My Bestest Book

I am a big reader. I always have a book on the go (sometimes two!). I would seriously be lost without something to read and on the rare occasion I run out of new books to read I feel like someone has ripped my right arm off. About ten years ago my Nana gave me a copy of 'The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood' by Rebecca Wells to read and it became one of my most favourite books EVER. I can't count how many times I've read it or any of the other books about the deliscious Ya Yas. It's a story of friendship, coming of age, making mistakes, accepting that you've made mistakes and piecing your life back together when it falls apart. It's become a bit of a security blanket for me and I turn to it whenever if feel the need for a bit of comfort and familiarity. I feel like I know all the characters and it's like re-visiting old friends as I read the first page for the umpteenth time :) How about you guys? Any books out there that you read and re-read and never get bored of?

Let me know. I'm always after new reading material. God bless Amazon!!

Loola xx

Back to Nature

Sorry for the long break in posts! I've been driving the length and breadth of the UK trying to visit all my nearest and dearest before returning to Germany. 

For those of you that don't know, I have my own little mini-me. She's ten years old, cheeky, sassy, head-strong and opinionated. Every inch her mother's daughter! I read a really interesting article recently on 'better parenting' and normally I hate things that tell me how to be a better Mum because I firmly believe that how you raise your children, what activities you do with them, where you take them etc are dependent on the child but one particular point did have me nodding in agreement. This little nugget below:

'Let your kid get muddy, dirty, wet, and yes, gooey even. Kids need to touch, test, push and pull stuff around. If you're always there stopping them from touching what nature provides us, they'll grow to fear nature, dirt, and getting all gooey.'

I love that my mini-me regularly comes back from playing out covered in mud and grass stains with bits of twigs in her hair and a big smile on her face. And when we're down on the beach she heads for the sea regardless of what she is wearing, what time of year it is and what the weather is doing. That's not to say that I don't sometimes look at my laundry pile and want to weep....

The more I sat and thought about it the more I thought that this should also be applied to us grown-ups and I use that term loosely. I'm 29 but honestly feel no older than when I was 16 sometimes!! So we are going to make a pact. It's the 'GET GRUBBY' pact :) I know there have been times I have avoided puddles because my shoes might get wet. NO MORE!!

Jump in the puddles!!!

Wellies on - get out there and get muddy!

Make mud pies - remember the hours of fun you used to have doing this?

Dance in the rain.....

Take your shoes off and get sand between your toes.

And most importantly live by THIS quote - I know you've heard it before but, if you're brain is anything like mine, a little reminder now and then helps...

Love Loola xx

80s flashback

Child of the 80s, that's me. Ok so technically I was a little young to experience the neon fashions, the BIIIIIIG hair, the rainbow eye make up but hey, I lived through it too y'know! And so, ladies and gentleman, I give you....... Little Loola's 80s Flashback!!

Hula Hoops. Were these from the 80s? I have no idea but I do remember being given a bowl of these as a special treat when I was ickle.

Care Bears. This here is 'Cheer Bear' and I used to go to sleep sucking on his ear. Lovely!

Oh Penny! Does anyone remember these? I LOVED them and had the camper, house, tree house, ice cream parlour and and and and EVERYTHING!! Image from ebay. And yes, I'm bidding...

Button Moon! Man, I loved these little guys. Happy Days.

And a little bit of music to round it off....

I played this record (yes, record!) until my Mum threatened to throw it out of the window.

Mel and Kim - Respectable (1987)

And this was the first record I ever bought. All with my hard saved pocket money.... I apologise in advance.

Actually, I so don't...this is till a rockin' tune!

Laters!!!

Love Loola xx

Baggy Trousers!!

Last night whilst lying in my bed at my Mummy's (love being back in the UK even it is only for a week) I was flicking through LOOK magazine which those of you from our fair isle should be well acquainted with. It's my own little style bible and I buy it religiously every week. I love that it features clothes I can actually afford to buy and also clothes that I would actually wear! Apparently, one of the big trends for Autumn is going to be anything floral and faded and with this in mind I went and raided my Mum's wardrobe.... as you do. Imagine my glee when I discovered this pair of trousers - floral, faded and too small for Mum. SCORE!

I LOVE them! Please excuse my barely-there make up. And by barely-there I mean I didn't bother my arse to put any on. Ahem. Anyway, back to the trousers, if LOOK magazine had added 'baggy' and 'nicked off Mum' to their Autumn style predictions I'd be so fashion forward it might actually hurt a bit!! So now I have a slightly questionable but altogether comfortable new pair of baggy trousers to take back to Deutschland mit mir. Fanks Mummy!!!

Loola x

Not so 1950s Housewife

I LOVE the 1950s. The clothes, the hairstyles, the colours. I love all the pastel pinks and blues and the lovely lemons and I'm working on making my kitchen look as 50s as possible. It's not like I cook in it so I might as well use the space to store pretty stuff. I really am a hopeless cook. I'm not interested enough in food to spend hours slaving over a hot stove and on the rare occassion I do use my oven in the way God intended, I get distracted by a noise or a book and completely forget I'm 'cooking' until I get a wailing reminder from my over-worked smoke alarm. Bad, I know, but I do eat fairly healthily without having to have a constant battle with the chuffing cooker (who knows without a shadow of doubt that I hate him. Yes it's a HIM)!! But I figure thats no excuse for abandoning the homeliness. It's the first room you see when you walk in to my house so it still needs to look nice.

Photos of the 50's and 60's

View more presentations from egs.

So here's some stuff I've been drooling over....

www.countryliving.com

www.retroplanet.com

The most perfect tea towel ever? www.ebay.co.uk

www.grahamandgreen.co.uk

www.amysgifts.co.uk

www.Robertsradio.co.uk

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/

Cheers all :)


Love Loola xx