Recently my mood has been a bit all over the place, I guess it's my body changing and all that jazz, but I wanted to write this while I'm feeling bubbly and positive, so when I'm perhaps not in such a good mood, I can read over this and it will hopefully make me smile. In no particular order, here are a few things that make me happy.
1. The Sky
Looking up at the sky is always guaranteed to give me a little joy as I adore every type of weather there is. Sunny skies make feel alive and bright, dreary skies make me feel cosy and sunsets or sunrises are always gorgeous. I feel as if the sky also makes me feel grateful for the world we are so lucky to live in, and I start appreciating the little things.
2. Tea.
I'm very much the stereotypical British girl, and I love it. In the words of Carrie Hope Fletcher {who I love by the way}, tea is 'a hug in a mug'. It just makes me feel so cosy and relaxed, and I'm rarely without a cup of the stuff near by. It concerns me to think of the accumulative amount of time I've spent making tea.
3. Travelling.
I have so many places I'm desperate to visit that I haven't already. Travelling is so exciting and refreshing. I plan to see as much of the planet as I can in my lifetime. I recently spent some time in Germany, as you may have read in my previous post, and it reminded me of how many incredible opportunities there are that would be such a shame not to take.
4. Writing.
My love for writing is the reason I started this blog. Fashion and lifestyle blogging, fiction story writing, even physically typing or handwriting gives me a weird sense of satisfaction, and I have no idea why but it really does make me happy. At school, most people groan about having to write essays and stuff but I honestly don't mind because I love to write and also learn new things. I would love to write sort of an e-book on my blog, so let me know if you would read that!
5. People.
My family and friends mean everything to me. It really does make me upset to see teenagers my age disrespecting and being rude to their parents. You're lucky enough to have people in your life that raised you and love you. Some people don't have that. Take a few moments out of your day to say I love you to your family because you never know what could happen. My little sister and I are best friends and tell each other anything and everything. I don't even have to be friends with someone for them to make me smile. You won't get along with everyone, but focus on the good people and they are guaranteed to be a prime source of happiness.
6. Baking.
There is something so lovely about whipping up a treat and getting a positive reaction to something you made. It is a relaxing alternative to aimlessly scrolling through social media. I can't wait to teach my children how to bake all my family favourites, because I can remember balancing on my tiptoes in my little apron that was dotted with mini Russian dolls. It's a really fun thing to do with friends too.
7. Business.
I don't mean business as in money making methods, or what you leave behind after a trip to the toilet {hehe}, I mean those days when you have a lot of things planned. It makes me feel like I'm making the most of my life in a way. It's a great feeling to lie in bed at the end of the day thinking of all the things you spent your day doing. I hate doing nothing, because I'm a big believer in making the most of the time you've been gifted.
8. Acting & Theatre.
Being the odd person I am, when I'm reading, I'll often use the book as a script. Or when I'm watching television or a film and there isn't anyone in the room, I'll act along with the characters. Acting is something I really enjoy. I especially love theatre because it can link acting to dancing and music. There is no feeling like expressing yourself on the stage, and I would love to experience it more often.
9. Seasons.
I guess this ties in with my love for all different kinds of weather, but sitting back and watching the seasons change makes me really happy. The fashion trends, the little traditions you may treasure and the excitement for the next new season. I love it and it is one of my favourite things.
10. Fashion.
I love making up a scenario and thinking of what I would wear. What would I dress like if Ashton Irwin asked me on a date? What about my sister's wedding day? A tour of a cupcake factory? Fashion is so flexible and outfits often have power over my self esteem. I also love fashion designing. I own a couple of sketchbooks that are full of drawings of what my catwalk collections would look like. Fashion is very much my thing.
11. Books.
Books give you the ability to escape to another world when reality gets boring, and there are so many worlds to choose from. For the record, physical books are so much better than reading from electronic. There are so many books out there that I'd love to get my hands on and read but so little time!
12. Laughing.
I think laughing is my favourite thing to do, especially when you can't stop. Did you know that there are laughing classes that help you to get fit. You can lose weight by laughing! That's amazing!
13. 5SOS.
I know, I know. Typical teenage girl. But I love everything about Calum, Michael, Ashton and Luke. Whenever I'm feeling a little down I search them up on YouTube and watch their cute lil faces for hours, and that's not even an exaggeration. I have watched them on the Late Late Show with James Corden an unhealthy amount of times.
14. Photography.
I have a wall in my bedroom that I hope to grow that is full of snaps I'm really happy with or that have strong memories associated with them. I love the fact you can freeze a moment in time and keep it forever and it makes me really happy to look back.
15. Ambition & The Future.
Many people are intimidated by the future, but I really love to think about it. I am always thinking of things to add to my ridiculously long bucket list {leave me a comment if you would like me to share some of the things on there}. I love to make lists of goals and I think it's really incredible to think of where you could be in a few years. If you couldn't already tell I'm quite a philosophical person.
I hope this cheered up anybody who came to this post feeling a little down. Leave me a comment telling me five things that make you happy because I would love to know. Keep smiling.
Molly Rose x
Monday, February 29, 2016
Saturday, February 20, 2016
My Adventures In Germany
I went to Germany back at the beginning of November, so a long while ago now, but I still wanted to share my experiences on my blog as I had the most amazing time. It was an exchange organised by my school, which means I was accommodated by a German student. The house was very large and traditional, and her family owned a delightful bakery, from which my breakfast and lunch was provided every day. My favourites were the pain au chocolat, the most delicious I've ever tasted, and the gigantic cheesecake. The pastries were just so stereotypically German: enormous sticky tarts topped with sweet criss-cross dough, lines and columns of creatively contrasted breads and puffy savouries dotted with raisins and currants. That was the first place I visited after I was picked up.
I collected a couple of snaps from my journey there, photos from plane windows are some of my favourites to take. After landing, we hopped onto a coach that would take us to the German school, where all our exchange partners were waiting. I wasn't too nervous, which surprised me. It took me a while to find her once we were released in the crowd of exchange partners, but we eventually recognised each other and hugged. We drove to their bakery first, then to their home, where I was guided around on a short tour before unpacking. She gave me her bedroom, which was lovely of her. I had brought some gifts for the family from England, to help break the ice if it was needed. A box filled with cakes, some different types of teas and shortbread.
The next day was possibly my favourite one. School took us to Mannheim Palace, where we dressed in traditional German clothing and learnt a simple dance. Boys sported frilly waistcoats of hideous patterns, and heavy dresses were hoisted upon the girls. We even had to carry those cage type things that women would wear years ago to make their hips look ridiculously large. We were taught a dance in the ballroom, and my dress was so lengthy I had to be cautious to gather it up in my hands. We didn't change from our costumes until after our tour which featured several stairs, not the most desirable object to encounter whilst being weighed down by an enormous frock. I was petrified to fall!
We then travelled by tram to Luisenpark, beautiful green grounds with a mini zoo, a serene lake offering boat trips and a dense forest among its wonders. Here, we spent the afternoon for our free time. We ate lunch on a bunch of deck chairs we found, my friends and I decided to play hide and seek it which really took me back to my primary school memories. It was so fun! I also remember exploring with another friend, and we were both in a really giggly mood, and created so many little jokes. Everything is so much better when you feel like that. I'm really sad that I didn't take any photos on that day, because I have so many happy memories.
Although the day after I took tons of photographs and that was when we went to Frankfurt. The day before was with only the English students, but this day the German students came along too. On our arrival, we were shown around Frankfurt's old town by the German history teacher. We got to admire the pretty buildings and go inside the politics building before scaling a towering church spire, in order to get the best possible views of the city. We were all exhausted by our arrival at the top, definitely worth it though!
Frankfurt really reflected everything I expected Germany to be. We then dragged our aching thighs to the film museum, where we were shown the sort of evolution of film making. We were able to stand in front of a green screen and see ourselves in a world where the ants looked down on us, and there were also loads of props and costumes from huge blockbuster productions like Star Wars. I also loved the mini theatre with the projector that displayed a funny little man dancing across the wall.
In our free time that day, we headed to the shops. I bought three little Christmas tree ornaments to take back home seeing as it was the festive season. We had half an hour to spare before we needed to meet up with the other students and the teachers, so we popped into starbucks and grabbed some hot chocolate to keep us toasty while we waited in the winter weather for everybody else to make an appearance.
I remember the coach ride back from Frankfurt included lots of singalongs with one of my best friends, and I just remember being very happy that night.
The weekend was a time for the host families to share their favourite gems of Germany. On the Saturday, my partner and I met up with some of my friends and their partners in a city called Ludwigshafen. We travelled by train, and just outside the station there were bungee trampolines and a mini fairground. We then headed to the shopping centre and picked up a few things as well as eating dinner at a little café. During our time in the mall, a traditional German Christmas market had been set up. It was a lovely experience to be in the country of its origin. I'm grateful that we went in the lead up to Christmas, because it really got me into the festive spirit. There were bright fairground rides including a carousel. After we'd spent a bit of time nosing around the stalls, we took a quick trip down to the river side that reflected the city lights and took a couple of snaps.
Then on the Sunday, we attended a dinner at a posh hotel that had been booked for the staff at the family bakery. There were beautiful gardens at the hotel, so my partner, her sisters and I played hide and seek. We then headed to the countryside and ended up playing mini golf at a course we stumbled across. I came second, which isn't bad for my first game!
The next day, we spent our time in Speyer, where the school and host families were based. We spent three lessons in their classes. Their English teacher was speaking nonsense! After that we walked down to the town hall to meet with the mayor, who told us about the history of Speyer and some interesting facts followed by some refreshments. In our free time, we went to a cute little café to treat ourselves with ice creams before popping down to the river Rhine for a boat ride.
On our last full day in Germany, we travelled to Heidelberg. We visited the student prison which had a really interesting history and every inch of every wall and ceiling was covered in ancient graffiti, the bridge, and the castle. It was a lovely way to end the exchange.
I had so much fun in Germany and was really impressed and grateful for all the day trips and activities the language teachers had planned for us. Thank you for reading and well done if you made it this far! Leave me a comment telling me your favourite place that you have travelled to!
Molly Rose x
I collected a couple of snaps from my journey there, photos from plane windows are some of my favourites to take. After landing, we hopped onto a coach that would take us to the German school, where all our exchange partners were waiting. I wasn't too nervous, which surprised me. It took me a while to find her once we were released in the crowd of exchange partners, but we eventually recognised each other and hugged. We drove to their bakery first, then to their home, where I was guided around on a short tour before unpacking. She gave me her bedroom, which was lovely of her. I had brought some gifts for the family from England, to help break the ice if it was needed. A box filled with cakes, some different types of teas and shortbread.
The next day was possibly my favourite one. School took us to Mannheim Palace, where we dressed in traditional German clothing and learnt a simple dance. Boys sported frilly waistcoats of hideous patterns, and heavy dresses were hoisted upon the girls. We even had to carry those cage type things that women would wear years ago to make their hips look ridiculously large. We were taught a dance in the ballroom, and my dress was so lengthy I had to be cautious to gather it up in my hands. We didn't change from our costumes until after our tour which featured several stairs, not the most desirable object to encounter whilst being weighed down by an enormous frock. I was petrified to fall!
We then travelled by tram to Luisenpark, beautiful green grounds with a mini zoo, a serene lake offering boat trips and a dense forest among its wonders. Here, we spent the afternoon for our free time. We ate lunch on a bunch of deck chairs we found, my friends and I decided to play hide and seek it which really took me back to my primary school memories. It was so fun! I also remember exploring with another friend, and we were both in a really giggly mood, and created so many little jokes. Everything is so much better when you feel like that. I'm really sad that I didn't take any photos on that day, because I have so many happy memories.
Although the day after I took tons of photographs and that was when we went to Frankfurt. The day before was with only the English students, but this day the German students came along too. On our arrival, we were shown around Frankfurt's old town by the German history teacher. We got to admire the pretty buildings and go inside the politics building before scaling a towering church spire, in order to get the best possible views of the city. We were all exhausted by our arrival at the top, definitely worth it though!
Frankfurt really reflected everything I expected Germany to be. We then dragged our aching thighs to the film museum, where we were shown the sort of evolution of film making. We were able to stand in front of a green screen and see ourselves in a world where the ants looked down on us, and there were also loads of props and costumes from huge blockbuster productions like Star Wars. I also loved the mini theatre with the projector that displayed a funny little man dancing across the wall.
In our free time that day, we headed to the shops. I bought three little Christmas tree ornaments to take back home seeing as it was the festive season. We had half an hour to spare before we needed to meet up with the other students and the teachers, so we popped into starbucks and grabbed some hot chocolate to keep us toasty while we waited in the winter weather for everybody else to make an appearance.
I remember the coach ride back from Frankfurt included lots of singalongs with one of my best friends, and I just remember being very happy that night.
The weekend was a time for the host families to share their favourite gems of Germany. On the Saturday, my partner and I met up with some of my friends and their partners in a city called Ludwigshafen. We travelled by train, and just outside the station there were bungee trampolines and a mini fairground. We then headed to the shopping centre and picked up a few things as well as eating dinner at a little café. During our time in the mall, a traditional German Christmas market had been set up. It was a lovely experience to be in the country of its origin. I'm grateful that we went in the lead up to Christmas, because it really got me into the festive spirit. There were bright fairground rides including a carousel. After we'd spent a bit of time nosing around the stalls, we took a quick trip down to the river side that reflected the city lights and took a couple of snaps.
Then on the Sunday, we attended a dinner at a posh hotel that had been booked for the staff at the family bakery. There were beautiful gardens at the hotel, so my partner, her sisters and I played hide and seek. We then headed to the countryside and ended up playing mini golf at a course we stumbled across. I came second, which isn't bad for my first game!
The next day, we spent our time in Speyer, where the school and host families were based. We spent three lessons in their classes. Their English teacher was speaking nonsense! After that we walked down to the town hall to meet with the mayor, who told us about the history of Speyer and some interesting facts followed by some refreshments. In our free time, we went to a cute little café to treat ourselves with ice creams before popping down to the river Rhine for a boat ride.
On our last full day in Germany, we travelled to Heidelberg. We visited the student prison which had a really interesting history and every inch of every wall and ceiling was covered in ancient graffiti, the bridge, and the castle. It was a lovely way to end the exchange.
I had so much fun in Germany and was really impressed and grateful for all the day trips and activities the language teachers had planned for us. Thank you for reading and well done if you made it this far! Leave me a comment telling me your favourite place that you have travelled to!
Molly Rose x
Saturday, February 13, 2016
DIY Surprise Movie Party
My sister and I have had the past couple of days off school, as our half term holidays started early due to inset days. We decided that we wanted to make the most of this time, because both our parents were at work so we were home alone for a few hours each day. We really felt like we needed to give a little something back to our mum and dad, seeing as they have done so much for us. So we decided to put together a little surprise movie night for when they came back from work.
We brainstormed these ideas the weekend before, and checked the date at dinner instead of assuming they would both be free this Friday night. This is definitely a good thing to do as it would be a disaster if they got home and had work to finish, or had plans to meet up with friends. We also arranged it so that our mum picked our dad up, making sure they came home at exactly the same time. The only thing we had issues with was food. Our favourite cuisine is Chinese, so we were going to order a takeaway, but we didn't think through the pickup times, as this takeaway didn't do delivery. It was all okay in the end though!
When our parents walked in through the door, we made them a cup of tea and brought up the food situation. We ended up eating before we revealed the surprise. Then I retrieved the first clue for the treasure hunt from my bedroom, and played the music playlist we made for the party. It had songs like 'At The End Of The Day' from Les Mis, 'He's A Pirate' from Pirates Of The Caribbean and 'I Wan'na Be Like You' from The Jungle Book. Here are the clues we made. We sourced them from random sites we found on pinterest.
1. Finding the clue will be a treat! Look for it where you grab something to eat.
2. Now that you are nicely fed, go to the place where Moj lays her head.
3. The next place that you'll need to look, is where Lizzi would pick up a book.
4. Have you heard the news? The next clue is where we keep our shoes.
5. Looking for the missing link? Take a peek in our bathroom sink.
6. Have we left you wanting more? Why not check the front door.
7. When our clothes get dirty, here is where they go. Find this spot and the next clue you'll know.
8. Diddly doo, diddly dee, the next one's where you go to pee.
9. Every evening it's where we meet, look under the place where we sit to eat.
10. If you want your teeth to shine, pick this up and spend some time.
11. Looking for the final prize, the next one's where Lizzi looks into her eyes.
The prize for the treasure hunt was four tickets, with each of our names on them. We also made a sign for the door to the living room, that said 'Place Tickets Here' in my attempt at calligraphy. There was a pocket on the sign for the tickets. I framed the sign with purple paper and made a fake string with plain white paper, so it looked like it was properly hung up.
We opened the door to the living room, which we had decorated with lots of bunting and a huge decorative paper flower. We made curtains and put them over the television by tying fabric with hair bobbles. We put some popcorn, chocolate roses, sweets and crisps in bowls on the table. We put blankets and duvets and cushions on the sofas too.
Once they had sat down, we gave out the voting papers to decide which film we were going to watch. Our options were Alice In Wonderland, Evan Almighty, Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone, Les Miserables and About Time. Everybody had to tick the two that they most wanted to watch, and we decided on Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. However, the DVD wouldn't work for some reason, so we watched a film that Mum bought the other day, about Stephen Hawkings, called The Theory of Everything. While the film was going through the adverts at the beginning, we did a movie quiz, that we got from The Independent website. It was an incredible film, but it was so sad!
We had a lovely evening, and I would definitely recommend surprising your parents like this. Everybody was very happy and we went to bed with smiles on our faces. Leave me a comment telling me something you thank your parents or friends for!
Molly Rose x
We brainstormed these ideas the weekend before, and checked the date at dinner instead of assuming they would both be free this Friday night. This is definitely a good thing to do as it would be a disaster if they got home and had work to finish, or had plans to meet up with friends. We also arranged it so that our mum picked our dad up, making sure they came home at exactly the same time. The only thing we had issues with was food. Our favourite cuisine is Chinese, so we were going to order a takeaway, but we didn't think through the pickup times, as this takeaway didn't do delivery. It was all okay in the end though!
When our parents walked in through the door, we made them a cup of tea and brought up the food situation. We ended up eating before we revealed the surprise. Then I retrieved the first clue for the treasure hunt from my bedroom, and played the music playlist we made for the party. It had songs like 'At The End Of The Day' from Les Mis, 'He's A Pirate' from Pirates Of The Caribbean and 'I Wan'na Be Like You' from The Jungle Book. Here are the clues we made. We sourced them from random sites we found on pinterest.
1. Finding the clue will be a treat! Look for it where you grab something to eat.
2. Now that you are nicely fed, go to the place where Moj lays her head.
3. The next place that you'll need to look, is where Lizzi would pick up a book.
4. Have you heard the news? The next clue is where we keep our shoes.
5. Looking for the missing link? Take a peek in our bathroom sink.
6. Have we left you wanting more? Why not check the front door.
7. When our clothes get dirty, here is where they go. Find this spot and the next clue you'll know.
8. Diddly doo, diddly dee, the next one's where you go to pee.
9. Every evening it's where we meet, look under the place where we sit to eat.
10. If you want your teeth to shine, pick this up and spend some time.
11. Looking for the final prize, the next one's where Lizzi looks into her eyes.
The prize for the treasure hunt was four tickets, with each of our names on them. We also made a sign for the door to the living room, that said 'Place Tickets Here' in my attempt at calligraphy. There was a pocket on the sign for the tickets. I framed the sign with purple paper and made a fake string with plain white paper, so it looked like it was properly hung up.
We opened the door to the living room, which we had decorated with lots of bunting and a huge decorative paper flower. We made curtains and put them over the television by tying fabric with hair bobbles. We put some popcorn, chocolate roses, sweets and crisps in bowls on the table. We put blankets and duvets and cushions on the sofas too.
Once they had sat down, we gave out the voting papers to decide which film we were going to watch. Our options were Alice In Wonderland, Evan Almighty, Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone, Les Miserables and About Time. Everybody had to tick the two that they most wanted to watch, and we decided on Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. However, the DVD wouldn't work for some reason, so we watched a film that Mum bought the other day, about Stephen Hawkings, called The Theory of Everything. While the film was going through the adverts at the beginning, we did a movie quiz, that we got from The Independent website. It was an incredible film, but it was so sad!
We had a lovely evening, and I would definitely recommend surprising your parents like this. Everybody was very happy and we went to bed with smiles on our faces. Leave me a comment telling me something you thank your parents or friends for!
Molly Rose x
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