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 

Wheat and milk free mug cake!

Hello there,

As like everyone else I have fallen in love with mug cakes! I've tried many recipes wheat free and not and have finally found one that I love! Not only that but after playing around a little with the recipe I have made it completely milk free too, Yay!

Ingredients 

1tbsp coconut oil

2tbsp wheat free flour

1tbsp caster sugar

1tbsp cocoa powder 

And around 2tbsp soya milk

Method:

1) Melt the coconut oil in a large mug in the microwave for about 40 seconds or until completely melted.

2) Add all the dry ingredients and mix well trying to get as many lumps out as possible.

3) Add the soya milk a little at a time until you have the consistency of cake batter.

4) Pop your mug cake into the microwave and cook for around 2 minutes (or until cooked all the way through- you can test this by sticking a knife in and if it comes out clean it's cooked)

5) Enjoy!! I usually add some dairy free ice cream at this point as I find it can be a little dry but this is by far the nicest mug cake I have had!

Leigh x

3 concerts in 2 weeks!

Hello there,

If there's one thing I wish I could do more of in the world is go to concerts. I love them! I love the feeling I get when I'm there, how nothing in the world could bring me down, how I feel connected to everyone in the room just a little bit and how I know that I can have fun and if I make a fool out of myself (my dancing is terrible!) it's fine because I'm probably never going to see any of these people again!

Recently on the past two weeks I have made up for my lack of concerts in January, February and March and have been to three two within days of each other. 

The first concert I went to was 5 Seconds of Summer, who surprisingly no one that I work with have heard of. This concert was good, the boys were amazing and I even found a new artist that I quite like in the form of their support act Jessarae. However I had been having a lot of trouble with my IBS and my anxiety was on an all time high so I felt like poop. As much as I wanted to enjoy myself and dance around I felt like if I moved I would be sick and the vibrations from Ashton's drums that seemed to go straight through the floor and hit my stomach certainly didn't help. I will be honest and say o was relieved to be going home from that one even though 5SOS were incredible.

The same week as 5SOS I saw Mike Dignam. Now this concert was always going to be a good one as I absolutely love Mike and he is such a nice chap. I was quite disheartened for Mike though as he had only sold 60 tickets for this show (just last year he sold out the room) although it was heartbreaking that people seemed to not give a crap I mean £10 a ticket isn't exactly breaking the bank, Mike still gave it everything and sounded as amazing as ever. I honestly think it's the most content I have seen him play his music and the happiest he has been in his music. I especially love when he gets into the middle of the crowd and sings quite possibly my favourite song of his 'great escape' acoustically and everyone around him sings along it never fails to make me smile. And to top it all off Mike being the awesome guy he is came out to meet everyone, as he does at the end of all his gigs, so I got to meet him again briefly and have a picture before running off to get the train. The only thing that would have made this tour better was if I had my best friend with me as we both share a love for Mike. 

Finally the following week was The Vamps. Now I will be honest and say that I mainly booked the tickets in order to see one of their support acts perform live again, Hometown. It was an amazing show and I was astounded by the level of talent that each of The Vamps seemed to hold. From Brad flitting between guitars, pianos and drums to Tristan's rapping and epic drum solo it was incredible! There were a few things that I didn't particularly like such as The Vamps new singing 'New Hope Club' coming on and in my opinion ruining my favourite song 'cecila' to Hometowns meet up before that never seemed to happen. However I did get to do a first for me and met two of the supporting acts 'The Tide' and 'New Hope Club' before the show, I can't see me standing outside again in a hurry though. Two and a half hours in the cold and rain to not even see the band you want to not fun! And of course not forgetting Conor Maynard, he was absolutely fantastic. His voice everything was just so amazing, I have no words of how good he truly was.

That's been my two weeks of concerts for the year, as of yet I have no more booked but I can't see it staying that way!

Leigh x