Category: about me

After posting at the weekend and mentioning on Instagram that I’d been struggling with things recently I was overwhelmed by how lovely people have been.

Like really bloody lovely.

Lovely ladies I’ve met through this little old blog, through mail swaps and Instagram wishing me well and checking in has been so genuinely heart warming.

A very kind friend sent me a surprise book in the post to cheer me up and take my mind off it all. I’ve only dipped into it so far but Moths That Drink Elephants Tears and Other Zoological Curiosities by Matt Walker is the perfect thing for dipping into when a mental distraction is needed. The added bonus being that the random animal facts within it are brilliant.

Did you know ‘Adelie penguin chicks take part in group-hugs of up to 18 individuals in a bid to stop them from freezing to death. Smaller chicks appreciate a cuddle the most as the lose heat much faster than their larger brethren.’ I can’t deal with things this cute.

So, thank you very much you bunch of stars. I really appreciated the kind sentiments. You’re all fab.

It’s been 4 months since I posted on here and for a while I honestly debated whether or not to keep going with this little space on the internet.

I’ve been feeling a little bit, well, lost recently. Work isn’t the dream and I’ve been seriously struggling with a lot of anxiety around it all. That’s for another post (if I feel like I can articulate what’s been going on in the whirlwind in my brain.)

So, to anyone I’ve cancelled on in the last 4 months, to those people I’ve not been as good a friend as I could to, I apologise. Looking on social media is deceptive. Everyone looks like they’re having a rosy old ride through life and that’s not always the case.

Anyway, I’ve decided that in order to regain some positivity I’m going to start blogging again. I’ve missed having somewhere to share random snapshots of what’s being going on in my world. I like having this to look back through and see what past me was up to. I like having somewhere to have a brain dump. I like the community of lovely people that there is within the land of tiny personal blogs.

The plan is to share the little weekend trips we make, the process of gradually decorating our little home, the slowly growing handmade wardrobe I’m loving creating and any other bits and pieces that are making me a bit more shiny and happy.

If you’re still reading after this, not so coherent, ramble, thank you. I hope that you’ll stick with me as I get this little blog up and running again.

Since I was little any money that I’ve had has burned a hole in my pocket. On holiday my spending money was always gone by halfway through the trip whilst my brother carefully decided what to spend on and, more often than not, came home with cash. Much to my disgust.

Now I’m an adult I’m still more in the mindset of splurge than save.  I can’t resist a bargain even though a lot of those ‘bargains’ soon make their way to the charity shop rather than being kept long term.

I need to take stock and start thinking about how to save. We need new windows, and have a lot of decorating plans for the house which aren’t going to happen if I keep buying new shoes and striped tops.

So, I’m going to attempt a no spend month. I saw the idea on good old Pinterest and I think it’s definitely do-able. I’ve chosen a month where there are no school holidays (as I’ll want to spend on a few days out during those) to give it a try.

The idea being that I will spend on the essentials: the mortgage, bills, petrol and food but will cut out non-essentials: shoes, clothing, toiletries, pretty bits for the house that I’ve found on Etsy.

I think the key to being successful with this will be to unsubscribe from a lot of the commercial emails I receive, delete my browsing history so my passwords aren’t saved for shopping websites (hopefully the time that I spend trying to find them will make me rethink my need for a purchase.) I’m also going to keep a spending diary to track what I’m spending on. I’ll let you know how I get on at the end of the March.

Wish me luck!

One of my favourite things about reading other people’s blogs is the ability to be nosy and get an insight into their lives. I love reading about what other people have been up to, what they’re reading/wearing/eating/doing to their homes. One type of post my inner nosy parker really loves is a ‘what’s in my bag.’

So on that note, I thought I’d let you have a peek at the general paraphernalia (crap) that I carry around with me on a day-to-day basis.

1: Bag

I was lucky enough to be bought this beautiful Fossil bag for my 30th birthday by my very lovely in-laws. Since last February it’s been used almost daily for work, shopping trips and every thing else in between. It’s a great, roomy tote with enough inner pockets that you know you won’t lose your lip balm or phone within its depths.

2: Purse

This purse was a 30th birthday present to myself. I treated myself at the Bicester Shopping Village Michael Kors outlet so, whilst it is designer, the price tag wasn’t quite as offensive as it could have been. It’s currently full of coins, store cards, my debit and credit card and a book of stamps. The essentials.

3: Tablets

I’ve always got a packet of Ibuprofen and Paracetamol to hand just in case of headaches/period pains but I also always carry a range of antihistamines. Jonny has a severe sesame allergy so I tend to carry a back up, first port of call, supply for him.

4: Diary

My work diary is lugged around Monday-Friday and whilst huge (it’s A4) is, unfortunately, an essential during the week. The cover wasn’t very inspiring so I backed it with some pretty wrapping paper from Waterstones so it’s a little more aesthetically pleasing.

5: Notebook

There is ALWAYS a notebook in my handbag. Currently it’s this Moleskine that my teaching assistant bought me for Christmas although I generally prefer a trusty Leuchtturm 1917 number.

6: Pencil case

This Cath Kinston number is filled with highlighter pens, biros, pencils, and my USB (aka my work lifeline) and is really only in my bag for work. At the weekend I tend to just throw in a biro as a just in case.

7: Umbrella

Living in the North West of England an umbrella is an essential. This one, covered in cute little woodland creatures, was a Christmas present from my Mum 4 years ago and it’s lasted so well. Good work on M&S’s part there for not creating a flimsy brolly that pings inside out in the slightest breeze.

8: Lipstick/Lipbalm

My lips get dry so easily that it’s fairly essential for me to carry around a lip balm. This Bert’s Bees one is great and the smell makes me think of summer (which is no bad thing in the middle of winter!) The lipstick is a No.7 that I had coloured matched to my ghost skin and is my fail safe if I want to look a little bit more glam.

Items not pictured that are usually knocking around in this cavernous tote somewhere are snacks (I tend to take a range of fruit and nuts to work with me) a plethora of receipts (which I chucked in the bin before photographing) and a mini pack of tissues, although these have run out and need replacing hence their absence from the photo. My phone usually lives in my bag too but that was in use to take the photo.

So there you have it, the current contents of my bag that get hauled around with me on a daily basis. How do they compare to yours?