Tag: lifestyle

May Favourites!

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We’ve gotten to May! I don’t know about you but this month we’ve had a bit of a heatwave. The summer is definitely getting there (although as I write this it’s raining, typical). So with another month done and dusted for 2017 let’s get stuck in.

Books 

I’ve had a little bit of a reading slump this month and struggled to get into fiction in particular so this month I’ve been reading a lot of memoirs and general non-fiction. I’ve fallen in love once again with Hannah Witton as I mentioned last month I love her videos and picked up her first book which is about sex and relationships although it’s aimed at a younger audience it’s a great read. I also read Drew Barrymore’s memoir Wildflower (review here) and it was an eyeopener into her life, when I knew little about her. I also enjoyed Luisa Omielan’s first book What Would Beyoncé Do?! Named after her hit stand up show, it was both funny and touching read my review here. I also looked at my feminism shelf and just felt so proud to have all these wonderful books in my possession, I can’t wait to get through them all!

Music

Ed Sheeran was incredible and going with my Mum made it all the more special.

Watching 

I finally finished Game of Thrones and my jaw dropped. I won’t spoil it for anyone but now class GoT as required viewing for all. I also went to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, it wasn’t as strong as the first film but I’ve still had the soundtrack on repeat. Also, Baby Groot is life.

Lush Cupcake Face Mask
Can certainly ‘Slay All Day’ with these
All the cuteness
Vintage Vibes
Gok knows his stuff
Ann Summers Babe!

Fashion & Beauty 

I’m finally adding in a Fashion & Beauty section, I know shock horror. This month I’m repping Lush’s Cupcake face mask which is the first lush face mask I’ve ever used and was great on my face and didn’t make it angry (everything makes my skin angry). I’ve also been in LOVE with Lottie London matte lip glosses and wearing them every day because the colour sticks well and the tones are great for an everyday look. I’m also featuring some beautiful vintage inspired fashion, a bag I made myself and my new dress from VJ Vintage Treasures in Basingstoke! Lastly, two of my new bikinis one from the Gok Wan for Sainsbury’s range and the other from the wonderful Ann Summers as I am now an Ann Summers babe!  Rocking those curves.

With my Sammy!
Mmm Thai!
In for the chop!
Ice Cream for life
My lovely Wickett
Chilling in the sun

General 

First of all, shout to the Ice Cream man who parks up in the work car park when it’s boiling! I’ve definitely been feeling the sun this month laying out with my best friend (pre IKEA trip, another favourite). I also experienced my first Thai meal with work and absolutely LOVED it, I’m nervous about trying new food because of my IBS but I definitely made the right descision. Also, from working I caught up with my friend Sammy who also happens to work for the same company I’m temping for and has become my permanent lunch buddy. And finally my hair got a much needed cut, my Wicket is still adorable as always.

 

 

Finally… 

Miss VJ Vintage for May!

I’ve been named Miss VJ Vintage for May! I’m so excited to wear this sash for a wonderful local shop and thanks to everyone who ‘liked’ on Instagram!

What were your favourites this month? Let me know in the comments below!

My Holiday Essentials!

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It’s gotten to that time of year again where many of us are packing our bags to jet off to somewhere and enjoy the sunshine (although make sure you keep your skin safe in the meantime). So, what about the essentials I pack in my suitcase? Let’s take a look.IMG_4582.JPG

Suncream and Aftersun

Looking after my skin is one of the most important things to me. Keeping it burn free and healthy in the heat can be a pain but it’s much better than the alternative.

Bikini’s with good support

I have curves, which means I need support when I’m frolicking around in a bikini. I started shopping around over a month ago to make sure I got a bikini with good support! Most recently, I picked up the beauty at the top of this post from Sainsbury’s Gok Wan range!

Books, all of the books

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When I’m on holiday I can read a book a day. I like to sit by a pool with a cold drink and read to my hearts content. That is what a good holiday is to me. This year I’ve stocked up my Kindle for space saving, although I’ll probably still end up picking something up at the airport.

Three good pairs of shoes

One pair that are good for walking and seeing the sights, one for the pool and one for the evening. Sorted.

Lipstick

I don’t really wear makeup on holiday because I just want to chill, but applying a little lipstick can transform my look from day to day beach casual to going for dinner, I’m usually a little cheeky and buy a few in duty-free at the airport before I fly.

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Sunglasses

They look cool, help you see, why not.

Camera

Whether this is just my iPhone or a nice camera I need to capture the moments so that I can see the memories! I’ve always been like this, especially back in the day when my family first had a digital camera!

Chilled outfits

I’m a firm lover of a pool side chilled shorts and vest top, flip flops you know the drill. I often stock up in Primark for vests before I go, cheap and cheerful!

Summer dresses

Something chilled out, not too much fuss to throw on. Holidays for me are all about being casual and chilled out.

Sun hat! 

I resisted it when I was younger but now I know I need a good sunhat to keep myself covered. I’m not ashamed of getting a big hat, like this beauty I picked up in Athens a few years ago.

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Nail Varnish and pads

Some fun summer colours to embrace the holiday spirit! Although Ali HATES the smell so I have to sit on the balcony while painting and repainting.

Notebooks and pens

For as long as I can remember I’ve taken pens and notebooks so that I can write down whatever I feel like. Now I’m actually trying to be a writer I always have to have some way to write. Who know the relaxation might just help the book along!

Travel documents and insurance wallet! 

So, damn important. I like having a place where important documents go because I get super anxious about all that kind of stuff.

What are your holiday essentials? Let me know in the comments below!

 

Dealing with the unexpected

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Sometimes life likes to surprise us, and not in the best way.

This time last week I was confused, distraught and wondering what the hell I was going to do. Last week I was told that I was no longer employed, that my contract was not going to be extended. This came completely out of the blue, for all I knew I was ready for my renewal meeting and things were going well. I left in a complete state of shock, how I drove home I’m not quite sure.

Like anyone who’s been in this situation before you go through everything in your head. I questioned everything I’d said or done, had I missed some warning signs? It was so out of the blue. After a few phone calls to Ali, my family and a few close friends I knew what I needed to do, I needed to find a new job. I was on the phone within an hour to contacts and agencies. By Thursday morning I was sat in a recruitment agency.

It’s been a week of emotional ups and downs, particularly as we lost Hamski a few days later. That’s the thing about life though, it doesn’t always play nicely or play fair. Within a few days, I’d spoken to a lot of people got some leads and felt better about myself. I realised that these things do happen and that it wasn’t because I was awful or terrible, I was unlucky this time.

In a week things have gone from feeling incredibly hopeless to being positive again. I realised that it might not be the worse thing. Now I can look for work closer to home so I don’t spend almost an hour commuting each way, because the drive was exhausting. I can meet new people and further my career, I need to fight to stay positive and see the good in this change. Speaking of which, I’m proud to introduce Wickett (named after the Ewok):

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So, let’s see what the rest of the month has to offer…

Sunday Seven: 22 and a half

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This week I hit 22 and a half, I know most adults don’t count their half birthdays, but firstly I don’t see myself as an adult and secondly I like using this as a benchmark to take stock of what I’ve done in half a year. I mentioned way back in January that I don’t like making New Years Resolutions, instead, I like to use my year birthday to birthday to see how things I have been going. So let’s take a look back and see what I’ve learnt in the past 6 months.

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You don’t need loads of friends to be happy 

Now I’m back in Basingstoke we don’t have as many friends around, but that really doesn’t matter. I still talk to Joe all the time, although it sucks I can’t just pop and see him. I also have Abbie and Ben on the other side of town. I have a lot smaller group of people that I’m in contact with but it’s really about the quality rather than the quantity.

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The pain of losing someone you love never goes away, you learn how to deal with it

A few weeks after my birthday I lost one of my hamsters. Although, to me they are my babies. Noodle passed away and it broke my heart, I still miss her each and every day and that never stops.

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I want to write, so I’ll goddam write 

Enough messing around, it was time to get serious, get planning and get on with it. We’ll see what happens…

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Having your own space is key to happiness 

We finally moved home! Having our own space has made it much easier for me to relax and have time to myself and Ali.

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It’s ok not to be ok. 

I have a problem with wanting to be perfect. I always have. In the last few months when things have gotten tricky I’ve had to remind myself that I’m allowed to feel tired or overwhelmed, that I’m human. So, I did what I always do and I wrote about it and it made me feel a lot better.

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Leaving a job that isn’t right for you doesn’t make you a failure

Back in November I left my first full-time job for a variety of reasons. I wasn’t happy there and didn’t feel like it was right. When I left, even though I had another job lined up, I felt like a failure because I hadn’t been there long. That said it lead on to bigger and better things and just because it didn’t work out didn’t mean I was a failure.

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Grades aren’t everything. 

For a good few months, I hid my degree certificate. I didn’t want people to know that I wasn’t perfect and didn’t get the first I’d been dreaming about. I hated mentioning it and whenever I did I’d follow up with ‘but I was only 3% off of a first!’ as if getting a 2:1 in literature was something to be ashamed of. I won’t lie and say it doesn’t hurt but at the same time my life was a mess in third year, to come out at all with a degree is fine with me. It now happily sits on my desk while I write.

A Typical Day.

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When I asked you all what you would like to see on the blog via Twitter, you all asked for a little more Lifestyle and I am more than happy to oblige. For tonight’s post I thought why not let you know what my day to day life is like? I touched upon how hectic it could be in a recent interview with Yada so I thought I’d share with you all what a typical week day is like (because my favourite thing to do at the weekend is sleep, not gonna lie.

6.30 – 7.00am 

Alarm goes off, I usually  hit snooze. Once I finally wrench myself from my nice warm bed I’ll put on my clothes for work, brush my teeth, put on a little bit of make up and make sure I drink some water.

7.10 – 7.45am 

Assuming that I haven’t forgotten anything I’ll be on the road for about 40 minutes. I’ll usually listen to music (carefully selected) and be thinking about my first cup of tea of the day.

8am 

I start work at 8am, which I chose to beat the traffic because the A road I have to go down is a nightmare in rush hour. While my computer is booting up I’ll make myself a glorious cup of tea and catch up with the other 8am starters.

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9am-1.30pm

I spend the morning working on my to do list, replying to emails and doing whatever it is I need to do. Sometimes I’ll have meetings or will be editing some graphic design work. I’ll usually schedule Social Media for the day too.

1.30-2pm 

Lunnnnnccchhh! Depending on who’s in the kitchen and how I’m feeling I’ll either chat or read while I’m on my break. I always take a book with me to work so that I can do a bit of reading on my lunch normally.

2-4pm 

I usually adjust my to do list to reflect anything that’s come in that morning. I’ll compare to the week and highlight how things are going.

4-5pm

Drive home and do any bits and pieces I need to do on the way. Sometimes I drop into my Mum’s for a cup or tea or will need to go to the supermarket to get some food. Nothing that exciting.

5-6pm 

Chill time. I need some time to just chill out after getting home from work before I start blogging and writing so I’ll give myself an hour to catch up with Ali and have a bit of a rest.  Sometimes I’ll just catch up on some reading.

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6-9pm 

No rest for the wicked. I’ll spend my evening sorting and eating dinner, blogging and planning blogs. I work a lot on the blog and trying to work out what I want to do next, looking at my stats as well as talking on Twitter. Oh and feeding and playing with Hamski.

9-10.30pm 

Need to get showered and ready for bed. After I’ll get my clothes ready for the next day, read a bit and scroll through social media.

10.30-11pm 

This is when I’m supposed to go to bed to make sure that I’ll get up the next morning, it doesn’t always work. Once I am in bed though it doesn’t take me long to look like this…

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So that’s a typical day for me? How does it compare to yours?

Let me know in the comments below!

Coping With January Blues

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Now that we’re into the second week of January, I’ve heard a few people mention the January Blues. Who can blame them? It’s a little while until payday and the weather is less than wonderful right now. I can personally vouch that things feel a little less than rosy right now. When you combine the usual January blues with depression it can make life extremely hard, even the smallest things can feel like a chore. And when you’re faced with getting up in the dark (and in my case sometimes arriving at work in the dark) and coming home from work in the dark it can make you feel a little trapped.

So, how do we go about trying to help ourselves? How do we fight through the next 3 weeks of this month? I thought I’d come up with a little list of things that can be done to get ourselves through when the time of year isn’t exactly helping.

Remember that the days can only get longer 

Good news, we’ve now had the longest day so from this point on the days can only get shorter from here. It may be a long way off but Spring will come sooner rather than later.

If you want to eat, eat. 

It’s cold, it’s dark. If you want to eat classic winter meals like stew, Sheppard’s pie, general pie and lots of potatoes then do it. Starving yourself for a diet when

Try and get outside a little. 

I’m the worst for this but if you can go out and get a little walk when it’s not raining it can help. Being cooped up in a house or in the office the whole time can make you feel a lot worse, even if it is a really struggle to motivate yourself to go out there.

Know that it’s ok to struggle. 

I know a lot of people struggle with the feelings that they should be happy. There’s a big problem with the would should. I’ve felt like this recently that I should be happy, which is easy to say. Hearing that other people are having a bit of a wobble too makes me feel better. It’s definitely ok to struggle this time of year.

Don’t feel pressured by New Years Resolutions 

I don’t make them because I think it’s a terrible time to say you’re going to change all of these things. I don’t know about you but warmth and clear skies do a lot more for my motivation than cold and rain. Don’t feel pressured by others to do them! I work on things I want to do when I’m most motivated, which for me is in the Spring when things are actually new and generally nicer to look at.

Look After Yourself 

Self-care isn’t selfish. Say it with me, SELF-CARE ISN’T SELFISH. You can’t help anyone if you don’t help yourself. Make life easier for yourself and make sure that you look after number one, because you need to rely on yourself.

What are your top tips for coping with the January Blues? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me – @chloemetzger.

The I Love Sleep Tag!

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Lately, I’ve found myself even more in love with sleep. My weekend lie-ins are one of my favourite parts of the week, particularly after getting up at 6.30 every weekday (and that’s the latest it can be *sob*).  So I thought I’d give this a go, partly because it’s fun and partly because my brain has turned into a sleepy mush. I found this over on Dreaming of Spoons, go take a look!

1. What time do you go to bed?
Usually between 10 and 11, got to get some shut eye!

2. What’s your routine before sleeping?
Set out my clothes for the next day, check on my Hamster, go and pee, brush my teeth, set my alarm and curl up.

3. What do you do when you can’t sleep?
Try and tense and then release muscles if I know I need to sleep, if it’s the weekend I might get up and do something.

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4. What is your favourite sleeping position?
On my front, facing the wall.

5. What is something people may wake you up for?
Ali wakes me up on a regular basis to tell me to stop snoring…whoops.

6. What time does your alarm clock go off?
6.30am

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7. Snoozing or getting out of bed immediately?
Normally I just get up, I start work a while before Ali does so I don’t let it keep going as I don’t want to wake him up, top girlfriend award over here!

8. Do you sleep in late on the weekends?
I try to, it doesn’t always work but when I can I’ll let myself have a lie in, particularly in the winter.

9. Are there any strange things you do while sleeping?
According to Ali I chew in my sleep…I have no idea when or how this started.

10. How many pillows are there in your bed?
Four, two for me, two for Ali. Although occasionally I get to steal all of them 😛

11. What do you wear in bed?
Character PJs.

12. Do you sleep with your socks on?
Nope. I like feeling my feet against the sheets.

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13. How big is your bed?
It’s apparently a double but it feels a LOT  smaller than my last one.

14. If I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is…
Switch off my alarm and convince myself to leave the warmth.

15. Do you dream every night?
Not that I can remember.

16. Which dream or nightmare is still in your memory?
I had a nightmare about Smurfs when I was a kid…still don’t trust Smurfs.

17. What’s your biggest dream?

To be happy and successful.

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Going Cruelty Free – Makeup

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I love animals. From the moment I was brought home from the hospital I have been around animals. There have been cats, dogs, rabbits, hamsters, birds and fish in my family home alone. I’ve been shopping in Lush for years, since we first got a store in Basingstoke, but while I wanted to be kinder to animals as a cash strapped teenager almost 10 years ago (man I feel old) there wasn’t a lot of affordable stuff on the market. A few weeks ago I learnt the horrifying truth about how fur clothing was made, I’d always know it was horrific but I’d never found out how much so. While I’ve never worn fur, I thought a lot about animal cruelty and decided that I wanted to try and help, by not giving money to companies who test on animals, so that meant new make up.

Now, I don’t wear much make up, I’ve never been a huge fan but this was important to me. I want to clear some things up though, when talking about this change I was challenged over the fact that I eat meat and dairy. I am not a vegan, nor am I a vegetarian and that is my choice and partly for medical reasons. I am helping in a way that I can. So, here are a few of my starter purchases. Also, this isn’t me becoming a beauty blogger, my 15 year old sister teaches me to do my make up and gives me brands to try.

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Barry M Lipsticks 

I love a good Lipstick and while my favourite is MAC (see a statement about them later) so I also wanted some great new lipsticks and Barry M are cruelty free, which surprised me. While these do need care when applying and possibly a lip liner they have good colour.

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Lottie Loves London Nail Varnish 

Again, something I was concerned about, nail varnish. I’ve been pleasantly surprised gorgeous colours and it holds really well (which I need because I chip my nails all the time).

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Bare Minerals Set 

My skin is prone to break-outs, something I have been self concious about in the past. My Mum and sister use this so I found a set in TK Maxx and gave it a go. For the first time ever I’ve found something that doesn’t hurt my skin and it’s easy to apply, which for someone who didn’t start using make up often until she was at university is helpful.

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Barry M Lash Vegas Mascara and MUA Intense Glitter Pencil 

I’ll admit I got the glitter pencil by accident BUT it’s better than almost all of the eyeliners I’ve tried. Also have no complaints about the new Mascara, looks good and doesn’t sting my eyes. Always a plus.

About MAC 

If you follow me on Instagram you will know that I have a love affair with MAC, which left me with a dilemma. Did they test, didn’t they test? I found this statement online to inform you all of their stance on Animal Testing.

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Now I’ve been getting into some more research I have a list of brands I want to try next, let me know in the comments if there are any you’ve tried or any more I should add!

Elf

Urban Decay

Kat Von D

Red Apple Lipstick

B.

theBalm

Burt’s Bees

Inkia

Paul Mitchell Hair Range

10 Free Apps I Use Every Day

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Now, don’t try and tell me you’re not addicted to your phone. I think almost all of us (especially bloggers) are tapped into our phones for more time than we’d like to admit, I know I am. I ALWAYS get family and friends teasing me that I use my phone for oxygen. So what are 10 free apps I use every day ? I thought I’d share them with you!

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Facebook 

99% of people I know are on Facebook, constantly talking, sharing, commenting. I like having Facebook on my phone partly because I’m nosy and because it’s a way of keeping in contact without giving out your number.

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Instagram 

All hail Instagram. Now, I’m not a wizz with a stunningly beautiful page but I love seeing the world through other people’s lenses. There are some seriously talented people on Instagram and their photos are breathtaking so that’s always a way to spend 10 minutes of your lunch break.

Follow @chloemetz_ for my pictures

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Whatsapp 

I don’t really use this for talking but I usually get sent a lot of pictures and videos of the cat and dog from my Mum. Yes, daily photos and videos.

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Twitter 

It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with Twitter, mainly because I get to connect with thousands of people that I otherwise wouldn’t. I’ve gotten to speak with some of my favourite authors thanks to Twitter.

Follow me on @chloemetzger on Twitter!

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Canva 

I’ll let you into a little secret, this is the favourite tool for thousands of bloggers. Canva lets you edit pictures using shapes, text, transparency.Sometimes I’ll do it through their website (www.canva.com) just to see how it’s going to fit.  It makes it easy to make headers, images and inspirational posts.

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Comic Geeks 

This is just for fellow comic lovers. The app lets me know what’s coming out this week. I can search by lots of different filters and add in what I want to look out for and it will let me know as well as emailing me every wednesday.

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Fitbit 

I’ve been big on fitness in my spine recovery which meant I picked up a fitbit. It works with my fitbit to track exercise, sleep patterns and food and it’s SO much easier to use rather than the website dashboard.

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Layout 

This is an app for creating collages of photos which you can then post onto Instagram and Facebook, or just save to your phone. I mostly use this for pet collages or to show all the photos I’ve taken on a day out.

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Google Authenticator 

Now I’m working in Cyber Security I’m super aware of being secure online. This helps me set up two step authentication, meaning to log in I need a password and then a code too. I’m online so much this was vital to keeping my information safe online.

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BBC News 

I like knowing about any breaking news and what’s going on in the world, I always make sure my news app is active.

What are some of your favourite apps or some that I should try? Let me know in the comments below!

2016 on chloemetzger.com

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Now that I’ve settled into 2016, back to uni and in some kind of strange routine I can think about what I want to achieve on my blog this year. I’ve just hit 300 daily subscribers and I now have over 1500 followers on Twitter, if that is any of you that are reading now, thank you so much it was a great start to the year. It’s because of that I’ve tried to think of either things I’d like to achieve and do this year. I’ve whittled it down to just 5 things that I’d like to do.

1. Reach 2000 followers on Twitter and at least 100 more subscribers

2. Start a YouTube channel. I have my camera, tripod and some ideas, I’d like to try it and post 1 video a week.

3. Have regular posts, I already have weekly book reviews but I’d like to do a monthly feature on other bloggers and start ‘Sunday Seven’ my 7 top things of the week, which I’m hoping to start next week!

4.  Work on bigger ideas for posts, more in the lifestyle category.

5. Enjoy! I absolutely love writing this blog, it gives me something to focus on and I’ve connected with a lot of people through it. There will be changes and I won’t be a full time student come July but I won’t be stopping!