Lately I have been thinking a lot about life; what I've done so far, where I've come from, what I've learnt and where I'd like to go. I am at a point in my life where the world really is my oyster. Not to brag but have a degree, I live in a beautiful flat, I have a job that pays pretty well and I'm in a happy relationship. Like everyone though my life is a series of ups and downs. Sometimes I come home from work, lie in bed and cry BUT you know what? Life goes on. Simple.
In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on
Robert Frost
Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans
John Lennon
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment
Buddha
Life can be really tough at times, I'm sure you can think of plenty of times you have been in a pickle yourself! I'm halfway through my first year of teaching which has gone ridiculously fast. It's been difficult, challenging and emotionally draining but more often than not I am really happy in what I do. I'm learning to take it one step at a time and enjoy the simple things. So, what have I been preoccupied with in my life lately?
NQT conference
From Wednesday evening till Friday afternoon I was at a residential conference for newly qualified teachers. It consisted mostly of getting advice from outstanding teachers, eating a LOT, laughing at awful jokes, drinking on a weeknight and actually learning a lot! My favourite session was all about behaviour. It was funny and inspiring and really interested me in behaviour and child psychology. The lady also reminded us that it is okay to feel emotions and actually be human.
Tea Dress Hunt
Recently it has become obvious that I am a knitwear and t-shirt hoarder. What my wardrobe is lacking in is cute dresses both for work and weekends. At university you can get away with slouching around in Ugg boots and a hoody but now I'm all professional and stuff (ha yeah right!) I want to dress a little more fancy and feminine. I've been on the hunt for cute floral and flirty tea dresses but nowhere seems to sell them. The high street is full of tartan, which is quite nice, and neon which is not so nice.
The mini-obsession with tea dresses has definitely stemmed from watching a lot of New Girl again while I do my planning and marking. Jessica Day has such an enviable assortment of dresses!
Old Lady Hobbies
After completing my teeny-tiny cross stitch a couple of weeks ago I decided to look at other crafty things I could do rather than start another cross stitch straight away. I found this 'cute and easy' crochet bunting kit on Amazon which sounded really good because it claimed to be easy and for beginners. I have tried knitting before with my Nan but I wasn't very good but crochet is meant to be simpler so I had high hopes! frustratingly I am not very good at crochet either, I have managed to make one chain... it could be a few more months before I am hanging my bunting.
Bra WIN
I hate bra shopping. I absolutely, most certainly HATE going shopping for bras.My housemates at uni used to go shopping and come back with lovely lingerie that they had bought in sales from various high street shops. Every single time I would sit there miserably and complain that pretty much nowhere sells my size (sorry guys!). I can spend HOURS searching for anywhere that sells my size and when I do, they are usually white or beige. On Friday after finishing at the conference I went to Monks Cross in York and bought myself three, yes THREE, bras in my size. I did take to twitter to personally thank M&S and Debenhams for selling affordable, pretty bras in DD+.
Debenhams - £22.50
Foody News
Ryan has been teaching me more and more about food. I am learning about the importance of knowing where your food comes from and what has happened to it before it gets to your plate. I'm still not perfect but I am making changes to my shopping and eating habits for the better. I shop at Sainsburys usually, look for British produce and try and buy ingredients to cook meals from scratch. Next door to Sainsburys in Harrogate is a shop called Fodder that sells loads of local produce too. Some of it is a little pricey but I don't mind popping in to see what they have.
I made a lovely Victoria Sponge cake last night too using ingredients I already had in the cupboard. This included some elderberry jam that Ryan made back in 2010, yum! I did use an American recipe despite it being a British classic but it is still delicious :)
Reading
Lately it takes me longer than I'd like to get through a book. I'm currently reading 'Before I go to Sleep' by SJ Watson which is about a lady who wakes up every morning thinking she is still young but she is in fact middle aged and married. I'm halfway through and it's an interesting tale of lies, emotions and discovering the truth.I also like to read 'The Simple Things' magazine :) Ryan shares it with me because I like all the interior design pages and the crafty stuff while he likes to read all about gardening and travel.
Blogs I'm enjoying lately
As well as reading books and magazines, I like to check out other blogs. Usually they are much fancier, more artsy and have many more followers than me but they are awesome :) Here are my two favourites of the moment if you'd like to check them out...
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