My Top 10 Songs of 2015

The irony of this meme is that I actually bought a cheesecake yesterday but I am going out as well so as the the old saying goes "I'm going to have my (cheese)cake and eat it..."

Well, we have come to another New Year's Eve and I couldn't think of a better way to spend some of the day than to write a blog just for all of you guy. It's been so lovely being back here with all of you and I want to thank you for taking the time to read and share my life with me. It really gives me warm, tingly feels when I see people are still reading.
To end 2015, I thought I would round up some of the songs that I have adored and played the hell out of this year in 2015. I couldn't decide on a preference and therefore these songs are not in numerical order just put down in order that I can remember.

 So here are my top 10 songs of 2015:
- Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa - See You Again - Ed Sheeren - Photograph - James Bay - Hold Back the River - Ed Sheeren - Thinking Out Loud - Justin Bieber - Love Yourself - Rachel Platten - Fight Song - Taylor Swift - Bad Blood - Adele - Hello - Jess Glynne - Hold My Hand - Ellie Goulding - Love Me Like You Do What song would be in your top 10? Have I not included your favourite song? 
Let me know in the comments.... If you're not all too drunk! xxx

January Challenge

I've really enjoyed being back on Blogger and blogging that I have decided the only way that I ever seem to blog consistently and with some purpose is if I find myself/or create my own challenge for that month. I looked on the Internet for any challenges that I might like to do and came across a challenge that quite fittingly was labelled January Challenge. I thought I would share it with you- as always- and give you a chance to let me know what you think. I might even put a cheeky poll in here for you to decide. So, without too much chit chat, here is the January challenge. Let me know if you like it/if you think I should do it and how I should set it out. Should I just post pictures? Should I do a combo of pictures and writing?

Please, let me know! :) Remember if you want to say yes- specific which yes - pictures only or pictures and writing. You only have until 01.01.2016 at noon to complete it!

Should I attempt to complete the January challenge?

5 Ways To Tell It Is Half Term/The Holidays

Many people might say that complaining is one of my favourite hobbies but they are wrong. I dislike complaining that I am always busy and have no time but the fact of the matter is, when I am at work- I literally have no time. I get so busy that I forget about being Nicole- I feel like I am just Miss Ryan. Being off from school makes me appreciate myself again and it makes me dedicate time to finding myself. Sometimes I truly do feel lost.
I've realised that when it is half term/the holidays, there are 5 tell tale signs to know. So here is my list of clues to tell you that I am off of work.
1. Nicole blogs.

I never seem to have time to blog when I'm at school because I'm too busy being preoccupied with planning and making resources or finishing off the last bit of marking from that day. The last thing I want to do is spend more time on the computer and type out a blog. When I blog, especially when I blog consistently, you are almost going to be right if you said I was off of work- it makes me happy and a little sad that I do come back to blogging but it is only when I am off work. I know I should blog more. 2. Nicole looks well put together and decent.

I won't say that I look a state when I go to school for work but it is definitely not as nice as I could look. The last thing I want to be doing when I'm half asleep is make myself look the best I can be because who would it really be for? I love being able to take the time to do my hair, experiment with the clothes I wear and put on make up that actually makes me look like a human being.

I also love a cheeky selfie during these days ;)

3. Nicole is happy to talk about everything and anything.

I try not to be but when I'm at work, I tend to come up a little bit moody and miserable. I've spoken about this with other teachers and I've come to the conclusion that by the end of the day, my face really hurts. It really hurts because from the time my children enter the classroom to the second they leave, I am smiling. I am smiling even if I don't want to smile- especially on those days where the only thing you want to do is cry and fall asleep. I smile because I want them to have a happy and safe place in school. But have you tried to smile every since day without fail for hours on end and then come home and want to smile and be happy still? 
It's bad but when I go home, it's my chance to just be- to not put on a smiley face or to be overly exciting and animated so I end up not talking and most of the time, I do look a bit miserable even if I'm not. The school day does tend to zap all of my energy and my emotional capabilties.
4. Nicole stays up past 10:30. And actually stays up for her own benefit. Now, I don't go to bed ridiculously early on a school night- usually I'm in bed by 10 but not asleep until 11ish but on half terms, I will actively stay up late doing whatever I want and even not sleep until 1/2 in the morning. It means that I can make the most of my entire day and it feels nice to be able to stay up late without worrying about being tired the next day. I'm really sad, aren't I? 5. Nicole has time for herself.

When I'm at work, I usually only have Saturday to myself as Sunday is my planning and making resources day- this means that I don't really get that much free time to truly enjoy it. But when it is the half term/holidays, I make sure that I make time for me- I make time for all the things that I never usually get to do. This half term, I managed to get myself a new driving instructor and have some driving time. Previously, I had given it up because I had too much on my plate and was literally working myself to sickness... It meant that I gave something up that was for me and it really did upset me.
I'm glad that this half term, I have managed to get back to something I love and I strive to keep doing lessons when I am back at school- it does me good to make that time for myself. Not only have I been able to take time for driving but I've also had the chance to do some baking and reading during the holidays.

And those are the 5 ways you can tell I am not at work. If you ever see me blogging consistently again, double check the rest of the ways to see if I'm off work. I can assure you these 5 ways are the biggest give away that I am nt working...
Do you have any differences to yourself when you're not at work? Lemme know below!

2015 Look Back

There isn't a year that goes by that doesn't have its ups and down with my life. Now I don't know if it's just me thinking about life too much but whenever I take a glimpse into anyone else's life, it never seems as crazy as my life. This year has been split down the middle between almost losses to great achievements. I thought I would sum up some of the highlights and 'lowlights' of 2015. This ended up being the year that I thought I could have a year from heartache and loss but in actual fact, it saw me seeing almost 2 deaths of people that I am most close to. I normally don't share this part of my life because I don't think it's necessary (and also I rarely find myself blogging during term time).

But at the start of the year, I watched my Dad have a heart attack, which was the most scary thing in my entire life. Thankfully he was fixed and everything worked out right. The next near loss I had was with my disabled aunt where I actually had to check for a pulse (which I did not find). Again thankfully I can blog about near losses rather than actual losses. The brush with death I've had this year is definitely all I want to handle for many years to come...

Me and my papa!! This photos brings me nicely onto my next memory of this year, which was graduating with my second degree! I worked so hard to get to where I am now in my career and it's nice to have these memories to treasure! My two cheeky nephews grew into such funny and smart little boys who I love with all my heart. They astound me everyday and one of the best things in my life right now is being Auntie Nic Nic. I absolutely love it.

I completed my NQT year as a teacher and now feel somewhat confident in my job, feeling like I know what I'm doing and actually benefit the children I teach. This year I have realised that being a teacher is hard and overwhelming but it is something that is worth it. I am on my way to being ready to pass my driving test- not yet but I definitely am looking forward to the day my instructor says to book a test. And I have my dream car, Poppy the Polo, to drive when I pass.

Summing up the year, it has been a good one. I've achieved a lot and as always I am thankful for my family and the love that we share. There really isn't a greater family than mine and I feel so blessed to have them all!

I hope your year has been equally as good and my hopes are that it has been even better than mine! And remember, if life hasn't given you all that you wanted, you can change that. You don't have to sit around waiting for some divine intervention- you can be the pilot of your own life and make it everything you wanted and more.

And on that note, for this Bank Holiday Monday, I am going to spend it with my cheeky nephew Jacob. Ta'ra!

Criminal Case Review

I like sharing with you all my favourite apps as I find them. Previously I've posted a review about the game Bakery Story, which I no longer play... and I also posted a review about the app Airdroid, which I still use and love to this day. Today, I thought I would post a review about a new game that I am officially addicted to- I don't know how I found it but I love it.

This game is basically a hidden object game where you have to find the objects in different scenes but has the added story to each level where you have to solve a murder. There are clues that you have to investigate and then you ultimately arrest the killer from the clues about them that you have uncovered.

This is the main screen that you see when you are in the game and each number is a different level with a different murder case. I am currently waiting to investigate level 28. You have XP points that you gather that puts you up the different ranks from officer to deputy to detective all the way to sheriff and general. I am currently on level 66 and I am a Captain! 

This is what each different crime scene that you investigate looks like- each one following the story and gives you a narrative throughout so you can keep up to date with the findings and the different twists and turns each story takes. It really is fun to see which person murdered them with their reasoning behind. To play each crime scene, you use your energy- your maximum energy level is 110 and each crime scene costs 20 energy unless there is a special offer on.

I use my phone a lot to play games and as sad as it sounds, I play this game almost every day. I absolutely love it! I also got both my sister and my best friend Gerri hooked. Give it a try ;) Maybe I can hook more people onto this game!

I also link this game to my Facebook as you can get special cards that give you more XP or coins to buy different things but I always make sure that I do not click the box that says 'Post to my FB' and have set the game to private so only I see any posts that accidentally get through- it means that I can play without fear of being that annoying person of FB.

All in all, it's a fun and addicting game that has a purpose. Most hidden object games rarely have a reason for finding the objects but with the aspect of investigating and uncovering clues, it makes it far more enjoyable. If you're like me and enjoy playing games, give it a try!

Well, that's all from me today. It is my sister's birthday today so the festivities never stop- it will be a day of being with family and eating cake whilst drinking some yummy beverages. I absolutely love this time of the year!

Cheerio for now.

Christmas Day 2015

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas yesterday! Christmas Day is always a little strange in our house because we have two sisters with their own families, we have to wait for them to come round, which sometimes means we wait until around 5PM until we open presents (like this year, one of my sisters went to her partners for Christmas dinner). It's okay though because it meant that this year, I could have my dinner then have a little nap ;)

Here are a couple of pictures of my Christmas Day:

My Christmassy outfit, well only really my Christmas jumper but I think it is darn cute!

One of my nephews spent the whole day with us so it meant that I had to have a Christmas selfie- even more so because he was an elf which matched my Christmas jumper. He is so cute and I honestly can't get over how much I love him!

Jacob got the cutest rocking horse that not only looks adorable but also moves and has sound effects- when you press its ear, it makes clip-clop sounds and wags his tail whilst moving its mouth. I honestly couldn't get over it.

P.S. check out my beautiful tree in the background.

And then some of my presents- the one of the left was a very thoughtful gift left from Santa. Once a teacher, always a teacher. If you don't know why this is funny, they are green pens and I am only allowed to mark in green pens, which causes two situations: 1. I never have a green pen when I need one to mark or 2. When someone else needs a pen, I only ever have green pens to offer. I'm definitely not going to run out of green pens now!

The next picture is a super sweet Pandora charm from my brother, which has a little reindeer on it as well as a 'Merry Christmas' inscription on the bottom. I love it!

And that's Christmas Day for another year. Right now I am sitting on the sofa, in my Christmas pudding pyjamas prepraing myself for another busy day with Boxing Day. Another busy day, another big dinner.... Yippee.

What is your Boxing Day like? Let me know below- I love hearing form you all.

Love you lots

Celebrity

Right now when you are reading this, it is Christmas Day so a very Merry Christmas to you all...
Right now for me, it is Christmas Eve and I have just come back from the Christmas Eve service at the church. Now, I know all of you might be saying 'but Nicole, you don't go to church.' and you would be right. I am not a hardcore Christian but ever since I was little, we had a tradition to go to the church during Christmas Eve to watch the nativity service. Now that there are babies in the family again, we wanted to start the tradition with them.
The church we went to was lovely- they had singing, some prayers and readings from the Bible and also it had the nativity played out by children. It was simply adorable.
The thing about going to church now I'm a teacher is that there is a chance that I will be recognised and this happened...

One of the angels from the service turned around and said 'hello Miss Ryan' which I thought was sweet and cute. Then, one of the girls from the other year 1 class came and tapped me on the shoulder to say hello, which was funny now that it took the toll to 2... And then, as I was leaving, one of my little girls from my class came up to me to wish me Merry Christmas.
It means that I'm a local celebrity- oh yeahhhh!
Storytime over- I hope you're having a lovely Christmas Day and I will try to get some pictures share my Christmas with you all!

Christmas Eve Outfit of the Day (OOTD)

Hi beauties,

Now, if you know me, you will know that I am not a fashionista- I do not follow many trends nor do I look great in them when I do- but today, I wanted to glam myself up a little. These next couple of pictures are going to split people down the middle- those that are naturally glam, beautiful and well put together all the time that will think "that's nothing special" and the rest of us normal people that wear something nice and rarely think they look great who will think "that looks really pretty." I'm hoping most of you are normal people.

The truth is, I don't think I'm that pretty and at the moment, I really do not like the way my body looks so it is a big achievement of mine to even like what I look like most days so I thought I would share it with you:

My hair is usually down, long and straightened because I have a really big hang up about my neck.. yes, my neck. My friends aliken me to a giraffe because I have a really long neck and because I'm skinny, it usually shows even more! This means that I like to hide my neck behind my mop of hair but I've really been enjoying this pulled back bun with some volume on top. I think it looks really classy and cute!

Some simple black jeans always gets you started well to look classy and a little glam. I have two side notes to this outfit:

♥ Side note 1 - these jeans are probably the only jeans that properly fit me and hug my legs like skinny jeans are meant to. Over the last year or so, for some reason, I've lost weight, especially around my thighs (I think it's the stress and long hours of my job) but it means that in the new year, I will need to go jean shopping...

♥ Side note 2 - the necklace that I am wearing, which I adore, was given to me as a gift from one of my children from my class last year and I LOVE it. I think it pulls it altogether and matches my golden jumper!

And this is the completed look with a little bit of an Instagram filter (I still have hang ups!)
I am actually really impressed with how I look and  for once I'm happy with myself. That's the main part of this blog that I wanted to share. For today, I like the way I look. And to tie it all in together, I got my nails done yesterday- it's a very pretty pinky/purpley colour with a few sparkles for the holidays!  Love yourself! 
Merry Christmas all :) xxxx ♥

Father Christmas!

I went to see Santa!! 🎅🎄🎁
Christmas is coming...

A Long Week

Oh my goodness, I did not think that my weeks could get any more busy and stressful but last week was a record breaking week for me. I don't know what made it so stressful, emotional and simply exhausting but it was.
I am so glad that this week is now over and I can spend these 2 days trying to prepare myself for the next 2 weeks before Christmas. I honestly think that if anyone says to me in the next couple of days that teaching is easy, I will literally enforce some sort of bodily pain on them.
Thankfully, today I get to spend some much needed time sleeping...

And spending time with my boys

And eating cheesecake (you do not understand how much I love this M&S cheesecake slice)

That is all :P

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 Movie Review

Aloha, 
Now, I went to the cinema twice this week and both times I have been The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. Don't get it twisted and instantly assume that I am a Hunger Games fanatic (I enjoy the franchise but not to an excessive degree), I just have two sets of friends who both wanted to see it with me and I couldn't say yes to one and not to other.

Now that I have cleared that up, let's get down to the review. I have to put a disclaimer in this because I really did not like the last book in The Hunger Game series- I thought it was overly rushed with very little description in order to create enough imagery in the reader's mind. I am very big on taking it slow and really describing events in depth and I really did not have a clue what was happening in the books so I didn't really have that much of a high expectation.
I was completely disappointed with the Mockingjay Part 1 film, which I thought was boring, slow and lacked any real storyline to make it a stand alone film. All I saw when I went and saw that film was a money making tactic by splitting the last book in 2. So, when I did sit down in the fairly empty cinema, I didn't really know what I was going to expect.

What I did find was a film that was okay. It wasn't anything spectacular but it wasn't a bad film. I think they made the action scenes really well- there was a good amount of suspense whilst the film was still very predictable. It was pretty jumpy in some places and credit to whoever made those mutts because they were quite simply terrifying.
Overall, it was definitely better than the Part 1 film and I did enjoy both times I saw the film so it wasn't a waste of money. The biggest part that got to me was the storyline with Finnick. At the beginning of the series, I didn't enjoy his character but I have come to love him. I will not spoil it if people haven't seen it but that definitely was a good part of the film for me.

Also, in this film, I really grew to like Cressida. She always had a star in the films but I didn't really take notice of her but I enjoyed her very much! Also, she rocks her hairdo and looks flipping amazing doing it, which I think not many people could pull off so kudos to her.

I think if you have seen all of the other 3 films, you have to go and see it but if you haven't bothered; I wouldn't run to the cinema to see it. If this is anything to go by, I was less disappointed by this film than I was for Breaking Dawn Part 2. So The Hunger Games, you win on this one!
If you have seen the film, let me know what your thoughts are about it down below!
As a final word, it does make me want to watch the first film again - which I think is my favourite simply because I enjoyed the concept of The Hunger Games. I think as the series went on, they overplayed the concept perhaps too far... But that is my opinion, 

My Nail Treat

Wow, hasn't it been a while. 4 months to be exact. My life always gets a little bit crazy and when it does, the things I love to do the most are usually put on hold- hence my hiatus from this blog.
Now, the one thing that I wanted to share today was a misconception that I hate that people have. For about a year now, I have been going to the nail salon on and off to have gel nails on. I initially started with nail extensions because I love long nails but the nature of my job meant that as soon as they got long enough, one would chip and break leaving my nails looking gross. I have now moved onto overlays on my natural nail to make them stronger. Anyway, I have had people comment on how this is such a waste of money and how it only adds to the idea of a vain materialistic girl and I wanted to share my thoughts on this.
To some people paying £15 a fortnight to go and have your nails refilled and painted is a waste of money but to me, it is well worth it. My life revolves around being a teacher, where I essentially work for the benefit of someone else- I plan, resource, mark and get up in the morning for my lovely children in my class. I give up evenings and my Sunday every weekend to make sure that I have planned great lessons for my children. It means that I give up a lot in my life- I don't necessarily treat myself to anything.

Getting my nails done is my treat. It is a chance for me to have an hour out of my busy schedule to not think about anyone else but myself. It gives me a chance to make myself feel valued and actually feel like a human being. I have always loved painting my nails and have always felt that if my nails were painted, it didn't matter what the rest of me looked like because I felt complete.
I adore getting my nails done and I think that if anyone looks at me one day and I seem a little out of sorts, at least I have beautiful nails to fall back on. It's my treat.
Here is a montage of just some of the colours I have had on my nails:

It is something that is just for me. I have always been told that I put everyone else before myself and now, I'm taking back something for myself. So next time you want to make a comment about someone's personality and integrity, stop and think because that might be the one nice thing they have done for themselves that week. Who are we to judge someone else's choices?
Maybe you'll see me around again soon?!

June Challenge: 30. First Regret

FIRST AND FOREMOST, I MADE IT!!!!
*victory dance*

Now let's get down to business! (Side note: to remember how to spell business, I literally say busy-ness... I can't remember it otherwise. I'm a dork, I know!)

30. First Regret

I never normally regret life because I am a strong believer that whatever happens to you has a plan . It may suck at the time but it happens for a reason, however cliched that is. I really truly believe that it does. Although saying that, I have regretted things in the past but as I look back on them, I no longer regret them still and so I guess I'm not going to count them because at the time that regret is just clouded by all your emotions of whatever the situation is.

My first lasting regret that I still have now is stopping my daily blogging. I went a good year and a couple of months blogging every single day and although some days it really did feel like a chore, I absolutely loved it. I loved being able to share my life and build a little community- which I feel I really have. I always look at my blog and see that people are still looking back at blogs I wrote a year/2 yeras ago and it makes me really happy to know that people are still enjoying  my content.

I absolutely love writing and when I found blogging, it gave me an outlet and I wish I hadn't given up my streak of blogging everyday because now that I don't have that length, I'm not as committed...

I just have to keep finding new challenges to encourage me to blog everyday to you beauties.

This is a pretty good blog to end my 30 day blogging challenge on and I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has joined me on this journey and have finished it with me.

I also want to give a shout out and a congratulations to my friend Hollie for finishing it aswell. If you want to learn a little more about her, I will link you her blog that you can read her challenge answers.. she's has some awesome blogs. Please check her out :)

Hollie's Little Treasures Blog

I love you all as always. And I'll see you again, real soon!