My little Dream Catcher...

The other day when I was day dreaming, staring into a specific space of my room, my daze was broken with the sight of my little, old, pink dream catcher hanging on my curtain rail.

It’s one of those things that seems to have always been in my room- wherever I’ve lived it has been there. This caused me to start reminiscing over when I received this little dream catcher, where I got it from, who gave it to me and what did it mean to me? 

I was given this dream catcher as a gift one summer, I clearly remember opening a little brown paper bag revealing this beautiful decoration. I was about 6 when my Grandma gave this gift to me, she had bought it in a Spanish Market near to where she lived in Spain. 

I vividly remember hanging it in my room and telling everyone that entered  ‘It’s magic, it stops you having bad dreams and instead you have good ones.’ It was fascinating to little 6 year old me.

As I got older It seems to have followed me around, when I’ve moved so has the dream catcher-overtime I have forgotten ‘the magic/spiritual’ side to it, it became ‘just a decoration’ this is due to the loss of my wild, young imagination. Age makes you become a realist; magic and dreams merely become stories.

When my daydream was broken by this dream catcher I remembered what this really meant to me: When I was 6 it meant magic, protection and good dreams- I honestly believed that it got rid of all my bad dreams and negativity, obviously this is all psychological but at the time I didn’t know this!

Now at the age of almost 17 (just a couple of months off) It hangs in my room as a reminder- a reminder of several significant things.

A reminder of my Grandma- Now my Grandma is no longer with us, this dream catcher (that has and will always be with me) is a constant reminder that my Grandma will always with me at heart and also a reminder that she always wanted to support me and my dreams.

A reminder of my dreams and positivity- When I see this dream catcher it reminds me that I have control of making my dreams happen (to a certain extent) and bringing as much positivity into my life as possible, kind of like the dream catcher.

Finally, it is a reminder that I should believe in myself but also in the things that mean a lot to me- it reminds me of this because of how I use to have such faith in this little dream catcher and to be honest a little part of me still does.

When I remember the story of this little dream catcher, all my dreams are good ones and a smile is brought to my face!

Thank you Grandma for this beautiful gift that will always stay close to my bed side.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about my little dream catcher and the story behind it! I will be back soon with another post.

Let me explain...

Hello everyone I hope you’re all doing well…

So lets face it, for a while now I’ve been doing less and less on my blog and I’ve noticed that I’ve started falling out of love with it- I don’t have the same enthusiasm for it anymore and I’m just not as happy with the content as I would like to be!

I barely have an excuse for not posting on my blog, but all I can say is I have been juggling lots of different things at once at the moment and sometimes I struggle to manage my time and have a good balance. instead I become overwhelmed and then I end up avoiding the things that I was meant to do.

So what am I going to do about this?

I’m going to start posting on my blog every week or even more if I can as I feel like this will help me to get back into a routine with my blogging.

I’m also going to start planing my posts and putting more time and effort into them, I will only post them if I am completely happy with them. 

I want to post more of my own photography and pictures, I use to do this all the time however I have found myself doing it less and less recently, I feel like posting my own photography in my posts makes it more personal and readable.

Finally I want to concentrate on growing my readers by interacting with more bloggers on social media- I am already in a few blogger groups and I want to start being more active in them!

I hope you guys are still around and ready for lots of new posts as I sure am! 

Writing blog posts use to be an escape and a way of expressing myself but unfortunately over time it became a chore..I thought I would explain this to you guys and just let you know that I am honestly going to change this.

Today I have just had a chilled day tidying my room, relaxing in the bath and chilling with chad, including going on a nice walk (we love walks) 

Here's a few photo's of my tidy room! As tidy as it gets with all my stuff in it!

That's all for now and I will 100% be back with another post soon!

Perfect Pinterest Workouts/ Work it like Jen Selter

So it took me a while to figure out a routine in the gym- one that worked for me and even harder sticking to it!

Now I have been working out in the gym for a while I have established what workouts give me the best results and feel the best, as well as what's fun to do and gives me variety rather than completing rep after rep of sit ups or squats.

My favourite booty workout!

After spending my time searching Pinterest for 'The best glute workouts' I finally came across one that appealed to me and made me want to do it straight away! Titled as '15 Best Butt workout exercises from Jen Selter' my eyes lit up and I had to try it. 

The workout itself consists of 15 moves that between them, work every single muscle in your bum! 

Doing this workout a couple of times a week really does get you those BOOTIFUL (SORRY) results along with eating the right things! 

I will link this workout HERE for you! 

Mine and Chads favourite Ab workout

Again, it took Chad and I a while to find our perfect ab workout- so obviously I turned to Pinterest! I found and tried a few different workouts and this one definitely gave me the most variety as well as the best results! It for sure isn't an easy workout, you really do feel the burn, but I find it fun to do and I always feel so good after! 

Doing this workout a couple of times a week will definitely give you those abs of steel, just don't forget the cardio along with it! 

The great thing about these workouts is you can do as little or as much as you want by doing the exercises you want and by altering the amount of sets and reps that you do! 

I will link this ab workout HERE for you! 

I hope this gives you an idea of what workouts you can do at home or at the gym! If these aren't for you then Pinterest has endless amounts of different workouts so just have a good look! These two have to be my favourite workouts of all time and they definitely give you ABsolutely BOOTYfull results... Oh dear Lauryn! 

See you soon with another post!

It's okay to feel lost...

This is just one of those blog posts that I happen to be writing at a time when I've been off work ill and I've just had a horrible argument with my mum, I found no comfort from my phone so I have turned to writing a good old heart felt blog post.

**BE WARNED THIS MAY BE LONG & CHATTY* I WILL ADD PHOTO'S TO MAKE IT MORE INTERESTING!

When I left school and started my apprenticeship I guess I just naively assumed that I would finish my apprenticeship, find a job within the council and enjoy it for at least a good few years! Wrong.

Don't get me wrong there are some great parts of my apprenticeship: I've gained so much great experience, people skills and great knowledge and I'm sure I will continue to do so throughout the next 6 months... But, of course there's a but, I have recently found myself in a huge blur when it comes to work: I get up in the mornings, get my bus, walk to work, work in between watching the time pass, sometimes slowly and sometimes not, I finish work and then I look forward to getting to the gym so I can sooth my brain from hours of sitting in an office...

That's my problem, I thought an office job could be for me- answering phones, sending emails, doing paperwork (lots of it) and the list goes on.. but I now feel as though I'm thinking of the office as a prison that I want to escape, a luxurious prison with a kettle, a fridge and comfy chairs but that's besides the point! My creative side isn't quite being fulfilled in the way I want it to be and that is what's making me feel lost.

Although I may now have a plan (I'm not going to share it with you just yet)  I still feel slightly apprehensive of what the future holds for me, the unknown and of simply not knowing what I will be doing in 6 months time- but I guess that's the beauty of life; it's like a story book, things can change so drastically in one chapter from the next and I guess what I'm trying to say is it's okay to feel lost, to be scared about the future and to be reluctant to taking a leap of faith!

Out of all the great things that have come from my apprenticeship, The best thing is the direction it has given me, by direction I mean how it has made it clear that I don't currently want to have an office job and instead I want to do something that allows me to be creative, on my feet and something that allows me to experience a variety of different surroundings!

Soon I am starting a lovely little weekend job in a photography studio called Tiny Feet Photography (you should have a look it's amazing!) as an assistant and I cannot wait to work in such a creative and colourful studio- engaging with lots of different people and families! I really am excited to have the amazing opportunity to have an insight to another career, one of which I am very interested in and even better It's something completely different to what I've been doing and its definitely not office based!

My advice to myself and anyone else who's feeling lost or unsure of what they want to do is: 

• Don't be afraid to take opportunities- What have you got to lose?
•  Do/aim for something that makes you happy and that you enjoy
• If you are always time watching or wishing time away then you should reassess what you're doing! 
• Remember- You don't need to have your whole life planned out, sometimes the unexpected things are the best! 

I will keep you all updated on my new weekend job, how I'm feeling about the future and also my current apprenticeship!

This has turned out to be a long stream of thoughts but I guess thats what a blog is all about! Hopefully my next post is a little more interesting and a little easier to follow- but for now Goodbye x

'New year, new me'

I always love welcoming the new year, I just love the thought of a completely new, clean slate.

However, the whole 'New year, new me ' thing I don't like. I personally believe that if you want to change something in your life, or in yourself YOU DO NOT NEED A NEW YEAR, you can change anything in your life whenever you want, why wait for a new year?

Although there's definitely not a 'new me' in for 2017, there are definitely a few things that I am going to do differently this year!

Read more and wind down properly before bed!

I have always loved reading ever since I was a little girl, I use to read to my mum before I went to sleep or she use to read to me...I still love to get into a good book but I will confess, I only read one book last year- 'All the bright places' I really enjoyed it and I have decided that I want to do lots of reading this year. I have just ordered these 3 books of amazon and I am going to start tonight! I would definitely recommend looking at books on amazon as you can get 3 for £10 with free delivery which is amazing, also a bonus is you can look at the reviews on the books.

Write more!

As well as reading, writing has always been my little escape and way of being creative; again since I was little, and although I love doing my blog... I miss picking up a pen and grabbing a note book and just writing. So I picked up my first new note book today, this one is for all my ideas related to my blog and my youtube channel! I am going to get another note pad to write down every day thoughts in as I use to keep a diary and I remember how much I loved it.

This lovely notepad is from Paper chase and I'll link it HERE.

Experience even more of the outdoors!

Last year I got to see some amazing places which I will NEVER forget and I really want to see and do even more outside rather than staying inside around the same surroundings. Whether it's walking, doing sports, photography, filming a video or just exploring I want to see even more of the world! 

Don't ask why I am using a photo of my indoor plants for this one! I just love my plants...

Choose Happy

No, I can't be happy 100% of the time, I mean who can? we're all human and it's natural to have down days, snap and start to think negatively,  however I really want to try and bring out the positives as much as I can from now on, I have been practicing this recently and It does make me feel so much more positive about everything! Obviously I still have my negative days but just thinking about the positives and what I'm grateful for makes me tonnes better than just picking out faults in everything!

These are just a few of the things that I want to concentrate on throughout 2017 and although there isn't a new me, this new year is a great opportunity for a clean slate and I am going to use it for sure! 

I hope 2017 is what you hoped for so far and I will be back soon with another post.

WHAT A YEAR!

I can't quite get my head around the fact that the last day of 2016 has been and gone, how crazy!?

When I think of 2016 as a year my brain seems to conjure up a complete blur of things, experiences and emotions that have taken place throughout the year.

 For me this all comes across as such a blur as 2016 feels like several years have passed rather than just one- simply because of how significantly my day to day life has changed:  how I have developed and changed as a person, how my surroundings have dramatically changed and also how I occupy my spare time differently, I've also visited and explored so many different places over the last year which I have absolutely loved and it just makes me want to travel more!

The biggest change

Obviously It is completely normal and part of life to experience changes throughout a year, however this year really has tested me and pushed me right out of my comfort zone and I am so grateful for it!

I would say the biggest change that I have gone through in 2016 was leaving school and practically entering the working world by starting an apprenticeship at the council! When I started considering my post 16 options in year 11 I did not imagine that I would be sat at my own desk, in a fully functioning office, with a job to do -as staying at school was my plan.

Trusting my gut and taking a leap of faith was definitely a giant step forward for me at this time as throughout year 11 I definitely struggled with anxiety and self confidence... but little did I know that I would develop so much through doing the apprenticeship!

 Yes this was me on my first day of my apprenticeship- why so serious? haha

Some of the adventures

In 2016 I visited quite a few new places:

Camber/Hastings 

This holiday sticks vibrantly in my mind as it was in the middle of when I was revising for my exams, I took my revision and did a little bit each day however I definitely allowed myself t relax and did lots of photography!

Volendam/Holland

I honestly had no idea what to expect from this holiday as I had never been to Holland or anywhere like it. I loved this holiday and everything about Holland but in particular Volendam- I feel like I could easily have stayed there- I love their ways of life; almost everyone travels by bikes, everyone was so friendly and also the town is so calm and beautiful- full of colour, lots of boats and happiness!

If you want to see more of my Volendam/Holland holiday then go over to my youtube channel as I daily vlogged whilst I was there, I'll link it HERE

Majorca!

Unfortunately when I was in Majorca I didn't take a lot of photos or vlog (I did one vlog I'll link it HERE) but although I didn't really document this holiday it was a really nice holiday- the weather was insane and the place we stayed in was beautiful! We went to some beautiful beaches, jumped of some big rocks and went to an awesome waterpark! I would definitely like to go back!

Camp de Marr was definitely my favourite place in Majorca and it has a lovely restaurant there!

Blackpool 

Most recently I went to blackpool for the first time, with my dad, Shona, Morgan and Liam! We went for a long weekend which gave us enough time to see some of the main attraction there: including Blackpool tower, the illuminations and a visit to Blackpool dungeons. I managed to vlog this holiday and I will link it HERE for you! I would definitely recommend Blackpool for a fun weekend away!

My firsts!

There have been a few firsts in 2016: 

Mine and Chad's first ever concert! Yes it took us that long to go to one, but typically they're really expensive or really far away etc. so when I saw that Jack Garratt was performing at the Engine Shed I had to get tickets! Not only did we get to go but we were literally right at the front! Me and Chad both love Jack's music and the atmosphere was insane. HERE is the vlog with the concert in.

Starting the gym! I use to be so scared of the thought of starting a gym- I thought everyone would look at me and that I wouldn't know what to do... I was so wrong and I should have started before. Me and Chad now go to the gym about 4 times a week and we love it, it helps me physically and also to wind down mentally. 

Starting youtube!

I was so skeptical about starting youtube at first, but when I trialled it out when I was in Holland- I absolutely loved it! It has definitely become one of my hobbies and It allows me to use some of my creative side. Since starting youtube I have 100% gained more confidence and discovered my love for film making/ being behind and in front of a camera. I was so surprised to reach 100 subscribers, the support means a lot! If you haven't had a look already then I will link my youtube channel HERE

I could go on and on about 2016 and the good and bad parts of it- but I don't want to make this post any longer so I will leave that for another day! I hope each and every one of you has a happy and prosperous 2017, make it a good one.  

Getting all 'wrapped up' in Christmas

When I hear people go on about how Christmas is such a Peaceful time of year; a time to reflect and relax- It leaves me thinking if I am actually living on the same planet as them? but then again some people aren't as crazily stressy as me and don't think about every little thing in such depth..

I LOVE Christmas day, the music, the family time, the food, the gift giving and also gift receiving and not forgetting cuddling up to watch the classic Christmas films that reappear year after year whilst delving into a box of roses- it has to be my favourite time of the year, cliche but so very true.

Now I have an apprenticeship and I get a proper wage, I expect myself to buy everyone a 'proper' present, when I say proper present I just mean something other than a box of chocolates or a token gift and whilst I love buying gifts for people, I feel so stressed about whether I have got enough people presents and whether I have spent enough. 

Chad reminded me earlier that Christmas definitely isn't all about giving and receiving and although I have heard this endless amounts of times  I do sometimes find this hard to remember it as like everyone else who works in town; I am constantly surrounded by the 'Christmas deals' and the whole commercial side of it and as I am not particularly religious I don't follow the whole Christmas story in the build up to Christmas... so it can very easily become a stressful inconvenience rather than a joyful, exciting time! 

Although the religious part of Christmas doesn't particularly stand out to me, I do love how everyone comes together and enjoys each other's company (plus a few family domestics) and whether you are religious or not Christmas should be a relaxing, happy and peaceful time. 

So when you're rushing around doing that last minute, panicked Christmas shopping- just remember it is only one day, it doesn't need to be perfect and the main part of it is being with the people you love.

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas and I will be continuing to post into 2017, but for now Good bye! 

Christmas is coming!

Where are the days, weeks and months going? 2016 has literally flown by and I can't believe how close Christmas is! The fact that I have a Christmas jumper on shows how close christmas is..

I am extra excited for this Christmas as I get to spend it with all my family and the people I love, also I have actually had enough money to buy everyone presents this year and I can't wait to watch people open them! Even more exciting though- I am doing Vlogmas this year for the first time and I cannot wait at all- I will be Vlogging things such as the Christmas Market and also Ice skating at Nottingham's Winter Wonderland, as well as everyday, Christmassy kind of things in December!

I also have some Christmas collabs going up with one of my good friends, but I won't give too much away as you'll have to go and watch them yourselves.

I have a Christmassy makeup look going up on my channel soon so keep your eyes out for that- I am wearing my new Christmas jumper in it!!

I just though I'd keep you updated on what I'll be doing over Christmas as I am SO excited! Keep up to date with my blog and youtube channel which I'll link here: life of a Blonde 

Thank you for all of your continued support with my blog and youtube channel it means a lot!

My Favourite October Lunch Date!

So last week I met up with my friend Sian who I hadn't seen for months so we were seriously overdue a catch up and a lunch date!

Sian suggested the 'Rising cafe' I said it sounded good, I had never been there before however I had walked past and it looked pretty nice and welcoming, so that's where we went.

As soon as we walked in we were surprised at how cool it was, it it so authentic and it has a vintage, patriotic feel to it, we instantly loved it. We were both guilty of taking a million and one photo's of it (especially me) one for snapchat, one for Instagram, and a load for my blog...

Not only was the decor amazing, as soon as we saw the food that was being brought our way our eyes lit up! We both ordered a salad and honestly it was the best salad I've ever had- mine had chicken, bacon, avocado and a garlic sauce as well as the typical salad bits; DELICIOUS! 

This cafe has such a great menu and I felt like they really cater for everyone including vegetarians, coeliacs and everything else in between.

After we had a cheeky bit of cake, I was secretly praying that the giant, gooey chocolate cake was the gluten free one, that was of course to good to be true however I had a yummy gluten free coffee cup cake whilst Sian ate the chocolate cake that I wanted haha!

I also loved the fact they served their drinks in mason jars with straws, my favourite way to drink! I was so pleasantly surprised with this cafe and it really is a hidden little gem that I would really recommend for a lunch date!

I'll leave the rest for you to find out if you ever visit- and I really do recommend a visit. It's located within the 'Alive Church' on Newland street in Lincoln and I'll link the website HERE for you.

I hope you enjoyed having a look at my most loved cafe for this month and I'll see you soon with another post!