Happy New Year

It's the last day of the year, that day where you look back on what a year you've had, all the ups and the downs. What you've achieved and who've you spent it with and although right now I'm feeling rather lonely as I'm spending mine alone 100s of miles away from my family, close friends and boyfriend who I've spent every new years eve with, I thought I'd join everyone else and reflect on the year I've had.

I celebrated my second anniversary with my gorgeous boyfriend Khaled and my true best-friend. We act like a married couple, it's extremely entertaining for anyone else around. We got to go on our first little trip together & hopefully will get to fly away together next year!!

 

I successively finished my second year of university, after dragging myself through everyday of exams. And I learnt energy drinks are not the answer. Time and preparation are. Let's hope I don't make the same mistake in 2016, ayyy?

I also managed to get a job in the Levi's flagship store as soon as the new year started, not everyone can say they've done that. And manage to get my job back after leaving for 3 months for summer, I can't be that bad?

I attended my elder sisters hilarious hen do & watched her get married to the love of her life! I couldn't be happier for her or my brother-in-law, Shane. However unfortunately for him, she comes with the package of having me as a little sister. Although I've grown up, I'm sure he'd still vouch he has the oddest sister-in-law he could've wished for.

I became godmother to my precious niece Shakiah, who I love more and more each day!! Her smile is everything! But I can't forget my cheeky niece Ayeisha, who has probably made me laugh the most this year. A proper character, some would say she's similar to me.. pffft. If she is, she's pretty fortunate right?

I went on the best road trip ever with my girl Kathy!! Definitely a high light of this year! And we got to see all our favourite people and explore! I love how spontaneous it was and how enjoyable every second was! As I'm sure most of you could tell from my previous blog posts.

I coached Devon Youth Games and my girls came first!!! I was soooo proud & it showed me why I love netball so much. It brings people together and is so much fun.

I went to Greece for the first time with my university girls! Explored every beach bar and tried every strawberry slushie there was!

I also got to seeeee Michael McIntyre with my boy & Shrek with the parents & Khaled!! And finished the year on a high with my family for Christmas!!

So now it's time to say good bye to 2015 & Hello to 2016! The year I turn 21 & finish my degree!

LETS DO THIS.

The Third-Year Stint

We're edging closer to Christmas and third-year has truly begun. We are no longer at the point of finding our feet. We are now fully delved into what is third year. Some people have already submitted their first piece of coursework, whereas some of us don't have to submit until January (that'll be me). Which I'm extremely thankful for, however don't think I haven't got my fair workload. Dissertation is in full swing. And my ethics proposal has been officially approved so I can start collecting my data! Which I guess is kind of exciting - in a weird geeky way. I'm also preparing for work due in the new year, as this year I feel like we're getting more support and feedback before our final submission dates. Unless I was just completely unaware of this last year? Which could be possible.

 I spend a lot of my time being in denial. 50% of the time I tell myself I can do this & then the other 50% of the time I'm telling myself I'm an idiot and even trying my best will not be good enough. So you could say it's not exactly fun being me. But I'm hoping at this point you're reading this feeling like you're not alone. Last year I spent a lot of time feeling disappointed with my grades, never feeling like I got the grade I deserved. However this year I'm sat in the library at least twice a week trying to stop this from happening again - it's actually where I am right now. I've managed to get the work & university work life style balanced. Or so I feel at the moment. I feel organised and motivated to do well. However getting some feedback on my preparation on my dissertation has set me back a little and I guess this is why I'm writing this. I hate how I can completely set myself back. I genuinely sometimes feel like staying in bed and just not bothering to move, because even if I do move anything I do will be a waste of time. But I need to stop these negative thoughts. I need to remain on my positive path and remind myself why I'm here and that I truly do deserve to do well. At the end of the day I've made it this far, so what's 6 more months. Fuck. That sounds scary. Maybe I won't remind myself of the time I have left.

Regardless of the time I have or don't have, I am truly determined to succeed. I feel like I've been successful so far. I'm trying not to hide away from the facts, for example, deadlines etc. I'm carrying on working even when I feel like shutting my laptop and getting in my bed. I'm going to the library to try even if I only write a paragraph. And that is all I can do, try. So here goes to a crazy, roller coaster of a year. A year full of emotions. Sometimes I'll cry of happiness and I'm sure somedays I'll cry of anger. But one thing is for certain is I'm not going to give up.

If you get this far, I hope you're having a good day and have enjoyed the read. And remember one thing never give up on your dreams and ambitions. Because if you want it, you'll get there!

Muchos love,

Shannon ♥

♡ Burger Fest ♡

Myself & Khaled both enjoy a good burger; so it seemed like a simple choice when deciding to try the latest burger chain to come to Exeter, Burger Fest. My eyes lit up when seeing the words 'Oreo Milkshake' & 'Ben & Jerry's Ice-Cream', therefore the decision was made, we were going! The overall feel to the place was nice, a typical quirky burger diner. I loved the idea of having a ping pong table room too! It's the type of place you'd go with a group of friends or even the family. 

There was a good selection of different burgers but of course I went for the Smokey Joe - Beef Patty, American Cheese, smoked streaky bacon, giant homemade onion rings, tomato, BBQ sauce & BF sauce. However I went without the onion rings & tomato as I wasn't quite feeling them. I partnered it up with some sweet potato fries & an Oreo milkshake. Whereas Khaled went for his typical chicken burger; Get Clucked - Seasoned chicken, tomato, BF sauce & baby gem lettuce with skin on fries & a chocolate milkshake.  First to come to the table was our milkshakes, at this point I was expecting heaven in my mouth. 

However I was slightly disappointed when taking my first sip. Nevertheless I still destroyed it of course. I was expecting a nice, thick, refreshingly cold shake, but I was delivered a merely average Oreo milkshake. But points for the cute glass bottle.

However I was pleasantly surprised when my burger arrived! Although I wouldn't recommend it for a date night, unless you don't mind seeing a massive burger hanging out your potential future partner's mouth. I suppose you could attempt to eat it with cutlery, but who really enjoys a burger with a knife and fork? 

The overall burger was tasty and the sweet potato chips were nice also, however I did feel like I needed a good dip to accompany them and Khaled's skin on fries were a little bland. However the portion sizes were good and displayed nicely on wooden plaques. I'd probably get the sweet potato fries again over the skin on fries but probably get some coleslaw or add some mayo to add some extra flavour! As one of my new favourite snacks is sweet potato fries & garlic mayo, absolute heaven. 

We then decided to order some desserts as they were sounding so appealing and so affordable!

I went for a Christmas special, Fried snow balls - this was fried Ben & Jerry's caramel chew chew accompanied by whipped cream and an Oreo. This was delicious. It didn't matter that I couldn't finish all my burger, I destroyed this before Khaled could finish his three scoops of Ben & Jerry's chocolate brownie ice cream!

Therefore our overall experience was 

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡  out of 5! 

The service was great, the male and female waitress's were both kind and the meals were definitely affordable so it was a bonus that we got 20% student discount. So for any of you fellow students, check it out. The burgers were good, but not the best I've tried. The milkshake's were definitely the biggest let down of the night & the highlight was dessert!! It was just the perfect, satisfying amount. Therefore I'd predict that me & Khaled would be back again, even if it's just for the ping-pong & desserts.

I hope you've all enjoyed this short post and I'll definitely be doing some more restaurants reviews soon! 

Muchos love,

Shannon ♡ 

My Banana Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting ♡

Hey guys!

So I've been living in my university home for just over 3 weeks & decided it was time to do some baking. So I thought I'd share the recipe with you.

Ingredients For The Cupcakes

1 Banana

200g Self-raising Flour

200g Stork

2 Eggs

200g Sugar

1 TSP Vanilla Essence 

1 TSP Baking Powder

Ingredients For The Cream Frosting

1 Tsp Vanilla Essence

125g Soft Cheese (Philadelphia)

300g Icing Sugar
50g Stork (or unsalted butter)

Utensils

1 Bowl

1 Silicone Spatula

15 Cupcake Cases

Scales

Muffin Tray

1 Tbsp

1 Tsp

♡ REHEAT OVEN TO 180C OR GAS MARK 4 & LINE A TRAY WITH 12 CUPCAKE CASES ♡

♡ Firstly weigh out your sugar and stork into one bowl.

♡ Whisk the stork and sugar together until smooth.

♡ Once you've whisked together the sugar and stork. Weigh out your flour into a separate bowl.

♡ Next crack one of your eggs and add some of the flour to the mix. 

♡ Whisk the mixture, once fully mixed add the second egg and some more flour. Whisk again until fully mixed, then add the remainder of the flour.

♡ In a separate bowl mash up the banana until it looks something like this (the more ripe the banana the better!).

♡ Add the banana, vanilla essence & baking powder to the mixture & whisk together.

♡ Evenly spread the mixture between the 12 cupcake cases, I had left over mixture so I made 3 more after my first batch had finished cooking.

♡ I used my silicone spatula to get all the mixture out of the bowl.

♡ Bake the cupcakes for 20-25 at 180c/Gas Mark 4. The best way to check if your cupcakes are cooked is to touch the top of a cupcake and see if it feels firm and springs back when releasing your finger.

♡ While you're waiting for your cupcakes to cool it's time to make the frosting! So firstly combine your icing sugar and stork, I started of using my electric hand blender but decided a wooden spoon was less messy. !WARNING THIS CAN BECOME MESSY!

 ♡ Once you've combined the icing sugar and stork, you can add the cream cheese and a drop of vanilla essence - this just helps to give the frosting a sweet flavour.

♡ Then decorate you cakes how you desire, I just used a spoon and a knife to spread on the frosting but if you want to be fancy you can pipe it on. Then just add a few chocolate chips on top!

♡ EAT & ENJOY ♡

Hope you enjoyed this quick & yummy recipe! 

Muchos love,

Shannon ♡

Making My University Room Feel Like Home ♡

Whether it's your first, second or final year of university, it's always essential to make your university room feel like a home. This post is just a little insight into how I've made my uni room that little big more homey.

The first part of my room I targeted was my bed! This year I actually have a king size bed & my mattress is the comfiest thing ever. So if you know me, you know I'm obsessed with anything floral print. So I purchased these floral covers from Dunelm for my first year of university. My mum also made me the cushions you can see below (apart from the heart cushions from Primark), she even put a little quote on the cushion saying "Love is missing someone whenever you're apart, but somehow feeling warm inside because you're close at heart". I absolutely love having cushions on my bed, although 6 may come across little extreme. It's also nice to look at the quote from time to time, to remind me of home. The cushion is also feather, and made of the softest 'flannel' material, a must for cosy nights.

You're also never too old to have a teddy bear, so no judging. The teddy bear on the left is one from Khaled so he has a special place on my bed & the teddy bear on the left was actually won from a netball raffle & he's called cuddles. Mainly because when I'm having a bad day or I'm upset, he's great to cuddle. Okay I'm 20 but a girl still has a emotions. 

Across my head board I've put some rose fairy lights from Urban Outfitters, essential for any uni bedroom. I've attached them using Command hooks; the best invention ever as they don't leave any residue when they're removed, therefore ideal for uni/rented rooms! I've also put up photos I printed last year using pink pegs and ribbon, I love how this looks & can be made really affordable instead of buying a set of string and pegs from Urban Outfitters. 

Next to my bed I have two chest of drawers, ideal for storing random bits of bobs. On my left cabinet I have my bedside lap, a cute photo frame from TK Max, a little basket from The Range filled with little important bits such as my purse, earphones, current book I'm reading etc and then I recently bought these cute heart coasters from Primark. Which I love!

                            

 On my right cabinet I have my docking station, my 'S' from Oliver Bonas (a recent purchase which I just think looks cute), my DIY vase I made with artificial flowers from Wilkinson (I love how this adds a little pop of colour without having to buy real flowers constantly), I have my vase and candle from Ikea (probably the most popular item in Ikea) and then my card from my parents with a little heart coaster on that side too. I also have a little heart shape bowl from Sainsbury's which I keep my keys and little bits in, just so I always know where they are. On the front of both of my cabinets I've just placed some spare photos for an added homely feel. 

Night time with my candle lit!

Next to my bed I have a big bay window, in the left hand corner I have my floral pop up laundry bin from Primark (£1 absolute bargain), in the window sill I have my favourite Yankee candle - Vanila cupcake, a photo frame from my 16th birthday & my new favourite 'Love' lights from Primark - £12. At night time it gives the room such a cosy feel, candles & fairy lights are must haves.

Best scent ever!

Also in my bay window I have my extra clothes rail, this was actually gifted to me by my Mumma! It's from Sainsbury's so I'm guessing it's very affordable, I assembled it all by myself *Proud Moment*. I also added some cute fairy lights from Amazon which cost me a couple of pounds. Also I'm using my new velvet non-slip hangers from Primark, they actually do what they say on the packaging. The rail is really handy for hanging coats, scarfs, hats or just displaying all the clothes you love. I'm a clothes addict okay. 

Next to my clothes rail, I have a book shelf I purchased from Argos last year. Really useful to store your text books or even general reading books and dvds. And this year I've found it incredibly useful to use as a TV stand as the lead from my TV to the aerial was very short. 

I also gave it my own touch by adding some of my polaroids, using the same technique as before! Also got mine & Khaled's memory box at the bottom ready to add more memories to & my other boxes for miscellaneous items. Excuse the leads at the bottom of the picture & the PS3, it hasn't quite found it's home yet.

Next to my book shelf, I have my large chest of drawers filled with clothes and underwear etc. On top of my drawers I've placed my Epson WF-2530 printer, an essential for every uni student unless you like use the library printers of course. I love my printer because it's wireless, therefore I can print anything without having to get up every time to plug my laptop in. Next to my printer I have my new jewellery holder from Tiger, which cost between £2-£4. Then I have my cute elephant from Primark and a photo frame of my two gorgeous nieces. I've also placed a little tea light holder, because I love candles and all things that smell beautiful. 

Next to my chest of drawers I'm lucky to have two desks! This is ideal for my make up & my stationary. I use the desk on the left for all my beauty essentials; nail varnishes, make up, skin care etc. To store my nail varnishes I use some old plastic storage drawers that I sprayed white. Above that sits my perfume, deodorant, hairspray etc. Next to this I keep my skin care (and a cheeky bottle of vodka). I store all of my make up in these Muji storage containers. Which I love. Keeps your make up organised, tidy and accessible. Below you can see my brushes which I store in two candle pots from Ikea. I also have another photo frame from my 18th birthday.

                                         

On the right hand side is my desk for studying. This was a cheap desk I purchased from Argos last year, as I didn't have a desk in my room at all. The perks of living in non-student housing, not. On top of my desk I keep my stationary holder & filing holder for my books and spare paper. Not the most interesting, but essential. 

Not the most photogenic desk.

Above my desk is my whiteboard with my weekly planner. I'm literally addicted to these things,  I'm certain I don't function properly without one. I bought a plain white board from Sainsbury's for a few pounds then added some line tape and just put the days of the week across the top. I then painted the boarder to give it a cute/Shannon edge with a little Valspar tester pot. It is stuck on the wall with some Command strips, similar to the Command hooks but made for photo frames etc.

Also on my desk is my Student Planner, again because I love to be organised I purchased myself 'The Palgrave Student Planner', ideal for university students! I genuinely think organisation is the key to succeeding, or at least making it 100% easier. I purchased mine off of Amazon for around £6. Highly recommend if you've got a terrible memory like myself.

Below my desk I've kept my folders for each module I'm taking. I struggled to find a place to keep my folders, so I purchased this white basket from Tiger. Although I did see a video on Youtube where someone had used book ends to keep their binders stood up, which I thought was also a great idea. However this little basket does the job. 

 Finally I have my heart picture wall. Although my heart is very lop sided, it's a great way to display your pictures if you don't know how to place them. All of these pictures were picked in my first year of university to remind me about all my amazing memories I've had in my life so far before I made the biggest move of my life to date. It's also above my comfy chair, which just has a couple of my cushions and a little throw over the top to make it super cosy.

So if you've made it this far thank you. I hope you've enjoyed reading this post as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I love gaining inspiration from other people and their room decor, so hopefully maybe someone's gain some inspiration from me. Hopefully I'll be doing a full room tour on my youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/thecookiemonsteerr soon!

Muchos love,

Shannon ♡