Hey there stranger!

First of all, I’d like to declare myself queen of the basics, and confess I bloody love a good quote. Stick it in a fancy font, and on a blogger-esque background and you can safely say it will end up as a wallpaper on my phone at some point.

Unfortunately when I first saw this quote, it didn’t have any of that. It was written in felt tip, on a whiteboard. Someone had taken a photo and wacked it on Twitter, probably hoping for a few re-tweets. But for some reason, it really struck a code with me. It resonated then, and still does.

The life you lead, is the lesson you leave.

Maybe it’s because I have a niece who is fast becoming a teenager, in a world that constantly makes us worry about our teenagers. About if they are happy enough, if the world is good enough. Either way, it got me thinking. I love working and being financially independent. I love knowing I’ve got a bloody good life, and I’ve created that life myself. Looking back, I guess this stems from the fact growing up I was surrounded by powerful women. From my mum and my sister, to my aunts and friends. They did want they wanted, how they wanted and succeeded. Whether that be in work, love or lifestyle. They weren’t afraid to be a bit different if it meant having a good time.

So now I’m reflecting on my life so far, wondering what lesson I’ll leave the younger people I know. What do I want to show?

• I want to show that you can be hardworking, passionate and determined to be a #girlboss, but still keep family close.
• I want to show that you can and will find someone who thinks you are the absolute bees knees, because you are.
• I want to show that you background, or experiences don’t have to define you. You get to decide who you are, and how you’ll be.
• I want to show that kindness isn’t a grand gesture, it’s just taking a few moments, everyday, to actually be  bothered and make an effort.
• I want to show that even if a challenge seems too big, or too risky (like hey, lets pay for a master’s degree) sometimes you’ve just got to do it and believe it will pay off. Trust your gut.
• I want to show that beauty standards are irrelevant, no matter what your size/skin colour/style there is always something about you that is cuter than you know.
• Now this is sometimes a bit trickier, but I want to show you can appreciate another, without comparing. It isn’t always easy, but it’s a good habit to form.

So how do I leave these lessons? Well, I guess it’s simple. I’ve got to practise what I preach. It can’t be that hard, can it?

I’d like to tell you that I had a really relaxing evening the last time I used this product, but alas it was not meant to be. I’d had a long bath, poured a glass of wine… and then the rabbits had a massive fight. Apparently they didn’t get the memo that Sunday nights were designed for chilling out. So here I am again, with an hot chocolate and my good mate Germaine.

I was first introduced to Germaine de Capuccini Facial Exfoliator Scrub at The Inside Spa, during a facial and I loved how it felt, and how my skin looked afterwards. In a rambling sort of way, I guess what I am trying to tell you is that I’ve recently rediscovered it, and the love affair is well and truly back on.

I think I’ve mentioned on here before that I suffer from eczema, so it should be no surprise when I say I get really dry skin. It’s not all the time, but if I’ve been mega busy and not taking care of myself enough it can sneak up and no amount of primer can hide it, and trust me I’ve tried.

I tend to use my heavier night-time moisturiser just before using this exfoliator as otherwise I think it may be slightly too harsh for my skin, the sensitive git that it is. A minute or two after you apply the cream, you begin to feel a gentle tingle. This exfoliator feels incredibly fresh as you use it – it makes you believe it’s doing all sort of good things to your skin as well as just freshening you up.

The few days immediately after using this do almost tempt me to go without a proper base, because it makes your skin look so soft and glowy. It makes you look a bit like you’ve woken up with a gentle touch of FaceTune. I’m not a scientist nor am I up-to-date on all the nitty-gritty of the beauty world so I can’t tell you how it works, all I can say is this:

I lovelovelove it. It is powerful enough to do to do the job, whilst still being kind enough that you don’t come away looking like your skin care routine includes nothing but sandpaper.

Of course if you have sensitive skin I’d recommend doing a patch test before slathering it on, but it works well for me.

Lately I’ve been reading Ice Cream For Breakfast (so prepare yourself for a blog post on that baby) and it’s got me seriously re-evaluating how I want to spend my time. And looking at my Good Things for the week just gone, I can see its already having a bit of an effect, I don’t want to delve to deep into the book here –especially as I haven’t got to the end of it yet! So without further ado, here are my 7 Good Things.

1. Healthy Pets – This weeks the bunnies had the snip, which I didn’t think would be that big of a deal. For me obviously, I’m guessing it was a bigger to them. Anyway I expected them to come home a bit sore, but otherwise OK. Little did I know they would need round the clock supervision the next day as it’s a critical period for rabbits. Big shout out to mum and dad for being stellar baby sitters!
2. Weekends that feel like weekends – It can be easy to fall into the trap of spending your weekend catching up on things you didn’t do through the week, or just recovering from the working week. However for the past two weekends I’ve made sure to do something a bit more fun and different, and it has made the world of difference to my outlook.
3. Fruit – This week me and Craig seem to have been on a fruit binge, and it has felt so good to feel like we’re being a bit healthier.
4. Quality Time – Talking of fruit, on Sunday me and Craig went to Hardcastle Craggs – a local walking area. One of my favourite moments was sitting on a bench by the river sharing some strawberries in the sun.
5. Bullet Journal – Yup I’m still on with the bullet journal. Even though I’m not as dedicated too it as I once was, getting everything down on paper really helps me feel more in control and ready to boss it.
6. Secrets of Silicon Valley – It may the digital marketer in me, but either way I am fascinated by the data social media collects on us all – and how it uses it. I came across this series this week and found it fascinating to see just how Trump utilised Facebook, I can’t wait until the next episode!
7. Inspiration – I used to write a lot of fiction, but in the past months (or dare I say year?!) i seem to have fallen out of the habbit. However this week I’ve just had that creative urge to create something. Today I also read a great post about why you should nurture your creativity – read it here.

1. Date Nights – The weekend just gone me & Craig headed out for cocktails and food. Admittedly with things being a bit hectic recently we’d let date nights slide. Or at least date nights that were ‘out out.’ But it was really nice to be able to get a bit dressed up, drink cocktails and kiss on street corners.
2. Surprises – Or to be specific surprise holidays! During our date night Craig dropped the bombshell he wanted to take me on holiday. After both deciding holidays were out of the question this year it was an amazing surprise. He had apparently been planning it for quite a while, who knew I lived with such a sneak!
3. Right Time Right Place – I have a secret skill. Give me a pair of work shoes and I can destroy them in record time (it’s hard going sitting at a desk, eh?) but when I went to buy some more this weekend it turned out there was a sale on, including a skirt I’d been eyeing up for a good few months. Kerching!
4. They Call Him Mr Lovin Lovin – Last Sunday the Mckavett-Cotzec household descending into chaos. To put it bluntly, Craig caught the rabbits at it like… well, rabbits. Cue a few hours trying to build a make shift barrier in their cage, parents being called out and a few day worrying that I’d end up with an extra 50 rabbits as they just kept humping. However a trip to the vets later and it turns out that actually, they’re just boys with raging hormones.
5. Cactus Cocktail Glasses – Admittedly these are a bit awful. Imagine a 70’s cocktail glass where the stem is a glass cactus. Awful, ugly, but totally amazing.
6. Finding New Blogs – Although I’ve followed some bloggers on twitter for a while, I’ve only just started actively searching out new blogs to read. I’ve recently discovered Sophierosie.com and love her style.
7. Deadline Pressure – With the deadline for my uni assignment looming, I’ve managed to push through loads more than usual. I *think* I may work best under pressure, but whatever it is I love feeling like I’m finally making progress.

I may be setting myself up for a fail here, because I doubt next week’s post will top this. After all, it’s not every day a cute guy offers to whisk you away – but this weekend has really re-ignited my motivation and I can’t wait to see what the new week brings!