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 

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

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

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

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

Weekend Summary and Next Weeks Plans

Happy Sunday everyone!

I hope all is well with you all today? Yes? Awesome. This week has been an odd one to say the very least, jam packed with Valentines Day reminders and plans with friends. As per usual I started my week off my getting up at 6am everyday for college, as if 6am even exists it's far too early. Anyway, Monday my class did the CPR training session for people within the college and we managed to get around 140 people trained in hands only CPR, it was oodles of fun, some girls in the class dressed up in fancy dress, others were manning the free cake stalls, we had the Vinnie Jones 'Stayin' Alive' DVD clip playing on repeat on one stall and some music playing on another while me and 3 other girls were stationed each in front of an Anne doll (dolls used to simulate CPR) I was teaching child CPR. There was also a baby/infant CPR doll which was interesting to watch how it's done on a child. That was fun, also me and a good friend made extremely impromptu plans to go swimming on Monday night which was great, I absolutely love swimming and it was such fun to go; we also ended up going on Tuesday and Wednesday night too so I'm thinking that I'm going to add Monday and Wednesday nights to my exercise plan, as I'm still sticking to that resolution. 

Thursday I was back at work with the children which was as lovely as usual, I absolutely adore it there and I can honestly say I never expected that I'd love it as much as I do. That's got me thinking about having my own children at some point in the nearish future, but for now I'm quite happy looking after others' children. Friday I wasn't feeling my best so I stayed home and tried to get an assignment done that I've got to do over the half term, I had a mini-meltdown over that because I'm struggling to cut my work down and there's a 1,000 word limit on the report part and I always write far, far too much. NOTE TO SELF: Work on that. 

However, I've given up on that and I ended up reading Skulduggery Pleasant Death Bringer which i hope to finish tomorrow. Yesterday I went out for a meal with a friend to a restaurant in Durham called Sambuca which was lovely, me and my friend had a three course meal each (starter, main, dessert) a soft drink and a coffee all for £14 which was in my opinion really great for the quality. I'll definitely be going back there. Today I'm chilling again with my book and some Disney films later on.

Next week is pretty eventful, I've made plans to clean my filthy car tomorrow which is a pretty big job considering it hasn't been cleaned out since Christmas Eve 2014. I'm also going bowling on Tuesday with a friend from college and her boyfriend/his friends for her birthday which I'm really looking forward to, Wednesday I am going to start that assignment have to do and Thursday I'm at work then over to another friends house as it's his birthday and me and his fiancée are planning a little party with one of our friends to come up and have a house party type affair the next day. Friday is also a half day at work too which I'm looking forward to. Next Friday another friend is coming up to see me and two others for that house party which I'm extremely excited about as it's always a great laugh when we are all together. I swear I am doing nothing when it comes to the weekend though, I'll be exhausted after this week haha.

What are you all up to this week? Whatever it is I hope it's fabulous! 

Love Katherine. X

My Future Tag!

Hey everyone! 
I've been thinking loads about my future lately considering I'm starting to gather info on the Uni I want to go to, writing my personal statement and thinking about having children because I'm working with them and I've decided a good way to get my thoughts out would be doing the future tag, so here we are. There's 10 questions and I will answer them as honestly as possible and in as much detail as I can muster today (I'm feeling kinda lazy). 

1. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I see myself working as a social worker managing fostering and adoption, a couple of children, hopefully I'll own my own home and be married or at least be in a relationship with someone I truly love.  
2. Do you want to get married? I would really love to get married at some point, I've practically planned my whole wedding down to the last detail. I've even picked a colour scheme, ivory and deep crimson as they're two of my favourite colours and I think they look really elegant at weddings. 
3. Do you want to have children? 1,000,000% yes! I've wanted children since I was a child myself but I'm hoping to have my children in my early/mid twenties. Unfortunately I may not be able to have children naturally but I've always wanted to adopt at least one child so either way I'll definitely be having a baby at some point. :)
4. Do you want to move? If yes, where? I've said in a previous post that I'd love to live in the country, maybe in Scotland or Ireland, I'm a home bird so I think if I move I'll make sure my family move too or I'll say where they are. 
5. What would your dream house look like? I don't think my dream house would be anything flashy to be honest. I like the idea of having a house thats big enough for all the family and a couple of annexes for my parents and grandparents to live in so we can all live where we want in the country but still have space. I'm a neat freak so it'll be neat and tidy all the time. 
6. What is your dream job? My ultimate dream job would be to own my own successful bookshop or private daycare/nursery. However I am quite content to settle for being a social worker managing fostering and adoption. 
7. What are 5 things you want to do before you die? In no particular order, I want to have children, I want to see my family happy and content, I want to own my own home, preferably own a bentley (they're my favourite cars!) and I want to visit Ireland.
8. Are you scared of the future? I'm not scared of the future, I'm more scared of running out of time to do the things I really want to do. 
9. What's your biggest dream you'd like to achieve in life? Some people might lath or scoff at this but I want to be a good mother to any children I have and make my family proud of me in whatever way I can. 
10. What would be the ideal age for you to die? I don't think any age is ideal to die. I just want to enjoy every single minute I have left.
I tag everyone to do this, if you read it have a go!


Love Katherine. X