Where I've Been

Hi everyone! I'm Zoe, the worst blogger ever. I'm only joking, I'm not the worst, nor do I think badly of myself for having let the blog slide the last few months. As a lot of you may have noticed I've not posted as much this year and whilst a lot of it is just pure laziness there have been a couple of periods of time when it's been completely necessary.

Back in April you may have noticed I took an extended break. I did it for the sake of my mental health. I was going through a bit of a rough time, burdened with imposter syndrome and that horrendous feeling of not being enough. And the last thing I wanted to do was put what I could of my heart and soul into something that could potentially fall flat on it's face. So I took a break and when I kicked back most of the imposter syndrome and the anxiety. When I'd gotten a good sleeping pattern in place and wasn't wide awake until half two every morning I came back to blogging. And the slight gaps ever since have been due to longer hours at work, laziness or lack of inspiration. I'm not going to lie about it, I'm human and no one person is perfect.

However this month I've felt particularly guilty about not having posted as much, especially since I had so many Autumn inspired posts coming up that I was dying to share. But my lapse in posting comes with a good reason, one I'm extremely proud of. I GOT PROMOTED! For the last two months I've been training for a promotion that is way overdue. And last week it was signed off on and what was a hectic, anxious time has now come to a close and I can relax slightly and put more of my attention back to my little old blog where I share bakes, skincare, books and the occasional picture of my face. I'm not saying that it's going to go straight back to that strict three post a week schedule I had but I am working on posting more and hopefully being back to some sort of schedule by the begining/middle of October.

Five Things I'm Looking Forward This Autumn/Winter

As you probably already know I love Autumn, literally everything about Autumn. I love watching the leaves change colour, love how the weather cools down, how it's acceptable to drink numerous cups of tea and hot chocolate. Autumn is my absolute favourite time of the year. And like every year I have a few thing coming up through the upcoming months that I'm beyond exciting for.

The first of these that I'm beyond excited for is one that I never thought I'd actually get to see, like ever. And that's Nightmare Before Christmas Live. I've seen so many videos of this when it's on in the US but never thought it would visit the UK and fufill what would be a childhood dream if I'd known this exsisted when I was little. If you haven't already worked it out, I'm a huge fan of Nightmare Before Christmas with one of my earliest memories being me sat in front of the TV when I was no older than three watching it on a continous loop until my mum hid the video from me. So getting to see the actors and actresses sing and act along to the film in person is a dream come true. I've had my outfit planned since before I even ordered the tickets and I've even started putting some money away incase there is merchandise when we get there. Decemeber 5th can't come quick enough.

The next thing I'm looking forward to this Autumn/Winter is the decorating in the build up to both Halloween and Christmas. I'm a sucker for seasonal decorations and can easily buy a ton of ones that I don't necessarily need or have room for. It's become a thing amongst me and my mates about how I'm going to outdo myself each year and apart from last year I can safely say I've outdone myself each year. This year I was going to try and rein it in but I quickly decided fuck it, you do you boo. So when the madness at work ends, I'm hauling my ass down to the likes of Homesense and Hobbycraft and I'm stocking up on all things spooky with maybe a couple of Christmas bits thrown in.

Now this next one I'm sure a lot of you will think I've ruined the surprise but me and Jasmin actually planned this last week when we had a catch up. Last year she kindly took me to the Harry Potter tour for my birthday. We went towards the end of Novemeber when they had all their Christmas decorations up and I was blown away by it all. And this year I was struggling to think of something I wanted to do. Until I saw an advert for Halloween at the Harry Potter Studio Tour. I put it towards Jasmin as a fun and kind of spooky thing to do at Halloween and she asked me if I wanted to do it for my birthday as an early birthday present. And how was I to refuse. And whilst we're not going on actual Halloween, we're still going when they're showing the Halloween decorations so I'm buzzing and plan on buying even more of the gift shop this time round. It also helps me forget that I'm slowly edging my way closer to thirty than twenty.

Autumnal dressing is one of my favourite parts of the season change. We can say goodbye to the barely there vests, denim shorts and flip flops and say hello to the chunky jumpers and cute boots. I've already started picking up a few pieces for my autumnal wardrobe and they're not the usual oversized jumpers that I usually pick up. Sure I'll buy a couple if they catch my eye but this year I've extended my style to trying check shirts that will pair well with my trusty black skinny jeans and newly acquired Dr Martens. I just love how easy it is to layer up an outfit that is not only comfy and cosy but is still cute and not too over the top. And now is the perfect time to snap up those go to pieces for the season which I'll be doing once I'm not doing as many hours at work.

Now I know this makes me sound extremely British but I am extremely British and I love a good cuppa. And now the weather has started to turn and cool down, I'm drinking cuppa's by the bucket load. It's my last thing I'm looking forward to doing as the season turns. I love a good hot drink and now it's becoming acceptable to have a hot drink or three throughout the day, I'll be stocking up on tea bags, coffee and hot chocolate so I can have a nice hot drink when I get home from work and curl up in my cosy pjs.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

It's that time of the year again! The time of year that sets my soul on fire and makes me the best version of me. Yes it's time to say goodbye to Summer and say Hello to Autumn. Now I know the weather doesn't reflect the season and that officially Autumn doesn't start until the 23rd of this month but to me Autumn starts at the beginning of the month when the likes of Bake Off and Strictly return to our screens.

Now I know a lot of people are sad to see Summer go but I am definitely not one of them. I love to see the back of Summer with it's expectations of being Beach Ready, with the shops filled with nothing but minscule crop tops and denim shorts that show more ass cheek than they cover. And if you've got the figure and the confidence to wear that throughout the Summer then good for you, I applaud you but as someone who has a little more meat on her bones, I find it ridiculously frustrating. Buying even the simplest of items such as a basic t-shirt becomes ten times harder as everything is cropped, has some ridiculous kind of neckline or a cheesy slogan that only applies to a handful of people. Autumn however it becomes jumpers galore and I'm in my element. My wardrobe grows at a rapid rate and I love how something simple such as a jumper paired with boots and jeans can look put together whilst still looking comfy and casual. This year I've invested in some Dr Martens and I'm dying to wear them with the plethora of outfits I've planned out in my head.

I'm also someone who's very happy to say goodbye to those ridiculously hot temperatures we've faced for the last two summers. I don't do very well in the heat and find when it's extremely hot, I become very lethargic and sleepy but struggle to sleep at night which leads to me being grumpy and snappy for no reason. Whereas in the Autumn I'm a happier person, I love that I can curl up in a hoodie and sweats and not being sweating my balls off and when it finally drops that last few celsius I can sleep in said hoodie with as many duvets and blankets as possible. It also means that dinner becomes a plethora of options including things such as stews, pies and the good old Sunday roast. The Summer months don't equate to much more than salad after salad and the occasional take away whenever someone can't be bothered to cook.

And the final reason I'm happy to say goodbye to Summer is because my productivity levels soar and I feel like I'm at my creative best. I don't know if it's because I know both Halloween and Christmas are waiting for me during these last few months of the year but I'm always suddenly full of ideas. It happens every year and whilst a lot of the time this ideas never come to fruition, I always have good intentions in mind. This year is a good example of that. I have all my recipes and posts planned out for the rest of the year and I've even managed to start my Halloween recipes so I'm not rushing them in October. Sure it's been a bit lacking post wise here lately but after Thursday when my training for my promotion is all over and done with, I'm hoping to be back and fingers crossed better than ever. I've had so many good ideas that I want to share with you all and I want to do it when I've got the time to focus on them completely instead of splitting my time between two things, one of which is causing me more stress and anxiety than necessary. But as I said after Thursday that'll all be done with and I'm then going to have more time to focus on sharing what I've been working on with you all.

What I Read: August

 

Wow, August felt like it was never going to end. I started off the reading month really strong and had flown through four books by the middle of the month. And then I took a few days off to wait for my copy of The Wicked King to arrive and then I lost my reading mojo. I really wanted to complete The Wicked King by the end of August but for some reason I had no desire to binge read it like I had done with the other books I've read this month. 

  

The first book I read in August was A Study In Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro. This is a modern reimagination of Holmes and Watson with a genderbent Holmes. The first of four books follows Holmes and Watson as they meet and team up to solve the mystery of multiple deaths and attacks on their school campus. I flew through this book and am eager to pick up the next in the series. This doesn't just give you a new perspective on Holmes and Watson but it also deals with a lot of very real life problems that people suffer with day to day. However it doesn't make this a heavy read and there is in fact a lot of lighthearted moments that also represent the younger generations of this day and age. This is extremely hard to get ahold of in the UK so if you want to read this, check out Amazon, they have the entire series. I already have the next book in my Amazon basket. 

                                           

The next book I read in August was City Of Ashes by Cassandra Clare. This is the second book in the Mortal Instruments Series and follows Clary Fray as she continues her journey in the Shadowhunter world. Following on from City Of Bones, City Of Ashes follows as Clary, Alec, Jace and Izzy as they work to keep the remaining Mortal Instruments out of Valentine's hands. Clary also has to deal with the bomb Valentine dropped on her in the first book whilst waiting for her mum to come out of her self induced magical coma. Throw in some general teenage angst and you have me hooked. There is literally no other way to talk about this book without spoiling both books and ruining the series for anyone who hasn't read it. This I binged as part of my Mortal Instruments reread but I'm currently putting off picking up City Of Glass as I know the hurt that it's going to bring me. If you haven't read the Mortal Insturments Series, I highly recommend checking it out as well as it's movie adaptation which whilst trashy has the most perfectly cast cast ever. 

  

The penultimate book I read in August was The Cruel Prince By Holly Black. I have had this in my TBR pile since the beginning of the year but was holding out until this month to read it so I didn't forget too much for when The Wicked King comes out. The Cruel Prince follows Jude Duarte and her twin sister Taryn who were stolen from the mortal world by high powered fey called Madoc when they were children. Having grown up in Fey, it's very obvious they don't fit in and when Jude catches the attention of Prince Cardon, things get very messy very quickly. I always believed the Cassandra Clare was the best when it came to writing the world of Fey but Holly Black just takes it to another level. The amount of detail she provides makes it so easy to picture this picturesque yet somewhat horrific land to live in. I enjoyed this book and did eagerly pick up The Wicked King but some of the characters just fell flat for me. I understand Jude's desire to stand up for herself and make herself know in a world where she's been downtrodden most of her life but whilst she's written well and is a very complex character, she doesn't leave you rooting for her to be the victor. 

 

 

And the last book I read in August was one I didn't actually plan on reading but needed something to bridge the gap between finishing The Cruel Prince and starting The Wicked King. And after seeing so many BookTubers reading the illustrated versions, I was once again inspired to continue my reread of the Harry Potter series. The Prisoner of Azkaban is one of my favourite books and movies of the series but as I reread this, I did notice the differences between the two. And yet I still managed to picture the movie in my head as this played out. This took me next to no time to read and I'm looking forward to picking up The Goblet Of Fire when I get through the rest of my gigantic TBR pile.