A Long Time Coming

For the last 9 weeks, we have been going forward and back from the hospital for both my Aunt and my Grandad. Unfortunately, my Grandad didn't make it home after he was admitted to hospital but thankfully today, we were able to finally bring my Aunt home and it felt so good. She hasn't been out of hospital for 9 weeks which is such a long time!

The worry from her not being well all disappeared knowing that she could be with us all the time. It has been such a long, and emotional road to this point and we all never thought there would be a day that we would have her home and mobile. Considering the fact she had been in intensive care for around a month, it is surprising how similar she is to how she went in.

Not only did she come home, but we had a very tearful moment having to tell her that her Dad was no longer with us. There was all of us in tears as my Mum told her but hopefully with us all around and the dogs from her old house- she'll settle into her new home fine.

The only wish I have was that my Grandad was here to share the moment with us. If we could've seen into the future, and told him that she would come home, maybe he would've had more to fight for. Maybe he would still be here. I know I can't think that way but it's hard for me to not think about the what ifs. I miss him so much and I know she misses him too.

One big step getting her home so hopefully it will be plain sailing from here on out.

xxx

I Love Eating Out

So the question that was repeatedly asked to me the last couple of days is "what are we going to do tonight?" The options were going out for dinner, cinema or bowling. 

Bowling, however much I love it, always sees me eating my own words because I swear that I will beat everyone and then normally end up coming last. I just don't know how I get it so wrong- my ball goes dead straight down they bowling alley but perhaps that's where I go wrong. Anyway, I wasn't feeling bowling.

The second option was the cinema and I want to see Iron Man 3, but the trouble with the cinema is that you get about 10 minutes before and 10 minutes after to have a proper chat and catch up with people. All the time in between is sitting in pitch black watching a film that 9 times out of 10 doesn't live up to your expectations.

This is why every time me and my friends get together, we always go out for a meal. It means we get hours of time talking to each other, having a laugh and trying not to spit out food out with unexpected bursts of laughter- I'm looking at you Alice. But we also get to eat yummy food that we might not normally have at home. I love it. It's one of the things I look forward to when I come home. As well as seeing the losers of friends I have ;)

Tonight, we are dining at Zizzi's and I am excited. I miss the girls (and Tom) when I'm at uni and love all the time we get to spend together everyone we come home. They are the best of friends and I'm so lucky to have them all.

Now time to stuff my face with lasagne, YUM!

xxx

Wednesday 8th May

Sleep.

Eat.

Procrastinate.

Style.

 Play.

Snapchat.

Revise.

Procrastinate.

Ponder.

Eat.

Sleep.

Spring Has Arrived

Despite the fact my days are littered with revision notes, and assignment references/data- it could be said that spring has definitely arrived. It's not sunny everyday,  but that's not what spring it about- even though we do love the sunshine. It has been a lovely weekend with warmth and sunshine and I have to say I love it.

I spent the morning of today round Gerri's house enjoying the sun, company and the chats. I never get enough time to see everyone when I'm home for such durations so meeting up with people is few and far between but when we do; I love it.

Unfortunately, I had to come home to crack on with some work given the fact my exam is in just over a week and a half and I have an assignment due in the very next day. :( Boo! Never mind. If the sun keeps shining, and I keep working with little stress; I know I can get everything out the way and before I know it, it'll be June; almost my birthday and I'll be well on the way to graduating with weeks off for summer.

Fantastical freedom for flying farther afield.

Some may say that I will be living the life of Riley after 30th May and I'd be inclined to agree.

I can't wait!

Spring. Sunshine. Serenity.

What a way to spend a Tuesday afternoon- thinking up alliterative sentences. Such an English twat I am...

On that note, TA'RAAAA!

xxx

Motivational Monday #3

We all have our comfort zones where our favourite cuddly, childhood toy is along with all our strengths and none of our weaknesses are on show. It's a safe place for us; a place that we know we can't fail or make ourselves look like idiots. It's a place where we don't have to challenge ourselves to be happy, we don't run the risk of disappointing ourselves; we are content with the life we are leading. It's not a bad life to live in your comfort zone, but if you think about it; it really could be something of greatness if you just pushed yourself a little bit more than normal.

But is our life one where we should live in that comfort zone? Perhaps, for part of it. There's nothing more off-putting for life than being in a place which makes you uncomfortable 24/7 but should we be in our safe haven all day every day?

My answer is no.

My answer is that sometimes, we need to step out of that comfort zone and wiggle our toes in the sea of excitement and fear just to feel the exhilarating waves crash upon us. I think we all need to challenge ourselves daily, a challenge that takes us beyond what we are comfortable with; big or small. Eleanor Roosevelt was right when she said that we need to do something every day that scares us or questions our life, or our personality; our hopes and dreams.

Whether that is just going up to a stranger to talk to them, trying something new to eat or wear a different, more daring style of clothing or as extreme jumping off a cliff to bungee-jump; it needs to be something that during you'll be scared as hell, and potentially hate the fact you tried it. But at the very end, once you have completed it, you'll get that feeling of self-worth, of pride in yourself and ultimately  you'll feel a lot happier.

We are forever growing and learning new things about us as people and individuals. We shouldn't just sit back and be okay with ourselves all the time, we need to constantly try to grow and evolve- to make the most of the short time we have on this Earth.

Let's pop our little bubble from time to time and do something we wouldn't normally do. I can assure you it'll open your eyes up to countless other opportunities that you had never even begun to imagine before.

You could find the dream you/life that you hadn't even realised was your dream.

Challenge. Confront. Cultivate.

Once again, have a lovely, motivated Monday. I shall see you next week with other Motivational Monday.

Muchos love,

Nicole

xxx

Motivational Monday #1
Motivational Monday #2

BBQ Season

Now that it is meant to be getting warming and sunnier, it's the perfect time for BBQs and when I came home, it was on my to-do list.

Today, the BBQ was on the agenda. The sun wasn't necessarily out in full force but it did make an appearance every now and again. Thankfully, it wasn't cold and so sitting out in the garden with everyone was enjoyable. If you have a family of 4, the idea of a family BBQ isn't that exciting. But between us all, boyfriends and kids- there were around 13 people enjoying the food, music and company. As well as there, there were 3 dogs to keep us entertained.

I had a great time, I didn't eat a lot- only managed a burger, but the whole point of the day was to enjoy the company of loved ones. After being starved of that for 3 weeks when I've been craving it; it was so good to just chill out with everyone I've missed. I had a great Sunday and it just reminds me how lucky I am which in turn makes me so grateful.

Family is everything in this life- I definitely don't take that for granted.

I hope you're all having a lovely bank holiday weekend- and continue having a great time tomorrow where you can have a day off without calling in sick ;) Fingers crossed the sun comes out for us all!!

xxx

Sally Hansen Review

Bear with me please because I am in no ways a beauty guru. But I have been using a clear nail varnish that promises maximum growth by Sally Hansen and I thought: why not give this beauty review malarkey a go... So, here I am.

My old New Year's resolutions for the longest of times was 

"Do not bite your nails."

And I failed each and every year. I noticed that the second I stopped making that New Year's resolution  I begun to have better nails than when I tried. It must be something about the way your brain brings it to the forefront of your mind when you're not allowing yourself to do it, making it more noticeable to your conscious mind and then ultimately making you not able to stop thinking about it until you have bitten your nails.

Sally Hansen
Maximum Growth Clear Nail Varnish
Daily Nail Varnish Treatment
Boots: £4.75

Before, whenever my nails would grow, they would be translucent, brittle and dry. Whenever they grew, they would snag/chip/break within one day of me doing anything with my hands. I hated it. I have long, skinny fingers that I always get told look like skeleton fingers and so they aren't the most attractive. When you think of femininity  you can't help but think of those beautiful women in nail adverts with long, manicured nails and I used to always crave them.

Since using this nail varnish, I have found that my nails have grown faster and stronger with a lot less translucent tips- they actually look fairly white by themselves, which I think is a miracle. The best part is that they don't chip anywhere as easily as they did before. I can do the washing up and they will be a bit weaker from the moisture but once dry, they'll go back to being strong again. I absolutely love it. And the fact it's called Maximum Growth, I feel like there's something psychological that goes on in your brain that tells you not to bite your nails. Or it could be that way for just me...

I strongly recommend anyone who is wanting to grow their nails or can grow their nails but they are really weak to give it a try. And it's not even that expensive. Bargain and brilliant. Love it!

And you can always put a pretty coloured coat on top if you want like I have done:

No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour
Totally Teal
Boots: £6.00
Hardly chips and a very nice consistency for smooth application 

So, there we have it, my first ever beauty blog review. Tick that one off my blog bucket list. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed sharing with you! Have a wonderful weekend.

Lots of love,

Nicoleybean! xxx

Home Sweet Home!

As I board the coach, the feeling of restriction and weight bearing down on my chest and heart lifts immediately knowing that in a couple of hours I will be back where I need to be and where I belong.

And the sigh of relief that will be exhaled as I enter my childhood home will say that I am safe, no longer lonely and I am where I am meant to be: home...

Home really is where the heart is.

Tips on How to Start Your Own Blog

In my personal, writing-loving opinion, I feel like everyone should write in some way or sort. Writing which goes beyond the cheeky Facebook message/tweet/text message or the necessity of academic writing for your latest assignment. I feel like people should tap into their creative, language-drive left hemisphere of their brain to create something that they can be proud of. I know this is a thought because I absolutely love writing, and I know many do not share the same passion as me but if you DO, and you've just been scared about creating something so personal as a blog, let me help you to see that it's not so scary after all.

♥ Write about your passions

If you're looking for a place to start, there's no better place than exploring your likes/dislikes etc. You know them more than you know your own big toe on your left foot. Have you ever noticed how it's easier to write/talk about yourself and what you know than trying to jump into the deep end with a so called, society perceived "smart topic" that you have no clue about? Write about what you know and love and you'll find that your fingers do all the typing with very little strenuous thinking on your brain's part. Perfect.

♥ Figure out a game-plan

It's good enough to just write about your passions and what you know, but to encapsulate everything you want and to draw in the best audience, you need to figure out what type of blog it is you want to create and stick to it. Whether that is a news blog, review blog, a beauty blog or personal experience blog. I've managed to combine a personal blog with a few tips and tricks to help you guys out. Once you've figured out your game-plan, there's nothing from stopping you from churning out blog posts.

♥ Create a schedule

The most important thing for readers is knowing when there will be a blog post. This is by no means telling you to create a blog everyday but some consistency with your posting should be thought about. Have you ever been a follower of a TV show and get so excited for the weekly Friday viewing but then get so mad when there isn't one that week? That's the same for people who keep coming back to your blog, they want to see the content on the days that they expect it and they can't expect a schedule unless you either explicitly tell them or they learn when you post.

♥ Make it pretty

Design your blog to be something that if you stumbled across, you would want to stay and read. Customise everything to match your personality and the genre/tone of your blog- it'll make it unique to you and ultimately unique to everyone else. This ranges from a snazzy, catchy title of your blog, to the very nitty gritty aspects of colour/font and all that jazz. It's yours, so make it pretty and something you are proud to share.

♥ Just go for it

If you're worried about looking silly or people not liking what you produce, why do you care that much? The whole point of living in a world where most of the time we are free to say and do what we want within reason is so that we can do the things that we want without the fear of being negatively judged. I'm not saying you won't be, because you will but won't the good, encouraging comments that people give you be worth so much more? I can't thank the people who ask me about my blog, what the next one will be about, if it's out yet or not enough because they drive me to keep creating.

Don't be scared, just do it and worry about everything else later.

I hope you all are inspired as little to create something more, even if it's not a blog. I thoroughly enjoy this blogging process and hope that you find something you love a much as I do this. 

Happy blogging to everyone who wishes to rise to the challenge and hope you all have a wonderful Thursday. Much love,

Nicole 

xxx

Hello May

I seem to remember doing this sort of blog for another month but I'm not exactly sure which month it was- I'm going to give it a wild guess (rather than actually finding out because I'm lazy) and say it was the month of March.

So, given the fact it is May and there are a few things going on in May, I thought I would give you a run-down on the plans I already have, and the ones I'm not quite so looking forward to...

♥ 2nd May - My last ever lecture at Cardiff University as an undergraduate studying English Language. That thought is insane to me and I'm excited to finish yet it was always going to be tinged with sadness of leaving...

♥ 3rd May - I finally get to go home. I have been craving home since I got back to uni on the 15th April. It feels like I've been back at uni way longer than I actually have. I've been trying to juggle my sadness about my Grandad; my loneliness because of my friend issue and my uni work/revision/assignment. AHH! I seriously am done with uni!

♥ 16th May - My first exam of my final year. Not so looking forward to this.

♥ 17th May - My last ever assignment is handed in for uni with no doubt great relief but also great nerves. Also today, me and some of the girls from my course have planned a night out (not sure if this will go ahead, but if it does, I will be looking forward to it very much!)

♥ 18th/19th May - Back home to be with my family. I can only really stand small doses of being at uni recently because I hate the feeling of complete and utter loneliness. Home IS where the heart is

♥ 30th May - My final exam of my whole university experience. It will be one of huge relief and great happiness. I shall have to go out and celebrate the official ending of my degree. After 3 long years, it is the penultimate pinnacle of my entire degree.

And that will bring me to June where no doubt I shall create another one of these types of blogs because I like them. I like planning out my month and see what I have going on. You guys have just served as my interactive, online calendar... Thanks ;)

I hope during the month other good things happen like my Aunt finally coming home from the hospital, and spending more time with my family/friends from both home and uni. The great thing about life is that you can do whatever you want without needing a plan- spontaneity is one of life's great wonders.

Have a lovely start to the month.

Love you all,

Nicole xxx