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Family Time, a New Page-Turner and Treacle Tart #LittleLoves

I was going to start by saying it’s been a nice week but in reality, it’s been raining quite a bit and the husband has had man flu (say no more). I’ve also done my back in, probably due to me forgetting an Osteopath appointment last Friday, but the less said about that the better.

So why has it been ‘nice’? Time to share my #LittleLoves for this week…

Read

Try Not to BreatheI’ve started a new book and have made time this week to read a little bit every night before going to sleep.

‘Try Not to Breathe’ is a debut novel by Holly Seddon and was lent to me by a friend. Right from the first page, I was hooked. If you enjoyed ‘The Girl on the Train’, you’ll love this. It’s easy to read and a definite page-turner.

Watched

I’ve spent this week catching up on all the TV series we are currently obsessed with – The Fall, The Missing and Ordinary Lives being three of them. We finally watched episode 6 of The Fall and whilst that particular episode was exciting (and very, very gruesome) I was utterly disappointed by it. The whole series felt so drawn out, as though it all could have been explained in one episode. Did you watch it?

What about ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’? I’m so loving the jungle team this year! And of course Ant and Dec always make me smile. The thing I love most about this show, is that it gets every one of my children out of their bedrooms. It’s probably the only programme that we actually all enjoy watching.  With teenagers in the house, you’ve got to grab the family time when you can!

Heard

I’ve had the mindfulness app ‘Headspace’, downloaded on my phone for months. After numerous recommendations from different sources, I actually tried it out for the first time yesterday. Just 10 minutes of sitting on my own, focusing on the moment and I actually felt incredibly relaxed (the man’s voice was very soothing so that helped!).

The jury is still out as to whether I will be able to incorporate this into my daily schedule (I’m notorious for trying new things then giving up on them) but I can definitely see the benefits. Headspace allows you to try out 10 sessions before signing up – clever marketing.

Are you a fan of mindfulness?

Wore

You may remember that I had a wardrobe purge not so long ago. I’ve enjoyed re-stocking at my leisure and this week, bought a cute little sweater from ASOS. I love the subtle but ever so slightly Christmassy addition of snowflakes on the elbows.

Asos Jumper

Made

We had friends round for dinner at the weekend and I cooked! Why the exclamation mark? Because I NEVER cook when we have friends round. We enjoyed Coq au Vin, followed by my absolutely favourite pudding of all time – treacle tart. And I even made the pastry myself. Is it ok to be impressed by your own skills?

treacle-tart

And Lastly…

I think what has been so ‘nice’ about this week, is that I’ve managed to balance the solitude, family time and socialising, quite well. I don’t often manage to get it right – I usually find that I’m out of kilter somewhere – but over the years, I’ve got to know myself and what I need. As a family, 2016 has been a difficult year but I finally feel as though we are turning a corner and I think I’m getting the old ‘me’ back again. I hope that’s a good thing!

littleloves2

Inside, Outside & Beyond

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13 COMMENTS

  • Halina Vie Choufleur

    You should definitely be impressed by that treacle tart, it looks delicious! I wish I had the patience to make that type of thing. Love the jumper, I’d never thought of having elbow details but it’s a lovely little touch. Hope you have a great weekend 🙂 #LittleLoves

    • Suzanne W
      AUTHOR

      ASOS is a huge fan of the elbow detail! And treacle tart will be made again very soon I’m sure 🙂

  • Morgana

    Well done on the balance Suzanne. Like you I find this so hard and often fail miserably.
    Loving those cute snowflakes on your new jumper. A lovely subtle way of injecting a bit of Christmas into your outfit.
    I must admit I’m not a fan of I’m a Celebrity (I know! I’m very much in the minority on that!), but I reckon if I had teens and it got the whole family together I’d be up for it. We find it hard finding things that we all enjoy and my girls are still small! xx

    • Suzanne W
      AUTHOR

      I know that I went off ‘Im a Celeb’ when my kids were younger – you’ve got to pick and choose what TV you watch! But yes, it’s mainly because we all enjoy it – family entertainment. I’ve never got the balance cracked completely, I go through phases but at least know what I need and recognise when it’s off balance for me. x

  • Not A Frumpy Mum

    I love the jumper, the snow flakes are really cute and perfect for the season. I’m in the middle of a wardrobe purge at the moment and trying to be ruthless and not hang onto things hoping they’ll one day fit or be back in fashion!
    Well done on the cooking, your Treacle Tart looks delicious. xx

  • So pleased to hear you’re getting the old you back!
    You have every right to feel proud of your baking skills – I would be very proud too.
    I’ve never tried mindfulness. I must admit the word irritates me, but there’s a part of me that wonders if it would actually be good for me. I spend a lot of my life on edge and worrying for no real reason so it would probably be worth a try.
    We love I’m a Celebrity too. Like you, we can get the whole family watching at once. Well, apart from my daughter because she has to go to bed a bit earlier, so she ends up catching up the next day.

    • Suzanne W
      AUTHOR

      Same thing happens here, unless my son manages to stay quiet and no one notices him! I usually let him watch half of it. I know what you mean about finding the word annoying, I do a bit too. Worth a try but persevere with it, I think.

  • Stacie

    Your treacle tart looks delicious! You should definitely be proud of that! Glad you’ve found a book to enjoy – I love a good thriller. I’m currently reading The Widow, another page turner. Enjoy your weekend xx

  • Plutonium Sox

    Ooh getting the balance right is living the dream to me! I also get very envious of you and Sarah MO3W finding the time to read. I look forward to that when my girls are both in school. Love the showflake jumper!
    Nat.x

  • Love the look of that treacle tart! Well done. Do you have a recipe? The jumper is lovely, love the snowflakes on the elbows. I need a wardrobe purge! I’ll add that book to my list of Little Loves recommendations, I loved Girl on the Train so would be interested to read that too. Hope you’re having a good week x #LittleLoves

    • Suzanne W
      AUTHOR

      Honestly Kimberley, it’s so easy to make! Not sure I can right it down here but I’ll try. Either make shortcrust pastry or buy it. The filling is 3 oz of breadcrumbs mixed with golden syrup and lemon juice. That is it! You can actually guess the quantities for the filling, that’s what I usually do. Tastes so good 🙂

  • Emma

    Well done with the new blog, lovely jumper, body/mind/life balance, but the big question…..did you make your own custard?!?

    • Suzanne W
      AUTHOR

      I hate custard Emma, so no! Have I let the side down? x

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