From dreams to reality...

In my most vivid dream last night I was pregnant. And I was absolutely overjoyed. There was a constant stream of happiness bubbling up inside me which threatened to spill out if someone so much as congratulated me on my fantastic news. Hell, I didn't even care when I felt nauseous, so ecstatic was I about the new life growing inside of me. And then I woke up...no baby, no happiness or excitement. Instead I felt bereft, empty. Despite the fact that I'm not actually in any position to have children at this point in my life and I enjoy the sense of freedom and lack of responsibility that being single with no dependants gives me, there it was. A feeling of loneliness and emptiness that, truth be told, is to a certain degree still lingering over 12 hours on.


But this post isn't really about my dream, it's more about my reality...my life today. You see, as someone who is quite into dream meanings and interpretations, one of my first instincts was to try to decipher what my pregnancy dream meant; how it translated into my real life. Now, the night before I had read the happy news that one of my Facebook friends was expecting and I had spent some time looking at some photos of my friend's gorgeous boys, so there's no doubt that these events may have had an influence on the content of my dream. However, I've done these things before and have never dreamed so vividly about pregnancy. I also see news of friends getting engaged and/or married on a regular basis these days and I could probably count on one hand the number of wedding dreams I've had. To put it simply, I was convinced there was some deeper meaning so off I set to look it up. And this is what I found:

To dream that you are pregnant, symbolizes an aspect of yourself or some aspect of your personal life that is growing and developing. You may not be ready to talk about it or act on it. Being pregnant in your dream may also represent the birth of a new idea, direction, project or goal. 

Thanks Dream Moods Dictionary!!

It's safe to say that this interpretation definitely resonates with me. My life seems like it's at a crossroads right now and I may well head in a direction that I never would have expected. I've been actively searching for a new job and have come to the conclusion that it may not be in education. And most of the time, I'm ok with that. In fact, there are times when I'm more than ok, as I relish the prospect of new challenges and the opportunity to explore skills and interests that have been put aside in my current job. There are also a number of projects that I'm making a start on. Yesterday and today, I made the first steps in decluttering, organising and tidying my room and I intend for this to be a major and long lasting change. I've updated the photos on my online dating profile and as soon I get time in between working, tidying and job hunting, I'll hopefully start dating again. And after a pair of jeans failed to fit me the other night, it's also my goal to eat more healthily and do more exercise!!

So even though my dream left me feeling sad, I'm aiming to take only positive things from it. I may not be pregnant yet, but I don't want to be right now. There's time enough for that ahead. Instead, I'll think about the new opportunities that are presenting themselves to me and the positive changes I'm making. For now, the growing and developing is about me and my babies are the projects, goals and ideas I'm making happen!! :-)

'Til next time...xx

Now you know my ABCs, won't you play along with me??

 Sorry, I know I've been a terrible blogger over the past couple of weeks! Blame my exuberance at being allowed out into the outside world again (no more mumps, hooray!!) coupled with a new found addiction to the CSI Crime City game on Facebook and the time I've spent on the dreaded job applications. Anyway, now I've got my excuses explanation out of the way, I'll get on to the main reason I'm blogging today...the ABCs of me. I've wanted to take part in this meme ever since I first laid eyes on it, and being at a loss with what to blog about today, it seemed like the ideal opportunity to get it done! Here we go...:


Age: 27

Bed Size: Single

Chore You Dislike: Putting away clothes. Not when they're freshly washed and ironed, but if I've been wearing them for a short time, and they're still clean. I just let them pile up until the pile looks like it's about to fall at any time! I also disliked cleaning the oven when I lived away from home.

Dogs: I used to have a border terrier called Tess, but I'm currently dog free. While I loved Tess dearly, I've grown up with cats and think I'm more of a cat person than a dog one.

Essential Start to the Day: A cup of tea and something to eat...I can't go out on an empty stomach!

Favourite Color: Coral in the summer; red in the winter.

Gold or Silver: It completely depends on the outfit. If you'd asked me 10 or even 5 years ago, I would have definitely said silver, but now I'm much more open to gold. Plus, I mix and match them on pretty much a daily basis anyway, as the ring I always wear (my parents bought it me for my 21st) has a gold band and the dial on my watch has a silver toned casing!

Height: 5'5.5/5'6 - I'm average height and I love it! I can wear heels without feeling too tall and find it easy to buy clothes that fit me (lengthwise anyway!)

Instruments: I played recorder whilst I was at primary school and I could also play a few simple tunes on the keyboard. My dream instruments to play would be the drums, saxophone and maybe the piano.

Job Title: Supply Teacher/Nursery Support Worker

Kids: None of my own, but I do work with roughly 15 3-5 year olds five days a week! Those coupled with my friend "The Maternal One's" 2 little boys aged 2 and 6 months are the nearest I've got to having children so far, and to be honest, that suits me fine, for the moment at least. I'm far too selfish right now, that's definite, but I'd love them in the future.

Live: Manchester, England

Mum's Name: Barbara


Nicknames: My friends often call me Jules or Ju, with the odd surname thrown in. My sister Amy also occasionally calls me Julio, which I hate!!

Overnight Hospital Stays: Just the one...1987, when I had my tonsils and adenoids removed, and grommets put in my ears.

Pet Peeves: Incorrect grammar and punctuation, particularly misplaced apostrophes. I once nearly chased a bus down the street so I could cross out some offending apostrophes which were featured on a poster on the bus's side! Fortunately for me, my friend was with me so I saw sense and resisted. :-)


Quote from a Movie: I'm terrible at this! I love so many different films, and I'm struggling to come up with a quote from any of them. This one will have to do:
"It's a matter of professional integrity. No girl wants to marry a doctor who can't tell if a man's dead or not!" (Bonus points if you can tell me the film!)

Righty or Lefty: Righty.

Siblings: I'm the oldest of 4 children and have a 25 year old brother, and 2 sisters who are 17 and 16. We're all still living at home...my poor mum and dad lol!


Time you wake up: If I'm working, any time between 6:45 and 7:30. At weekends, it's normally after 8:30, usually between 9 and 10.


University: Manchester University, for both my undergraduate degree and postgrad. I enjoyed my uni experience, but sometimes wish I'd made more of the student lifestyle!


Vegetables you don't like: Are gherkins a vegetable? If so, then those! And broad beans...I'm not a fan.

What makes you run late: Underestimating how long it takes me to get ready, messing around, public transport, having to wait around for other people...it can be any combination of things!!

X-Rays You've Had: Dental x-rays, one on my knee when I cut it badly at the age of 11 (clearly they don't pick up wood as I had a woodchip embedded in it for months after my original x ray!)...I think that's all.

Yummy Food You Make: Mainly sweet treats...flapjacks, rocky road, parkin, lemon loaf cake...the list could go on! I'd really like to branch out though, and add more savouries to this list.


Zoo Animal Favorite: Elephants, orang utans, giraffes, lions and fish/sea mammals in general. They're all wonderful in different ways.


And they're my ABCs. Now it's over to you! I'd love to see your ABC lists and find out a little bit more about you!  So don't be shy, come on over and feel free to share!!


Till next time...

Thursday Thoughts...

otherwise known as the post where I don't know what to write, so I just have a bit of a ramble! We all write those kinds of posts from time to time, right?? Well, I hope so! :-) And before I ramble any more than is truly necessary, here's a list of my thoughts from today:

• I'm so looking forward to coming out of 'quarantine' tomorrow. It'll have been 10 days since my symptoms became fully apparent and I was diagnosed with suspected mumps, and according to the information I've read, that means I'm no longer contagious!! I've been pain free for a few days, my face is pretty much back to normal and I'm raring to go :-). My plans so far include a driving lesson and a drama group rehearsal, and I may even pop into town for a Starbucks (I've not had one for ages!) and some window shopping.
• Another thing I'm looking forward to doing again is baking. I've not rustled anything up for a while now, firstly because I was busy with work, and then because I was scared of infecting the food with my mumps germs but now I'm raring to go again and already thinking about what I can make. So far I'm thinking along the lines of a buttery Madeira cake, but I'm open to suggestion. Do you have any ideas?
• And another baking related thought...I'm not quite sure how long I'm going to be able to resist buying this:

Yes, it's the Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days book which has recently been released. Now I know that I'm short of cash at the moment, and I've already got more than enough cookery books, but there's no getting through to me. To put it simply, I'm in love. In love with the beautiful photography featured on its pages. In love with some of the amazing sounding recipes that I've heard and read about. And when you add to this the fact that I've had some fabulous results from using the first book, and I know it's only going to be a matter of time. It's just a shame that it's nowhere near my birthday or Christmas!! :-(

• I've realised that I'm in need of a haircut. It might not seem like an essential especially as I only had a trim a few weeks ago, but believe me it is!! If I have to wait another 6-8 weeks, it'll be practically unmanageable :-( And there's no way I'm going to my friends' N and M's wedding in just over 3 weeks with a bird's nest on my head, it's just not happening! And breathe...! :-)
• I'm thinking of holidays and wondering if some friends and I will be able to get away for some sun, sea and sand for a few days at the end of May/beginning of June. I know I might not be in the best position financially, but I could really do with a holiday...it's been far too long.
• Yet at the same time, I've also been thinking about work. After a kind text from the headteacher at the school where I worked until just over a week ago, I've been once again reminded of what a fantastic group of people the staff were and what a happy time I had working there. I'm going to miss them all, and hope I'll be lucky enough to find another school that's as welcoming.
• I just love the nautical look (and have been rocking my own interpretation today). I think it's classic yet chic, sophisticated yet easy to put together and the colour palette is one of my favourites...I'm so glad it comes back every year :-)

And these are my Thursday thoughts. What have you been thinking about today?? Don't be shy...I'd love to hear from you!

Till next time...

Phew...

I didn't think I was going to get the chance to post before 12:00, which would have meant that my goal of posting every day this month would have gone straight out of the window! :-( Talk about cutting it fine though...my computer is telling me it's 3 minutes to midnight, and here's me still typing! I just hope that my clock isn't slow, and it's not Thursday already! Anyway, I suppose if I want to be sure, I'd better stop typing now lol! ;-)

Till next time...

The last thing I...

I'm trying something a bit different today, as I'm seriously running out of things to blog about on a daily basis! So I thought I'd make a list of some of the last things I've done in different categories. So, in no particular order, here are the last things I:

ate: a hobnob and a sport biscuit
drank: a cup of tea (what else?!)
heard: my sisters talking, and the TV in the background
watched: TV programme: The Simpsons
Film: The Blues Brothers
bought: a 21st birthday card for my friend
read: a list of the last things that people had done (on an Internet messageboard)
blogged about: well other than this, it was an update on my Operation August goals list
thought: "I wonder if this blog post is going to be a load of rubbish...??"

How about you?? What were the last things you did? Or what are you doing right now? Let me know...it'd be great to hear from you :-) Till next time...

Nothing exciting to say...

but it is one of my goals to blog every day this month, so I'd better write something anyway!! Today's been relatively uneventful...I went shopping with my Mum and sisters this morning (will be blogging about my purchases in the near future), and have spent the rest of the day relaxing...messing around on the Internet, watching TV and going for a walk. Nothing exciting, but I don't suppose that every day can be after all!!

Hope everyone else is having a good day, whatever you're doing :-)!! Till next time...

My second award!!

Can't believe it's nearly the end of March already, and 10 days since my last post...how time flies!! I really should have written this a long time ago, but somehow have only just got round to doing it now! So without further ado...I've got another award (yay me!!)

This is an award I've never seen in Blogland before so I'm really quite honoured to have it, and even moreso because it was given to me by one of my favourite bloggers, Kirsty over at The road less travelled. Her blog is a great read, and she's a fab blog friend who always leaves lovely comments. Nothing else to say but check her out!

In other news, I really am intending to post tomorrow (although knowing me it won't happen!) with my highs and lows of the week and a look forward to next week, but if I don't, rest assured that you'll probably be hearing a lot more from me soon as the schools break up for their Easter holidays in less than a week!! Hopefully I'll be able to take 2 glorious weeks off, although that does rather depend on my bank balance!! Till next time...!

Promises, Promises...!

Ok, it's official...I'm a bad blogger! I promised more regular posts whilst I was going to be off, and yet nearly a week has passed by since my last one! In my defence, technology hasn't always been entirely on my side over the past few days. I was (and still am) intending to write a couple of picture heavy ones, but the bluetooth connection between my mobile and my netbook was having none of it! However, I finally managed to work out what the problem was this evening, and I've now uploaded all my pictures so expect those posts coming soon! As well as all the other usual randomness of course!!

And so now, it's time for me to sign off...but this isn't a goodbye, rather an au revoir :-) Until next time...(fingers crossed it'll be tomorrow!)

Spot the difference!

Just a short post today...I know I said last night that I'd do a "What's in my Wardrobe" today, but now this evening's come around, I'm feeling quite tired and not in the mood to dress up (no matter how sparkly the clothes are!). So I promise that I'll post it on Thursday...I'll even take the photos beforehand so I've got no excuse not to! Tomorrow's post is still going to go ahead exactly as planned and I'm really looking forward to doing it...it's going to be the first one of its kind and I'll be posting for a very good reason :-) And that's difference number 1...why my blog post today isn't anything like what I thought it would be this time yesterday!

And as for difference number 2...well, can you spot it?? Everyone who guesses correctly will win a prize! Well , technically at least. It won't be an actual physical prize...just a lovely warm feeling inside that inevitably comes with the sense of enormous satisfaction that you feel when you get the right answer! :-)

Monday Monday

Well, it's Monday and my day has mainly been spent:

• not working...it's the last week of term, so I was expecting it to be quieter than usual. I do have a half day booked for tomorrow, but that's it so far.





• on the Internet...Facebook (I'm currently addicted to Cafe World!) and Blogger have been my main websites of choice today!





• being domesticated...I made this dessert:

(nothing too complicated, just mandarin oranges on a biscuit crust...basically a cheesecake without the cheese!)

• I also washed up, and cleared my summer clothes out of my wardrobe and put them away for the winter!

• and listening to the radio...my songs of the day have been Tik Tok by Kesha, Bad Romance by the Gaga, Whatcha Say by Jason Derulo and Fairytale of New York by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl

This is what I've been wearing:

Black and charcoal 2 in 1 pinafore : Lime at Next, Black leggings: Peacocks, Grey boots: Rocket Dog via Amazon, Watch: Present, Pearl bracelet with butterfly detail: Primark, Diamond cluster ring: Asda (present off my Mum and Dad for my 21st)

(Except for this morning, when I was wearing work trousers instead of leggings and black flats instead of my boots!)

After I post this...I'll be going to rehearsal for an hour, then spending the rest of my evening relaxing and getting my stuff ready for work tomorrow morning!

Tomorrow...I'll be posting another "What's in my Wardrobe" post, all about sequins. I know it'll be a day early but there are a couple of special things happening on Wednesday that I want to blog about then and I'd rather be early than late lol!

So that's all for today! Hope you've had a great start to the week...and remember, only 4 days till the weekend! :-)

She's Googling herself!

Nicole over at You Had Me At Hello posted this a couple of days ago, and I thought it would be really fun to do for myself (I have done a similar thing before but never blogged about it!) and also an ideal weekend post...quick, simple and not requiring too much thought lol! So without further ado, here goes:

Type in "[your name] needs" in the Google search

Julie needs cards for hospital visit for transplant
(I really don't know what to say about this one except no I don't and I hope that the other Julie got what she needed)

Type in "[your name] looks like" in the Google search

Julie looks like an oriental version of Bridget Fonda
(I really don't...although I suppose it would be rather interesting!)

Type in "[your name] wants" in the Google search

Julie wants a job
(Yeah, that's SO true!!)

Type in "[your name] does" in the Google search

Julie does Japan

(Visiting Japan sounds pretty cool...maybe I will do one day)

Type in "[your name] hates" in the Google search

Julie hates, just what she doesn't know

(Now does this mean I hate things that I don't know or I don't know what I hate?? Confused much!!)

Type in "[your name] asks" in the Google search

Julie Asks - Am I an Adult Yet?

(This is something I often wonder...I think the answer is physically, yes but mentally, hell no!!)

Type in "[your name] likes" in the Google search

Julie likes silicon

(I can't honestly say I have strong feelings either way!)

Type in "[your name] eats" in the Google search

Julie Eats Babies

(Ewwww...that's horrible! I really, really am NOT a baby eater, well except for jelly babies!)

Type in "[your name] wears" in the Google search

Julie wears silk busk front corset and cross over frill skirt

(That outfit sounds pretty cool...am just imagining what it would look like!)

Type in "[your name] was arrested for" in the Google search

Julie was arrested for the crime of deliberately exposing children to porn

(I actually clicked on this result and felt really sorry for the Julie in the article. She was a substitute teacher and she was working in a school when a porn pop-up storm occurred on the computer. There was a whole dossier of evidence to show that there were a raft of technical errors that led to this happening...the IT department didn't keep anti malware software and content filters up to date, the school had no Internet security policy and the school administrators didn't provide internet training for teaching staff, meaning they were unable to respond in situations such as this and no proof that the teacher had introduced the porn herself. The situation was dealt with by the school district, but a few parents complained to police and Julie was arrested, and at the time the article was written (23rd February 2007), she was facing up to 40 years in prison. I'm unsure of the outcome but feel very uneasy about the story as a whole.)

"Type in "[your name] loves" in the Google search

Julie Loves Books

(Yeah, Google is speaking some truth there!)

So this is what Google says about me! Hope you've enjoyed reading...it's been mostly fun, but also illuminating for me at the same time. Why don't you give it a go?? This card needing, book loving, corset wearing, job wanting, baby eating(!) oriental Bridget Fonda lookalike (according to Google!) looks forward to reading it!

Another Tagathon!

Well, I wanted to blog today but didn't really know what to write about...until I saw this post from Brittany over at Sweet, Sassy and oh so Classy. She's tagged all her followers, so now I'm doing the same...if anyone wants to take part, you're more than welcome!

It's another quiz, but with a big difference...you have to use images to explain your answers! So here goes...

1. Your favourite beverage

While I might be crazy for cocktails, wild about wine, mad about mochas and hot for hot chocolate, my favourite drink has got to be a cup of tea. It's my drink of choice first thing in the morning, and I can drink anything up to 8 cups a day. (Love this cup by the way...I can't believe it has my name on!)

2. Your home town



Ok...before I go any further, time for a confession...I'm not actually from Manchester. Greater Manchester, yes; the city of Manchester itself, no. I was born, and still live, in Salford which is a separate city within the Greater Manchester authority (hope I've not lost anyone yet!) So why have I been lying about my hometown ever since I can remember?? Firstly, it's just easier. Everyone knows about Manchester...well everyone I've ever spoke to anyway. Secondly, I'm more than just a little in love with the place (well, the city centre at least)! There's no denying that Salford has some cool parts, but there's really no contest! I'm a Manchester girl by adoption, if not by virtue of my birth.


3. Your favourite television show
Surprise, surprise...It's House!

4. Your occupation

Super Supply Teacher...that's me! Well on a good day anyway! I'm often more like Sluggish Supply Teacher.

5. Your first car

Aaahhhhhh...the car I owned but never actually drove...an old style grey Nissan Micra.

6. Your favourite dish

This was soooo hard to choose...but my favourite at the mo is probably my mum's chilli with rice. Yum!!

7. Celebrity you've been told you resemble

Now before I go any further, I'll warn you that I don't look like either of these celebrities in any shape or form and think that the people who said that I did most probably need their eyes testing!

That's right...it's Kylie Minogue! I seriously don't understand this at all...but according to one friend I looked really like her in one of her music videos (I think it was "In Your Eyes" but I'm not 100%).

Or alternatively we have...

Karen Carpenter! No, I don't see it either! To be honest, I can't think of any celebrity that I even vaguely resemble...what do you think?

8. Celebrity on your "to-do" list

At the mo, it's definitely Joseph Fiennes...have been loving Flashforward (and him!) lately.

9. Your favourite childhood toy

While I didn't have exactly this doll growing up, I had loads of baby dolls and didn't stop playing with them until I reached the age of about 10 or 11!

10. Any random picture

A bit of an oldie here...this is me and my (not so) little bro cleaning our first family car. I reckon I was about 4 or 5 here, so he would have been 2 or 3.

Anyway, that's all folks! I've had lots of fun finding these pics and hope you enjoy the results!

There are no words...

to describe this so I guess I'll just post the video instead! As you're watching, just bear in mind that these guys are meant to be one of the twelve best acts in this year's competition...

I've been tagged!!

Something a bit different for today! Jennee over at Cheap Therapy tagged me so I'm playing along with this!

Here are the rules:
RULE 1- You can only say Guilty or Innocent.

RULE 2- You are not allowed to explain anything unless someone messages you and asks!

RULE 3- Copy and paste this into your notes , delete mine and type in your answers and tag your friends to answer this.

So here goes nothing!:

Have you:
Asked someone to marry you? Innocent

Ever kissed someone of the same sex? Guilty

Danced on a table in a bar? Innocent

Ever told a lie? Guilty

Had feelings for someone whom you can’t have back? Guilty

Kissed a picture? Guilty

Slept in until 5 PM? Innocent

Fallen asleep at work/school? Innocent

Held a snake? Guilty

Been suspended from school? Innocent

Worked at a fast food restaurant? Innocent

Stolen from a store? Guilty

Been fired from a job? Innocent

Done something you regret? Guilty

Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Guilty

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Guilty

Kissed in the rain? Guilty

Sat on a roof top? Innocent

Kissed someone you shouldn't? Guilty

Sang in the shower? Guilty

Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Innocent

Shaved your head? Innocent

Had a boxing membership? Innocent

Made a girlfriend cry? Innocent

Been in a band? Innocent

Shot a gun? Guilty

Donated Blood? Guilty

Eaten alligator meat? Innocent

Eaten cheesecake? Guilty

Still love someone you shouldn't? Guilty

Have/had a tattoo? Guilty

Liked someone, but will never tell who? Innocent

Been too honest? Guilty

Ruined a surprise? Innocent

Ate in a restaurant and got really bloated that you couldn’t walk afterwards? Guilty

Erased someone in your friends list? Guilty

Dressed in a woman’s clothes (if you’re a guy) or man’s clothes (if you’re a girl)? Innocent

Joined a pageant? Innocent

Been told that you’re handsome or beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said? Guilty

Had communication with your ex? Guilty

Got totally drunk on the night before exam? Innocent

Got totally angry that you cried so hard? Guilty

I'm tagging...

The Girl of Make Believe

Michelle

Miss Peregrin

Dara Laine

Was going to do 5, but have decided to be a little different lol! Hope you enjoyed, and will be back with another post very soon!

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

25 Random Things.......

Thought I'd do something a bit different today, so I'm going to post a list of random things about me! There's going to be 25...one for each year of my life lol!

1. When I was born, I weighed 6lb 12oz, which was the same birthweight as both my mum and dad.
2. Bad spelling, grammar and punctuation drives me insane...I have an urge to cross out misplaced apostrophes!
3. I'm scared of lots of things...in particular thunder and lightning, fireworks, loud noises in general and deep water!
4. I love lime flavoured sweets...the green fruit pastilles, starburst and skittles are all my favourites.
5. I have worked in the same primary school I attended as a child.
6. I have a bit of an obsession with even numbers... I try to send texts that have an even number of characters, buy an even number of things when I go shopping etc.
7. I have lots of books but very rarely read one all the way through...I tend to skip to the end and then decide there's no point in going back to the beginning!
8. I went to an all girls high school and didn't have a boyfriend until I was 17.
9. I am a real procrastinator...I leave most things until the very last minute!
10. I had to have my ears pierced 3 times as the first 2 times they got infected and I had to take the earrings out and let my ears heal.
11. Other than the UK, the only other country I've ever visited is Spain.
12. I always wanted to be a bridesmaid as a little girl, but I didn't get the chance until last November, by which point I was a not-so-little 24!
13. I loved horses when I was little...but when I actually got the chance to ride a pony I hated it!
14. I once wrote a letter to Jim'll Fix It asking to meet Desert Orchid (a racehorse I was obsessed with) but I never sent it.
15. I used to be a real early bird...now I rarely get out of bed before 8 if I'm left to my own devices
16. I love murder mystery shows on tv and I have boxsets of Murder She Wrote and Agatha Christie's Poirot.
17. I love the smell of the wet ground after it rains.
18. I've wanted to be a teacher off and on since I was a little girl but I also had phases of wanting to be a paediatrician, lab technician, forensic scientist and lawyer as I was growing up.
19. I'd secretly love to be a private investigator but would be terrible at the job as I'm an awful liar and am not always that discreet or subtle!
20. In everyday life, I'm not always that confident...but I love being on stage in front of an audience :-)
21. I taught myself to read just before my 4th birthday, and used to tell my nursery teacher off when she missed parts of a story out to save time (I bet she loved me lol!)
22. As a result of my reading ability when I was young, researchers from a university visited my school to do reading tests on me.
23. I seem to pick up lots of bits of random information which come in handy for pub quizzes!
24. I have terrible hand eye co-ordination and seem to be able to hurt myself in a huge variety of ways...these are probably both down to the fact I have dyspraxia (a co-ordination disorder)
25. I am a naturally messy person and hate tidying my room...but love the results whenever I do!

And that's my 25!

Busy, busy, busy!

That's what the last couple of days have been like, and probably what the rest of my week will be like too! Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons this week, I'm volunteering at a children's holiday club where I'm doing drama and puppet sketches as well as helping to supervise a group of children. I've been involved with the club for the past few years, and enjoy being creative and working with the children, although, as it's a church run group, I sometimes find some of the religious songs a bit much! (I was raised a Christian, but would describe myself as an agnostic now)

Yesterday was an especially busy (and long!) day for me as I had to be up at 6:00 so I could get ready and make my way to the train station to catch my train to Leeds for the course I was attending. Luckily the train was on time and my journey was very straightforward. The course itself was absolutely fantastic. It covered "behaviour for learning" and "managing pupil behaviour" and it gave me lots of useful ideas which I'm definitely going to put into practice when I go back to work next month. Plus lunch was provided, which always makes for a good day lol! The only bad thing about the whole experience was getting caught in a heavy rain shower whilst waiting for a taxi to take me back to the station after the course had finished!

I'm just going to finish off with a random thing that happened today. Sometime while I was at the holiday club this afternoon, a massive branch fell off a tree on the pavement outside my house! The stem of the branch got impaled on our next door neighbour's railings and the leafy part fell on to our neighbour's car which she parks on our drive. My dad phoned the local council for them to come and remove it, because it was too heavy to do manually but despite the fact they said it was on their "Urgent" list it still hasn't been removed yet! My sisters also took some pictures of the tree (our neighbour is away) ...they might come in handy for insurance purposes in case the car turns out to be damaged. I'll leave you with just a couple: