Extra Blog Post: WordPress March Prompts – A Shopping Spree

Where would you go on a shopping spree?

Before I go crazy, who exactly is financing this shopping spree?

If it’s coming from my own pocket, I’m first making a budget and putting a cap on my spending. So I’ll plan something like “I’m going to the mall but I won’t be spending more than 100€” or “I’m making a SHEIN order for a few dresses but I can’t spend more than 50€”. Besides the spending, I’m trying (emphasis on the trying) to be more mindful of what I bring into my home, since our space is limited.

If I’m being offered a hypothetical shopping spree, paid for by a hypothetical benefactor, and if money is not an issue, I’m going crazy at a couple of stores.

I’d stop at IKEA and get a few things for the house. Definitely a new, bigger couch. Our couch used to be fine when it was just the two of us, but has since become too small.

I’d stop at H&M and Zippy (Portuguese kid’s store) and go crazy with stuff for the girls. If my imaginary sugar daddy is buying, I’m not shopping at Primark.

For myself, I’d let loose at Mango and Zara for clothes, Sephora for cosmetics and makeup and whatever random book and stationery store I could find. I’d definitely be getting myself a fancy new coffee machine too.

I’d obviously get something for my husband. Probably a pair of very fancy running shoes and some nice new running gear.

Finally, I’d get a huge boneless rotisserie chicken for Rosa. Then my shopping spree would be complete and I’d wake up.

Extra Post: Bloganuary Day 23 – What I Do For Fun

List five things you do for fun.

Is it weird I had a hard time answering this question? What does fun even mean? Something thrilling? Something that makes you laugh? Something that gives you pleasure or makes you happy? All of the above, most likely.

So what do I actually do for fun? It’s not like I go dancing or bungee jumping so I had to think long and hard about this one. This is what I came up with:

1. Playing with my daughters. I mean Dalila, obviously, as my two month old doesn’t play much yet. Who knew I might have fun sorting out colorful dinosaurs or playing with Lego.

2. Going out to dinner or hosting friends at home for a meal. I always have fun when sharing food with friends.

3. Shopping. I wish I was less shallow and that I liked more wholesome pursuits but this is who I am. I don’t shop as much as I once did but I still have fun by going out to look at shops.

4. Texting back and forth with my group of best girlfriends. I love coming up with unexpected questions, gossiping and laughing with them.

5. Guilty pleasure here: watching reality tv with my husband. We’re avid Married at First Sight fans and have a lot of fun together watching other people be ridiculous on camera.

So there you have it, this is how I have fun.

Love,

Cheila

If We Were Having Coffee – Part II

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that my hair is falling like crazy. I mean, I must have lost about 50% of my hair in the past year. I had some blood work done and it turns out I have an iron deficiency, meaning I’m close to being anemic. My doctor thought that might be the cause and that an iron supplement would stop my hair loss. Nope. Keeps falling. I have a dermatology appointment booked for this week and hopefully they’ll figure it out. Should I have gone about 6 months ago? Yes, but I procrastinate.

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you I’m sort of suffering from adult acne. I never had any pimples as a teenager but I’ve been getting them for the past couple of months, mostly on my forehead. It’s not bad, just a few here and there (except for that one time a couple of months ago when it looked like I was having an allergic reaction which coincided with my first makeup trial for my wedding) but it bothers me that my skin is changing right now, at 27.

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that my best friend and maid of honor (sort of, that’s not exactly what we call it here, it’s like you have a pair of godparents for the bride and another for the groom. She’s my “bridal godmother”) is coming here to visit in June (she lives in Vienna and I never get to see her) and I can’t wait. I’m so excited and wish June would just hurry up and get here. She’s one of my absolute favorite people in the whole world and I miss her so much.

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you Rui and I are attending a wedding in May and are very exciting. We’ll be among his friends from high school whom we happen to be very close with right now (life is very funny because we all ended up living in the same city, which is about 300 km away from where they all went to high school) so it will be so much fun. I should say they’re my friends too, otherwise they get mad. It’s so nice that we’ll share the year we got married with that couple.

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that it’s less than 6 months until our wedding. October 5th. We’re very excited. Everyone around us is very excited and looking forward to it. I’m so glad we decided to have a “big” wedding. I thought I’d be fine with a very small civil ceremony but I think I’d regret not doing something more traditional.

If we were having coffee…

I’d ask you if you’re married and then I’d ask about your wedding day and hopefully get some wedding advice 🙂

Love,

Chey

If We Were Having Coffee – Part I

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that I wear glasses now. Not always, but I need them to watch TV, go to the movies, drive (I don’t drive but if I did), etc. I’m short sighted and it’s not that bad but the glasses make a huge difference. First couple of times I wore them I keep taking them off and putting them on to see the difference. Literally. I think I began to see there was an issue, again literally, about 6 months ago. I could have been before that. I was at the movies and kept asking Rui if the screen was blurry or unfocused. It looked fine to him. Then it started to get worse while watching a movie or a TV show at home. Everything was blurry, even faces. And God help me if any letters or signs came on the screen. Then I was at work and it was hard to focus someone’s face at a distance. I could see them but their face was a blur. Same for street signs. I could go on. A couple of weeks ago I finally got tested and they confirmed I needed glasses. What a HUGE difference it makes. Do I think I look good wearing glasses? I mean, I don’t know yet. It’s weird. They keep getting dirty and I’m kind of obsessed with them being spotless. Rui thinks I’m crazy and that I’m going to end up scratching them from cleaning them too much.

Yes, I’m wearing pajamas. Don’t judge

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that I quit sugar. I won’t eat anything with added sugar or add sugar to my coffee or tea. I do eat sweeteners because I’m not that good. I have a major sweet tooth. I’ve had a slip up or two but one of them was accidental. I had no idea my stevia had added sugar. WTF? It’s very hard to be sugar free, honestly. Not in the sense that I’m constantly craving it because it has been easier than I thought but it’s definitely harder to find food you can eat. Your options get pretty limited. EVERYTHING has sugar. Why does BREAD need sugar? We are lucky that our bread, Portuguese bread, is not that sweet so we can find a few varieties with no sugar added but in general, most bread contains sugar. I’ve been getting creative and trying to come up with sweets and desserts with no sugar, using vanilla extract, applesauce, ripe bananas, coconut milk and cinnamon to add flavor. Sometimes I do use some sweetener as a substitute for sugar because again, most recipes ask for sugar. I’ve actually been trying to cook a lot more lately. Would you like a list of recipes? Some of them I find online and adapt, others I kind of make up myself. I’ve discovered this very easy 2 ingredient pizza dough: Flour and plain Greek yogurt. The pizza (I made the sauce too) turned out pretty yummy.

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that I began having my eyebrows threaded and I’m never going back! It’s the perfect method for me. It’s relatively painless (definitely less painful than wax or tweezers), natural and they look so perfect and well defined. The lady I go to is awesome! She has being doing this for 10 years and she only charges 8€. I had never tried it before because I thought it would be too expensive but I’m so glad I did.

Awkward photo so I can show you my eyebrows…

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you I’ve been getting gel nails and it’s great. I bite my nails to the bone and they look so miserable all the time. Even when I paint them they still end up in my mouth. It’s a horrible habit and this seems to be the perfect solution for me. They last 3-4 weeks, they’re not terribly expensive and my hands look so much better. I instantly feel like a lady and more put together. I feel way more confident if my nails are done. It’s the third time I’ve got them done and they look more natural each time because my nails can grow freely since I’m not munching on them.

First time – I may or may not be sitting on the toilet here.

Second time – Looks kind of black but it is dark blue

Now – That’s my driver’s hand. I’m marrying him.

Now – The red is slightly sparkly but my shitty iPhone SE didn’t pick that up

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that we got our wedding bands last week. I absolutely love them!! I can’t wait to marry the love of my life so we can wear them together, even tough Rui has this phobia of getting a ring stuck on his finger and having to get his whole arm amputated. Or both arms. I’m serious, the guy can’t even try on a ring without asking “what if it doesn’t come off????” Now he’s gonna kill me because I’m sharing too much. Or maybe he won’t because if he tries I’ll put a very tight ring on each one of his fingers and watch him cry and call emergency services. Phobias are weird, aren’t they? I’m always afraid I’m gonna fall in the shower and die. I’m not 80 years old, but still. Don’t like to shower when I’m home alone.

I won’t show you our wedding rings yet so here, take a photo of our pupper begging for the hamburgers I was making for dinner.

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you that between November 27th and today, I’ve read 41 books. I’m currently reading book 42 and 43 (yes, at the same time). I’m so in love with reading right now. My goal for 2019 is 100 books and I’ve only read 24 so far. Better hurry. Do you follow me on Goodreads? https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/25856029-cheila-cruz 

A few favorites from the past couple of weeks:

If we were having coffee…

I’d tell you about the movies I’ve watched lately and ask if  you’d seen any of them. If you’d like to check how I rated them you can follow me on Letterboxd: Chey23

Finally,

If we were having coffee…

I’d ask you to tell me all about you. What’s happening, what you’ve been doing, how’s life, what’s making you happy or sad. I’d ask all the things. I’d love it if you’d share what you’ve been up to in the comments.

This post is now longer than I intended. Anyways, if you do get to finish it, thank you for coming by and putting up with my randomness.

Love,

Chey

***All book and movie covers were stolen from google images***

***Spelling mistakes may be present because I don’t have glasses for my brain***

 

Happy Happiness Day!! (Sorry about the redundancy) + 50 Things That Make Me Happy + What I’ve Got Going On Today: 20.03.2018

Happy Happiness Day, Everyone!! Are you happy? Hope so.

Today I’m sharing a few things that make me happy:

1. My small family, when they’re not acting crazy.
2. Rui.
3. Rosa.
4. My best friends.
5. My students.
6. This blog.
7. Books.
8. A good movie.
9. World and European Cups (Football), especially when my team in winning. Who am I kidding, ONLY when my team is winning.
10. The Oscars.
11. TV shows.
12. Food.
13. A clean house.
14. Shopping.
15. Sleep.
16. Loosing weight.
17. Days off.
18. Working.
19. When my students pass their tests, get good grades or get into university with my help.
20. Getting something in the mail.
21. True crime podcasts.
22. Gardening and beautiful flowers.
23. When I found something with a great price or discount.
24. Good hair days.
25. When I reach my step/water/fruit/vegetable goals.
26. My water fitness classes.
27. Babies.
28. YouTube videos.
29. Candy.
30. Good conversation.
31. Colorful stuff.
32. Stationary.
33. Finishing a to-do list.
34. Blogger friends and WordPress community.
35. Taking pictures.
36. Sunny days.
37. Rainy days.
38. When I make extra money.
39. Warm showers/baths.
40. The beach/countryside/mountains.
41. Throwing parties and feeding people.
42. Pink.
43. Coffee.
44. Those days when laundries dries outside in 30 minutes.
45. Free online courses.
46. Jokes/puns/quotes.
47. Cutting my own hair.
48. Massages.
49. Crochet and Knitting.
50. Cute things in general.

What about you? Can you tell me 3 things that make you happy?

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Today is Tuesday, March 20th and the first day of Spring!!

I’m already thinking about longer, warmer days, sunny weather and my garden. The old lady in me is also excited about Spring cleaning and drying laundry outside in the sun. I’m definitely a fall girl, but Spring is a lovely season as well. To be honest, I do love all of the seasons. It’s great to experience the changes and different weathers throughout the year. We never get bored. At least I don’t. I do know quite a few people who complain if it’s raining, then complain if it’s hot, complain if it’s cold as well… I mean, never happy. Do you know any weather haters? I’m sure you do.

I woke up early and had breakfast with Rui. Toast and coffee with milk. I actually have two job interviews today (one of them is by Skype) and I decided I might as well get this eyebrows done and my hair professionally washed and blow dried, which I never do. You know by now that I cut my own hair (in layers, using a YouTube video which I can share) and was very happy and pleased when the hairdresser said the haircut was very well done. She asked me if I was a professional, ha! No way, I’m just good at following very simple, my-dog-could-do-it instructions.

You also know I do have a job already, but I must tell you I am actually quite bored of working sixteen hours a week. I’m used to a fast-paced rhythm and don’t really know what to do with myself sometimes. Yes, I have some freelance projects but it’s just not the same as having a work routine. We could obviously use the extra income as well, obviously. I won’t tell you what I’m interviewing for yet, but I’ll update you as soon as I know something, promise.

Well, now I need to get ready for my Skype interview which is at 12. It’s 11.19 a.m here.

Talk to you guys later. Thank you so much for coming by.