Bursting At The Seems

Hello everyone.

So as promised, here is a post on everything I packed for my trip to Rome. I know it's a day later than planned however after waking up at 3:30 in the morning, flying for 2 and a half hours, and catching a bus/walking in rain when we got here, I was pretty tired and not in the best of sorts for blogging! However, despite being completely shattered, me and my dad did manage to look around Rome a little before it began to bounce down with rain again. I must say though, I don't feel like we've yet seen the true beauty of Rome due to the rain however the sun is shining today so hopefully we will view it in a 'better light' later today once my dad has finished working.

Another positive of the warm weather is that I can begin to make the most of the more summery clothing of which I have mostly (only) packed! Speaking of which, here is everything I managed to pack in under 10kg of luggage...

A selection of shoes - all Primark.

4 light-weight tops from Wallis, charity shop and Primark.

A summery floral dress from New Look.

Light-weight, long cardi from Hooch.

 My PJs

 Skirt and jeans from Primark. Shorts from Newlook.

 Swimsuit from a local shop.

 A girl can't be without her makeup.

Pearl + floral headband and necklace from Claire's,earings were gift,belt from charity shop and purse from Spain.

Some bits and bobs.

So that's everything I packed. Can you believe that I managed to fit all of this plus my camera and laptop into a rucksack? It's safe to say it was bulging at the seems so it should be interesting trying to fit all of this back in again when we leave. I just thought it would be fun to share what I packed because I know I like reading blogs/watching youtube videos of what people have packed for holiday. I hope you enjoyed! Have a lovely day and I'll speak to you soon,

Mollie♥

What are your holiday essentials? Have you ever had a challenging packing experience?

DIY Cushion Project

Hello everyone.

So today was my day off of work and I was feeling crafty so I decided to take an old top which unfortunately had a tea stain down the sleeve but a lovely pattern on it and make something out of it. Recently I've been trying to find/make things to spice up my room a little and so this was the perfect project for me and I thought it may interest you guys too. The good news is that it's SUPER easy and doesn't require a load of materials to make. So here is a 3-step on how to make your own upcycled cushion.

What you will need:

♥ A cushion
♥ An old top or material.
♥ A pen
♥ Scissors
♥ Pins
♥ Needle and thread (the thread should be the same colour as your material so that it blends in)
♥ Measuring tape or ruler
♥ Buttons

Let's get started!

Step 1

Turn your shirt inside-out and mark down the measurements of your cushion onto the shirt- including an extra 1/2 inch for hemming- and cut off the excess material.

Step 2

Hem your cushion case by folding both edges of your shirt inwards 1/2 and inch and then put both hemmed edges together. Pin your hem and sew sew sew. The smaller the stitches the neater it will look. 

Step 3

Lay your buttons along the inside edge of one of the sides of your shirt before pinning and sewing them on. Then make a mark directly above each button on the opposite inside edge of your shirt and cut little holes for the buttons to go through. All that is left is to put the cushion into your case and button it up and there you go! You've made your beautiful little cushion.

I really enjoyed this mini DIY project and I'm very proud of my little cushion. I would love to do more posts like this in the future if it's something you would like to see - make sure to let me know in the comments! I'd also love to see your creations if you try this out so make sure to tweet me a photo-link. Until next time,

Mollie ♥

New Hair. New Beginning.

Hello everyone.

So this is kind of a strange time. Things are changing, people are growing up and it's all a bit weird to be honest. For the past two weeks, there have been pictures of packed cars and nervous/excited statuses popping up on my Facebook feed from friends who are heading off to university or college. My best friend Kirsty (chummy) has already began her college course and I'm glad to say she is really enjoying it and this time next week, my other bestfriend called Kirsty will be leaving for university. And here's little old me with my whole free year ahead of me and I can't help but feel a little overwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, I still feel that holding off university this year is a good decision and I'm excited about my year and what it has instore, but at the same time I'm going to miss my friends whilst they're away and I'm a little nervous about making sure it's not a wasted year.

Anyway, since there are so many changes happening and it's a new beginning for me with my gap year, I decided I'd embrace change a little more by dying my hair after it being red for over 2 years now.

                       Before

                                                                                                            After

What do you think? It's a lot darker than intended and it's a big adjustment from what I'm used to but I think I like it. I've been wavering with the idea of dying my hair brown for almost a year now but always chickened out and stuck to red because it was what I'd grown to know. My red hair was almost my identity, it was what my nicknames were based on from my friends and to be honest it had become a sort of comfort blanket. Whenever I was meeting new people or feeling particularly anxious I'd just hide behind my bold red hair and hope that  that alone would make me stand out. This is one of the reasons I decided to dye it. I want this to be a year where I begin to think outside the box a little and push myself out of my comfort zone so that I can really grow and mature. I want to embrace the unknown and make bold choices that will help get me to where I'd like to be and become the person I want to be. This all may seem quite dreamy and optimistic for something as simple as changing my hair colour but it's all about frame of mind and dying my hair has began the process for me. This brunette is on a mission.
Until next time,


Mollie ♥

25 Questions Tag

Hello everyone.

I feel like we're at the stage where you've gotten to know me pretty well. You know my likes, goals, attitude, opinions, friends, hobbies etc. but do you know my favourite beverage? Ah, see I don't think you do. This will not do which is why this week I thought I'd go a little more blogging-mainstream and do the 25 Questions Tag to give you some insight into certain things you may not learn about me otherwise.
There were a few different collections of questions floating around for this tag and so I decided to pick my favourites as well as add some of my own. Hope you enjoy!

What is your middle name?

 Elizabeth. Also, while we're on the topic of names, my real name is Mary. I was named after my two great grans, one named Mary (known as Mollie, hence why I'm known as Mollie) and one called Elizabeth (my middle name). Mary Elizabeth Hodkinson. Also known as the poshest name ever.

What was your favourite subject at school?

 I've always loved art but I also really enjoyed Business Management. This was partly due to the amazing teacher I had. I also liked this class because my parents have always been very entrepreneurial and so I've always had an interest in the running of a business. Taking business management also helped influence me to set my goal to one day own my own business.

What is your favourite drink?

 Tea. I am a complete tea addict. Morning, noon and night. Not even fancy tea, just traditional Tetley. There's something so comforting about a good old mug of tea.  

What is your favourite song at the moment?

 Young and Beautiful - Lana Del Rey. What can I say other than pure bliss. I've loved Lana Del Rey from the moment Video Games met my eardrums. She has such on old-time dark glamour about her that just leaves me speechless whenever I listen to her songs.

What is your favourite food?

 I'd have to say lasagne. Garfield's got nothing on me and my love of this cheesy, tomato goodness. Mmm..just writing about it is making me hungry.

What is the last thing you bought?

 Makeup (lipstick, nail varnish, blusher brush, eyeshadow, liquid eyeliner) from MUA. I love MUA because despite it being incredibly cheap, the quality of their makeup certainly doesn't reflect this. I am never disappointed by the quality and as someone who loves makeup as well as saving money, there is no better brand I could find.

Favourite book of all time?

 Although I must admit I'm not someone who reads a lot (I am trying to change this) I do have a favourite book and that is Heidi. There's something so wholesome and enchanting about it. It makes me want to live up a mountain and drink goats milk.

Favourite Colour?

 Purple. It's so luxurious and pretty.

Do you have any pets?

 Yes, two massive dogs- leonburgers- and although not strictly "pets", my family owns alpacas. 

Favourite Perfume?

 Lancome- Touch of pink. It smells divine.

Favourite Time of Year?

 Summer. There was no hesitation writing this. There's something about waking up to a bright warm sunny day that fills me with complete joy. There's more to do in Summer as people have more time, I love summer fashion and colours, beach days, ice-cream, late nights, BBQs and the list goes on and on.

Have you ever been out of the country?

 Yes I have. I've been very fortunate in my childhood and me and my family have been to Florida, Egypt and our favourite place, Spain. I love the language, tradition and flare of Spain and I'm pretty sure I'll wind up living there at some time in my life.

Do you speak any other language?

 A teensy bit of French from learning at school. I would LOVE to learn Spanish though and I'm hoping to try in my gap year!

How many siblings do you have?

 I have two siblings, Megan who's 16 and Emily who's 15.

What are your favourite shops?

 I love boohoo.com, apricot, MUA, Avon, Lush, Arran Aromatics and Cath Kidston to name a few.

What do you love to do?

 I enjoy painting, spending time with my friends and family, singing, making videos, blogging, sewing and crafts and being creative in general. I feel so inspired when being creative.

When was the last time you cried?

Yesterday evening. I got into a silly phase where I started panicking about the future, university, my friend's leaving for uni and lots of other things. Luckily my mum was there with some comforting advice and a hug to make it all better. Thanks mum.

Favourite Blogs?

These two gorgeous youtube celebrities were already inspirational to me and once I discovered that they blog too I was over the moon. These guys are Zoe from Zoella and Louise from Sprinkleofglitter. I also really enjoy readingWatercolour Kisses blog. It has some really good advice and reviews for girls.

Favourite Movies?

 All the Disney films but my favourite is The Little Mermaid. Others include 50 First Dates, Up, The Proposal, She's The Man and many others though I'm having a hard time remembering names right now for some reason.

Favourite TV shows?

 Modern Family -I'm obsessed with this show, plus the character Gloria is beyond hilarious-  The Middle, Cake Boss, Touch and Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model.

What are you afraid of?

 Not being successful, heights, spiders, being alone outside in the dark, seeing blood and injuries in real life or film because it makes me faint. You can imagine how much I loved first-aid lessons at school.

You're sat doodling, what's on the page? 

Hearts, eyes and flowers mainly.

Eye colour and hair colour? 

I have green eyes which turn blue in direct sunlight and dyed red hair but my natural hair colour is light brown.

Can you cook?

 No, I have literally burned pasta. More than once.

What's your favourite time of day?

 This is quite tricky. I like certain aspects of all times of the day but I think it has to be the morning. I love the fact that it's the beginning of a new day with new opportunites, I love seeing the beautiful sunrises and I'm always more productive and full of positivity in the morning.

There we have it, 25 random questions answered. I hope this gave you a bit more of an insight into who I am and what I'm like (in a good way). It's a bit different from my usual blog posts as I don't like the idea of following the crowds because I'm not the type to do that in my life anyway however I enjoyed writing this post and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Have a fabulous week and I'll see you soon!

Mollie

♥

I challenge you to do this tag too and make sure you leave the link in the comments!

Things I'd Tell My Younger Self

Hello everyone.

Inspiration can come from some strange places and this post's inspiration came from the last annual high school awards ceremony I'll be a part of that took place this Thursday. As I sat in formal dress of my choice-not the mandatory shirt and school-tie combo we used to have to wear whilst at school-and watched the younger years collecting their merit and effort awards which I used to be so very proud of receiving, I couldn't help but feel a little sad that it was all over.
I wasn't there as a student, I was there as a highschool leaver, a spectator, a  simple relation of someone (my sister) who was part of this ceremony. In other words, I was no longer there as part of the school and that kind of felt strange. The feeling grew as me and my friends who were the Heads and Deputy Heads last year stood and handed over the badges to those who'd be taking on these roles now that we'd left. C'est fini.

Among all this nostalgia I began to think about my first year of highschool and how much things - and I - have changed since then and so I thought I'd write today about everything I'd tell my younger, first-year self as a now graduated highschool leaver.

1.Don't worry about making friends. You will eventually find people as crazy as you.

I can still feel the butterflies in my stomach, the dry mouth and the shaky hands as a tiny (I was quite small for my age to begin with) almost mute, brown-haired Mollie toddled into high-school for the first induction day. To make things worse for me, whilst everyone was there with friends from primary and their school jumpers, I was stood in a generic shirt and tie and I didn't know anyone because I had been home-taught for two years prior to highschool so I was truly terrified. I remember I ate lunch by myself in the canteen because I hadn't met anyone properly by that time and ended up not finishing it because I felt so sick from nerves until someone I'd met through a friend who moved away came and talked to me and introduced me to her friends. From then on I weaved in and out of various friend circles and made lots of new friends right up to 6th year where i became best friends with three crazy ladies I often mention in my blog - Kirsty, Iona and another Kirsty (chummy).

2. Don't forget to breathe.

 Apparently I was always desperate to go to school when I was little -nerd- and I've always loved learning and so I was all set for achieving my best at highschool but, the thing was, at highschool I began to realise that learning a lot can be quite difficult. And, as well all know, I'm not the most organised pickle in the pantry so as the workload increased at school, so did my stress levels as I desperately tried to get the best grades I possibly could. Luckily for me, the highschool on Arran has some amazing teachers and so help was always at hand and my parents have always been incredibly supportive no matter how I've done at school but I myself was never satisfied until I'd got an A. I can't count how many all-nighters I pulled for something as petty as an informal class test and how many tears fell on mountains of books that covered my bedroom floor around exam times. For me no test was "unimportant" and the idea of disappointing a teacher was unthinkable (could I make myself sound any cooler?) and so, if I could go back and visit first-year Mollie, I'd tell myself to lay off the pressure a little.

3. Don't leave everything to the last minute.

I don't know about you, but another reason I became so stressed around test times was because I had a terrible habit for leaving everything to the last minute. The only thing was though, as I mentioned before, I was not willing to settle for second best with my work which is why no matter how long I put off work, if staying up all night the week before a deadline to get it done was necessary, I'd do it. Not the most practical approach to life.

4. Don't wear flip-flops to school.

Enough said.

5. Don't compare your progress and your work to others'. 

This is something I think we are all guilty of in many aspects of life - work, relationships, appearence etc. - and it's not healthy. There's no point comparing yourself to others because no matter what, you're not them. You are not a clone and so you obviously don't have the same strengths and weaknesses and so any comparison you make to another person/people isn't valid because it isn't a fair judgment. I only did standard grade biology but I know what a fair experiment looks like.
Besides, when you stop focusing on what others are doing you can start focusing on what you're doing which is what will actually get you somewhere. During 5th year English, I used to always compare myself to the "cleverclogs" of the class which meant that no matter how much I progressed, in my eyes it wasn't good enough unless it was up to their standard. Until one day I thought, "right, well this isn't getting me anywhere, let's start focusing on my work and seeing how I can progress from my previous work" and after that, my grades literally got so much better until I managed to get one of the highest grades in the class in an essay. All because I stopped comparing myself to others and focused on my own work.

6. Don't be ashamed to be yourself.

From the first day of highschool I was very aware of what I did, said, wore and took part in because, like every teenager in highschool, I was just trying to fit in. This sometimes resulted in me feeling restricted on how much I could show others who I was for fear of judgment. But the thing is, who cares what somebody thinks? Does the fact that someone doesn't like your laugh make the joke any less funny? Is someone's opinion on your hair going to make it fall out? No. It has no impact whatsoever on you physically in anyway and so we should choose not to let it affect us mentally. Don't let anyone tell you not to be yourself. We're all designed to be unique in our own way and highschool is the perfect opportunity for you to begin to find yourself and your identity so make the most of it!

7. Do enjoy every moment of it.

There have been a lot of "don't"s so far in what I'd like to tell my younger self but at the end of the day, despite doing all of these things that on reflection I should have tried to avoid, I'm still here, I had fun, I got good grades and I have lots of happy memories. The point of highschool is not what you shouldn't do anyway, it's what you should do and what you can do. Highschool is where you can make some life-long friends, discover your likes and dislikes and opinions on the world, learn some amazing things and take some great opportunities. Sure there's pros and cons here and there but you never really appreciate what you have until it's gone. Now that I've left school I can really see what an amazing journey it has been with more wonderful memories than I can count on my fingers and toes. So if I could visit little nervous Mollie in her shirt and tie and blushing cheeks, I'd tell her the most important thing to do at highschool is treasure every moment of it.


Mollie
♥

What would you tell your younger self? Is there anything you would have done differently?

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?

Get Those Goals | Mollie'sThoughts

Hello everyone.

I hope you are all feeling very good about yourselves if you managed to reach the "20 Acts of Kindness" goal I set for you in last week's post- link. I've done my best to achieve it myself and I've found it very rewarding. I've also noticed that whilst focusing on doing more kind acts for others, I've been able to see all the kind acts that others do for me much more! It can be anything from paying someone a compliment to helping someone carry a heavy suitcase off of the bus.
I hope you enjoyed this challenge and found it rewarding too if you joined in and if you missed it, then set it as this week's goal - you won't regret it.

Speaking of goals, this is exactly the topic I would like to focus on for this week's "Mollie'sThoughts" edition. Although last week's goal was set to encourage everyone to put a bit more thought into demonstrating kindness, it was also to help illustrate this week's topic too - see, I do plan my posts in advance occasionally!

Goals are something we are all familiar with setting in a professional environment from agreeing the grade you hope to achieve in a class at school with your teacher to getting that promotion at work. We even set goals in our personal lives for things such as learning a certain skill, becoming the sort of person you want to be, saving up money to buy that new car etc. - basically, our dreams for the future. But the thing is, goals and dreams aren't the same thing. We could have a dream to be a successful musician for example and we could fantasise about being on stage in front of adoring fans, but if we don't take practical steps and set practical goals such as learning how to play the guitar, then all they'll ever remain is just dreams. Dreams are what we hope to achieve but goals are what make us achieve. Without goals, we'd have no direction.

That's why I think setting goals is so important in life. They keep us motivated, helps us to measure our successes and lead us in the right direction - forward. Not to mention that they help give meaning to our lives.

***

"Reaching for goals is an important part of strengthening self-confidence. It helps shape and update how you define yourself while at the same time helping you add to your sense of accomplishment." - Marci G. Fox, psychologist specialising in self-confidence building.

***

Everyone wants to feel like their life has purpose and everyone wants to make a difference somehow and what better way to assure yourself that you are achieving these things than to tick them off as you go along? It is a proven fact that simply crossing off items on a "to-do" list can increase your self-esteem significantly. This is because you are taking the time to appreciate what you have accomplished so you are able to feel good about every little milestone you cross.

That's something else to keep in mind, the size of the goal you are setting. To begin with you want your overall goal and as an example I'll share one of mine which is to increase the success and popularity of my youtube channel. Now if I just left my goal at that then I wouldn't know where to begin. That is why it is important to set yourself short-term goals aswell as long-term ones as these are what will eventually lead you to your overall goal. So in order for me to do this, I set myself monthly goals.
This began recently after I bought a new diary (half way through the year... but I needed one so I'm sure I can find a use for the unused months' pages) which I am absaloutely in love with but that is a different story. In my diary though, at the beginning of every month, there is a specific page dedicated to "My goals for this month" and I can't tell you how useful it has been! For someone as unorganised as me, being able to sit down and consider practical steps to achieving my long-term goals is so much more efficient and much less stressful that just making it up as I go along.
So continuing my example of my goal to improve my youtube channel, last month I set a goal to make at least one youtube video that month - a goal which I managed to achieve. This then led on to this months goal to do the same but with a video that is a little longer. These monthly goals will then continue and progress each time for however long it will take until I eventually achieve my overall goal!
It's not just about only setting big, long-term goals because though they're what you're eventually working towards, they aren't going to tell you how to get there. It's the job of the monthly, weekly and daily goals to get you there step by step. And as you cross those goals off week by week or month by month your confidence will increase as will your chances of achieving your dreams!

I strongly suggest (if you don't already) that you begin keeping a record of your goals weekly or monthly so that once you achieve your dream you can appreciate all the hard-work you have put in and you can see how far you've progressed.

Don't just follow your dreams, make them come true.

Mollie

♥

Present Purchasing and Shoe Blues

Hello everyone.

I know, I know. I'm a little late with my post but I have at least two reasons why! One being that I have been working so much that as soon as I get home I'm already beginning to fall asleep so my blog would consist mostly of "zzzzzzz"s and two, because I've been working so much I hadn't really done anything to interest you for more than two lines. That's why I waited until today because I actually had time/energy to do something yesterday which was quite fun. I'll still fill you in with the more interesting parts of my week though.

So this week began with a bit of a panic when my ipod beeped an alert at me telling me to "Make sure you've bought Kirsty's present!" - this is not the "chummy" Kirsty who I mentioned in my last lifestyle post but my other friend called Kirsty. Confused? Me too.
I'd been wondering what I should get her for ages and after trawling through pages of gift sites I still wasn't sure but, with Kirsty's birthday on the 11th, I knew I had to get my act together to make sure that whatever I ordered would be here in time - a downside of living on an island is that things take longer to arrive. It's strange that despite spending almost everyday both in and out of work with Kirsty, I couldn't for the life of me think of a suitable gift for ages! Thank goodness I pulled myself together though and it's all sorted now.
(I know she'll be reading this post so don't panic Kirst, your pressie's sorted now!)

Wednesday was my day off and with plans to go out for lunch with some friends I was ready for some chill-out time away from work. That was until I found out we were having lunch at the cafe where I work... This was chummy's idea (my other friend who's also called Kirsty) even though she too works there. However it worked out quite well because we were able to sit in the up-stairs area of the cafe where there were no other people therefore no cafe chaos so I could almost forget we were at work on our day off. Almost.

On Thursday it was back to work and there certainly was a lot of work. It was a very very busy day with hardly a moment to catch your breath. We were so full in fact that when staff went for lunch, rather than sitting at the always free tables that we usually do in the upstairs part of the cafe, we needed to sit either in the back kitchen or on the table used for stacking dirty dishes before they're taken to be washed because everywhere else was in use! Madness. What was also mad was the lack of some people's manners and understanding when we were so busy. I can't count the times when I had drinks to make, orders to take and dishes to collect all in the same moment and a customer decided to come and pay at that very moment in the slowest possible way and with all the change they had whilst I just had to stand there with my (now slightly forced) polite "thankyou" and smile.
I did have something to keep me going however and that was the thought of the lovely roast dinner we were having at the apartment my grandparents are staying in whilst visiting later that evening. Not to mention just the idea of being able to sit down. Both of these I enjoyed so much when I'd finally finished work.

On Friday I was working the morning shift and the idea resting my feet was already on my mind at that time but not because I was tired. The reason I needed to sit down then was because my shoes were killing me. Really badly. It was 100% my own fault though. The day before I had worn my black dolly shoes because the pumps I usually wear to work were wet and gross from the rain - lovely - and because our shoes need to be black for work, the dolly shoes were my only other choice (I don't enjoy black shoe items it seems). I failed to realise that I hadn't worn these shoes in a while so by the end of the day my feet were a little sore from them rubbing but the next day, with my usual shoes still gross, I thought "Oh, they'll be fine today I'm sure!". No. No they were not fine. Within two hours the idea of walking another two meters in them made me want to weep so after 5 hours you can imagine how badly I wanted to sit down and get them off. So when I finished work and got to the bus stop I was thrilled to be getting on the bus to rest until I saw how full the bus was when it turned up. I was basically sitting on the bus drivers knee because it was so full! Like a tin of sardines and I was right at the front so I also had the joys of getting off the bus every time it was someone's stop. Not the best ending to my afternoon. It didn't matter though because I had another lovely dinner with our grandparents- this time at our house- waiting for me when I finally got home and some fluffy cosy uggs calling my poor feet.

The evening was much better because my new camera had arrived (yay!) and I was off out with my friends to Kirsty's house for a sleepover where we got to drive her dad's Kubota (like a farming version of a golf buggy) which was hilarious (and a little scary if you were sat in the back and Iona was driving) before we went in to watch some good films with lots of yummy chocolate goodies. A lovely ending to a not-so-great day!

This is a Kubota

Me and Chummy.

 Iona saying "I'm going to kill you." after I drove a little speedy when she was in the back. Oops.*mwahaha*

So that was my week, how was yours? I'd love to hear about it in the comments! Until my next post, have a lovely few days with lots of smiles and comfy footwear.

Mollie

♥

Kindness | Mollie'sThoughts

Hello everyone.

As promised, I’m here with a bonus post which will be a more regular occurrence! For this bonus post (which also happens to be my 20^th post), I thought I’d do another ‘Mollie’s Thoughts’ edition focusing on kindness.

The word “kind” is one that we say many many times in our sentences and it is one of those go-to words that just springs to mind and is recognised by everyone. It’s a word that is one of the first we use when listing a friend’s personality traits – kind, thoughtful, funny etc or to round up a letter/ e-mail ("kind regards,"). We use this same word so many times that sometimes we can just use it like any other, without much thought or attention; we forget it’s real importance and meaning.

The online dictionary’s definition of kindness is:   “The act of being friendly, generous and considerate.”

In today’s world, everyone seems to always be in a hurry without even enough time to say a passing “hello” to a neighbour. But I think it’s so important to always make time to show people a little kindess.

For all we know, the other person could be having a terrible day and your kind smile and cheerful “hello there” could be just what they need to pick themselves back up! We all know that scenario very well don’t we? We’ve all been there and felt how much of an impact a strangers’ kindness can have. We also know the impact of when someone simply avoids an act of kindness because they’re being too self-focused to notice/help you. For example, if you’re carrying heavy books through a corridor behind someone and they simply let the door swing shut behind them rather than holding it for you. Or when you’re in a rush somewhere and you’ve dropped something and though people around you have noticed, they keep quiet - leaving you to realise what you’ve done yourself about 50 steps later.

It’s these simple acts of kindness that can make or break someone’s day so why don’t we make the effort to be more "friendly, generous and considerate" to others and make a difference?

We all know a smile is infectious, but so is kindness! When we demonstrate an act of kindness, it will touch and inspire those around us to go on to do something kind for someone else; the potential for a whole train of kind actions and happier people is held in the hands of someone who offers a tissue to a stranger who is sneezing or says “thankyou” to someone who serves us at a checkout.

Adults spend most of their time teaching their little ones to “say please and thankyou” and “don’t be rude” but we ourselves let our actions slip sometimes. So next time the occasion arises, let’s give a stranger a smile, help someone who looks lost, say our pleases and thank yous and hold the door open for someone whether they’re holding heavy items or not. Let’s bring back the old-fashioned manners and courtesy that Britain is famous for and let's show everyone around us some kindness.

20 Acts of Kindness

Now, as this is my 20th post on my blog I thought, why not incorporate it into this theme? So this week (by next Monday), I challenge you to carry out 20 significant acts of kindness and either blog them and link it back to this post (if you're a blogger), leave them in the comments or even write them down somewhere such as a notebook if you'd rather keep them personal and let's see how many people's lives you're able to touch in a positive way in one week! You can also write down their reaction as well if you'd like.

Everyone wants to change the world, so let's begin with baby steps and help make some people smile this week!

Mollie

♥

P.S. I'm so grateful to have this blog and have reached even a small milestone of 20 posts! I'm even more grateful to have every one of you who reads my blog and I want you to know that you're all very special to me.
Don't forget to follow me on Blog Lovin' or add my blog to your 'reading list' if you have an account on blogger! See you soon. xx