January Life Update; I broke a goal /resoluation all ready!

Hi Readers,

My new year hasn't got off to the greatest of starts. I've had a bad head cold which took an age to clear up but then I had a really bad allergic reaction to something and that's made me super ill. I'm still recovering from that now, I'm glad I'm feeling better to start writing again too.

So, if you have't guessed by this post's title and the above photo, I broke my goal about not buying books! It happened a few days after that post was published and my mum had an offer at a discount book place, so I got all these books without thinking about it. Now, I'm determined to stay on track.

All the books but one are non-fiction. The fiction one is an anthology of dark stories that looked interesting. There are two plants and stars books as I've always had an interested in space and a wanting to know more. Then a sewing book which will be handy for work! The patterns are pull outs and the instructions so easy. The last three books are mental health connected; dealing with stress, anxiety and insomnia.

My book shelves are way over flowing my my current reading list far too long, so no more books for me! I better get busy reading!

Moving on, I wanted to share my new dice bags and dice for Dungeons and Dragons. I wanted to get a soft treasure chest that was actually a mimic monster and it was so cute, but I could only get it from America and it was out of stock almost everywhere and the two I did find had expensive postage, so it wasn't worth it.

I came across these bags on Etsy and really loved them, they are soft and fit in over a hundred dice! I couldn't decided if I liked the witch one or the dice one better, so I got both and I loved the unicorn neon dice too. I've not had a chance to show them off at the club yet as I've been too ill to go, but hopefully soon. 

This post is going to be short today as I'm all ready on the last thing I wanted to write about and that's knitting - again!

I've not been doing much these passed few weeks I've been ill. That sleeping bag I started knitting I've had to give to my mum to finish as I just felt I'd had enough of knitting it, which is how I get with stuff that is big and takes a long time to knit. So, I've got smaller projects to move on to now. 

First though, here's a photo of me wearing the new jumper my mum had just finished making. I originally brought this wool to make into a blanket. I liked the colours and thought it would make like a nice lap blanket but then I found a pattern for a jumper I really liked and my mum decided this wool would be better for that. I'm glad she did as it turned out really well! It's warm and soft, snugly too but it's not too hot or colourfully for me.  

Next, here's more wool! It's not been brought recently though. Got three more projects with this lot lined up now. The small colourful balls, I plan to try and make fish out of. I found this link below on how to turn knitted squares into cute fish and I want to give it ago. Knitting squares takes me right back to learning how to knit too!  

Making a fish;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08OcTEqnN6k&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=05012019_howto_youtubefish

The blue and yellow balls on the right are going to be baby jackets. The wool knits into a pattern and turns into cute little flowers! So my simple knitted jackets should look like I've done more hard work! The last lot is the blue and coloured strips at the bottom, I plan to make that into a baby blanket as its really soft and fluffy.

I've also got some little mice to knit too and some pompom animals to make! Plus, some bags to sew too, so I got lots to keep me going over the next few months. I'll be sharing updates and finished things on here, so keep an eye out of them!

Closing this post today is a photo of my dog, Patch. I was tidying up and just tossed her bedding which was all over the floor on to her bed and thus then happened! She does look super cosy in her blanket fort!

Thanks for reading, till next time!

(All photos belong to me). 

January Life Update; My Goals For 2019

Goals for 2019

1. I would like to give this good happenings jar idea ago. 

I plan to dig out one of the jars I like to stock pile for crafts and paint or us Sharpies on it to 'Good Things' on it. Then I'll leave some sticky notes next to it and try to write something once a week.

2. Don't buy anymore books! 

This one is going to be so hard and I've tried twice to do this now. Last year and a few years back and I've failed both times. Books to me are like shoes or/and handbags or/and clothes to most women. I find it really hard not to buy to add to a series, or author collection or because its one of my favourite genres. This year though, I've put together two book shelves of new and books I want to re-read and due to the number and size of some of them it'll take more then a year to read them all, so I should be fine and NOT need to buy another book!

3. Read 60 books

I always set a goal of reading so many books a year. In 2018 it was my normal 50, I think I read 52. In 2017, I read a 100, but I didn't really. This year, I'd like to try for 60 and see if I make it. You can follow my progress over on Goodreads.

4. Spend less time on social media 

I've been realising that I've been spending lot of time - mostly in the morning, evenings and night times - scrolling through Facebook for no real reason. I never use to do this but ever since I got my Iphone and access to lots of apps, it's become something of a habit. It's nice to see what my friends are up to and read website posts, but I end up scrolling and scrolling for an hour or more, not actually taking in what I'm seeing. The silly thing is that not a lot changes in from morning to evening, so I see the same things over. I plan to ease myself off it and every time I go on to only spend a few minutes there. Hopefully, that'll help break the addiction.

5. Lose weight - Swim more 

Always a challenge for me, but I keep trying! I love swimming and find it very relaxing.

6. Make items to sell online 

I did attempted this a few years back and it didn't work. This time I'm going to sell on Ebay and make baby things.

7. Save money

This needs to happen to fund all kinds of things.

8. Connect more with friends

I've always found it hard to keep friendships. I'd like to try bit more now and spend time meeting up with old university friends and others from my childhood.

9. Write in diary everyday

Haha! A great challenge, though I do try to make sure something guess writing in my diary everyday. It's nice to have a record of things and it helps my bad memory remember. Also a good stress relief! 

10. Find a new job

Been my goal for over a year and a half now. Still trying!

11. Go to London and Harry Potter World 

This was a thing I wanted to do last year for my 30th birthday with my boyfriend but due to timings - we were going on holiday in Cornwall too close to the days we wanted to go. Also, lack of money and not realising how early you had to book HPW, we didn't go. This year, we are all ready making the plan and looking at booking and saving money. So hopefully we can go! 

12. Do more sewing / arts and crafts

I've sort of fallen out of liking doing stuff like this last year. I'm really big into knitting at the moment but with sewing and other craft stuff not really, I guess because I do it for work with kids and I do like research and practice stuff for them but I'd like to make a few things as birthday presents for people and small things for myself too. Maybe to sell as well.

13. Get engaged ? 

Last goal on my list. Though it's questionable if it will happen this year. I'd like my boyfriend to ask me to marry him and we've had many talks about it. I know he's saving up for a ring and he's suggest this year at some point but if and when who knows?


What are you goals for the year? Please share them in the comments.

Thanks for reading, till next time. 

January Life Update; Welcome 2019!

Hi readers and welcome to a new year!

I'm currently full of a cold which I've had mildly for awhile but it seems to have turned into a bad cold now. Plus, I've been sleeping on the sofa and not been getting much sleep. Family have been staying over and sorting my old bunk bed out was too much for me.

At least my dog, Patch, in the photo above has been cosy in her bed with her new soft penguin toy.

Christmas and New Year for me has been full of family, fun, food and busy activity. We've had our normal 3 day Christmas and then I went over to my boyfriend's and had a second Christmas. I spent new year's at his then come back and joined my family for a homemade Chinese fest. I got lots of awesome Christmas presents too!

On Christmas Eve we had another year of wearing crazy hats whilst playing board games and doing the present lucky dip. Here's me wearing one of the favourite hats of the night.

It's hard for me to pick the best present I got, must my stuff is still half packed up or stacked up as I've not had time to sort much out. Not in the mood either. Below, is one of the presents my boyfriend got me. He has been into Warhammer and 40K again for a good few months now and we have been playing battles against each other with his different armies. 

My favorite is the Nurgle. At first, I wasn't keen on them and I found them about gross but they have grown on me and I feel I have a good connection with them now, mostly due to being ill and Nurgle like to share illness with everything.  

I've been bugging my boyfriend for a Beast of Nurgle for awhile now because they are like big puppies. I got to design it myself, and mine doesn't look like the one on the box. I've to paint it now and when I've done, I'll post it up.    

Another of my presents were some balls of soft, super fine, mohair wool which I was going to make a knit snood out of but my mum did it instead whilst I was away. Having seen the wool and finished snood, I'm not sure I could have knitted it as it's really fine and I'm not good with anything less then double knit. With more wool left, I might give it a go at some point.    

In my last post of 2018, I should my current knitting project which was a colourful scarf made out of 100% pure wool from Norway, see photo below. I finished it around Christmas eve and it turned it really well. It's super long and warm! Though the winter weather in in the middle of England has been mild so far. I've been feeling too hot due to medicine side effects too. 

My current knitting is finishing off another patterned wool baby blanket. I still have a neon colourful baby jacket to complete too but it's taking forever and I've not had the motivation for it. 

My mum has now started me off on another thing, which is a super chunky sleeping bag. It was meant to be a mermaid/fish tail sleeping bag/blanket and she knitted one for my brother's girlfriend and it turned out great. I didn't fancy the fish tail though but the sleeping bag was prefect for using when I'm at at my PC. So, mum's done the top rib and I just need to knit the rest of it now.     

So after those three projects, I have another lined up! I want to make four of these 'square' dog soft toys below. One for myself, one each for my two brothers and one to give to my best friend's baby for her first birthday. Making this dog will be a huge step in my knitting as this will be my first teddy toy. I've made a knitted baby cube, but this will be different and I get to work with blending two different wools together too! I'm looking forward to getting going on this soon! 

Last knitted thing to share is this awesome sheep my mum made! He is so warm and fluffy, made out of the same wool as my scarf. The big story here though is that 29 years ago my mum made a sheep like this one, only he was a bit bigger and I called him Baa. I still have him, though he is in a right state! When I do some tidying, I'll dig him out and do a side by side photo of old Baa and new Baa.  

I've been also colouring a lot over the holiday. I got two sets of colouring pencils and both have been really good. I'm not great at creating 3D effects and shading - it's actually connecting to my learning disabilities and the way I see things. I don't think bad art should put anyone off and you don't have to show it to anybody, it's enjoying it that counts the most. I thought I would share on my recent colouring, though I not that happy with the hair but it was a good practise. 

I've also been playing lots of games with my family and we played a new one my younger brother got called Ticket To Ride. I had heard of it before but didn't realise how easy it was to play! It can't take me awhile sometimes to get into new games and remember the basic rules, but with Ticket you just have to build railway tracks. It was lots of fun, my mum won and I'm hoping we can play again soon!

Lastly, I wanted to share this website with you that sales jewellery and other things to support animals. They have a page were they give items away for free and just charge postage. I have ordered lots of things over the years and have only had one issue with missing items but I was refunded and also sent the item. They have good customer service, though shipping to the UK takes forever! It's worth waiting as the necklaces are so nice.   

https://www.helpinganimalsatrisk.com/collections/free-animal-jewelry?fbclid=IwAR3Pkwzydpe4xAfNXQW5LRX7W01pwmheotOQfg38F44c0kze-20svlmaR54


(Photos from Facebook, Amazon or my own).