Six places that i have been in my life time

1. South Africa

2. France

3. New York City

4. Pennsylvania

5. Scotland

6. Belgium

1. I want to be able to find shoes that actually fit my feet and don't hurt me after two hours of wearing them.

2. I want to find a church that i love and that i fit in

3. I want long hair

4. I want to one day, in the not too far off distance, buy my own place.

5. I want to make more friends

6. I want to hang my washing outside without feeling like people are watching me.

7. I want to have a georgiamudfudge just one more time.

But on a positive note today is my first day following the new pro-points Weight watchers plan.  And i even got some exercise in on the first day!!

Just popping in for a quick hello and share a song with you that has made it onto my favourites list at the moment.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Enjoy!

Does any one else out there battle buying perfume?  Surely I cant be the only girl out there facing this problem.

I seem to have this love/hate relationship with several things in my life at the moment, but the most appropriate for this post being perfume.  If you were to open my bedroom cupboard you would not believe your eyes.  All those gorgeous looking bottles of perfume and yet i couldn't tell you my favourite, i couldn't even tell you what sort of perfume I like.

So, today at work, we had the monthly market with the usual perfume stall and there i stood for a good twenty minutes smelling perfume after perfume. The one that i have been using for the past two months is almost finished and i cant possibly use any of the bottles that i already have; so i just had to buy a new bottle.

My mom is one of those people who has a favourite and that is all the she uses - like ever uses!  She has a signature smell and i love that, but it's a big commitment and one that i am not quite ready to make just yet.

The guy on the other side of the stall was very patient with me.  He was ready with bottle after bottle of samples so that we could try to find one that i liked.......lol, at the beginning of his experience with me he was dead set on finding me one that i *LOVED* however, after twenty minutes of asking me questions and trying different bottles he said "Maybe we should just try to find one that you like"....poor guy!

So, I am asking you the question .... How do you choose which perfume to buy? 

Its week #4 of the Inspiration Workshop! linky party and i am totally loving this weeks prompt!

This week’s Inspiration Workshop! prompt is spending the day playing. These past few weeks my life has been so stressful and so unbalanced that spending the day playing did me the world of good.  Weekend are supposed to be for relaxing and catching up on things but mine seem to have been filled to the brim with things that, if i felt i had a choice, i probably wouldnt do. So, today I am saving may Play Day for a little later on, when i have the time to really enjoy it.  For now I am going to share some time spent playing that makes me smile.

Now its your turn ~

If you would like to join in then pop on over to Gussy Sews and join the fun!

1. COLOUR is a huge love of mine!  Maybe its because most of my clothes are blue or black but anything colourful fulls my heart with happiness.  Bedrooms, kitchen plates, DVD covers - it doesn't matter what it is as long as it is filled with colour.

2. Thunder storms are another one of my loves. The UK have some, but nowhere near as good as those which we had in South Africa.  The smell in the air, the view that you can see when the lightening strikes and lights up the land - absolutely gorgeous!  Words are simply not enough sometimes.

3. Apple crumble, custard and cream. This is my number one most favourite non-chocolate desert.

4. I love a good chick flick.  That happily ever after story, where the girl gets the guy and they all live happily ever after forever and a day.  I love those fairy tales, those dreams.

5. A freshly made, clean bed.  Freshly washed bedding is like a magical treat that swallows you up the moment you lay your weary body.

6. I love having a plan. I like schedules and to do lists. I love knowing my boundaries and working within them. Sounds a little boring but i like the structure it gives me.

7. The ocean.  The sound that it makes, the smell in the air. The constant rolling waves, the way it just does what it does, no changes, no uncertainty. Its both soothing and powerful. 

8.  Bubble baths and lit candles. A good book, some sappy music and all the time in the world.

9. Discovering a little more about who i am each day. Putting myself to the test and seeing how i respond. Looking at my challenges and watching myself develop.

If you would like to join in then pop on over to Gussy Sews and join the fun!

1. I hate sharing my hair brush. It doesn't matter if your my best friend or my mom - I just can't.  Well......not without literally disinfecting it afterwards.

2. Deep down, i often still feel like a five year old.  I often dream about my prince in shinning armour waiting for me at the front of the isle, with nothing but love in his eyes.  A fairytale life is still what i dream about.

3. When i was younger, i hated fresh cream. Now, i can't stop thinking about my strawberries and cream waiting for me after I have finished this post.

4. I hate pubs and clubs. I would much rather stay home with a DVD, blanket and a cup of tea.

5. I have lived in 3 countries during my life. My most favourite of these was America.  While this is true - my heart will always be South African.

6. Sometimes i battle to reconcile my head knowledge with my heart feelings.  I know that nothing i do lets me deserve my Heavenly Fathers favour and love, but i still feel so unworthy and undeserving of that love.  At times, it leaves me wondering just how much i have disappointed Him.

7. Ironing is the house chore that i HATE the most!

8. I love my artistic talents and i hope that one day, my children will share in them.

9. I can not sing to save my life. That is why i never do Karaoke and only sing in the car and in the shower.

10. I'm not so sure my current job is for me.  These last two days have been horrible. 

I came across this challenge on Adrienne's blog this evening and i thought it would be something fun to help keep my posts going while i spend the next few days working on assignments and revision notes.

Instead of doing this challenge in 10 days, i will aim to do it by the end of the month. I think that is more doable for me.

Looking forward to this.

I thought it would be fun to do an "all about me" post. I haven't done one in a while and finding a way to capture what's been going on these past few weeks is important as my studies and work, don't leave me much time for blogging.

Lately I've been... getting excited about my up and coming holiday with my mom in September. It's our first girly holiday and we are both very excited!

Lately I've been... feeling very disconnected from my life. My days are busy and stressful, my evenings are fulled with reflectiveness and eating.  Dreaming about how my life should be and looking at where i am right now have been leaving me feeling very unsettled.

Lately I've been... thinking about my future and what i am going to do with myself and my degree once i have graduated.  Psychology is a very competitive field and you have to be the best to get the jobs.  I need further details and more information but at the moment i seem to be only able to focus on each assignment as they come.

Lately I've been... catching up on my favourite TV shows. Glee, Chicago Code, Rookie Blue, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Beter with you.

Lately I've been....trying to find that balance that everyone needs in life. To be honest, i haven't managed to find it just yet but i guess i am still doing my best to figure this all out.

I have always dreamed about living in a big country house, with a large cozy kitchen, near the beach.  I *LOVE* everything in this picture....the gorgeous white cupboards, the well placed colourful flowers, those gorgeous chandlers and the wonderful design on the wall. 

Now its your turn ~

If you would like to join in then pop on over to Gussy Sews and join the fun!



Seeing as we have just started summer, i thought it would be a good idea to take part in a summer challenge.  I considered doing my own thing, but i think a group thing may keep me motivated....so, while listening to the radio i heard an advert by the NHS with regards to a summer challenge and logged on right away. 

Leicester's Healthy Heart Summer Challenge - A summer walking challenge. Totally free, anyone can do it and they have a handy website where you can track your minutes.  Its a simple concept and with how busy the next few months are going to be for me i think its a great idea.

Wish me luck!

While surfing the Internet this weekend, I came across this site called Day Zero Project.  This is a unique challenge that inspires you to set and achieve your personal goals in life. 

Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).

Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple challenges such as New Year's resolutions or a 'Bucket List'. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, or outdoor activities.

So I have spent much of the weekend creating my list and for a full peek at them all click here.  But i did think that i would share some of my most favourite ones here.....

Write a letter to myself to open in 5 years

Leave an inspirational note for someone to find

Fall in love

Go to the Joyce Meyers Women's Conference

Participate in the Race for Life event

Get my Psychology Degree

Bake Cupcakes

Learn to service my car

Have a new first kiss

  

It's about 6pm, Sunday evening, and i have a few hours left of the weekend.  The week ahead looks to be potentially a difficult one - some decisions need to be made by others which directly affect me and I am not sure if the decision that they make is going to leave me feeling very happy.  Trusting God when things are going well is easy, but when you are actually trusting for something, that's when the strength of your faith is revealed.  Lord, please help me to trust in you and the plan that you have for my life.

OK, back to the weekend.......a little while ago i sat down and transferred everything over from my current handbag and purse to my new ones.  I have been meaning to do it most of last week, but things got busy and i never managed to get around to it.  Its now done and i love both of them.  I bought the purse from Next with my  birthday vouchers from last September, and i picked the bag up from Sainsbury's - in the 25% off sale.  That's right, £6 for this gorgeous things.

I also decided to take the weekend off from all things OU related. No assignment work, no study prep and no weekend structure.  While i cant say "hand on heart" that i haven't had a thought or two about it, i honestly haven't done anything about it.  Instead, i have stayed up late and watched movies, I have laid in and caught up on my sleep. I went shopping and bumped into someone unexpected.  I went for a braai with my parents and spoke to my favourite aunt. I realised that i need to do that ( keep in touch with my aunt ) more often.  I created a weekly food menu, went grocery shopping and cooked a gorgeous roast chicken. I topped it off with mixed berries and cream and spent the rest of my time catching up on emails and surfing the net.

I would be lying if i said that i wasn't just a little bit sad that tomorrow is a normal work day and not another public holiday, but as Jim Carrey says, "that's the way the cookie crumbles!".

As of lately,  my life feels like it is lacking focus.  Perhaps it's because I have too much on, perhaps its because i feel like i am faking it.  But whatever the reason, i need to try to pull myself off of this road towards nowhere and get myself back on track. The longer i keep doing nothing, the more i am missing out on.  During a meeting with my new manager this week, he said that the current managers within the department all seem to react to situations rather than to being proactive.  I realised, that while my work life is very organised and i do tend to be proactive rather than reactive - my personal life is not the same.  

So with this in mind, here are my June Goals to get me to where i want to be.

1. Complete and submit TMA04

2. Create, polish and review my plan for my new team

3. Complete Race for Life in under 40 minutes

4. No chocolate

5. Read Fed Up

6. Complete study notes for 4 chapters

7. Reconnect with a friend

8. Grow my hair some more

9. Wear my new shoes and hair accessory

10. Do some sort of exercise weekly

11. Make my morning quiet time a habit
12. Lose 5 pounds or/and run 5km - challenge