2014 Achievements

1. Completed my journal of at least one happy thing from everyday this year.
2. Read 68 books.
3. Crocheted a giant granny square blanket for a great friend.
4. Met several online friends in real life, including some I have known for 8 years but had never met!
5. Finally got a proper diagnosis after 10 years of illness and met an amazing doctor who listened and understood.
6. Celebrated turning 21 with all my favourite people around me.
7. Enjoyed a great summer of birthdays, relaxing and fun with the girls.
8. Saw a litter of puppies be born and grow up before leaving for their new homes.
9. Had a lovely friend stay for the summer.
10. Learnt to use a sewing machine.
11. Watched my amazing friends achieve great things, graduations, engagements, world travels and new jobs.
12. Travelled to London for the first time in years and went on the London Eye, an achievement that a few years ago seemed impossible.
13. Went out for cocktails with my sister for the first time.
14. Enjoyed many lovely coffees and lunches out with friends and family.
15. My best friend got engaged and asked me to be her bridesmaid!

It's been quite a year for me with big leaps forward in my health, helped hugely by finally understanding what is wrong with my body. I can't possibly list every little thing I have achieved but just writing the biggest is overwhelming. Overall it has been a wonderful year filled with happy memories. What have your biggest achievements been?

Wishing you all a happy new year. x

Christmas Baking - Gingerbread Men

I do love a bit of festive baking and this year I decided to give gingerbread a go. I hadn't made gingerbread since I was little so it was fun doing it again. I used Mary Berry's recipe from her Ultimate Cake Book but instead of 2 tsps of ginger I used 1 1/2 ginger and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.  I'm really pleased with how they turned out, they are delicious! A happy afternoon was then spent with a couple of lovely friends decorating them!

November in Photos

Fifteen Festive Favourites

Inspired by Tom, Gi and Carrie Fletcher's youtube videos, here are my fifteen festive favourites!

1. Favourite festive food?
   Terry's chocolate orange!
2. Favourite reindeer?
   Blitzen. He definitely has the coolest name.
3. Favourite day of Christmas?
   Three French hens. It just conjures the most amazing mental image of hens in berets eating baguettes.
4. Favourite Christmas song?
   Fairytale of New York - The Pogues.
5. Favourite Christmas present?
   Christmas pyjamas are always a winner!
6. Favourite Christmas film?
   Elf. It's a classic and never gets old. I also love The Greatest Store in the world but I can't find it on DVD, it was a great film they used to show on CBBC at Christmas about a family living in a department store and had a cameo from S Club 7, what more could you want?!
7. Favourite Christmas cracker toy?
   Teeny weeny playing cards are great for pretending to be a giant. 
8. Favourite cracker joke?
   Who hides in the bakery at Christmas?
   A mince spy!
9. Favourite Christmas decoration?
   I love them all! I'm a firm believer that you can never have too many and there is always room for an extra bauble on the tree.
10. Favourite festive candle scent?
    John Lewis do an amazing winter spice candle that I get every Christmas.
11. Favourite Christmas TV advert?
    Obviously everyone is talking about it but I have to say this years John Lewis advert is really great. It gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling! You can't beat hearing the music on the Coca Cola christmas advert though.
12. Favourite Christmas tradition?
    Climbing on to my parent's bed with my sister on Christmas morning to open our stockings.
13. Favourite place to spend Christmas?
    Home, always home! With my lovely family.
14. Favourite Christmas 'fact'?
    Father Christmas rewards children who faithfully love Christmas all year round.
15. Favourite snowman accessory?
    A carrot for his nose for sure.

10 Things About Me

1. I have the best dog ever. She makes me laugh everyday and always knows when I'm not feeling great.
2. I've met Ant and Dec!
3. I'm a serious craftaholic. Scrapbooking, drawing, painting, creative journaling, knitting, crochet... you name it, I've probably done it!
4. I also love to bake, my kitchen aid is my baby and I have a personalised note written to me, from Mary Berry.
5. I can name every state in America. It's my one and only party trick.
6. I'm a bit of a book worm, I've read 59 books so far this year.
7. My family and friends are the most important part of my life.
8. I absolutely love to learn. I like to feel like I'm always moving forward as a person, gaining knowledge and experiencing new things.
9. I can't wait to travel the world, the USA and Canada are top of my list.
10. I'm really enjoying getting back in to blogging, I hope you enjoy my posts too!
    

3 Positive Things About Today

1. Waking up to my dog greeting me with her new Pudsey toy.
2. Yummy coffee and cake with a great friend in a super cosy cafe.
3. My lovely sister is coming home for the weekend!

Favourite Things to Do on a Rainy Day

Winter seems to be rapidly approaching at the moment and, in England, that of course means lots of rainy days. Here are a few of my favourite things to do an a rainy day...

• Race raindrops on the windows
• Snuggle up in my duvet
• Read or listen to a good book
• Drink hot chocolate
• Put the fire on
• Crochet my patchwork blanket
• Don those wellies and splash in the puddles!

October in photos

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is upon us again. Personally I don't enjoy all the scary and gory things that come along with Halloween, and definitely not the spiders! I do however love to carve a pumpkin or two! Where we live the local children only trick or treat to houses who put pumpkins out which I think is nice. I love the fun of trick or treating and seeing all the costumes the children have put together. There are so many ideas for pumpkin carving on the internet these days, but if you're looking for a bit of extra inspiration here are some of mine from previous years...

Happy Halloween!

Top Ten... Fiction Favourites

1. The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
An absolute classic but I never get tired of reading these books and I feel you learn something new from them every time you read them. The ultimate tale of Good vs Evil.

2. Wonder by RJ Palacio

This is definitely a book that stays with you after you've read it and I think it should be compulsory reading in school. It's full of great lessons and wonderful life advice.

3. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins





A great series, once you finish one you have to read the next. I honestly think you could study these books at school. There's so much more to them than just the games.

4. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

Being set in WWII you know this isn't going to be a cheery read, you will probably need the tissues! Some critics say it gives an unrealistic representation of concentration camps and that this story would not have been able to happen, but you cannot deny its powerful message. 

5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Little Women is by far one of my favourite classics and I would definitely recommend it if you are new to reading classics.

6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Another Classic that everyone should read.

7. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help is beautifully written to the point you can picture every detail vividly.

8. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

I would definitely not class this book as light reading but boy does it get you thinking. I found myself becoming highly invested in the characters and didn't want to put it down.

9. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

This book is very reminiscent of Jane Eyre, it's a great mystery and I really enjoyed reading it.

10. Rush Home Road by Lori Lansens

The characters in this book and the relationships they form are wonderful. Lori Lansens writes so beautifully this book is a pleasure to read.

I might have cheated ever so slightly by including a whole series as one book but there was no way I could pick just 10 otherwise. All these books have stayed with me in some way or other, I hope you enjoyed seeing my favourite books and would love to know what some of yours are!

September in Photos