A Perfect Pair of Boots | AW Fashion

How lovely are these? My grandma and I went for a coffee last month and she said she wanted to treat me to a pair of new boots (she knew I was in need of some). We wandered around shops such as Schuh (tongue twister? haha) but I couldn't see anything that I really loved. I took a gamble by going into Clarks as I haven't shopped in there in a LONG time. Straight away I saw loads of really nice shoes. I stared at these boots for a while. I'm used to going really basic with shoes (and I mean really), but I liked these a lot. I tried them on and my grandma loved them as much as I did so she happily treated me to them! What a wonderful woman. A month on and I can honestly say I wear them all the time! Cosy, practical but also very stylish! 

What is your perfect pair of winter boots?

Love, M.

Berry Overnight Oats | Easy On The Go Breakfast

Overnight oats are a really popular breakfast option and I love the range of ideas for recipes that are on the internet. I personally love porridge in the winter and prefer overnight oats as a summer breakfast, but yesterday I went to the library early in the morning (how I managed to get myself out of bed I will never know) and decided to take my breakfast with me. I did not regret this decision! The night before I had prepped this really scrummy breakie of oats, soya milk and frozen forrest fruit berries (which were defrosted by the morning). So simple yet so delicious. Cheap as well! I am definitely going to mix things up a bit and be more creative next time. I will let you know how that goes...

What do you like as an on the go breakfast?

Love, M.

10 Things I Love About Autumn | Love M

(my body looks really odd here but yes I did run and jump in the air haha)

As I was walking home from uni today I was absolutely FROZEN. I honestly think I have a fear of feeling cold so I put on about a million layers just in case... I still felt cold. Anyway, putting that aside, there are lots of reasons I lovelovelove Autumn!

1. Starbucks and Costa Festive Drinks. I'm still eager to try the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks but Costa's hot spiced apple drink is out of this world.   

2. Knitted Everything.

3. The Darker Evenings. Such a great excuse to stay in and watch endless amounts of YouTube videos and go to bed that bit earlier. 

4. Bonfire Night! I loved the fireworks in Glasgow this year. Had a cheeky portion of chips and curry sauce and a Starbucks hot chocolate (yes with cream... tut tut). But hey ho, I was bloody good.

5. Getting Excited for Christmas. I'm not just talking Christmas day but also Christmas parties, markets and of course... advent calenders.

6. Afternoon Walks with Family. I miss having these at the moment as I'm at uni but I'm looking forward to doing this when I go home. It's nice to wrap up and go for a walk on the beach (yes the beach) followed by a drink in the pub.

7. Roast Dinners are Ten Times Better. Don't get me wrong, a roast dinner any time of the year is fantastic. Who could turn down stuffing or a Yorkshire pudding? But when it starts to get chilly outside there is nothing better than indulging in a good old roast.

8. Onesies. I don't tend to wear these in Summer but as soon as Autumn is here my pink fluffy onesie is my go to comfort clothing.

9. Pretty Scenery. I love the golden leaves, pretty fairy lights on trees and the frosty morning grass.

10. Lush Baths.

What do you love about Autumn?

Love, M.

My Dream Apartment | Pinterest Inspiration

Next summer my best friend and I are planning to move into a flat together and it's safe to say I am extremely excited! We already have our Sunday afternoons planned out and must have kitchen accessories have been discussed. Even though we are both at university, we are not going to let our flat look like a students cave! It's going to be something we will both cherish and be proud to show our parents.

 

Image: 1 2 3 4 5 6

My Pinterest

Love, M

Some Posts That Got Me Through The Week

Anxiety sucks. I have suffered from it since I was 15 and in the last week it got very overwhelming. A last minute decision to go home helped me clear my head but what made me feel sane again was reading other bloggers posts. Here are some that inspired me this week:

Life's Too Short... | Jennypurr

I am forever worrying about the smallest things and this post was a little reminder that life is too short. A saying that my dad once told me is "only worry about the things you have control over". I can't emphasise enough how right this is!

how to move on with your life | LLYMLRS

The point in this post about acception is very important. Whenever I am anxious about anything or if things don't go as planned I need to tell myself that everything happens for a reason. I believe that if you go with the flow of life, all of its ups and downs, you will find your way. 

Everything works out. | -Wonder Forest-

I have been through a lot in the last few years. Highs and lows to a great extent. I think it is important for me to understand that I have got through those lows and I am now a stronger person because of it. This post really helped me to remember that!

I recommend everyone to read these post. They inspired me a lot and might inspire you too!

Love, M.

A Peaceful Start to October | Instagram Lately

This week is beginning to get slightly hectic. So, before I go mad with planning essays and writing out page after page of notes, I am going to share with you a very peaceful post about my start to October.

1. My beautiful sister and I when we were in France during the summer. I posted this as I am missing her heaps! She is coming to stay with me this weekend though and I am SO excited. We are going to do lots of fun things so there will definitely be a post up about it!

2. On Friday I treated myself to a large latte and a huuuge empire biscuit in one of my favourite local cafes. The reason I treated myself? Because I went to all of my labs and lectures that week. Yup, any excuse!

3. Walking back from my lectures one day and feeling really autumnal (hence the typical feet and leaves photo). I love the fresh chill in the air and the falling leaves. Though saying that I could barely get out of bed this morning as it was so cold!

4. Oh. My. Days. Nakd bars are my new obsession. The cocoa crunch is amazing! I must admit the rhubarb and custard isn't that great but it's still a handy snack on the go and 1 of your 5 a day.

5. Who doesn't love the Great British Bake Off? After my 9am lecture on Thursday I headed back to my flat, got my pj's back on, made a cup of tea and relaxed in bed watching it. Perfect.

6. On Saturday night, instead of going out and having a social life (freshers has totally taken it out of me) I decided to have a night in. I lit some candles and put on my fairy lights and I actually really enjoyed just chilling out watching some films.

Instagram: meganm16

How is your autumn going?

Love, M.

It's All About The Small Changes | Weight Loss Diary Part 1

A quick intro...

Hello fellow bloggers! I am so happy that I am finally creating a blog. For a long time I was put off because I'm not very technical and blog design was a bit alien to me but I'm sure with time I will learn and improve! My blog will be mainly focused on lifestyle posts but there will probably be a sneaky fashion/beauty one popping up from time to time. To find out more head to the about me page  above.

Small changes? What on earth do you mean Megan? Before I get into the nitty gritty of that, let's go back a year from now. Picture your average size 10 girl who loved food and was fairly active. Now put her in university, living in student halls with a £50 weekly food allowance and the gym a 25 minute walk away. Starting to get the idea of where this is going? 

If you haven't already guessed that girl is me and yes, I did put on weight. A stone to be exact. This may seem normal to some people as I have heard many freshers weight gain stories. However, I didn't think it was possible for me to ever put on THAT much weight within the short amount of time that I did. I was so wrong.

Vodka and coke, pasta and cheese, bagels and jam. These things in moderation are a students idea of heaven, but when these are consumed excessively (and I mean excessively), it can cause the shock of your life. 

When I went home for the first time and stood on the scales I thought they were broken. No way had I put on 8 pounds in a month and a half. Unfortunately they were right and I had. This somehow didn't make me drastically change my eating habits though. I thought it was simply my lack of exercise so I whipped out my fitness DVDs and went to the gym (maybe a maximum of two times) and thought everything would be ok. 

Then Christmas came... 

"Shit". That's how I reacted when I saw the scales. Possibly some tears as well. Since my last weigh in I had put on an extra 6 pounds. I kept asking myself what I was doing wrong. My mum told me I wasn't active enough and I'm eating too much of the wrong things. She hit the nail on the head but I couldn't convince myself that she was right. 

Over the Christmas period I started reading health and fitness blogs and read nearly every weight loss tip on the internet. I felt ready to go back to uni and FINALLY sort myself out.

I had many attempts of trying to lose weight but failed numerous times. There were occasions when I would buy £30 worth of fresh fruit and veg and I ended up throwing half of it away because it never got eaten. When I went home for the summer I told myself enough is enough. I WAS going to lose weight and be back at my pre-uni size by the time September came. This, however, didn't happen...

With obstacles like my holiday in France (all those patisseries and baguettes...), staying with my Grandma for a week (she makes the best chocolate cakes and crumbles) and my mums home comfort meals, it soon became obvious that I wasn't going to lose a stone before September. Instead of giving up, I tweaked my goals and made lifestyle changes instead.

Source

Smaller portion sizes, becoming aware of hidden calories and sugars in food and exercising 3 times a week (sometimes more), I was losing weight in a healthier and happier way. I also felt more energetic and better about myself!  By the time I was heading back to uni I had lost 5 pounds in total. Just shows that you don't have to live off fruit and veg to lose weight!

In my next post I will talk about coming back to uni and how my weight loss continued during freshers week.
I will also do one in more detail about making lifestyle changes to lose weight and become healthier. 

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Love, M. 

These Are a Few of My Favourite Things

Chocolate. Just chocolate...

(End of post)

Only kidding! But honestly, chocolate is probably one of my all time favourite things.

Can we just take a moment to appreciate Caffe Nero's chocolate fudge cake... IT'S AMAZING.

1. Spending Hours Catching Up With Friends In a Coffee Shop

During Autumn and Winter I can't think of anything better than cosying up with my favourite coffee (at the moment it is a soya latte, mmm) and having a good old catch up with friends. If I was wanting to go all out, I would treat myself with the best looking cake or muffin on offer and devour it slowly whilst raving about how good it tastes. As a student, buying coffee out isn't the cheapest thing to do in the world so when the opportunity does come along I enjoy it a lot!

(source unknown)

2. Discovering a New TV Show and Hibernating Until I Have Watched All of The Episodes

From Gossip Girl to The Vampire Diaries, I have spent days hidden away watching episode after episode (tragically sad I know). I must admit, this can be very dangerous around exam time! But I absolutely love snuggling up in bed with a cup of tea whilst watching god knows how many episodes of my favourite TV show. I have recently started re-watching Gossip Girl and I'm addicted again!Uh oh...

 3. Having Relaxing Drinks With Family on Holiday 

Freshers week is the complete opposite to the photo above. Crazy, sleepless nights, loud music, Tesco value vodka, horrid hangovers. Now that freshers is over, I really do miss relaxing evenings with a glass of bubbly at dinner or a pint of shandy in a cosy pub. I think it's a shame that there is such a large culture amongst young people now to drink excessive amounts of alcohol to have fun and honestly, I would be just as happy having a couple of glasses of wine and relaxing with family and friends. 

Instantly Improve Your Lunch: Hovis Basil Pesto Infused Bread

(sorry about the frozen looking bread)

As a student, the same old same old cheese toasties (or if I'm feeling particularly adventurous cheese and baked bean toasties) can get very boring. When I popped into Tesco yesterday I spotted this Hovis basil pesto infused bread in the reduced section. This got me a wee bitty too excited and not because it was in the reduced section, because pesto and bread are some of my favourite foods ever. Whoever combined them should get a round of applause.There was no doubt I had to buy it... and for 50p I wasn't complaining!

Today I thought I would test out this marvellous creation in the form of a cheese toastie. The slices of bread aren't massive, but as I'm trying to lose weight 82 calories for each slice isn't too bad. Of course this would be brilliant as a simple sandwhich but I couldn't resist the idea of melted cheese, mmm! I also had some salad on the side and I must say it was a very tasty lunch! I highly recommend trying this out if you are a pesto and bread lover like me.

Love, M.