Poundland Bargins!!

Hello there,

I am a super lover of pound shops and will more often than not make anyone I am with come into them with me when out shopping, and every so often I will find some gems!

On a recent shopping trip to (the dreaded) Meadowhall for another dress shopping day I decided that a nip into the rather large Poundland was needed.  Now I had a few things in mind which I wanted to buy but then on the end of an aisle I saw what I thought was brilliant.

A few people I know are having babies and as my sister is getting married next week we all suspect it won’t be long before I am made into an auntie so when I saw that Poundland had baby shower items I got majorly excited buying them ready for when my sister has a baby.  A few items were bought in Meadowhall and a few from a rather large shop in Scarborough (who also had a good selection of weddingy bits).

This is what I picked up:

  

All the bargains for £10!!

 

Some super cute confetti £1!

24 Milestone cards £1

14 Photobooth props £1

Pin the Dummy on the Baby £1
(I think I might have to get another)

2 Lovely Banners £1
(I definitely need some more of these)

20 pack of napkins £1

20 Pack of Plates £1

20 Pack of Straws £1

 

 

 

 

 

20 Pack of Paper Cups £1

 

24 Pack Cupcake Kit £1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At £1 each I found them to be real bargains and can’t wait to use them! There was other bits too which I am hoping to get a few things of such as a scrapbook, a money bank etc.  I might even challenge myself when the time comes, can I throw a baby shower with all budget £1 or less items? We shall have to wait and see!

 

Leigh x

Looking back on 2016

Hello there,

Well 2016 was an interesting year! There was Brexit, Trump and stars dying left, right and centre.  For me though 2016 was a good year one that I know I’ll enjoy looking back on in years to come!

The biggest thing for me in 2016 was passing my driving test and buying a car, the independence gained from that is just amazing and I can’t wait to go to lots of places in 2017.  But my days was it expensive! Looking back on how much I would have spent on the 50 hours of lessons, two theory tests, the test itself and then the using my instructor’s car it’s crazy! But at least now I don’t have to catch a bus to work anymore woo!!

2016 was a year for birthdays with many of my family celebration special ones this year.

My cousin Hannah turned 21 and we had a lovely time at her house for a special party which was a joint party with my auntie who had turned 50 just a couple of days before my cousins.

My mum turned 50 and me and my sister pulled out all the stops, buying her 50 presents and then taking her out for dinner at an Italian restaurant.

 

 

I turned 21 and my birthday seemed to last weeks! The day before my birthday the lovely people that I work with planned a surprise and gave me gifts with all the children from the different rooms singing happy birthday to me, it was so sweet and I am so grateful for the amazing people that I work with.  Then there was my actual birthday where I didn’t really do much out of the ordinary, I went to work then went to brownies armed with a chocolate cake and then went out for dinner at a carvery that has always been a place I liked to go. The week after saw a big birthday party that I got so stressed out planning but in the end it was lovely and I was surrounded by all my lovely family and friends.  Then there was a trip to London… but more about that later.

One of my work colleague’s also turned 21 and it was lovely going out for a meal to a Chinese and then for a few drinks afterwards, even though I didn’t stay at the club long.

 

We also had the christening of my cousins little boy Oscar.  It was such a lovely day with the sun being our friend and shining the whole time.

Concerts of 2016 consisted of a small but lovely 8.

First up was 5 Seconds of Summer.  This was the first concert id been too with my god mothers daughter and the young leader from brownies and it was also the first time that I had been in the arena since ‘ attack gate’ so I was a little bit apprehensive about going but it was an amazing concert and I loved it.

Next up was Mike Dignam.  This tour was one on a much smaller scale, my heart really went out for Mike as the year previous he had sold out the room in which he played that there was only about 30 people in.  Mike is the nicest guy ever and always makes time at the end to meet all of his fans who are there to support him.  I can’t wait for him to bring some new music out because I know it’ll be amazing!

Then it was The Vamps, regulars on people that I like to go and see but that’s because of how good they are.  I went for cheaper tickets this year as I was saving for a car but the seats were amazing and the stage set up was so good that no matter where you were sat (or stood) you’d be able to see.  I also got to meet two of the supporting bands! Not the band that I had hoped to meet but still I met some pretty cool guys that day.

Fusion Festival is next and it was so fun! I dragged my mum to Liverpool and we had a brilliant time the line-up was amazing and I can’t wait to see who’s playing in 2017.  I did however injure myself in all the excitement of being there and danced a little too much when Busted were on and hurt my knee. Oops!

Jamie Lawson’s tour is next and although I have seen Jamie at various other concerts and really liked him I can’t see that I will be going to his tour again as a lot of his music is quite slow and it was a little bit depressing being there.  His support act Calum Scott was amazing and I was astounded by his voice! He’s definitely one I want to see again.

 

There was Binny’s Big Bash again where it was local bands helping to raise money in memory of a wonderful guy.  It wasn’t as good this year to me as it was also in memory of another person and the music and bands were totally different to the previous years that I had loved so much.

I along with my dad went to see Ross Noble again. He is such a funny guy and I have never laughed so much in my life!

And last but not least was Meadowhall Christmas Live, a wonderful cheap concert that raises money for charity every year.  The line-up was a mazing and made me want to see James Arthur on his own tour and made me fall even more in love with Nathan Sykes. My camera was not my friend at this concert and told me that I had no charge in the battery meaning all the photos that I took are on my cousin’s camera so I don’t have them.

 

Holidays were good in 2016, consisting of a week away in Newquay, a weekend in Liverpool and a couple of days in London.

London was the first holiday in June, a treat for myself for my birthday.  Me and my sister travelled down on the train arriving and going straight to Madame Tussauds, which I was a little bit disappointed in really, I think I prefer Blackpool’s. We then went for a long old walk and ended up near the Thames walking along there and taking pictures of the London eye and then walking towards big ben and the houses of parliament.  We had dinner at the rainforest café which was a pretty cool experience before going to see Wicked, which I absolutely loved! The next day however it all went downhill my anxiety got the better of me and we had to book earlier trains home as I was really not feeling well, much to the anger of pretty much my whole family.

Newquay was certainly interesting, it was the first time in a long time that we had all gone on holiday together and the first time that my sister’s boyfriend and dog had been too. After the agonisingly long journey there we were met by lovely sunshine and wonderful beach at the place we were staying. Happy times! That was until the next day when it started to rain and the roof started leaking in the landing and the whole house was covered in damp! We ended up with no ceiling and leaving early, luckily for us we got a full refund and a few days at home to relax before going back to work.

Liverpool was a fun trip, we went to the fusion festival on Sunday and stayed overnight. We had a lovely stroll around Liverpool going to the Albert docks and to a bit of the city that seemed to be all expensive shops! It was good fun though and by the time we got home me and my mum were shattered!

 I did the Alzheimer's society memory walk this year to raise money and awareness of the people suffering from Alzheimer's all over. it meant a lot to me to do this as my granddad has Alzheimer's and its not very nice watching someone you love slowly fade away.

We also had a Halloween/ bonfire night party this year in which we invited our closest family and friends to our ‘haunted house’ that me and dad had decorated and dressed up in our spookiest of outfits.  It was a lovely party and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Christmas this year was another good one despite me being ill on Christmas day and not really wanting to do much.  Not many photos got took on the day but we had fun one Christmas eve having a games night against her fiancée’s family.

So overall 2016 was brilliant and I can’t wait to see what 2017 holds for us.  I just hope it’s as good or better than 2016!

Leigh xx

 

2016 resolutions look back.

Hello there,

31^st December, they day of reflection of the past year. A day where I dig out the resolutions and see just how well I’ve done (or not…), have I achieved the goals I set out to do at the beginning of the year or has 2016 been terrible and I’ve failed on them all? There’s only one way to know and that’s to look back…

1) Do more of what makes me happy- I feel that I have succeeded with this one, I’ve done more for myself this year than I ever had before and I feel really glad that I have spent time working on me and making me happy and not worrying about everyone else for a change, I still feel as though this needs work as I still do a lot to please other people and then I end up feeling rubbish for it.

2) Drink more- I have been hit and miss with this one, I seem to have had stages this year where I’ve drank more and been closer to the recommended daily amount and then something would happen and then I’d be back to hardly drinking anything. So I suppose this isn’t really a success or a failure.

3) Get fitter- The one resolution everyone seems to make and never sticks too! I haven’t even made any attempt this year to get fitter so this is a massive FAIL!! I have decided that next year I actually want to take this seriously though as I have reached a point now where I’m noticing myself putting weight on and becoming out of breath when playing with the children at work and I don’t want to be like that.  I don’t necessarily want to lose weight but I certainly want to be a healthier version of me.

4) Pass my driving test- I did it!! I am so very proud of myself for actually succeeding with this goal as it was the one thing I wanted to do more than anything this year. I’ve been passed just over a month and have still got to gain the confidence of driving to places on my own but I am so happy and can’t wait to see what adventures the New Year brings.

5) Enjoy life- This one I suppose is something that I’m always working towards there are days when I feel on top of the world and love the life I have and others I feel like poop and wish my life was completely different. Enjoying life doesn’t really seem like a goal to me anymore more a constant journey, there’s always things that are going to be upsetting and there’s always going to be uplifting moments it’s the choosing not to dwell on the rubbish and focus on the good, I hope I can do this more going forward.

So here’s to 2017 and hopefully succeeding in new resolutions whatever I choose them to be! Happy New Year and I hope your 2017 is amazing!

Leigh xx

 

Successful Sunday...

Hi there,

How does one measure if a Sunday has been a successful one? Is it if you've had the most laziest of days and not moved for the day? A day of rest as the bible says? Or is it like any other day measured by how much you've got done and what you've achieved?

For me I think it's the latter as much as Sunday is a lazy day in the essence that I don't have any commitments on that one day a week to get up early or go anywhere. I find that on the laziest of Sunday's I'm bored out of my brains feeling the need to find something to do.

This Sunday was the perfect mix for me I had a wonderful lie in, chilled for an hour whilst eating breakfast and catching up on the latest episode of The Vampire Diaries (it's so tense at the minute). Then had a really easy day I managed to read a book from start to finish (Beautiful Broken Things), clean out the fish, make some amazing Yorkshire puddings for our Sunday dinner which was lovely and fufilled my duty as pot washer washing all the pots that couldn't go in the dishwasher. So a lazy but also semi productive day.

Is that how Sunday's are meant to be? As I sit writing I look around and can see so many things that I could have done today that at some point will need doing. Why didn't I just do them today? I ask myself but then the other half of me says but today is your only true day off why waste it on boring things you can do on another day?

Who knows the answer to what a Sunday should consist of, but for me I think I've found my balance.

Leigh x

New Years resolutions look back...

Hello there,

As we've reached and gone past the halfway point of the year my Sprinkle of Glitter Diary reminded me to look back on my New Years resolutions and made me ask myself how am I doing with them? 

1) Do more of what makes me happy- I suppose with this one I am succeeding. I am so much happier than I was last year, even if some things end up being cut short because of my anxiety.

2) Drink more- I was doing really bad with this one until this week I am actually drinking just over half of the recommendations daily intake of water which is great!

3) Get fitter- Ahh the failure every year! Who knows one year I may actually take this one seriously and succeed but not right now!

4) Pass my driving test- still a work in progress I took a theory test and failed so have rebooked and have been studying hard!

5) Enjoy life- very similar to my first resolution but I am rather loving life at the minute. I have a job, a roof over my head, amazing family and friends so I can't really grumble.

Let's hope that the rest of the year goes this well.

Leigh x

Bucket List update 2016

Hello There,

I was sat the other evening going through my things when I found out my bucket list and decided that I would update it to what I have achieved through out the past year or so.

1)    Learn to drive – This one is slowly turning into the bane of my life, I'm doing well on the practical side with only a few mistakes here and there but I just cant get the theory side to stay in my head. ARGH!

 

2)    Own a car – Still saving up and looking around but it seems pretty pointless to buy a car that I wont be able to use, so still saving and looking but hopefully soon!

 

3)    Have a job - I have managed to get myself a 12 hour contract! this is pretty big for me as I was petrified going into the interview and came out feeling rubbish but I got it! its only twelve hours but that's still some guaranteed hours and pennies every month plus ill still be working more hours anyway.

4)    Go Abroad –Still hasn't happened and probably wont for a while but at least I have an idea on where I would like to visit.

 

5)    Meet Ameerah – My trip to London is booked for the end of the month so hopefully if all goes to plan by the end of June I will have finally met Ameerah!

 

6)    See Sam Smith Live – I am no closer with this one unfortunately.

 

7)    Watch every episode of Friends – I have started watching them but have only managed the first disc of the box set.  I mean I will have pretty much seen them all I'm sure just not in chronological order.

 

8)    Do the race for life – I signed up and walked the 5k on 19/07/15 it was so much fun and everyone was so lovely, I shall keep my medal forever!

 

9)    Learn sign language – As of the second I am writing I am no further with this one but at the next staff meeting we are being taught Makaton, needless to say I am rather excited for that staff meeting.

 

10) Own a Polaroid camera – I have been looking but as I am saving for a car and London have refrained from buying one.  The cameras themselves in which I have found aren't too expensive its just the paper that you have to put in them is ridiculously priced!

So things are going well so far this year and I cant wait till I can finally say I have achieved every single one of these but until then, bye!

Leigh x

Best birthday ever?

Hello there,

As it nears my 21st birthday I have begun to get myself a little worked up. The big plans I have for making it a brilliant birthday and the many different things I am doing have all accumulated into making me rather anxious and I don't like it.

So there's my actual birthday itself, just an ordinary day really I'm working 12-6 then I have brownies 6:30-7:30,all should be fine right? Nah I can't stop worrying about if work have cooked something up, a co worker recently had her 21st and they got all the children in one room sang happy birthday and gave her the present they had collectively bought... Lovely right? Not for a self conscious one like me. Brownies however should be a breeze I've decided to start a new badge with the girls and have planned on taking cake (what better way to say birthday than cake?)

And then there's my party the source of all the stress and the many questions that come with it. Should I let the venue do the sandwiches or do them myself? Will this many people turn up? Will this person get along with this person for one night? Will everyone have fun? Will I have fun? So many questions that have been floating through my mind and the biggest one... can I actually pull this off? I think I've realised that planning your own birthday party is a lot harder than planning someone else's. I've had to change so many of my plans from the colour scheme I'd chosen to the cake that I absolutely loved. I just can't help but think will it all actually be worth it?

Next up is my London trip, I am looking forward to this as I have wanted to go back to London for many years but my main worry is can I cope? Will I manage 3 days in the busy fast paced city life when I'm used to my quiet little village. Will I cope with the amount of people and overwhelming overload on my senses? I suppose on this one it's a case of put on a brave face and just enjoy it! And I plan to do just that and hopefully make enough memories and take enough pictures to fill up a rather lovely scrapbook.

Leigh x