Blogmas Day 25 | My Highlights



It's safe to say that this year has truly been a rollercoaster of emotions, not just for myself but I guess I can speak on behalf of the majority of us when I say that 2016 has been a utter load of poo. But it has had it's moments..

For me, my biggest highlight of 2016 is graduating with a 2:1 in Childhood Studies from the University of Sunderland. I have never felt so happy, and proud of myself, and all of my fellow classmates. During the graduation ceremony I couldn't help but keep saying"we did it" over, and over, and over again. It didn't seem real. Standing on that stage, in front of friends, family, class mates and educators just filled me with immense pride. But, I think what made graduation so special for me was being able to graduate with my friends and peers. We had worker so damn hard over the last three years, I could help but smile while watching the others graduate too.

   

Another highlight for me was heading to Bulgaria for a little family holiday my cousins, aunties, and extended family. I only went for a week, with my cousin Holly while all the rest went for two but it was still amazing. And after everything we had been through before that, it was just what we all needed. Sun, cocktails and my family, all in the same place.


But these where the big things, the little things really shouldn't be taken for granted. Some of the small things include seeing my family more, and building a relationship with members of the family I was never too close with in the beginning. It's spending more time with my best friend who lives over 100 miles away. It's finding a job that I enjoy, and getting the courage to further my education. It's finding where I am happiest and learning that although life can deal you a bad hand, there is always a good hand to follow. It's releasing that although this year has been pretty rough, I've come out the other side of it stronger, happier and more determined than ever.

So that's my highlights of 2016.. I've loved, and hated this year. But like I said above, I've come out of the other side and I am ready for whatever 2017 throws at me.

What are your highlights of the year? Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear about them.

                                                        Bye for now my little pumpkins


Disclaimer: I just wanted to thank you all for the lovely comments, and support I have received throughout blogmas. It's really helped me to become more determined and focused in terms of blogging and I have enjoyed this so, so much. I hope you all have!

Blogmas Day 24 | A Cliche for the New Year


It's getting to that time of year where we think back on the year we had, and start to look at how it could of been improved, did we follow our resolutions set previously, and what are our resolutions for this year will be.

Well, I have never really been a one to set resolutions as I am awful at sticking to them, but also because I see them as such a cliche - yknow, new year new me and the likes. They just make me cringe, but after the shit storm of a year that 2016 has been, I have decided to give this resolution malarkey a go. However, I've decided to call mine "New Years Goals".. To take away the awkward cliche..

  1. Continue to focus on improving my mental health
  2. Start to improve my physical health
  3. To continue to work hard on TSDD, whilst starting a new job
  4. Read more, a lot more..
  5. Travel a bit, see a few more places that are on my list
See, not too cliche I guess but the reason I have chosen just these 5 is that I have already been working on them a little and wanted to keep them going, apart from number 2. However, calling them goals also means that I wont be too hard on myself if I don't strictly stick to them, if that makes sense.

Anyway, what are your goals and resolutions for 2017?

                                                      Bye for now my little pumpkins
 

Blogmas Day 23 | Christmas Cards Can Make a Difference



If you're anything like me, you will be looking at your Christmas cards thinking "what am I going to do when the festive season is up?" well I have the perfect solution for you all.. recycle your cards in the new year.

All greetings cards, and wrapping paper can go in to you recycling like normal paper waste, however a number of high street stores are taking part in a recycling scheme with the one most popular is ran by M&S. Since 2008 over 50 million Christmas cards have been collected through the Woodland Trust and M&S Christmas Card Recycling Scheme, meaning that the charity - Woodland Trust - have been able to plant nearly 60,000 trees.

For every 1,000 cards collected at the Mark's and Spencers stores means that one new tree can be planted by the Woodland Trust. To find out more visit: http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/news/latest/christmas-card-recycling-2014/

To take part in M&S Recycling Scheme head to your local M&S store between 2nd and 31st of January. and place your unwanted Christmas cards in the recycling bins provided. It is as quick and as easy as that.

                                                    Bye for now my little pumpkins

Blogmas Day 22 | My Favourite Christmas Adverts of 2016



A big part of Christmas for me is the Christmas adverts that surface around the festive season, from the Coca Cola advert, to the John Lewis advert, they all help in making me feel a little festive. The adverts have changed a lot over the years, and each year my favourite advert will have been created by a different company for a different purpose so I thought I would share with you my 3 favourite adverts from 2016.

1. Christmas, With Love from Mrs Claus: M&S 



Having Mrs Claus at the forefront of such an advert really made my Christmas, because well, Mrs Claus really deserved some air time. And having a female at the head of the advert just made me happy.


2. A Priest and Imam meet for a Cup of Tea: Amazon Prime



I honestly just love this advert, this advert just fills me with love and warmth, and considering how the year has been, this is the kind of advert we should be showing at Christmas.

3. The Greatest Gift: Sainsburys 


An advert with James Cordon signing would automatically make my list, I mean come on, who doesn't love him?

For me though, there is one advert which will always mark the countdown to Christmas, and each time it is on I just stop what I am doing and let the magic take over me, let the excitement follow and just embrace the festive season.. And that advert is the Coco Cola Christmas Truck advert.



What are you favourite Christmas adverts of 2016? Do we share any favourites? 

                                                      Bye for now my little pumpkins




Blogmas Day 21 | My Bookish Wish List



On the 17th Day of Blogmas I shared with you my Christmas Whist List and I said that it didn't consist of many books, but what I failed to tell you is that it actually contained too many bookish items for me to admit. So I thought I would create a separate post sharing my bookish wish list with you all.
  1. Bookstore Soy Candle by Frostbeard on Etsy
  2. Writers Note Book by TangleCrafts on Etsy
  3. Alice In Wonderland "I'll be With You" Frame on Bookishly
  4. Edgar Allan Poe Bookmark by thebookishlife on Etsy
  5. To Kill a Mocking Bird Finch Broach by houseofismay on Etsy
Okaay, so that's just a snippit of the bookish items that were placed upon my Christmas list, I tired to keep it to a minimum however, how amazing are these items?

You've probably noticed that a lot of the items, if not most are from Etsy, this is mainly because I love supporting those who create their own items, and Etsy is full of handmade delights. I could spend so much time and money on items from this site, but I have a little bit of self restraint... 

Are there any bookish items on you Christmas wish list this year? Let me know in the comments below.

                                                         Bye for now my little pumpkins

Blogmas Day 20 | My Christmas Day Routine



My Christmas day routine will most likely be much like everyone elses, however I thought I would share it with you anyway.

I usually can't sleep on Christmas Eve, I'm honestly like a big child. As I stay back home on Christmas Eve I tend to put up the camp bed in my brothers room so we can stay up and watch all sorts of Christmas movies before but I just get too excited and don't sleep. I will wake up both of my brothers about 6am, much to their upset.

Once they are both awake we just hang around on the landing and wait for our mum to wake up, she usually tells us to bugger off and to head back to bed for a bit but once we are up, we are up!

When my mum wakes up we head downstairs and get ourselves a drink, usually a cup of tea or a Bucksfizz. And we all sit down in our spots, whilst my mum wakes up a little. We then each take it in turns to open a gift. But first we open our stockings. Our favourite part of Christmas..

Once the gifts have been opened, and my mum has taken over 100 pictures of us looking our worst we head upstairs to get ready to continue with the festivities. Typically, I finish getting ready to help my mum with the Christmas dinner.

Once we've eaten we all curl up on the sofas and watch films, play daft little games and take a nap. It's always a good day in our house at Christmas, which is why I am a little sad that my Christmas routine is a bit jumbled up this year.

What is your Christmas routine? Does your mum take 100's of photos of you each year?

                                                      Bye for now my little pumpkins

Blogmas Day 19 | the Boxing Day Sale survival guide



If you’re anything like me, heading out to brave the crazy tradition of the Boxing day sales can be a little daunting, especially when you just really hate shopping, busy places and obnoxious members of the public. So I thought I would provide you with a handful of useful hints and tips on how to survive the sales.

  1. Be Prepared:                                                         I typically find out what stores are holding the best sales, and I even sometimes window shop and scout out a few things that I’d like to keep my eye out for in the sales. It means that when it comes to the big day itself I am not just wandering aimlessly around over crowded stores.
  2. Take a Break:                                                         I tend to go to the sales early on in the morning, usually around 9 or 10am so I feel that it is important that after a few hours I sit down, have a coffee and just chill out. Sale shopping is stressful and hard work, it’s important to keep hydrated.
  3. Didn’t Get Angry:                                            I’ve been on the other side of this as a customer assistant last boxing day and believe me, getting irate, aggressive, or just generally having an attitude with the store staff will get you absolutely no where. They will be less likely to want to help you, and do not work stupidly long hours on Boxing Day to be shouted at. This is why both tips one and two are incredibly important.
  4. Take Care:                                                             I know this goes without saying but do not be like those people we see on the TV during the Black Friday Sales, don’t fight over items, and don’t lash out. It really does get you nowhere.  But also, take care when heading too and from the sales, and when out on the roads around the festive period as drink driving rises during this time.

And those are my 4 main tips and tricks to serving the Boxing Day sales, let me know how you survive the sales, or whether or not you venture out of the comfort of your home on Boxing Day.

             Bye for now my little pumpkins

Blogmas Day 18 | 2006 Throwback



After a serious nostalgia trip a few days back, I haven't stopped listening to a whole load of tracks and artists relevant back in 2006, so since the end of the year is near, and 2006 was a massive 10 years away - I know, we all feel old right. Well I thought I would share with you a playlist of songs that still have my heart, 10 years later.

                                                                                                                                                                   

Can you believe that I still listen to a number of these songs on a daily basis, and that I was only just about 1 or 12 when they were released? Crazy huh? What songs give you major nostalgia?

                                        

Blogmas Day 17 | My Christmas Wishlist



At the grand age of 22 deciding on what I would like for Christmas was a lot harder then I thought. I know what you are thinking, too old to write a Christmas list? Well not in my family. Christmas is kind of a big deal for us, and every year around the middle of October my mum will ask me for my Christmas list complete with links to items that are online.

However, when she asked me what I would like this year my mind just went blank. I work full time now so I have just been buying everything for myself. And those things that I would like but can’t afford are things like a flights to Italy or Germany and driving lessons, so there’s nothing I could think of.

But, after much thought and reasoning I’ve decided on my Christmas list, although now it may be a a little late. Now as surprising as it is, there are not many books on my list this time around. Nor is there much make up and craft items. Because my list is so different to what it usually is I have decided to share my Christmas lost with you all.

  1. Socks - I know, how boring.
  2. A Mermaid Blanket
  3. Coffee Pods for my Tassimo Machine
  4. A Thin Curling Wand
And that was it, that was all I could think of, how boring, and adult-esque is that? Oh how I miss being a young kid, lay on the living room floor with the Santa Clause playing in the background, flicking through the argos cataloged, cutting out images of all of the toys I would want that year.


What did your Christmas list look like this year? Did any of you experience the same problem as me in deciding what you would like? Let me know!

                                                       bye for now my little pumpkins


Blogmas Day 16 | How To Deal With Holiday Stress!



Hey Guys! Bradley here.

While Christmas can be the most wonderful time of the year, it can also be the busiest and busy doesn't come close when you're also participating in Blogmas! A lot of time and effort goes into these wonderful and thoughtful posts, so as a favour to my favourite human in and out the blogging world I'm doing a little TSDD blogmas take over!

The 16th marks the the single-figure count down to the big day, and if you're anything like me you're probably running low on: money, time, energy and patience (with that extra dash of holiday stress). During this time we all have to deal with family, friends, work, studying, having time to sleep, having time to shop and finding time for yourself without having to deal with anything else.

In times of stress, there is only one thing I turn to. Chicken Run.

"Chicken Run! How does that help?" you may ask. But my friends, Chicken Run holds a vast amount a valuable lessons, someone of which I will share with you today!

1)


This is a biggy. Easier said than done but keep calm, panicking helps no-one. Be like these chicks, and think of the ultimate goal - Not getting stuffed into a pie (a lovely Christmas).

2)

Get organised. Make notes, make lists and spend your time and energy wisely. #belikeginger
YOU'RE NOT PUTTING ME INTO YOUR FESTIVE PIE, MR CLASUE!

3)

Get your eggs in a row. If you can get smaller, easier tasks accomplished first, this gives you the motivation and time to get those longer work days or busy shopping trips accomplished too!

4)

Don't lose your head! Yeah you've probably got a million shifts at work, last minute gifts to buy or wrap and a turkey to cook but you've got this. You got through last Christmas and this one is no different. Follow rules 1-3 and you've got this in the bag (or Santa sack, if you prefer)

5)

Reap the rewards of your hard labour. When the big day comes, get your feet up and just enjoy. You've just had 24 long, stressful days and today will not be one of them. Enjoy the company of your family and friends and enjoy the thought that if you can get through this, next year will be a breeze.

Next Year: *Refers back to this post on how to deal with holiday stress*

That's all folks. I do hope you've enjoyed this little read. Make sure to share this with your friends and family so they can deal with their holiday stress too, and give us a cheeky comment to let us know what you thought of this post!

Thanks for having me,

Bradley.










Blogmas Day 15 | Just A Quick Chat



Some of you may be aware but earlier this year I lost my Nana. She had been so much more than a Nana to me. Her death was quite sudden and since then my mental health has declined. My anxiety got worse, and I have struggled incredibly. However, I recently decided that I can't let this all get the better of me so I went to seek help. My doctor put my in contact with a local charity known as Talking Matters, a mental health charity set out to support those struggling with a variety of mental health issues. I was able to discus my issues with someone who I felt really cared about how I feel, and even that in itself was the beginning of the cloud being lifted. I have struggled with poor mental health for a number of years but since being put into contact with Talking Matters, I've started to see a difference in myself. They have suggested that I try Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to manage my anxiety, and make the changes I know that I need to make to live a happy life.

That is why I have also found myself a new job which is closer to home, meaning that I won't getting up at 5am, and getting home at 10pm. My new job is also less hours, so I can manage more time to myself. And make sure that I get that "me time" which is so important.

I've also found enjoyment in readying and learning again, which is why I have applied to study nursing in 2017. I've always wanted to be a nurse but I never, ever thought I would be strong enough. But after everything that 2016 has thrown at me, I now believe that I can take on anything.

On top of all of this, I have started dating again and spending time with a genuinely kind and sweet guy who I feel as if I can trust with anything. He's made a big difference in my life recently too. And I am also spending more time with my family and friends, I feel closer to them and I realise now that I have a real support system behind me, 100% of the way.

I hope this clears up some of the questions as to why things have been a little different, and on the quieter side here at 20 Something. But normal order has resumed and this is how things shall stay ✨


Blogmas Day 14 | Quick and Easy Mulled Wine



I just love the taste of warm mulled wine on a cold, and crisp evening don't you? But do you ever feel that shop bought mulled wine just isn't as good as the homemade stuff? Or the stuff you can pick up in a cardboard cup at your local Christmas market, well you're not alone. I felt exactly the same. So when I stumbled across Schwartz Mulled Wine Spice kit in my local Tescos, I just had to try giving it a go.

To make one, 1 ltr bottle of mulled wine you will need:

  • 1 box of Schwartz Mulled Wine Spice (each box contains 6 sachets)
  • 1 bottle of red wine
  • 4 table spoons of brown sugar
  • 200ml water
  • A serving bottle 
To make your mulled wine:
  1. Pour the contents of a bottle of red wine, the 200mls of water, the 4 tablespoons of brown sugar and 2 of the sachets from the box of Schwarts Mulled Wine Spice into a sauce pan.
  2. Heat to just below boiling point and let simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Once the 10 minutes are up give the mulled wine a try. Sometimes I choose to leave my pan on the heat for a little longer, or alternatively I turn off the heat and leave the sachets in the pan while the contents cools down just to enhance the flavour.
  4. Serve warm with a slice of orange, perfect.
But there you have it. Quick, and easy mulled wine. If you wish to make non-alcoholic mulled wine then simply replace the red wine with 1 ltr of cranberry juice which acts as a great alternative.

For my serving bottles I chose to use the 0.5 ltr glass bottles that I used for my peppermint vodka - a post about that can be found here - but i've known people to make a large amount of mulled wine and store it in empty pop bottles. I have used these bottles I have a few spare, and they make perfect little extra Christmas gifts.

I created little labels to attach to each bottle so that I knew which was the alcoholic mulled wine, and which was the non-alcoholic one. And they just look adorable, don't you think?

Later this week I am going to try and make mulled cider using the Schwarts Mulled Cider sachets. 

Well, let me know in the comments below if you have used these sachets before, and what you thought of them. I would love to hear you thoughts.

                                                        bye for now my little pumpkins 

Blogmas Day 13 | A Blogmas Review So Far



We have hit day number 13 in the Christmas countdown, and what can I say.. I have thoroughly enjoyed counting down the days to Christmas via blogmas, however I have struggled at times.

I am going to be brutally honest throughout this post so here it goes - my biggest struggle has been creating content that I know that both you - as readers - and myself - as the creator - would enjoy. I find that if I have not prepared a post the night or a few days before and I need to create a filler post then it can show. Looking back over the last 13 days it is obvious which days have had more effort put into them, and which days were rushed, 5 minute type of posts. But I am going to work on that, and over the final 12 days I am going to get my bottom in to action and create some more enjoyable content for you all.

But, all that aside I have really enjoyed this. I have enjoyed interacting with you all throughout this, discussing topics that appear in my posts, and reading other bloggers posts too. Taking part in blogmas has also allowed me to have some more me time. I get enjoyment from writing posts, so getting to do that every day has really helped me be a lot more relaxed during the festive season.

I would really appreciate some feedback about the posts which have appeared throughout my blog over blogmas, and if there are any posts that you would like to see make an appearance then let me know. You can contact me via the comments section on my blog, or alternatively you can tweet me @tsddblog.

Here's to the next 12 days of blogmas.


Blogmas Day 12 | Christmas Decoration Haul



Over the last few years my Christmas tree of choice as been a bright pink tacky twig with red baubles, horrendous I know. But this year I have decided to give my tree a little overhaul, my tree will still be a little tacky but the red-pink display has gone and been replaced with an array of decorations.

I have chosen to buy all new decorations, and I have simply bought these decorations because I like them. None of them really match, but I am okay with that. Here are my most recent purchases, and a little tour of my tree:


So there we have it, there is my tacky little tree. What are your Christmas trees like? None can be as tacky as mine.

                                                          bye for now my little pumpkins


DISCLAIMER: I apologise about the video quality, and the fact that there is a watermark across the video. As this is the first time i've tried anything sort of video like for my blog I thought I would wait and see what the general response is for the use of the video before buying any software. But I am actually considering creating a BookTube within the new year. What do you all think? And do you have any tips on create valuable content, let me know.

Blogmas Day 11 | Favourite Festive Drink



Who doesn't love a festive drink? Come on, if you are anything like me you will start to feel festive once the Starbucks red cups make their first appearance. Even Costas festive jumper cups get me feeling a little festive. And from the taste, to the presentation, those drinks are some of the most festive, so this year I thought I would share you with you my festive favourites.

Now I wasn't able to pick just one, so I thought I'd share my top three.

  1. Starbucks Toffee Nut Latte
  2. Costa Coffee's Marshmellow Hot Chocolate
  3. Costa Coffee's Mint Hot Chocolate
What are your festive favourites? Leave a Comment below and let me know.

                                                         bye for now my little pumpkins

Blogmas Day 10 | DIY Christmas Gifts | Flavoured Vodkas



I stumbled across this idea when trawling Pinterest looking for last minute gift ideas, and thought this was brilliant for those friends and family members who are difficult to buy for. It's even better for those friends who have asked for nothing other than alcohol for Christmas, yet you want to spice it up a little and make it that bit more personal.

What you need is:

  1. 1ltr of unflavoured Vodka - For my vodka I bought 1.5 ltrs of Asdas own brand vodka as the serving bottles I currently have are 1/2 ltr bottles.
  2. Serving bottles - The bottles I have for serving cost £1 from Ikea, and come in all sizes, and can be found here.
  3. Flavourings - You can flavour your vodka with almost absolutely anything, however some flavourings work better than others. For this post I have used peppermint candy canes.
  4. 1 large jar - I am using an old coffee jar, but as long as the jar holds the same amount of liquid as your serving bottles with a little room then you are set.
You may also need:
  1. A strainer
  2. A funnel
  3. A jug

How:

  1. Find out how much liquid your serving bottles can contain, and decant the same amount of vodka into your jar.
  2. Add the flavourings to the vodka in the jar. For 1/2 ltr of vodka I used 3 peppermint candy canes. Before adding the candy canes to the vodka, break them up into small pieces.
  3. Once the flavourings are in the vodka, secure lid to jar and store in a cool, dry place. Stir occasionally.
  4. After two to three days test the vodka, if the flavour is not as strong as you like you can add another one or two candy canes but I found that 3 were more than enough.
  5. Once you feel the flavour is strong enough, drain and pour into serving bottle.
  6. And there you have it.
The best thing about the peppermint candy cane vodka is that it gains the colour of the candy cane.


I have created a few different flavours over the last coming weeks, however some have been more successful than others. I am currently creating strawberry infused vodka, but since I just used the fruit it is not strong enough, although it has developed a redish colour which looks brilliant. To strengthen the flavour I am going to add one or two drops of strawberry essence before serving.

What are some flavours that you think I should try? Let me know in the comments below.

                                                       bye for now my little pumpkin

Blogmas Day 9 | My Day In Photos [Manchester Christmas Market Addition]



On Wednesday, my mum and I headed off on a little Christmas adventure down to Manchester so I thought I would share with you what we got up to throughout the day through photos.

My morning Starbucks

I thought these wooden cafe's were so cute

Look at all those macaroons 

My Irish cream hot chocolate

I was happier than I looked, honest

Hello, big man

my mac and cheese sandwhich

I wanted to bring a tree home 

My mum and I, looking tired

German beer, and a hot chocolate

One final seflie before we head home

So there you go, I know most of my photos are of food and drinks, but come on, it all looked so good! Have you been to the Christmas markets in Manchester? What did you all think of them? Let me know in the comments below.

                                                      bye for now my little pumpkins