Wednesday 29 April 2015

Health Problems and Indefinite Break

Hey Everybody,
It's been a pretty long time since I last posted anything and I think it's time for a bit of a catch up and some unfortunate news... I've had a few health problems lately, last Saturday I ended up being admitted to hospital after an emergency urgent care and A&E visit. Basically this week has consisted of a lot of pain and I'm feeling very drained and poorly. This post is basically to let all my fabulous readers know that I've not been slacking on the blog because of laziness or anything as I've genuinely missed blogging but to say because I'm so poorly at the moment I'll be taking an indefinite break from blogging because I don't know when I going to get better (fingers crossed it won't be long). 
I'm sorry to say I'll be taking a break and I am hoping I get well enough soon so that I can get back to blogging as most of you know how much I love it, the time off should also give me some opportunities to plan some new posts for you lot which should be fun. 
Thanks to everyone who reads my blog and has supported me in my blogging journey so far.
Speak soon!


Love Katherine. X

Sunday 12 April 2015

Back to College and Catch Up!

Afternoon lovely people,
it's been a fab two weeks off despite the ups and downs but honestly I've thoroughly enjoyed myself. I've not blogged for a while purely because I've spent quite a lot of time out of the house this week with friends, having BBQs, shopping, and such other fun things. overall it's been a rather busy holidays and I had planned to spend them just chilling out, reading, doing some cross stitch and knitting (19 going on 90 here!) but I've really enjoyed what I've ended up doing. 
I hope everybody else has had a great easter break too filled with chocolate and lazing about. With the two weeks off I've managed to get a couple of blog post ideas drafted which will definitely be posted over the next few weeks but most importantly after nearly 2 whole years I've finally managed to book a singing and piano lesson with my favourite music teacher!! I am so so so excited about this because I've been waiting to do it for ages and now i actually have an income I have a lesson for Friday at 5, music is one of my biggest passions and I adore singing and piano as well as clarinet so hopefully within a few lessons I'll have my mojo back and be playing Beethoven's 'Moonlight' Sonata soon enough. 
Anyway, because it's back to college tomorrow *insert sarcastic comment* I thought I'd do a quick post before I have to go an get all of my things together for the morrow, so far I have a to do list that goes onto back and front of a sheet A4 paper, oh the joys. I'm also going to spend some time researching jobs I might want in the future because I seem to be flip flopping and I'm gonna need my personal statement started soon so hopefully that'll help. Anywho, I shan't bore you lot anymore I just want to wish everyone a happy easter and a good start back to the last term in college/sixth form or wherever you are!!


Love Katherine. X

Sunday 5 April 2015

Happy Easter!

Good Afternoon everyone!
Happy Easter to everybody out there and I hope your day is going well and you've got lots and lots of chocolate eggs to open!
This is basically just a very quick post because it's been on my mind in the run up to easter; I myself and a religions person, I attend a Catholic church and I'm hoping to have my fist communion later this year, I've always loved holidays like Easter, Christmas, giving up things for lent, but I feel like the meanings behind these holidays are being lost. Obviously I'm aware that there are non-religious people who celebrate these holidays too, we live in a pretty secularised society and culture nowadays but even some self proclaimed "seriously literalist" catholics, protestants, methodists etc. that I know of seem to get more concerned with the capitalist and commercialist aspects of these holidays rather than taking a moment to remember why we celebrate any holiday we have in the first place. I mean, I'm not suggesting people stop what they're doing and think of Jesus, no not at all, I'm just saying that for some people it's important to remember the foundations of the holiday, back to basics and such and if that's what you or anyone else wishes to do that's your choice... anyway I'm getting right off topic now so I shall end this post there, I hope every single person's Easter Sunday is wonderful and enjoy all the eggs that were given... I know I will be!


Love Katherine. X

Monday 30 March 2015

My Journey to Self-Love and Body Positivity

SASSY PUG!
Hey all, this post has been coming for a while because it's something that's very close to my heart and a topic I've struggled with for years on end. Body positivity. 
Every singe day in college I'll hear a girl I walk past say "oh I'm so fat, I've got to lose weight!" or a guy say "I really need to get myself to the gym, I'm not strong enough yet", both of those things I actually heard within the same two hour period at my college from students. Things like this break my heart because I have had difficulty with body positivity for almost all of my life and knowing that others are feeling the same way I did as a child doesn't bear thinking about. 
As a child I was bullied from Nursery (age 3 or 4) right up to last December age 18, I personally used to think I deserved every bit of bullying I got, I was ugly, fat, disgusting, all of these things I would remind myself of on a daily basis to make the bullying more understandable. At least that way I knew why I was being bullied, I thought that bullying was a punishment because other people had to look at my horrid face, my fat stomach and my huge thighs. I pushed friends away, withdrew from my family and let my school work slide round about the age of 13/14 when I started self-harming and became suicidal because the bullying was getting worse but because I was maturing I was starting to understand that the bullies were nothing but children who targeted my weak spots... it worked but still, at least I was maturing enough to know it. 
In school I had very few friends, only two I can think of that I would consider true friends, these friends weren't always nice to me but I passed the majority of the things off as friends taking the piss. After several suicide attempts, more self-harm, and God knows how many nights I'd cried myself to sleep or whatever, at 16 things started to change and this is how. 
I walked into a shop and went straight to the magazine isle, I LOVED women's magazines but this day I had seen so much on the TV about how large the average woman was getting, how they used to look, accounts on Twitter making highly offensive fat jokes, insensitive parents using "tough love" to make children lose weight and I had had enough. So, when I saw the typical magazine article where a clinically underweight celeb put on enough wight to be considered healthy, the magazine branded them the worst word possible... FAT *DUN DUN DUUUUUNN*
I laughed to myself, I'd taken these articles as gospel as a child, but how can anybody take something seriously where medical advice and medical opinions are given by journalists? Girls are made to feel bad by inaccurate medical and health opinions given by someone who works in a completely different field! It sounds daft but that was my turning point. From that day I stopped picking up those magazines that made me feel awful about myself. 
I still had issues with how I looked obviously so I thought it was time to address them and I did it my getting dressed every morning and saying one nice thing about myself, even if I didn't mean it, it did feel great to have said something nice. I remember one day I got to the bathroom mirror and without thinking, without having to remind myself to do it I said "Wow, I look so cute today!" and I meant it, that was the best feeling I've ever experienced. Obviously that wasn't the only thing that I used to boost my body confidence, I'm on instagram and I follow accounts such as Tess Munster (Holliday now I believe), Body Positivity, I look at and absolutely love the Carol Rosetti drawings. When you're trying to build up your body confidence and trying to love yourself for who you are I can't lie to you, it's a difficult and long road, picture a turtle trying to walk up a steep hill that's covered in peanut butter on a hot summer day. That's how difficult it is, however in this day and age the media including social media also push it down our throats not to fat shame or skinny shame but each day girls and boys are told they need to be skinny, they need to be strong, muscular, curvy is bad, a bit of a belly is a sin and god forbid you get labeled as fat because they make out your life is over! Well I will tell you something for nothing, your life in never over unless you allow it to be! Whether you're fat, skinny, middle, wobbly or green you have a life, you are valued and you are BEAUTIFUL. I'm a plus size blogger, I'm fat, my clothes go above a size 18 and I am actually healthy. I have the best friends a girl could wish for, I'm enjoying college and I'm on my way to getting my ideal career, I have the most wonderful family anybody could ever dream of and most importantly I truly do love the person I am. 
For all of you girls and boys struggling with anything body related make a list of things you're good at, things you know, things you like, what you want to do and who you want to be. After all, if a person has good thoughts they are beautiful. 
I wish all of you the best of luck of any of you are wanting to start your journey to self-love and body positivity.


Love Katherine. 















Thursday 26 March 2015

The Fun Questions Tag!



Hey all!
It's been a long time since I last posted and in the past week or so quite a lot has gone on, some good some a bit worse but overall I'm so happy with the way it's gone on and things have worked out for the best. Anyway, I thought I'd do a tag because I've not had much tim to write content in the last week or so because we got a new tutor at college who is less than good but I'm sure she'll sort herself out anyway I shall get on with the Fun Questions Tag! Enjoy dearies! 

1) When is your birthday? 

December 14th 1995 - I'm a winter baby!


2) What are 3 of your favorite colors?
Silver, Gold and red at the moment, although silver is my absolute favourite colour.




3) What are your 3 favorites quotes?

"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass, it's learning to dance in the rain" - I'm not sure who said that I just have a picture of the quote stored in my phone. 
"If you're always trying to be normal you'll never know how amazing you can be" - Maya Angelou.

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me" - C. S. Lewis.


4) Are you addicted to YouTube?
Um... Maybe... Possibly. Yes. I have a problem! *sobs heartily*


5) What are 3 of your favorite shows on TV or YouTube or both?
Once Upon A Time, American Horror Story Doctor Who.



6) What are 3 qualities you like in a best friend?
Humour, loyalty and kindness.


7) Do you like your name? 

My full name is Katherine Hayley Jazz Savage Simpson but I'm known as Katy Simpson. I hate Katy Simpson but I love Katherine Hayley Jazz Savage, if that made any sense at all.


8) If you have the choice to pick your own name, what will it be?

Ruby Pleasant, because rubies are my favourite gems and I'm obsessed with the Skulduggery Pleasant series!


9) What is your fantasy dream?
For Skulduggery Pleasant to save me from some danger and I become his partner... that's not weird right? Right?

10) Do you wear makeup?

I do, not all the time but I wear it o college sometimes and when I'm off out or going to a party or something. 



11) If you could write a book, what would the title be and what would it be about?
I have no idea about the title but I do write a little and at the moment I'm writing a short horror novella type thing with possession and demons and stuff. I love scaring myself witless to be honest. 

12) What makes you cry?

I cry when I see my friends and family upset, anything to do with hurting animals or children, Disney movies... pretty much everything. 



13) What makes you angry?
Ignorance, when people talk about others behind their back in a malicious way, homo/bi/transphobia etc and discrimination for any reason... and politics.




14) What makes you happy?


Books, books and more books, days out with my best friends, cosy nights in, spending time with the family. 


15) What is "Fangirling?"


See the picture? That is what fangirls/fangirling is.


16) What are your 3 favorites snacks?
I really like shredded coconut, sliced almonds and strawberries.




17) What are your 3 favorite foods?

Pizza, my grandmas sunday dinner and stir fry are my all time favourite foods. 



18) What are your 3 favorite drinks?
Water, Milk (with or without tea) and Shlœr, yummy.




19) Can you tell us a little about yourself?


Well, I'm 19, I'm a plus size blogger, I live in the North East of England, I'm obsessed with Harry Potter and Skulduggery Pleasant. I can sing, play piano and clarinet. I'm pretty cool and I love rainy days.


20) What are 10 random facts about you?

- I'm a Slytherin on Pottermore
- I can sing in German, Polish, Russian and Mandarin.
- I can perfectly recite every single line of Mulan throughout the whole movie. 
- I used to want to be a stripper when I was younger...
- I got my Mam to buy me a 'make your own skeleton' type thing but stopped buying after the head purely cause I wanted to recite Shakespear.
- I'm an only child.
- I have no idea what I want to do with my life.
- I want to live in the Scottish or Irish countryside.
- I'm single although I have various celebrity and non-celebrity crushes at the moment. 

- I have over 150 different types of nail polish.


21) What are your 3 fun things to do?

Read, draw and cross stitch are my 3 favourite things to do. 
Thanks for reading all hopefully some of you will fancy doing this tag, let me know and I'll check it out. 


Love Katherine. X


All images for this post are  taken from Google. :)

Saturday 14 March 2015

Blogging Tips & Tricks

Hello all!
I've been blogging for a while now and this particular blog is not my first, although it is my favourite of all 4 of the blogs I've maintained. I've had this blog for almost 3 months now and I think it's high time I put together a little list of all the blogging tips and tricks that I've learnt over the last few years of blogging. Hopefully some of you will find this useful, I think if I'd had a list of things that I know now before I began blogging it would have been a much smoother experience but I'm honestly very happy with my blog at the moment although a few things need to be tweaked soon. So, without further ado I shall begin. 

Schedule!
Once you've got through the main stages of starting your blog, so things like choosing on the type of blogger you want to be (e.g. I label myself as a mainly lifestyle blogger but I do like to throw a bit of fashion, beauty, food and other stuff in there too), creating the theme of your blog and so on, I would say it's then a good idea to plan or get yourself into a blogging schedule. Schedules will help massively because not only do they give you motivation to keep posting but life can be made much easier by scheduling particular days on which you'll post. This way you'll be able to keep posts consistent and give your readers something to look forward to regularly. 

Stay Consistent
In the previous point I mentioned that keeping posts consistent will keep readers interested and keep the traffic coming in. Traffic is definitely not the most important thing when you're blogging and t's a real shame that a lot more bloggers are focusing more on the traffic that the actual writing but admittedly we all like to see that we have traffic coming in because it means we're drawing the attention of readers and keeping them intrigued with content. By posting every other day or on particular days you'll get into a routine in which you'll become consistent in your writing/posting times. 

Carry Notebooks
I highly recommend that you keep a notebook or pad of paper nearby because the majority of bogglers I've spoken to personally say that inspiration comes to them in the most inappropriate of places... like when you're on the phone and there's never a pen near you. Notebooks, pads or even notes in your phone mean you're able to write down some of your best ideas for later on. It's a good idea to plan ahead on this one as well because the topics you're looking forward to writing about can be worked into your schedule so you can definitely get your best ideas out there at some point. 

Find Inspiration
If you're stuck for inspiration and need a bit of a helping hand there are a good few ways you can get over bloggers block. I'd definitely recommend having a bit of a brainstorm with friends or other bloggers you talk to, this means you're all sharing ideas in an open way and ideas can be shared that you may never have thought about in a million years! Another way of getting inspiration for posts is by asking your audience what THEY think you should write about, because who wants to read a blog that doesn't cater to what their audience want to hear about? By asking the audience also a sense of respect and value is given because you're listening to what they would like. 

Look into Social Media 
When I first started blogging on a serious level I was told social media was a big part of blogging and it would definitely help get my blog seen and I'd get more feedback. Obviously thinking I knew better I didn't take social media very seriously but it's genuinely a pretty big part of blogging. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Bloglovin' are significantly involved in getting blogs seen and networking with other bloggers from my experience. I've been able to meet some wonderful bloggers such as Danielle from Underland to Wonderland and Tamara from  Me Just Talking To You. Other fantastic bloggers have been able to give me advice and support throughout my blogging experience and I would say it's something you wouldn't want to miss out on even if social media isn't your thing. 

Write What You Love
I have always said whether it is blogging, writing novels, magazine articles or whatever it is you write always write from the heart. If a blogger isn't writing with passion or interest then it shows greatly in their posts. This can be a major put off for readers, I  prefer reading things that you can tell are from the heart because they tend to lure me in and keep me hooked! The same goes for writers who don't write as they speak, it's not believable when someone writes things like 'verily' or 'forsooth'... I have no idea who does write like that but you get the picture. It's not real. Give your readers the REAL you and they'll thank you for it in the end. 
Thanks so much for reading, hope this helped all you fledgling bloggers!


Love Katherine. X

Thursday 12 March 2015

My Ultimate Life Goals!

Hey All!
Lately a lot of of things have been going on in my life that have lead me to rethink things, what I want to do, who i need in my life and so on; blogging is a great way for me to get my thoughts in to some sort of logical, sensical order, so this is why I’m doing my ultimate life goals post. I’ve never been the type of girl who dreamed of being famous, I never wanted fortune, flashy houses, or loads of fans falling at my feet. When I was a young whipper snapper I didn’t even want to be a princess *shock horror*. I wanted to be a genius, maybe a great pianist or be fantastic at playing clarinet, I just wanted what everyone wants; to be able to live normally and earn a good wage in a job I love. Obviously the genius thing hasn’t worked out so far but I’m doing great in what I’ve chosen to do and my ultimate life goals have changed so much over the years i can’t even attempt to plan anything or set any goals in stone because nobody knows what life will throw at you. So, after a long an arduous introduction on my part (sorry for that) These are my, current, ultimate life goals!

Get through University with a decent grade - I think this is pretty common goal for most students at uni, I've given up on trying to be the A* student mainly because I'm pretty atrocious when it comes to exams. Unless my uni course is going to be all coursework like a BTEC course I'll be over the moon coming out with a C grade to be honest! 

Financial Indepencende - This is something I've always wanted, I hate the thought of having to depend on a partner or family member for financial support, from being young this has always been one of my main life goals. I think it's also important to note that finding a job that I love is very high on my priorities list, I spent so much time hating school and sixth form that I do not want to hate the job I end up with. Regardless of pay, in most circumstances, it's more important to find a job I love than anything else but for the moment I'm enjoying my college course and flip flopping between jobs I might want.

Get Married - I think it would be absolutely wonderful to find someone, fall in love and get married; it's not an essential life goal for me but it's more of a 'ideal world' type goal. Also one of the other main reasons I'd love to get married would be purely to plan the wedding because I LOVE event planning. 

Have Children - This is a top of my priorities list to be quite honest. From being very young myself I've always been  quite maternal, always known I'd make a good mother and as I've gotten older I've only gotten more sure that I definitely want children at some point. I'm also quite resolved about the fact that at least one (preferably my first) of my children should be adopted, I've very strong opinions on adoption but that's a matter for another post. So children are definitely a priority. 

Be Happy - Finally the only think I would really like in life (other than children) would be to be happy. Happiness is so important in life and life without it isn't worth a damn if you ask me. I want to get out there and do fun things, spend time with family and good people, take impromptu road trips, dance sing and generally live. Being happy is my main focus and priority at the moment and I believe more people need to make the effort to be happy, see the goodness, fun and positivity in life more often. 

Thanks for reading everybody and I really hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know some of your life goals, I’d love to hear from you!




Love Katherine. X

Monday 9 March 2015

5 Games for Nights In - Drinking or Not

image from Google
Hi everyone!
A few weeks ago me, my friends Annie, Aidan and Matt were all together at Annie and Aidan's house and we had a bit of a 'get together' type affair as all 4 of us aren't really together very often. Each time all four of us are together it's always a really good night in my opinion because I, personally, am definitely not the clubbing type, I'm not even a fan of going to pubs if I'm totally honest. So, for me good nights in with good people are top notch, I'm also not a big drinker really as I'm actually quite allergic to alcohol so when we do get together and there is drinking there's always some fun games to play that, usually, don't involve a whole load of drinking for me as I'm pretty good as games like these. I've managed to get together my top 5 favourite games to play for those people who drink and those who don't. 

1. Fuzzy Duck - This is a British word type game that can be played with 2 players but more players makes for a better game. One person from the circle of players is nominated to start, they begin by saying "Fuzzy Duck", going clockwise the next player will say either " Fuzzy Duck" or they will ask "Does He?". The circle then goes backwards anti-clockwise, with players saying "Ducky Fuzz" instead of "Fuzzy Duck". This carried on as players alternate what they are saying. This is a really fun game to start the night with whether you're drinking or not because it's just as easy to make a mistake with the pronunciation (if you catch my drift), the swearing from this game can become seriously funny if you individuals decide to take a shot whenever a mistake is made. 

2. Suck and Blow - Now this one isn't as bad as it sounds, I promise. For this game one individual gets a cars to their lips and sucks air in to keep the card to their lips, they then to to the player on their left and pass the car to the other players lips. The aim of the game is to keep the card going in a circle for as long as possible, if you're drinking take a drink whenever you drop the card. 

3. Roxanne - The Police recorded their song Roxanne in 1978 and decades later people are still playing it... as a drinking game too! This is a game that should only be played if you're drinking, if not it becomes very boring. Divide into two teams e.g. guys v. girls, stand opposite one another and put 'Roxanne' on loud. Team A: whenever you hear the word 'Roxanne' drink and whenever you hear 'Red Light' spin on the spot. Team B: Do the exact opposite, spin on 'Roxanne' and drink on 'Red Light'. Keep repeating this, the more times it's done the funnier it becomes watching people wobble. 

4. I Have Never - This is a drinking game classic, it's brilliant to get to know people and get to know the scandalous things they've gotten up to! One person in the circle says something they have never done e.g. "I have never ridden a motorcycle", those of the group that have ridden a motorcycle must drink. The game continues like that and is much more interesting if the statements get... well mischievous. 

5. Drive By - Drive By is one of my favourite games to watch as the end result can be highly amusing. This game was first suggested to me by Aidan Ford, take a single shot glass and fill (halfway) with a drink of your choice, the first person to finish 10 shots wins. This is one of the more... intense drinking games and although it's fun to watch it's essential that you don't drink too much. The last time myself and Aidan went head-to-head in this game Annie Filmed it on her camera whilst her and Matt laughed at us both, Aidan ended up being... ill. I believe firmly although he managed 6 shots I was the true winner and I sort of managed to keep my senses. 
All of the above games can be played with or without alcoholic drinks, however if you do choose to drink with any of these games I must stress the importance of drinking responsibly. Listen to your body and stop drinking before you feel you've had enough. Be sure to eat at regular intervals and DO NOT UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES drink and drive.  Always drink responsibly and be safe. 


Love Katherine. X



Saturday 7 March 2015

Day Trip to Whitby!

Hello everyone!
I'm really very happy to be back into the swing of blogging and posting but admittedly the break this week has been pretty sweet. I mentioned in my previous post (here) that because of a relatively free week I was able to go to Whitby with a couple of my best friends, Annie and Aidan, and although the early morning start and the A19 motorway meant I wasn't exactly overjoyed to be going to begin with I was extremely happy we all went because the day was just brilliant!
I've been up early everyday this week and yesterday morning wasn't an exception, I think I got up around 7:00am and quickly hopped in the shower and hopped back out after practically using all my honey and almond scented soap that I got from Whitby the last time I was there; what can I say? I like soaps!
After my lovely shower I managed to get my hair done, make up on and get dressed all in the space of 20 minutes which for me is pretty darn good! Also as a little 'NOTE TO SELF' here I will be doing a post on what I wore to Whitby sometime in the next week which will include hair, beauty and fashion. Anyway, after that I set off for Aidan and Annie's house and got there at like 9:15am which was making good time; we spent an hour at their house then set off for Whitby after fuelling up the car. I'd been dreading this part for a couple of days because, although I'm a good driver, I panic LOADS when it comes to the Teesside motorway because I had a very close call there once with another car. I was terrified and every time a big wagon passed I would make noises like someone deflating a balloon. Every now and then there were cigarette breaks for Annie and Aidan but we managed to get to Whitby in one piece by around 12:20pm. 
We headed straight to a really lovely restaurant named Hadley's Fish Restaurant where myself and Annie had traditional fish and chips and Aidan had Haggis and chips, that really turned my stomach. We also managed to get through two pretty big pots of tea while we were there, Yorkshire tea is the best! I've got to say everything there was wonderful, the service was friendly, fast and really welcoming, the food was delicious and very good quality and the décor was just so cosy; fairy lights everywhere!


After lunch we all had a look around the shops, stopping at some stalls, smelling the soap shops, and of course going into the weird little Gothic shops that Whitby is pretty renowned for. After a while though Aidan went up the 199 steps to get some pictures whilst me and Annie went into a pub called the Duke of York, which was anything but welcoming, put nicely. We all had drinks and then I remembered that the parking ticket on my car had expired by about an hour and a half so it was a mad dash back to the car to make sure I hadn't gotten myself a ticket, thankfully I hadn't so we all stressed for nothing!
We all then decided to go to the Gothic shop up the top of Whitby called Pandemonium, unfortunately I was parked on double yellows so I ended up staying in the car and watching for traffic wardens while Annie and Aidan went in and looked around, I'm not all too keen on that shop so I'm not envious that I stayed behind. Oh and on the way out of that area I managed to get myself stuck going the wrong way in a one way street, that was... interesting to say the least. 

On the way home after what can only be described as a fantastic day for everybody, all three of us decided to pick a topic to discuss on the way home, this topic was one of my favourites (sarcasm alert); zombies. Turns out that I'd be pretty inept in a zombie apocalypse, Annie would most likely survive and Aidan would probably be the one to get seriously injured. Half way home we all started to get hungry so we stopped at a little place called the Cross Keys and before we even got food we left we waited for over 40 minutes just waiting to be seated, get drinks or have our orders taken. Definitely won't be going back there, put it that way. So, we ended up at KFC in Teesside park attacking our chicken pieces, Annie and myself got flat pepsi (not nice, don't ever try pepsi with no syrup). Finally we got home about 8:30pm and all of us were knackered, it had been a really long but a bloody wonderful day and I for one think we need to go on more trips like that. Good company, good times. 
Thanks for reading everyone!


Love Katherine. X













Post Break Ramblings

I'm back baby!
Hey there everyone, as you al know I've been away for a week or so, this was just a really short break because I had a bit of work to do for college this week and I was panicking about getting all that done as well as trying to make time for blogging, it's just wasn't doable and unfortunately I can't just take a break from college, so I've been absent for a while, and I'm sure you've all missed me very very much ;). 
So, here's a little update about what I've been up to. Last weekend I made a point of getting as much work as possible done so I would have this week as pretty free, I managed to get everything done quite well and pretty quickly. So, I ended up relaxing for the rest of the weekend and finishing a couple of my favourite stories in the Skulduggery Pleasant Armageddon Outta Here book, this particular favourite was 'Get thee behind me Bubba Moon', a fantastically frightening little story I must say, not unlike the Salem's Lot type storyline. On Monday it was pretty normal, Tuesday the same and that was when I got the news that I didn't have to re-do my last assignment as I'd achieved the distinction criteria thankfully! Since then my week has been free but I've been spending quite a bit of time with friends. On Wednesday it was my friend Annie's birthday (Annie of mockingbird vocals.blogspot.com) so I went over with her pressies, we did make up tutorials together and were generally girly which was so much fun. We did a bit of singing together and I also helped her set up her blog that I help with in the day-to-day running, I also set up her boyfriends blog (pausefordthought.blogspot.com) although his is still pretty sparse post wise I'm sure it'll be up and running in no time. Oooh also on Wednesday night I helped Annie dye her hair a lovely shade of blue! It looks very mermaid-y and I really enjoy dying or watching people have their hair dyed, no idea why. 
Thursday I was back at placement as it was as wonderful as ever, I've fallen in love with each and every one of the children there and the whole team have welcomed me right into the fold of their little family as though I'm one of their own and I'm also getting much more responsibility whilst I'm there which I'm loving, I've mentioned in previous posts that I love children and I love working with children so I'm in my total element whilst I'm there. 
Now, yesterday was definitely the highlight of the week because me, Annie and Adian (her boyfriend) went down to Whitby for a day out! Whitby is my all time favourite place to visit and I'll be posting on the later on in the day so watch out for that post! Due to the fact that I'm posting al about that later of I shall keep this really brief so as not to giveaway some of the details. It was a brilliant day and I couldn't have spent it with better people. 
As for this weekend I'm ill AGAIN! So I'm going to spend today and tomorrow getting my blogging back on track reading and catching up with The Voice UK! Thanks very much for reading and I hope you're all having a wonderful week!


Love Katherine. X

Saturday 28 February 2015

Short Breaks and Blog Scheduling

Hi Everybody!
I hope everyone's weekend is going fabulously, yes? Great! This post is just going to be really brief, so not too much reading involved. 
I would like to let you all know that I'm taking a short break from blogging for a few days, 5 days possible a week, this is just because as some of you have probably noticed, I've been having some issues with the consistency of my posts... they're not basically. I have no blogging schedule which means my ideas are pretty much all over the place and my posting times really aren't up to scratch. This is mainly because I'm snowed under with college work and have been for about 3 weeks now, so I'm taking a week out from blogging in order to devise some sort of writing and posting schedule around my timetable for the moment and get as much college work done in this week as possible to make sure I do have time spare to blog! Hopefully I will get some sort of blogging schedule made by the end of the weekend and I'll spend a few days next week writing up some of the content I have stored in my brain. I shall miss blogging while I'm away but I'll still be active on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, so you won't get rid of me that easily. 
Well, that's that post wrapped up for the moment, see everybody in 5-7 days! Enjoy your week!


Love Katherine. X 

Wednesday 25 February 2015

What's on My Bookshelf?

Hi All!
DAY OFF COLLEGE! YEY! 
Today college is closed for a staff training day! Exciting times to say the least, and I am SO glad for it, I started my German course last night and to say it was a disappointment would be an understatement. Any who, the extra day off has given me some time to get down to writing some upcoming content which is a great relief and finally I've had the time to write about something I've been really looking forward to... What's on my bookshelf! I really hope you guys enjoy this post because I've loved writing it. Before I start I need to say that I have about 8 bookshelves worth of books but I obviously only have 1 bookshelf so unfortunately some books are being left out for now. Okay, so that's my bookcase to the left, it's the Gersby bookshelf from IKEA, only £17. It has 5 shelves and because I'm really quite OCD I've organised each section by book.


So for the first section, the top and most important section I have some of my fandom related books, here I keep some of my favourites. As you can see I have organised them by size so I start with the biggest which is The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle which I got in 2013. I've read the whole book around 3 times and I love it. Next I start with the Harry Potter series going from 7-1, because of size. Obviously Harry Potter would be there somewhere, he's the boy who lived for heaven's sake! Next to all the Harry Potters I have The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy... such as nerd I know. I love that series because I tend to use reading as a means of escape if I'm stressed or something and the whole fantasy genre really just takes me away. Right, that's it for the books on the top shelf because I like to keep the Harry Potter and LOTR DVDs up there with the books too, so I won't lost them mainly. 


The second shelf is home to some of my favourite books and authors. This shelf I like to call my snuggle shelf, and I call it a snuggle shelf because I will always go there when I'm having a snuggly night in or I'm in a snuggly mood. On here I have books by Dawn French (a fabulous writer and a great actress!) I love her books because she writes with a funny but oddball view of the world and I always giggle when I'm reading them. I also have books by Danielle Steel and Pamela Evans, two of my absolute favourite writers both of these write really heartwarming and generally "happy ending" type books, the kind of books that would be chick flicks if they were movies. I love a good chick flick but there's nothing better than a god book like a chick flick. Here I also have books such as P.S. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern and a few others by her, I adore her writing and my favourite of hers is definitely 'The Time of My Life'. I have 'Becoming a Midwife in the 21st Century on here too, mainly because I'm really interested in Midwifery and it's definitely a career option to consider. Finally, I have Lost Christmas by David Logan here which is a book I've read every single year for the past 3 years every Christmas. I adore it and I'm so glad it was bought for me as a present because its bloody wonderful. I highly recommend it to those of you who haven't read it. 


Now, although I said my bookshelf has 5 shelves I only use 3 because the last two are really too unstable for the weight of books so usually I'll put the odd DVD on there until it's fixed and I can put books there. So, this is the final section and it's my horror/classics section. I'm a bit of a horror nut too when it comes to books, I despise horror movies unless they're horror comedy types, but I love getting scared by a good book, as you can probably tell from the picture I am a sucker for a good Stephen King book, my all time favourite being 'Salem's Lot' (I had nightmares for a good while after reading that). Other books of King's I have include Misery, The Shining, Carrie and a collection of his short stories. I also have The Mall and The Ward by S.L. Grey, these are probably the most effed up books I've ever read but if you're looking for psychological type thriller/horror books definitely go for those because they are brilliant books. Here I have classic books too such as To Kill a Mockingbird, a favourite book of mine on one story that I really will treasure for the rest of my life; Frankenstein, complete world of Charles Dickens, Jayne Ayre and Dr, Jeckyl and Mr Hyde are also on my classic/horror section. I love a good classic. You can clearly see I have a few other books on there that I've just laid on top of others, I had no room left. These include The Fault in Our Stars, An Abundance of Katherines (hehe my name) both by John Green and I also have 'How to Be a Woman' by Catlin Moran, if it was appropriate I would push this book in everyone's face if you haven't read it because it's such a blunt and sarcastically funny view on the difficulties women (and sometimes in the book, men) face throughout their lives, I'd recommend this book to any body interested in Feminism because it's awesome. 
Well, there you have it, thats everything I've got on my bookshelf at the moment, hopefully I'll be able to do another similar post once I get the room decorated and I get myself few more bookshelves. I hope you all enjoyed that and let me know some of your favourite books in the comments!


Love Katherine. X














Monday 23 February 2015

Last Week Summary and This Week's Plans

Hi All!
This post is a little late as I usually post it on a Sunday but I wasn't in the blogging mood last night so I ended up reading instead... unforgivable I know. Anywho, as many of you will know last week it was half term for those of you at college or school or whatever, and for most people it's a lovely time to rest and relax... not for me this time. I thought I'd been busy at college lately but I haven't had a minutes peace this week. No rest for the wicked I suppose. Monday and Tuesday were spent attempting to get an assignment done, it wasn't a particularly difficult one but I had to explain to job roles in the children's workforce, 4 pieces of legislation that affect looked after children and evaluate regulatory bodies al in 1,000 words; for me that was like climbing a mountain because I really struggle when it comes to writing a little about a lot, you've probably all gathered that I tend to babble quite a bit.
So, those two days were literally full of research and coursework from the minute I got up to the minute I went to bed, no lie, it was a thrilling 48 hours, I can tell you that for nothing. I had planned on spending Wednesday just relaxing and reading or cross-stitching something that involved me not moving and drinking lots of tea. Well, that didn't work out, my elderly uncle came over on Wednesday morning and I offered him a lift home so he wouldn't wait for the bus in the rain. I was about 1/4 of the way there when I was pulled over by a massive tuck, the driver got out and told me I had a flat tyre, this came as a bit of a shock because it must've gone down during the night as I had planned to take my car to the garage to get a slow puncture fixed in the tyre on Thursday, it happened a day earlier anyway. When I checked it, it was pretty bad so I thought I'd get myself through to the garage right away, which I did. In the waiting rom for 20 minutes before the mechanic came in and asked me when my last service was, September last year and everything came back perfect. No, no, no, no. Turns out all of my tyres were below the legal limit tread depth and my break pads were over 95% worn, which is not exactly safe. My usual Richard Hardie garage in Durham had either not checked my car properly (important to note it's not even 2 years old yet and I had been twice about brake issues before!) or they'd given me correct info. So I ended up going back to the garage on Thursday and having my brake pads changed and all 4 tyres changed. That took up Thursday too. Friday I went to a house party with my three closest friends and ended up having an extreme fun night in which funny videos and pictures were taken. I completely lost Saturday to sleep to be honest which was much needed after Friday. With all my work finished and myself recovered from Friday's antics I was determined to read all day Sunday... No. i had at least 7 people from my college class asking me what to do on this assignment despite the fact it had to be handed in today (GO NERDS). Lord knows why people leave things so late. So I ended up spending my day on the phone to people explaining it properly. No reading done again. I must apologise for my very long rant about my week haha.
This week is really short, today and Tuesday is college and college is closed on Wednesday for staff training so I'll be getting my cute butt down to work and spending sometime with the kids there on Wednesday and Thursday! Eeek very excited for it :)
I believe I'm going for a meal on Friday with a friend from college and no doubt I'll organise something for Saturday to keep me occupied. I'm very hopeful that this week I will actually get some reading done haha!
Thank you all for reading! I hope you're all having wonderful weeks and had a fab half term!


Love Katherine. X

Sunday 22 February 2015

Comfy Nights In - How To

Sometimes we all just need to take a break, take some time out, relax, pamper and treat ourselves. For  those of you who can't afford luxury spa weekends or cottage holidays (me included) every now and then to escape from the world, there is nothing better than having a night in at home just having a bit of 'me time'. I'm doing exactly that come this weekend if I manage to get all of my assignment finished today or tomorrow, so I'm going to let you all know the best ways to have a cosy night in. 

Face Masks - When I'm having a comfy, cosy night in the firs thing I go for is definitely my face masks! Face masks are a great way to unwind a little before really getting cosy. My favourite brand of face mask is Montagne Jenuesse because they have such a wide range of face masks, I personally love their Fruit Smoothie mask because it smell delicious and makes my skin very smooth. While waiting for face masks to dry you can do some reading or run yourself a nice bath. 

Run a bath or have a hot shower - Baths or hot showers with some lovely Lush or other smellies is an absolute MUST on a cosy night in. Nothing unwinds and relaxes you like being surrounded by hot steamy bubbles and pretty colours and smells. I also like to take some advice from Sarah Millican and have a cup of tea while in the bath, it's lovely ladies try it! 

Onesies - I highly recommend getting yourself into your favourite onsie or pair of PJs, getting all snug is the best part of the night! And nothing feels better than soft PJs after a hot bath. 

Get the Food in - You can either do this by ordering your favourite food in or you can make your favourite comfort food, personally if I'm ordering food it's either pizza or chinese for me, that's one way, however my favourite thing is to get some fruit and dipping chocolate and just take it from there. It's best to get a food you really like because it makes the night a little better.

Warm Drinks - Again warm drinks such as tea, coffee if you like or hot chocolate with all the trimmings. Warm drinks can make you feel sleepy and warm on the inside, so they give you that extra cosy, snuggly feeling especially on cold nights. 

Perfect lighting - Lighting is a really important aspect of comfy nights in I believe, it creates the right atmosphere and can make you feel really cosy and generally happy. Fairy lights  alone are great for these types of nights in, I don' usually recommend any brighter lights as it can overpower the smaller ones and that would be missing the point of having lighting. I really like scented candles for lighting as well as fairy lights because they don't just give the room a warmer and cosier feeling, they also make the room smell so nice, always a plus in my book. 

Music - Music is something lots of people find really comforting and if you pick the right music it can make a night great. Usually when picking music, if that's what you like to do on a cosy night in, I would probably say go for something relaxing or mellow. Personally, I have a few choices when it comes to night in music, one being Jack Johnson, another Taylor Swift or absolutely anything classical and relaxing. 

Tonight's book
Movie Marathon - Movie marathons are a really good and fun idea, particularly if you're having friends over or stuck for ideas. Even a TV show marathon would be fun, last time I had a night in I watched all of the Vicar of Dibley episodes and I regret nothing! I wouldn't recommend anything too scary because that can change the atmosphere of the night and nobody wants to be scared. 

Reading Time - This is my all time favourite thing to do on a night in, I love to chill out in bed or on the couch with blankets, tea and fruit with dippy chocolate, completing the night by sinking my teeth into a good book. 

Hopefully I've been able to give you guys some good ideas for next time you have a night in! Enjoy the rest of your weekend lovelies!


Love Katherine. X

Sunday 15 February 2015

Plus Size Fashion - Where to go?

Hello there!
I've been thinking a lot lately about clothes and my style in general as I've been fancying a bit of a change up, usually I just wear whatever is comfortable or whatever matches my mood and looks smart but I've always favoured the vintage type style and this, in turn, got me thinking about plus size fashion of all types and where us larger ladies can go without burning a huge hole in our designer purses (I WISH). Often plus size fashion can be very expensive, but you usually do get what you pay for so in this post I'll be writing about where you can go for plus size fashion, some places are more affordable than others and I will be including some underwear shops because I know all too well, the struggle to find large bras that don't make me look 70 years old. Let's get down to business then!

Simply Be - Simply Be is a high street plus size fashion shop, it's both online and there are stores around the UK that stocks fashion from sizes 10-36, so there really is something for everyone. The clothes from Simply Be are very good quality and I fin that they are durable and can last quite a long time. They stock everything from everyday casual dresses, wedding dresses, tops, knitwear, swimwear, footwear and lingerie. There is literally something from everyone, I personally like the vintage 50s type style and they have Joe Browns dresses and such in that suit me down to the ground. There are more modern and "trendy" styles of clothing there also which will suit toddy's fashionistas. The only issue with Simply Be is that this shop is significantly overpriced, one top could cost up to £40 which I think is way over what should be charged but if you have the money to spare I definitely recommend Simply Be. 

Yours Clothing - Yours Clothing is very much a similar type of shop to Simply Be, however this is my favourite go-to place for clothes at the moment, mainly because it stocks sizes 14-36 and it's much cheaper than Simply Be. Yours has a range of clothing, footwear, swimwear and lingerie perfect for the larger sizes, however I must admit that the lingerie isn't exactly varied in sizes when it comes to bras and such. Yours stocks more mature types of clothing, meaning there aren't as many modern type tends found here, their party/occasion wear is great and when it gets to summer they have a great selection of maxi/beach dresses and good prices. I find their clothes are very good quality and regardless of style preferences, I'm positive any larger (and not so larger lady) can take a look at Yours and find something they love. 

Pink Clove - Pink Clove is a pretty new discovery of mine, I do like their clothes very much as they're versatile and a lot of the fashion they stock can be worn as daytime and nighttime wear with a little mix and match. I love their lounge-y look tunics in Turquoise and Pink, I mentioned them in a previous post. They stock sizes 16-32 and their prices are fab too, I've been known to spend £30 there and get over 5 pieces of clothing which is pretty damned good for any shop if I may say so! Pink Clove is definitely worth a look, particularly their casual and occasion wear. 

ASOS Curve - A lot of my larger sized friends have always wanted to wear clothes like those ASOS models, that's when I told them about ASOS curve. This is one of my absolute favourites because it has such modern, trendy high street type fashions as well as some gorgeous pieces for going out in in sizes 8-30 so literally almost all sizes can get fabulous clothes! i recently spent nearly £100 in ASOS Curve because I love it so much! They are always up to date on the latest trends and styles. ASOS curve literally suits everyone and I'd highly recommend checking it out!

Ample Bosom - Now for those of you who have issues finding bras to fit I find that Ample Bosom is a gem of a find, the bras aren't the most attractive in the sense of patterns or prettiness. Ample Bosoms main aim is to provide bras that are comfortable, supportive, and look like proper bras, none of this frills and bright patterns. They are mainly aimed at mature women roundabout 30s and upwards but if you're struggling so much to find a bra I doubt that's a major issue. The prices are pretty steep but reasonable for the quality of bra you're getting. They stock lingerie, sleepwear, swimwear and other such pieces in sizes 28A-50N (back and cup sizes), if you're looking for somewhere you can find a strong and comfy bra Ample Bosom is the place to go.
I hope you've all enjoyed this post and found it useful. Comment some of your favourite places to shop, plus size or not. NOTE: All of the above images are pieces of clothing taken from each website, not my images. 


Love Katherine. X