Our friends Ross and Sam have recently had the most adorable little boy, Max.
Knowing that they were having a little boy, I set about knitting them a handmade gift. I made them a blue baby jacket with matching hat.
I even managed to find tiny teddy bear heads for the buttons!
We went to visit the super cutie recently and I was able to give them the present, I think it might be a while before the little one fits into it though!
September has been an eventful month, definitely up there as the best of 2014 so far!
1. Benji visiting
My little brother visiting from Australia was the single best thing to happen this month. I’ve missed that hairy face a ridiculous amount so it was nice to spend some quality time together whilst he visited us from Sydney.
2. Volunteering
Starting volunteering at Hill Top for the National Trust and the potential of working with Kids in Museums has definitely put my new career plans into action!
3. A vintage weekend
We spent a weekend at the start of this month at the vintage fair at the Midland Hotel, then playing with snow leopard cubs, followed by an impromptu brick hunting session on the beach with Nick and Lindsey. A genuinely lovely weekend that I can’t wait to repeat.
4. Babies!
Two of our friends had a baby this month, and Max is gorgeous! I’ll post the handmade gift I knitted him soon!
Every year I make New Year’s Resolutions. Some are always easier to keep than others. Some get broken, some are persevered at (like my 365 photo project from 2013 – enormous sense of achievement when that mammoth task was completed!)
This year I deliberately tried to make my resolutions achievable; there’s nothing like a broken resolution to make you feel like a failure and I did not want that this year!
Three quarters of the way through 2014, and I’m seriously glad I went for the (easier) option. This year has provided enough challenges without broken resolutions adding to the chaos!
These are the resolutions I made 9 months ago:
So far my progress goes:
1. Run 10km!
I started running then stopped. There’s still 3 months of the year left, so this is still potentially achievable!
2. Use toy cameras.
I have been using my toy cameras and actually had a couple of films developed. This is still something I’d like to do more. Maybe a couple more films worth before 2015?
3. Read more.
I have definitely read more this year than I did in 2013, which is great considering few things make me happier than losing myself in a great book!
4. Be more creative.
I have knitted, sewn and cross stitched more this year than in 2013 and also painted some of the furniture we have in our bedroom, so this one is definitely ticked off! I’m planning on a lot of handmade Christmas gifts too so this one will continue…
5. Think positively.
This is still something I’m finding really hard. I’m one of life’s pessimists. This is something I’m seriously working on though, and I’ve joined a yoga class and started to practise mindfulness in a bid to improve upon this. After all, nobody likes a whingy grouch!
6. Save money.
I’ve succeeded in saving a little money this year, which is about to come in particularly handy as a buffer whilst I’m supply teaching/volunteering a lot! I even saved a Christmas budget so that I wouldn’t be bankrupt by the end of the year!
7. More time offline!
Something that still needs work. I succeeded in spending 4 days in the Lake District last month offline, so I know this is possible. Back into the world of wifi I’ve definitely slipped back into old habits though. Maybe a technology free day a week is needed? Or a time when my phone is turned off in the evening to curtail my browsing/social networking!
8. Declutter!
I started to declutter before moving in with Jonny in April but this is an ongoing process. I currently have a small mountain of items awaiting eBay in a bid to finally declutter the contents of my wardrobe!
Hopefully (fingers crossed) I’ll be able to report back on 31st December that I have succeeded in all of these resolutions. I should probably start thinking about going for a run…
Five years ago I trained as a primary school teacher, and for three and a half of those I genuinely loved my job and everything it involved. The past one and a half years, however, have been different. I’ve slowly found myself falling out of love with the profession. It had become more pen pushing and social work than inspiring young minds.
This Easter (after much discussion with Jonny and my parents) I made a huge decision. A decision that will hopefully change my life for the better. I decided to leave teaching. The one year contract I had at the school I was in wasn’t renewed and I spent a long time struggling to come to terms with this. Fortunately I have the world’s most supportive boyfriend and some fantastic friends that really helped me to deal with this.
Once I had decided to stop teaching it felt like an actual weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Ridiculous as that cliché is, that’s really how I felt. I started to begin planning what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Scary times!
I had a BA (Hons) History degree that I had loved so decided that this was the route to follow. I decided that I wanted to pursue a career within the museum/heritage industry. This September I had to sign up to a local supply teaching agency (I still need some income whilst I hunt for the dream!) I also started volunteering as a room guide at Hill Top (home of my childhood hero, Beatrix Potter.) Similarly I pursued a contact from Kids in Museums with the hope of eventually organising and running one of their kids takeover days.
Finally I feel like my life is getting back on track. It didn’t start out as a happy journey but it’s definitely becoming one. The volunteering experience I’m gaining is really useful, and will help my CV show I’m seriously interested in the career change!
Here’s to the next (terrifying/exciting) steps towards the dream job!
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