Category: lifestyle

Blogmas Day 22: What I’ve Read In 2017 so far…

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Of course, this was coming! My annual Goodreads challenge is still going and there’s still 9 days to go. So far I’m at 98 books, yep 98. Last year I managed 120 and the year before I managed 80-something? I read, I read a lot. So I wanted to share with you all the books I’ve read in 2017… here we go! Also, links to any I’ve reviewed too!

January 

The Art of the Film: Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them

Bitch Planet, Vol. 1: Extraordinary Machine by Kelly Sue DeConnick

Illuminae – Jay Kristoff and Aimee Kaufman

February

Heartless – Marissa Meyer 

Falling Awake – Alice Oswald

Back to the Future: Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines – Bob Gale

How to Murder Your Life – Cat Marnell How to Murder Your Life – Cat Marnell 

Bad Feminist – Roxanne Gay

March: Book One – John Lewis

Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir – Stan Lee

Behind Her Eyes – Sarah Pinborough 

Here We Are: Feminism For The Real World – Kelly Jensen

Bullet in the Brain – Tobias Wolff

Happy Mum, Happy Baby: My Adventures in Motherhood – Giovanna Fletcher 

March

Without a Doubt – Marcia Clarke 

One of The Boys – Daniel Magariel 

Something in Between – Melissa De La Cruz

I Feel Bad. All Day. Every Day. About Everything. – Orli Auslanda

Nasty Woman – 404 Ink

April

The Princess Saves Herself In This One – Amanda Lovelace

Zenn Diagram – Wendy Brant 

Off Colour – Jackie Kay

Anne Boleyn: The Last 24 Hours – Marcell Mayfair

The Dead Inside – Cyndy Etler

In Contempt – Christopher Darden

We Should All Be Feminists – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Supergirl Rebirth – Steve Orlando

Cheer Up, Love – Susan Calman

The One – John Marrs 

The Best Awful – Carrie Fisher

Seriously…I’m Kidding – Ellen Degeneres

May

A Book For Her – Bridget Christie

Wildflower- Drew Barrymore 

Raising My Rainbow – Lori Duron

Brain On Fire: My Month of Madness – Susannah Cahalan

Doing It – Hannah Witton 

What Would Beyoncé Do? – Luisa Omielan

June

Mad Girl – Bryony Gordon

Nutshell – Ian McEwan

What the F*** is Normal?! – Francesca Martinez

The Girl Who Beat ISIS – Farida Khalaf 

Imperial Phase 1 – Kieron Gillen

The New Girl – Rhyannon Styles 

Alice in Brexitland – Lucien Young

All Things Kardashian – Kris Jenner

July 

You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain – Phoebe Robinson

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – George R. R. Martin

Dreadnought – April Daniels

One of Us Is Lying – Karen M. McManus

Men Explain Things to Me – Rebecca Solnit

Big Little Lies – Liane Moriarty

My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family’s Nazi Past – Jennifer Teege

August 

Don’t Worry, It Gets Worse: One Twentysomething’s (Mostly Failed) Attempts at Adulthood – Alida Nugent

Our Super American Adventure – Sarah Graley

My Shitty Twenties – Emily Morris

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Woman – Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo

Diana Her True Story, In Her Own Words – Andrew Morton

September 

The Wrong Knickers: A Decade of Chaos – Bryony Gordon

Fully Functioning Human (Almost) Living In An Online/Offline World – Melanie Murphy

Depression & Other Magic Tricks – Sabrina Benaim

My Lovely Wife: A Memoir of Madness and Hope – Mark Lukach

See You in the Cosmos, Carl Sagan – Jack Cheng

Making Faces – Amy Harmon

How Not To Be a Boy – Robert Webb

Riot Days – Maria Alyokhina

Feel Good 101 – Emma Blackery

October 

The Sun and Her Flowers – Rupi Kaur

Raising Ryland – Hillary Whittington

How To Be Champion – Sarah Millican

Turtles All The Way Down – John Green

Female – Sujata Balaram

Final Girls – Riley Sager

The Tattooist of Auschwitz – Heather Morris

Lumberjanes Vol. 1. – Noelle Stevenson

November 

Wild Embers – Nikita Gill

A Trump Christmas Carol – Lucien Young

I Wrote This For You – Iain S. Thomas

Helium – Rudy Francisco

Rabbit: A Memoir – Patricia Williams

It Only Happens in the Movies – Holly Bourne

Still Can’t Do My Daughters Hair – William Evans

Nina Is Not Okay – Shappi Khorsandi

Selling Manhattan – Carol Ann Duffy

Unqualified – Anna Farris

A Pearl For My Mistress – Annabel Fielding 

It’s All in Your Head A Guide To Getting Your Shit Together – Rae Earl

Christmas Poems – Wendy Cope 

Making Cocoa For Kingsley Amin – Wendy Cope

December

The Diary of Anne Frank

Serious Concerns – Wendy Cope

Leave This Song Behind – Various

Recovery: Freedom From Our Addictions – Russell Brand

Family Values – Wendy Cope

What I Know For Sure – Oprah Winfrey

How to be a Bawse – Lily Singh

Love, Grief and being Mum & Dad – Rio Ferdinand

The Ladybird Book of Mindfulness

Sex Object – Jessica Valenti

 

More to come…

Blogmas Day 21: Christmas Throwback Pics

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Today I wanted to share some great throwback pics that I’ve managed to find (although none of me as a teeny tiny person, these have all been snatched from Facebook). It’s so much fun to look back on Christmas, even if my sister will kill me.

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Christmas 2016, I think. Sums and I after we opened all of our presents in matching Cookie Monster pjs. I think it’s rare that we look similar in pictures but this is actually one where I think we look alike.

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This picture is way back in 2012! Mum and I had just gotten back from Kingston on a visit to see if the uni was for me (and the rest is history) and managed to get these Minnie Mouse ears.

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I have no idea what year this was, perhaps 2012? Not quite matching but all cuddled up in our fleecy pjs on Christmas Eve. All of the girls in the family have Christmas Eve pjs, Dad usually gets some of the non-fluffy variety.

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Fun fact, this selfie was taken at 5am. Yep, my sister and I are those kind of people we turn into excited children. One will wake the other up, it used to be me waking her up but now she’s the first one up…I love sleep too much.

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In town messing around on Christmas Eve, that’s just how my sister and I roll.

Blogmas Day 20: Would you rather -Christmas Edition.

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I was so excited to have a tag pop up on my Twitter feed, the wonderful Shevy from Moonsomnia to do a would you rather tag! At the end of this post I will also tag some great bloggers so make sure to check them out!! Here we go –

Shevy’s questions for us:

Would you prefer a Summer or a Winter Christmas?

I think a winter Christmas, simply because I think it adds that extra bit of magic! Even if winter here normally just means rain! Plus if Christmas wasn’t in Winter there would be nothing to look forward to in the miserable cold months!

Traditional roast dinner or a modern twist?

Probably traditional, I like to know what I’m getting for my dinner.

Real Christmas tree versus an artificial one?

Artificial, getting the bits stuck in your feed hurts like hell.

Mulled Wine versus eggnog?

I’ve never had eggnog but hate mulled wine!

Pet presents or none?

Pet present, always.

Thanks so much for including me in this post! I’m so excited to put forward my own 5 questions.

  1. Presents first thing or after dinner?
  2. Indoor decorations or outdoor decorations?
  3. Dressing up for Christmas day or staying comfy?
  4. Boxing day sales or nowhere near?
  5. Christmas Pudding or Chocolate Log?

 

I now nominate:

Sophie from Puuuurpale 

Amanda from The Bellezza Corner

Paige from Currently, Lately 

 

Make sure to tag me once you have done your own post!

Blogmas Day 19: Christmas Eve Traditions

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Christmas for me is all about family and isn’t just about one day! Christmas Eve is full of little traditions for me, and I think as I get older these may adjust again and again. It’s weird that for the first time I’m not in a home with either mine or Ali’s families, it’s just the two of us.

I’m so pleased that Christmas Eve falls on a weekend this year, the thought of having to go to work on Christmas Eve makes me super sad, I don’t know why. So, what does my Christmas Eve usually look like?

  •  Wake up early and annoy Ali with the fact it’s Christmas tomorrow. Be hyperactive as hell.
  •  Shower and dress in Christmassy clothes, jumper or hat are suitable.
  •  Get picked up by Mum to go into town with her, my sister and my Nanna.
  • Get a coffee/hot chocolate to kick off the day
  • Mooch around the shops and pick up some last minute presents in the sales (Ali usually gets a few more presents here)
  • Go home, get any last minute wrapping done, blast Christmas music.
  • Go and visit family members start the Christmas cheer
  • Hit up McDonalds, ok hear me out. We’re usually so busy with family and the Turkey for the next day is slowly cooking so we get McDonald’s and it’s amazing.
  • Get given our Christmas Eve PJs, usually matching my sister
  • Be banished from anywhere near certain areas of my parent’s house.

Now, it’s slightly different now I’m older, I go to my own house which will be the first time in our own home! I have no idea if Ali and I will create any new traditions in our own space but I really hope so. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions? Let me know in the comments below!

 

 

Blogmas Day 18: My 5 Favourite Christmas Films!

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Is there anything better than curling up when it’s cold outside with a blanket, hot chocolate and a good old Christmas film on. Now, I am in no way a movie buff, in fact, I’m regularly teased by friends and family because I haven’t seen some of the biggest films ever to be made. That said, growing up I liked nothing more than to put on a Christmas film and watch it again and again and again. So, this lists is a big mix of my favourite films to pop on. Note, these are mainly for children. Sorry, not sorry.

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Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas 

Now, I know there is another before this and I’m pretty sure I loved that too but this is what I remember having on all the time. We got it when my sister was tiny and I just remember it being on and it’s just nice and chilled as well as being fun.

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Miracle on 34th Street 

This came out when I was 2 and it’s just a go-to classic with an adorable Mara Wilson. I think this one is just because it’s always been on and around while I was growing up, it has a little girl (who in my mind was always Matilda, sorry!) and Santa. I was in, totally in.

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The Grinch 

Fun fact, I was slightly scared of the Grinch but couldn’t stop watching it. I wasn’t interested in Cindy-Lou I was fully invested in the Grinch himself and felt so bad for him and also loved him. Shout out to Primark getting on the Grinch train

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Elf 

SANTA OH MY GOD I KNOW HIM.

I don’t understand people who don’t like Elf, genuinely don’t understand them. This is hilarious but also can make me cry and it’s just silly. I just love it so much, the music is also adorable.

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Love Actually 

This is my favourite film. I don’t think it’s ever failed to cheer me up and I love every single actor in it and it’s just so good. Love Actually gets a lot of stick but I don’t think it’s deserved. All of the stories link and there’s just a warm feeling to it. If not just watch it for Hugh Grants dancing, worth watching just for that.

 

What are your favourite Christmas films? Let me know in the comments below!

Blogmas Day 17: Our Little Christmas Tree!

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I was very excited at the prospect of getting our first Christmas tree. Ali took a little bit of persuading, we live in quite a small flat and he can be a grumpy Grinch! I told him before he went away for work I was planning on getting a small tree…it was there when he came back, whoops! Our tree is only tiny, 4ft tall to be exact so I’ve managed to find a little home for it! I wanted to share with you some of the lovely ornaments on our tree this year because I’m super proud of them. Also, most of these are from Sainsbury’s because they knocked it out of the park when it came to Christmas this year.

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Little Robin

He is so cute and Robins just remind me of winter and Christmas, he was around £4 too and he’s actually quite heavy!

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Hedgehog 

Ok, I’ll admit, the tree has a slight woodland creature vibe going because I love them. This is probably the cheapest ornament from The Range and cost around £2. He’s absolutely adorable and covered in fake snow.

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Christmas 2017

I wanted to get this bauble because it will remind us of the first Christmas we spent in our own home.

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Rudolph 

This is so adorable and to make it even cute it’s actually a bell! Plus can you really have a good tree without some reindeer magic? I don’t think so.

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Wickett 

This was a gift from my Mum to both of us so that we could pop Wickett on the tree too! This was such a cute and thoughtful gift, it has pride of place on the tree.

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Hogwarts Houses

Another gift! My Dad surprised me with these, I hadn’t even seen them! I absolutely love Harry Potter as my regular readers will know! These look fab on the tree, especially as they’ve been decorating my bookshelves since I was given them!

 

Which one is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below!

Blogmas Day 16: Christmas Q & A with Midnight Madness & AllLadyA

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It’s my third and final group of bloggers who have been lovely enough to answer questions for Blogmas so I can share what Christmas means to them too! While you can check out the first and second instalments today I have Georgia from Midnight Madness and Alix from AllLadyA make sure to check out their blogs too!

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Alix

What are you most excited about this Christmas?

Georgia:  I’m the most excited about spending time with the people I love the most! Hyped to see my family, who I don’t see often as I moved out for university & also for travelling to Los Angeles to see my long distance boyfriend of over two years who I haven’t seen in four months! 

Alix:  Being with my family and Christmas dinner! 

What’s at the top of your wish list?

Georgia:  On the top of my wishlist is a camera tripod & a ring light. I have a youtube channel (Midnight Madness) & it’s so hard to film without a proper set up! Also books are always nice 🙂 

Alix:  This year, it’s actually getting a job. I’ve been unemployed for a little while so a little Christmas miracle in that department would be incredible. A more materialistic wish is the Apple Pencil! 

Favourite Christmas movie?

Georgia: Polar Express – I know, not very mainstream, but it reminds me of my childhood when I lived in Greece, and Christmas for me is the best time to spend with family and talk about stories from the past, remember certain feelings, so I always watch this on Christmas!

Alix: It’s a tie between Love Actually and The Holiday. 

Favourite Christmas song?

Georgia: Favourite Christmas song would be probably Mistletoe by Justin Bieber haha, I have some really funny memories with this song from my pre-teen years so it makes me really happy! 

Alix: Fairytale of New York – The Pogues

Favourite Christmas food?

Georgia: My favourite Christmas food would be gingerbread cookies for sure

Alix: My grandad’s roast potatoes. I know they’re not exactly “Christmas food” but for whatever reason that’s when they taste the best and it’s not Christmas without them!


Your perfect Christmas in 3 words.

Georgia: Perfect Christmas in three words: snow, cocoa, movies

Alix: Family, food & fun

 

Blogmas Day 15: How to stay mentally healthy during the holidays!

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Christmas is fun but it can also be really stressful! At Christmas time we want to go, go, go. We feel we need to go shopping for gifts, see friends and family, go to events, look our best and prepare for the big day.  In short, it can be a lot of pressure on anyone, so when you have a mental illness can be very overwhelming and it’s so easy to struggle during the holidays, here are my tips to stay healthy.

Take time for yourself

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the festivities and everything that ‘needs’ to be done that we often forget to take some time to ourselves! It’s important to be able to wind down and switch off no matter what time of year it is.

Get enough rest

It can be absolutely exhausting to live with a mental illness on a day to day basis, add to that seeing friends and family, going out to join in with events, trying to match the excitement of others. It’s important that no matter what you still get enough rest. It’s so important to prioritise you rest and sleeping habits.

Decide what is a priority for you 

Expectations can be really high at Christmas and if,  like me, you’re a bit of a people pleaser it can be hard to say no. I’ve needed to tell myself, firmly, that I can say no and I need to look at my priorities. My priority is seeing my family, close friends and making sure I use the time I have to recharge my batteries. That’s the priority.

Take the pressure off! 

Banish the ‘should’, you do you over the holidays. I’m not going out on New Years Eve to any pubs or parties. I’m going to spend the night in my own home and go and see my family are a good sleep. I’m going to not have something on every single day and try to go with the flow.

See the day how you need to

For some people they want Christmas to be a day filled with family and that’s what’s important. For others, it’s just another day. Do what’s right for you.

Blogmas Day 14: Book Review – Christmas Poems by Wendy Cope

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If you’re looking for something that’s short, funny and light then this collection is perfect for you. I was first drawn to this on a Christmas display in my local Waterstones, I’d never heard of Wendy Cope and this year I’ve been on a big poetry kick, wanting to grow my collection. My Mum was lovely enough to buy this for me as a gift, I didn’t know at the time that I was going to find one of my favourite poets.

It’s hard to write humour and even harder to write it into poetry. Wendy Cope has managed to make me laugh out loud so many times while reading which was a complete delight. This isn’t a typical collection of snow, angels and the like, Cope has a brilliant wit and sense of realism as to what Christmas is like for most of us.

If you want something seasonal but not too long I would 100% recommend picking up Cope’s collection. It’s absolutely wonderful without being cheesy.

What is your favourite seasonal read? Let me know in the comments below!

Blogmas Day 13: The Holly Jolly Christmas Tag 2017

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Of course, I was going to do a tag in Blogmas! What do you take me for?! I found this over on the wonderful Liberty Joy blog! Definitely, check Becky out and give her a follow!

1. Favourite Christmas Movie?

Has to be Love Actually, it’s my all-time favourite.
2. Are you on the Naughty list or the Nice list?

Pretty sure I’m on the nice list, everyone’s allowed a few slip-ups, right?

3. Show us an embarrassing Christmas photo.

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Might as well embarrass my sister too!

4. Have you ever had a White Christmas?

I’ve seen it snow on Christmas but not settle!

5. Do you start your Christmas shopping on Black Friday or wait until the last minute?

If I have the money I start even earlier than that!

6. If you could be in any Christmas movie what would it be?

Elf, I feel I’m an appropriate size.

8. Name all of Santa’s reindeer.

Rudolph, Dancer, Blitzen, Comet, Cupid…Damn it.

9. When does your family put up your Christmas tree and who decorates it?

The first weekend of December at Mum and Dads. It’s mine and Ali’s first Christmas at our own flat and it was also up on the first weekend of December!

10. Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

100% fake. Not here for pine needles all over the floor.

12. Peeking at gifts or be surprised?

I like to feel the gifts and try to guess…whoops.

13. Show us your ugly Christmas sweater if you have one.

I refuse to wear ugly jumpers.

14. If you could be under the mistletoe with anyone who would it be?

I feel like I should say my boyfriend but I wouldn’t say no to Eddie Redmayne…

15. Does your family have a special holiday recipe you like to help make?

Haha, no.

16. Are you a pro-present wrapper, or do you fail miserably?

I am absolutely awful at gift wrapping.

17. Have you ever gone Christmas carolling?

Nope, personally, I find it a little weird just to knock on someone’s door like hey I’m going to sing at you right now.

18. What tops your tree?

Right now just fairy lights! Mum has a light up Tinkerbell though!

19. Do you make New Years Resolutions? Do you stick to them?

I don’t! January is so dark and miserable there’s no fun in starting something new then!

20. You have been granted one Christmas wish…what will it be?

….A puppy?!

 

Don’t forget to tag me in your own Holly Jolly Christmas Tags!