Showing posts with label happy things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label happy things. Show all posts

Small and ten happy things!


So to celebrate some happy things recently I thought I would post a photo of one of my happiest times ever-me in New York in 2013. I can't wait to go back this year!! Here's a round of more recent things that have made me smile :)



1. THE FACT THAT GILMORE GIRLS IS COMING BACK. This will probably be in my happy things until we get a release and then it will change to a countdown!


2. A lovely afternoon in Knutsford. While boyfriend traded at the market I took shelter in a nearby cafe. Glamour, Cosmo, free wifi and a vanilla chai, could there be anything better?!


3. Making a Murderer. This has totally gripped me and I cannot wait until we finish it and I read all the theories and analysis online. I am being so good and avoiding everything!


4. A cheeky booked trip down to London. Next week it's half term and we're off to our lovely capital and I can't wait for a little break and to go to Whole Foods, Kikki K, Covent Garden and all the other places I love that we don't have up here in the good old North!


5. Delicious cooking. We always make such good food (if I do say so myself and its great to have someone to share all my cookbooks excitement with!) 



6. The fact that it's getting lighter. This is just the best.


7. Amy Poehler's Yes, Please. It's immense. She is immense. It's all just good where Amy's concerned.


8. Booking to see Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat in March. This is one my favourite musicals and I am so happy to be seeing it, especially with one of my friends who has NEVER seen it! 


9. So many lovely phone calls with friends. I have really made such an effort to schedule time in to catch up with all my friend and it is so nice to have these chats in the evening and just to see what's going on. It's hard to make time as we get older but it's so so worth it.


10. An ASOS haul. Don't look at me, I don't know what happened. 



What's made you happy recently? Do you ever do lists like this?


Happy Sunday! 


Sophia :) xxxx

 

Small and happy's 5 happy things this week!


So firstly, check out this sunset?! This was on Friday and it was more than a little beautiful, reminds me of the sunsets in the Philippines. 

Now, I was kind of glad to see the back of this week if I'm honest purely because work was so full on and I had general PMS pains (ladies you feel me!) but despite that there are always, always good things to take from every week so here's 5 things that made me smile.


1) My mum staying with us. She's been attending a big conference here in Manchester so each evening I've been able to see her which has been lovely.


2) Messages from my sister in New York. It's amazing to hear all about what she's been up to and experience it all through her! Slightly jealous of her NYC haul though, not going to lie!


3) Once Upon A Time. I'm so obsessed with it and I am currently on the fourth episode of the day!


4) Movie nights. Boyfriend suggested we watch Paddington and I was totally up for it! It was a lovely, happy and uplifting film and it was a nice change from The X  Files marathons we've been having (equally just as fun!)


5) A fun day of dress up at work. Being a teacher means there's a lot of themed days and on Friday we had to dress up as something to do with the airport, so I chose an air hostess! It was so fun and I loved being able to satisfy a little childhood dream...


I realise I usually do 10 happy things and I'm sure there's more but I have a hormone headache and I'm too engrossed in Netflix to think of anymore! #realblogger


How are your Sundays going my lovelies? Any want to link me to some good blog posts??


Lots of love,

Sophia x


Small and 10 happy things! #15



I must admit I am rather enjoying my weekends as of late. Usually the life of a teacher, while lending to lots of holiday time, actually means that your weekend time is often nonexistent. From planning to marking to general prep/stress, I can find it hard to switch off.


However...


Recently I have been carving out time to go to my local yoga class first thing Saturday morning and this has massively helped me in keeping a state of peace and relaxation and motivation throughout the weekend. So here's what I've been loving this week! 


1. Treating myself to a nice bunch of flowers. It's been a year since we moved in so we decided to spruce up the place with a nice bouquet.


2. Going to see Everest at the cinema. What a tense couple of hours!!


3. Being at home with my mum and sister. Lots of lovely cooking and big catch ups! 


4. The new Starbucks Autumn cups, how gorgeous are these?! Filled with a nice chai tea, it was the epitome of the season.


5. The beautiful Minnie Mouse notebook my sister brought me back from Disneyland Paris. Going straight on my desk! 


6. Waking up early and watching Parent Trap. My sister and I got up super early this morning and hurried downstairs with blankets and tea and delicious, coconutty porridge to cuddle up and watch our FAVOURITE sister bonding film. It brings smiles and tears to our faces and eyes everything time and it's a tradition to watch it together at least once a year.


7. Gogglebox. Just because it's back and it's awesome.


8. A lovely drive over the Pennines. Yes, the snake pass sucks big time but you can't beat the beautiful views on that Sheffield to Manchester drive.


9. A midweek visit from my Grandma. Is there anything better than a visit from one of your faves? I don't think so. 


10. My first EVER experience of a Lush bath bomb! It was the Frozen one for anyone who's interested and it was magical and sparkly and everything I dreamed it would be! 


You see? I even lit myself a couple of candles, totally taking this self care thing mega serious.


So what's made you smile this week? Can you believe it's almost October time? That means Halloween fun is a coming! 

Okay maybe not just yet, sorry, getting too keen! 


Sophia :) xxx

Small and 10 happy things! #7

Helloooo there! Happy Monday and that all that jazz! Here were the little things that made me smile on the last week of #fabulousfebruary....


1// My grandma getting an iphone! This is big exciting news purely because we are so close and I would love to be able to be able to FaceTime her and send her pictures of what I'm doing. She's only about an hour away in Sheffield but this will make it feel like she's 5 minutes down the road again :) 


2// Booking our flights to Singapore!! Eeeek! This is the happiest thing of the week obviously and I am beyond thrilled! We managed to get them for about 200 pounds cheaper because we're flying from Lisbon as opposed to Manchester. I'll be in Portugal anyway visiting family so it looks like one trip merging into the next which is very very exciting! 


3// Turning the flat into a dance studio on Tuesday evening. I didn't go to my regular Zumba class on Monday so I brought the mountain to Mohammed as the saying goes and did a 50 minute long Zumba class from youtube! Obviously it's not quite the same but I took it all very seriously and tried to keep my feet as light as I could to keep the neighbours below happy!


4// Cooking up a few new recipes at the weekend. We got our hands on a spaghetti squash and I was beyond excited about it! Yes, this is my life.



5// Organising some lovely birthday fun with my old school friends. It's looking like a spa day!


6// Going to step class on Thursday. I just love this class for so many reasons. Not only is it a fabulous workout but I just love the timing of it. It tells me that we're almost at the weekend and I really like the instructor and the general vibe of the class. Everyone there is about 20 years older than me so it's kind of like being in a little mothers' meeting and I quite enjoy that :) Plus they're always gossiping about the women on the Real Housewives of Cheshire (who love near!) so I like that too! 


7// An impromptu trip to Chester to see my sister! My mum went over to see Baby sis this weekend and I tagged along! I was really glad I did as Boyfriend was working and I was only going to be in the house by myself anyway. Sometime the best moments are the spontaneous ones and that's something that as a very structured person I need to remember.


8// Buying The Rosie Effect. I loved The Rosie Project so I can't wait to dive into the sequel.


9// A beautiful sleep on Saturday night. I don't always sleep well at the weekends because I get up so early in the week, therefore it was blissful to wake up and the Sun was already poking through. Spring is well on the way!


10// Getting back into using the Duolingo app to practise my French and Portuguese. One of my new year's resolutions was to improve my Portuguese so I'm cracking on! 


What made you happy in the last week of February? Are you looking forward to anything nice this week?


Chat soooon!

Small and 10 happy things! #6

Well, I feel like this will be one of the quickest and easiest happy things feature I'll write this year. There's one reason for that and one reason only. The two glorious words to anyone working in education: half term.


As much as I usually like time off to be full of relaxing and watching tv I have been super busy and have been the world's biggest social butterfly this week! All this talking and catching up is probably why I am now again suffering from a sore throat this cosy Saturday. #cantshutmeup


So here we go, my ten happy things this week! 


1// Being at home at the start of this week in Sheffield with my Mum and sister. My sister is going through a bit of a rough time this week so while it's not easy for me it made her feel better having me there and it was lovely to enjoy a few home comforts :) 



2// Catching up with my teacher friends. On Monday I drove (well was driven!) over to Wakefield to catch up with some of my besties from my PGCE (teacher training) last year. We all took food and we we met at my friend's new house. As in brand new and her own! Mortgages people, this life is getting scary! Anyway, I got there and my friend's beautiful house and stunning kitchen was smelling of lovely roasted veg and sweet potato wedges. Everyone brought a lovely selection of fresh and healthy food and filled ourselves with squash and shared the highs and lows of our working lives! It's so nice to share with people who understand you but also who you have so much else in common with. It's almost as if teaching is how we met but our common interests and silly senses of humour have brought us so close together in a way I never expected when I started the course two years again. Funny what (and who!) life can bring you isn't it?



3// Having a beautiful and relaxing massage, mid week! I've already spoken about this on here but I firmly believe that I need to incorporate weekly massages into my life! Perhaps if I had Hermione's time turner I could just make it happen!




4// Going to see The Lion King at the Palace theatre in Manchester. Again, I've rounded this up already but this was certainly a highlight of the month let alone the week! I love the theatre and I hope to go much more often in the coming months and explore Manchester's thriving theatre scene.



5// Having a lovely catch up with my uni friends. On Thursday evening I was visited by three of my best friends from my time at the University of Liverpool. We went to Hale (read-posh part of Cheshire) and broke the bank dining at the Michelin starred, impossible get into, restaurant du jour. Lol jk, we went to Pizza Express but it was the fanciest Pizza Express I've ever been to and the service was absolutely outstanding!



6// One of those best uni friends staying with me. Leanne, one of the lovely ladies I used to live with at uni, stayed with me for a couple of nights this week. It was so nice to see that even though years have passed we findeach other's company still just as fun and easy as ever. That's what great, true friends are isn't it? Where you can just be completely, 100% yourself and you don't need to think about what you're saying. You just get each other.




7// Having a very rare splurge at the Trafford centre! On Friday I took Leanne on her very first trip to a Victoria's Secret store (come on Northern Ireland, catch up!) We were helped by a lovely sales assistant who helped us (such an enabler!) spend faaaar too much money in store. I came away with two lovely bras and a seriously long wishlist. All I can say is thank God the Trafford centre is a 50 minute bus ride away! 



8// A lovely Saturday where I could just catch up on tv and chill out. Those days are rare so I need to grab it with both hands! 



9// Great British Bake Off. I loved this week's again, it's becoming a lovely mid week pick me up. Who doesn't want a bit of Mary and Paul injected into their Wednesday? Fabulously English stuff and my girl crush on Abbey Clancy has definitely grown from this week's offering!



10// A mega sleep last night. It's been such a crazy, busy half term and I feel like it's all taken it out of me a little bit so on Saturday night we hit the hay at literally half 9 and I didn't wake up until 8. If you know me well you'll know that 6.45 is a low in so this was no mean feat! I am a still a very sleepy sausage but I am thinking of a Harry Potter film and maybe a nap?! This girl's sleeping patterns are getting a little bit cray right now. Maybe the teenage years are finally kicking in! 



So that's been my week, and what a hectic, jam packed one indeed! How was yours? What did you get up to? Let me know! Last week of #fabulousfebruary next week, actually can't believe that!


Chat soon lovelies!

Sophia x

Small and 10 happy things! #5


Hello there lovely people!! How you doing? So we are half way through February (say what?!) and for me it has been a very busy week with school assessments and what not. However, looking back there have also been a lot of highs and little special moments so let's have a nice recap and a catch up!



1// Stealing some time for Beauty and the Beast. Disney makes most weeks better, non? 


2// My class acing their first (and my first!) assembly! I won't do work happy things all the time but I do work in a challenging environment so the happy moments need to be celebrated greatly as much for me as for the kids! This week the whole class stepped it up for our assembly and to see children who usually skip school or are late or pull out of participating all rally together to do something they were proud of was really inspiring. I am so happy they feel safe enough to put themselves out there now. #emotional


3// The fact that the Sun is shining! This weekend especially has definitely seen Mr Sun not just poking his head out but actually baring all in an almost cloudless blue sky at several points! I'm feeling instantly happier and closer to summer already! 



4// My weather happiness has come at an ironic time as one of my other pieces of happiness this week was finally getting hands on (literally!) some touch screen gloves! These beauties are from asos (sold out I'm afraid now!) and they were a belated Christmas present from my sister's boyfriend so that was a lovely little surprise that came my way this week! They don't work 100% of the time as my fingers are far too small so the pressure from my fingertips isn't at end of the glove #smallandlesshappy) but they are beautiful anyway and I love them!



5// Celebrating Valentine's day yesterday the best way I know how: with my favourite person in the world eating my favourite food. The delicious natural and cookies and cream frozen yoghurt we had at yogberries in Hale, Cheshire was absolutely delicious! If you're in the area go please! They also deliver. Seriously.


6//  Having time to indulge in my new guilty pleasure...Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders on itv player. As I have mentioned briefly I was a cheerleader at university and loved everything it entailed. As such, this reality show following the Dallas cheerleaders picking a new squad and training them is right up my street! It's dramatic, peppy and makes what I did at uni look like toddlers dancing at a disco. I know as much about American football as I do about quantum physics but I do know that Dallas' team are a huge deal so their cheer squad needs to be tight (bit of cheer lingo for you there) so the pressure is really on for these aspiring ladies! Pure guilty pleasure and reality tv at it's Southern charm best!



7// Taking the sensible road and having some 'me time'. I have been suffering with laryngitis as I've mentioned but I didn't stop my workout routine once much to the dismay of my boyfriend who said I was working myself too hard and delaying my recovery. My excuse was that you're silent for an hour in an exercise class and if I was at home there's absolutely no chance that would happen so surely I was giving my voice time to heal?! Despite my stubborn ways this Monday I gave my usual Zumba class a miss and actually listened to my body which was telling me I was drained, exhausted and needed the rest. So, I came straight home from work, watched some tv, did no work for school and just chilled out. It really did me the world of good and honestly set me up for the week. I am such a one for always pushing on, stiff upper lip, don't want to admit I'm poorly (think Monica on Friends) and all that but for once I'm really, really glad I took self care seriously this week. *pats on back* 



8// TV again but I have been loving Modern Family and Scandal recently. There is just much to watch at the minute, we are so spoiled for choice when it comes to good tv right now.


9// The fact that I am ending this week by heading home to Sheffield to see my Mum and sister. I absolutely can't wait to be reunited and to spend some proper time together without the stress of work(ish!) look how happy we are to be together, you can't go without that joy for too long! 



10// The Comic Relief Bake Off on Wednesday. Tell me you all watched this too?! I absolutely loved Dame Edna and I think Joanna Lumley is a class act. I just love the show so much and it always makes me think of Summer which is goood! Next week they've got Jonathan Ross, Gok Wan, Zoella and Abbey Clancy. Not only have I heard of all these people (rare for any celeb reality show type thing) but I LIKE all of them too so this will be really fun to watch and I'm sure this will feature in next week's happy things! 

What's made you happy this week? Are you experiencing a bit of Sun at the minute too? Do you have any tv guilty pleasures? (Please tell me you do!) 

Sophia x




Small, happy and getting motivated #1


Today as it's a Monday (and who doesn't need a little boost on a Monday?!) I thought I'd share one of my favourite motivational quotes that I've pinned on my Pinterest board 'Inspiring'. I find doing this really therapeutic, if I'm ever feeling a little..meh, it really helps me calm and refocus and gets me out of my funk. This quote below really, really struck a chord with me.


So true.

This is so so true, and I have never felt that this quote is more applicable than when you're in your 20s.  All the way through school it's the same, you and everyone your age goes to school and you do GCSEs.  You might do an after school club or a sport at the weekend  but by and large, you are doing the same as everyone your age.  Then it slowly starts to change.  For me a couple of people went the college route after 16 but most of my class went onto A Levels, uni and then boom we were 21, we had a degree yes, but a clue? Not so much.  All through education I was told, go to uni then you'll be set.  Set on the path to career, marriage, babies, whatever you choose, with a degree behind you you're sure not to lose.  Just felt like rhyming, it's all getting a little Dr Seuss up in here.

But everyone I know since then have all taken very different paths.  One friend went straight into work and then tried to utilise her law degree by doing her LPC (solicitor training) and then decided against it.  Another friend went straight into working in the theatre which her degree trained her for (she's a stage manager for operas la de dah!) while my friend and I went into further study after a year doing various work.  I went into teacher training and she chose another three year course to become a speech therapist.

These paths are all very different and no course is 'right'.  It's hard when you're used to looking to your friends to know what the 'norm' is.  We were always able to do that like how many hours should we study for this exam you both have, what AS levels should we drop, when are you allowed by your parents to go out or stay at a boyfriend's etc and then suddenly you all leave uni and everyone's playing a different game to you, a different life.

It's difficult because it's human nature to compare ourselves, and it really is the thief of joy comparison.  I've been lucky enough to move in with my boyfriend into a wonderful flat in a beautiful area of the UK, but all I can think is that I'm doing supply while friends from my PGCE are working full time in their placement schools because they stayed in the same area.  Instead of comparing my position in my career to theirs, I should be thinking how grateful I am that this choice that I've made has moved me along greatly in terms of where I want to be living my life and ultimately that will help me in my career because I am in a fantastic catchment area with some great, great schools.

What I (and this quote) are trying to say is that wherever you are and whatever you're doing in your life, that's okay, that's 'right'.  As long as you are happy and healthy that is all that matters.  Just because your friend might be married or be having a baby or be in the exact career they want to be in that does not mean you need to have all that sorted out yet.  Nor does it mean that you are any less 'ahead'.  In some ways you'll have progressed more in some areas of your life and in some ways you might need longer to sort somethings out, and that's fine.  Once we get through school life becomes a bit murkier and while people may comment and say things like 'isn't it time you got a real job?' or 'aren't you ready to quit travelling and settle down?' they do not have to live your life, YOU DO, and you are the one who needs to be happy with it.  After they've made their comment they go back to their lives and get on with their own things and their own comparisons, they're not worrying about you and what you're doing, trust me.  If you live your life because of what you think others think you should be doing at that stage you won't be happy.  I don't know much, but I know that, I have learnt that.  I am trying to make sure that I'm happy with what I'm doing and that's working for me right now.   All we can do is try and be kind to our selves, stop comparing and start celebrating what you are doing right, which is probably a hell of a lot!

If you have any inspiring quotes or any great boards that you follow (quotes or just general, I'm Pinsessed! Does that work? I'm not sure...) please share, I'm all ears!
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