As it is the last day of 2015 it only seems appropriate to reflect on the past year, both in terms of myself and my blog. I did something similar last year, posting a list of 14 things I had done in 2014, and thought that I'd look back on the year again but in a more chatty post this year. I've seen lots of other bloggers post about their achievements and how they've developed and I always find it interesting to read these styles of posts to see how people view their own year.



First up - my blog

As I'm sure you'll have seen if you've followed my blog, I've improved in many aspects. I've made a good attempt at getting posts up more regularly, and started a couple of 'series' to get me into weekly posting. It's no secret that those series didn't last long, but it did introduce new topics to this space. I've been eager to share lots of different aspects, and found recipes  - both healthy and unhealthy - have found their place here, as well as make up and product reviews. I've even shared a couple of OOTDs, which I mentioned when initially posting them, was a new, scary but exciting angle for me to take. I was able to take part in Blogmas this year, which was tiring and challenging. I've certainly seen the pros to scheduling posts and planning posts. Although I did miss two days of blogmas, I've very proud of getting 22 posts up in December and hope that you all enjoyed them too.

I've noticed a huge increase in the traffic of my blog, and am still amazed by the number of people who read it and from so many different countries. My follower count is increasing on all social platforms, and I've been given so many opportunities already where I've been able to meet other bloggers who I admire and be introduced to some great brands.

My life

As I blog about so many things here, nothing in my life really goes unmentioned. The most notable part of my year was my trip to Italy. This was a scary experience, which I was excited for, but extremely nervous about setting foot in another country without the comfort of my family. This trip turned out to be the best thing ever, and I'm planning to return next summer for longer. Not only did I get to develop my skills as an Archaeologist, I was also able to travel to and explore many of the places I've learnt about and dreamt of visiting. You can see all those posts here.
My summer was already crazy with this trip, but I decided to add even more adventure to it by taking a trip to Manchester, Leominster and even further a field by jetting off to Magaluf. This summer was truly exceptional and I was bit with the travelling bug. Being in new and exciting places, whether in the UK or abroad, makes me happy and I love discovering new areas and cultures.

In my look at what I hoped 2015 would bring that I wrote at the start of the year, I said that I wanted to feel more settled at university and I would hopefully enjoy my courses. Already by the end of second year I was feeling happy and settled, a huge leap from the start of the year. Now I am feeling so happy. I've found my place, and I feel comfortable where I am. My subjects are interesting and enthuse me, and I love my friends and feel like I've got a good support network around me. I've also started some volunteering positions that I enjoy and want to take part in. This makes me feel excited for next year, to see what it brings and where I end up.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing a post with my plans and goals for 2016, so all I can say right now is that I can't wait to see what it'll bring.

What are your thoughts at the end of another year? Are you looking forward to 2016 and do you have anything you want to improve on?

I wish you all a very happy new year, and hope you enjoy however you spend this hogmanay!

Love,
Emily
xxx

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As my final post for Blogmas, it only seems fitting that I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, with less than an hour to the big day, excitement levels are high in the Johnston household.

I hope that those of you who have followed my Blogmas posts (of which I only missed two - surely that's a fair enough effort?!) enjoyed them. I really enjoyed writing them all, and trying to challenge myself to stick to daily posting. Of course its not something I'll be able to keep up with when I return to uni, but hopefully its the start of very regular posting for Under The Scottish Rain. I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has taken the time to comment, read, retweet and favourite my posts - I love that they are getting across to so many people from so many different places, it truly is incredible.

I'll be writing a post or two after Christmas and on the run up to New Year, but I think I deserve a break after getting 22 posts up this month. And you all deserve a break too - life is hectic and enjoying a day with your family or friends or however you spend Christmas, if you celebrate it, is important.

Today we rushed around visiting relatives, doing plenty of Christmas prep and have a mouth watering smell of turkey around the whole house. I baked more mince pies, we iced the Christmas cake and even had time to prepare a rocky road 'elf cottage'. Now the stockings have been laid in hopes that we have been good enough for Santa to come, and we are lying in bed about to fall asleep to The Santa Clause in anticipation for a very early start.



I wish you the merriest Christmas of them all, and can't wait to read about everyone's gifts and see lots of happy pictures over twitter and instagram.

Here's my previous blogmas posts that you could maybe read if excitement is keeping you up late.
Blogmas Day 1 - The Christmas Tag
Blogmas Day 2 - Edinburgh's Christmas Market
Blogmas Day 3 - My Top Five Christmas Films
Blogmas Day 4 - Foodie Friday At Peter's Yard
Blogmas Day 5 - Managing University
Blogmas Day 6 - Winter Scarf Wishlist
Blogmas Day 7 - My Favourite Christmas Songs
Blogmas Day 8 - Preparing For Exams
Blogmas Day 9 - Why I Blog
Blogmas Day 10 - My Top Christmas Films
Blogmas Day 11 - Luxemme Wishlist and Voucher Giveaway
Blogmas Day 12 - OOTD At Buckingham Palace
Blogmas Day 13 - Book Review - House Rules
Blogmas Day 14 - Tacky Christmas Jumpers
Blogmas Day 15 - Winter Wonderland & Surviving The Hangover
Blogmas Day 16 - My Favourite Christmas Adverts
Blogmas Day 17 - Christmas Pasts
Blogmas Day 18 - Foodie Friday - London Food Diary
Blogmas Day 20 - The Body Shop Skin Care
Blogmas Day 21 - Christmas Baking - Peppermint Creams Recipe
Blogmas Day 22 - Mince Pies & Christmas Cookies Recipes

Love,
Emily
xxx

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As promised with yesterday's post (Christmas baking - Peppermint Creams), I have done a lot of Christmas baking that I want to share with you. So today I decided to jot down two of the recipes that we've been using this Christmas time.

The first of which is a recipe for Mince Pies, and I promise to you - this is the easiest recipe possible. I wanted to include it in my blogmas posts as it is quite easily the simplest recipe for a very festive treat, and produces very yummy and delicious mince pies, definitely ones to rival those shop bought ones that the shops are filled with a this time of year. They literally take no time at all, and with only 4 ingredients (if you're being picky) why not try them  at this time of year!



Mince Pies
Ingredients:
Short Crust Pastry
Mince meat
1 Egg

 Method:

1. Roll the pastry to the thickness of 1cm
2. Cut the pastry into circles, a little bigger than what you anticipate the mince pies to be
3. Place the circles into a baking tin and fill with a teaspoon of mince meat
4. Cover with a lid of your own shape & size - I chose a star to cover most of the pie
5. Brush each pie with whisked egg with an even cover 
6. Place in the oven 180 degrees for 20 minutes
7. Leave to cool then serve!

The second recipe that I want to share with you this blogmas day is a recipe for Christmas Orange Cookies. These cookies are very light and are infused in orange to give a citrus taste to them, without being overwhelming. These cookies are great for an after meal treat, and are great fun to decorate. As you can see, we have great fun decorating these light cookies with lots of different decorations so that they look so desirable. They really don't last long in our household!

Christmas Cookies
Ingredients:
150g of butter
150g of caster sugar
1 egg (separated)
Teaspoon of Orange Flavouring
150g of plain flour
50g of self raising flour



Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 109 degrees
2. Cream the butter and the caster sugar in a bowl
3. Add orange flavouring to your liking
4. Knead the mixture into a dough then leave the mixture in the fridge for 24 hours. 
5. Cut your shapes that you please in evenly rolled dough
6. Cook 10 - 15 mins in a oven at 190 degrees
7. Decorate as you please then serve & enjoy!

Over the next few days running up to Christmas, my blogmas posts are going to be centred around Christmas Baking and different recipes that you can try out. The week leading up to Christmas is typically when we do the most baking in our family, re-making all our favourites in time for everyone coming home. The yearly tradition began yesterday and continued well into today, with many more recipes in the pipe line for the next few days too (as well as a rocky road house kit!). Its a wonder that we bake so much - with all the Christmas foods and sweets we really don't need double batches of mince pies, cakes, cookies and more but its almost impossible to resist when you get into the swing of baking.




Today I'm sharing the recipe for Peppermint Creams - a super simple recipe that doesn't involve much time, mess and barely any ingredients!

Ingredients:

• 225g of Icing Sugar
• 1 egg white
• Peppermint flavouring
• Milk Chocolate 

As you may have seen last month, I took a trip to The Body Shop where I made many a purchase, including the concealer crayon. Included in my wee haul was their Vitamin E skincare.

I had a good chat with one of the skincare ladies at the Edinburgh Princes Street store, where we determined what my skin type was - mostly combination skin. I'm past the age of getting lots of big red spots, but do fine that I get little spots often- something I want to be finished with now I'm in my twenties. I also explained how I try and avoid a lot of moisturisers as my skin becomes very oily when I add more moisture to certain areas.



I was recommended the Vitamin E range, which would thoroughly cleanse my face after a day of wearing make up. We talked a lot about my previous routine, which after summer had returned back to the dark days of nothing. I did feel embarrassed admitting this, but that's why I sought out help. And so I was given the Camomile eye make up remover which has worked wonders. All that's needed is a little drop of the liquid onto a pad and gently press it on your eye then wipe after holding it there for a couple of minutes. It's like magic, and all make up is removed without scrubbing at your eye - and good bye panda eyes in the morning!




After a month of using the products, I feel like I can recommend them. The cleanser that I was recommended is simple to use - I moisturise it into my face with my fingers, then use a pad to wipe it off and ensure that all make up and grime from the day is wiped clear from my pores. I then use the toner to tighten up my pores then moisturise my cheeks.




I've noticed a huge difference with my skin - properly cleansing my face from all the make up has cleared up my skin, and reduced the number of spots that I get. I have also noticed that my skin is so much softer from hydrating it each night.

Although this new skin care routine takes a little longer than previously - I mean 5 minutes feels like a while, but it's so worth it. I can highly recommend these products, especially since its winter and we need to take a little extra care with the harsher weather.

While I was in London, I had a lot of good food - and I mean a lot. Whether it was home made meals or eating out, I was never left hungry. I thought I'd show a snap or two that I took and share some restaurant recommendations for any of you who are in London town.

Brixton Village Market

Brixton Village is an amazing place to visit, filled with street food places and cafes, and lots of people. There are too many choices here to even keep track of with any type of cuisine you could ask for, and while lost in awe at the hustle & bustle of the place I forgot to jot down the name of this place that we found for Saturday brunch. But we found this gem and loved every second of our experience. The service was amazing, run by one man and a cook - it had such a homey feel to it, like we were in someone's house while they cooked for us. We tried out the range of freshly squeezed juices, and I decided to go for Eggs Benedict, which was absolutely amazing.








Mein Tay - Shoreditch

Mein Tay is such a small, intimate restaurant, where you can hear your food being prepared. The decor is really cool, with tables that have little scenes underneath glass. The food was incredible. We each ordered a dish but all had tastes of one another's. I opted for the Chargrilled pork and egg fried rice, which had lots of lemon grass and spices making it a taste sensation. On the table was also sweet and sour chicken, Goat (which I want to get next time I go as it was like nothing I'd tasted before) curry and beef. It all tasted brilliantly and very authentic, and I can't recommend heading here if you're ever in Shoreditch area.






Camden Street Food

Camden is an amazing place to visit if you're in London. The market is fun and edgy, and you'll easily find something that tickles your fancy - food, drink, home made jewellery & soaps to vintage clothes. So after spending hours exploring some of the market, we decided to hit up the food stalls. All of which will send your taste buds into a frenzy. After much decision making we decided to have a chinese mix up box, which had noodles and three different types of chicken in it to try. There are so many places to eat in Camden that you will find it difficult choosing where to actually eat! From kebabs & pizza to fish and beef there's literally something for everyone. As well as those with a sweet tooth, stalls selling pancakes, churros, muffins and crepes will taunt you till you buy one.



As well as these places, there were many more that I tried and tested in London, many of which were street food stalls that smelt too good to pass by. Even though I only ate in a couple of the nights that I was there, I didn't end up spending a fortune. Each meal didn't come to more than £10 - a bargain in my eyes and so worth it to try different things that you don't get up here in Scotland.

As it is 'Throwback Thursday' I thought that today it would be appropriate to share some of my Christmas photos from a few years back and say a little about the traditions that we have in my house on Christmas day.

On Christmas Eve we still lay out our stockings for Santa, and we always have a picture while holding our stockings. We then leave some snacks for Santa and a glass of milk before heading off for a bed.




We three girls wake up at the crack of dawn. Scrap that, before the crack of dawn. We're just too excited for the day, and want to be awake for as much of it as possible! There's a rule in our house that we're not allowed into the living room (where our presents are) until 7am. So we get the house up and ready to walk in the living room door at bang on 7 o'clock. Present opening and exchanging always goes past surprisingly fast, and we find ourselves getting breakfast ready at 7.30. Breakfast consists of scrambled eggs on toast with smoke salmon, and now that we're older we even are allowed a glass of bubbly.



We then head to church for the Christmas day service, which I love because everyone is so jolly and the service is lots of fun, with kids showing their gifts and all my favourite hymns. Once back we now take Alfie for a walk where we meet lots of other dogs dressed in tinsel. Relatives are then picked up while mum begins preparing the meal.



What a whopper of a meal we have - but its Christmas day so why not eat your body weight in turkey and pigs in blankets? The dinner lasts for hours, as we like to have breaks to digest each course by playing games like headbands, music quizzes, and hum that tune. Its great fun, and impossible not to laugh and smile throughout the whole thing. At the end of the dinner we then play a proper board game together. This usually is Pictionary, but as my dad hates drawing we've started to branch out and this year the game of choice is Articulate.



We also have a ruling that TV is not allowed on Christmas day. That way we're able to spend much more time with one another, and get to pretend we're all kids again. And I love it.

It's funny how we've got ourselves into routines of which presents are opened when and what games are played, but I supposed the tried and tested method works, as we know that we will love the day. And that's why my family are obsessed with Christmas, its such a happy fun filled day to look forward too, where no matter what is going on we can still laugh and spend time together.

I'd love to hear some of your traditions, or routines that you have over the Christmas period!

Everyone loves a good Christmas advert. And now a-days there's become a huge fuss over who has the best Christmas advert, with countdowns for them coming on tv and the songs becoming chart toppers. So I thought I'd do a little run down of my favourite adverts from the last few years, and encourage you to watch them to get in the Christmassy mood. These are in no particular order!


John Lewis - 20121 - For Gifts You Can't Wait To Give



This advert fills me with happiness - the little boy is so adorable in the way he's so excited about the big day. I think that the message of the advert is so lovely, and that it shows the Christmas is even more exciting when you're giving someone something great. I know I get so anxious to give my family their gifts, and seeing their reactions is so much more fun.

Apple iPhone 2013 



I love this advert too much. Initially I thought that the boy in this was so rude, and that it shows what this generation is coming to - obsessed with their phones. Although its a huge plug for what iPhones can do, it actually is really sweet at showing how family is the most important thing at Christmas.

John Lewis - 2013 - The Bear and The Hare




John Lewis is known for having some of the best adverts, and the one that has won it for me is 'The Bear and The Hare'. This advert is super cute, and has one of the best songs to go along with it. It shows how important friendship is, and shows that nobody should be left out at Christmastime.

Coca Cola - Holidays Are Coming




This is my favourite, I've got to say. Whenever it comes on tv I can't help but smile, it really signifies the start of the Christmas period for me. The song 'holidays are coming' gets me ready for Christmas and just shows the excitement for this period. I also love how its the same advert that has been shown every year so that its become a trade mark for this festive time.

Irn Bru - 2007 - The Snowman




You may have seen in one of my previous posts (My Top Christmas Films) that The Snowman is one of my favourite Christmas films for Christmas Eve. So when Irn Bru came out with a spoof of the snowman, I fell in love. Not only is the snowman trying to grab a can of Irn Bru, but the lyrics are changed in Walking in The Air to fit in with the snowman stealing the Irn Bru. It's great, and I can't stop singing the song even when the advert is done.

What are your favourite Christmas adverts? Don't they just make the season! I love ad breaks now that they are full of gift ideas, Christmas day outfits and food that makes you drool.

Another post about my adventures in London and this time I'm sharing about my amazing day at Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland. I've always wanted to visit the Winter Wonderland, I've seen it in so many vlogs, my sister has visited it and of course it fills my instagram feed around this time of year. So when I booked my flights to London, the Winter Wonderland was top of my check list of places to visit. And today I can put a great huge tick over it. 

Today I found a wonderfully tacky jumper that was just begging to be bought. Another place to tick off my London 'To-Do' list is Camden, an area of London littered with vintage, craft and somewhat random shops, all of which have beautiful displays that draw you in.

After a day of shopping I stumbled across a great vintage shop in the centre of the market, filled with beautiful pieces from every decade of the 1900s. And as it is the Christmas season, the front of the store was filled with racks of vintage Christmas jumpers. The jumper that I decided to settle on - and believe me there were many that were asking to be worn proudly this festive season - is this beautiful number.



Is there enough going on? Gold thread covers the centre to add some 'glitz and glamour' while gems and sparkly beads adorn each festive shape. Perfect isn't it? And to make it better, the back is even decorate, albeit in a more subtle fashion, but Christmassy none the less.




For a grand total of £3, how could I resist? I love wearing Christmas jumpers around December, and have been looking to expand my collection this year. I love having festive jumpers suitable for different occasions, with more subtle ones worn in November and bright & bold ones like this for closer to the big day. I know that this one will be worn at many a Christmas do. Carolling, services, or even visiting relatives, this jumper will be the talk of the party.

Do you love or hate Christmas jumpers? I can't stop smiling when I see someone wearing one, so I want to spread the cheer too. And its obvious that the vintage and charity shops are the place to get the best ones!

Other Blogmas Posts:
Blogmas Day 1 - The Christmas Tag
Blogmas Day 2 - Edinburgh's Christmas Market
Blogmas Day 3 - My Top Five Christmas Films
Blogmas Day 4 - Foodie Friday At Peter's Yard
Blogmas Day 5 - Managing University
Blogmas Day 6 - Winter Scarf Wishlist
Blogmas Day 7 - My Favourite Christmas Songs
Blogmas Day 8 - Preparing For Exams
Blogmas Day 9 - Why I Blog
Blogmas Day 10 - My Top Christmas Films
Blogmas Day 11 - Luxemme Wishlist and Voucher Giveaway
Blogmas Day 12 - OOTD At Buckingham Palace
Blogmas Day 13 | Book Review - House Rules

Love,
Emily
xxx

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Today, for a wee bit of a change ( and for the first time ever) I have a guest poster! Today's guest to Under The Scottish Rain is my sister Eleanor. She's decided to write a book review for one of my Blogmas posts, as Eleanor has read a huge number of books, memorised every detail of them and can recommend a book for almost every genre. Even I get the majority of my book recommendations from her. So today, she's written about one of her favourite authors, and I'd love if you could encourage her to continue writing reviews!



I love any book to do with crime and murders, that’s my go to book. So when I had exhausted all the crime books I owned, I turned to some of my eldest sisters books by Jodi Picoult. And I turned out that they fast became my favourite books and she is my favourite author. In my bookcase at home, I have a shelf filled with all her books, ranked in order of my favourite. And by far the favourite is House Rules.

House Rules is book is about an 18 year old called Jacob, with Asperger’s Syndrome who is in love with a girl who helps develop his social skills; and is completely engrossed with forensic science.  His mother struggles to look after him and his younger brother Theo, who is 16 (and I happened to fall completely in love with). So when the close family friend who helps Jacob goes missing, Jacob is the first person to be linked and then is accused of murder.

The book changes narrative within each chapter, with points of view from Jacob, Theo, his mother Emma, and his lawyer. Personally, I love this as it gave great insight to each character and made you fall in love with each of them (in my case, Theo).

There are many plot twists and unexpected circumstances within the novel itself and even though it is quite long, it engrosses you right from the start. Personally I loved the court room parts and loved trying to guess what had happened. I didn’t guess who had done what until the very last second, where flashbacks showed everything.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves crime or court room drama. You are totally drawn in straight away and you wont be able to put it down.

Star: 9/10.

I hope you take up Eleanor's recommendation and read some of Jodi Picoult's books - whether it be House Rules or another, they are all equally captivating.

Other Blogmas Posts: 

Blogmas Day 1 - The Christmas Tag
Blogmas Day 2 - Edinburgh's Christmas Market
Blogmas Day 3 - My Top Five Christmas Films
Blogmas Day 4 - Foodie Friday At Peter's Yard
Blogmas Day 5 - Managing University
Blogmas Day 6 - Winter Scarf Wishlist
Blogmas Day 7 - My Favourite Christmas Songs
Blogmas Day 8 - Preparing For Exams
Blogmas Day 9 - Why I Blog
Blogmas Day 10 - My Top Christmas Films
Blogmas Day 11 - Luxemme Wishlist and Voucher Giveaway
Blogmas Day 12 - OOTD At Buckingham Palace

Love,
Emily
xxx

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As part of my little adventure to London with Eleanor to see my brother and sister, the two of us decided to see all the sights by being tourists on an open top bus. It was brilliant, and yes we did quote Joey from friends while we toured 'London Baby'. In the two days we've been here, I think we've almost seen everything. Our feet and legs ache from hopping off at all the big sites, our cameras are out of charge and all we want to do is cuddle up in bed to sleep and recover. So far, I think we'd agree that this trip is proving to be a success. 




Coat - mum's old sheep skin coats, similar are found in Armstrong's
Scarf - New Look, reversible checks
Boots - New Look

So what do you think - comfy for a day of walking and cosy for the typical British weather.

Other blogmas posts:
Blogmas Day 1 - The Christmas Tag
Blogmas Day 2 - Edinburgh's Christmas Market
Blogmas Day 3 - My Top Five Christmas Films
Blogmas Day 4 - Foodie Friday At Peter's Yard
Blogmas Day 5 - Managing University
Blogmas Day 6 - Winter Scarf Wishlist
Blogmas Day 7 - My Favourite Christmas Songs
Blogmas Day 8 - Preparing For Exams
Blogmas Day 9 - Why I Blog
Blogmas Day 10 - My Top Christmas Films
Blogmas Day 11 - Luxemme Wishlist and Voucher Giveaway

Last month, Luxeumme reached out to me to see if I wanted to collaborated with them in the up coming year, and to sweeten the deal, they asked if I want to be involved in a giveaway of Christmas vouchers to my readers!





Luxemme is one of my favourite places to look for women's knitwear which is a little bit special and more out of the ordinary than your standard jumpers and cardigans. As their name suggests Luxemme focus on luxury, and that really shines through in their knitwear collection because their designs are really gorgeous and the quality is even better. 

I've currently been looking at the lovely clothes they have on offer, from celebrity ranges and limited editions, there's far too much choice.
I thought I'd share a few of the outfits I've got my eye on for this party season, and maybe inspire some of you to get your hands on a voucher to grab some of these goodies!

Elayna Luxe Strappy Swing Dress
£35







All you have to do is follow them for your own Christmas vouchers!
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/luxemme/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/luxemme
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/luxemmeuk/


I hope that this makes you smile this party season and you're able to treat yourself as well as your loved ones! The clothes are so affordable as it is, but these vouchers will get you £15 off your order - what a bargain!

Check out my other blogmas posts too:

Blogmas Day 1 - The Christmas Tag
Blogmas Day 2 - Edinburgh's Christmas Market
Blogmas Day 3 - My Top Five Christmas Films
Blogmas Day 4 - Foodie Friday At Peter's Yard
Blogmas Day 5 - Managing University
Blogmas Day 6 - Winter Scarf Wishlist
Blogmas Day 7 - My Favourite Christmas Songs
Blogmas Day 8 - Preparing For Exams
Blogmas Day 9 - Why I Blog
Blogmas Day 10 - My Top Christmas Films

Love,
Emily
xxx

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