Earlier this summer we spent a fantastic day at Birmingham Botanical Gardens, walking around and taking in the Jurassic Kingdom Tour which we had bought tickets for back in February. Four months of waiting and having that excitement build - it felt magical before we even got past the ticket booths.


The weather was gorgeous; the sun was out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.  Half way round the tour we decided to stop on the green in the center of the gardens and enjoy the picnic that we had packed along with a whole bunch of other families. It was just what I needed, to be able to kick back and relax while soaking up some sunshine.


The dinosaurs were pretty amazing as well.  They were life size and the majority of them moved and made real life noises.  They were put together so well that you couldn't even see the seams or places where they were connected.  Before you even got inside they had a life size T-Rex at the ticket booth and when I saw him, I knew that was going to be an awesome day.  As you walked through the gardens, they had different dinosaurs in different areas. Dinosaur birds flying between the branches, baby dinosaurs hatching from eggs, and different scenes from the Jurassic World movie played out in the gardens.  


The day was totally awesome.... and we weren't even the kids on this adventure.  If you get the chance to go and enjoy this tour next summer you should definitely go and make a day of it.

Listening to | Love Won't Let Me Down (Acoustic version) by Hillsong and Lay Our Flowers Down by Lady Antebellum on repeat. Like every single day. I love these two songs right now.

Signing up | Last Saturday I decided to sign back up to Slimming World. I found a new group, not too far from home, who meet first thing Saturday morning so I got brave and went. The group seems nice, as does the consultant. I am going to give this my very best effort and refuse to give up.

Planning | Come four o clock this afternoon, work is done for the week and here in the UK, we are heading into a three-day long weekend. I am so looking forward to it I can not even put it into words. I don't know exactly what I will be doing but I have a few plans in mind depending on the weather. Regardless of rain or sunshine though, I plan to rest, see some family, document some stories and watch a movie or two.

Watching | Game Of Thrones Season 7 - like the rest of the world probably is. Each season is pretty short compared to other TV shows but this season is even shorter than the others and that makes me sad.  Next week is the season finale and I must admit - I'm not sure yet who I am rooting for.

Loving | A couple weeks back I came across the Wet Brush on a favourites video on YouTube and I decided to get myself one and give it a try.  I have very thick, long hair and no matter how carefully and gently I wash and towel dry it the knots are intense.  Previously I have been using the Tangle Teaser, and while it works better than my normal hair brush, the Wet Brush is unbelievably better. I am so in love with this brush.  

The goal this month is to look at and document the chapter that I am living right now. Taking time to look at your life right now gives you the opportunity to make changes and to move forward. One of the things that I love about this One Little Word project is it helps me to own and document the stories that make up my life.  The other thing that I love is that you also focus on what you can celebrate so you are coming at this from a more balanced place.

With summer coming to a close in a few short weeks, I wanted to use this prompt as a check in with myself - to see how things are going right now and to help me identify what things I want to focus on for the rest of 2017.

Right now I'm struggling with | making good food choices and having a good relationship with food. It's a daily struggle; some days I make progress while ones I don't. But I'm not giving up! #push

Right now I'm celebrating | I'm leaning into God. That His love won't let me down. That forever I belong to Him. That He will never change. My God is listening as I pray. My God is for me.

This chapter of my life is all about | Spending time with God, with friends and family. Growing and developing. Trusting in God and praying for my future and dreams. Lining my thoughts and emotions with truth, living life to the full and with joy.

                                                                       Image source

If you have read my recent post about my Wellness Project that I am embarking on, you will know that one of the areas that I am focusing on is removing the toxins and chemicals from my home and body.  I have been doing this for several months now, trying different products and homemade recipes.  Some have been a complete flop, others have been alright and a few have been fantastic. This homemade recipe is one that I love and that works so well.  I am currently on my third bottle of it so thought it was time to share.

What I love about this recipe is that it uses just a few ingredients, it is easy to use, smells amazing and works really well. I use it in my bathroom, in the kitchen and even to clean my windows.

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp washing soda or washing crystals
• 1 tsp liquid castille soap
• Essential oils of choice - I use 4 drops of lavender and 5 drops of tea tree oil but you can also use lemon or sweet orange essential oils which smell amazing.
• 2 cups warm water - distilled is best but any warm boiled water will work
• Dark glass spray bottle for storage

Instructions

As I had so many other photos, there wasn't much space for journaling, so I decided to make my own "This week" 3x4 journaling card where I was able to capture all the little stories that had been on my mind or part of my life that week.

I also used some stamps on the 4x6 photos which I really like the look of.  Finally, I added some wooden embellishments which I think came from either an Ali Edwards story kit or a Studio Calico kit - I can't remember which.  

I came across this quote early on in the month and I had no idea that it was going to be something to hold onto all month.  I love the simplicity of the message, the truth in the words. I have been doing a lot of thinking and reflecting and I keep coming back to those things that are most important in life. To being honest and truthful, making the most of what we have, to be happy with the simple pleasures of life and to have courage when times are tough or things go wrong. That is part of what makes a good life and I am so grateful for the reminder.

In a few days, I am off to spend four glorious days, all on my own, at the beach and I am looking forward to it. Hopefully, the weather will be nice and I can spend time walking along the water, swimming in the pool and exploring the local area but while I am catching up on my R&R I also want to take the opportunity to plan my goals and areas of focus for the rest of the year.  So while I plan out the rest of 2017 I intend to keep this quote front and center.
   
As we head into the final month of Summer and into my planning for the rest of the year, I want to keep Augusts goals light and simple.  I have aligned them to my Summer Refresh goals which I shared previously and hope to make some real progress on my Wellness project.  So this is what I plan to work on this new month.

Monthly Goals
Read the Body Love book || I have heard such good reviews on this book over the past four weeks that I had to go ahead and get the book for myself.
Go on a solo adventure || I am off to the beach as I mentioned earlier but before I head off there I want to find a few fun things to see and do.
Look into investments and stocks || This one has been on my tending list for a few months and while I have made progress I haven't gotten to the stage where I am ready to actually invest, which is where I want to be by the end of the month.
Try a new church || This one makes my heart sad. I still haven't found a church that I can call home and get involved in.  I need to change that.
Create a new story layout || I'm not exactly sure how I want to document my Wellness journey just yet but at the very least I want to make sure that I document one story layout to go into it.
Renew home insurance || Not exactly exciting but a necessity.
Identify and define the focus areas for the rest of 2017 || Already touched on above but basically, I want to pick four or five areas to make progress in by the end of the year and define what that progress looks like.

Weekly Goals
Have 3 zero £ days || I am hoping that this goal will help me be more intentional when I'm wanting to spend my money and will help me to spend less.
Write a postcard to granny || After doing this for seven months now you would think this would be a habit by now but alas, it is not. If I don't have it on my list it doesn't get done.
Create 1 blog post || I am trying to create meaningful content and so I am aiming for one post a week.
Track spending || This is another one that should be a habit by now but just isn't....so I keep it on here every month to help me stay on track.

Daily Goals
Write the Word
Vitamins
Move my body
TV off at 8pm
10-minute tidy

And that is what this month will hopefully be looking like. I hope that you enjoy the last few weeks of summer.