If I had £100... The Argos game

One of my favourite games to play online is something I like to call 'The Argos game'. You can either set yourself a monetary value and pick things up to that amount or, my favourite version, is to kit your whole house out with new furniture, regardless of costs.

I set myself a challenge of spending £100 in Argos, and decided that I really want to re-do the spare bedroom in my house into a proper dressing room with a better desk and a cleaner colour theme. I even came under budget! 

This is what I picked.

All totalling £96.95!

Now just to save my pennies and get it all bought.

Steph xxx

Seeing Saturn

This week we went camping to Kielder for Kev's birthday so I thought I would tell you all about our adventure.

We arrived on Thursday afternoon and after putting up the tent (in about 2 minutes, hello pop up!) we then played cards for about an hour and then headed over to the pub about 3 minutes walk away and had ourselves some burgers and some pints at the Anglers Arms. While we waited for our food we were joined by some pub dogs who sat with us for a while. 

Me and Kev then must have slept for a good 10 hours each. After the first 3 hours we were let down by our air bed, there was no visible punctures but nevertheless we were laying on the floor. 

Friday morning we started the day at the pub for a breakfast with our favourite puppies. 

Then headed up to the Kielder Castle, which wasn't really much of anything. So we went for a drive, first to the Kielder lake dam, which is the birth place of the Tyne, it's pretty spectacular to look at.

We then found a viewing point, which you could see for miles but it was pretty drizzly so the pictures weren't that great.

On a whim we went on a trip to Hawick to see Kev's auntie Carol and her husband Derek, we'd attended their wedding just over a year ago. They didn't expect us showing up but treat us to our dinner at a Spoons. It was a lovely afternoon. 

Instead of staying overnight we decided to pack up the tent and go home after the event we were going to that night.

The observatory was really the main reason which we went to Kielder, I'd booked us a place on the 'deep space observation' event at the observatory. Kielder is in a dark skies protected area, which means that there is a strict red light policy so there are no streetlights, no house lights visible and very few car lights. The observatory is miles away from everything so there's no light pollution at all. It means that at night there's SO many stars visible to the naked eye compared with at home. It was extraordinary. I think my most used phrases were 'oh my god' 'that is amazing' 'I am in awe'.

In the evening I saw SATURN with my own two eyes...

I saw the Whirlpool Galaxy

I also saw a cluster of stars which were 23 million lightyears away called M13

I would recommend ANYONE going at all, no matter what understanding of space and science you have. Kev could talk your head off about space, whereas I have a general understanding of space. We both got a lot out of it and thouroughly enjoyed ourselves. We 100% want to go again.

Steph xxx

Our house, in the middle of our street

As promised, my house tour. We got our blinds fitted and now I'm so house proud so I'm gonna show it off.

 

We use our back door more than the front so this is what you would see when you first get in the house.

This is the massive freezer which I got from freecycle and (probably as you can see) its huge. When it's empty I can get in it and shut the lid!

Moving down from the dining room onto the living room and the sideboard, again another freebie, this one was from gumtree.

The couch looks massive because it's a corner couch with a cushioned footstool pushed into the crevasse to create.... MEGACOUCH (the footstool, free from freecycle)

Not enough shoes live under here

Hello Kev! Along with his Lego PC case which he built last week.

Snuggle kitten :)

It's quite plain but I'll get there at some point.

And finally my little dressing room/spare room. All my make up strewn all over the place. I'm going to move the bed soon and get a new dressing table and make it look cleaner and more welcoming.

That's my little house and I'm so happy with it and the area and living with my fiancé :D

Steph xxx

We ought to have a catch up

So, it looks like I have been AWOL for abut a year now. In that time a lot of this have changed so I thought it would probably be rude of me if I didnt catch you all up on the things tht have happened.

To make things easier for myself, I will try and bullet point all the main things that have happened and then in true blogger fashion then follow these up with some photos to demonstrate and show you all these things that have happened.

Here goes.

1. I have moved jobs, working in the same field as before however a lot more specialised. Apparently I do alright as the team I'm working in have been winning the bonus giftcards. 2 months in a row so far. All the treats for me!

We had a Hawaiian themed Thursday not too long ago

Thanks work!

2. Me and Kevan are still together only now we've moved house! We're still living in Newcastle though so I can continue to be a fake Geordie.

This was the state of the house when we just moved in

 

3. We got a brown little hamster and called her Brown Bear but she only lasted 2 short weeks before I came downstairs and she had died, so sad.

4. We got a kitten, called Jonesy. As in the cat from Alien. She was supposed to be a ginger cat but the opportunity arose for this little black and white beauty and I couldn't resist. My hopes is to get another little one and call her Ripley.

5. I can't remember if I ever mentioned this the last time I was here (I don't suppose I did as it happened last September) but me and Kevan are now engaged, but plans for a long engagement are in place because when we get around to saving for a wedding I really want to do it right.

6. Last year bother my grandparents passed away, actually come to think of it last year was really unlucky for me so hopfully my luck is turning around.

We got this card delivered the day after my Granda had died which means one of the last things he did was write the card for us to congratulate us before he passed. Something to treasure.

 

7. I've also joined a gym (not the first time mind you) and am really on a health kick now. Really trying to get in shape and get healthier. The last time I joined a gym I could count on 2 hands just exactly how many times I visited. I've really been enjoying it think time around and I think it's all to do with the people at work who have all been going together and also that the actualy gym is on the way home from work so I have no excuse when I pass it, but to go in.

8. I've also became a redhead again, and got new glasses. Love it!

Im planning on doing a house tour when we get our blinds fitted and we don't have ugly curtains up, can't wait to show you my lovely little home.

Nice catching up!

Stephanie xxx