A Student's Bargain Kitchenware Haul

Sorry I was absent last week but I was working almost everyday and had rehearsals for a play I was in almost every night so I barely had time to eat, never mind write and take photos for my blog. I am back now however as I have evenings free again!

So it is now less than 2 weeks until moving day (eek!). I am so excited. As I am beginning to get organised with buying and packing all of my necessities for living on my own, I thought I'd share with you a few of my bargain buys.

I am loving red at the moment and so I decided to make this a theme for my kitchenware. Imagine my joy then when almost everything red was on sale and so beautiful! I had a hard time restraining myself from popping everything in my trolley!

The two places I shopped for almost all of my appliances, kitchenware, laundry items and bedroom decor etc. were B&M Bargains and ASDA. There were so many great bargains for a student on a budget yet the quality is still great too. My personal favourite purchase is the adorable owl salt and pepper shakers. Aren't they cute?

Products Photographed:
Red Plates:   ASDA £1 each
Owl Salt and Pepper Shakers:   £1.50 B&M Bargains
Red Bowls: £1 each or 6 for £5 B&M Bargains
Stilton Cheese Pot: 50p from local charity shop (thought it would be cute for storing sugar etc.)
Heart Mugs: £1.99 each or 2 for £3
Heart Coasters: £1.50 for pack of 4

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

As the days tick by into weeks and weeks into months, I have somehow gotten here. In just less than a month I'll be heading off to the "big wide world"! (I hear they have stocked supermarkets and working buses there).

University has been my dream since I was little. I've always loved learning and always loved being around those who have a lot to teach. How blessed I am to be going to one of the best universities in one of the loveliest cities in the country to learn about my passion! Everyday I feel so grateful and blessed. The word blessed here is one of importance.

I believe that this wonderful opportunity has not simply occurred through the work of my hands or that of others' alone, but from the work of God's hands. He has put so many opportunities before me this year which have led to my successful application. Opportunities such as a "chance" meeting with a graduate of Edinburgh University's Film & TV Course who has been able to help me critique and better my work for my application; surrounding me with the right people at the right time in order to produce the films for my application; turning me away from a university I had originally intended as my first choice and showing me why; guiding me to another university (Edinburgh University) which coincides with my career goals better and will offer me greater opportunities relating to my career. There are so many more ways I have seen God shine through this whole process this year. It has been a complete journey of faith, growth and blessings in many different ways.

You may still be wondering about the title of this post. You see, every time I was approaching a new stage of my application, feeling anxious about the future or simply just needed to know God was still there beside me, a rainbow would appear in the sky - on that day or in that week - and always just after I had been praying about the situation. That to me is not a coincidence, it is a God-incidence.

God sent Noah a rainbow as a reminder of a promise he made to him (Genesis 9:12-17) and in the same way, each rainbow I have witnessed in the midst of fear or uncertainty has reminded me of God's promise to us: "I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)

So as moving day continues to draw near, I will find comfort in knowing that I am not alone in any of this, but that God is with me and He will guide me. So I will simply let go and let God.

Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2014!

Hooray Scotland, you resisted the urge to rain on our parade (literally).  As me and my family shuffled through the crowds up the cobbled roads towards Edinburgh castle for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, we held our plastic ponchos close at hand. Kitted out in wellies and anoraks, we were primed and ready for the heavy showers forecast which we have experienced all too memorably on a previous venture to the Tattoo a few years back. To our pleasant surprise however, the weather stayed fine and we were able to enjoy the show for the first time without soggy bottoms.

The show was, as expected, beautifully diverse and inspiring. With captivating choreography and music performed before changing backdrops projected onto the castles walls, you couldn't help but feel transported to the various countries being represented. And as the crowd joined hands with strangers and friends alike for the classic rendition of Auld Lang Syne, I felt moved by the wonderful atmosphere of acceptance and unity.

These were themes which I enjoyed throughout the show.  As for my favourite performances, they would have to include Singapore for its fabulous vibrancy in colour, music and dance and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Steel Orchestra were also incredible and sprinkled a little bit of Caribbean sunshine into the stadium.

And as the lone piper's solemn tune played through the silent stadium and the fireworks whirled and whistled above the stunning historic landmark which is Edinburgh Castle, all I could think was: I cannot wait to be a part of this beautiful city.

Short & Sweet

So, not only have I given my wee blog a bit of an image change but I have given myself one too!

After a few years of having long/medium hair, I decided that I would go for something a bit different and get it much much shorter. There were several reasons: my hair was getting too long and thick to effectively manage and style, my ends were splitting due to the constant brushing as my hair would often tangle, it's been very warm recently and my hair was just too too warm and finally, I just felt like a change. 

There are going to be many changes happening in my life in the coming weeks as I head off to university, live on my own for the first time, meet new people, go to new places, learn new things etc. and so I thought, why not change my hair too?

Isn't it funny what a new haircut can do for your confidence and perspective? The cliche, "It's like a new me" is one that I am unashamedly embracing at the moment.

Change isn't so bad I guess - especially when it means you can save on a bucket load of shampoo.

Exciting Things Ahead

Hello everyone.

It's been a while since I last uploaded (a week) because I didn't upload my usual "Mollie'sThoughts" post on Monday. Sorry for deserting you for so long *cuddle*. Well, I say I didn't upload a Mollie'sThoughts post but in truth I did, I just didn't keep it up. It was written very quickly and my heart wasn't in it and so it was only up for a night and a morning before I decided to take it down. I think quality rather than quantity is what I'd prefer to advertise on my blog (though I will of course upload at least once a week for you lovely people) which is why I didn't want to just post it for the sake of it if I wasn't happy with the quality. Anyway, now that I've finished nattering.
I'd like to start off by saying I was so pleased to get some really nice comments on my last post-link. It's so lovely to hear from you guys! There's a massive difference between seeing the number of page views on a blog and seeing the number of comments. Of course I appreciate everyone who reads my posts but seeing that someone has taken the time to leave a comment is really nice. As is putting a face to a reader as it helps me to find your blogs so that I can visit your page too!

Now in my last post, I talked about everything that I wanted to achieve in 5 years times so in this post I thought I write about the steps I'm taking in order to achieve these goals and it's all very exciting. So here's a list of what I've been doing/planning so far.

1. Travelling goal: Rome

That's right, I'm going to Rome! I'm actually going to be doing a little travelling and it's very soon. You see my dad works in IT and so he has to travel a lot to help out with programs and systems all around the world (though I'm convinced he's secretly a spy and that's why he travels so much) and this time he's going to Rome. As a joke I said "Oh, can I come too?" and we kind of chatted about it a bit, and then said nothing of it. A few days later and he says "You're going to Rome.". Yay! So in less than a months time I'll be heading over to Rome for 3 days with my dad. He'll be working some of the time and for safety reasons I'll be staying in the hotel during the hours he's away but we will still have the afternoon of the first day,  late afternoon of the second day and most of the 3rd day to explore Rome! I'm so excited!

2.Travelling/ Volunteering/Growing in Faith Goal: ABBAS Rest

Now this one is a work in progress and may not work out however there are other opportunities that are similar that I will look into if this doesn't work out. ABBAS Rest is a Christian charity that helps orphans in Africa in places that other charities have not yet reached. This charity is owned by people that my parents and the churches on Arran know as it is a Scottish charity and they visit Arran sometimes and so I am going to e-mail them about possibly going with them to Africa to volunteer for a few week some time next year depending on their schedules. It would be an amazing opportunity however it is hanging in the balance as we don't know their plans for next year so all I can do is ask. And if it doesn't work at least I've began to aim for my volunteering goal in a big way!

3. Becoming a film-maker: Camera and Laptop

Despite my inability to walk into a shop and leave without having purchased at least one item, I have somehow over the summer earned enough money to buy myself a decent camcorder (as I've mentioned) and now a laptop of my own! (I use my parents' usually) And so now I have the resources necessary to begin making more videos more easily. Hooray.

4. Becoming a film-maker: University

Of course, in order to become a qualified film-maker I shall have to study it and the place I'd love to study film would be at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. They have an amazing course which doesn't just involve talking about film, it involves making them! It's very exclusive however so I will of course have back-up universities. The reason I'm mentioning this now is because the application process is fast approaching (ahh, slow down!) as are the open days so I have them to work towards.

5. Creating my own business: Bags, cushions, cards

As I mentioned in my last post, one of my goals is to one day have my own successful business where I sell lots of different products with my floral artwork on them. So far my dad has kindly helped me look into it and has found a website which could print my artwork onto canvas bags. Just now we are in the process of sending a photo to this company in order to get a quote for how much the printing will cost.

Also relating to this goal, today was the first day of the exhibition of mine and my two classmates' artwork from our Advanced Higher course. Each year at the cafe/shop where I now work, artwork from the highschool students is exhibited for a few days. Usually there is art shown from different year groups but as the cafe has been re-designed there is now less room and so there is only enough room for the Advanced Higher work. This is good news for me and my friends who took Advanced Higher though as we have at least 7 of our A1 sheets on show each and so we are able to get our artwork promoted for selling! Hopefully this will begin to attract attention for my bags and cards aswell once I get them printed. If you would be interested in purchasing some of my artwork (you can find some examples of my work here) then feel free to contact me at molliesart@hotmail.co.uk.

So there we are. My first baby steps towards reaching my goals. I know some aren't finalised and are only beginnings but I thought I'd share them with you anyway so you can follow their progress. I can't wait to see how/whether things come together. I will of course keep you informed of progress.
Much love,

Mollie

♥

What steps are you taking to achieve your goals? What advice do you have for making your dreams a reality?

In 5 Years Time

Hello everyone.

Sorry for a late blog post this week but it's been a busy one with work so I've been exhausted. This is why I'm not going to do my typical review of my week post today because it's literally been work, work, work and I don't want to bore you with dishes and coffees. Instead, I thought I'd keep on topic from last week and talk about what I hope to achieve in 5 years time.

Now you may not know, whether you know me or not, that I tend to be a very passionate person. If I set a goal for myself then I want to achieve it and I'll put my very all into it. This can obviously be a good thing but it can also be stressful because once I have my heart so set on achieving a goal, I often end up getting very cross with myself and upset if I fall even a baby step short of what I was trying to achieve. The good thing about being passionate though is that I do my very best to achieve my goals. So here is a list of 5 things that I am passionate to achieve in 5 years time.

Travel

I know that this is quite a common longing for most people these days but something I really want to try and do (as soon as possible) is travel! The fact that you can wake up one morning in the UK and go to bed in a completely different country amazes me. The idea that there a millions of people far away living their own lives and doing their own thing but in a different culture and language is incredible. In 5 years time I would love to have traveled  the world at least a little. And if I do, I will not just be sitting by the pool and soaking up the rays, (with sun cream of course) oh no, I want to get to know the culture of wherever I visit and communicate with the people who live there so I can really experience what life is like for people all around the world.

Volunteer 

This photo belongs to the Butterfly Tree charity.

This is a really big one for me. I am so passionate about giving back to others through charity work and since I was little I've had dreams of going to Africa to visit schools and charity organisations. In 5 years time I'd love to have had the opportunity to get involved in lots of volunteer work in the UK and elsewhere and have been able to change lives and raise money for charities all over the world. I think it's so important that we all do our part to help as many people as we can in our lives. The world would be such a better place if we did.


Study

For me, of course this studying would be in film. In 5 years time I'd love to be either finishing university, have finished university or be in a job involving film production. I've loved film all my life; from the age of 5 I was interrupting precious recorded family moments with my "Daddy, can i have a shot of the cameraaaaa?" and ever since I've made sketches with my friends and sisters, filmed and edited videos of family holidays and generally just played around with a camera. In 5 years time rather than just playing around with a camera, I'd love to be able to really use it in a professional environment so that I can have a career based around what I love.

Start up my own business

As well as developing a career in film I'd love to be able to one day own my own business. This business being one where I sell products with my floral artwork on them such as lamps, cushions, cake tins,  mugs, aprons etc. and maybe one day even clothing. This is something I am focusing on beginning in my gap year and right now I'm looking into getting some of my smaller paintings printed onto greetings cards. (If anyone has good connections to places that could print these I'd really appreciate the help). In 5 years time I'd love to have even a little product range of mine own and to be running a successful and enjoyable business.

Growing with God

I know some people won't share the same beliefs as me and this may not interest you and that's fine but God is a massive part of my life so I couldn't possibly leave this goal out. In 5 years time I hope to develop my Christian faith by getting more involved in Scripture Union and church events so that I can learn more about Jesus and become closer to God. I also hope to study the Bible and have a greater understanding of what it contains. I can't wait to see how God intervenes in my life in these 5 years and how He pathes the way for me as I set out to achieve all of these goals and I know that without Him, none of these will be possible.


So there we have it, my five goals to try and achieve in five years time. I know that this time in my life is crucial as it can shape the kind of person I'm going to be and what I'm going to do. That's why I wanted to write this post so that no matter what I get up to I can look back and remember what is I set out to do so that I will always be working towards these goals. Check back in five years time (I'm certain that I'll still be blogging then) and we can see how I've got along! Don't only come back then though, I have plenty of posts to keep you going until then!

Mollie

♥

What do you hope to achieve in 5 years time? Do you have any similar goals?