Sunday Social

1. Favorite New Years eve you’ve had before

Ah, New Year's Eve!  As a Scot I used to love Hogmanay and really had some very fun ones as a teen and twenty-something.  In Scotland it's all about a big party, congregating with most of your town at about 11.45pm, hipflasks, pipes and drums at midnight, first footing and a big meal with loved ones on January 1st.

My absolute favourite was probably 1999 into 2000 - standing on a flower stand by the Mercat Cross in Forres with some lovely folk, watching the start of a new millennium.

2. Are you doing anything for NYE this year and if so what?

As I've gotten older (and especially since moving to London, where organised events charge INSANE amounts to listen to music you don't like in a place you can't afford a taxi back from....) NYE has lost a little of its lustre.  This year should be different, however - out lovely friends James and Laura are having a party, so I'm looking forward to dressing up, popping some bubbles, and toasting a very exciting year!

3. Name a book we should all read come January?

Probably Gone Girl.  I read it for my book group and found it chilling and fascinating in equal measure!  A real treat.

4. What are your new years resolutions?

The main one is to lose weight.  I am going to focus a lot of time and energy into this, and hope that after eleventy million false starts this will be my year.  Because it has to be, frankly.  I'm miserable at the size I am and am so sick of hating my reflection.  I'm looking forward to making some grown up choices and rocking the Weight Watchers as hard as I can!  I've lost a little weight in 2012, but now it is my time to really commit.  If you see me eating more than the occasional cookie or skipping more than one workout, feel free to tell me off - I'm hoping to be able to turn to y'all for moral support.

I also have a whole range of things I'm working on for my 32 in 32 challenge too.

I hope you all have a wonderful Hogmanay and a very, very happy 2013!

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32 in 32

1. Write 1 book/ebook.

2. Visit at least 2 other countries.

3. Give blood at least 3 times.

4. Pay off £4,000 of my student loan.

5. Run 5K, either at an organised event or just pounding the pavement!

6. Go to the theatre 6 times!

The Showstoppers (Dec 16th).

7. Visit 7 different UK cities.

Newcastle

8. Have 8 pyjama days!

Wednesday December 19th

9. Write and photograph at least 9 cookery posts.

Lamb & Lentil Yums.
 
10. Attract 10 new sponsors for Holiday Hampers, whether big or small.

11. Spend 11 days 'unplugged' - no phone, no internet, no TV.

12.  Frame 12 of my favourite pictures and mail them to the people involved with a note.

13. Try 13 new recipes.



14. Write 14 poems and post them here on my blog.

15. Give away/donate 15 carrier bags of stuff to the PDSA shop.

16. Workout or walk 16 times a month, all year.

17. Use the library at least 17 times.

18. Visit 18 different London landmarks.

19. Go to church at least 19 times.

20. Write to my sponsor child, Wendy 20 times.

21. Take at least 21 walks of more than 5 miles.

22. Spend 22 hours working on another language.

23. Have at least 23 'no spend' days.


Thursday 20th December

24. Read 24 books.

The House of Silk, Community Wins

25. Have people over for dinner/brunch/lunch 25 times.



I'm going to count our Christmas drinks as the first!

26. Try at least 26 homemaking/cooking tips from pinterest.

27. Make 27 gifts for people throughout the year.

28. Watch 28 new (to me) movies.

Crazy Stupid Love, What's Your Number, I Don't Know How She Does It, Pitch Perfect
 
29. Find 29 songs I like to sing on karaoke.

30. Volunteer for 30 hours.

3 hours at WLAC Christmas Party (Total: 3 hours).
 
31. Swim 31 times.

32. Lose 32 pounds.

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32 in 32....one week in!

I have been 32 for a whole week.  There's been laughter, tears, napping....

Here's the first update on the 32 ambitions - it's been a slow start, but the progress is getting there :)

1. Write 1 book/ebook.

2. Visit at least 2 other countries.

3. Give blood at least 3 times.

4. Pay off £4,000 of my student loan.

5. Run 5K, either at an organised event or just pounding the pavement!

6. Go to the theatre 6 times!

The Showstoppers (Dec 16th).

7. Visit 7 different UK cities.

8. Have 8 pyjama days!

9. Write and photograph at least 9 cookery posts.

Lamb & Lentil Stew (photograph Dec 14th, post coming soon).
 
10. Attract 10 new sponsors for Holiday Hampers, whether big or small.

11. Spend 11 days 'unplugged' - no phone, no internet, no TV.

12.  Frame 12 of my favourite pictures and mail them to the people involved with a note.

13. Try 13 new recipes.

14. Write 14 poems and post them here on my blog.

15. Give away/donate 15 carrier bags of stuff to the PDSA shop.

16. Workout or walk 16 times a month, all year.

17. Use the library at least 17 times.

18. Visit 18 different London landmarks.

19. Go to church at least 19 times.

20. Write to my sponsor child, Wendy 20 times.

21. Take at least 21 walks of more than 5 miles.

22. Spend 22 hours working on another language.

23. Have at least 23 'no spend' days.

24. Read 24 books.

1. The House of Silk.

25. Have people over for dinner/brunch/lunch 25 times.

26. Try at least 26 homemaking/cooking tips from pinterest.

27. Make 27 gifts for people throughout the year.

28. Watch 28 new (to me) movies.

1. Crazy Stupid Love.
 
29. Find 29 songs I like to sing on karaoke.

30. Volunteer for 30 hours.

1.  3 hours at WLAC Christmas Party (Total: 3 hours).
 
31. Swim 31 times.

32. Lose 32 pounds.

1 pound lost (Dec 16th).

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Do

Source: cuehappiness.tumblr.com via Claire on Pinterest

I needed to read this.

I need to remember this.

I'm tired of waiting.

It's time to do.

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32 in 32

As I post this, it's about to be the actual moment where I turn 32.  32, yo.  Yes, at 7.15pm, in a hospital ward far north of here, I made my debut, and have been causing trouble ever since!  This year for my birthday, I thought I would set myself a challenge, so here we have it - the 32 things I am hoping to do in the next 12 months....  Those of you who know about my New Year's Ambitions this year (update on that at the end of the year) know how much I dearly love a list.  Here goes!

1. Write 1 book/ebook.

2. Visit at least 2 other countries.

3. Give blood at least 3 times.

4. Pay off £4,000 of my student loan.

5. Run 5K, either at an organised event or just pounding the pavement!

6. Go to the theatre 6 times!

7. Visit 7 different UK cities.

8. Have 8 pyjama days!

9. Write and photograph at least 9 cookery posts.

10. Attract 10 new sponsors for Holiday Hampers, whether big or small.

11. Spend 11 days 'unplugged' - no phone, no internet, no TV.

12.  Frame 12 of my favourite pictures and mail them to the people involved with a note.

13. Try 13 new recipes.

14. Write 14 poems and post them here on my blog.

15. Give away/donate 15 carrier bags of stuff to the PDSA shop.

16. Workout or walk 16 times a month, all year.

17. Use the library at least 17 times.

18. Visit 18 different London landmarks.

19. Go to church at least 19 times.

20. Write to my sponsor child, Wendy 20 times.

21. Take at least 21 walks of more than 5 miles.

22. Spend 22 hours working on another language.

23. Have at least 23 'no spend' days.

24. Read 24 books.

25. Have people over for dinner/brunch/lunch 25 times.

26. Try at least 26 homemaking/cooking tips from pinterest.

27. Make 27 gifts for people throughout the year.

28. Watch 28 new (to me) movies.

29. Find 29 songs I like to sing on karaoke.

30. Volunteer for 30 hours.

31. Swim 31 times.

32. Lose 32 pounds.

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Sunday Social: Loves & Ambitions

 Linking up once again for Sunday Social - love these fun posts and 'meeting' so many fun bloggers through it.  Thanks for curating, Ashley and Neely!

1. 5 items you can't live without on a daily basis(water, food, shelter, and clothes don't count)
Well,  I'm quite good at going without some of these things for a day or so....but they really do make life so much nicer when they're there!

• Books, and time to read
• Cuddles (with people, with kittehs, with babies....a hug's a hug!)
•  A decent cup of tea
• The internet, sad as that may be (it's just so darn useful!)
• Music

2. All time favorite book? Why?

 The reigning top three are Gone With The Wind, Little Women and Pride and Prejudice, and there's no way I can narrow them down further.  GWTW is an epic tome, and every time I read it I feel a little braver and ballsier and kinder....the combo of Scarlett and Melly is a great influence on me!  Little Women I must have read 25 times or more....that book is part of who I am.  And P&P is just amazing - there are few crises in my life that reading about Mr Darcy can't solve!

3. Something you'd like to accomplish before the end of 2012

My 'read 52 books' challenge.  I'm on course but can't afford to slack off now!

4. If you could go back and relive any year of your life which year would it be?

I think I'd want to be seventeen again - busy and learning and happy and having a whale of a time.  That said, 31's pretty awesome too :).

5. What do you wish people knew about you without you having to tell them?

I really don't know!  Maybe that I have some of the maddest hair in the world, so they wouldn't get terrified in humid weather?

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Five Minute Friday: Focus

It's five minute Friday time, and once again I'm linking up with the lovely Lisa-Jo.  Love this series!  This week's prompt is: Focus.

GO.

As a teacher I talk a lot about focus.

"Our focus for the term is...."

"My focus boys are...."

"He is trying but needs more focus."

"Our lesson focus is...."

This word is precious to the educator.

So much so that there's a good natured ongoing debate on whether the past tense is spelled 'focused' or 'focussed'.

This week, however, I get the uneasy feeling that Lisa-Jo has once again read my mind, because I've been trying to zoom in on a focus for my own life.  September is such a crushingly busy month - the start of term, the return to a busy, filled social calendar (after the lazy lunches and laissez faire summer approach), the start of the Junior League year.

Life is packed.

And in this whirl of busy-ness, it;s so easy to lose sight of what's important.

To lose focus.

My focus is on what I can do for people - it has to be, and it should.  I want to be a kind and understanding teacher.  A loving and supportive sister, colleague, girlfriend, daughter and friend.  A person whose energy lifts others up.

I'm glad to remember that this morning.

STOP.

Have a great Friday, all!

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Owning It

So this year my biggest focus is (and needs to be) getting my weight down to a healthier place. I am so tired of being obese, and so very scared of what being this size could do to me. So I am slowly but steadily (hoorah for the tortoise approach!) changing the way I do business.

A huge part of this for me is using sparkpeople, an online site devoted to weight loss, exercise and keeping healthy. I'm logging all my exercise and food there, and while the progress I've made in the first two months of the year hasn't been some miraculous shedding of weight akin to The Biggest Loser, I have lost just shy of 12 pounds so far, and am looking forward to continuing this trend as the year wears on. It's a great place to share the journey with others on the same path, and a great place to find support and kindred spirits.

Today I posted a blog on my page over there, and I thought I'd share it here too. This (Country Mouse In The City) blog is not designed to be a dedicated weight loss blog, but as this journey is such a big part of my life right now I thought I'd blog now and them about it here to keep you in the loop on how I'm doing. I hope that's okay.

Today's post is called "Owning It":

The journey is going to be hard.

The journey is going to be long.

I'm going to make mistakes.

I will want to give up.

Old habits will die hard, and will not go without putting up a fight.

Some people will be confused by my choices.

Some people won't like the change.

I will hurt.

And swear.

And cry.

And sweat.

But this journey will be worth it.

To be healthy.

To feel healthy.

To be strong.

To be fit.

To no longer have thighs that rub together.

To feel pretty.

To have clothes I like, not just settle for clothes that fit.

To have a body I can rely on.

This journey will be worth it.

Every time I make it to the gym, or I lose a pound, or an inch goes, I'm going to celebrate it.

And every time I fail I will dust myself off and get back into it.

I will make mistakes.

I will learn from those mistakes.

I will dance and walk and spin and swim until I can do no more.

This journey will be worth it.

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