April roundup

Good evening everyone! As April is drawing to a close, I have been having a peek through my instagram feed and have picked out a few favourite images that have summarised the different things we have been up to this month. From moving house to business trips, continuing to celebrate Jonah's arrival and simply enjoying the beauty of spring all around us; I have really enjoyed this month!

I won't go into detail about every photo, you can follow me on my instagram account (link is on my main page) to keep up with our day to day activities, but i'd like to share them with you anyway.

I hope you have all had a lovely day!

Love Bunty

xXx

Zara for little boys

With summer right around the corner and a certain toddler who is about to turn two, I have been thinking about doing some clothes shopping for Noah. When we moved house earlier in the month I packed a lot of Noah's wardrobe away as he had outgrown so much of it. Although he won't turn two till June, I am already buying him age 2-3 years clothing and I'm looking forward to them lasting a whole year of wear this time!

I always love the look and styles of Zara kidswear and their current clothes for little boys is right up Noah's street with lots of fun prints and recognisable animals-even food groups! I know he would be over the moon to wear the banana sweater below! 

I have been perusing the website and have picked out a few faves that I think are just gorgeous for a little boy. I won't be going overboard on Zara as experience is teaching me to be a bit more savvy with his clothes shopping. I find they are getting more and more trashed with s daily exploring of the world around him! I don't know if toddler girls are different, but Noah completely epitomises that stereotype of a boisterous little chappy who just wants to roll around in mud, climb things and play with insects outside! Either way, clean clothes at the end of the day are definitely a thing of the past! 

Nevertheless, these are a selection of my faves from what is currently on the website: 

You can find all of these items on the Zara young boys section (amongst many more lovely pieces!) 

I hope you are all having a wonderful day!

Love Bunty

xXx

Deliciously Ella sweet potatoe brownies

A few weeks ago I saw a programme featuring Ella Woodward who is increasingly better known for her fabulous book 'Deliciously Ella.' Her book features a whole host of raw and healthy food recipes which really work to provide your body with the best nutrition possible. In a culture where refined sugar has become such a part of daily life, and in many ways, an addiction, Ella really tackles this by substituting unhealthy foods for super foods and creating her own recipes for much loved favourites like chocolate brownies! (Which just so happen to be a personal weakness of mine!)

What's not to love about eating a chocolate brownie that is actually heathy for you and full of nutrients and vitamins which your body will thank you for! It's a total win win, right?!

Yesterday, we had a go at making Ella's sweet potatoe brownies. I didn't really know what to expect as I had not made these before, all I had to go on were the fabulous reviews and attention this particular recipe had received. There has been a lot of hype surrounding the use of vegetables to make a sweet dessert...is it really doable? I wasn't sure, so I had to have a go...

The results we're surprising. Whilst no, these healthy brownies are not like biting into a bar of dairy milk chocolate, they take on a surprisingly satisfying and rich texture due to the sweet potatoe, dates and almonds and really do feel and taste decadent. 

Whilst I have to admit, they don't compare to that first bite of a regular chocolate brownie, I suppose that is because we have become so reliant on sugar. I would say these alternative brownies have a slightly acquired taste, but for their many health benefits including being packed full of nutrients and antioxidants whilst containing anti- inflammatory properties and, not to mention being great blood sugar regulators, they really are worth every bite! And, honestly I really enjoyed them!

If you fancy having a go at making these, let me direct you to Ella's website where you can find out more about this recipe including how to make it ( it's surprisingly easy!) and you'll also find plenty more of her recipes there too! 

You can purchase Deliciously Ella by following think here

Or, head over to her website and check out this recipe and more here!

Have a great day! 

Love Bunty

xXx

Block heels

I have to confess I have always been a bit of a magpie.- When it comes to anything with a sparkle, 

my eyes are always drawn to explore and when there is a bargain to be had, well, I find it very hard to ignore! 

I have always loved the idea of wearing heels, but, I must admit I rarely feel 100% comfortable in them. Something about trying to balance in stilettos the width of a pin whilst tottering after my toddler is enough to make me shudder at the best of times. However, the current trend for block heels has gone a long way to resolve my problem! I bought these shoes from New Look last week in the sale. They were a steal at £5 and are possibly the most comfy heel I own! Not only is the heel covered in beautiful sparkly beads, but it is wide enough to make balancing in them a dream! What's not to love?! I wore these to my sister-in-law's wedding at the weekend and made it through the whole day before noticing any discomfort (which was only bought on by dancing!) 

For someone who really struggles with heels, these are a perfect 

choice for both day and night looks and I'm really looking forward 

to wearing them again!

I hope you're all well and enjoying your week,

Love Bunty

xXx

Best high-end concealer dupe

I never was that bothered by wearing concealer before I had children. Being lucky enough to have scraped through my teens without too many skin issues, I suppose the idea of concealing or covering up blemishes just wasn't something I thought about too much. However, the last two years of nursing and tending to babies at night has certainly taken its toll on my skin and currently I find it almost impossible to cover my panda eyes without a little help from a trusty concealer!

That said, I've tried many different concealers over the last two years: different formulas, coverages, colours...you name it! I have settled on two favourites which I tend to only buy now as they have stuck out to me as the most effective- they just work!

Estee Lauder's is an older favourite which I have come to love. I always buy it in the shade 'light' which is the perfect cover up for a whole host of imperfections. Sometimes it's nice not to wear a full face of makeup, but equally it's also nice to look human! This concealer is my bridge! I can pop this under my eyes and on any other areas of uneven skin tone on my face to mask the lot. It's a great one to wear by itself for a fresh faced- barely there look.

Estee lauder's concealer is, in my opinion, second to none in its staying power, finish and formula. However,  a while back I wanted to see if I could find a high street 'dupe' as I had been for a spray tan and didn't have a concealer to match my tan! I decided to test Rimmel's Wake me up concealer and was utterly taken aback by its quality. Not only does it resemble that lovely creamy formula that El's concealer has but it has seriously good staying power too. I really like this concealer a lot and, if you're on the market for a budget friendly handbag essential, I think this is a perfect place to start. 

If I'm popping out to the shops quickly and don't want to put a full face of makeup on, I find concealer is the perfect solution to just cover over blemishes so I can get on with the day without worrying about whether I look human or not!

Do you have a fave concealer dupe? 

Happy Monday all,

Love Bunty

xXx

Jonah's two month update

Today Jonah has turned 8 weeks old! My newborn is fast growing into a big bouncy baby and is already hitting little milestones in his development. One of my favourite milestones is the first time your baby smiles at you. It's such a wonderful moment when your tiny one can let you know they recognise you and love you too.

The last couple of weeks have been filled with lovely gummy beams whenever Jonah has been awake and we have been soaking them up! 

Jonah is also feeling notably stronger when I hold him. He can hold his head up for longer and you can really see him doing his best to keep it up whilst he looks around at his surroundings. Speaking of, Jonah loves looking around. He particularly loves the natural light and his eyes will tend to follow to wherever the windows are. I often wonder what he's thinking and what he makes of the big wide world!

I've not had him weighed but the feeding is still going well. I am still combination feeding, though exclusively breastfeeding at night. So far, so good on that front! Although any semblance of routine we had kind of disappeared this week due to our move, Jonah does feed pretty regularly every 2-3 hours. I find the feeds during the days can be more frequent though, whilst at night he only wakes once or twice at most. I'm not complaining! Haha!

He is fitting his 0-3 month clothes much better now. Whilst they totally drowned his tiny frame as a newborn, now they fit really well, in fact I don't think it won't be long before we start thinking about moving up to the 3-6 month clothes- scary! Although I love getting to try lots of different outfits on him and moving out of the romper phase into little sets is so much fun, I kinda mourn leaving the newborn/early phase. It just doesn't last long enough!

In terms of myself, I'm feeling much more back to normal in myself, physically and mentally. However that's not to say I don't rely on the occasional pep talk from my husband. I think I forgot that it did take me a few months to shed Noah's baby weight and it wasn't till I did that I felt totally my old self again. I have been exercising a lot more recently and am enjoying hiking and running in a bid to both calm my mind and shed a few of those pounds! 

I think that is pretty much everything for this little boy's two month update! I hope you are all having a lovely weekend!

Love Bunty

xXx

Babies, moving house and sickness

They say moving house is one of the most stressful things anyone can do. As if we Mortons don't love a challenge?! On Monday, Eddy, the babies and I vacated our much loved home in Portsmouth and moved to my parents' in Devon. 

Like many family moves, ours is career related too and so we are greatly anticipating the future and are excited to see the development of anchor studios. (Sorry for the name drop but I have never actually talked about Eddy's business on the blog particularly. Suffice to say I am immensely proud of his endless hard work and dedication over the last few years. Setting up your own business is no simple task in this day and age and naturally, it has taken time to earn recognition and to achieve goals one by one. All I can say is that it is a real privilege to see your loved one's dreams begin to come true!)

In the meantime, my parents kindly offered us to make a base in their home while we 'house hunt' and just get to grips with where exactly our next 'home' is going to be. So, to address the other elephant in the room- sorry the blog has been completely on the back burner this last week!- Although we managed to pack up our home in a couple of days, in the process poor Noah came down with a horrible sickness bug. Suffice to say it was a pretty big challenge to meet the deadline for our removal men!

I was literally praying that Eddy, Jonah or I didn't get sick in those days of packing as it would totally render our mission impossible! (lol) Of course, God heard my concerns and so it was only after we had completed our packing, swapped keys back and made our four hour drive down to Devon in one piece, that I got sick! -Honestly, I was just so grateful for the timing!

This move has really shown me a lot about our little family. Firstly about our marriage union in that we are a team and it's by being a team that we can make what may feel impossible actually happen. We're stepping forwards together with our boys and there is a wonderful feeling of responsibility and encouragement that has come from trusting God and trusting each other.

Secondly, I know sometimes it can raise eyebrows when you talk about 'moving back in with the parents,' as if that connotes to a certain stability breakdown or inability to stand on your own feet, so to speak. All I can say is that I am blessed and enormously grateful to see my family thriving in a world where so many don't have that opportunity or circumstance. I'm also extremely grateful for the ongoing generosity of my parents. Their continual effort to see all of their children succeed, however that may be, knows no bounds.

I feel a new lease of life being here and I feel contentment and happiness!

Love Bunty

xXx

Ludovico Einaudi

When we were growing up, my siblings and I had weekly piano lessons and took our grades along with school exams. From this discipline grew a great love of music for all of us and playing the piano, for me, is something that I have come to love doing. 

It's an escape, a creative outlet, a constant challenge and an opportunity to grow. It's a skill my husband and I hope to pass onto our children and one day, I hope they will enjoy music in the same way we do.

One of my most favourite Italian contemporary composers is Ludovico Einaudi who, for me has utterly transformed the way I enjoy playing piano. I discovered him through my older brother years ago and ever since then I have sought his sheet music whenever I've been home. Even when I feel rusty, (especially if it's been a while since playing his music), my hands seem to remember the rhythms and melodies faster than my brain does and I find it easy to pick up where I left off.

Two of my absolute favourites of Einaudi's compositions are I Giorni (The days) and Nefeli. 

These two pieces of music are part of my ultimate 'chill out' playlist. Wheather by playing them myself or listening to them on my iPod, I never grow tired of these beautiful pieces of music. 

If you haven't heard his work before, I would love to share it with you. 

His music is available to download on iTunes and you can reach my two faves by following these links.

I Giorni

Nefeli

I hope you're all having a wonderful day!

Love Bunty

xXx

Glory Days

Whenever I go home to Devon, I can't help but feel catapulted back in time. It's always as if nothing has changed and I revert back into my old, carefree self. Something about the sweet spring air of the Devon countryside and the familiar village I spent my whole childhood growing up in has the ability to soothe the chaos that can threaten to take over at any given moment.

I no longer feel the constant urge to be around social media as my desire even to have my phone on my person vanishes and I just allow the ever-spinning cogs in my head to quieten. I'm lucky enough that 'home' to me is a place of replenishment where I know I will feel revived and boosted. 

The other evening our family gathered for a bit of fun where we sat around with some wine and looked at old camcorder footage. It sounds a bit weird but I love looking back at our goofy younger selves. Eddy and I call them the 'glory days' and in a way they really were. I watched myself and Eddy, seven years ago as teenagers without a care in the world. There is a youthful freedom that a part of me craves now and I sometimes find myself longing to go back for just a day.

Though children and other responsibilities have changed the dynamics of our lives, we are ultimately the same people as we were all those years ago and it was just nice in that moment to be reminded of that. 

Love Bunty

xXx

Origins GinZing

I've been enjoying using a different moisturiser lately and I like it so much, I thought it would be worth mentioning. To any tired out mums like me whose skin can lack that 'get up and go' feeling after a night of children's sleepless antics, this is your remedy!

Aside from the cheerful packaging, the name of this product held my interest as soon as I saw it. It claims to be an Energy-boosting moisturiser which, I must say I could use!

Now, if you think that working a bit of this lovely product into your face is going to revive your energy levels enough to run a marathon, i'm afraid you'll be disappointed. What I will say though is that this formula does help revive my tired eyes and cools my skin in such a soothing way. It has a really punchy orange scent which is right up my street. I also love the consistency which is light enough to work well under makeup in the morning.

In composition, this formula reminds me of some Clinique skincare products; its very gentle and calming on the skin. Once on, it feels like I'm not wearing anything except for the delicate scent and I really like that I can just pop this on and feel like its actually helping helping to calm my skin. It's a great 'no makeup day' product when you just want to give your skin a break. 

In my 50ml pot I have only needed to use a tiny amount so far as the product does go quite a long way. Even though I use this every day now, I'm expecting it to last a good while so it really feels like you get your moneys worth.

Are any of you guys fans of Origins products? I'd love to know your thoughts!

Love Bunty

xXx

Easter weekend

We have been having such a lovely Easter break in Devon- I dont want it to end! Getting my side of the family all together is becoming a bi-annual event as really only the Easter and Christmas holidays guarantee everone home at the same time. With this in mind, Eddy and I were keen to spend as much time with everyone as possible and I think it's safe to say we have all had a really fun weekend. 

On Easter Sunday after attending Mass, we set up an Easter egg hunt in the garden for the children. Noah and his cousin enjoyed exploring everywhere for their hidden treats. I think we all overdid our chocolate allowance but it was so sweet to see the children's delight at the copious amount of chocolate that was hauled back inside after the hunt.

The weather was beautiful: warm and sunny and everyone was in great spirits. I especially noticed a more relaxed version of myself on Sunday as I stayed away from social media and blogging. I always find that having a clean break from blogging helps to clear my head. I also think it's really important to just live in the moment. My Easter weekend has brought clarity and peace of mind and now I can't wait to get back in gear to fill you in on all the exciting things coming up! 

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter celebration too!
Love Bunty
xXx