Last week I made a rather radical change to my hair. For years I've had it long now, and even though I liked it I thought it was time for a change. On and off my Google searches has contained a lot of shorter hairstyles. And I felt like I wanted to do it, but still lacked the courage. Until I reached the point where I absolutely disliked my long hair. It was always in the way and getting stuck everywhere. Because my hair is quite thick it got heavy and caused a lot of headaches when kept in a ponytail. Let's just say I hated it, and couldn't wait for a change. Imagine the relief when I finally went to the hair salon and got the cut I've been prepping for for such a long time. It was about time! Now I'm absolutely in love with my new hair! It's light and falls beautifully. It still takes some time to air dry, but not hours like before. And the best part is that I actually feel like I look good again! What a change a haircut can make.
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You know that feeling we sometimes get when looking back at a day, wondering what you've accomplished and where the day went. I have it too often! It's a wonder I ever get things done I think. But I want it to change. So I'm starting with baby steps in the direction towards an organised life.
1. I have started drinking lemon water during the days when I'm working and studying. It's such an easy thing to do, but somehow it works. I feel much more awake and fresh, which makes me want to get things done. 2. I have started organising a sort of office for me at home. A place for my computer and for my projects. Otherwise they're all over the house, with no real place. I hope this will get me feeling more organised and willing to do stuff. 3. I've made a monthly calender to keep on the wall next to my desk. This will help me get an overview of the month and everything that needs to me done. Because of that I hope I won't get surprise deadlines. Unfortunately my office isn't ready yet, I need to get a few things for it to be finished, such as a lamp (it's so dark here right now). But when it's done I'll show it, and hopefully it will inspire someone else to get organised. Do you have any tips on how to get things done? Please tell me, I need all the help I can get! One of my favourite pieces of furniture is this sideboard. I found it many years ago in an old sort of relatives attic. Somehow I fell in love with it instantly, and it was mine from that moment. We haven't had any space for it now for a couple of years. And I have been longing for the day when I could bring it back into my life. A couple of weeks ago we decided to rearrange our upstairs area. And with that, a possibility came for it to move in. I'm so thrilled to have it back. What I love about it is the possibility to hide stuff you don't want visible at all times. Now it hold all our DVD:s, which I never liked having out in the open. Not that they're bad, we have a really good collection, but there are too many films for them to ever look good on shelves.
Who could have known all those years ago that this would turn into such a beloved item. As most people who regularly knit or crochet, I like starting new projects. The problems come when You start new projects before finishing the ones you're making. But it's so much fun to dream and think of new things to create. I like to have ongoing projects to pick up whenever I feel like continuing. The thing is, since I like the different techniques, I don't want to commit to crocheting a blanket for a couple of months. I want to be free and have variety in my needlework. Most of the time when I'm creating I like to watch something. What I turn to then is either a TV show or YouTube videos. As for TV shows I can pretty much watch anything, so it all depends on the mood I'm in at the moment. But mostly I like to go for simple and fun shows or some good drama. Watched the new episodes of New Girl last night and laughed through it all, while knitting away.
If I feel like watching content from YouTube I know what to turn to. I have a couple of YouTubers I regularly follow, of which my favourite is beautiful Estée Lalonde. I know it sounds a bit creepy, but sometimes it feels like hanging out with one of my best friends when watching her videos. She makes beauty related videos, and a lot more. Happy Monday! Hope you all are having a great start to the week. I'm actually really excited about this week, I'm usually not. I'm the kind of person who likes weekends and days of reading and taking it slow. Maybe there's a change coming my way? Who knows.
Today I decided to go back to my studies after the break. The trouble is when you pretty much decide your schedule yourself and you're a lazy person. Not the best combination. However, today felt different. Perhaps it had something to do with the start of the day. It wasn't much, but sometimes it doesn't take much to pick you up. What got me in an inspiring mode was something as little as an understanding mail by one of my teachers. I don't want to write clichés, but honestly imagine all the small things that can bring joy to another. All the simple things. That was at least what I needed to bring back my study motivation. One can simply not resist going out for a short walk in the kind of weather it was today. When we woke up it was freezing minus 28 C outside. My car didn't start and the cats did everything in their power to not have to go out. What a start of a day. After work, since it was still light outside, we decided to go for a walk. All the clothes we could find we put on, kind of felt like Joey in Friends, and out we went. It didn't take much to make you loose the senses in fingertips and nose. But it was worth it. It's always so beautiful when it's cold outside. And the feeling when you get in and get to warm yourself by the fire. Priceless!
It's time to get back to reality after the Christmas holiday. Which actually is a bit odd, since I'm still spending the majority of my time at home studying. But hopefully some sort of routines might come of it. I am one of the worst procrastinators the world has seen, that might be a challenge when you're supposed to work from home.
However, some snow has finally arrived to brighten our days. The darkness of the last weeks has taken a toll on me. Tiredness has taken over, and our track of time left with it. Troubles of getting to sleep even though it's been dark for hours. How is it that every year it's the same? How do we never learn? It seems like people are surprised every single year. Like we forget about it as soon as the sunbeams of spring arrive. Now is the time to enjoy the fact that each day gets longer. Hurray! Yesterday evening I got to spend with some awesome ladies that I'm grateful to be able to call friends. It's not often time is I get the kind of honest encounter like yesterday. I was up in the clouds when I left to go home.
I'm the kind of person who likes to stay at home. I like being by myself a lot of the time, even though you're not really alone when you're married. And I spend a lot of time alone. But that gives me time to read and the quiet that I need to regain energy. Which is all great for me. However, once in a while, I find the need to share thoughts and feelings. I'm not the most talkative person, I think most people know that. But even we who don't always talk have a need to be heard. This is probably why I don't see myself having a lot of friends. Cause I like to have people close. So that when we actually meet there's no need to keep it shallow. I hate small talk. Can't deal with it. But it comes with a problem. I stop myself from talking and getting to know new people. One, because I don't need it, and two, because I'm scared of it. Truthfully I think we all need new people and fresh winds in our lives occasionally. How will we otherwise move forward? This is one of the things that I hope to be better at in the future. I'm striving to turning my fears into something I'll be good at someday. Yesterday I realised, while we shared our thoughts, that we are all actually the same. We think we're the only ones fighting our fight, whatever it might be. When we're actually fighting the same thing. What if we joined our forces and together took a stand against loneliness, depression etc. The power lies in sharing and finding others that are going through the same things as you. Together we are stronger. 2015 was quite a mixed reading year for me. I didn't read as much as I wanted, at least the second half of the year I was in a reading slump. But even though I didn't read that many books, most of the books were really good reading experiences. I'm gonna share the best of them with you. I'm not gonna tell you too much about the books, but more about why I liked them. I'll also link their Goodreads pages. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was an exceptional experience. The book is beautifully written and I think that is what captured me instantly. It's kind of an odd story that maybe not everyone finds that captivating. Death is the storyteller, so you are told the story through deaths eyes. It's also been made into a movie which I haven't seen yet. Next we have the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson for the fantasy lover. The trilogy consists of The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages. I don't even know how to express myself when it comes to these books. Brilliant, they're simply brilliant. They went straight to the top of some of the best books I've ever read. Andreas used to sit and laugh at my expressions and bursts of tears mixed with screams at the end of each book. At some point during the third book I didn't want to continue reading, because I was so afraid of what was going to happen. The elements of surprise came out of nowhere. The last book I'm gonna mention is Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. I'm lending it to a friend at the moment. Lewis was asked during WWII to give a couple of speeches to the British population through the radio. These broadcasts where later on remade into this book. It explains the core of the Christian faith, and it's made in a simple and accessible way. At some points I was surprised about the way Lewis was able to make things so understandable. I thought it would be hard to get through but I literally flew through it.
These were the books that has stuck with me the most after reading them. And I will most likely read them all again someday, that's when you know something is really good. Christmas went by quicker than ever. The evening before Christmas Eve I all of a sudden got a fever and all I could do was to try to survive. That's probably why Christmas this year went by in a blur.
I am quite lazy at heart, if I'm honest. So it's been a relief to be able to force myself to not do anything but the necessary. I've been able to spend hours reading on the sofa, which it feels like I haven't done in ages. Cuddling up next to one of the cats with a chocolate bar or piece of brie cheese and a large cup of tea. Enjoying time well spent. I'm so easily distracted these days. That's possibly one of the reasons why I haven't been spending as much time reading as I wanted this year. Of course there will be new years resolutions this time of the year, it's always great getting a chance at a new beginning at something. I'm a sucker for new beginnings. So I've decided that 2016 I will find a lot more time for reading. Because it's simply one of the things I love the most. I have plans on writing a post on my favourite books of 2015. So more on that later. |