Thursday, 28 April 2016

daily Pinterest browse

So if you do not know me...I'm obsessed with Pinterest. When I say obsessed, I mean it. The reason I love it so much is because I connect with photography and pictures of things a lot, therefore, I use it as a way to express my dreams and fantasies in pictures.
My favorite pinterester is the Londonder
(Rosie)
She has such cute boards and they're all so beautifully themed. People question me a lot as to why my Instagram has a theme, it is because I'm not really an organized person. So when I go onto my Instagram and see a beautiful color theme or picture theme it reminds me that I have one little organized piece of happy in my life.
I thought I'd share a few of my daily Pinterest browse finds with you! There has a been a lot of rural living dreaming today. 
This last picture is so beautiful to me. I'd love to try and paint it someday. 
Follow me on Pinterest for many pins and beauty and scattered dreams flying all around the place! My name is just Maddy Sparkes!
 

 

 

 

 


 


 

Monday, 4 April 2016

Little Happies

If you have not already seen the film "We bought a Zoo" then folks you're missing out. This is one of my all time favourite films. It is so cute and has so many beautiful messages in it. One of my favourite messages is portrayed in a scene with the son and the father 
The son likes the girl who works at the zoo, but he has no clue how to talk to her. The father just says "20 seconds of insane courage"
The reason this post is called little Happies is because in this film there is a scene in which the father and the daughter are talking when she is about to sleep. They talk about being happy and the little girl addresses it like this 
"Well there are some things that just make my happy big! Where's your happy gone daddy?"
And it is so sweet. I also love this film because the girl in it reminds me of my younger self with big blonde curly locks.
So today I'm going to talk about a few things that make my happy big :)

Currently and all the time I've been loving a certain blogger who is so British and cute.
Her name is Rosie - Rosie the Londoner 
She has such beautiful blog posts, and she is very real with everything she does. She's so beautiful naturally and inspiring in her fashion. I love the theme of her blog and it reminds me of home.
She also has the cutest dog called Mr Custard. 
One of my most favourite activities is to go on picnics! The smell of freshly cut grass as you sit with your white lace skirt on the red tartan blanket eating a cucumber sandwich. Ahhhhh.
With high tea and scones. And little tea pots and saucers. With Quiches with little egg bites. But it would have to take place in the British countryside.
Another one of my most comfort happy treasures is fairy lights. I'm not too sure of the proper name for these little beauties but they remind me of little fairies (which I shall include in my most happy a bit later) I have several of these in my room. They bring me a sort of peace and calm. When I have my own house I imagine there will be plenty of these!
Another comfort happy of mine is anything soft or fluffy. I love teddy bears and I'm not afraid to admit I still sleep with them. They're so fluffy, call me the little girl from despicable me but THEY'RE SO FLUFFY!!!
My two little teddies I love are called Sparkle Bear and Keel. Given to me sets of grandparents.
I've also been loving the 90s Classic supermodel Cindy Crawford recently. She is also another fashion inspiration and her style is typically more edgy and denim than Rosie's classically British. These two styles are my go to's. My favorite Cindy Crawford quote is: 
"You will never look like the girl in the magazine. Even the girl in the magazine does not look like the girl in the magazine." 
One of my biggest comfort Happies is definetly popcorn! But it has to be sweet popcorn!!
Another one of my favourite things is Disney. Disney. Disney. Disney. Anything Disney. I'm a Disney fanatic. I use Walt Disney in so many of my essays at school. His life is fascinating. I admire his imagination so very much. He made my childhood dreams a reality.
A happy that brings me serenity is pianos. My wonderful parents bought me one for my birthday and playing it brings me so much calm. The sound of them is so beautiful.
I LOVE GOOD BOOKS. I love getting lost in the characters story lines. I love getting to know characters and diving into their lives. I love the beautiful flow of words the author places on the pages.
My two current favourite Broadway musicals are Mary Poppins and Finding Neverland. They both have dream roles of mine in them. If you didn't already know, I'm a musical theatre fanatic and this is what I love to do. Perform. Lights...Camera...Action...
This brings me to The thing that makes me the most happy...Peter Pan. The 2003 film. So many people question why this makes me so very happy. I simply answer them...childhood. I watched this film every single day of my childhood. I would hug the video case as I slept because I was so in love with Peter Pan. This film is my childhood summed up. Dreaming of flying, soaring, sword fighting, Indians, mermaids, Pirates. This film has shaped the way I view life, that sounds very deep. But this film has changed my perspective on life's ways. It has enabled me to always hold onto my play of pretend and my imagination and child like features. I've had many dreams of being able to fly and then thinking they were real and jumping off my bed to discover somehow they were not. But one day I'll require enough happy thoughts and I'll be as light as a feather on my feet. 






Wednesday, 9 December 2015

Peppermint Hot Cocoa

So as most of you probably know I'm obsessed with hot chocolate. It's no secret really, if I could I'd have one everyday. However, I'd probably be very prone to vomitting haha! I have recently discovered a new love for peppermint hot chocolate. 
Here is my peppermint recipe:
1 cup of your favorite chocolate powder mix
1 candy cane crushed in a zip lock bag 
1 cup of water
Ready whip
Marshmallows
An extra candy cane
A mug etc.
Crush the candy cane in a bag and pour the chocolate powder in your mug
Mix in the water and the crushed cane 
Endulge in some ready whip and marshmallows
And then to make it fancy looking sprinkle some chocolate powder on the top and place another candy cane in the drink and sip your days away *inserts Christmas tree emoji*





Thursday, 26 November 2015

November Photo Diary 11.27.15

With my gorgeous real life girlies <3
Stopped for a quick hot chocolate & frappucino break on the way to the river house
Snuggles on the river house porch with a fluffy blanket and this angel
I found a wild princess at the river house too!!!
Canoeing along the river with my mother
Oh and I also found a baby
And my dad found a fish
I also found a sleeping beauty
And a precious best friend moment
And rocked the sleeping beauty to sleep
Hot chocolate makes the month right
After show with my papa
Redneck thanksgiving came around
And so did the PPC present wrapping party...I have to say we wrap the best
A cute pic with my girls was in need oh and...
A Christmas trip to the domain was in store 
As was a late night stretching session with my best friend and her dog 
And then a final thanksgiving feast was needed 
But quick a few selfies first
Now we feast
We had time for one more 💜

We love you November. See ya next year
Mads xoxo 






















 

Sunday, 25 October 2015

25 ways to slow down and enjoy fall

25 ways to slow down and enjoy fall
1. Invest in a box of assorted teas to enjoy in the mornings and evenings
2. Treat yourself to a blanket throw that is extra soft. Perfect for cold times and reading.
3. Head to the library and pick up some novels to enjoy.
4. Eat dinner outdoors for the last few times.
5. Have a dessert night with some friends, enjoy pumpkin spiced drinks and hot chocolates and more
6. Go on an evening stroll with a friend while the weather is still nice.
7. Go on a lead hunt, and do a diy frame of your favourite leaves.
8. Make lead rubbings
9. Buy a box of hot chocolate and enjoy it on the patio or deck.
10. Maybe try knitting something
11. Enjoy some classic movies when you settle for the evening.
12. Cook some favourite crock pot recipes.
13. Make a pot of your favourite chilli or stew.
14. Bake your own bread and invite friends over to share it with you
15. Go apple picking
16. Drink some hot apple cider on the deck
17. Collect acorns
18. Take out your camera and get some pictures of fall in action
19. Have a good old fashioned leaf fight
20. Carve some pumpkins 
21. Bake something delicious using apples
22. Add some fall colours to your home decor. Burnt orange, red, dark green. 
23. Go to your favourite candle store and pick out some autumnal scents. 
24. Have a long bath with scented candles burning and lots of bubble bath 
25. Make an autumnal playlist so that you can relax to your music at anytime

Saturday, 10 October 2015

Autumn

ITS AUTUMN
Here's a few things I love about autumn

Halloween

Autumn Leaves

Scarves, Hats and Boots

Candles, Candles & more Candles

Pumpkins

Films

Bonfires

Cosy Socks

Comfort Food

Salted Caramel being IN SEASON

Oversized Jumpers

Getting the fire going

The feeling that Christmas is approaching

More baths in the evenings

Rainy days under the duvet watching films

Evenings get darker

Being able to watch Hocus Pocus

Conkers

Wearing more onesies

Fireworks

Sparklers


Friday, 9 October 2015

Things no one tells you when you move abroad...

1. Adrenaline becomes part of your life...
Your life will turn into a powerful mix of emotions, learning, improvising, dealing with the unexpected...all your sense sharpen up, and for a while the word "routine" is dismissed from your vocabulary to make space for an ever rising adrenaline thrill ride. New places, new habits, new challenges, new people. 

2. But when you go back...everything is still the same...
That's why, when you get a few days off and fly home, it strikes you how little everything has changed. 


3. YOU LACK THE (AND YET YOU HAVE TOO MANY) WORDS.

When someone asks you about your new life, you lack the right words to convey all you’re experiencing. Yet later, in the middle of a random conversation, something reminds you about ‘that time when’…, and you have to hold your tongue because you don’t want to overwhelm everyone with stories from your ‘other country’ and come across as pretentious.

4. YOU COME TO UNDERSTAND THAT COURAGE IS OVERRATED.

Lots of people will tell you how brave you are – they too would move abroad if they weren’t so scared. And you, even though you’ve been scared, too, know that courage makes up about 10% of life-changing decisions. The other 90% is purely about wanting it with all your heart. Do you want to do it, do you really feel like doing it? Then do it. From the moment we decide to jump, we’re no longer cowards nor courageous – whatever comes our way, we deal with it.

5. AND, SUDDENLY, YOU’RE FREE.

You’ve always been free, but freedom feels different now. Now that you’ve given up every comfort and made it work thousands of miles away from home… you feel like you’re capable of anything!

THings that change forever Mas Edimburgo6. YOU NO LONGER SPEAK ONE PARTICULAR LANGUAGE.

Sometimes you unintentionally let a word from another language slip. Other times you can only think of a way of saying something… with that perfect word which, by the way, is in the wrong language. When you interact with a foreign language on a daily basis, you learn and unlearn at the same time. All the while you’re soaking up cultural references and swear words in your second language, you find yourself reading in your mother tongue so it won’t get rusty. Like that time when Homer took a home winemaking course and forgot how to drive.

7. YOU LEARN TO SAY GOODBYE… AND TO ENJOY YOURSELF.

You soon realize that now, most things and people in your life are just passing through, and you instinctively play down the importance of most situations. You perfect the right balance between bonding and letting go – a perpetual battle between nostalgia and pragmatism.

8. NORMAL? WHAT’S NORMAL?

Living abroad, like traveling, makes you realise that ‘normal’ only means socially or culturally accepted. When you plunge into a different culture and a different society, your notion of normality soon falls apart. You learn there are other ways of doing things, and after a while, you too take to that habit you never thought you’d embrace. You also get to know yourself a little better, because you discover that some things you really believe in, while others are just a cultural heritage of the society you grew up in.

9. YOU BECOME A TOURIST IN YOUR OWN CITY.

That tourist trap you may not have visited in your country only adds up to the never-ending list of things to do in your new home, and you soon become quite the expert on your new city. But when someone comes over for a few days and asks for some suggestions, you find it really hard to recommend but a few things – if it were up to you, you’d recommend visiting everything!

Mas Edimburgo Oh The Places You'll Go

Part of the book «Oh, the places you’ll go!», by Dr. Seuss.

10. YOU LEARN HOW TO BE PATIENT… AND HOW TO ASK FOR HELP.

When you live abroad, the simplest task can become a huge challenge. Processing paperwork, finding the right word, knowing which bus to take. There’s always moments of distress, but you’re soon filled with more patience than you ever knew you had in you, and accept that asking for help is not only inevitable, but also a very healthy habit.

11. TIME IS MEASURED IN TINY LITTLE MOMENTS.

It’s as if you were looking through the car window – everything moves really slowly at the back, in the distance, while in front of you life passes by at full speed. On the one hand, you receive news from home – birthdays you missed, people who left without you getting the chance to say goodbye one last time, celebrations you won’t be able to attend. On the other hand, in your new home life goes by at top speed. Time is so distorted now, that you learn how to measure it in tiny little moments, either a Skype call with your family and old friends or a pint with the new ones.

12. NOSTALGIA STRIKES WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT.

A food, a song, a smell. The smallest trifle can overwhelm you with homesickness. You miss those little things you never thought you’d miss, and you’d give anything to go back to that place, even if it were just for an instant. Or to share that feeling with someone who’d understand you…

13. BUT YOU KNOW IT’S NOT WHERE, BUT WHEN AND HOW.

Although deep down, you know you don’t miss a place, but a strange and magical conjunction of the right place, the right moment and the right people. That year when you traveled, when you shared your life with special ones, when you were so happy. There’s a tiny bit of who you were scattered among all the places you’ve lived in, but sometimes going back to that place is not enough to stop missing it.

Mas Edimburgo On the Road

14. YOU CHANGE.

I’m sure you’ve heard about life-changing trips. Well, they’re not a commonplace – living abroad is a trip that will profoundly change your life and who you are. It will shake up your roots, your certainties and your fears. Living in Edinburgh changed us forever in many ways, and if it weren’t for that experience, we probably wouldn’t be about to embark on our next life adventure right now. Maybe you won’t realise it, or even believe it, before you do it. But after some time, one day you’ll see it crystal clear. You’ve evolved, you’ve got scars, you’ve lived. You’ve changed.

15. YOU FIT YOUR HOME INTO A SUITCASE.

From the moment you squeeze your life into a suitcase (or, if you’re lucky with your airline, two), whatever you thought ‘home’ was doesn’t exist anymore. Almost anything you can touch can be replaced – wherever you travel, you’ll end up stockpiling new clothes, new books, new mugs. But there will come a day when you’ll suddenly feel at home in your new city. Home is the person traveling with you, the people you leave behind, the streets where your life takes place. Home is also the random stuff in your new flat, those things you’ll get rid of in the blink of an eye when the time to leave comes. Home is all those memories, all those long-distance calls with your family and friends, a bunch of pictures. Home is where the heart is.

16. You will meet some of the most amazing people you didn't even know existed...

You will meet them and at the start you won't think anything of it, but as you slowly become closer with them, you realize that even though you feel like you don't belong you do in fact actually have pretty cool people in more than one part of the world and it's a beautiful feeling knowing someone cares about you. Being told you're precious, that you're loved, that you're valued, these are important things the human needs to hear.