On starting a New Year.

I have always been a big fan of New Year's. It always feels like a great excuse to start afresh, leave some things behind and look toward the future. Last year taught me so much personally. It pushed me harder than ever before, and forced me to really consider my own mental health and to listen to my body when it was telling me I needed to make some changes. I am so glad I reached out for help, and found ways to help myself cope with higher levels of stress. Towards the end of the year, I came across a job opportunity quite by accident and thought I should apply. A few days later I was invited to an interview, and then a 2nd interview. After a slightly anxious wait over the days that followed, I was offered the position and had to hand in my notice. It was a huge decision for me; I loved the team in my previous role and they had been so flexible with me during all the family changes and the sickness period we had from November onwards. Starting a new role has been daunting and quite intensive as we've had several meetings, and met up for a full day of training last week to try and understand the programme as it is a brand new team for a new youth project. My head has been spinning slightly, and it did trigger a migraine which thankfully happened in an evening and Tom was home so I could just go to bed! Things will settle down now as I start to do tasks and wrap my head around the role, but I am very grateful to have found something that is equally flexible and I know they understand the implications of having small children around! This is going to be a great fresh start for us, and it should hopefully see us through until at least Finn starts school, which is something I can't begin to think about right now!! 

Work trip to Belfast

We started off this year by getting the house back into order. I realise now that the weeks of sickness we endured between us led us to neglect some of our space, especially our bedroom, as we just didn't have the surplus energy to stay on top of things. We spent a whole day (in-between naps for the boys!) getting organised, setting up my desk space and putting things away. I felt ready to put away the Christmas decorations and just have some space back. I've worked hard all week to stay on top of everything instead of letting things pile up, and it has helped make our home feel much more peaceful. This weekend we did even more organising; I had to sort through all the boys clothes and moved Zach up to the next size which means we have a huge bag of donations and I listed a bunch of stuff on Vinted. I also went through my books and have sold a box of those through a re-selling scheme (I buy most of my books 2nd hand). This year I really want to simplify, so my plan is to tackle one room at a time and see what things we can sort through and find things we might not need anymore. 

For the past few months I've been watching a lot of YouTube content that is looking at the massive overconsumption that is all over social media, and it has really caused me to reflect on the ways I can be so easily influenced by things I see online. I have known for a while that having breaks from scrolling also takes me away from tempation of seeing things that people have bought or are trying to sell. I can see how much the 'trends' and 'viral' products are especially influencing young girls, and how expensive a lot of the products are, but they feel the pressure to want to be part of that. I think things like elaborate skincare routines are especially dangerous for younger people because their skin doesn't need it, and I worry about the long-term effects of that. A lot of the content that's pushed to me is around 'shopping hauls,' 'restocks,' 'make-up hauls,' and 'home decor,' all of which make you feel the need for more. Now that I am reading a lot more frequently, I find new content of 'book hauls,' and recommendations which can also lead me to grab another book to add to my 'to be read' pile.

A part of simplifying is also looking at what I spend my money on, and really focussing on what is necessary. That for me means doing what I can to escape that kind of content that can leave you feeling inadquate, or that fuels the desire for more. Having used skincare and make-up for many years now, I know the things that work for me and I want to stick to using those rather than being pushed to try something new. I have very sensitive skin (as do the boys), so I have found products that don't irriate me and I am going to stick to those. For Christmas I received a range of Aveeno oat skincare products and a set of Tropic skincare. Both of those ranges have been so good for my skin, so those will be repeat purchases. Other ranges that work well for me are Weleda, Simple and The Body Shop - I use those mainly for bath and shower products as they are all kind to my skin. I love Body Shop products for my hair as well, but I've ended up sharing a lot of that with Tom as it's also good for his beard! My plan is to use up what I have and don't try anything new because I don't need it.

I have always been a person who values experiences more than 'things,' so we have thought about some of the experiences we'd like to have this year, and want to put our resources into those things instead of bringing more toys and such into the house. We have a pot set aside for trips to the local soft play, and we gratefully received annual passes for the aquarium again which means we can go there as often as we'd like. Tom and I would like to go to a few more Belfast Giants (Ice hockey) games, and I'm sure there will be plenty of other local events cropping up throughout the year. To me, the times we spent together having fun and making memories are way more important than having fancy stuff, so that is going to my focus this year, as well as adding whatever we can to savings. 

Coming up in 2025

This week I joined an online session as part of my book club which was a chance to make a 'vision board.' I can't remember if I've made one before, but I found it so helpful to think about the year ahead and what I wanted it to look like. The words and scenes I was drawn to were things like comfort, peace, and cosy, and a lot of what I pictured was centred around being at home. It helped me see that I want to really embrace being home and creating a peaceful atmosphere within it. I want to enjoy slow days, especially at the weekend, where we can spent time together outdoors at parks, the beach or our favourite nature spots and come home to make a nice roast dinner and curl up with a book. I am going to join an in-person book club too which I am looking forward to and I really want to stick to that commitment, as it is so hard to meet new people at this stage in life, but I think it would be so good for me - especially if I know we have a common interest at the outset. I'd also like to start a simple book journal which will allow me to track what I've read and what my thoughts were - the beauty of book clubs is that they boraden your horizons and get you to read things you might not naturally choose. This year I want to read 40 books - last year I managed 25 which I was quite pleased with! 

Soon we will celebrate Zach's first birthday, which is actually making me feel very emotional...I can't believe my baby bear is almost a year old. He is just the most wonderful, loving, laid-back boy and he has brought so much joy to our life. I am excited to have a special party at home for him, and I've gathered most of the decorations for the theme which I will share after! We decided to get him a special teddy and some nice little outfits, but otherwise we will probably focus on saving money for future outings as I mentioned above. 

Then what follows is the biggest event of the year...our wedding is very fast approaching! Most of the planning is done, but there are a few things I want to focus on over the coming weeks. Next week we have time set aside for planning, and Tom has a plan for going suit shopping. I know everything will come together and we still have plenty of time, but every now and then I have a moment of panic about it in case I've forgotten something major! We have decided on where we want to go for our honeymoon and we just need to lock-in the dates. It will be simple and quiet which is just what we want. We can't wait to have everyone gathered with us and to celebrate together. I'm excited for the boys to finally meet everyone from England, and to see them in little suits! 

For now, I want to make our meal plan for the week and then begin my 2nd book of the year which is 'Moon Sister' by Lucinda Riley. The Seven Sisters has been the best series I've read, it is just brilliant and I can't wait to get stuck into the next one! 

Love, Sarah x

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On preparing for change.

And just like that, our first Christmas as a 'three' has come and gone. Plus, my first birthday as a mummy! We had a wonderful, albeit busy, time with family visiting from England and it was special to celebrate it together as it was the first Christmas without our Gran. We have already taken down the decorations so we can spend the next few days quietly resting. Which is now more important than it was a few days ago as we have both been struck with whatever virus is going round & we are trying to protect the baby from catching any form of it. As we look ahead to a new year, I always like to take time out to reflect and to think about what is to come, so this seemed like the perfect time to do that. 

For us, 2022 was the year that gave and took away. We found out early on that I was pregnant so that of course changed the trajectory of everything. I remember sitting down the first week of January getting so organised, writing goals |& thinking of what I wanted to achieve, only to throw them out the window two weeks later. From then, I ended up having to change my job unexpectedly in March which was a huge cause of stress, followed by our landlord sending us a WhatsApp message (!) to say she was selling the house right after we had confirmed that we were going to stay another year. With 3 major things happening at once, it felt like everything was up in the air & I didn't know how we'd get through it. Thankfully, by the time we had our first scans and follow ups, we knew everything was fine with the baby, I settled in to my two new part-time jobs and we moved to a house much more suitable to welcome a newborn. 

The stress began to subside slightly once we had finally unpacked & settled into the house & we had our next scan to find out the gender. In the summer, we were able to travel back to England to catch-up with everyone & to have my baby shower. It was such a special time for Tom to finally be able to meet more of my family and friends & sadly it would be the last time I was able to see Gran in person. We were visiting during a heatwave, so being quite pregnant in 30+ degree heat was not an easy experience & we were pretty glad to get back to a much cooler NI! That was really our only break all year so we hope next year to be able to plan a little holiday as paternity leave did not count as rest!

As I wrote recently, Finn arrived 12 days late but he was perfect nonetheless. Since then, we have been enjoying parenthood & watching him grow & change every day. We got through his first vaccinations which I found harder than he did & his next ones are around the corner. We also had a surprise visit to A&E with him due to a high temperature but thankfully everything was fine & he handled it like a champ! Just a few weeks ago, after her quite rapid decline, we lost Gran. Navigating that loss from a distance, whilst juggling the highs & lows of motherhood & ever-changing hormones has been very challenging for me. It has been so many juxtaposing emotions at once. Such a picture of the realities of life. 

Change is on the horizon again, so I thought now would be the perfect time for me to switch off social media for a while & focus on the here & now. In a couple of weeks, I will be returning to one of my jobs, which admittedly is much sooner than I would've imagined, but it is something I have to do. I am very grateful that my employers are being so accommodating & flexible. It also gives me motivation to focus on establishing a routine with Finn & getting him used to spending time with other people. I've also signed us up to a couple of classes to join together which I think will be good for both of us. We will do everything we can to make our new routine work for us - but the stress of finances is something we don't want hanging over us any more - so as a family we are working hard to eliviate some of that. 

One of the major things I learnt about myself after having Finn was how much I love being home & making it a space that is comforting for us all & is somewhere we can thrive & feel safe. Due to that, we have decided in the new year to rearrange the house to make it more functional for all of us. I am spending time looking for furniture & paint colours that will help us create a small home office & make our spare bedroom into Finn's bedroom for when he moves into his bigger bed in a few months. This will also free up some space in our living room to make it more suitable for guests & give more room for Finn to move about in. He is growing so quickly & I really want to spend time organising his clothes & toys so it feels a bit less haphazard. We have nowhere near enough storage for all the beautiful gifts he was showered with this Christmas! I'm excited for a project to focus on, I think it will be a positive way to start the new year!

Overall, 2022 had some high highs and some low lows but as always, we come out stronger because of it. We have the excitement of watching our boy grow, learn & experience new things & the things we have been through together have brought us so much closer together as a family unit. I couldn't be more grateful to have the support that I do & to have a partner who encourages, listens, communicates, cares & loves as well as he does. Our time together is the most precious thing in the world to me right now & we will strive to find a balance that works for us this year. 

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year. Sending peace & love x

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On welcoming a new year.

I think most of us are wondering where 2020 disappeared to after how long it felt whilst we were enduring it. Of course, the New Year doesn't bring the same sense of fresh hope that it might do normally. We begin 2021 in a similar strict lockdown to what we experienced in March and that brings that same sense of anxiety, fear and confusion that we've felt throughout this pandemic. I have always loved New Years, a chance to reflect back on what has been and hope for what might be and whilst I haven't made a list of resolutions this time - I've tried to pause and think of the things that helped me during the first part of last year. 

Since I no longer had such a long commute, I did enjoy the extra evening time to spend experimenting with cooking. I think it was reading Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist that made me see cookery as a form of poetry. When I am in the right headspace, I find cooking to be the most relaxing hobby. (Maybe because it can be so organised and you follow a list, two things my brain loves!) I loved experimenting with new recipes and finding things to try and mix it up a bit. I recognise I am only cooking for an audience of two, myself included, so that affords me a bit of luxury to see it as a fun activity rather than a chore. I took a couple of extra days off after the holidays, which I am very glad I did, as I spent some time going through cookbooks, meal planning, creating shopping lists and then today went and bought all the ingredients we would need. It feels good to start off the year with that level of preparedness, and I did manage that for some (not all!) of last year. For the next few months we will be cutting down on carbs and snacks as we were a little too kind to ourselves in that department last year. As I write this, I can smell leek and potato soup bubbling away for dinner tonight!

I have been using the Pinch of Nom cookbooks which have given me some great tips on reducing fat in recipes but not losing the flavour - some of the new meals I'll attempt in the coming weeks will be from their newest edition - Quick & Easy. I also did a lot of baking and will try to cut down on that until I find some healthier treats! I had fun experimenting with bread which I would like to continue and now only make pancakes with Soda Bread flour because they are so fluffy and good! For my baking experiments I used Jane's Patisserie and soon learnt that it is much better to use higher quality ingredients such as Belgian chocolate as everything tastes a bit richer and yummier! 

Walking was my other saving grace. Quite often I would use that time to call home or to leave voice notes for friends whilst I processed whatever was going on in my mind. Just getting outside and saying hello to people walking their dogs was usually enough to help brighten my days. Of course, I am very lucky to live so close to the sea and I regularly walked the same circuit. It's a great way to practice mindfulness and take in all the nature around you. I visit our local National Trust whenever I can get a ticket and never get tired of walking around there. My favourite time to go out is a little bit before sunset when it is quite chilly but I can watch the sun go down. 
I joined a 'talking group' at work which has been such a great space for us to be completely honest with each other, let a few tears go and encourage each other. I have been really grateful for that bit of time to just offload whatever has built up. It is so hard not to be able to do these things face to face and of course screen time is set to stay but it is much better to have it that way than not at all! In that space, I am regularly reminded to be kind to myself, to remember that I am brave, I am loved and it is OK to find this all hard. 

We did a lot of rearranging in the apartment to make it more comfortable for both of us. There was a large dining table in the living room space which had become quite a dumping ground for things I didn't really want to put away anywhere! We brought over Tom's desk and all his gaming gear but this space will double up as a working from home area for me too. I bought some new shelving which is slowly getting filled up and we re-arranged the main bedroom. Having these little tasks to do has been a nice distraction - I am very bad at sitting still, admittedly, but I love having this space to potter around in and do little jobs! I have put a list together of things that would be nice to have in the house so we can tick something off each month. This month, the treat is a new Casserole Pot which means I am definitely 30. 

My main plan for the next few weeks is of course to stay at home and to maintain our health as best we can. That being both physical and mental. Small things that have helped me along the way will stay in my routine - as well as a clean and comfortable home, long bubble baths, taking care of our many, many houseplants, consuming as much tea as is necessary and lots of calls home. Some weeks, I won't be on top of my game and I am learning to be OK with that. What things have helped you during this time? I'd love to know!


Love, S x

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Oh, Night Divine!

I can't believe it's Christmas eve again..where has this year gone?! It's taken much longer this year for me to feel as festive as I normally do. One year whilst I was at University, I secretly decorated my entire bedroom, tree and all - my housemates only found out one by one if they knocked on my door and I let them in. That was a great October. Ha! Alas, this year I was lucky enough to experience Thanksgiving too so I will have had my fair share of turkey by the end of 2013. 

I have just gotten round to the aforementioned sugar cookies, but didn't really have enough time to but 100% effort into the decorating stage. I chose the lovely Gooseberry Patch Recipe as I had the same cutter as the one they used, and I just think their recipes are too darned CUTE. I accidentally made about 1 million cookies but hey ho - it's Christmas! One of them tragically broke in half so I was forced to try it and it was pretty yummy. 

I'm also ready for my annual Christmas Eve tradition of opening my gifts from friends at midnight that usually live under our Christmas Tree. I fought long and hard for the right to do them separately and I won. I am ready for it once again:

Last night, one of my best friends and I enjoyed a wonderful 3 course meal with a free bottle of Prosecco as part of my early Birthday celebrations. I am travelling down south on the day so I am dragging out the festivities as long as physically possible.

Thankyou, Italy and goodnight. 

We also like cocktails.

                                   

Cheers, to being another year older!

As for the rest of today, we are going to 'stay classy' and go see Anchorman 2 - before heading home for a midnight tipple and the chance to dive in to round one of my presents. I don't care how old I get, Christmas always makes me feel like it did when I was 6!! 

So, I would like to wish all of my L-O-V-E-L-Y readers the Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of New Years! Be sure to check back here in 2014 as I blog my American Adventures. I think 2014 is going to be my most exciting one yet and I can't WAIT to share it with you all! 

Much Love xxx

P.s. I may or may not have opened the tree presents from my friends over an hour early. I simply could not wait any longer.

P.p.s. Someone PLEASE take this box of twilight mints away from me.

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Goodbye, 2012!

I suppose a New Years post was inevitable! I love new years, I always feel such hope and a sense of a new beginning - and though people complain that it's all about the hype - they need to try harder to maintain that excitement! It's been a while since I have written anyway, mainly because I feel i've left little time to think lately. 2012 was a very interesting year, full of lots of big things; sad endings and the closing of great chapters, I felt the sadness of difficulties experienced by loved ones close to me, had amazing adventures in 4 different countries, finally finished reading the Twilight Saga (ha!), made new friendships, restored old ones, moved back to Yorkshire, started the job search (still ongoing), became a graduate and started drinking Whiskey.

Looking at the start of a New Year, I'm hoping that 2013 will make more sense to me than 2012 did. It was all very unsettled, which didn't feel very comfortable or natural for me. I'm hoping that I will know, at least for a short time that I am stationed in one place. I am beginning to see the importance of just gaining a bit of life experience and living a quiet life for a while. At the core of me, that's what I've always yearned for anyway! This year, I want to focus mainly on being the best friend that I can be - making sure I spend good quality time with those who mean the most to me because in the long run, that's what truly makes a difference. I learnt a lot in 2012 about patience so waiting for a great job wont seem so hard, as long as in the meantime I have something to keep me occupied!

One thing that's really been on my mind I guess throws everything up in the air. I realised lately that I hardly ever make decisions based purely on what I think is right for me. I always feel that I have to explain myself to everyone around me, perhaps because my friends can be very vocal about what they think is right for me. Whilst I appreciate their input, I no longer want to feel guilty that I am making wrong decisions based on what they think rather than what I think. After all, I have one short life to make the most of - and I don't want to have regrets. So, I have made a couple of decisions that are potential game changers, that feel totally right. I need some space to evaluate, and work out what my Faith is for myself. I don't want to base it on other people's interpretations or opinions, I want to know what it really means for me. I've never really let myself have that before! I will no longer feel that I have to explain my decisions, though people may want other things for me - I am allowed to chose where to go and what to do as much as everybody else is! Good friends support each others decisions, and if their concerns are legitimate I will of course pay attention to them, if not - I wont! Ha.



Other than that - I'd like to see more of the world, love more, laugh more, bake more and live more - being thankful for everyday in this crazy world of uncertainty. Thank you for everything, 2012.

Bring it on 2013.

Much Love xxx

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