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The Lifestyle Lady
  • Home
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    • Skin Care
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Editorial

EditorialYou tube

100 Questions Nobody Ever Asks – Part 1

by thelifestylelady March 7, 2017

 

Howdy Y’all,

One of my YouTube subscribers said they wanted to know more about me (are they mad-lol.) She suggested that I complete the YouTube video titled above, so in an attempt not to disappoint I did as requested. So that the video was not a million minutes long I split it into part one and two, the second part will follow this in another post. I have never been good at sharing myself and who I am, to be honest I am shocked anyone would be interested but hope you enjoy. If you have any other questions please send them my way, you know how I love to hear from y’all.

Ta Ta for now.

 

TLL x

March 7, 2017 0 comment
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EditorialLifestyleOrganizing

A 15 Point Plan To A Better Week

by thelifestylelady February 6, 2017

a-15-point-plan-to-a-better-week

Howdy Y’all,

Happy Monday. Trust your weekend was good. Mine was lovely, Friday night was fun we had friends in for dinner and thank goodness my pizza worked. I can not tell how relieved I am, I have tried so many different pizza stones and baking sheets and finally Sur La Table came to my rescue, I see many a happy pizza night in our future. I also tried a new cheesecake recipe, this was not a baked, meaning I used gelatin. I have avoided gelatin like the plague because I have always been under the impression it was impossible to work with, I am pleased to say that is utter rot. I will now be making many a non baked cheesecake because I think they are delicious. Would you like me to share the recipe? Saturday was quiet, we took a trip to the park where Little L fell off the climbing frame and I tell you my heart stopped to see her fall so far, she was a little winded and her pride a little hurt but other than that thankfully she was unscathed. On Saturday night Mr L and I had a date night, we did our usual which involves a movie and dinner. We went to see Gold, which was super, Matthew McConaughey was first class, He really transforms himself. An added bonus is Edgar Ramirez and ladies if you do not know of whom I speak I urge you to google you will not be disappointed. A  movie we both enjoyed, we grabbed dinner afterwards at Blue Fish, goodness I love Sushi so great night all round. Now if you are American and have not been living in a cave you will know that Sunday was Super Bowl day in the USA. More importantly it was being held near the city in which I live giving me all the more reason to go to ground.

Today’s post is to talk about my Sunday routine. On reflection I am wondering if this might be better as a video, if you think so please let me know and I will record myself. I am all for making life as organized as possible, I like to put in place systems which make my week run smoother. I often find how effective I am on a Sunday reflects how much “me time” I get throughout the week. I had never really thought about it as a routine until last week when I thought I am repeating these things each week, over time I have added more and I have found my weeks have run smoother, I thought I have to share this. Let me preface these don’t have to be done on a Sunday, it could be done in anytime that suits your lifestyle. If I am busy on Sunday I will just make sure I do it on a Saturday.

  1. Put a washing load on first thing. This is usually for items that I do specifically once a week, Little L’s school nap blanket, my shower accessories, bathroom hand towels etc. Honestly all my laundry is usually done by Sunday as I do at least one load a day.
  2. Do my ironing. Sunday is ironing day I usually do it in front of the TV or YouTube. I love to have my laundry pressed and put away for the new week. I iron my bed sheets, I then place them in the correct rooms ready to be changed for the week ahead.
  3. Check and repack my daughters school bag. Self explanatory.
  4. Lay out her uniform ready for Monday morning and polish her school shoes. This makes the Monday morning start much less stressful and we have invested in her shoes so it is important to take care of them and for her to see me doing so because one day she will be doing it. Have I ever mentioned how much I love a uniform?
  5. Get my dry cleaning ready. I make sure the items are in the bag ready to leave by the front door.
  6. Check and clean out my car. This is a habit I love to do, I take five minutes to open each door of the car reorganize, empty the trash, give it a dust, check stocks, and empty the boot, which is bound to have some drink or cleaning items I had purchased but not placed in the garage. I enjoy doing this and I like my car to look clean and together. I get it cleaned in and out about once a month. It also reminds me to put more credit on my Starbucks card if necessary! Priorities!!
  7. Clean round my washing machine and empty the dryer lint tray. Very self explanatory.
  8. Meal Plan, I love to meal plan mainly because I hate getting to the store and thinking what shall I cook? I have an exercise book where I write my list, this has proved useful when I am in store and not sure if I have purchased something in an earlier week. I also add to the book throughout the week as items need replacing.
  9. Clean out my fridge. This is less regimented now since I have recently taken possession of a new fridge/freezer in my garage which has meant fridge real estate is at less of a premium, never the less this is a great habit to get into. There is nothing worse than a rotting avocado at the back of the fridge.
  10. Sit and arrange my planner, I take five minutes to look at appointments, enter any important information for myself or my family, enter my meals for the week and try to schedule gym time and blogging. I can also check any impending important dates that I might need to order or arrange gifts/cards for.
  11. Delete emails and check admin items. I have a confession I am very bad at deleting junk email, I let it fester. I have added this to my routine to ensure I keep on top of it. I also deal with any returns I may have, get them ready for the post office. I file any coupons I might want or need to use. I clean my electronics with a cleaning wipe, they get filthy especially with toddler fingers.
  12. Clean out my purse and repack for the week ahead. I remember a woman once saying you could tell how organized her life was by the state of her purse, that has stuck with me and I will confess that sometimes on a Friday it can look like a black hole, but I do love taking the time to get rid of receipts and snack wrappers, removing toddler cups and making it look together again. I check it is stocked and ready for those emergencies.
  13. Put a meal in my slow cooker. Often on a Sunday I will cook something in the slow cooker as our meal for Sunday with leftovers for lunch. If I have selected a non slow cooker meal I will make a soup instead. I love to have a home made soup on hand, either for lunches in the week or if a day runs away with me for dinner with toasties.
  14. Tidying and restocking items. I go into each room tidying and restocking, I like to water and feed my plants, restock baby wipes, refill stain remover sprays (trust me we practically drink this stuff I am always spraying rugs or clothes.) I often wiz about refilling coffee pods, the sugar bowl, putting teaspoons near the coffee station anything that will make the mornings run more smoothly. I often try to clean my makeup brushes if time allows!
  15. Bake something either for breakfasts or snack time. This can range from breakfast muffins to natural fruit flapjacks, anything my folks can grab or I can offer if people pop by.

I am aware that this list has made it sound a little laborious, I promise you depending on the size of my ironing pile it never takes more than a couple of hours and saves me so much time in the week ahead. Yes, it may allow me that extra thirty minutes to read a book or nap (no that is total BS I will never get to nap again but a gal can dream!) Do you have a routine? Something that you find makes life run smoother? I am always wanting to perfect it, I am considering adding laying my clothes out the night before and laying the table for breakfast but we shall see. Now I will confess I have weeks where I can not be bothered or we have plans and I don’t get through it all and my weeks don’t run so smooth, so I try really hard to make myself do these things and I confess it gets easier. I often will be doing the routine while wearing a face mask because I love to multi task and I do reward myself on completion with a hot bath and some well deserved me time!

That’s it folk. Enjoy your week.

Ta Ta for now

TLL x

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 6, 2017 40 comments
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EditorialFamily

The Alternative Christmas Message

by thelifestylelady December 30, 2016

 

Howdy Y’all,

Happy Friday, are you enjoying the calm before the storm of New Year. Yesterday was the first down day Little L and I had since arriving in the UK and we really needed it. Most of the time was taken reorganizing for the next few days of visiting. I often find this time of year very reflective, you think about what the year has brought you, whether you have met the goals you set etc. I think I can quite honestly say that 2016 has been annas horribilis both personally and globally. I am not one to harp on the negative but try and see light through the dark times and I am making a conscious decision 2017 will be better. This morning while I was reaquaniting myself with the world and global affairs I sat and watched this video. I will reiterate the point I have made about this blog not being political this is not my motivation, but when I come across something which touches me and makes me reflect on humanity and our thoughts and deeds towards others I want to share with y’all. This video was the alternate Christmas message offering created by Channel 4. For those of you not from the UK or Commonwealth, each year on Christmas Day the Queen delivers a message to her subjects about the year, Channel 4 offer another message. This years message was delivered by Mr Brendan Cox, Mr Cox is the husband of MP Jo Cox (Member of Parliament) who was tragically murdered in June. She was stabbed and shot by a man shouting “put Britain first.” Mrs Cox has left behind her husband and two young sons, despite all the hardship and devastation this family has faced Mr Cox delivers to me a thought provoking, articulate and heartbreaking message about the world in which we now live and how we can make 2017 better. I urge you to take the two minutes required to watch the video and to consider his message.

To you my friend, reader, subscriber I wish you a very Happy and Healthy 2017.

Ta Ta for now.

TLL x

December 30, 2016 1 comment
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Editorial

Merry Christmas

by thelifestylelady December 24, 2016

Howdy Y’all,

I am writing to wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Christmas. I can not express to y’all how blessed I am for your friendship, kindness and comments you leave when visiting my little space on the web. I am so touched that people take the time to read and watch the little content I make. For me Christmas is all about the Four F’s,  Family, Friends, Food and Faith. I am so blessed to have all four bases covered, I do not take it for granted that I am sharing the festive period with much loved family, when you live so far  you learn to appreciate the times you are all together, the same goes for good friends, Mr L and I are always grateful when we can visit friends and pick up where we left off, that feeling of shared experiences and a deep rooted friendship. Christmas is always about excess and good food and wine in abundance,  I never underestimate the hours of effort that go into all that yumminess, Christmas dinner is the one meal I look forward to most all year! Plus who doesn’t like left overs? Finally faith, obviously it is the most important time in the Christian calendar but for me when I visit home it enables me to attend my childhood church and the church in which Mr L and I were married, it allows me to take comfort and renew my faith which after this year I need.

If you are interested in how we spend our Christmas please watch here. However you are planning to spend the next few days and whatever your traditions and customs  I send you and your loved ones warm wishes for a very Happy Christmas.

Ta Ta for now,

TLL x

December 24, 2016 2 comments
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EditorialYou tube

Getting To Know Me Better!

by thelifestylelady December 13, 2016

gtky

 

Howdy Y’all,

Happy Wednesday! I am so pleased that many of you have enjoyed the TV adverts post, it is so good to take five sometimes and be entertained. I feel like I am hearing lots of sad news recently, it makes me so grateful for all that I have and how blessed I feel. I am going to make sure this holiday season that I enjoy the people I am sharing it with and ensure I rejoice in the small things and make treasured memories. One thing lots of people have contacted me about is getting to know me better, so I thought how can I do this? Attached was the results. Please watch and I hope you get to know and understand me a little better.

Ta Ta for now.

TLLx

December 13, 2016 1 comment
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EditorialLifestyle

My Secret Christmas Obsession – TV Ads

by thelifestylelady December 12, 2016

bing

 

Howdy Y’all,

I do hope your weekend was great! Did you do lots of holiday shopping or are you all done? I can finally say we are DONE!! We had a special Sunday sharing an Anglo- American Christmas with friends. Now that we are in full Christmas mode I wanted to share with you one of my favorite Christmas rituals, British TV adverts. To my US readers the UK goes all out in the festive advertisement stakes, they are not adverts as you would expect, (displaying merchandise) no they are a works of art often with a heartfelt and moral message. Each year the competition for the most original, heartfelt Christmas advert has grown. It is amazing how much money these large stores throw at it, but it works people speak of some of the classics like this and this still today. I have loved watching this years with Little L and if I am feeling a little blue I put them on and they bring such a smile to my face and a tear to my eye. It is all to easy to get swept up in the commercial aspects of the holiday season and forget what is important, after all it is not the perfect turkey or gift which makes special memories it is the people you share it with. So in true LL style pour yourself a drink and be entertained. If you are pushed for time I urge you to watch Heathrow’s or Marks and Spencer’s both are entirely brilliant. Heathrow might be my fav by a small margin simply because the message resonates with me so much. Please drop me a comment about which was your fav.

  1. John Lewis Advert
  2. Heathrow Airport Advert
  3. Marks and Spencer Advert
  4. Sainsbury’s Advert
  5. Apple Advert

 

Ta Ta for now,

TLL xx

December 12, 2016 3 comments
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EditorialLifestyleYou tube

Christmas Time

by thelifestylelady December 8, 2016

 

Howdy Y’all,

Happy December! How are you all doing? Frantically running around like a headless chicken trying to get everything done? Well that has been me a little of late, since I have been sick with a chest infection since the beginning of man, my to do list is longer than the Mississippi River. I am trying my best to remain swan like as I plough through, after all it is not about perfection- right? I am quite sure that me being sick and many of the other women who I know who are suffering is because they are intent on running themselves ragged. It has finally got cooler in Texas, I may line dance in celebration which has me feeling it is a little more like the festive season. To try and further get myself into the holiday spirit I have recorded this video called the Christmas Tag. So grab a cuppa or a tipple and enjoy.

What holiday traditions do you love? Let me know.

Enjoy.

Ta Ta for now.

TLL x

December 8, 2016 3 comments
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EditorialLifestyleYou tube

November Favorites 2016

by thelifestylelady November 29, 2016

 

Howdy Y’all,

Trust your Thanksgiving was full of family, friendship, fun, great food and thankfulness. We had a wonderful day with great friends, the only Debbie Downer is that I have been down with a chest infection which has seen me slowly deteriorate since Thanksgiving. I was not going to let a little sickness keep me from Black Friday, but alas I had game at the start but by lunchtime poor health and crowds had me beat. I think I am over the worst, it is days like the last few when I really feel the distance from family. It would be great to be able to have my mum care for Little L so I could crawl back to bed. Hey- Ho I am still here. I have been lucky to have good friends who have helped me out. I hope to share with you some of my Black Friday finds, although the majority of my buys came online. We did manage to get a few Christmas decorations up this weekend and I will share some photo’s with you soon. I really love this time of year and I really need to be operating on all cylinders, so more drugs for me. The video is about my November Favorites, it covers lots of things I have loved this month, like The Crown, have you seen it? I adored it. What did you think?

Thanks for the support.

Ta Ta for now.

TLL x

 

 

November 29, 2016 1 comment
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EditorialFamily

Happy Birthday Little L &Wth World?

by thelifestylelady November 7, 2016

Howdy Y’all,

Firstly happy Monday, this post is late today because I spent most of last week sick and this weekend was about my daughter and priorities. Yes she is another year older, three today,where have those three years gone? We have done lots  I have aged what feels like a century,but bizarrely it feels like only yesterday I was driving with Mr L and Mummy L to the hospital. That little 7lb 3oz bundle of love is now a very sassy, independent, sweet, funny and bright young lady. She lives for Disney Princesses and Tutu’s but loves Lego and bricks. I feel this year acutely because we only moved a few months ago and don’t have the infrastructure that we have had in previous years. (It takes time to make friends!) This meant we didn’t have a party, although our great friends came for tea yesterday and she had a ball. This is the Debbie Downer for the way we live, it also hurts that she is far away from family and long term friends, but one has to “suck it up.”

I have been in a reflective mood this week, (which often happens in birthday season.) I am concerned about the world Little L is growing up in. It seems so apt I am feeling this way, when my daughter is celebrating her birthday the day before history could be made, with the US potentially electing its first female President. I have never made this blog political and I don’t wish to start. Those who know me personally will know I have held an elected political office during my lifetime, so it is a passion of mine. I have always welcomed healthy debate, differing opinions, educated and informed reason. I have dreamt of the time when being a women would not be noted in political office because it would be the norm. That has not come as quickly as I imagined, frankly I think it is disgraceful it has taken till 2016 for a major contender for President to be a women. I do not think the gender, ethnicity or sexuality of a person should determine whether they are fit for office, more their moral grounding, experience and work ethic. Here I face my problem. I want to be excited that potentially for the first time in my life and Little L’s young life we could see women running three of the major Western nations. I want Little L to see that the glass ceiling is smashed, I want her to see that the world is her oyster, but my problem is that I want her to see these things and be able to achieve these things not by degrading herself in a process which has no moral compass .

As a mother I work and try hard to teach Little L right from wrong, to be kind to others, be respectful and understand why someone is being mean. I try to teach her that often when people do something unkind it is because they are hurting or unsure. It is very difficult to teach these lessons when the potential leaders of her nation have such blatant disregard for these simple lessons. Honestly how low can people sink? I am very proud to be a guest of this country, I am often touched by the friendly and welcoming nature of my friends and neighbors, good people, people like us trying to teach their children decent values for which humanity should stand. I am genuinely disturb that my three year old hears the kind of vocabulary and slurs which have been used this campaign season in the regular media. Words and accusations that I can not even type they are so disgraceful. Even in my neighborhood (and it is a very decent one) there has been vandalism of peoples property which my daughter could see and heated dialogue about sign stealing. I think this has been the most hostile and angry campaign I have seen in my lifetime. Why can people not have healthy debate? Why is it not ok to disagree with each others ideas but still remain friendly and show each other respect? When did it become ok to vandalize, steal and shout abuse at people?

I hope after tomorrow whatever the outcome people can accept the result, move forward in peace and unity. I pray the same thing for my own country with Brexit, the country spoke and the majority rules, it may not have been my wish but part of being a grown up is accepting outcomes and moving forward. After all “you win some and you loose some.” For Little L’s sake I do hope we are not faced with another campaign of personal disrespect and anger. It is so disengaging. I believe so many people have been turned off by this constant news cycle of slurs. For young people this is not ok. I mentioned earlier I wanted to raise Little L to be socially responsible and interested in international development,it worries me that this sort of behavior will cause apathy and disinterest and ladies lets remember what women went through to get the vote. We want a youth engaged, energized and caring about the worlds future. So I pray perhaps naively that after tomorrow we can move forward together standing together, upholding the simple lessons which  we teach our babies.

So sorry this turned into a little of a tirade, but it has been bubbling away. I’m off now to wrap the last of Little L’s presents and to fetch her from preschool, it is raining today and she has been so tired with all the fun of the weekend. I think we will curl up with a new movie on the couch, I am going to cuddle her (if she lets me) and try and relive this special time three years ago, when I was given my greatest blessing and teacher ever. I’m going to hug her and keep her warm safe and young for as long as possible, so that she doesn’t have to be exposed to some of the dark offerings which have been displayed in these past few months.

Ta Ta for now.

TLLx

November 7, 2016 4 comments
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EditorialLifestyle

Friyay – Links & Loves

by thelifestylelady October 14, 2016

Howdy Y’all,

Yay it is almost the weekend and I am not sure where this week has gone?!  What is it about this time of year but during the last quarter time appears to speed up, who else feels like that? I don’t wish to scare you but someone told me this week that it is ten weeks till Christmas. (Wth?) This season is always the busiest with Halloween, Little L’s birthday, Thanksgiving and then Christmas, so being as organized as possible is always important to me. My new Emily Ley planner and Rifle calendar are already getting populated for 2017 and my current ones help keep my life on track. My parents kindly gave me some money for my birthday and I decided to use on this. FabFitFun has had wonderful reviews and will certainly being reviewing here.

I found this lovely jeweler recently I like her collection. So pretty.

I bought these this week and am so impressed. They made muffin baking so much easier and Little L loves the rainbow colors.

We are still waiting for Fall here in Texas, well my friends in Dallas tell me it is cooling down there just not in Houston. I am excited to wear plaid shirts and booties I got a taste of cooler weather on our recent trip to New England, goodness it is so beautiful. So I am waiting with eager anticipation.

We have date night this weekend, we tend to always opt for a movie, which I love. Has anyone seen The Accountant or Girl on the Train? I loved the book and I love Emily Blunt but I am unsure about the US setting as the book is set in the UK and not sure how they will make it work.

Happy Weekend Y’all

Ta Ta for now

TLL x

October 14, 2016 11 comments
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ABOUT ME

ABOUT ME

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Hi I'm Kate, Thanks for stopping by my small corner of the web, here at TLL I indulge my love of all things lifestyle, from cooking to travel and fashion to interiors, all served with a healthy dose of British sarcasm. So pour yourself a glass of something delicious, put your feet up and take a nose about. Enjoy Kx

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