My 30 before 30: July Update

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...

This is Summer

Blue skies, warm  hot sunshine and refreshing summer breezes. Loving the beautiful warm mornings; loathing the sultry, sticky nights. The smell of suncream and the cooling relief of aftersun. Getting tan lines, no matter how hard you try to avoid them. Beautifully bronzed shoulders and arms; legs that remain resolutely milk bottle white regardless of how much time you spend in the sun. Eating al fresco at every opportunity. Developing cravings for salad and fresh fruit but also devouring barbecued food and ice cream. Enjoying ice cold soft drinks and delicious rosé spritzers, preferably whilst soaking up the sun. Sitting outside, reading outside, making lists and plans outside, taking long walks...basically finding any excuse to get some vitamin D and loving every minute of it! Maxi dresses and mini dresses; shorts and sleeveless tops. And sandals and sunglasses, always sandals and sunglasses. Painting my toenails and wishing that my fingernails were long enough to do the same to. Buying brighter make up and plucking up the courage to try it out. Wishing that every summer day could be as glorious as the ones we're currently having. Making summer plans and living for the evenings and weekends when I can put them into action. Relishing every moment of this summer, and hoping that it doesn't come to an end any time soon.

This is my summer, what's yours?

'Til next time...
Jules

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:

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...

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

1. Get a new job
2. Create a monthly budget and stick to it
3. Save at least a fifth of my monthly salary
4. Lose at least 2 stones (28 lbs)
5. Exercise for at least 30 minutes, 3 times a week
6. Complete Couch to 5 K
7. Have a ruthless clear out of my wardrobes and drawers
8. Declutter my bedroom and keep it tidy
9. Read at least 24 new books (2 per month)
10. Bake at least twice a month
11. Try 10 new recipes
12. Learn a new skill and/or develop an existing one
13. Go on holiday somewhere new
14. Exfoliate weekly
15. Give myself a DIY pedicure every week
16. Grow my nails
17. Moisturise my problem areas (elbows, feet and knees) every day
18. Find a facial skincare routine that works for me and stick to it
19. Find and purchase the perfect pair of skinny jeans
20. Organise at least 5 social events for me and my friends
21. 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!)
22. 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)
23. Take and share more photos
24. Start taking part in quizzes again
25. Go for afternoon tea
26. Watch an open air film/concert (or both)
27. Be a better friend
28. Be a better family member (sister/daughter/niece)
29. Declutter my email inboxes, unsubscribe from any spam and maybe even deactivate old accounts.
30. 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...

Summer To Do List: The Update

Hello! Well, it's September and even though I'm no longer working in the education sector and haven't  been a student for over 5 years now, the month still feels like the herald of a new year to me. It's a time for making plans and setting goals; for reviewing the past as well as dreaming about the future and planning for it. So with this in mind, what better to do than to review my Summer To Do list that I set out in this post. I thought the easiest way to do this would simply be to replicate the list in full and then add my annotations alongside (bold will indicate anything I've definitely done/not done and italics refer to any works in progress).

Summer To Do List

• Declutter my room (including my wardrobe) and donate as many unwanted items as I can to the charity shop (Work in progress: I've filled some bags but these haven't yet left the house! I also know that there's a lot more tidying still to be done)
• Go on a shopping trip to fill in any gaps in my wardrobe (and maybe treat myself too!) (Done on numerous occasions...however as I've not fully decluttered yet, I'm aware that there still might be more gaps to fill.)
• Spend some time thinking about what my dream job would be (in terms of the skills I'd . use/ my motivation for working) and searching for job opportunities that match well with this (Work in progress: I've got a vague idea of what I'd like to be doing and sometimes look at opportunities which meet my criteria but I want/need this to be much more systematic).
• Declutter my email inboxes: delete all non-vital emails and unsubscribe from all my spam (Work in progress: Another one I've started, but something that will take a lot of work to get on top of. One of my email accounts in particular is so cluttered that I can foresee it taking a whole day...one for a rainy day methinks!)
• Get to know my city a little better by visiting new places and/or revisiting old ones with a fresh eye (Not yet, am going to try and dedicate some time to this during my next 4 day weekend which is approximately 2 months away)
• Spend some quality time with my family: maybe museum trips with Amy, bowling with all my siblings, DVD nights with my mum and sisters etc (Work in progress: During my summer holiday I went to the cinema and baked with Amy and watched Bridesmaids with my mum, Amy and K (my other sister), but didn't really do as much as I would have liked to have done. I'm making an effort to keep spending more time with everyone and am sure that I'll keep everything updated on here too!!)
• Be a better blogger: read and comment more on the blogs in my reader and post on a more regular basis (Work in progress: I'm decidedly patchy with this at best, but am sure that as I meet more of my goals, I will have more to write about and so will visit Blogger much more frequently. Also on days where I don't have time/inspiration to write, I am making more of an effort to check in with the blogs I follow.)
• Buy a Kindle (Purchased 07/07/2012)
• Read more frequently (either real or e-books) (Work in progress: Whilst I was off I demolished the first 2 books in a certain trilogy, but since going back to work the rate at which I'm getting through books has slowed dramatically and far too often I'm falling back into my old habits of only reading on the commute to/from work.)
• Get back into the baking habit by baking at least once a fortnight  (Fail so far: I did bake whilst I was off on my summer break (rocky road and gingerbread if you're interested!) but nothing since. With the start of autumn however, I'll definitely be looking for seasonal inspiration, so foresee quite a bit of baking ahead!)
• Be more active (Exercise for at least 30 minutes 5 times a week) (Work in progress: I've finally joined the gym and am currently attending 2-3 times a week, but I've not really been that active on days that I don't go.)
• Join the gym (Done: See above!)
• Snack more healthily (Eat chocolate and crisps 2/3 times a week only, and cut down on the amount of biscuits I eat as well as eating more fruit, nuts, cereal etc) and drink more water (Fail: For someone like myself who is an emotional eater and also uses food as a reward, this is something that I really struggle with so will definitely be one of my priorities over the coming months.)
• Stop putting off my dental and doctor's check ups and book the appointments!! (Both booked 09/07/2012)
• Stop biting my nails (Fail: Another annoying habit that is proving really hard to break lol!)
• Book in at the hairdressers (Done: I actually did this during my summer break so will have to arrange another appointment very soon.)
• Give myself a DIY pedicure (Fail: Hopefully I will find time to do this during the longer autumn nights that are quickly creeping up.)
• Exfoliate at least once a week (So far, my efforts at exfoliation have been few and far between but am sure that this will be quite an easy addition to my weekly routine.)
• Drink a Starbucks frappuccino (Done, and more than once I think!)
• Go for drinks in a beer garden/outside at a friend's (Despite the generally disappointing weather, this has been something I've managed at least once this summer.
• Recreate my own version of last years Ben and Jerry's festival with friends (Nope: Team the aforementioned atrocious weather with a large group of friends all with different plans and priorities, and it makes it very difficult to organise any outdoor activities. Maybe I'll just wait to see if the real thing comes around again next year.)

So there we have it, and to be honest, I'm quite happy with the progress I've made. I know that in my original post I did say that I wanted everything to be at least a work in progress by the start of September, but of those goals which I haven't yet started working towards, there are only perhaps one or two that I doubt my ability to be able to make any real headway with in the near future. And similarly, with those which are already in progress, I believe that I can also see these through to completion in the next few months.

So where does that leave me for now? Well, as I said at the start of my post, for me September has always been a time for making a new start; for looking back at the past, learning from it and moving on into the future. And so that means another to do list. Some items from last time will remain, whilst new ones will be added and completed ones removed, but the aim will remain the same: to make changes that will ultimately make me a happier and more fulfilled individual. And what could be better than that?

So how about you? Are you a list maker? Do you find them useful or ultimately just a paper exercise with little meaning? Tell me all, you know I always love to hear what you have to say!

'Til next time...

My Summer To Do List

Gone are the days when I used to have a summer break that lasted well over a month; as I'm not working in the education sector at the moment this is a privilege that I'm not currently entitled to. That doesn't mean I don't get holidays of course, just that I get fewer of them so that they seem extra precious when they do roll around. Luckily I'm currently at the start of a 2 week break from work and whilst I'm so looking forward to what it will bring, I'm also extra determined that I'm not going to let a single moment go to waste. With that in mind, I've created a summer to-do list full of all the things I want to achieve over the next couple of months. Some of the things will be more fun than others, but I feel that all of them will have a positive impact on me; mind, body or soul. There's no way I can get them all done in the space of a fortnight (when you see my list you'll understand!), but I can definitely give myself a head start before returning to work on 24th July   :-)

So without further ado, here's my list (starting from 01/07/12 with all items to be at least started by 01/09/12):

Summer To Do List

• Declutter my room (including my wardrobe) and donate as many unwanted items as I can to the charity shop
• Go on a shopping trip to fill in any gaps in my wardrobe (and maybe treat myself too!)
• Spend some time thinking about what my dream job would be (in terms of the skills I'd use/ my motivation for working) and searching for job opportunities that match well with this
• Declutter my email inboxes: delete all non-vital emails and unsubscribe from all my spam
• Get to know my city a little better by visiting new places and/or revisiting old ones with a fresh eye
• Spend some quality time with my family: maybe museum trips with Amy, bowling with all my siblings, DVD nights with my mum and sisters etc
• Be a better blogger: read and comment more on the blogs in my reader and post on a more regular basis
• Buy a Kindle (Purchased 07/07/2012)
• Read more frequently (either real or e-books)
• Get back into the baking habit by baking at least once a fortnight
• Be more active (Exercise for at least 30 minutes 5 times a week)
• Join the gym
• Snack more healthily (Eat chocolate and crisps 2/3 times a week only, and cut down on the amount of biscuits I eat as well as eating more fruit, nuts, cereal etc) and drink more water
• Stop putting off my dental and doctor's check ups and book the appointments!! (Both booked 09/07/2012)
• Stop biting my nails
• Book in at the hairdressers
• Give myself a DIY pedicure
• Exfoliate at least once a week
• Drink a Starbucks frappuccino
• Go for drinks in a beer garden/outside at a friend's
• Recreate my own version of last years Ben and Jerry's festival with friends

See what I mean when I said I wouldn't be able to get all this done in 2 weeks?! I'm really looking forward to making a good start though! And now I'm interested to know about your plans and goals for the summer. Have you made a to-do list? Have you got lots of goals that you want to accomplish or are you just planning on taking it easy? Let me know, you know I'd love to hear from you!

'Til next time...

Catching Up

And so there goes another month, seemingly in the blink of an eye. It's been another month of ups and downs for me; if you'd asked me around 10 days ago, I would have said that there had been more lows than highs, but I'm happy to say that, of late, things seem to have evened out a bit more :-)  How about having a look for yourself, as I present my month in a nutshell :

Highs

• Beautiful babies: On Easter Sunday, my friends L and G became parents for the first time and I was lucky enough to be able to visit them and their darling daughter a couple of weeks ago! Baby W is absolutely adorable and I can't wait for all the fun I'll have sharing in her first years of life :-)
• Being a winner: About 10 days ago, I was feeling really down. The weather was awful, I was off work but had nothing to do and I was feeling really isolated from all my friends. In an effort to pass some time, I decided to catch up on some of my favourite blogs and discovered that I had won a giveaway that the amazing Krysten of Why Girls Are Weird was hosting! I was so pleased that I immediately fired off a very excitable email to her in response and am now eagerly awaiting the arrival of my very own bohemian feather necklace from the very talented (and sweet) Hillery over at Clever Plumage. Look out for a reveal/review in the next couple of weeks! :-)
• Getting good news from work: Any regular readers of my blog might know that I'm not always the biggest fan of my job and that difficult customers and the sometimes monotonous nature of my work can sometimes get me down. However, over the last week or so, my experience has been something rather different. I had a really thought provoking meeting with my manager in which I received a lot of positive feedback, and also discovered that I'd qualified for our performance related bonus in the last quarter. As someone who often feels that I struggle in my current role, this was absolutely massive for me and gave me the confidence that I can achieve highly whilst I'm there. In addition, the meeting has also encouraged me to think about how I can make the most of my current skills and past experiences both in this job, and also when making my next career move. I'm inspired! :-)
• A special Saturday night out: Last Saturday evening I was transported back to late 19th Century Paris as three friends and I watched Phantom of the Opera at the beautiful Palace Theatre in Manchester. I don't know if it was the fabulous seats we had (literally only 4 rows from the stage!), the amazing performances or the incredible set and costume design, but I truly felt like I was sharing in the character's lives and experiences, rather than just watching a show. Definitely a must see!!
• 4 well needed days off: Having worked for the last few Saturdays in a row, I recently enjoyed a very much needed 4 day break. I finished work on Friday 4th and didn't have to be back in until Wednesday 9th! It was heaven, and I loved every second of it, especially catching up with some very dear friends over a DVD and Scene It on Sunday afternoon! :-)
• Easter: Extra time off work, lots of chocolate, an excuse to wear a pretty dress...these were just a few of the things I loved about Easter this year :-)

Lows

• My grandad's health: April as a month was one that was punctuated with hospital visits and worries about my Grandad. Although he's now 92, he has remained very mentally active and although much slower at walking than he used to be, he can generally get around with only a little help. However about 6 weeks ago, he had a series of falls over the space of 2 days and was admitted to hospital. The time he spent there was one of small steps forward and big leaps back. He would start having physio and seem to be making progress, but then it would be weekend or he'd pick up a bug, and by the time the physiotherapists were available again, it'd be back to square one :-(  About 10 days ago, he was finally moved to a local nursing home for some rehabilitation, and whilst he's much happier there (the hospital ward wasn't exactly the most cheery and social of places), he's still a long way from being his old self. Fingers crossed for some progress soon.
• Feeling isolated and lonely: Recently, I've had periods of feeling really lonely and isolated from many of my friends. As we're all getting older, more and more people I know have started to settle down and have children. Even one of my best friends who has been (mainly) single since who knows when is now all loved up with her new boyfriend. And whilst I'm happy for them, I've really begun to realise just how lonely I am. Gone are the impromptu nights out in town (granted they did stop a while back!) or even the girlie DVD nights, and in their place is Saturday night TV with the family and maybe the odd drink. Not that that's bad, it's just different and I'm not one that's great at dealing with change :-(
• More changes at work: As of Monday, I'll be on a new team at work as my current team manager is taking on a new role. Granted the rest of my team are moving with me, but I'll still have to settle into  a different team with colleagues I don't know well and a new manager whose leadership style I'll have to adapt to. Plus for some reason neither me nor my old manager can fathom, my change in teams has also completely screwed up my shift patterns. Since I started my job in September last year, my designated weekend day in work has always been a Saturday. Always. Meaning that if I have events on a Sunday, I've always been able to attend without booking a day's holiday. And I bet you know what's coming...my designated weekend day has somehow switched to Sunday. Which means that as things stand I won't be able to attend my friend's wedding, as it's on a Sunday and there are no holiday hours available. Fingers crossed that things get switched back as I've been promised, otherwise there'll be war!!
• Decidedly un-springlike weather: I seriously don't know what's up with this country. At the end of March the weather was absolutely glorious with clear blue skies and temperatures that rivalled any we'd expect to see in June. Since then, it's been simply shocking. We've had the coldest and wettest April since goodness knows when, and so far May isn't shaping up to be much better. Come back March, we miss you!

So there it is, and I hope you've enjoyed catching up with me as much as I've enjoyed catching up with all my favourite bloggers lately! How have the last few weeks been for you? Let me know, as always I'd love  to hear from you!

'Til next time...

What I've been loving this past month

A quick look at my blog tells me it's been exactly a month since my last post. And whilst part of me is kicking myself for not keeping my promises and posting sooner and with more regularity, there's another side which thinks it's especially fitting that I'm blogging today instead, especially as my post is concerned with all the things I've been loving over the last month or so. And here they are...

• Spring flowers...yes, I know it's a blogger cliché (well that's how it appears to me, at least) but I just love the beautiful blooms that are such a special feature of this time of year. From cherry and apple blossom to magnolias and daffodils...be still my beating heart!
• Beautiful spring weather...let's just ignore the fact that the past week has been mostly cold, grey and gloomy, shall we?! Seriously, the end of March in particular was glorious, with unbroken sunshine and temperatures that made it feel more like June. It really got me in a summery mood and made me think of holidays, fun and making plans for the months ahead.
• Soap and Glory "Clean on Me" and Herbal Essences "Tousle me Softly" shampoo and conditioner...three of my favourite products over the last few weeks, reviews will be coming soon!!
• Meeting new people and getting to know others better...whether it's an online acquaintance who I've finally got the opportunity to meet face to face, work colleagues who are becoming more and more like friends every day or saying hello to a friend's beautiful baby daughter for the first time, I've felt privileged to get to know every one :-)
• Lighter evenings and longer days...add the fact that we're getting ever closer to the longest day to the clocks moving forward to signal the start of British Summer Time, and what do you get? Days where it's light well before you reach work and night that doesn't fall until around 8 pm. Catching some daylight while you can is the best cure for the workday blues in my opinion, and I love the fact that I'll be able to get just that little bit more every day :-)
• Wearing dresses...whilst dresses have become a bigger and bigger part of my wardrobe over the past couple of years, it seems that my love of them has reached new heights this spring. They've formed an extensive part of my working wardrobe in recent weeks and every now and then, I find myself mentally adding new dresses to my spring/summer wishlist. Well a girl can dream...! :-)

So those are my loves of the last few weeks, but what about you? What have you been enjoying over the last month? Let me know, I'd love to hear from you! :-)

'Til next time...

My Christmas To-Do List

Today is November 30th. And that, my friends, means 2 things. Firstly, it's December tomorrow! Can you believe it? I certainly can't; this year has gone by faster than any I've ever known. And secondly, Christmas is only 25 days away!! I'm so excited...even if I am working up to Christmas Eve :-( However, that doesn't mean I'm going to miss out on any of the Christmas spirit. I've already bought most of my Christmas presents, sampled the festive offerings at Starbucks and visited Manchester's Christmas Markets and I've got much more planned besides. And inspired by Amy over at Just a Titch who posted her Holiday To-Do List a couple of weeks back and Elizabeth at E Tells Tales who wrote about her Christmas traditions in her most recent post, I've decided to create my own Christmas To-Do List. And here it is:

• Help decorate my house this weekend...we always do this on the first full weekend in December, it's tradition!
• Enjoy more festive food and drink at Starbucks...I'm especially excited by their "12 days of gifting" promotion :-)
• Make more solo and group trips to the Manchester Christmas Markets and indulge in hot chocolate with whipped cream, delicious freshly made Belgian waffles and maybe even a cheeky mulled wine ;-)
• Bake Christmas goodies...I'll be breaking out my old favourites like gingerbread and chocolate Christmas pudding truffles,as well as trying some new recipes too...so watch this space!
• Wrapping all of my Christmas presents and writing some Christmas cards, preferably with a soundtrack of Christmas favourites or with a Christmas film playing in the background.
• And on the topic of Christmas films, I'll definitely be watching the following this festive season: Elf, Love Actually and The Holiday. I'll also make sure I slip in a little Kiss Kiss Bang Bang...my favourite non-traditional Christmas film bar none :-)
• Attending the candlelight carol service at my family church
• Hopefully spending Christmas Eve with my closest friends, chatting, maybe listening to Christmas tunes and sharing in the Christmas spirit

And there we have it! So all that remains is for me to ask you, what are your Christmas traditions? Have you made a to-do list? Let me know...it'd be great to hear from you!

'Til next time,

Julie

10 Things...my new job has taught me.

I'm back! Even if it has taken me 6 weeks longer than I promised (but I'm going to choose to ignore that!). Seriously, this new job has taken over my life in a way that I really hadn't considered before I started it; I've even had dreams about it for goodness' sake!! But in the midst of all this craziness, I've been learning. Not just about the policies, systems and procedures that come as part and parcel of my role, but also about what working full time is really like (I've not done it for ages, don't judge!) and even more about myself as an individual. And as a little gentle intro into blogging again, I'd thought I'd share a few of these discoveries with you. Some are serious, others a little more tongue in cheek, but valid all the same.

1. It seems that whatever job I take on, I will always be a worrier. I'm always going to get stressed and think that I'm terrible at what I'm doing. I have my fingers crossed that this will subside with time, and take at least a little comfort from the fact that the customers I'm dealing with can't see me panicking!
2. It is possible to be completely exhausted by doing seemingly no more than sitting staring at a screen all day. And in the same vein, it is not beyond the realms of possibility to be falling asleep before 9:00 PM.
3. A full time job can render a person seemingly incapable of blogging and checking emails for a very long time. Well, in my case anyway!
4. Payday is the best day of the month, bar none. And if it should happen to fall on your last day of work before some time off, then all the better!!
5. Never have your lunch outside on a beautifully warm and sunny day; you won't want to go back inside to work. Ever.
6. The days you get off work are so much more precious when you don't have that many off them.
7. The people who work in call centres are so much more diverse than I ever would have thought. From teenagers fresh out of college to middle aged men and women seeking a career change plus young graduates in the fields of architecture, American studies and law, to name just 3. A random mix of people, with one thing in common.
8. My wardrobe is even larger than I would have given it credit for. Over the last (almost) 7 weeks, I have been able to wear something different practically every day. Despite this, however, shopping is definitely still the first thing on my mind come payday.
9. And whilst we're on the subject of clothes; picking an outfit for a "normal" work day: generally pretty straightforward. Selecting something to wear for "dress down" day: so much harder!!
10. The job of the communications manager seems to be nothing more than sitting around and sending emails. This may or may not be one of the reasons why I want her post for myself!!  ;-)

And there it is. Keep your eyes peeled for another blog post soon (ish!) It may be 2 days, it could be 2 months (but hopefully not the latter!!)

'Til next time...