Monthly Musings: October 2016

October is my favourite month and I always get a little sad when it comes to an end, but this October has been particularly wonderful. For a start, the weather has been beautiful! Usually here in South Wales it starts raining at the beginning of September and doesn't stop until June, but the last few weeks have been dry, still and unseasonably warm. It's such a lovely change to hear the crisp crunch of autumn leaves underfoot as opposed to having to wade through a slimy, wet mulch. Eww.

And this year we had a Halloween party! Halloween is favourite time of year (I may have mentioned that before, just once or twice) and this month was cram-packed with all things Halloween. Making new decorations, baking Halloween cupcakes, putting together a costume, and, of course, watching Hocus Pocus.

I'm really sad to see the back of such a fun month.

Magical Moment

It goes without saying that the magical moment of this month was our Halloween party. It was fantastic! We had a creepy scarecrow and a graveyard and our bathroom was so terrifying that people were too afraid to go upstairs alone (I include myself in that). It was the best night I've had in a long time!

Monthly Musings: August 2016

To be entirely honest, I'm not really sure where August began and where it ended. Was I even there? To be fair, it's really hard to keep track of time when you're not in work or school. I very rarely know what day it is anymore. Roll on the start of my first semester back at uni!

But, for all that, it's been a pretty good month. My baby niece turned seven (seven!) and, partly because I want to be the coolest aunt ever and partly to wind up my brother, I bought her a six foot unicorn. I finally renewed my gym membership and went for a swim for the first time in about 10 years (I felt as if I was going to drown after a mere two laps, but, hey, I'll get there eventually). The sun finally came out a couple of times and it was even warm enough for a dip in the sea!

So all in all August has been an excellent end to my summer!

Magical Moment

Here's a picture of my touching a cow. A cow! I've been terrified of cows for most of my life. Nobody (including myself) understands why. It's not like I endured any bizarre cattle-related trauma as a small child of anything, but, whatever the reason, even the knowledge that there could be a cow somewhere within a three mile radius was always enough to send me into hysterics.
I knew I had to deal with this fear. After all, it's not acceptable to turn 25 and still have a crippling fear of lumbering herbivorous farm animals.

So, when my friend Beth and I went to a local country park and came across a miniature farm, I repressed my initial instinct to flee, arms flailing at the mere thought that there could be cows lurking nearby. In fact I looked them square in the face, sidled up to their enclosure and touched one (after a great deal of hyperventilating and crying).

Monthly Musings: November

And another month bites the dust.

Does anyone else feel like November was a bit of a 'meh' month? For one I can't remember the last time I saw so much as a streak of blue in the sky. Here in South Wales it has rained pretty much constantly since 4th November with brief intervals of gale force winds. I kid you not, I attempted to carry a large cardboard box from my storage lock-up to my car earlier today and I genuinely thought I was about to be swept off my feet like some kind of bedraggled, frizzy-haired Mary Poppins.

Here's me, hiding from the rain and praying for coffee

Maybe it was the murky weather or maybe it was the dull interlude between Halloween and Christmas, but my November was a bit grey all round. In fact, what even happened this month? Surely I must have been present for at least part of it!

Obsession of the month...

It's been a good while since I've had the time to sit down and binge-watch a TV show like I did back in my carefree uni days. But one day last month I was ill and suddenly found myself with an entire day to fill with nothing but lounging on the sofa under a duvet and catching up on my series links. It was glorious! You know, apart from the illness and whatnot.

Anyway, I finally got around to watching a show on Sky 1 called You, Me and the Apocalypse, which I quickly became totally obsessed with. 

It's about the oncoming end of the world (as you would imagine) and it follows various different characters from all over the place as they live out their final days. It's hilarious! The plot is totally off the wall and bizarre, but I am so hooked! There's just no way to guess what's going to happen next!

Now I just need to come down with the flu or something so I'll actually have the time to finish watching it... 

Accomplishment of the month...

I successfully applied winged eyeliner. Women everywhere will appreciate how huge this accomplishment is. 

Thing I am most ashamed of this month...

The shambles that was my Christmas shopping weekend. Don't get me wrong, it was a fabulous weekend. Roman Baths were visited, prosecco was guzzled, Big Rich Texas was binge-watched in the hotel room. But as far as actually making headway with my Christmas shopping goes...yeah, it was a total fail. I didn't buy a single gift. Unless you count gifts for myself...

Book of the month...

Do we really need to talk about it? Yes, I'm still reading *Middlemarch and yes I will still be reading it in 47 year's time.

Youtuber of the month...

Sarah Rae Vargas

This lady certainly does not need any additional promotion from little old me since she already has nearly 500,000 subscribers. And for good reason!

I've been subscribed to Sarah's channel for a while now and her videos are so different from anything else I've seen on Youtube. Her down to earth, no nonsense honesty is a breath of fresh air (and definitely leaning towards the risqué). She makes videos about body confidence, dealing with haters and sex alongside your standard hauls and outfit of the day videos. 

She also strikes me as the type of person who'd be great to go do tequila shots with.

Things ticked off the 2015 List...

Success! I actually accomplished something on the list this month!

26. Listen to classical music (in the vague hope that it will make me more cultured and stop my brain cells from fizzling out at such a high rate)

I had Radio 3 on in my car for an entire 4 days, which is a practically an eternity when you consider that I spend 4-6 hours of my work day driving. Listening to classical music definitely made me feel very cultured, but by day 5 I simply had to switch back to my beloved Radio 1. All the violins were starting to make me weirdly anxious. 

Next month I will aim to...

Soak up as much of the Christmas spirit as humanly possible...hopefully without inadvertently gaining 20lbs. Because, you know, Christmas chocolates...

Pssst! You can check out my favourite products of the month here:

(Affiliate links marked with *)

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Monthly Musings: October!

Hello everyone and welcome to November! Yes, I'm aware everyone else has been here for a while, but you know me. I'm never on time!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, October is my favourite month. I love the feeling of the crisp autumnal breeze and the crunching sound of fallen leaves beneath my feet. But most of all I love Halloween! The pumpkins, the black cats, the gruesome latex decapitated heads...good times!

I can't help feeling sad that October is over, but the one consolation is that it's time for Monthly Musings! Hooray!

Obsession of the month...

As I mentioned in my Halloween Goodies post, I have recently developed a huge (some might say ridiculous) obsession with scented candles. Up until this point I have always found the worldwide fascination with scented candles bizarre. I mean, realistically, you may as well just set fire to your money and sprinkle it with pot-pourri. Same basic principle.
But all of a sudden I find myself with some kind of scented candle shrine taking over half of my dressing table and I can't walk into Debenhams any more without sniffing all the candles in the home-wear department.

It's becoming a problem...

Accomplishment of the month...

Have I actually accomplished anything this month? Surely I must have done something within the last month that I can be proud of!
I mean, I would say I accomplished breaking in my new work shoes, but even that would be a lie because I got my mother to break them in for me.
I am really judging myself right now.

Thing I am most ashamed of this month...

The sheer amount of Milkybar Ghosts I ate. Repeat after me: Halloween is not an excuse to up your calorie intake by 4000%.

Book of the month...

You guessed it! I am still making my way through *Middlemarch! I've really been struggling to find time to sit down and read since I started my new job and, with another 500 odd pages left to go and my workload set to increase even more during the run-up to Christmas, I'm worried that I'll be reading this book for the rest of my life.

I am really starting to get into it though. I mean, I still have absolutely no idea where the plot is going (if anywhere), but I really feel for Dorothea and her disenchantment with grown up-life. I feel you girl!

Youtuber of the month...

grav3yardgirl

I was drawn to Bunny's channel this month because she is just as much of a Halloween nut as I am. I was lured in by the Halloween makeup tutorials and "Follow Me Around a Halloween Store" videos and then proceeded to binge-watch her channel for the rest of the month. She is totally mental...and I love it!

Things ticked off The 2015 List...

Absolutely nothing. I'm close though! All I need to do if finish Middlemarch and I can cross off "read 12 more books from the BBC Good Reads list". But the way that's going, I could be waiting a long time for that small victory.

Next month I will aim to...

Start eating more fruit and veg. Like...one a day or something...

Psst! You can check out my October Favourites here:

(Affiliate links marked with *)

Monthly Musings: September!

Do you ever have one of those months that just feels like a brick in the face? That was how September was for me. Don't get me wrong, it was a great month. My birthday is in September and I got a new job, I finally managed to catch up on Game of Thrones (although I have no idea what I'm meant to do with my life until the next season comes out!) and the weather was uncharacteristically pleasant.   

But boy was it intense! One minute it was the first week of the month and I was happily knocking back Jack Daniels and blowing out birthday candles and now all of a sudden it's October and I've somehow become a sleep-deprived business woman who can barely account for the last three weeks of her life. 

But, whether I can make sense of it or not, September is over and it's time for some monthly musings!

Obsession of the month...

This month I have been obsessively listening to Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor's new song, 'Marvin Gaye'. On repeat. Sometimes for hours on end. Of the 73 million views the video has had on Youtube, 10,000 or so of them are probably mine. Yes I'm aware that I could just download the song on Itunes, but that would be far too logical. That's simply not how I roll.

Accomplishment of the month...

This month my greatest accomplishment was getting myself a fancy new grown up job, which involves wearing blouses, pretending I know how to use an Ipad, and occasionally popping into London and getting utterly lost on the Tube. I never thought I'd end up in the corporate world (being more into rainbows and smiles than pie charts and firm handshakes) but I guess that's the beauty of my bizarre little life. There is absolutely no knowing where I'll end up next.

Thing I am most ashamed of this month...

As part of my fancy new job I got a fancy new company car. The low point of the month was definitely getting stuck outside Dominos Pizza for 15 minutes because I couldn't work out how to put the car into reverse. #epicfail

Book of the month...

The book I've been slowly but surely working my way through this month (and will no doubt be working my way through for a good few months to come) is Middlemarch by George Eliot. Now don't get me wrong, I love Victorian novels. I don't mind getting entangled in the enormous descriptive passages or trying to keep tabs on the seemingly never-ending cast of characters (yes, Dickens, that one was aimed at you). But so far Middelmarch hasn't really grabbed my attention and the next 636 are looking pretty daunting right now. Wish me luck.

Youtuber of the month...

I've been subscribed to Stepanka for a long time now, but for the last few weeks I've been binge-watching her videos like some kind of weird stalker. Maybe I find comfort in knowing there's someone out there who seems to end up in as many random and bizarre circumstances as I do. But if you enjoy my weird and wonderful annecdotes then you'll probably love her channel.

Things ticked off The 2015 List...

An accurate depiction of how I currently look/feel

This month I continued the theme of accomplishing absolutely nothing on The 2015 List. I'm nothing if not consistent after all.

Next month I will aim to...

Fit in some time to sleep! This month has been so hectic that the bags under my eyes have become a permanent feature, so deeply engrained that there's not enough concealer in the world to help me. Trust me, I've already gone through a whole bottle!

Monthly Musings: May!

So I guess another month has come and gone and, all of a sudden, here we are in June with my trip to the USA less than two weeks away. I'm not entirely sure whether the last few weeks have flown by or whether they've crept forward at a frustratingly sluggish pace, but there's one thing I am certain of. My to do list never seems to get any shorter. 

So, with my next adventure just around the corner and the month of June well and truly upon us, it's time for what might be my last monthly musing until I get back in three month's time...

Obsession of the month...

My current obsession continues to be Game of Thrones. I'm sorry, but I'm still totally addicted to it. I'm halfway through the third season and, as I lie awake in bed at night, I'm plagued with the troubling thought that I might not manage to get through all of the episodes before I leave for the USA. True, I should probably be more concerned about the fact that I still don't have travel insurance, but the thought of spending the next three months in suspense, knowing there's a whole other season out there I have yet to watch...it's just too much! 

(Those of you who follow me on Instagram may have seen my ambitious attempt at Daenerys Targaryen hair. Oh how I wish I was as cool as she is!)

Accomplishment of the month...

This month I attended my last cheer competition of the season, Cheer Sport Wales in Newport. And would you believe it? We came second! Yes out opening stunt went a bit...wonky and yes the timing was off in the pyramid, but we came second! Not bad for a team who came dead last at the start of the season. In fact, not bad for any team!

Low point of the month...

Looking at my bank account after paying off the remainder of my trip. Ouch!

Book of the month...

The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins 

I'm a sucker for a nineteenth century novel and this one has the added allure of a gripping plot, twists and turns galore and so much suspense I found myself huddled under the duvet until 3am most nights, promising myself I'd go to sleep "after just a few pages more". The book is written from the perspective of various characters, jumping back and forth between them to unravel the mystery of the Woman in White, who, as you may be able to guess, is a creepy enigma...dressed in white. Expect the unexpected! 

Youtuber of the month...

Stepanka

As well as your typical hair and beauty type videos, Stepanka uploads a lot of videos where she pretty much just talks at the camera about whatever's on her mind. Be it about her relationships, her dog, her boobs, she doesn't really have a filter and that's something I really enjoy in a Youtuber. I mean, hello! Have you seen my channel? Not even I know what I'm talking about most of the time! 

Things ticked off The 2015 List...

31. Go on a trip by myself

Ok, so technically when I came up with this one I was thinking of a holiday or even a night away, but, seeing as the 2015 list has been an epic fail so far, I feel like I can cheat a little and count the day trip I took to Manchester. 

I had to attend a summer camp orientation day in Manchester at the start of the month and, when the orientation ended three hours early and I was stranded, unable to catch my train until after 6pm, I took a little look around the city. I'll be honest, it was nothing like I expected. The picture I had in my head was somewhere between a scene from the Industrial Revolution with huge chimneys pouring out a thick black smog, and Coronation Street. In reality Manchester was one of the most beautiful cities I've visited and the people were extremely friendly and helpful (which was great because I got lost...a lot). 

Next month I will aim to...

Be the best summer camp counsellor in history! Or, at the very least, not have the kids think I'm a complete and utter loser. 

Monthly Musings: Apirl

Do you ever feel like life is train, hurtling forward at a speed so obscenely fast that sometimes you feel like shouting, "Hey, can't we just pull over for a minute so I can pee?" 

Somehow April has come and gone before I even got out of the habit of writing March on all my paperwork. But, regardless of whether I'm prepared for the onset of May or not, here it comes. And, with the end of the month come my Monthly Musings. 

 Obsession of the month...

I know I am extremely late to the party on this one, but this month I started watching Game of Thrones. Why did this take so long?! Why did no one force me to sit down and watch this years ago? I mean, yes, my ex-boyfriend did try, and my housemates, and then my friends...and my brother. And I suppose it's true that my father has been demanding I watch it for at least the last 8 months, but, really, I feel like more could have been done. 

I am now trying to make up for lost time by binge-watching it every evening and have started silently cursing every episode of Coronation Street, Eastenders and various other soap opera-type rubbish that my mother insists on watching. Woman, you are eating into my Game of Thrones time and some of us are desperate to know what's going to happen to John Snow!  

Accomplishment of the month...

This month I got a job as a summer camp counsellor...in Maine! In just 7 short weeks I jet off to spend a summer toasting smores on a camp-fire, trying to come to terms with the fact that the letter 'u' will all but cease to exist, and slowly edging my way ever closer to the Jack Daniels distillery. This is the stuff that dreams are made of!

What's more, I've already Googled the bear population in the town I'll be based in and it seems very unlikely that I will be mauled to death (although back in 2012 a bear did attempt to steal a couple's hamburgers) so that's one less thing to worry about.

The moose population, however, is an entirely different matter...

Low point of the month...

Without a doubt the low point of my month was turning on Netflix and discovering that Greek had been removed. Why would Mr. Netflix do such a thing?! I had intentionally imposed a Greek ration to stop myself from burning through the entire series too quickly (à la Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Desperate Housewives, and, of course, Toddlers and Tiaras) and suddenly, not even midway through the series, it has been cruelly snatched away from me! Is it too much to want to know if Cappie and Casey will ever get back together or whether anyone will finally push Rebecca Logan off a high cliff?!

Book of the month...

Memoirs of a Geisha. I thoroughly enjoyed this book (which was a relief after trawling through last month's book)! It's beautifully written without being too dense or heavy-going, the plot is intriguing and unlike anything I've read before, and yes, it did make me cry! If you're on the lookout for your next read then I would definitely recommend this one! 

Youtuber of the month...

BuzzFeedYellow

I love ridiculous Buzzfeed articles so when I realised there were ridiculous Buzfeed videos...naturally I was all over that! From 'If Disney Princesses Texted their Princes' to 'If Girlfriends were Honest when Arguing', they have a video for pretty much every mood and I find them all hilarious. 

Things ticked off The 2015 List...

Another epic fail with regards to the 2015 List. There's no real excuse seeing as so many of the things on there can be done from the comfort of my own home with little to no effort (it's not as if watching When Harry Met Sally is going to be particularly taxing). But, once again, I've done absolutely nothing on the list. I'm a failure. I accept it. Let's move on.

Next month I will aim to...

Aside from finalising my travel plans, coming up with a three week arts and crafts itinerary for camp, and finding myself a suitcase big enough for all my junk, by the end of May I aim to have 500 subscribers on my Youtube channel. My original aim for the entire year was to reach 100 so I've already smashed that target. But 500? Are there really 500 people out there willing to listen to my rambling? 

We'll see I guess!

Monthly Musings: March!

Obsession of the month...

My obsession this month was a new TV programme on Netflix called Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. It has all the components of what I would consider to be the perfect TV show. The humour is bizarre, random and totally genius, the theme tune is catchy, and you never know when one of the characters is going to randomly burst into song. It's fabulous on so many levels!

Unfortunately, I made that fatal Netflix error of watching the entire season over the course of two short days and now I'm stuck twiddling my thumbs until they upload the next one.

Accomplishment of the month...

This month my Youtube channel hit 100 subscribers! I'd call that a pretty awesome accomplishment. It's so exciting and I'm so grateful/amazed that people like my videos so much. And I've been getting so many lovely comments and messages from my subscribers too! 

If you are a subscriber then thank you! I really, really, really appreciate your support. And if you're not, what are you waiting for? Go subscribe and experience my rants and ramblings in an entirely new medium! (Plus there's a super awesome giveaway going on right now too!)

High point of the month...

I'm not even ashamed to say that one of the most memorable occurrences of the month was coming across a Milkybar Milk and Cookies chocolate bar. Just when I thought there wasn't anything more delicious in the world than Milkybar chocolate, they go and put little chunks of cookie in there! It was just...everything! 

Low point of the month...

Not being able to find said Milkybar Milk and Cookies chocolate bars anywhere since. I mean, in what kind of cruel world would I find something so perfect, just to have it snatched away from me? 

Book of the month...

I've spent the entire month trawling through Stephen King's 'The Stand' and I still have another 150 pages or so to go. Unless something truly monumental happens right at the end, I can't see it working its way into my top 10. Or top 20. It's a really great story, but it seems ridiculous that a plot that takes place over the course of a single summer needs to be over 1000 pages long. I mean, come on! Margaret Mitchell squeezed 16 years worth of plot into a novel shorter than this one!

Youtuber of the month...

Popgnome

This month I've been binge-watching videos by Kourtney and Jessica, AKA Popgnome. Their channel is a mixed bag with videos about everything from lipstick to DIY, food to dogs. You know I like my Youtbers down-to-Earth, fun, and interesting to watch and these girls tick all the boxes! 

Things ticked off The 2015 List...

I managed to tick just one more thing off the list this month (it's going painfully slowly).
32. Visit somewhere new
This month I took a trip to the Forest of Dean with my friend Beth, her boyfriend, and a whole lot of his friends. Yes, I know I'm a party-crasher, but who can blame me? After all, a weekend away is a weekend away!
We stayed in little cabins surrounded by trees and mud and (so I'm told) all kind of animals. Personally it's the closest to camping I ever want to get. And imagine my surprise when I realised that the Forest of Dean is actually nowhere near the Lake District!
Actually I'm beginning to wonder whether it's too late to add "brush up on basic Geography" to The 2015 List.

Next month I will aim to...

Make some headway with The 2015 List. I'm three months into the year and I've only managed to tick off a measly two accomplishments. Maybe I won't aim for number 6 (climb Snowdon), but there are plenty of random things on there that would actually require very little planning (or effort). 

Monthly Musings: February

So the second month of 2015 has drawn to a close. I successfully survived another Valentine's Day alone without resorting to a heart-shaped chocolate overdose and, as we move into March, we're one step closer to being able to throw off our bulky winter coats and embrace the first signs of summer as it glimmers on the horizon (or, for those of us living in South Wales, a slight increase in temperature with a good chance of showers).

Those of you who read last month's musings will know that this month I challenged myself to spend less time shouting at re-runs of Judge Judy between mouthfuls of shortbread dipped in Nutella. Well, I'm proud to say I've spent a lot less time in my pjs this month, but I'm far from being anything close to interesting and/or fun. For instance, today I was determined to go out and 'live life', but the only place I could think of the go to is an overpriced bar 15 minutes from my house. So here I've sat, nursing the world's most expensive glass of lemonade and pretending to get some work done.

But at least I'm heading in the right direction I guess.

So here's a recap of my month...

That hair!

Obsession of the month...

My February obsession was Blown Away, an album by Carrie Underwood. I downloaded it at the start of the month and I've been continuously listening to it on repeat ever since. I'm listening to it as I drive, as I work, as I attempt to force my hair into a semi-attractive style, and I sing the songs to myself while I'm in the shower. I've been a Carrie Underwood fan for years (I don't know whether I'm more impressed by her music or her wonderful country-girl hair), but this is my favourite album of hers. It just makes me want to put on my cowboy boots and pretend I'm cool.

Accomplishment of the month...

While organising my lipsticks was a pretty big deal, I'm going to say the biggest accomplishment of the month was competing in my first cheer competition. No, scratch that. My biggest accomplishment was competing in my first cheer competition without having to run off the mat and vomit into the crowd of spectators. 
Either way, it was an amazing day and, if you haven't already, you can take a look at how the competition panned out in my cheer vlog.

Book of the month...

I got through quite a few books in February (determined as I am not to lose any more brain cells), but the one that stood out for me was Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It was beautiful to read, words lovingly stitched together in a way that almost gave them a texture of their own. It really forced me to evaluate my life, to consider the passing of time and the inevitability of death, which, while far from uplifting, was certainly more interesting than the thoughts I usually encounter on a daily basis ("Why would they take Tangled off Netflix?" "My foundation just ran out. How can I possibly leave the house?" "If these crisps now have half the fat, can I eat two packets?" and so on).
But, honestly, this is the best book I have read in a long time. 

Youtuber of the month...

Linzy Rae 

If you like your beauty gurus funny, down to earth and honest then I'm convinced you will love Lindsay's channel. Have you ever watched someone on TV or Youtube and thought 'I wish we were BFFs, she looks like so much fun'? Well that's how I feel about Lindsay (and the Long Island Medium, but that's a story for another day). 

Things ticked off The 2015 List...

Any movie with hot men in uniform is fine with me

I was convinced I had utterly failed again and made it through another entire month without crossing a single thing off the list, but when I double checked, I realised I'd managed to tick one off without even realising it. That totally still counts!
29. Watch Top Gun
I'm not sure how I made it to the ripe old age of 23 without watching a film in which Tom Cruise runs around dressed in military uniform (seriously, where has this been all my life?!) but it's fair to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Apart from the depressing bit in the middle. I sobbed through that part.

Next month I will aim to...

Work out some kind of life plan. Or, at the very least, work out what to do with the next few months. Don't get me wrong, being a full-time Disney Princess is all very well and good, but I need to start asking myself some important questions. Is this what I want to do for the rest of my life? If yes, who will realistically want to hire a 40 year old Elsa impersonator? Where shall I go on my summer holiday this year? Shall I get a fringe cut in?

By the end of March I'd like to have a clearer idea of what I'm doing with my life. Or, if not my life, then at least my hair. 

Monthly Musings: January

"...the cuddly dressing gown with bunny ears on the hood..."

January is already drawing to a close and, one month into 2015, I'm not entirely convinced that I've made the best start on my New Year's Resolutions. I've spent a worrying amount of time curled up in front of Judge Judy in the cuddly dressing gown with bunny ears on the hood that I had for Christmas. Actually, Judge Judy has severely eaten into the time I'd planned to spend exercising, going new places and generally transforming myself into a well-rounded grown-up. Oh well. Maybe next month.

To ensure that the months don't slip away from me as quickly as they did last year and to try and encourage myself to stick to those pesky resolutions, I've decided to start writing monthly recaps. I'll write about my favourite things from the month, high points, low points, random annecdotes and whatever else seems relevant at the time. I know, super organised and well thought out, right?

So here's an insight into my January!

Obsession of the month...

This month I embarked on a worrying relationship with detox water. For Christmas I had a detox water bottle, which has a little inner section to fill with fruits and veggies so that the water gets infused with all sorts of goodness and tastiness. It was meant to be a part of my healthy new lifestyle, which ultimately backfired when my mother threatened to confiscate the bottle for fear that I would accidentally drown myself in citrus flavoured water. In fairness, I can see how 4 litres a day could be considered excessive.

Accomplishment of the month...

Finally locating my missing passport. For three weeks I tore through the house, pulling out draws, toppling furniture...I even ventured into the attic! But at last I found my passport, buried in a forgotten bag of toiletries I never got around to unpacking after moving back home. Clearly I should have known to check for vital documents in amongst my moisturisers. 

Thing I am most ashamed of this month...

Last week I ate half a loaf of white bread. All to myself. In one afternoon.
(Bonus shame points - I have a gluten intolerance, therefore making the white bread consumption twice as bad because I'm meant to avoid it like the plague.)

Book of the month...

Bridget Jones's Diary.
Although not as good as the film, (which could be because I am biased towards anything that has Hugh Grant's sexy voice in it) the book did have me laughing out loud. That said, I did not enjoy the record of her daily weigh-ins, which were a constant reminder that even Bridget Jones is skinnier than me. I know she's a fictional character, but it was a kick in the teeth all the same.

Youtuber of the month...

Kendall Rae
I enjoy her humour, random outbursts, and the fact that just as many bizarre and humiliating things seem to happen to her as they do to me.

Things ticked off The 2015 List...

...None. I really need to work on that.

Next month I will aim to...

Spend less time in my bunny dressing gown (even though it is the most amazing piece of clothing I own and it should be socially acceptable for me to wear it out in public), watching Judge Judy and eating Nutella out of the jar. Instead I will seize the day! I'm not entirely sure what that comprises of yet...