Ain't it just the way...

that after being all geared up for a night out in town all week, when it comes to it, I find I've got no energy whatsoever and even the thought of a late night makes me miserable! It's a real pain, as I'd really love to go out with my friend E tonight, but I just can't! What makes it worse is that it was just going to be me and her, so because I'm not going, she 's having to make alternative arrangements. I feel like such a bad friend, as I've said all week that I'd go out even though no one else was, and now it's almost like I'm going back on my word. But I suppose staying in is better than going out and maybe feeling miserable or wanting to come home early...well that's what I'm telling myself anyway! But then again, maybe I could have given it a go. Maybe the music would have livened me up, and I would have felt my old self, and if not, at least I would have been able to say I'd tried... Although, as even getting changed feels like it would have been too much effort, then maybe not!

So what am I going to do instead then? Well...maybe watch a DVD, have a bath, maybe even a glass or two of wine. I don't know if it's because I'm getting older, but nights like this certainly seem to be becoming a lot more appealing lately. I'm all for big nights out for birthdays and even just because, but just not as often any more. Ah, well, c'est la vie I suppose! Hope you're all having a lovely weekend whatever you're doing...be it a quiet night in or a wild night out!

What's-in-my-wardrobe Wednesday: Spotlight on Next

Like many other bloggers around at the minute, I've been inspired to write a themed series of posts, and as I love all things style shopping related...welcome to What's-in-my-wardrobe Wednesday! I'm not sure if this is going to be a regular series of posts yet, but in it I'm aiming to include posts on any new items I buy, as well as items on old favourites that I absolutely love and maybe even some of my top fives in various categories.

So to kick off, I'm focusing on some of my recent purchases from Next/Next Clearance as this gives me the chance to blog about my latest clothes/shoes purchases which I mentioned here, as well as sharing a couple of pictures of possibly my favourite pair of shoes at the mo.

Without further ado...here's the clothes first:

Cream bow neck top...despite the slightly dodgy picture, this is really lovely on! I've already worn it once for work, and then to the pub in the evening and think it's a really versatile piece that can be worn for lots of different occasions.

Cream top with black waterfall (?) front detail... I was initially attracted to this top because of its interesting front detailing and also its slightly unusual shape. The picture, unfortunately, isn't the best, but again the top is really flattering to wear. I can see myself wearing this for an evening out, maybe with my indigo skinnies and the shoes I'm going to show you in a bit. The final reason I love this top is because of the back...

It has an exposed zip, which I think is quite cool and is also apparently really 'in' at the mo.

Remember this post about my grey high tops? Well, I think I might have found a new love...while these pumps will never replace them, they're the best distraction I've found in a long search:

And finally comes a pair of shoes that I absolutely adore! They're about the comfiest high heels I've ever owned, they're shiny (and dare I say, a little bit sexy!) and they have a ribbon tie and a spotty inside. In short, they're just about perfect for me! What do you think of these babies??:

Not the best pic, but you can see the spotty insides and the ribbons!

And finally a side view, showing one of them in all her glory (yes, my shoes are female, deal with it!)

So, all that's left to say is thanks for reading my first What's-in-my-wardrobe Wednesday (that's assuming that anyone other than me has done!)...hope you enjoyed it! :-)

Highs and lows of the week

So Sunday's come around again and I can't believe there's only a few hours left of my weekend...it's gone so fast! :-( But nevertheless, here we are which means just one thing... it's time for my weekly round up! It's been a busy, and occasionally stressful week, but I've still found time for some fun, so what better place to tell all than in a list of highs and lows!

Highs

• Working...this has made me happy for three main reasons. Firstly, you'll know from this post that I'd had some problems with my work situation recently. However I'm now pleased to report that they've now been resolved and I've been able to continue working as a supply teacher without worrying I'm doing something illegal! Secondly, in this post I mentioned how nervous I was about my first day back at work since July. Luckily, things weren't half as bad as I thought they might be. There were times when managing behaviour was a bit of a struggle and I'm sure that I didn't always handle things as well as I could have done, but on the whole things went well and I feel happier about the career choice I've made. There were many times over the last two years when I questioned my abilities as a teacher and wondered whether I'd be better off doing something else altogether, but now I feel more confident that I will be able to become a good teacher. I know I'm always going to be on a learning curve and that it's early days yet, but it's nice to feel positive for a change! Finally, work=money! As I haven't worked for over 2 months, I was starting to feel slightly concerned over my financial situation. Luckily, I'm still living at home with my parents so I don't have that many financial commitments but I was worrying nevertheless. Anyway, the one day I thought I'd be working turned into 2, which then turned into 4!! So that means 4 days wages next week :-) Then add to that, the guaranteed day and a half I'll be getting the week after and things are starting to look a little more rosy in the garden! :-)

• The weather...on the whole, it's been another dry and quite sunny week. It makes me feel so much better when I look out and see the sun, and travelling to and from work is much more pleasant when I don't have to battle with an umbrella in the middle of a driving rain shower!

• Spending time with friends...even if we did just stay in watching Strictly Come Dancing (and Legally Blonde...LOVE that film!), it's always nice to see the guys and catch up with them. Oh, and I received an invitation to my friends L & G's wedding in December...it's about 11 weeks and I can't wait!

• Shopping...I went to Next Clearance today and bought 2 gorgeous tops and a pair of pumps that might just help me get over my grey high tops that I posted about here plus a birthday present for my friend J. Promise I'll do a post to show them all off in their full glory very soon! Over the weekend, I picked up some cheap Gallo rose from Netto...think I'll definitely be buying more wine from there in the future!

• Getting my first blog award...many thanks to The Girl of Make Believe for this...you've got a fantastic blog too, and I feel very special to get this :-)

• The possibility of watching a new series episode of House on Sky 3 later tonight...as the new series has been shown on Sky 1 which I don't have, I've been denied my new House fix for months now :-( But this weekend, the people at Sky have created a free weekend pass on Sky 3 which means that Sky 3's showing lots of programmes that those mere mortals of us with Freeview don't usually get the chance to watch. And one of them is House!! :-) I know it's only one episode, but hopefully it'll be enough to tide me over until the new series is released on dvd.

Lows

• Tiredness... I can't believe how tired work made me this week...I'd completely forgotten how much it takes out of me, especially at the start of term! Hopefully I'll get into a routine soon though!

• The Manchester derby result... as a Manchester City fan, I was absolutely GUTTED at the derby result today. Whilst losing 4-3 to Manchester United away from home might not sound like a terrible result (especially as they are the reigning Premier League champions who have had a reasonably good start to the season and we were missing some of our best strikers), the manner of the defeat is what really sticks in my throat. After 90 minutes we were drawing 3-3, and the referee signalled that 4 minutes of additional time would be played. After 94 minutes, we were still drawing 3-3 and the match should have been stopped then and there. But then mysteriously nothing happened. Play continued and deep into the 95th minute, Manchester United scored a late, late winner. So late that 17 seconds later the full time whistle was finally blown and with it, our hopes of a draw were dashed. While Manchester United fans might see me as just a bitter City fan, I am furious about those added 2 minutes which denied us a chance of a draw, and robbed us of our 100% start to the season. As yet, nobody has offered an explanation as to why those 2 extra minutes were added to the match, and I would certainly be interested to hear what the match officials have to say for themselves. So for now, I'll be content with my own theory...that the referee was a secret United fan! ;-)

And that was the week that was! Stay tuned next week for more exciting updates on my life ;-) , some fashion and beauty posts (including my long promised review of my Bourjois bargains), maybe some randomness and anything else that takes my fancy!

I've got an award!! :-)

Yay, my very first blog award!! It's been sent to me by the lovely Sarah at The Girl of Make Believe . Thanks Sarah!! And check out her blog too, it's fab!!

Rules:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might not know.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.



Seven things about me:

1. I'm very messy and quite disorganised too...not too good for a teacher really!


2. I have naturally curly hair, but have only completely accepted this over the last 18 months or so.


3. I would love to learn the drums or saxophone.


4. I'm terrified of thunder and lightning, but am determined to conquer this fear soon.


5. I'm 5'5.5 but haven't grown in years...I was pretty much my adult height at the age of 11!


6. I love men in suits! :-)


7. My favourite tv show is House and I'm very excited that I'll be able to watch a new episode on Sky 3 this weekend!!

People I nominate are:

1. Jennee at Cheap Therapy
2. Michelle at Michelle's Diary
3. Miss Peregrin at The Secret Life of a Retail Assistant
4. Leetid at Life of Leetid
5. Leslie the Pirate at Swashbuckling through the Murky Waters of On-line Dating
6. Karie at **Wife of a Wounded Marine**
7. Shop Girl* at I Heart My Shoes

All fantastic blogs that I really enjoy reading!

My first day!

Tomorrow will be my first day at work since 17th July...I know, I've had a ridiculously long summer holiday, but it's not all my fault...as a supply teacher, I can only work if another teacher is off and you don't tend to get many staff absences at the beginning of the school year!

Anyway...I know which school I'm going to and how to get to it and I know what time I'll get up in the morning and what time I'll set off for work. I know which year group I'll be taking and I've got a pretty good idea of what activities I'll do with them if work hasn't already been set. I've brushed up on my classroom management strategies and my bag is pretty much packed. The only things left to do are decide on my outfit and set my alarm. I should be feeling really confident...but I'm not. Instead I can feel my nerves jangling as I run through worst case scenarios in my head. What if my classroom management doesn't work? What if I can't find any resources in the classroom? What if the work I've prepared goes down like a lead balloon? What if they're simply the class from hell? I know that probably none of these will be true, but it doesn't stop me worrying :-(

First days...don't you just love 'em?!

I'm still here!

I've been wondering what to write for a bit now, because there's been a lot of work related crapness in my life over the past few days and I really didn't want to vent it in a post on here. I know getting it out can be a good thing, but I've been so shocked, upset and angry at various points since Monday night that I didn't want to write something so negative. So I've waited until now (well, admittedly I was going to post earlier today but...!)

Luckily today there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel. The person who holds the power to help me out with my situation has been in touch and I have a plan of action for the interim period while things are getting sorted!

And now because it's late and I'm getting a headache, I'm off to bed...but I'll be back soon. There's no getting rid of me that easily!

Last weekend

Last weekend was a bit of a mixture for me...it generally consisted of quietish, chilled out days mixed with busy nights. I was actually out on both Friday and Saturday night, which hadn't happened for quite a while and I had the best weekend I've had for a long time!

On Friday night, I went for a meal with lots of people from my drama group including one of my closest friends. Apart from driving past the restaurant on the way there (it was very badly signposted!) and having to go for what seemed like miles before we could find a place to turn, it was a fantastic night :-) The food was great and after the meal, there was a disco which meant I did lots of dancing! At one point, the dj played one of the songs that we performed in our last show ('Hot and Cold' by Katy Perry) so most of us got up and did the dance routine that went with it! There were other people copying us on the dance floor and I even clocked some camera flashes going off. It was crazy!!

Saturday was quite quiet, I saw my Grandad and went to the local shops and I was surprised by a text from one of my friends inviting me out for a few drinks that evening at a local cocktail and karaoke bar. Again, the evening got off to a less than perfect start...I didn't get a message telling me my friends would be late until I'd already arrived so I ended up standing outside for about 10 minutes, feeling paranoid that people would think I was a hooker (albeit a very well dressed one!) or something! However, the rest of the night was great. I drank fancy cocktails, ate amazing chinese bar snacks, listened to and sang karaoke and did some very cheesy dancing with my friend E, as well as catching up on my friends' news. 2 of them are planning to rent a flat together (they're bf and gf) and another one has just got a promotion at work so there was a really happy vibe in the air. But despite all this, I think the best bit of the night has to be the arse shaped strawberry that was decorating one of my cocktails! No, seriously...I'd finished the drink and was just about to eat the strawberry when I clocked what shape it was. I showed it to E and we both dissolved into fits of laughter (yes, we're really mature!) before we recovered enough for her to take pictures of it! And to think we've been worried about getting old lately!

Sunday was just a lazy day really. I didn't do much but it was a nice way to round off the weekend. I haven't had any work today and I hate having to get up just in case I get an early morning call but at least I can look back on my weekend and smile lol! :-)

Fabulous finds!

Today has seemed to be all about finding things...well, at least some of it has anyway! Some of the things I was actively looking for, others I didn't even know were there until I saw them. So, here's my list of what I discovered today:

• My phone... I discovered this was missing this morning, and whilst I had a pretty good idea where I might have put it, I still had a frantic few minutes of searching before I found it! It had slipped under my drawers but was almost completely hidden (I could only see the corner sticking out!)
• My shampoo...this had been gone for a couple of weeks, and I didn't have a clue what I'd done with it. I'd even bought some new shampoo and conditioner so I still had two different brands to alternate. Then I pulled out my bed today to check if my phone had fallen down the side and what did I see...yeah, you've guessed it, the missing shampoo! So now I've got even more products to get through lol!
• Some teaching resources...these were other things that I rediscovered as I was looking for my phone. I was moving some boxes back to the foot of my bed after pushing it back in place when I happened to glance down onto one. There right on top were a writing resource book and a 'circle time' pack as well as other resource sheets that could come in handy at work. I hadn't even realised that I didn't know where they were anymore!
• Heads for my electric toothbrush...I nipped into the local town with my Mum and sister as they needed to pick up a couple of things. In the first shop we went into, I was just browsing but not really paying that much attention, when I looked up and saw the exact heads that I needed to buy, in a special offer pack! I didn't even realise the shop sold them, and it was pure coincidence I looked up when I did.
• Cheap make up...this is probably the find I'm most excited about (even though I have loads of make up already!). We were all in a discount clothes shop, and I was in the queue ready to pay (I wasn't buying anything for myself, just paying for something while my mum and sister were browsing elsewhere in the shop) when I noticed the make up section they had. After I paid, I went back to have a proper look and was impressed with what I saw. They had quite a lot of non-brand name make up for about a pound each, but as well, there was also some brand name stuff (Rimmel, Maybelline etc) for not that much more. And the best bit of all was finding Urban Decay lipgloss for 1.50! 1.50! (sorry, my pound sign's not working!) I didn't buy any, but I was definitely tempted and think I'll have to go back soon to stock up!

I love days where you unexpectedly find something good (like a extra banknote in your purse/pocket!)...it almost makes up for all the bad points of being as disorganised as I am lol! So, now I'm interested...Have you found anything unexpectedly lately? Was it something you'd lost or something you just discovered like me with the make up? What's been your best unexpected find?

Beauty bits!

As I'm sitting here, waiting for a phone call that probably won't come (oh, the joys of supply teaching at the start of term!), I thought I'd write a post that's a little bit different. My guilty pleasures are fashion and beauty blogs, and on browsing some of them I noticed they'd done a survey of what products they were using at the moment. I thought it was a really good idea for a blog entry, so without further ado, here's mine:



What I'm using at the moment



Shampoo: Alternating between Dove Colour Repair Therapy and Alberto Balsam Tea Tree Tingle

Conditioner: Dove Colour Repair Therapy and Avon Naturals Soothing Tea Tree and Mint

Styling Products: Umberto Giannini Flirty Curls Scrunching Jelly

Shower Gel: I have loads on the go but the two I probably use most frequently are Palmolive Naturals Ultra Moisturising Shower Milk and Tesco Fresh Lime Body Wash

Body Scrub: Alternate between Pure Indulgence Love Life Love Chocolate body scrub and Naturals body scrub (I don't remember to use them very often though!)

Bath Products: Again, I don't have a bath very often but I'm currently using Whispers Cream Foam Bath when I do

Deodorant: Sure Cotton Fresh Roll On

Body Moisturiser: Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula

Fake Tan: Don't use

Cleanser: Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Foaming Face Wash

Facial Moisturiser: Clean and Clear Dual Action Moisturiser

Facial Exfoliator: Don't use

Hand Cream: Again, another product I don't use nearly as much as I should, but when I do I use either Whispers Hand Lotion or Nivea Hand Nourishing Cream:



Primer: None

Foundation: Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in Cameo

Concealer: Natural Collection Coverup Cream in Light (?) or Medium

Powder: Don't use

Blusher: Natural Collection Cream Blusher (not sure what the shade is called but it's a pinky brown colour lol!)

Bronzer: FCUK Bronzer

Highlighter: Don't use

Eyeshadow Base: None

Eyeshadows: Bobbypin Eyeshadow Collection

Eyeliner: None

Eyelash Curlers: Don't use

Mascara: Benefit Bad Gal

Lipstick: Bourjois Lovely Brille in Rose Balneaire or 17 Shine On Lipstick in Bon Bon

Lipgloss: Bourjois Eau de Gloss in Rose Vitamine

Lip Balm: Dermalogics Lip Care or Vaseline Lip Therapy with SPF 15 (Sun Protection)

Nail Colour: OPI Nail Lacquer in Coral Reef



So this is me! Someone who is extremely loyal to some products (e.g. my scrunching jelly, body moisturiser and foundation) but will experiment with a range of brands when it comes to others e.g shower gel, deodorant and nail colour. I am also someone who buys/receives a lot of products then hardly ever uses them, and I'm on a bit of a mission to change that at the moment! That's why I'm trying to remember to use body scrub and hand cream and to take more baths (I have loads of half empty bottles of bath foam!)



And finally...this post has taken me much longer to write than I thought, so it's now 9:10 and still no call (which I'm actually quite relieved about!). I'll give it till about 9:30, then change into my

Weekend stuff

Yeah, I know it's Tuesday already but yesterday was a bank holiday, so technically this is the first day of the new week lol! It was a pretty chilled weekend as far as they go, but I still managed to have fun!

There's nothing to report from Friday night (I just had a quiet evening in) but on Saturday night, I went over to the house of 2 of my friends who were having a joint birthday party. I ate pizza and cake, drank wine, chatted and watched tv and generally had a great time :-) Also, before I had to go out, I managed to catch a bit of the X Factor on tv...the auditions are always my favourite bit of the whole series and I absolutely loved this group in particular :



I'm not the world's biggest Britney fan, but I love how the girls have arranged this song and completely made it their own. What do you think?

Sunday, I had a pretty lazy day but then had a very short notice phone call at night inviting me to the cinema where I ended up watching "Funny People". This was a bit of a compromise, as my girl friend and I wanted to watch "The Ugly Truth", our male friend wanted to see "Inglourious Basterds" and neither of us wanted to swap! I thought the film was ok, but not at all what I was expecting. I thought it would be a light hearted comedy, and in parts it was, but other bits were much darker. In my opinion, it was also too long...it seemed to drag in parts, without developing the story. If I had to give it a rating, I'd probably say 5 out of 10.

Yesterday, a few friends and I went to the bank holiday funfair at a local park. I went on the waltzers and dodgems and it was fun acting like a complete kid again. We then went for a pub lunch and back to one of their houses (the friends I saw on Saturday) for birthday cake (yum!) and Disney trivial pursuit...which was far too hard...you'd have to be a real Disney buff to stand a chance of winning!

Anyway, it's back to reality now...the primary schools in my area go back on Thursday, and even though there might not be much supply work around at first, I'll still need to be prepared and up early just in case! Well, I suppose the holidays can't last forever lol!