Deck The Halls

This week Brad and I decided to put our Christmas tree up, its a bit early for me normally but seeing as this year we have Fletcher and people will be visiting us through out the month, we figured the house needed to look festive!

I am quite a perfectionist  and would not let Brad decorate at all plus he's a bit of a Scrooge and I'd rather do it myself. Let me tell you it is hard to put up Christmas decorations with a new baby. It took me two days to put it up but I am so happy with my tree in the end!

This year my side of the family are all getting together and having Christmas day at my house. It will be the first time in a long time that I have spent a Christmas day with my grandma, and every year she gets us a Terrys chocolate orange ( we don't talk about the year she tried to trick us). The traditions are all coming out in this house this year. Think home alone, Christmas tree chocolate decorations and mulled wine!!

What are your Christmas traditions?

Toodles

Kelsie xxx

Cosy Jumpers

I am a big fan of layering clothes and I am always mega happy when it comes to autumn winter and i can wear a nice chunky knitted jumper and layer a nice woolly scarf over it for those colder days/evenings.

It was my birthday recently and as my baby is due any day now I have been thinking more and more about my post pregnancy clothes. My sister had asked what I wanted and I spent a good long while on boohoo and stumbled across a couple of things I liked. I picked this jumper for my sister to get me though as I just couldn't get over how pretty it was and how nice it will look with black skinny jeans!

I love the detail yet simple-ness to this jumper and the bold colour (it does also come in Red) I think it will just be so easy to style and wear with other stuff and still be an item that will look great by itself too!

Find this jumper HERE for just £15.00

(obviously this isnt me! haha ) 

By the time your reading this i may have had my baby and be already be wearing it!

What do you all think of this jumper? (honest opinions always appreciated!) What jumpers are you loving at the moment? send me some links, I'll need a whole new wardrobe after this baby is born.

Toodles

Kelsie xx

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The Primark Winter Boots

I have been on the hunt for beautiful winter boots for a couple of years now. I have just never found the right colour, size, look nor have any been sturdy enough. Having lived in the Alps during winter season I am very much into getting boots that will last a harsh winter (whether I am in the Alps or not) .

These ones were £18 (i know a little pricey for Primark) However, these feel amazing, sturdy with a strong sole which will last a good amount of walking during winter and hopefully more winters after.

I had been lusting after a pair of similar boots from new look but that had a larger heel and as much as I adored them I just couldn't purchase something that is impractical in snowy conditions, plus I'm not the biggest heel kind of girl and they were nearly double the price.

I finally found boots that seem fit to withstand a harsh winter in the UK and a harsh winter in The Alps and I am chuffed with that, especially at a price of just £18. Now I just cannot wait to give birth and let my swollen feet reduce in size to fit even more comfortably in these shoes!

Toodles

Kelsie xx

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The Winter Candle

Let me tell you how incredible this candle smells, its like autumn, winter, christmas, christmas markets, icy nights and everything that you would associate with these seasons all put into one candle.

(ooo how ironic, taking a picture of a candle with a candle in the background! haha )

It is by Airwick and as you can see by the pictures is 'Mulled wine and crackling fire' scented. Amazing. It comes at the bargain price of £3 from Sainsbury's. It may be available in other supermarkets but I just happened to get it whilst in Sainsbury's with my mum.

Unfortunately I do not know the burn time of this but at £3 a candle I reckon i'll just pick up a few more to keep me going throughout the next few months.

I really recommend this candle. The smell is just the perfect strength even when not lit, and it just fills the room with such an incredible autumnal scent.

Do you have any recommendations for wintery scented candles? (I honestly would buy every one if i could!)

Toodles

Kelsie xx

The Perfect Winter Sunglasses

I bought these sunglasses last year before my snowboarding holiday as they were specifically designed for winter sun. I was able to design exactly how I wanted them to look, and what lenses I wanted in them. All of this came at such a reasonable price, and they are so pretty.

My sunglasses actually have blue chrome polarised lenses, which can eliminate blinding glare. Cracking for those bluebird days on the slopes! They are also so robust that I have actually managed to keep a pair of sunglasses for a over a year! Amazing if you are as clumsy as me!

Melon Optics have since expanded their range since I bought these sunglasses and have a large amount of different sunglasses options now. They have also added Ski goggles and clothing to the
range.

I love the Melon brand, it is so nice and simple and perfect for either gender. I would love to try their Goggles, but that may have to wait until my unborn child (as yet) is a bit more grown up and able to attend a ski school!

You can design your own glasses for £32.50 on their website HERE, Alternatively you can choose from their range they already have with prices ranging from £20 to around £50 for their premiums.



Toodles

Kelsie xx

The Past 3 Years

I wanted to just put a post together to remember my last 3 years and all the fond amazing memories I have. All the people I have met over that time and the adventures I have had, in different countries with people from different walks of life. There were highs and lows over those times, times where I wanted to pack it all in, fly back to the UK and run back to my mum, I didn't, I stayed I powered through and for every bad time there are hundreds of great times for me to remember. Best of all if I hadn't gone on that first adventure, I would never have met Brad and now almost 3 years later be engaged and expecting a child together!

This post will also have a very general autumn/winter feel because our joint love was skiing/snowboarding and we (brad and I) met in the mountains of Austria! Its crazy to think if I hadn't gone on that first ski holiday with some friends I would never have fell in love with the mountains and never gone on my first ski season and never met the people along the way I did.

I want to encourage anybody that is afraid of taking that step or going on that adventure alone that you wont be alone for long at all. You will meet people that will change your life, and some that won't ever leave it once you have met them. I was terrified when I got on that first plane alone and flew to Austria, even that very night when I tucked myself into bed alone in a country where so far I had met a couple of people and didn't know the local language all that well but, Its the greatest thing I have ever done and now I'm still completely excited about what adventures there are to be had in the future. I'm so thankful for everything!

Have you gone on any adventures? share them! 

Toodles

Kelsie xx

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Mountain living

Bonjour!

so last year i lived in Austria and France i did 2 winter seasons and 1 summer season working in chalets in the Alps. Right now i am getting the need and urges to go back to the mountains, however, with the plans me and my boyfriend have we cant justify working another season. instead i will tell you all about what being a chalet host is like. 
i will tell you the ins and outs from my last season as opposed to my first season, which was not the best despite meeting my boyfriend there. 

Our 3rd season (2nd Winter) started on the 6th of December where we made the journey from Brads parents house to Luton airport. we got on our flight and flew to geneva, switzerland where our new boss lorna picked us up and the other chalet couple and driver up. we need made the journey back to Morzine in France. our home for the next 6 months. little did we know this was the place we were absolutely going to fall in love with. We arrived at our chalet to find it was exactly how we would have imagined. a typical wooden chalet that was perfectly decorated. knowing that Lorna had worked in this very chalet and had done all the work we were about to do was great as that meant she knew exactly what we were going through every day. i cannot speak highly enough of Lorna, she became a very good friend of mine and Brads through that season.



Morzine itself was an absolutely delightful place. full of the french mountain resort charm you would expect. mine and brads only problem we did not speak french that well, despite what brad thinks, his french was terrible. we quickly made many friends across the town and had our favourite drinking and eating spots. 



the ski area was amazing, i developed so much as a snowboarder in Morzine that i am now extremely comfortable in that environment and i like to 'bomb it down' the pistes. there are 650km in the portes du soliel ski area, you can ski or board across to switzerland pretty quickly. me and brad absolutely loved it there and even his parents, cousin and best mate came to visit us. 

 a typical day in a chalet starts at half 6. Alarm is going off. you need to be up and in the kitchen at 7 to prep the breakfast for the guests. Brad was the chef and prepped most whilst i set up and served the people. most weeks the people were lovely and generally became friends. whilst breakfast is on we also prepped what we could for dinner in the evening. as you do not provide lunch for guests, just breakfast and dinner. i also baked a cake every morning for afternoon tea which guests had everyday for when they got off the mountain. After breakfast was finished and all the guests had left to go skiing we would then head upstair and clean their rooms, which involved making their beds, hoovering, emptying bins and cleaning the bathrooms. after we had completed this and clean the lounge and dining areas we would then be off for the day until 5 o clock. we would generally be finished by 10/10.30 which we would then get changed and head up the mountain ourselves. 

once back at 5 we would continuing prepping dinner for 7 and serve our guests vin chaud, which is mulled wine to the english. we would serve a 3 course meal everynight except our day off which was also followed by tea and coffee and chocolates. 

Every friday was our shopping and ironing day, where i would iron all the best sheets (which i was responsible for all the washing in the chalet) and brad had to go shopping for all the food required for the week. then every sunday was changover day were we deep cleaned the whole chalet and changed the rooms over for the next week of guests. Both these days are days you cannot go up the mountain as you just do not have enough time. 

People always think that because we are living abroad its constantly a holiday but getting up at 6.30 every day and working 6 days a week for 6 months is a very hard demanding job. your down time is spent skiing or snowboarding a very tiring hobby. it was great but definitely not a holiday. if anyone is thinking of doing a season, do understand it is demanding and hard work but definitely worth it. My season is Morzine was incredibly and i made some amazing friends and had some incredibly times. Brad and i are heading back at the end of January for our first holiday together ever, in the 2 years we have been together. i have the feeling this is going to become our annual pilgrimage. 

I hope this provides a little insight into the life of a chalet girl, its not all like the movie Chalet Girl. but it is amazing, and you are very unlikely to improve your snowboarding abilities to competition level in 3 months!! 

Kelsie 

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