Afternoon Movies, Happy Memories

Anyone who knows me will know I have a bit of a Disney thing going on, not in a weird I dress like Tinkerbell thing, but Disney World is my Happy Place and I'm lucky enough to have been twice. One of the favourite things to do in our house on an afternoon off is to veg out on the sofa and watch movies and even though we have DVDs, most of the time we stick with whatever is on telly. So sitting down this afternoon I was very happy to find the film Cars on. Its one of my favourites. I also have a bit of a car thing and sometimes wistfully think of doing a Route 66 road trip or maybe the California Coast Highway, bypassing the highway and sticking to smaller roads, finding long forgotten American towns that only exist in my head on the way.On our last trip stateside I had bought my OH a Nascar driving experience as a birthday pressie and when I see the racing on Cars, it makes me smile and remember him whizzing round at 140mph with a big grin on his face. I still hear the loud rumble of the engines as our son and I watched, lurching from being half terrified he might crash to hugely excited as he went faster and faster. So this afternoon I am snuggled down on the sofa, with the cat, watching Cars, and remembering happy times xx

Alternative Easter

In a previous life, I was a chocolatier. I used to make handmade truffles in many flavours and sell them at local farmers markets. The very first market I did was Matlock, and on that first day I met a fab girl called Meg who was selling the wonderful handmade soap her mum makes. Hearts and Homespun is the name of the business and Elaine makes the most wonderful smelling soap without any horrid chemicals. I used to spend ages just standing by her stall sniffing the soap trying to decide which one to take home. This weekend, I will be catching up with Elaine at Wirksworth Farmers Market and will be buying some of her amazing egg shaped bath bombs. They come in different smells and make a great alternative to chocolate as a gift this Easter. They are also available at Bow Boutique in Matlock, another favourite 'happy hunting' shop. Click here for the link to Hearts and Homespun Facebook page. Hope they make you happy too xx Lizzie xx

Those ooooh moments

If I am looking at a page in a magazine, I will instantly pick out the most expensive thing as the one I love, this knack I blame entirely on My Aunt. On the other side of my personality, I can get deliriously happy from a packet of Milk Duds ( like old fashioned chewing nuts but American). That's what this blog will be about, things in every day life that make me happy, that give me that 'ooh' feeling and send a little smile to my face, even if I'm having the day from hell, and I hope it will do the same for you. I'm the kind of person that will buy magazines but only flick through them looking for interesting stuff. I love wandering round shops whether its the supermarket or lovely boutique shops in an interesting city to find food, clothes or random things that I need in my life, even though I usually change my mind 5 minutes later and don't actually buy them. Living on the edge of The Peak District I am surrounded by fab craft shops, boutiques and markets as well as great little towns full of amazing cafes and bakery's. We have great farmers markets full of the best local produce and artisan producers who dream up wonderful creations to tempt me. So I hope that some of the things that make me happy will do the same for you, whether its an expensive bag I have seen in a magazine, a hotel with free standing baths or a recipe for chocolate brownies. xx Lizzie xx