Hello 2012!

Yes, I know, it is a little ways into the year already...but I have been somewhat missing lately, and it's still January after all!

I thought, I might give you an update via, my (kinda) new year resolutions, and see how we go from there. The reason I say, "kinda" is I had a view to complete some of these as a resolution for the year, and some before my birthday in June, a demi year resolution if you will! The reason my birthday has factored in, unlike pretty much all past years ever, is that 2012 is a big one...the year I wave my roaring twenties goodbye, and skip into my flirty thirties. Quarter-life crisis much? No, not really in fact, but, it's still a big one, I thought it would be nice to set myself one or two goals, so I truly start my thirties as I mean to go on. So, without further ado....my "Demi Year Goals"

(apologies if some appear mundane and boring, but I thought it would be good to record them all in one place, then I can't back out...even from the humdrum ones!)

Hopefully, like all good targets, these should all be SMART. As I work in education, I can't help but adopt some incredibly annoying mnemonics (you should ask me how we get the kids to spell diarrhoea correctly sometime....we're a right hoot we are!)

For the unitiated, SMART goals all should be... (for me anyway, definitions do vary somewhat)

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time-bound

The woolier a goal is, the quicker I will shirk out of it....by golly, i'm a shirker at heart, and a big fat procrastinator while i'm at it....I need a bit of specificity in my life.

Health

These are all to be completed by the end of June.

1. Lose a stone in weight. Pretty standard new year goal, hopefully will be checked off sooner rather than later...I think i'll do a separate post for those who are interested, I won't weight-loss bore you here.
2. Take a daily vitamin supplement. Boring I know, but I have started this goal sporadically over the years, and never, ever, stick to it. I hope this year is a sticky one! This will be an ongoing one, I shouldn't stop this in June. I need to include this for a couple of reasons, i'm not hoping to create just a bit more expensive pee, but I do believe I am genuinely deficient in one or two areas. I am definitely Vitamin D lacking... my GP has told me this, but I never got round to fixing it really. This is the problem with being such a pale freckly as myself, I do not get natural Vitamin D from the sun, because I am ridiculously anal about sun protection, and generally stay out of the sun wherever possible, I have been told by a consultant dermatologist that in no uncertain terms I should be doing this....hence faux Vitamin D. For the second part, I have a comedy immune system, especially since the glandular fever/mono debacle of 2010. I find it particularly hard to stay well, especially as i'm surrounded by a bunch of teenagers with less than perfect hygiene, and grubby pawing mitts on a daily basis. I was off sick four times last term. I need to boost my limping immune system by whatever means possible. Really, I don't know why I didn't think of this before.
3. Get Fit(ish) for 2012. Yeah, I know, wooliest wool. I plan to SMART this up in a couple of ways. Apart from the losing weight, and the generally eating a bit better business, I intend to SMART this by running 5k by the time I am 30. Now, I have done a few charity 5k runs over the years, but I have certainly not run continuously. I figure, that if I am running 5ks, then I am considerably fitter than I probably ever have been. I plan to achieve this in one focussed way...via iPhone app. Basically, these days, i'm finding things so much easier to do via my smartphone....no idea why. My weight-loss programme is via my iPhone, so i may aswell get fit from an app too! The app I have chosen is called Get Running, which promises to get you from couch to 5k in nine weeks. From the reviews i've read, it seems to be pretty good, and hopefully will work for me too. Theoretically, I don't need to start this one until April to fit this in before my birthday, but realistically, I'm waiting for it to get a tiny bit lighter in the evenings, and just a touch warmer too. Hopefully I will start this around the time of my February half term...I'll keep you posted. Anyone else tried an app to get fit? Did it work? In the mean-time, I am power walking (well just walking as fast as I can really!) from my school to my bus stop every day, which is about 20-25 minutes, and i'm not rewarding myself with a Greggs pasty when I get to the bus stop (which I was doing pretty much everyday up until December....oh ok, it was two pasties. Yes, everyday.) The other goal I want to achieve under this banner, is to walk a half marathon. This is a charity event organised by my local hospice every year, and is an incredibly worthwhile cause. It is an overnight 13 mile walk at the end of June, and i'm really excited to take part this year for the first time. As i'm a pretty good walker anyway, and i'll obvs be running 5ks by this point anyway, this should be totes easy right? In all seriousness, I like having quite a tangible goal to be working towards too.

Right, that's the health bidness, onto the scant rest

Mind, (body, sorted) & Spirit

These ones are more for 2012 as a whole

1. Read at least 25 books this year, averaging at two a month, and one extra for luck...this gives me time to catch up should I flunk a month. One of my friends is reading, or re-reading all of the books on the BBC 100 Best Reads list. There is no way I could achieve that, so I have gone with the significantly more achievable target of 25, and general titles too....preferably ones I already own!
2. Buy less (physical) books. OK, this seems to contradict item 1, but trust me, I have plenty of unread books for several people doing this target to be going on with. I have even done the unthinkable, and got rid of a load of books that I haven't actually read yet. I deemed that it was highly unlikely that I will ever read them, and I should perhaps focus on the ones that I am likely to read, so i gave them to friends, or charity shopped them. Did you note that I said physical books? Well, i'm still allowed to buy some books on my Kindle...they don't take up any actual space you see. This should help with item 4.
3. Keep a book journal. This will keep track of items 1 and 2, and it also will be quite nice to see what I have achieved by the end of the year.
4. De-clutter. I need to get rid of A LOT of stuff. I have too much of everything. I have made a start, but I need to do more. This one is going to be difficult to quantify I accept, but, if i'm honest, I will know by December, if I have genuinely achieved this one or not. This will be helped by item 2, and hopefully 1, if I end up passing on some of the books I read.
5. Buy less crap. This will also help item 4, but really, I do spend too much money on not a lot. I need to make do more. This will also be aided by item 1 on the Health list, as will become clear in the separate post I will do on the topic. Again, not an easy one to quantify, I'll have to review how successful I am at the end of the year I guess.
6. And a bit of a random one, that sorta doesn't fit, but i'm putting it in this section anyway. As I am still at present, a single lady, If I haven't met anyone lovely by the end of June, then I will join a dating website. This is not to say that i'm not completely cool with being single; I enjoy it immensely, and I do love my life, sometimes I think you need to make things happen. In ten years time, if i'm making a list of goals before I turn 40, I want to know that if i'm still single, then it is through choice, and that no-one has made me want to trade in my, admittedly amazing, single life, not from not putting myself out there way back when, and giving myself opportunities. So there.

Well there you go. My 2012 in one blog post (plus the Olympics, and all that jazz...I have tickets for three events btw...so excited!!)

What do you guys think? Thoughts or suggestions on my little 2012 project?

Monday Questionnaire; 3rd October 2011

Evenin' All!

How is it October? We're properly on the home straight to Christmas now aren't we? I even picked up my first Christmas catalogue today....i'm already considering what to ask Santa for this year.

Well, I haven't done one of these posts in a while so I thought I would. I'd really love to read anyone else's questionnaires, should you care to do one; leave me a comment below or leave me a link to your blog, I promise to check it out.

So, let's get cracking!

1.) Mood:

Happy, but sleepy. I've got quite a lot done today, but I have to work late tomorrow, so I had better hit the hay soon!

2.) What is your favourite genre of music?

Tricky, tricky! No, I can't do it...i'm embarrassingly eclectic; all the way from rock or indie to musical theatre and pop. No, it's all about my mood,I don't have a favourite!

3.) What is your favourite ice cream flavor?

Easy; mint choc chip. Yum!

4.) Current nail polish:

OPI Dutch Tulips....one of my faves.

5.) Have you ever prank called someone?

Yes, when I was a teenager...we rang the local newspaper/corner shop and asked them if they had Dr. Pepper in a can, when they confirmed this, we shouted, "WELL LET HIM OUT THEN!" Lame, I know.

6.) Outfit of the Day:

At work (in a school) so nothing remotely exciting; white t shirt, black pencil skirt, tan ballet pumps, and a black jersey blazer.

7.) What is your favorite thing about autumn? Least favorite thing?

I'm such a kid....crunching the fallen leaves when they're really crunchy. Today was a particularly leaf crunchy day.

Least favourite? Skidding on wet leaves, and usually ending up on my arse. This happens a lot.

8.) What time do you usually go to sleep at night?

No matter what time I try to go to bed, it always ends up as about midnight. No idea why. This is why i'm always so tired, and fall asleep on buses!

9.) What was your favourite toy as a kid?

Either my Sindy doll, or my sprirograph. I'd spend hours on that thing! Anyone else have one of those?

10.) Weekly goals:

To bake an awesome chocolate cake for a pot luck supper i'm going to on Friday, and not end up having to buy one because I left it too late.

To be in bed before midnight every (school) night this week (i'll prob fail on that one even tonight....no idea why!)

There we are!

How about you? The questions are below if you want to copy and paste and have a go yourself.

Happy Autumn one and all!

Em xx

1.) Mood:
2.) What is your favorite genre of music?
3.) What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
4.) Current nail polish:
5.) Have you ever prank called someone?
6.) Outfit of the Day:
7.) What is your favorite thing about autumn? Least favorite thing?
8.) What time do you usually go to sleep at night?
9.) What was your favorite toy as a kid?
10.) Weekly goals:

These are a few of my favourite things....for Autumn

Hi Everyone!

Here is a little rundown of a few of my favourite things for this season.

I hope you enjoy!

What are your favourite things? Let me know in the comments below.

Em xx

Boots Nail Polish Haul...Magnetized! (or magnetised!)

Why Hello There!

Didn't I say that I would be back? Et voila! Just a quick post; in the grand tradition of Saturdays, I had a little mooch around the shops, and picked up one or two things.

I purposely went to Boots to check out their new Magnetized nail polishes (it bothers me that they have spelled it with a 'z' anyone else bothered by this, or am I a crazy person?)

I saw from the Boots 17 twitter feed that they launched in selected stores this week, so kept my fingers crossed that they were in my local store, which obviously they were. Note: my local branch is a pretty large one, so I did have high hopes that they would have them, but most stores aren't that big, so they may not have them in your local store just yet.

Oddly, they weren't merchandised with the rest of the 17 products, but had a temporary stand on their own well away from the 17 gondola, so it's worth having a little look-see around if you can't spot them immediately.

They come in four shades; green, blue, lilac, and grey. I picked up the "lilac" and the "grey" as they seemed the most work-friendly shades for me. As you can see from the picture below, the colour names are not the most thoughtfully chosen. Grey (centre) does actually appear as more of a pewter/gunmetal type grey in real life than the greeny tone it has in the picture, and the "lilac" (right) is not lilac. It is in fact a mauvey-purple. I'm really excited to try these both out....i'll let you know how I get on. Oh, and in case you're not really sure what the whole magnetised nail polish thing is about, i've popped in a demo video from Boots at the end of this post, which explains it far better than I can in words!

As all the 17 cosmetics are on a 3 for 2 offer at the moment, with a lot of other cosmetics, I of course, had to round this duo out into a trio. Having been recently impressed by the Bourjois So Laque in Rose Lounge (yes I had a bit of Kate Middleton wannabeitis for a bit there) I plumped for Bleu Mystérieux which is a gorgeous navy...perfect for autumn/winter.

All in all, my nails will be very happy this weekend.

What are your nail polish picks for autumn, and have you tried out any of the magnetised polishes out there yet? I'd be keen to hear your thoughts...drop me an ickle comment below!

Happy weekend one and all,

Em x

Would You Like to Know What's In My Bag?

You do?! Well you are in luck my friend. I have just filmed an updated, the massively replicated, "What's in my Bag/Purse?" video.

You may have noticed that i've not been around much lately....or at all in fact. Life got a little bit in the way i'm afraid, but, I hope to get back into the blogging/vlogging side of things, and I thought that this might be a nice way of easing myself in, so here we are....enjoy!

You should be hearing more from me soon, but in the meantime please leave me a comment below saying hello, or letting me know what you'd like to hear from me in the coming weeks and months.

Laters Taters!

Em x

My Weekend

Hi Everyone,
I hope you all have had a lovely weekend...I, rather oddly have had a really busy weekend...I'll let you know what i've been up to...

Saturday
My friend and I spent the morning at the Fashion & Textiles Museum in Southwark, where we were booked into a clutch bag making workshop, where we were taught how to make an envelope style bag. The fruits of my labours are below...



Not the greatest effort ever, but time was rather pressing, and now i've learned the technique, I'm definitely going to be making more....just need to find some fabric I like, and also quite interested in adapting the pattern to make something a device sleeve for soemthing like an iPad or my future Kindle (please Santa!!)
I really enjoyed this workshop an would definitely do another again sometime.
After a leisurely lunch we headed up to the Southbank and I'd seen that the German Christmas Market would be opening up there this weekend. We perused all the stalls of fantastical ornaments and cute gifts and well and truly felt the Christmas Spirit, but truth be told I insisted we went there for one reason only....
The Gluhwein (AKA as mulled wine to the unitiated)
I was one happy customer as I love this stuff, and it was particularly welcome as we were freezing out backsides off, but the gluhwein quickly warmed us up! Anyone else out there love mulled wine as much as I do?
As a side note....I obviously have a particularly immature sense of humour, as the name of the company that produced the urn type things the wine is kept hot in, really quite tickled me....so much so that I felt the need to record it photographically:
Yes, I am that juvenile...onto

Sunday

One of my friends from uni is turning the grand old age of 29 tomorrow, so we all met up for lunch today...I recorded a little OOTD for my YouTube channel




As we met a little early, we had a little wander around Covent Garden, where some of us paused for cupcakes, and I freaked out while we were dive-bombed by an army of pigeons (i'm not exaggerating when I say that they were the most vicious pigeons i've ever seen...and I am from London...i've seen a lot of pigeons)
This is little L, the daughter of one of my friends by the way...she enjoyed her tiny cupcake.

Our reservation was at the newly opened Hawksmoor on Langley St...
The original Hawksmoor in Spitalfields was voted the Best Sunday Lunch 2010 by The Observer, so I was understandably excited
Here is my Beef with all the trimmings...
Yum yum! I would also muchly recommend the beef dripping chips as they were a particularly tasty side.
At the beginning of the meal Little L spied my marmalade cocktail and was trying to drink it, as I must admit my drink did look far more interesting than her carton of juice, so the lovely waitress arranged for Lexie to have her own "cocktail" or tarted up milkshake to you and I. That was a really nice touch and kept the little one quiet for a while!
All the wait staff I have to say were really lovely and helpful. Our waitress even offered to show Little L around the restaurant when she got a little restless.

Little L seemed to be quite occupied with mummy's phone though. You can't probably see from the picture but she is properly using that iPhone...I know adults that are flummoxed by iPhones, but these young 'ums seem to take to technology earlier and earlier!!

All the excitement did get a little too much for some of us eventually though...

All in all...a fab lunch, very nice cocktails, great company and a thoroughly lovely day!

What did you get up to this weekend?

Emma x

17 Questions...find out many random things about me!

Hi Everyone!
I hope you are all well, and having a very good start to the weekend. I saw this Tag going round YouTube and thought that I would give it a go...

Here are the 17 questions promised:

1. How did you get your youtube user name? 2. If you could change your name to anything, what would it be and why? 3. If you could go back in time and give your younger self advice, what would it be and why? 4. How old were you when you first learned to blow a bubblegum bubble? 5. What did you want to be when you were little? 6. What do you order at starbucks? 7. What's the hardest you ever laughed? 8. If you could play any musical instrument, which would it be and why? 9. What's your favorite thing to do when your upset? 10. What's your favorite movie? 11. What's one food you can not live without? 12. What's your favorite dessert? 13. Favorite pizza topping? 14. Would you rather have the superpower to read minds, or the superpower to be invisible? 15. What did you do for your last birthday? 16. If you had one personal "selfish" wish, what would it be and why? 17. What does OMGHHKP mean to you?

I am a massive waffler...so in order to laod this onto YouTube I had to split it into three...mucho apologies! I considered re-recording it, but then I wasn't sure i'd still even be able to fit it into one acceptable length even if I did re-do it. Rather than bin it I thought I'd upload it anyway...so here we are! I'd love to see anyone else's responses to this tag as it is a real "get to know me better" one...so please feel free to film a video or do this as a blog post....if you do, please leave me the link below....i'd love to watch/read it! As always, lots of love! Em xx