shape in front of the dog.

Training a dog to drop it ensures that he'll let go of anything he's picked up in his mouth. I also use this for playing ball so I don't have to touch the ball as  I use an arm.

 Sit - Point to the floor

The sit command is usually the first command people teach their dogs. It is a  basic, but important command.  It can be a safety command or simply tells the dog to sit down so you can accomplish a task. 

 Down- Flat palm move in a downwards motion.

The lie down command is important for several reasons. It can calm an excited dog down. He will settle when you have visitors and will be a comfort for him too. It also can stop him when he might be trying to misbehave.

 Stay/Stand

The stay command is useful in a number of situations. It can keep your dog out from under your feet, or it can save his life by preventing him from running into dangerous situations. Also you may want to dry off your dog and this is not easy to do if he is sitting or lying.

Take Care x

Blogmas Day 12: Boots Star Gift Soap and Glory Yule Montey

Hey everyone, this week Boots star gift is the Soap and Glory Yule Monty. Boots have really thrown a curve ball as the last few years this gift has been the last one before Christmas but the rumour is that now the last one will be No 7. So this gift is very exciting, it contains 9 full sized products from the fabulous Soap and Glory range.  I have this gift on my list at £ 27 down from £60 we will have to wait and see.

The gift set includes:

§  Sugar crush body wash soap & glory's super fresh sugar crush body wash (which doubles as bath bubbles) mixes mouth-watering kaffir limes, sparkling lemons, sweet vanilla musk and coconut oil. Energizing, revitalizing – it’s an instant wake up call for tired minds and bodies, with coolcapsule x to cool and refresh, radiance-boosting kiwi water juice, and a super creamy suds  moisture-boosting base. Your skin will be left soft and you will be eenergised and ready for the day.

§  Righteous butter body cream award winning body butter with softening shea butter and aloe vera. Use this after a shower or bath and lock in the moisture, your skin will be soft and smooth.

§  Heel geenius foot mask  renovates rough feet in a single overnight session, doubles as a foot cream, and will give even the roughest of cuticles a run for its money. Featuring allantoin, glycerin, macadamia oil, menthol, bilberry, orange and lemon fruit acid smoothers. If your feet take a daily battering, give them a little rest and rejuvenation. Get ready for the Christmas party season and show off your beautiful feet!

§  Hand food hand cream contains shea butter, macadamia oil and marshmallow . Smells beautiful and keeps hands soft and looking their best.

§  Peaches and clean face cleanser want to remove make-up and impurities in one clean sweep? Reach for soap & glory’s indispensable daily face cleanser, peaches and clean™. It’s gentle, effective, melts away make-up (even waterproof mascara), and re-energises your complexion in two minutes.  The soap and glory  oxyginseng technology - an amazingly effective, organic complex that helps increase circulation and cell respiration (which then turns up blood supply and toxin removal), and also speeds oxygen and nutrient delivery to fight aging and re-energise skin. Their fusion peach & gojuice™ (peach and goji berry extracts) - rich in antioxidants and vitamins a & c. Give your face all the nutrients and minerals it needs to fight off the winter weather and stay looking fresh.

§  Thick and fast super volume mascara this super volume mascara creates amazingly, longer, fuller, fabulous lashes. Featuring superfill™ false lash fillers, shine amplifiers, noflake24 technology and super-fine no-clumps natural wax film formers. Flutter those long gorgeous lashes ladies!

§  Scrub of your life  body buffer  it’s thick, it’s foamy, it’s fantastically fresh, it’s satisfyingly stuffed with just the right ratio of scrubbing beads.  Polish away the dead skin, encourage cell renewal and blood flow to prevent or reduce cellulite.

§  Butter yourself body lotion fruity body moisturiser containing exfoliating ahas, orange waterjuice™, shea butter, peppermint oil & fruitliquid fig. Fancy a fruit explosion, smother yourself in this rich body lotion and take your senses back to summer!

§   Sexy mother pucker lip pumping gloss in pink out loud.  A super-sizing, extra-strength collagen lip shine for plump smooth shiny lips.

§  The huge toiletry bag that can be used for storage of bathroom items, make up or even an overnight bag.

Do you have a favourite Soap and Glory product, let me know in the comments box.

Take care x

Blogmas Day 11: Vlogging

Hey everyone,  I am planning on re starting my vlogs soon, as I have not been very well at the moment and actually have no voice right now. Once I am back to  normal I will relaunch the vlogs yey!

Here are a few topics I am going to Vlog about please feel free to add anything in the comments you want me to talk about:-

Christmas traditions

Wedding venues

Dog training

Flat re-decoration and make over

Christmas Crafts

Take care x

Blogmas Day 10: Wedding Talk

Hey everyone. We have been talking weddings at my house. We are getting married in 2015 and it has occurred to us that we need to start paying deposits and making wedding payments. This is our order of priority:-

The Venue

The Photographers

The DJ

The Other forms of entertainment ( surprise)

The transport.

We have a dilemma we are trying to solve which is where to hold the ceremony. I  have been brought up LDS and  Paul and I have attended several times and feel it is the right church for us but for complicated reasons we will not be regularly attending until after we get married. 

We need to decide if we will get married in an LDS church or in a C of E church. There are pros and cons for both which I will discuss in more depth in a later post. 

Blogmas Day 9: Family Christmas Gathering

Hey everyone, on Saturday ( 7th December) we had a family Christmas gathering and it was great. We booked the express Inn from 2-5 and paid for food to be provided. The food was great quality and very generous portions. The function room is nicely decorated and has a private bar.

It was great to see everyone and we have all agreed that we should have a meet up twice a year one in summer and one in winter. 

Family is so important and we want to really get to know everyone again and keep it up. My only regret is not having presents for everyone but we are going to be better organised for next year and I have a few things  in mind already.  I love all my family  and will see you all soon!

Take care x

Blogmas Day 8: Job update

Hey everyone, I wanted to give you a quick job update. I am loving my fragrance job! It is amazing how much you learn every day. I now know where most the perfumes are  and which ones are popular with each age rage. 

This weeks favorites are Hugo Boss bottled night ( for men) and Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy ( for women ). Both are on offer at boots at the moment but Midnight fantasy is half price at £9.99 for 50ml! 

The fragrance star offer is Hugo Boss Orange for men and the Hugo Boss Orange Gift Set for women. Both great gifts  better than half price this Christmas.