Life of Jana

I am taking part in a Photo Blogging Challenge created by PJ at A'lil Hoohaa . As the Photo Blogging Challenge turns two in March, the theme this time is Two . Swans...   Tristan and I live next to a canal and we are totally aware of who lives there. Every morning I hear goose 'honks' and duck 'quacks' before going to work. They are so noisy! Swans are quiet and most of the time just peacefully swim around.  ...and the intruder.  If there's another waterbird coming close they softly hiss or make weird snoring sounds. Clearly this doesn't help, so the chasing starts. I've never seen swans doing this before so it was actually quite funny to watch. Dinner for two. This is a lamb curry with rice and naan bread. Milk is amazing with spicy food, it helps to relieve the burning feeling. Rainbows Tristan spins fire with others in Manchester and invited me along. These girls stood out with their colourful LED hula hoops. I got so...

I have been loving the idea of having a 60's style home. We are renting at the moment so obviously we can't do much with our flat but it doesn't stop me from dreaming and thinking about our own place. I was looking at different styles of home decor and came across so much beautiful furniture. I like the combination of grey, green and orange in a living room - these colours instantly give me a countrysidey feeling.  I picked out a drawer and a few 'Danish' style couches, a couple of pillows (which I like so much) and a bonsai tree. I love plants but I would prefer something cute and small, rather than big palmy-type plants. The whole set has a vintage vibe but is still quite modern and minimalistic.  I'm a clean freak. I don't like wearing shoes inside, I can't stand dusty furniture, I love clean floors and I change my bedding every two weeks (sometimes even more often). This style of furniture (long legs, wide open space underneath) w...

My November 2014 Glossybox included a Best Secret personal invitation and a £20 gift card. Best Secret is a true 'by invitation only' shopping community which means you cannot directly register for membership, nor will you find an invitation link on the Internet. You can only become a member by personal recommendation of an existing member. It features over 1000 designers, over a million products and more than 500 new deals every day. It is an amazing place and a shopping paradise!  Since November, I have been looking around the Best Secret web page constantly and finally decided to get myself two pairs of shoes and a few other little bits. Delivery is £5 and I think they ship from Germany. A tracking number is provided and the package can be with you in less than a week. Honestly, my hopes weren't very high. I've had many experiences with online orders and sometimes things don't arrive the way they were described. It is always raining in Manchester so it...

Time to open another box. I've been subscribed to Glossybox for over a year now and I have honestly been thinking of cancelling my subscription for a while. Then suddenly this happens - this month's box is full of interesting brands I have never heard of! This month we have 5 full size products for only £10 + P&P. Spring is finally here with a 'Step into Spring' theme. The new season brings a fresh approach - more colours, new products and a change to our beauty regime.   NAOBAY Moisturizing Peeling - full size, 100ml for £13.71 NAOBAY is a Spanish eco-brand with an amazing message - natural and organic ingredients are better for our body and the environment. The packaging is stylish, attractive, unique and every container comes from recycled or recyclable materials. This organic facial peeling milk with particles from the Acai palm tree peels gently, exfoliates the skin and removes surface cells and impurities. It helps reduce the appearance of fi...

Spring is finally here! I can take out my sunglasses, wear more jewellery, paint my nails in a cheerful coral colour and brighten up my lips with pink and reds. Everybody knows by now how much I love good sunny weather and a cooling breeze. Spring in the UK also means it is basically summer. From March until September we usually get nicer weather. Well, when I say 'nice' it is not super hot but also it wont be under 15 degrees either. It does rain a lot in Manchester but Tristan and I are planning to travel as much as possible this year. Mostly little weekend escapes around the UK or Europe, so we can get away from the greyness and muddiness here in the North West of England.   FNUG Nailpolish in My Looks   / Missha The Style Beautiful Tint in Moist Coral / Metallic Leaf Pendant Necklace / Ribbon Monochrome Cat Sunglasses from Bank Fashion

The other day I tried to make some lemon and poppy seed muffins but they came out more like mini cakes . I didn't use self raising flour or baking powder, which I guess is the reason why. They came out pretty good anyway so I thought I'd share this recipe with you. Ingredients: 2 cups of flour 1/2 cup of brown sugar 2 tablespoons poppy seeds 1/2 cup salted butter Juice and zest of 2 medium lemons 2 large eggs 1/2 cup non-fat or low-fat Greek or regular yogurt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Instructions:  Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Lay muffin pan with muffin tins. In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients flour, brown sugar and poppy seeds together until thoroughly mixed. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, lemon juice and lemon zest together until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time. Whisk in the yogurt and vanilla.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix together but make sure not to overmix. Spoon the batter into the m...

I have been subscribed to My Little Box since September last year and this is now my 7th box. I don't think I can say enough how much I look forward to them each month and they keep surprising me! If you are interested in what My Little Box has offered over the past half a year, click on the months - September , October , November , December , January and February .  This month My Little Superbox includes two lifestyle and three beauty products. Winter is almost over and I can already feel spring in the air! I am sure this months box will help me get through March - it will keep me motivated and make my days super! Superstickers - £4  I love stickers. When I was younger, collecting stickers was my hobby. I had many sticker albums and always picked up different kinds - mostly animals, cartoons, letters, numbers, flat or puffy stickers. Fabric (cotton, velvet) stickers are my favourite. My mum and dad even helped me with my collection. I exchanged stickers with...

I've been dreaming of having another holiday, so today's post will be The Wanderlust Tag - hopefully it will give me some inspiration!   1. Where was your first plane to? The first time I traveled by plane was in 2010 when I arrived in Scotland to work over the summer. My three friends and I worked in strawberry farm near a little town called Blairgowrie. It was a great experience and I had so much fun working, making new friends and practicing/learning English. It made me want to come back and live in England.   2. You're leaving tomorrow, money is no object, where are you going? Australia. I've visited Australia before and I fell in love with the country the second I landed.     3. Are you a repeat visitor or do you explore new places? Both. I like to visit new countries but I always love to go back to places I've already been. I don't think you can get to know a place...