As well as Monday seeing the arrival of the most famous (and eagerly anticipated) baby in the world right now, it also marked my half birthday. Whilst I'm definitely one for celebrating this kind of thing, it did bring home to me the fact that not only did I have just 6 months left as a twentysomething, but also that I now only had half a year to attempt to complete my 30 before 30 list! Shall we say never gonna happen?! Seriously though, whilst some of the goals on my list may be a little out of reach, I'm still going to attempt to achieve as many of them as I can and I can't deny the sense of satisfaction I feel when I make even a little progress. So, with that in mind, here's a little summary of how I'm doing just over halfway in:
6. Complete Couch to 5K - I've made a rather hesitant start on this over the last couple of weeks. I'm currently still on week 1 as I've been finding it a struggle to fit 3 runs in a week, especially as the recent hot weather has made exercising much more of a chore, even in an air conditioned gym! I have got a vague exercise routine worked out now, so I'm hoping that using this as a guide will help me to stay more focussed and committed.
7. Have a ruthless clear out of my wardrobe and drawers - this is still a work in progress. Over the past month I've taken most of my summer clothes out of storage (aka a holdall in my loft!) and put many of my winter clothes back in their place. Whilst doing so, I was also able to sort out a couple of bags of too small summer clothes which I donated to the local charity shop. I also made good use of a day off work on Friday by sorting out the clothes that I had hanging in my hall cupboard and filling 3 more bags with too small/ out of style clothes.
9. Read at least 24 new books (2 per month) - whilst still quite a way behind where I intended to be at this point in the year, I am still keeping up with my reading. Over the past month, I've added "Where Are You Now?" by Mary Higgins Clark to my Read in 2012 list, and I'm currently about a third of my way through "Revenge Wears Prada" by Lauren Weisberger.
13. Go on holiday somewhere new - two weekends ago, I went on a camping trip with some of my closest friends to celebrate one of their birthdays. We stayed near Skipton in North Yorkshire, and whilst I've visited several places in the UK, I'd never stayed in that part of England before so I've decided to class my 2 night trip as a holiday somewhere new!
20. Organise at least 5 social events for me and my friends - I've wanted to see Ghost - The Musical ever since it premièred a couple of years ago. I did actually have tickets for the last time it visited Manchester, but had to forfeit my trip due to coming down with mumps a few days before. When I found out it was coming back, therefore, I knew I had to go no matter what. I rounded up a couple of other girl friends to go with me and the three of us saw it last Friday. And I'm pleased to say it was amazing...definitely well worth the wait!!
21. Watch at least 10 new (to me) films - a couple of weeks ago a few friends and I had a movie night where we watched the fantastically awful Swamp Shark. There's quite a few of us in my social group that love bad creature features so it was a great choice! On the subject of bad films, I've also recently watched Street Fighter...it really hasn't been a vintage month for film watching, has it?! At least it means I've made more progress towards this goal I suppose!
And that's my half time progress report! Not fantastic, but definitely better than nothing :-) And what have you been up to lately? Whether it's big or small, if you want to share your story with me I'd love it!
'Til next time...
Showing posts with label 30 before 30. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 30 before 30. Show all posts
Sunday, 28 July 2013
Sunday, 16 June 2013
30 before 30: An Update
So do you remember my 30 before 30 list that I posted a few months back? Well, whether the answer's yes or no, I thought that now that I've started blogging again, it would be a perfect time to update you a little on my progress. So, just over four and a half months in, here's how I'm doing so far:
7. Have a ruthless clear out of my wardrobes and drawers - I've made a start on this, having cleared out one chest of drawers so far and am going to be doing the rest over the summer, so I can make room for all the piles of clothes I've got mounting up, plus potentially a few new buys too.
9. Read at least 24 new books (2 per month) - whilst this goal may now prove to be overly ambitious, unless I get a major spurt on for the rest of the year, I have read 3 new books since my 29th (Unsuitable Men by Pippa Wright, The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey and Death by Honeymoon by Jaden Skye) and have almost finished The Great Gatsby too. Over the past couple of weeks, I've definitely been getting the urge to read more too, so it'll be interesting to see how close I can get to my original target.
10. Bake at least twice a month - I'm pretty sure I haven't achieved this goal every month, although I haven't really been keeping track as well as I should, but know that I definitely did hit the target in May, as I made Nanaimo bars, chocolate chip cookies and gingerbread over the space of 2 weekends. Hopefully I can stay in the baking habit for the rest of the year now!
11. Try 10 new recipes - I'm on 2 so far; the Nanaimo bars and the chocolate chip cookies I made last month were both things I'd tried for the first time. Look out for the recipes soon!
21. Watch at least 10 new (to me) films (to include at least 1 Tarantino) - I think I'm definitely well on track with this one! :-) At the cinema, I've seen Django Unchained (so I can say I've watched a Tarantino too!), Lincoln, Les Miserables and Iron Man 3 and I know for a fact that there's a few more films that I definitely want to try and catch in the weeks and months ahead too. Add to that the films I've watched on DVD/Netflix (I definitely remember Taken and most of Star Trek), and I think I may even have to set a higher target!
24. Start taking part in quizzes again - I've been part of a quiz team on 2 occasions since I created my list, both times on charity quiz nights with work and I've really enjoyed it. My next step is definitely to find a quiz night that I can start taking part in with (some of) my friends.
And that's pretty much it so far. Well, apart from one other goal which was really my number one priority for the year, and is something that I'm over the moon to have achieved, especially so early on in the year. I am so pleased to say that I've been able to tick the following goal off my list:
7. Have a ruthless clear out of my wardrobes and drawers - I've made a start on this, having cleared out one chest of drawers so far and am going to be doing the rest over the summer, so I can make room for all the piles of clothes I've got mounting up, plus potentially a few new buys too.
9. Read at least 24 new books (2 per month) - whilst this goal may now prove to be overly ambitious, unless I get a major spurt on for the rest of the year, I have read 3 new books since my 29th (Unsuitable Men by Pippa Wright, The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey and Death by Honeymoon by Jaden Skye) and have almost finished The Great Gatsby too. Over the past couple of weeks, I've definitely been getting the urge to read more too, so it'll be interesting to see how close I can get to my original target.
10. Bake at least twice a month - I'm pretty sure I haven't achieved this goal every month, although I haven't really been keeping track as well as I should, but know that I definitely did hit the target in May, as I made Nanaimo bars, chocolate chip cookies and gingerbread over the space of 2 weekends. Hopefully I can stay in the baking habit for the rest of the year now!
11. Try 10 new recipes - I'm on 2 so far; the Nanaimo bars and the chocolate chip cookies I made last month were both things I'd tried for the first time. Look out for the recipes soon!
21. Watch at least 10 new (to me) films (to include at least 1 Tarantino) - I think I'm definitely well on track with this one! :-) At the cinema, I've seen Django Unchained (so I can say I've watched a Tarantino too!), Lincoln, Les Miserables and Iron Man 3 and I know for a fact that there's a few more films that I definitely want to try and catch in the weeks and months ahead too. Add to that the films I've watched on DVD/Netflix (I definitely remember Taken and most of Star Trek), and I think I may even have to set a higher target!
24. Start taking part in quizzes again - I've been part of a quiz team on 2 occasions since I created my list, both times on charity quiz nights with work and I've really enjoyed it. My next step is definitely to find a quiz night that I can start taking part in with (some of) my friends.
And that's pretty much it so far. Well, apart from one other goal which was really my number one priority for the year, and is something that I'm over the moon to have achieved, especially so early on in the year. I am so pleased to say that I've been able to tick the following goal off my list:
1. Get a new job!! - I am so happy about the fact I've achieved this, I really can't quite put it into words! Whilst I'm still in my old job at the moment, come September I'll be taking up my new post as graduate library assistant at one of Manchester's universities. Taking the leap to work in libraries is something that I have been considering for years, off and on, and I am thrilled that I'll finally have the opportunity to make my dream a reality. Whilst I'll only be employed on a year's fixed term contract, the job offer was too good a prospect to dismiss and I'm so looking forward to what the new chapter (sorry - but that pun was totally intended! ;-) ) of my working life may hold.
Sorry, but I couldn't resist saving the best for last! And now that really is all for now, but I'd be thrilled to hear from any of you, as always. Anything big happening in your life at the mo? Any goals that you've recently made/met, be they big or small? If so, just let me know!
'Til next time...
Monday, 4 February 2013
Baking with Julie: Rocky Road
One of the goals that I've set myself in my 30 before 30 is to bake at least twice a month, and this past Saturday gave me the opportunity to do just that. Not only had my family and I finally eaten our way through the numerous birthday cakes that were ever present during the second half of January (my dad, brother, youngest sister and I all celebrate our birthdays in the space of just one week!), but Saturday also brought with it the last night of the pantomime I was performing in, and last nights = after show parties! I knew it'd be a busy day, so decided to opt for something that required minimal time and effort and that was also a tried and tested favourite with friends and family alike: Rocky Road.
I know I wrote a post featuring a variation of the recipe back in 2010, but to be honest, I much prefer the classic version so feel it now deserves its turn in the spotlight. This particular recipe can be found here, and I follow it with just a few minor variations; replacing half of the plain chocolate with milk chocolate, using a couple of chopped up Mars bars (or own brand equivalents) instead of the chocolate chips and substituting digestive biscuits for the ginger biscuits that are suggested. Oh, and I pretty much doubled the recipe (except for the marshmallows where I used 1.5 times the suggested quantity), so the quantities given below are those that I actually used. It made nearly two full Swiss roll tins (around 44 good size pieces), but obviously you can cut bigger or smaller servings according to your own preference.
I know I wrote a post featuring a variation of the recipe back in 2010, but to be honest, I much prefer the classic version so feel it now deserves its turn in the spotlight. This particular recipe can be found here, and I follow it with just a few minor variations; replacing half of the plain chocolate with milk chocolate, using a couple of chopped up Mars bars (or own brand equivalents) instead of the chocolate chips and substituting digestive biscuits for the ginger biscuits that are suggested. Oh, and I pretty much doubled the recipe (except for the marshmallows where I used 1.5 times the suggested quantity), so the quantities given below are those that I actually used. It made nearly two full Swiss roll tins (around 44 good size pieces), but obviously you can cut bigger or smaller servings according to your own preference.
Rocky Road
Ingredients
- 200 g (7 oz) unsalted butter/margarine
- 200 g (7 oz) plain chocolate, broken into pieces
- 200 g (7 oz) milk chocolate, broken into pieces
- 4 tbsp golden syrup
- 200 g (7 oz) Maltesers
- 2 Mars bars, chopped
- 150 g (5 oz) mini marshmallows
- 400 g (14 oz) digestive biscuits, broken into pieces
Method
- Grease and line two Swiss roll tins with baking parchment.
- In a small pan, heat the butter/margarine, chocolate and golden syrup and stir together with a wooden spoon. Once melted together, leave to cool for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, place the Maltesers, Mars bars, mini marshmallows and digestive biscuits and bind together with the melted chocolate sauce.
- Pour into the lined tins and leave to set in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours.
- Remove from the tins and slice into pieces.
- Dust the rocky road with icing sugar to serve (if desired).
And there you have it! Apologies for the lack of photos, I keep forgetting that I now have a phone with a half decent camera lol! But I guess everyone knows what rocky road looks like eh!
And now it's over to you. If you've enjoyed this post or have any comments or any recipes of your own to share, please do! You know I always love to hear from you.
'Til next time...
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
My 30 before 30
For me, yesterday was a very special day...it was my 29th Birthday! Even though I must admit to feeling daunted by the fact that I've reached the last year of my twenties and am now less than a year away from the big 3-0, there was still a certain magic as I spent the day with my family and some of my closest friends and felt almost overwhelmed by all the wonderful cards, presents and birthday messages that I received. I am certainly a very lucky lady! And maybe everyone feels the same way about their birthday, but I also think I'm especially lucky to have mine in January. "Why?", you may ask. Well, for one, it adds a little extra sparkle to what can often be a cold, dark and depressing month and gives me something not too distant to look forward to once the Christmas and New Year festivities are over. Secondly, and this is something that has seemed to become more and more relevant the older I get, it gives me a chance to reaffirm and reevaluate my new year's goals and resolutions as I start a new year of my own. So, with this in mind, I've taken the opportunity to come up with possibly my most ambitious goals list to date: 30 before 30. As with all my previous lists, there's a mix of items on there. Some fun, others more serious. Some will hopefully be things I can tick off rather quickly, whereas I know that others could take all year and may not even be completed at all. But I do know that I'll give everything my best shot and am looking forward to attempting every one of my 30! So without further ado, here's my list:
My 30 before 30
- Get a new job
- Create a monthly budget and stick to it
- Save at least a fifth of my monthly salary
- Lose at least 2 stones (28 lbs)
- Exercise for at least 30 minutes, 3 times a week
- Complete Couch to 5 K
- Have a ruthless clear out of my wardrobes and drawers
- Declutter my bedroom and keep it tidy
- Read at least 24 new books (2 per month)
- Bake at least twice a month
- Try 10 new recipes
- Learn a new skill and/or develop an existing one
- Go on holiday somewhere new
- Exfoliate weekly
- Give myself a DIY pedicure every week
- Grow my nails
- Moisturise my problem areas (elbows, feet and knees) every day
- Find a facial skincare routine that works for me and stick to it
- Find and purchase the perfect pair of skinny jeans
- Organise at least 5 social events for me and my friends
- Watch at least 10 new (to me) films (to include at least 1 Tarantino...I don't think I've ever actually seen any of his films, to the shock of some of my friends!)
- Be a better blogger (specifically blog at least 3 times a week, comment/reply to comments more often and try to become more active in the blogosphere by participating in blogger link ups, tags etc)
- Take and share more photos
- Start taking part in quizzes again
- Go for afternoon tea
- Watch an open air film/concert (or both)
- Be a better friend
- Be a better family member (sister/daughter/niece)
- Declutter my email inboxes, unsubscribe from any spam and maybe even deactivate old accounts.
- Do more and talk, procrastinate and worry about things less!!
So there we have it! And now it's over to you! Do you make birthday goals lists, and if so, do they work for you? Are you still a big kid when it comes to birthdays or have they lost their magic over time? If there's anything at all you want to say, feel free!
'Til next time...
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