Blogmas Day 31: New Years Resolutions 2021 :)

I think we can all agree that 2020 wasn’t the year we were hoping or wanted however there have definitely been some things that I have incorporated into my life in 2020 that I would like to continue and also some things that I want to introduce in 2021 🙂

1. Read 2 books a month
2. 2500 followers on my blog
3. Have a pamper evening every week
4. Complete my running bucket list
5. Learn Yoga
6. Drink 2000ml of water a day
7. Post on Instagram twice a week
8. Post on my blog twice a week starting in February
9. Be more minimalistic
10. Save Money
11. Do something nice for Maya once a week
12. Do something nice for a friend once a week
13. Have a photoshoot once a month
14. Reach 30,000 views
15. Write down 5 things I’m proud of/I love about myself every month
16.  Organise my room and laptop
17.  Do a training session with Maya 3 times a week
18.  Cook/Bake 5 new things
19.  Complete half of my 101 things list
20.  Reach 400 on my bucket list
21. Reach the 2^nd checkpoint on Duolingo

Let me know in the comments what your 2021 resolutions are 🙂

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Blogmas Day 30: New Years Resolutions 2020 lookback :)

I have no doubt that there will be many things on this list that I did not do this year due to lockdown however there are also some things that I have been able to do which I wasn’t sure I could 🙂

1. Read 2 books a month- I actually did complete this goal and actually managed to read an extra book!!! I would say my favourite book was You Should See Me In a Crown 🙂 I have gotten really into reading in the past few months throughout lockdown and I am looking forward to reading more in 2021 as well 🙂

2. Reach 1500 blog followers- I am actually 3 followers away from that goal as I write this post so I probably won’t reach it by the end of the year but hopefully in early 2021 🙂

3. Have a pamper evening once a month- I actually did do this and it was so lovely that I’m changing this to once a week for my 2021 resolutions 🙂

4. Make a fitness routine- This is one of the goals that I wasn’t sure I was going to achieve but due to lockdown I actually started running in March using the Couch-5k app and managed to run a 5k in July and have been running at least once a weekish ever since 🙂 I took some time off throughout November and December but am going to start running again in January 🙂

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5. Drink more water- This goal I have been up and down with throughout the year as I will get a sudden burst of drinking lots and lots of water but then won’t drink any for a few days!

6. Travel to 5 new places- For obvious reasons I didn’t manage to complete this goal however I did manage to go to two places this year with my friends Barghavi and Birunda and I went to Dublin in January and then Birmingham in March 🙂

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7. Go to the theatre 5 times- I didn’t quite manage 5 but I did go to the theatre 4 times before everything closed which was absolutely amazing 🙂 I went to see: Be More Chill, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen and The Prince of Egypt 🙂

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8. Post on Instagram twice a week- I have actually managed to keep up with my Instagram and post twice a week using throwbacks and photoshoots in the garden which has been really fun actually finding different ways to take photos and it has also encouraged me to learn more about my camera and how it works 🙂

9. Reach 350 on my bucket list 🙂 I have actually managed to get to 350 things on my bucket list this year doing little bits at home and working around different things to do some lovely things 🙂

10. Go to the Tower of London- On the 6th of February I went to the Tower of London with my Mum which was so much fun 🙂 I had never been to the Tower of London before and its been on my bucket list for so long so when I had a hospital appointment in London we decided to go there afterwards 🙂

11. Buy 3 things to make my life more sustainable :)- Since writing this goal I have bought metal straws, bamboo toothbrushes and also cotton make-up pads 🙂

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12. Save money- Due to lockdown I have actually managed to save money this year which has been really nice but obviously I am not going to share how much I have saved on here.

13. Go to 3 concerts- I actually didn’t manage to go to any concerts this year 😦

14. Reach the checkpoint on Duolingo- I actually reached the checkpoint on Duolingo relatively early in the year and then have managed to keep it up since as you have to go back through the lessons regularly 🙂

15. Reach 20,000 views on my blog :)- I actually achieved this earlier in the year and am currently at around 23,000 views in total which is absolutely amazing!!!

16. Reach the bronze good citizen award- Dog training classes actually stopped during Covid and so I have been doing lots of training with her at home due to this and so they didn’t do any awards but I think I have definitely improved my training with Maya 🙂

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17. Drive more- At the start of 2020 I actually did drive more as my Mum had an operation on her hand so couldn’t drive for a bit but then due to everything going on I haven’t actually driven in a while but I’m hoping to drive more in 2021 ❤

18. Cook 5 new things- I cooked 5 new things and more this year as I started to get into baking and cooking during quarantine which has been a lot of fun 🙂 I made: fried rice, pad thai, mac and cheese, sweet and sour chicken, carbonara, gnocchi and red thai curry 🙂 Baking wise I have made gingerbread cookies and biscoff muffins 🙂

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19. Write down 5 things I’m proud of/I love about myself every month- I actually did do this however as most of them are super cringy I’m not going to share them on here 🙂

20. Do something nice for Maya once a week <3- I think this was the resolution that I have loved the most and have documented on her Instagram which has been so much fun!!

Let me know in the comments how you got on with your 2020 resolutions 🙂

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Blogmas Day 29: December Favourites 2020 :)

December has been a bit of a crazy month preparing for Christmas and everything else so I don’t have too many favourites and most of them are actually music related 🙂

Excuse me I love you- Ariana Grande documentary: I absolutely loved this as I am a huge Ariana Grande fan however I have never been to a concert of hers so it was so nice to experience a concert from the comfort of my living room especially in 2020 when I haven’t had a chance to go to an actual concert this year 😦 I also loved all of the behind the scenes moments as well of seeing all of the dancers and everyone backstage and in rehearsal 🙂

Soul- I love Pixar movies as they always have a deep message behind them and make you think about life which is definitely true for their newest instalment Soul which I absolutely loved 🙂 The film follows two different souls on their journey to find their ‘purpose’ which is a really interesting concept and its a very sweet film 🙂

Evermore and the Folklore Studio Sessions: I am a massive Taylor Swift fan and have been ever since Fearless so have absolutely loved the quick succession of her last 3 albums. Folklore is one of my favourite of Taylors albums so then Evermore being a sister album to Folklore is absolutely epic and I love it! I loved the Folklore Studio sessions as I found it so interesting hearing about the writing process especially during a lockdown and also hearing about the inspiration behind the songs and the meanings behind some of the lyrics 🙂

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Let me know in the comments what your favourites were in December 🙂

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Blogmas Day 28: Christmas weekend 2020 :)

The few days before Christmas I did Zoom calls with my friends which was so lovely 🙂 On Christmas eve after doing quite a few homely jobs as my Mum hasn’t been very well the last few days we then settled down to our classic dinner of a Chinese take-away and then curled up to watch Jingle All The Way which we used to watch religiously as kids on Christmas eve and so we decided this year to watch it for the nostalgia effect 🙂 By this time we had had a few drinks and my older brother gave me one of my presents early which was Harry Potter themed Dobble so we started playing that which was so fun!!

Christmas day we woke up, had a cooked breakfast and then went and started opening presents 🙂 I had bought my dad a retro Space Invaders game which connects to the TV so as soon as he had opened that up he got my brother to set it up for him and got engrossed in playing while we finished off opening the presents around him 🙂 Maya was running around like a lunatic whilst opening her presents and we actually only gave her 3/4 of her presents on Christmas day and then gave her the last few on Boxing day 🙂 We then went to see my Grandma (my mums mum) and took the dog for a walk as she has a park behind her house so while my mum chatted to her my dad and I took it in turns with the dog in the park 🙂 We then popped round my Nan and Grandads house to talk to them on the drive and as they only live round the corner my brothers walked round and joined us which was lovely 🙂 After that we headed home and had our Christmas dinner 🙂

On Boxing day I actually had to go to work which was really really nice as I have been on Furlough since April of 2020 and have only been in for 3 days since then in November so it was nice to go back in again and see people 🙂 Once I got back from work at around 5 we then sat down for another Christmas dinner which was absolutely delicious!! After dinner we then all sat down and watched The Grinch 🙂

Finally on the 28th I spent most of the day playing my new Animal Crossing New Horizons game 🙂

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I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and are still enjoying the festive season between Christmas and New Year where the world seems to stand still 🙂

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Blogmas Day 27: Bookish Naughty or Nice Tag :)

I don’t believe that I have ever done a book tag on this blog which is really weird to me! I am an avid reader and so when I found this tag on https://jenniely.com/ I thought it was perfect to include in Blogmas 🙂

1. Folded down the page of a book: Nice- I NEVER fold down the pages of a book!! I always have a bookmark on hand if I am reading a proper book and if I don’t I will find a scrap of paper and rip it and use that as a bookmark rather than folding down the pages!
2. Accidentally spilled on a book: Naughty- I have never spilled on a book however I have dropped a book in the bath before so I’m going to count that, I believe it was Stephanie Meyers The Host that I dropped…… ooops!!
3. DNF a book this year- Naughty- I technically started reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins but then stopped reading it because I watched the first Percy Jackson film with one of my friends and so decided to read the first Percy Jackson instead however it is still on my TBR list as I had only read the first chapter before stopping and I was actually enjoying it 🙂
4. Bought a book purely because it was pretty with no intention of reading it- Nice- I will only buy a book if I really like the sound of the blurb because I hate wasting space or money 🙂
5. Read whilst you were meant to be doing something else (like homework)- Naughty! I have 100% used reading to procrastinate!
6. Skim read a book- Naughty- If I have read the book before but want to reread a certain chapter or want to re-read sometimes I will skim read certain bits…..
7. Completely missed your Goodreads goal- Nice- I have actually managed to complete all of my goodreads challenges since making an account 🙂
8. Borrowed a book and not returned it- Nice- I have never done this because I would hate if someone else did this to me! I also now share a kindle account with the main person that I would borrow books from Hannah so usually if I’m ‘borrowing’ a book its just me downloading one that she has bought on her kindle 🙂
9. Broke a book buying ban- Naughty- I have 100% walked into Waterstones during a ‘I can’t buy any books because I have to many to read’ and walked out with a few books in the past!
10. Wrote in a book you were reading- Nice- If I’m reading a non-fiction book I would always have a notebook nearby to write in if I wanted to write/highlight anything 🙂
11. Finished a book and not added it to your Goodreads- Nice- I am actually pretty good at this as I usually have my phone in my pocket and will add it straight away once I finish via the app 🙂
12. Dodged someone asking if they can borrow a book. Naughty- I’m sure I have done this before where I don’t feel like I will get the book back for ages or if the book is one of my favourites and I don’t want it to get damaged! 99 times out of 100 though I am always willing to lend books out to people 🙂
13. Broke the spine of someone else’s book- Nice- I don’t believe I have ever done this, if I have I am so sorry! I would never do this on purpose because I don’t do that to my own books and I would be so annoyed if someone did it to one of mine!
14. Took the jacket off a book to protect it and ended up making it more damaged- Nice- I will usually take the sleeves off of Hardback books while I’m reading them but I think that they have all been ok and stayed nice and neat 🙂
15. Sat on a book accidentally- Naughty- I can’t remember a specific instance but I’m sure I have done this in the past where I have forgotten I have left a book on the sofa or its slipped down from the sofa arm thing onto the seat!

Nice rating: 8/15 which means I just about scraped it onto the nice list! 🙂

Let me know in the comments if you have any funny stories relating to any of these questions or link me ur blog if you have done this tag before 🙂

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Blogmas Day 26: What I got for Christmas 2020 😊

DISCLAIMER I am not in any way trying to brag or show off I just love reading these types of posts and watching these kinds of videos so I thought I might try and do one myself ❤ DISCLAIMER

I have been so lucky this year to get some amazing gifts from friends despite lockdown and I think especially this year has shown that its not what you get but all of the people around you that are important especially at this time of year 🙂

The Thursday before Christmas my Mums Best Friend came over to exchange presents and I got a really cool LED light which is going to go above my mirror as my mirror lights are broken and also some Harry Potter face masks 🙂

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On the 21st of December Barghavi came round which was so lovely and we exchanged gifts in the garden with blankets, a heater and hot chocolates which made it feel so Christmassy! I received some absolutely amazing presents from Barghavi including bits for Maya and bits for my bedroom as well 🙂 Gin which I absolutely love and a lovely Tangled necklace 🙂

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On the 22nd I had a zoom call with my two friends Hannah and Anna which was so much fun 🙂 We opened presents and had a catch up which was so lovely 🙂 Most of my presents were self-care related which was so sweet 🙂 Hannah got my a decoration for my tree and her favourite face mask 🙂 Then Anna got me a Harry Potter themed candle and a reading journal 🙂

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The next day I skyped with my two friends Ria and Ellie who I haven’t seen in absolutely ages!! The last time I saw Ria was last Christmas!! I managed to see Ellie in August because she moved to London- it was so nice to be able to chat to them and talk about how their lives were going and chatting to them 🙂 My friend Ellie is obsessed with succulents and actually bought me my first one for my 21st birthday 🙂 I now have a whole windowsill of them! She was also the one who recommended Ru Pauls Drag Race 🙂 Then Ria got me a lovely keyring and a frame with a lovely print which says my nickname from them on it as well (Grape Fruitbread- its a long story)

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From my parents I got some lovely lovely and sentimental presents including a Pandora charm bracelet, a lovely Kate Spade bag and some toiletry bits 🙂 🙂 My brother Jamie got me a bracelet with an inscription that says “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light” from Harry Potter which is my favourite quote and also Harry Potter dobble 🙂 My other brother Billy got my Mum and I a night away at a spa which will be absolutely lovely whenever we’re allowed to go 🙂

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I am so grateful to get to spend time with my friends and family this year even if it was a bit different than usual 🙂

Let me know in the comments what your favourite part of Christmas is 🙂

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Blogmas Day 25: MERRY CHRISTMAS :)

I actually can’t believe Christmas is finally here!! It feels like I blinked and December just came and went and as I’m writing this post it is Christmas Eve 🙂 I feel like that is 2020 in a nutshell where since March it seems like the year has just gone so quickly!

I have had a Christmassy few days skyping with friends opening presents and catching up which has been so so lovely- one of my friends Ria I actually haven’t seen in person since last Christmas due to Covid so it was so nice to see her on my screen at least 🙂

This Christmas is going to look very different than my usual Christmasses as usually I go to my Nans for Christmas dinner and see all of my Dads side of the family there and then to my uncles (my mums brother) on Boxing day for lunch but obviously this year thats not going to happen and its just going to be my immediate family 🙂 I think we will walk round to my Nans on Christmas day and sit on the drive with some bacon sandwiches and go for a walk with my Grandma ❤

This year is Mayas second Christmas so I’m so excited to see her reaction to all of her presents and to spend the day giving her cuddles and playing 🙂

Merry Christmas everyone 🙂

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Blogmas Day 24: An A-Z of Christmas :)

I have never attempted this before and I’m not quite sure what to expect but lets give this a go!

A. Advent Calendars- Every year for the past few years my mum and I have made Advent calendars for each other which is a tradition that I absolutely love and I hope to continue for many many years to come 🙂

B. Baking- Christmas wouldn’t be the same without some Christmas baking!

C. Cake- Although I am not a fan of Christmas cake (I HATE raisons) I know so so many people who are 🙂

D. Decorations- I am the kind of person who puts up her decorations on the 1st of December as I want to have them up for as long as possible 🙂

E. Elf- I absolutely love the film Elf with Will Ferrell and it is one of the Christmas films I will watch without fail every year 🙂

F. Friends- Usually I am running here, there and everywhere during the month of December seeing different friends to exchange Christmas presents and having lots of festive fun but obviously due to Covid that isn’t going to happen this year which makes me really really sad 😦

G. Gingerbread- My family absolutely loves Gingerbread and this year I actually decided to bake some myself and it was so so much fun 🙂

H. Hot Chocolate- I drink hot chocolate throughout the year but especially near the holidays I love a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows 🙂

I. Ice Skating- A few years ago I went Ice Skating at Winter Wonderland with my friend Hannah and Anna and it was so so much fun 🙂

J. Jumpers- I absolutely LOVE Christmas jumpers!! I have a little collectuon that comes out on the 1st of December with my decorations 🙂

K. Kris Kringle- The main character from Miracle on 34th Street

L. Lights- I always love walking the dog in the dark during the Christmas season because I get to see everyones Christmas lights 🙂

M. Music- I love Christmas music and I have actually written 5 different posts about some of my favourites 🙂

N. Nativity- I am actually watching Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger whilst writing this post as I have actually never seen the film before 🙂

O. Ornaments- One of my favourite ornaments for the tree is my little fan from John Lewis 🙂

P. Presents- I absolutely love trying to find the perfect Christmas present for my friends and family ❤

Q. Quiz- I am terrible at Quizzes but my Grandma absolutely loves them and we usually play some sort of Pub Quiz at my uncles on Boxing day 🙂

R. Reindeer- Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Cupid, Vixen, Rudolph, Comet, Blitzen, Donner

S.SNOWWWWW

T. Tree- My family traditionally has three different Christmas trees, one in my bedroom and then one in the Living room and finally in the games room 🙂

U. Unwrap- Last year I actually taught Maya how to unwrap her presents so I’m very excited to see how she reacts when she sees all of hers this year!

V. Vixen- one of Santas reindeer 🙂

W. Winter Wonderland- I’m so sad that Winter Wonderland isn’t happening in London this year although ofc I understand why it has had to be cancelled but I’m hoping that it will be back bigger and better than ever next year 🙂

X. Xmas

Y. Yule log- I LOVE a chocolate Christmas yule log and we usually have one for dessert on Christmas day 🙂

Z. ZZzzzzzz- The post Christmas dinner nap!

Happy Christmas eve everyone!!!!

Let me know in the comments what your plans are for Christmas day tomorrow 🙂

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Blogmas day 23: London at Christmas 😊

On the 14th of December I met up with my friend Hannah and we went to Covent Garden for a day of Christmassy photos 🙂 We had a wander around Covent garden which has such lovely Christmas sections- their flower benches have been redone for Christmas, they have a Christmas tree display with decorations advertising the different shops and places around the area 🙂 then finally they have a massive tree as well 🙂 We then had a shop in one of my favourite small shops called Sass and Belle where I bought a few little Christmassy bits and then had lunch in the outside section by Shake Shack who had Truffle Fries for the Christmas season! After lunch we wandered to Somerset house to see their Christmas tree and finally got the bus to Victoria where we got some hot chocolates and took a few photos around Belgravia which was very lucky because it then started pelting it down with rain just as we finished taking photos!!

Let me know in the comments your favourite Christmas place in your town 🙂

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Blogmas 22: Evermore :)

I am a big Taylor Swift fan and have written three different posts about some of my favourite Taylor Swift songs and some of my favourite lyrics of hers and then wrote a post all about folklore when that came out as it was such an autumn/quarantine vibe 🙂 Since writing my post about Folklore Taylor has decided to bless us with a sister album to Folklore which is absolutely amazing so I thought I would list my favourite songs and lyrics from the album 🙂

Favourite songs:

1. Champagne Problems
2. Gold Rush
3. Tolerate It
4. No Body, No Crime
5. Long Story Short

However I’m sure this list will change as I listen to the album more 🙂

My Favourite lyrics from Evermore:

1. I wait by the door like I’m just a kid, Use my best colours for your portrait, Lay the table with the fancy shit, And watch you tolerate it- Tolerate It
2. “This dorm was once a madhouse” I made a joke, “Well, it’s made for me”- Champagne Problems
3. Good thing my daddy made me get a boat and licence when I was fifteen, And I’ve cleaned enough houses to cover up a scene, Good thing Este’s gonna swear she was with me- No Body, No Crime
4. “She would’ve made such a lovely bride What a shame she’s fucked in the head,” they said But you’ll find the real thing instead She’ll patch up your tapestry that I shred- Champagne Problems
5. Rough on the surface, but you cut through like a knife- Willow
6. What must it be like to grow up that beautiful?- Gold Rush
7. I made you my temple, my mural, my sky, Now I’m begging for footnotes in the story of your life, Drawing hearts in the byline- Tolerate It
8. From the dress I wore at midnight, leave it all behind.- Happiness
9. Ooh, you’rе a queen sellin’ dreams, sellin’ makeup and magazines- Dorothea
10. If the shoe fits, walk in it ’til your high heels break- Long Story Short

Let me know in the comments what song is your favourite from Evermore 🙂

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