songs that make me happy..inspired by Sinead (Dreaming Again)

Oooh, what a better day to post this than on a day when it is so miserable outside. So if you need a little bit of a pick me up, you have come to the right place. Turn the volume up & enjoy! :)

♥

This post idea literally popped into my head whilst I was answering some questions for Sinead (Dreaming Again). She is creating like a mini series of blog interviews for her fellow bloggers, how exciting! :)

One of the questions was "what song makes you happy when you hear it?". In typical fashion I thought I can't just pick one song (I did eventually pick just one), I had a good few swimming around my head so I thought "oooohhhh, I know I'll create a post about songs that make me happy". Thanks for the idea Sinead :) The song I decided on was....

The Vamps - Can We Dance

But I thought I'd make a little post (probably turn out MASSIVE & waffley, you know me) & include some others with their youtube videos. So sit back & enjoy! :)

♥

Taylor Swift - We Are Never Getting Back Together

It's all about girl power right?! & telling your ex straight that you are never, ever getting back together!

Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe

We all love a good catchy song, am I right?

Luke Britnell - Think Positive

Loved Luke's original song since he performed it on the x factor, check it out & maybe his other youtube videos? :)

The Mend - Where Were You?

Remember The Mend? Ohhh yes, they were on Britains Got Talent...yesss, they were also the wild card act & then they went on to support Little Mix, incredible! Anyways check out their first single & watch this space for more :)

Little Mix - Move

Admittedly I do love all of Little Mix's album but this one is just so upbeat!

One Direction - Best Song Ever

Finishing off the post in great style, it's only the biggest boy band on the flippin planet right now...One Direction! Try listen to this & tell me within a couple of hours you aren't singing it back to yourself....go on, give it a go :)

♥

What songs make you happy? Any of the above, throw some my way :)

I'm now thinking of creating an oldies version since these songs are all recent & current. Look back over childhood songs!

Thanks for reading.

- Anna ♥

Amazing news today, I just had to share it with you....

Just a quick post whilst I'm waiting to have a bath, ooohhhh yes...I really am that busy that I'm having a bath at 3 in the afternoon! It is miserable & raining outside so why the hell not.. :)

♥

I thought I'd share this incredible story with you incase you haven't heard about it or seen it? Mental Health has such a huge stigma around it but shouldn't have to be that way. So here I am openly blogging about the subject (as I often do).

This story is about Jonny & 'Mike'. 'Mike' is the man who Jonny named for his search to help reunite him with the man who saved his life.

I'm going to let you read the story for yourself since it isn't my story to tell. But it is too incredible not to share it with you, so click here & you will be taken over to Rethink Mental Illness to read about the journey of finding 'Mike'.

Then if you like you can click here & read the article about Jonny finally finding 'Mike'.

But if you'd much rather watch a video about it instead, click here to see the Youtube video.

♥

Jonny along with many others does a fantastic job at tackling the stigma surrounding mental health. It isn't something anyone should be ashamed of. If you think you might be suffering from any form of mental health illness, please approach someone about it. There is some really incredible charities out there to give you the support & help you deserve.

Here are just a list of a few of them..

Rethink

Mind

Time To Change

Samaritans

♥

Thank you for taking your time to read this post, please feel free to share it around too.

- Anna ♥

I have absolutely NOTHING figured out....

Right now this picture seriously speaks a 1,000 words!

 

image more than likely from weheartit

 

I should probably start by explaining why I'm actually writing this post.. I've realised even more so recently I have absolutely NOTHING figured & absolutely NO idea what I want to do with my life...should I be alarmed & scared?!

 

Whilst on Skype to my friend Nicola we were both discussing this & I said 'you know what, not many people talk about it but how many people actually have their life figured out?' So I thought you know what sod it! I'm going to blog about it, I was going to call the post 'SOD IT!' but I wasn't 100% sure how that would go down really. I held back the urge to type that, but here I am...brace yourself for a waffly waffle post! :D

♥

I've been considering volunteering for a while now, so today I bit the bullet & had a full browse through vinspired & communicated with whatever lovely person was on their twitter account today. God help them though, they must have been thinking who is this girl, seriously?! After browsing though I have realised I genuinely have no idea as of what I want to do. I feel so clueless on life right now. When people ask me what I want to do or what I enjoy, I have absolutely no idea. It's just like I don't even know myself at all..

I don't want my anxiety to hold me back at all, but all you anxiety sufferers out there will know its so much easier said than done. 'No, I won't let my anxiety control me'.. But how easy it is to manage to travel far? Or to sometimes concentrate on day to day things? Yesterday I really struggled when travelling 10 minutes up the road, to the place where I have my driving lessons so tomorrow could be fun.

All my life I've lived in the same house & same town, which I love & really do love living here. I don't want to move, I just want to be able to feel comfortable & able to explore the world. It isn't an option for me to just stay in my house & just survive. I want to be able to live, be free like a bird! Experience things, create new memories, make new friendships!

I know eventually at some point my parents shop will close, unless of course someone takes it on. But when it does close, where on earth will I be? Absolutely STUCK! I am so grateful that they let me help them out when I can, because they fully know & understand my situation (well actually I say they, more like mum does). I really want to be able to do something for myself, create my own life. Do I have any idea how to go about that? The answer would be NO! I have absolutely NOTHING figured out & I'm beginning to panic!

♥

In all honesty, do you have your life or anything figured out?
Feel free to leave me a comment & let me know before I go crazy :)

Thanks for reading my waffle, hopefully maybe some of you can relate to me too!

- Anna ♥

My Driving Journey - Lesson 55

Hello there, lovely you! :)

Happy Monday to you!

 

It's Monday here on my little blog, otherwise known as a whole lot of chitty chat & oh my...do you certainly get a whole lot of chitty chat or waffle, we'll call it chatty chat..sounds much nicer right? :)

♥

Monday is here & it is time for another update on my driving lessons. I only had one this week & we had planned to do one lesson next week of two hours driving to a further place but yesterday I decided to see if I could alter that one so I could practice another mock test & manoeuvres because it actually sunk in that I'm like weeks...ooohh, or maybe a week away from my test..can't tell you the exact date now can I. But trust me, once I've passed I will be shouting it from the roof!

 

Tuesday 21st January 2014

Now I'm obviously getting closer & closer to my test these posts are getting shorter & shorter by the week. I don't really have an awful lot at all to share with you about this lesson other than we covered a junction that I've struggled on each time I've attempted it. Only been towards it twice though, but I got to practice again & Sharon talked me through it so I know & understand it a lot better. I do feel I did it a lot better & I'm a lot more confident with the junction now. Here is the junction....

 

 

I've been jotting down my driving lessons every week in a notebook & this photo is taken from the notebook. Always good to write things down to remember them & if I'm struggling I can always look back.

 

♥

 

Are you learning to drive?

How are you getting on?

Have you enjoyed following my journey, which will soon hopefully come to an end.

 

Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading.

 

- Anna ♥

Sit Down Sunday - 26th January 2014

Hello there my fellow lovely reader friend! :) (well that was a mouthful!)

I hope you've all had a super duper week & if not, always remember to look out for the little things & appreciate what went right.

 

In all honesty right now I'm feeling mega sick, I have felt like it since this morning so what better time actually to reflect on the week. Right now you say, whilst I'm feeling meh (surely meh should be in the dictionary now, do you agree?), in my pjs, wrapped in my duvet & feeling a little bit down? Great call!

♥
 

Let's get cracking & reflect....

 

- my 22nd birthday

- went to the cinema for the first time in over 4 years

- all the lovely birthday wishes from fellow tweeters & blog readers

- getting to enjoy creating my scrapbook

- receiving parcels in the post, presents & even a youtube video..yes, Jess I'm looking at you. I will just add a screen shot of your birthday video to me..got to keep some things private :)

 

hello there Jess

 

- having the most incredible birthday cake, EVER!

- managing two days at work, progress :)

- moving forward from the past

- cuddles
- being part of Michelle (Life Outside London) best of blogosphere...AGAIN!

♥

So that is my reflection of this week, have you reflected on your week? Be sure to let me know in the comments or tweet me if you like :) Most of you have probably come from twitter, if not please let me know where you have come from :)

Thanks for reading.
- Anna ♥

I don't know about you but I'm feeling 22....

Yeahhh you've got it....I've turned 22 today so I thought I'd do a post about my day & of course I absolutely HAD to add in Taylor Swift's video for her song 22, enjoy! :)

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I'm really not too sure why people make a massive deal with birthdays, especially the years when it isn't a certain milestone. So when people would ask me what I had planned in the run up to my birthday I was just like 'hhhmmmm, not much'..I then changed my mind to 'I'm going to have a onesie day', that didn't happen. I'm partly glad about that though actually. My mum did offer to take me shopping but I turned down her offer, I don't need anything so it would of been a bit pointless. I'm going to do a run down of my day & add in a few pictures. Hope you enjoy reading about how I spent my day....

♥

I woke up as usual (always a good sign really) & opened my cards & presents I had received. So many lovely presents, I won't go in to a list & name them all. But I will mention a few things that did make me giggle, present wise. Me & my godmums husband have a thing where he always buys me something One Direction, what did I get this year from him...nothing from him...but instead my godmum got me a flippin' one direction electric toothbrush & toothpaste! I actually don't mind these presents, they always make me giggle! Then another thing that really made me laugh was my grandma has a thing of buying people scratch cards for their birthday to put in their card...I was not missed out, she filled my card with scratch cards up to the price of £10 (crazzyyyyy?!) I do usually think its bonkers but I won on the scratch cards...a total of 22 pound! Talk about meant to be? :)

After this me & mum got ready to go & pick up my birthday cake, brace yourself! It is absolutely INCREDIBLE! Speaking of cakes, last year I had cupcakes instead of a cake from the same company & oh my goodness...they were all delicious (I didn't eat them all just putting that out there)! Also my second family (the family on my street who are literally my second family) bought me a cupcake decorating class at the very place we got ours from. The business is run by a lady who works from home & does classes too. I haven't attended the course yet but I hope to be attending very soon & I'm thinking about putting a post all about that.

Seriously, how incredible?! I can only imagine the hard work that has gone into creating this masterpiece. Absolutely beautiful!

So once we'd collected the cake we nipped in to town to pick up a few little bits. Whilst there a man was in my parents shop & doesn't believe I'm 22 & while he was there he also waffled on about how I should have a boyfriend, how I should be living in my own place, how I should be away from home....I'm sorry but I hate when people make remarks. Admittedly I did used to make remarks probably but now I have opened my eyes I've learnt so much. No two people are the same, I know of people who live at home still & are in their 40s..no two peoples situations are the same! urghhhh, some people frustrate me! I'm trying to make the best out of a shitty situation yet we still have people who don't understand! rant is over... & breatheeee! It's my birthday back to happiness!

I scrapped my onesie day idea for a trip to the cinema with my mum. A onesie day would of been ideal since I felt really sick, don't feel overly great now really but being out in the fresh air & out the house really did make me feel good. So I'm one point ahead of anxiety! :)

I've saved the tickets to put in my scrapbook..maybe more on the scrapbook in another post :)

We watched Delivery Man & used our friends 2 for 1 Orange Wednesday code so happy days all around. We were in abit of a rush getting there for the film to start at 12, safe to say it didn't start until like 20 past. Don't you just love the adverts..I actually don't mind the adverts sometimes to be honest. The film was really good, pretty funny too. I didn't enjoy it as much as I would like to of just because of anxiety still being with me. I couldn't fully settle & relax (ok, maybe I felt relaxed at like 20 minutes before the film ended) but I stayed, I managed....I partly enjoyed. I haven't been to the cinema for over 4 years so hopefully I will go more often & be better. We went to a new cinema near us, I'd never been to before & it was so lovely. Your cinema experience isn't complete without....

Admittedly this was my second, I had one whilst I was in the cinema & one for the drive home..

& you usually have snacks during the film right? We didn't think we had time to wait & decide what to have to munch on so we skipped the snacks. Instead on my way out, I picked up a SMALL , I repeat SMALL popcorn...it was HUGE! Admittedly people moan about cinema food & drink prices being high but I can't fault them for prices at all. To be honest, I can't fault them on anything. I will definitely be visiting again.

Popcorn for the journey home too..it isn't  about a 10 minute journey honest!

After the film we headed home, on our way home I phoned our local radio station to request a song during their show when you can request a song. It was quite funny because one girl runs the show & I actually emailed yesterday to request 22 to get me in the mood for my birthday today...it didn't get played though :( She did remember me though when I spoke & said my name & where I was from, she was like you emailed yesterday didn't you? & it's your birthday today..I was like yes & yes it is. So she wished me a very happy birthday & apologised because she couldn't play 22 because it had already been played like an hour before..she did add that before it was played she was like noooo, we can't play it! haha..how funny! So I requested The Vamps - Wild Heart instead...did I get it after she had approved? Noooo...but I did get One Direction - Midnight Memories so I'm not complaining! :)

♥

That is my day in a post, my birthday will soon be over..anybody else think sometimes birthdays are over done? Made out to be a much bigger deal than they are? Admittedly I have been using the excuse of, but it is my birthday..Mum will ask me to do something & I will say 'but it's my birthdayyy'...won't be able to use that reason for another year. Gotta make the most of it right?

The rest of my birthday will more than likely be spent how I am now, sat on my bed under my blanket :) well for the next couple of hours it will be....catching up on unread blog posts & then I might put on a film, relax & enjoy my own company.. :)

Ooooh, one last thing..today is the lovely Christina's 1 year blogging birthday, please be sure to check her out (not in that way, she is happily spoken for) & wish her good wishes maybe..you can find her at kimi and me ! Massive congratulations Christina! :)

Thanks for all the birthday wishes I've received over on twitter & thanks for reading. Last night I had a birthday Skype party..I might do a post on that too..
- Anna ♥

Loving Dot, a new company

I just want to put this bit in....I really feel I do have a habit of jumping in to things very quick, I always like to see the good in people. I do often do things & introduce people to things without thinking about it for a while. I don't personally know Bethany at all. But I'm 100% sure I won't regret telling you all about Bethany, the girl behind Loving Dot.

I came across Bethany a couple of weeks ago & she has recently opened up her own online business, at the age of 16...how incredible is that! :) I asked Bethany if she'd like to feature on a post for me, to help promote Loving Dot. She was up for it so after exchanging a few emails we had a blog post ready. I really hope you enjoy it, here goes....

 Hello, I am Bethany Wood. I am 16 and currently at college studying graphic design. I blog over at www.fairybetty.co.uk and have just opened a online accessories shop... www.lovingdot.co.uk. I love dogs, cats, all things retro in style, tea and chocolate biscuits.

Meet Bethany

1. What made you decide to create loving dot as a little newborn company?

I have always wanted to own a shop and when I stated my graphic design course at college I realised it was what I wanted to do. I decided I wanted to turn my hand drawn designs into useful products for lovely ladies of all ages and with a lot of love and hard work loving dot was born. 

2. What's the meaning behind the company name? 

I wanted to make the name personal to me so our name is based on my family dog a jack Russell cross Dot. She is rather cute and although she is a jack Russell know for having short legs hers are huge and she runs like a whippet.

3. How do you plan to balance work, college, family & friends?

It's always a tricky one although loving dot is what I want to do for the rest of my life and I want nothing more than to make it a success I HAVE to put college first and get my qualifications. It's my intention to go to university but loving dot will be going with me I have no doubt about that. The last few months friend and family have took a back seat :'( I am hoping that I will get into the swing of it and have more time but my family are very understanding and help me lots. I use my college time to socialise with my friends and always leave a few hours a week to meet up with them! It's very important in my opinion whenever I speak to self employed people they always say the only downside is the lonely feeling. But I don't have that problem I guess you could say I have the best of both worlds!

4.  What kind of products can we expect to see in the future from loving dot?  

Oo you can definitely expect nail transfers and pin badges in the very very near future so keep your eyes pealed and keep checking our website www.lovingdot.co.uk I also hope to bring tote bags, greetings cards and posters.

You can always stay tuned via our social networking accounts:

Twitter: @lovingdot

Instagram: @loving_dot

Pinterest: loving dot

♥

I'd like to say a massive thank you to Bethany for allowing me to do a blog post about her new little business. At the age of 16 I think Bethany is very inspiring & hopefully has a successful future infront of her. It wouldn't be right promoting Bethany & not actually supporting Bethany's store so I purchased two pocket mirrors. One for myself & another for my mum's friend for her daughter as a gift. Both of us are highly delighted. I would definitely recommend & suggest that you watch this space too. I mean who doesn't love unique products, I'd much rather go independent store than high street. Here is the mirror I purchased....

It'd be lovely if you sent Bethany some love & checked out her store. I don't think any of you lovely ladies will be disappointed. Adorable items, at very affordable prices. Be sure to let me know if you check out her store & if you make any purchases too.

Thanks again to Bethany & thanks to you for reading.
- Anna ♥

My Driving Journey - Lesson 54

Happy Monday to you! :)
Is that even a saying? well it is now..I've just created it.
Will I use it again? who knows!

Mondays here on a whole lot of chitty chat mean one thing....
a driving update, woohoo!

Tuesday 14th January
I don't actually have much to say about this lesson, it was pretty much just a drive around less. Nothing went wrong, it was pretty average. Well I think that has been the shortest I have wrote an update...did I just hear you sigh in relief? hehe..I don't blame you. But brace yourself, I do have a bit of waffle to add in the end. :)

♥

I was meant to have two lessons this week but on Friday I had the worst stomach pains (thanks mother nature, we can talk about mother nature here right...we are all girls after all..& a few boys maybe? sorry boys!) so I cancelled this one lesson because I was awake during the night & I knew full well I wouldn't be able to keep comfortable sat in a car so I gave this one a miss. So I gave one lesson a miss, so what! I know it isn't the end of the world & I know it doesn't really matter. What matters is that I managed a whole fifty four lessons without having to cancel any. Am I going to go ahead with my lesson tomorrow as planned? Ohhhh yes! So until next week....

Thanks for reading & joining me on my journey.
- Anna ♥

p.s. I am going to be posting another post straight after this one about a new company called Loving Dot.

Little health related update

Since I started my blog to share my thoughts, to let them all out. I'm all for speaking out, instead of keeping things bottled in. A problem shared is a problem halved, if you ask me. I thought I'd do an update of how things are with my lovely buddy anxiety & what better time to do it than when I've had my review at the doctors.

I don't have CBT anymore & I'm pleased with my progress. Yes, I have bad days but you just have to ride them out & speak about them. I always find speaking out helps, hence why I do so alot on my blog & in real life too. I've been on my tablets for about a year now, I take one a day. On days when I have driving & I'm really busy getting ready for the day I actually sometimes debate if I have taken my tablet or not, so I guess you could say I don't feel like I rely on them. Luckily the tablets are in weekly strips so I do know if I have taken them. I have another review in 6 months time & then hopefully this time next year, I will be off of tablets all together....woohoo! A lot of people do refuse tablets & any kind of help but both tablets & CBT have really helped me & I'm slowly getting my life back together.

♥

Since I think it is healthy to speak openly about your worries & things that have affected you I thought I'd share my little story about what else happened at the doctors. Whilst I was there I mentioned that I found a lump (in my boob), even typing this right now feels slightly weird in a way. I mean do you really want to know about this? Well I'm telling you now anyway.... But I did the done thing & got it checked out, it is luckily nothing....just fatty tissue (too much info?). We all have health scares & related issues so why not talk about them. Most lumps & bumps can be nothing to worry about but it is always best to get checked out. This is actually the reason I decided to create the CoppaFeel post because breast cancer affects so many peoples lives, just like any kind of illness really but I find we don't openly speak about it. But if we did, then situations wouldn't be so scary. So here I am telling you my story about that.

The nurse said I did the right thing to get myself checked, she said something that really stuck in my head actually. She said a lot of people find something & just ignore it, bury it in the sand & push it to the back of their minds. We shouldn't do that, we should always go to the doctors & get checked because like the nurse said if it is something it wont get better without help & treatment. Would we ignore a hole in our trousers?

I suppose aswell this post is a little friendly note to say that if you do have something you're worried about, don't be afraid to go to your doctors & get it checked out. I was absolutely petrified & I automatically thought the worst, I think I'm more cautious of breast cancer since my mum was diagnosed with it last year. But I thought to myself, it is completely normal to be petrified & I think that feeling is more around because not many people openly speak about illnesses. That is why I speak openly & hope that one day more people will. So please if you are worried, go to your doctors & speak about it with someone too. Remember, a problem shared is a problem halved. Nobody should have to face anything alone.

♥

Did you catch my latest post about the charity CoppaFeel?
Click here to go over, educate yourself about the charity & get to know those boobies of yours too, please.

♥

If you read this post, thanks. I love being part of such a lovely supportive community, I feel like I'm gaining some great friendships through blogging so I'd just like to say thank you so much! I feel friendships blossoming & my self esteem rising.

- Anna ♥

Sit Down Sunday - 19th January 2014

Hello you :)

thanks for popping by, I hope you're all having a lovely weekend..a little break from work & school. I'd love it if you got involved in the comments & let me know what has been good about your week...what you've enjoyed, what has made you smile, what has made you laugh, what has made your week!

♥

My list for this week, I mean we all love a good list right? (Michelle, I'm especially looking at you..you list lover!) Since Michelle loves a good list, I'll whack her at the top of this list....

Image taken from Bloglovin'

- being included in Michelle's 'Best Of Blogosphere'
- positive responses from my posts this week
- Finlays imagination, always makes dog walks more adventurous..especially when yesterday we had to avoid the little people in the grass..we were giants & had to listen for them screaming, he is so funny but I wouldn't want to change his imagination!
- early morning fresh air, when the air takes your breath away
- an early birthday present from mum (I picked it), a scarf that feels & looks like a throw, seriously cosy!
- receiving postcards/letters/parcels in the post

Little notes like this make me smile, lovely receiving post

♥

That's my list for this week, please join in & share what has been good about your week in the comments below. I really do love hearing from you.

Thanks for reading.

- Anna ♥

trying my hand at something new....

Ohhh how ironic, I'm trying my hand at something new & that something is actually on my hands..have you figured it out yet? 

I'm giving you all a little nail post (more than likely will turn into a great big longggg waffle, we all love a waffley post, no?), well I suppose you could call it a nail tutorial. Can I just add I've never done one of these before. It might be my first & it might be my last. :)

I love doing my nails, admittedly I do occasionally do them really nice & then end up smudging one flippin nail & get really annoyed, I mean who doesn't though? It is pretty frustrating..

Right I'm going to give this a go & hope for the best, my nail look has an inspiration behind them..all will be revealed at the end. No peeking you! :)

♥

  

Step 1. Get all your gear together, you could say I have all the gear but no idea! (my mum rudely giggled & agreed with this when she checked through the post, shes my proof reader sometimes) :) So to create this look you will need your basics, both your base coat to protect your nails & your top coat to protect your finished nails. For this look I decided I was going to blend/ombre two colours together, those two being a pink & a blue. So since we are mixing/ombreing (even a word) two colours you will need a cosmetic sponge, I use wedged shaped ones. Oh & a form of entertainment, your choice. I choose my ipod, makes waiting times just that bit more bearable. One thing I missed out the photo that you will need is nail varnish remover & cotton buds.

The two colours I've used to create this look are both Barry M. Pink is called Strawberry Ice Cream & the blue one is called Blue Moon. Right so now we've covered everything we need let's get started.

Step 2. Prep your nails..shape them, file them, neaten them all up. A little tip for you all that I recently discovered in my new nail art book (Nail Candy by Donne & Ginny Geer, thank you Ally) I didn't know this before but you should always file one way (from the side of your nail to the middle). Apparently going back & forth can risk you having an uneven shape or could even cause damage to your nails. So once you've prepped, we are now ready to get adding our base colour.

 Step 3. I'd recommend using the blue coat first, I did use the pink & it didn't work out as great as planned. It's all about trial & error, just like most things in life. So add one or two thin layers of blue to get a decent coverage & wait for that to dry, ipod is the best idea to make you wait & not move..meaning your nails wont smudge.

Step 4. Once you're happy with the base colour its time to get the sponge out. You need to paint your two colours next to each other like the picture above. Make sure you put plenty of polish on for an even stronger colour.

Step 5. Next thing to do is dab, dab, dab away. I wanted the pink at the top so I made sure I was dabbing the right end on to the top half of my nail. You might want to wait for it to dry & dab, dab, dab again if it isn't a strong enough colour for you. But wait until it is fully dried to find out. Yes, as you can tell it can be slightly messy, atleast you know you've covered it right? This is when the cotton buds come in handy, put your cotton buds into the nail varnish remover & go all around the outside to neat up the look.

Step 6. Once you've neatened up your look then protect your look with a thin layer of your top coat nail varnish. Tip: I went round my nails again with a cotton bud covered in nail varnish remover to just neaten it up. Now ta da!

The look is complete!

They you have it, my little tutorial to create bubble gum bottle inspired nails. In 6 simple steps, they are pretty simple. Just take your time, be patient & always make sure your nails are dry before you move to the next step. :)

♥

I actually quite enjoyed that, let me know what you think in the comments below. Be honest, I value your opinion ladies :) I'm assuming it'll be the ladies who have stayed for the duration of this post.

Thanks for reading.

- Anna ♥

have you copped a feel?

How often do you hear the word cancer & think 'oh god'. How many people do you hear of that have died from cancer? One thing you don't really hear about are the people who are still living each day, surviving & showing cancer who is boss! Alot of people out there are doing just that, showing it who is boss & kicking ass whilst doing it!

A little message to you

If you yourself or a loved one have kicked cancers ass, I want to say congrats! If you or a loved one are still fighting & kicking its ass, keep on fighting, believe in yourself, you can do it!

♥

This post is just about one kind of cancer, breast cancer....

Have you been coppin' a feel?

Do you often coppafeel?

Do you know what is normal for your boobs?

CoppaFeel is all about making sure we know, check & love our boobs!

I've known about CoppaFeel for over a year now I'd say & I thought I'd dedicate a post to the wonderful charity. CoppaFeel is a charity aimed at young girls from aged 18 - 30 years old, to educate us all about our boobs. 'Knowing your boobs could save your life'. CoppaFeel is UK based & was founded by Kris, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at the young age of 23! Did she take it lying down & let it beat her, no she came back fighting with a kick ass attitude & created CoppaFeel. MASSIVE round of applause to Kris! What an absolute inspiration! 

I'd really love to be able to support & help CoppaFeel as a charity, but right now I'm not really in a great place..anxiety is a beep! It certainly wouldn't allow me to travel to the events, which are a fair distance from me. But in the future I'd absolutely love to be able to help support such a fantastic charity so right now I will do what I can do at a distance. So I decided I'd do a blog post introducing them to you all. So you can get to know your boobie friends. I've bought both a tshirt & a jumper to spread the word a little bit more & support them too. I thought I'd take some photos to show you my top cos we all love a post with pictures in..am I right?

CoppaFeel have also created waterproof stickers for inside your shower. What a great idea! We have one in our shower, why don't you get one in yours?

CoppaFeel have their own website, why not find out more about them by clicking here.

Maybe you could even get involved, educate yourself more & support such a inspiring charity.

♥

After typing this post out I feel like cancer is abit of a touchy subject, but it really shouldn't be should it? So many people out there are battling the illness.

I'm so relieved to have the approval from both Kris & Maren, both from CoppaFeel such lovely girls. Thank you very much! Let's get spreading the word & educating people :)

Thanks for taking your time to read this post.
If you're feeling extra nice today, feel free to share this post with your friends & family. Let's spread the word together & raise awareness.
- Anna ♥

My Driving Journey - Lesson 52 & 53

Monday is upon us, the start of the week..back to manic reality? I'd usually sit & type up my driving post on a Monday but I'm going to try & be organised, ok, ok..I just want to have a go at scheduling a post! :) ..it's the simple things ay :)

So here is how my lessons went this week....

Tuesday 7th January

About half an hour/forty minutes before my lesson I got a text off Sharon to say that she had a hire car & it would be great experience for me to be able to prove to myself that I can drive different kinds of cars. Hers is a diesel, the hire one is a petrol with a much smaller engine & it didn't handle the road as well.

* A little story for you here about me learning to drive in the past, I never had actually lessons until last year. I had been out with my mum in her car. I wasn't a huge fan of the car & neither was mum, she now has a different one. Dad had said we were going to keep the car so I could have it, I didn't really want the car at all. So I said I didn't want to even learn to drive, so we sold the car. The car was a Corsa.... *

So what car did Sharon pull up outside my house in...you've got it, a Corsa. The Corsa is not a patch on Sharons mini, at all. The main point is though that I managed the lesson in the car, even though it wasn't as easy to handle & obviously a completely different car. My lesson today was a 90 minute one & a mock test. I did manage to stall the car a few times..not good but I did manage to recover & set back off safely so all was good there. It doesn't matter if you stall, it's all about controlling it & how you deal with it. I managed to get 4 minors though, how great is that?!

My 4 minors were nothing major, funnily enough..otherwise they would of been majors right? Anyway I'm pretty sure my first minor was because I didn't give an oncoming car their right of way because I felt the gap & the width of the road was wide enough for us both to get through, but the oncoming driver might not of agreed. My second minor was because I didn't signal & move across quick enough coming up to a roundabout. My third minor was when I signalled coming up to a roundabout & I questioned about a junction on the other side of the road but I didn't act on my thought & cancel the signal. My final minor was because I didn't signal to overtake a bike.

Other than the completely different car I felt the test went really well & I was really pleased with myself. :)

♥

Thursday 9th January
Woooohoooo! A manoeuvres kind of lesson..I really enjoy these, is that slightly sad? Oh nevermind :) My lesson today was still in the Corsa until Sharon gets her car back (someone has crashed her car, that is why she currently has a hire car). But obviously again another lesson in a different car than I'm used to is just added experience, which is a bonus of course! I first got to practice a reverse around a corner & I managed to complete it just before a bus arrived. Then I got to practice a 3 point turn, I did have to correct myself because I had turned to straighten up a little bit too early. Afterwards we headed to a car park to practice bay parking, I must of practiced on about 6 different spaces. I feel like my bay parking went really well, along with most of my manoeuvres. Did I stall during this lesson? Yes, only a few times.... Did I stall at the traffic lights? Of course I did, at the most convenient place to stall right.

 ♥

Well then that is my lesson run down. I wonder if any of you are actually still reading this :P haha...well if not I have it for my own little reference too :)

So if you are still reading, thank you. Leave me a comment maybe? :)
- Anna ♥

Sit Down Sunday - 12th January 2014

Good afternoon you, yes you reading this post..hello there! :)

I hope you've had a lovely week & if not I hope next week will improve & be just a little bit better. I created this weekly Sunday post a couple of months ago now, but I really look forward to just sitting down & reflecting on the week. We can all have so much going off that we forget to appreciate the little things that made us smile, things that we enjoyed & things that made our week a little bit more bearable.

♥

Here is a list of the things that I've enjoyed this week....

Image belongs to Michelle over at Life Outside London...how adorable is Betty!

- Betty does blogging - Michelle let one of her little adorable puppies take over her blog, it is hilarious! Betty is such a little cutie & maybe just a tiny little bit mischievous...am I right Michelle? I really hope Michelle decides to let Pete take his paw to blogging too. Really did put a smile to my face & made me laugh out loud. I highly recommend!
- playing downfall with a family friend (pretty much my second mum)
- visiting my grandma
- having a couple of lovely dog walks
- trying my hand at a different style of post (watch this space)
- getting to practice driving in a different car (more on this tomorrow)
- managing to go in to town without going to my parents shop, something I never actually do...small improvements are better than no improvements :)

♥

I think that is pretty much it for this week. Feel free to leave me a comment & let me know what has been good about your week too. I really do love interacting with you.

Thanks for reading.
- Anna ♥

letters from the past, proof how things can change?

Hello there my lovely friend...felt like referring to my blog & readers as my lovely friend, as you do. I am starting to feel like I'm gaining friendships with some of you & it is fantastic! :)

On twitter I mentioned that I found some letters to myself, well to my mind/brain. A few of my followers favourited the tweet so I thought I'd upload them on to here. I had even dated them & put the time on them too. I suppose so I could read back & remember how long ago it was, I'm guessing that was my thinking anyway. So today I have decided to bring those letters to your eyes..to prove to you that things do & can get better. These are fairly personal, nobody has actually seen them..you know so why not throw them out in to the internet. I'm throwing them out there as proof that things can improve, especially when you really feel they can't.

♥

Saturday 23rd June 2012, 2pm
Dear mind/brain, why are you so determined to make me & my body feel so sick. I wake up day after day with the feeling of nausea, sometimes it disappears & fades but it doesn't seem to be long until I realize its back again. Sometimes it is just so strong I can't help but lay down on my bed & want to cry (both to let my frustration & upset out). During the past three years the feeling has been with me, I'd like to think it had gotten easier by now but NO & I'm not used to it, it is STILL in the way. Obviously the normal reaction to feeling so sick is to stay at home, which is what I have done until just gone dinner when I decided I could probably manage to walk into town, oh boy was I wrong. I got half way there & couldn't shake the feeling of nausea or the thought away. It didn't go away, even on my way home. I'm starting to wonder if I'm pushing myself too much. When did it all become so terribly hard? The simple things in life don't seem so simple! Walking to town, travelling in a car, going to the hairdressers & going to the dentists! Why won't this feeling & thought just budge? I eat normal, I drink normal, I don't drink alcohol, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs! But what I do do is worry too much & think too much! One of these days it all has to get a little bit easier, step by step, day by day!!!!

Sunday 24th June 2012, 1.55pm
URRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!
why cant I just lead a normal life, yes nobody leads a perfect life, everyone has problems but seem to manage an average day to day life. Such as going out to work, nipping to the shop or even going out to the seaside for the day. I don't remember the last time I went to the seaside. I'd love to have been able to jump in the car & go to the seaside. The Mend are performing live today at Butlins, Skegness. It would of been a fantastic day & a rememberable experience but once again due to feeling sick I can't really manage a ten minute drive up the road, nevermind a two hour drive. It is making my life so much more harder than it has to be. I'm 20 years old, I'm meant to be enjoying myself, being young & carefree. I'd love to be able to jump in a car or on a train & just go for an enjoyable day out, but I can't concentrate on anything other than this awful strong sick feeling! I miss the days when I could just hang out with friends, go to the cinema or bowling. Those days are long gone & so are the "friends". I have nothing to be worried about but anxiety makes me believe otherwise. When did everything go so horribly wrong?! I know part of life is your meant to do things you don't like but I don't feel like I can physically do it! It is meant to get easier the more you confront it....so when does it seriously get easier?! Eating food is meant to get rid of the feeling but I feel sick if I eat, I feel sick if I don't....feel like I can't win!

♥

As you can tell I obviously wasn't writing my letters with love....I usually end letters with lots of love. Not these letters, I didn't even put my name. I'm really glad that I found these letters actually because recently I've been feeling like I'm not getting anywhere but I'm in a much better place than I was almost 2 years ago, hoooooraayyy! The end of June 2013 I started driving lessons, I clearly couldn't of done that the year before.

♥

I always like to find a suitable image, usually a quote from weheartit & here is my choice for this post....

Image found on weheartit

How true is it really? Life doesn't get any easier, we really do just get stronger. I feel so much stronger now than what I was this time last year. What a difference a year can make. In life nothing has really altered, I've just become stronger & I'm now in a much better place. In my mind set & physically.

I haven't posted this for sympathy of any kind, I have posted this as just a little reminder that things can get better. We can all improve as people & become stronger & handle situations better.

Thanks for reading.

- Anna ♥

My Driving Journey - Lesson 50 & 51

step by step, lesson by lesson.

I'm getting one step closer....

♥

Monday 30th December

The morning of this lesson I really didn't feel great to be honest & I've noticed that if I have a longer gap than usual inbetween my lessons then it's even harder to get back in the car but I did it..can I get a woop woop? No, okay then :) To top it off aswell the weather was rain & wind, woooo! My lesson today involved going to the next town & I got to practice a few more roundabouts & different junctions. Then I got to practice driving around some housing estates that I had been around before which could be the test route they take me on. The word test used to really scare me but good news is now I'm alot calmer about it.

Friday 3rd January 2014

My second lesson this week should of been on Thursday at 9am but Sharon (my instructor) had to change & rearrange, we rearranged for Friday instead at wait for it.....8.15am....yes you read that right 8.15AM! Admittedly I thought I would struggle but I didn't at all, I was up way before. My body seems to be good at getting up without an alarm too, which I love. I thought my lesson today was a manoeuvres kind of less, I was wrong...it was a drive around one. Don't get me wrong I do enjoy all of my lessons anyway. I got to practice a few of the bigger roundabouts & drove around a few other housing estates that I hadn't been around too.

♥

Well, that's my lesson rundown of the week (well last week but you get me). Feel free to leave me a comment about what you think to my driving journey. I love hearing from you!

Thanks for reading.

- Anna ♥

Sit Down Sunday - 5th January 2014

Ooohhhh, 2014 & is upon us..Admittedly I did just write 2013 in the post title, opppsiee! If I haven't said it to you already happy new year to you! Also if you are new here, welcome to a whole lot of chitty chat. Get yourself comfy with a drink of your choice & relax. Feel free to get involved in the comments on all posts, I love hearing from allsorts of different people. Don't be a stranger, feel free to come back again :)

♥

I'll get on with the post now, what has been good about this week. Yes, it might also be known to you I've felt like I'm going back downhill but we aren't focusing on that in this post..We are focusing on the positive things about this week.

WOOOOHOOOO!!!!

photo taken from my own instagram

- creating my own mugs (see above & at the end) like Miss Jojangles did here
- receiving an early birthday parcel, thanks Ally :)
- spending time with family
- acting out the "I've been expecting you" scene
with my god mums dog on my lap
- blogging community & the lovely girls that come with it
- Miranda box set, enough said
- Miranda Harts maracattack, oh my! Might even do a separate blog post on this
- receiving the photos I ordered, my frames will no longer have the piece of paper with the size of photo it will fit in

photo taken from my own instagram

Soooo, as you can tell I was slightly impressed..okay, massively impressed with the lovely Miss JoJangles tutorial. I decided to get a different shaped mug (this one is the one that Miss JoJangles used, I think..if not Wilkinsons have a few similar) & I thought I'd customize it to be a funny little thing but also a memory. So that is why I've added my blog url & when the blog was born too.

Have you already done a project similar?

Let me know in the comments & be sure to tell me what has been good about your week too.

Thanks for reading.

- Anna ♥

I'm only human, no robots here..

WARNING: IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN IN A HAPPY MOOD, DO NOT READ OR READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! I DON'T WANT TO DAMPEN NO MOODS :)

♥

Okay, so now you've been warned let's carry on shall we?

Recently, as in the past couple of days maybe..feels like weeks, really isn't. I feel like I'm starting to sound like Miranda (I totally haven't watched too much of it..hehe, laughing is good for us yes?) I've felt like I'm going downhill, going downhill isn't a good thing surely? I'm a strong believer of talking it out, if you talk it out & get it off your chest it is more than likely going to make you feel so much better about the situation. So since I turn to my blog to write how I'm feeling, here goes....

feels like the story of my life...image found on weheartit

I think, actually no I know why I feel the why I do.. It's because of the festive period, yes damn you Christmas & New Years....I'm kidding, but that is why I'm feeling like I am. All routines go out the flipping window, goodbye actually having a routine..hello messed up sleeping pattern & messed up days spent doing nothing but lounging about. Anyone else feel like this? Surely I can't be alone..can I?

The end of the year before Christmas made me feel like I was doing soooo well with managing my anxiety, attempting to get into a routine. But now I just feel so much like I'm slipping downhill fast & I don't like it..not one bit! I don't have a permanent job I can call my own. Yes, I help my parents out at their shop (I am soooo grateful) but I really want more independence & a job to call my own, that I worked for & gained on my own...not only giving me independence but hopefully that would boost my confidence too. But part of me is like how on earth will I cope with that? & another part of me has no clue what so ever what I actually want to do. I really need to be able to earn a living, not just exist. I need to be able to pay for stuff myself, nothing in life comes free at all. I feel so hopeless right now....oh, aren't I a cheery one today... 3rd day in to a new year & I'm like one happy bunny, no, no I'm really not...sarcasm is not cool.

I just thought I'd write this because like I said my blog is somewhere for me to express myself & it'll just prove to you all I'm not some kind of upbeat positive robot, I'm only human...we all are. We all have emotions & feelings, don't hold them back & suffer in silence. Speak out how you are feeling. It will lift such a weight of your shoulders, no promises there obviously but I'd hope it would for you.

Always remember....

Image found on weheartit

Yes, admittedly we can have many bad days in a row but it isn't a bad life. Always try & look for the positive things in life, the little things in life can mean so much & can boost your mood just that little bit. After feeling so mehhh today I decided to take myself off out, I managed to walk to my godmums to drop off a few cards & one of my books she wanted to read..whilst there I got to spend time with my family & her super cute dog who quite happily sat on my lap...I actually sat on one of her chairs that spun around & did the whole I've been expecting you....pretty sure it's from Austin Powers, could be wrong. Don't hold me to it :)

If you decided to read this, thank you to you my friend.
I hope you are all having a good day & you know what,
if you aren't that's okay too.
- Anna ♥

WOWZAS....is it an error?

Yesterday when sorting out my drawer I came across one of my notebooks, inside it was my old blog website. I used to blog on wordpress before I joined blogger, I decided to keep that blog open just incase I didn't enjoy blogger or if I couldn't get the hang of it..

The rest is clearly history cos I'm loving blogger & I've totally got the hang of it. But my curious side got the better of me so I thought I'd check out my old blog. To find this....

WWWWWHHHHAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTT?!?!?!?!?!?!

What on earth is going on there?! On my old blog which the last time I posted on was in May seems to have 315 followers via email? I decided to create a post with an update for those who might be actually following me via email....the whole 315 of them?! & again....WHATTTTTTT?!?!?!?!

That is crazyyyyy, I'm seriously so happy & shocked! Can it be right?! If it is thank you very much every single one of you..If it isn't then I don't know what to say other than wordpress...you've messed up! shocking!

I thought I'd post this & give anyone a chance to just leave a comment if you happen to be one of those 315 followers who have now moved from the old one.

This is crazzzzzzyyyyyyyyy!

As always, thanks for reading.

- Anna ♥