Take Time Out For You

I think that it's really important that when you live with your other half, to not neglect having your "alone time." Just because you live together it does not mean that you need to constantly live out of each other's pockets and be around each other 24/7. If you do, this is when tensions can arise. Having time to yourself is of major importance because not only does it mean that you are still taking time out to do the things that you enjoy, but that the time you spend with your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife is all the more special. 

The last thing you want to do when you're living with your partner is to end up resenting them! 

Boyfriend and I are in a position where on a day-today basis, we don't really know how much we are going to see each other. Last year, over the summer, we barely saw each other once a week. He is a very clever thing and was off at university working extremely hard on finishing his PhD. He needed that time to focus. And I 100% respected that. He called the shots on when we saw each other. It had to be that way. 

And now that we live together, the dynamics have changed again. We both work. But our schedules are completely different. I'm on regular hours that don't ever change. And he can be working anything from 8 to 12 hour days (sometimes more.) The time we spend together is precious. And it means that the time we have apart when neither of us are working needs to be spent taking time out to really relax and focus on the most important people in our lives....us. 

On Tuesday night, Boyfriend was out all day and for most of the evening. So I took the opportunity to have a completely girlie pamper evening. I had been out during the day with a friend, and picked up a few bits to help me indulge my beauty-holic side. 

I ran myself a hot bath, popped in a LUSH Golden Egg bath ballistic and was swept away into relaxation. I picked up a really indulgent Montagne Jeunesse Chocolate Orange face mask, and followed up with my brand new LUSH Ultrabland  Facial Cleanser. I switched my phone to silent, and spent a good half an hour soaking all my cares away. 

When I have a bath, I take the opportunity to banish any stresses or problems that I have. If I want to cry, I cry. If I want to sing, I sing, and if I want to laugh, then I just go ahead and let the giggles out. Nobody can hear me. It's my time to just completely be at one with myself. If you're in a relationship and you do live together, you do not want to be bringing your own stresses into the mix. Especially when you don't know how your other half is feeling. Boyfriend is a very intuitive person, and if there is ever something bugging me, even if I don't say anything, he knows. And if I don't want to talk about it. He really takes it to heart. And that makes me feel awful. He thinks it's something he's done. Which isn't the case at all. Because when it comes to our relationship, we are completely honest with each other when it comes to things that piss us off.

After my bath, I heated myself up some leftover pizza I'd had boxed up from my Pizza Express lunch, and turned the living room into a cinema. I put Frozen on, turned out all the lights, and munched on chocolate chip cookies. And it felt so good. I was relaxed. I was happy. And above all. I was really looking forward to Boyfriend getting home. 

We all need time for just us. It's okay for you to have that time or to ask for that time. Don't feel that just because you live with somebody, you need to dedicate all your time to them and only them. That's not a healthy relationship at all. 

And it works both ways. Make sure your other half gets their own time Even if it's watching Match of the Day, letting them do their thing in the kitchen (this is one of Boyfriend's favourite ways to de-stress,) or making sure that they have a night out with their friends. Maybe your boy/girl really wants to do something for themselves, but is shy about telling you in case they upset you. Be intuitive and make the move first. Let them know that it's okay to have that time. 

Because the only way we can truly love others, is if we love ourselves first. 

123 Tag Video: Ginger & The Bear Edition

I really enjoy filming with Boyfriend. We always have the best time and laugh so much that videos end up 40 (plus) minutes long. It definitely makes editing so hilarious.

Because today is his birthday, and I want to show how much of a cool dude he is, here is The 123 Tag: Ginger & The Bear Edition that we filmed a few weeks ago over on my Just Add Ginger YouTube Channel.

If you do this video too, let us know in the comment!

1. If your bf/gf could be married to a movie star who would it be?

2. If your bf/gf could be a celebrity who would it be?

3. You've gone to 711 to get milk and decide to buy your bf/gf a treat, what did you buy?

4. What percentage of house work would your bf/gf say that they do?

5. If your bf/gf could choose one thing for you to get rid of, what would it be?

6. What is your bf/gf most repeated sentence or phrase?

7. What is your bf/gf most used cuss word?

8. What is your bf/gf ultimate favourite movie?

9. A meteor just hit, you've saved everything important, what would your bf/gf go back to get?

10. The saying opposites attract is true because me and my bf/gf are opposite at _______?

Ginger Vlogs: Festive Frolics

This Christmas was probably one of the best - but most chaotic - I've ever had! Boyfriend finished work on Christmas Eve for the festive break, and there was not a day that went by where we were not doing something, going somewhere, visiting someone, or travelling to do one of the aforementioned. 

It was busy, busy, busy, but I loved it. 

The Friday after Christmas we went down to visit my family and I thought it would be a good opportunity to take my camera and capture some of our "festive frolics" across the South of England. Capturing memories like this is wonderful because in days/months/years to come, I can look back and remember what an amazing moment in time it was! 

What were your Christmas/ December highlights this year?

Blogtember 2013: Life Lately

A "life lately" post. What you're up to, how you're feeling, how you're doing on your goals, etc. Bonus points for great photos!

I'm not going to lie....

I am SO happy right now. 

For a long time I felt really unsettled. I felt as though I was stuck in a bit of a rut, but lately, I have really gotten myself out of it. I feel like I don't stop now. I work Monday to Friday in a job that I absolutely love, I'm going to college to gain my Playwork Level 3, I'm really involved in my blogging, and I've been spending loads of time (probably too much time) re-organising, re-designing, and generally giving my house a bit of much needed TLC and sorting. 

Boyfriend has been & is super-busy at the moment, which means that we only really have been spending time together at the weekend. It makes it really special, and come Thursday, I start to get really excited that it's nearly the weekend and that I'll be seeing him. 

I'm not really one to usually get overly-gushy in public, but he is the main reason I am so content and at ease right now. I am one very lucky Ginger to have found him. 

I've also been spending lots more time with my friends. Because I don't live near my family, having a really strong circle of friends is really important to me because they are my family up here, and more recently, my Northern "family" have become so much stronger. Whether it's mine and Saloca's Pudding Clubs (which have recently become filled with excitable talk about blogging and decorating discussion,) spending time with Boyfriend's family, or going to visit Spotto, time I spend with my friends - which always was so important to me - has now become even more special!

I also feel that my style has really come in to its own. I have become a lot more experimental with fashions over the past year, and now I think I've found a style that I really like and works well for me. Stering away from jeans, which have a habit of not fitting me properly (I have a really hollow back,) I've been going for skater skirts, dresses, and fit and flare styles a lot. I've also not been buying so much, but instead, going for clothes I know I can wear for both day and night events. This means that I can save more money for the home improvements I'm planning....

....which has also been on my mind a lot lately. 

I've finally almost moved things in to my office. My DVDs are nicely arranged on a stand, all my stationary is collated in one place, as are my technological gear for blogging/vlogging, and my loft is empty of everything that isn't mine (finally!) I have a proper place to store all my beauty products and jewellery, and I've put all of my clothes into categories and they now have their own areas in my wardrobe/chest of drawers. My bedroom is almost unrecognisable! Here are the things on my "To-Do" List: 

• Buy wall sticker for bedroom.
• Find storage boxes to categorise my make up 
• Source wood to build bar in living room. 

Yes. That's right. I'm going to have a BAR downstairs. I really enjoy having people round, so a bar would be a perfect addition to my living space. It probably won't happen until the end of the year/next year, but I am so excited! I'm going to call it 

"The Ginger Bear" 

What do you think? 

Ginger's Jollies: The Monro, Liverpool

On Saturday, I am going on holiday to France with my parents for two weeks (God BLESS the Summer Holidays!) Although I'm super excited to be going away, it also means that I will not be seeing Boyfriend for two weeks. (BOO!) With the prospect of my approaching departure from Liverpool, Boyfriend suggested that we go to The Monro as a special treat! 

The Monro is a place I drive past all the time heading back home from town, but somewhere that I have never tried, although, I have always heard some amazing things about it. And with me being the Ultimate Foodie that I am, I knew I just had to give it a try. 

They do say great things come in small packages, and The Monro is no exception. The exterior is lovely and sleek, and what greets you as a beautifully understated exterior hits you with one hell of a gigantic punch of sophistication on the inside. 

We arrived with about ten minutes to spare before our reservation, so, naturally, decided to get ourselves acquainted with the bar. Whilst we were waiting for our drinks, I got the chance to have a look around the restaurant and was amazed at how pretty everything looked. The restaurant isn't exceptionally big compared to some of the others in the city centre, but what they have done with the space works really well. The décor really made you feel at home, and reminded me of the homely, comforting feeling I get when I go in to the country pubs where I grew up....Everything in there made me feel really warm and relaxed.

When it was time, were taken over to our table, and had a chance to peruse the menu. I had looked at the selection earlier in the day, but, as usual with me, was drawn in by everything when I looked at the menu again. Everything sounded just too delicious that it came to a point where I had to make a decision then hide my menu from view. I chose the Fylde Coast Quail & Chorizo Ballontine. Boyfriend had the Cumbrian Sourced Rabbit Terrine. 

Quail & Chorizo Ballontine

OH. MY. GOODNESS. 

I had bever had quail before up until this moment, so had no idea what to expect, but whatever I had pictured in my mind, I was surpassed. I mean, just look at the presentation of my starter. Stunning. That was enough for my mouth to instantly start watering. But then I tucked in to one of the portions of quail and my heart skipped a beat. The meat was so succulent and juicy, and complemented the chorizo to perfection, and the accompaniments added a fresh note to the dish. Boyfriend wanted to try some, and it was one of those moments where I was half tempted to stuff every morsel into my mouth and say:

 "Ginger doesn't share food!" 

But I didn't, because with Foodies such as we, amazing food needs to be experienced together (and I wanted to try some of the terrine!) 

The terrine was probably the best experience of rabbit I have had. The meat was tender and went perfectly with the cranberry marmalade, adding a subtle accompanying sweetness to the bacon.

Both Boyfriend and I took a risk and ordered dishes that neither of us had tried before, and our adventurousness paid off.

Both starters were a good portion size too, and definitely whetted my appetite for the rest of the meal. Absolutely beautiful start to the night! 

British Fillet Steak

Goosenargh Duck Breast


After we had finished our starters, and our plates had been collected, we did not have to wait long at all for our main course to arrive. The service was absolutely brilliant. Sometimes in restaurants  you can be waiting for ages in between courses, especially if you go during busy periods, but not tonight. Oh no. I'd say we only were plate-less for about 2 minutes. It was absolutely incredible! I decided to go for the Goosenargh Duck Breast, and Boyfriend went for the British Fillet Steak. We also decided to order a bottle of wine to go with our mains, and our lovely waitress was really prompt in bringing it over and pouring some for us. 

If I had been happy with the starters, by the main course I was floating on a cloud in Foodie Heaven! The dishes were beautiful. I had to sit in awe for a few seconds at how pretty the arrangement on my plate was. But then I caught a whiff of the duck and had to dive in.

Now, I'm a girl who gets excited about the simplest of things, so when I discovered that my duck was already in bite-sized chunks that did not need to be cut, you can imagine my delight. I did not need my knife at all. The duck was tender as anything, and my fork glided through the breast with no difficulty. The plum-chilli sauce packed a bit of a punch (there was definitely chilli in it) but the plum immediately appeared to soften the blow. And the parma ham crisp! I'm a lover of crispy things at the best of times (particularly bacon) and this just tipped me over the edge!

The stuffed tomato

Of course I had to sample the steak as well! 
Now, the waitress had chuckled at me as I gaped at Boyfriend when he asked for his steak to be blue, but when it arrived, my reservations disappeared. It wasn't actually still moo-ing, and there was no visible signs of blood on the plate. His steak was cooked beautifully, and his knife glided through the meat like it was butter. But what we couldn't get over was the tomato. 
It was delicious!

With every bite there was a new flavour to be found. All the ingredients had infused together inside the tomato and it had the most beautiful succulent favour you could imagine! We must have spent at least five minutes discussing what we could taste, and Boyfriend even asked for the menu back so that we could see if it gave us any clues. I've never had anything like it, and I only wish I knew how it was cooked so that I can try and recreate it myself!

White Chocolate Marscapone Cheesecake

Cheeseboard

Now, by this point I had had two very yummy courses, and, you might think that I was full, but when those deliciously naughty words "Would you like to see the dessert menu?" were uttered to me, I just could not resist! 

Boyfriend and I decided to order a pudding each and then share the two between us, because we had both been drawn to different things on the menu. I went for the cheesecake, and he for the cheeseboard. 
The selection of cheese that came with the cheeseboard were lovely. There was a smoked cheddar, a Wensleydale, and a cheese with what we think was onion in (there's no dessert menu online for me to double check.) The cheese was served with crackers, celery, butter and apple. It was like a wooden platter of cheesey deliciousness. The wedges were perfect to share between the both of us, and again. the food was displayed beautifully on the board! Just looking at it was enough to make my mouth water. 
After the cheese it was on to the cheesecake. And this is going to probably sound like the biggest statement of the century, but that cheesecake was within no doubt the creamiest, most yummy-scrummy-in-my-tummy cheesecake I have ever had! I don't know whether it was the marscapone, or the chocolate, or the layer of fruit on top, or everything all together, but it was stunning! And not too heavy either. It melted in my mouth and made me feel giddy.

We were the last people to leave the restaurant area, but there were still a lot of people seated in the bar, and the atmosphere was buzzing. You could tell everyone there was having a really good time, and there was a relaxed, jovial atmosphere as we left the restaurant. 
So. Final Thoughts.....If you're a Foodie looking for a place to eat in Liverpool, then I'd definitely recommend The Monro. It's a beautiful restaurant with beautiful, atmospheric decor. The food is absolutely stunningly presented, and tastes phenomenal, and the staff are really friendly. I left feeling really sated, happy, and already planning my next visit!