blogmas #5: New Years Resolution Review

Today I will be looking back at the resolutions I made at the start of the year. I know the year hasn't quite finished yet, but it's close enough, and let's be honest, most of our regular schedules go out the window during the run up to Christmas.

1) Lose 10 Pounds - Well this is an interesting one to start with haha. I did actually manage to achieve this within the first few months of 2014, however unfortunately I have since put it back on. I did feel much more confident with my body when I was a bit lighter though, so I would like to lose it again and hopefully keep it off this time.

2) Drink a Glass of Water Everyday - This resolution has actually been a huge success. To begin with, I drank a glass of water with dinner every day, and eventually I actually grew to like it better, so now I drink it regularly as my usual drink and often have multiple glasses in a day.

3) Go to the Gym Once a Week - This failed miserably and lasted all of two weeks so lets quickly move on.

4) Do the 7 Minute Workout Everyday - I did manage to keep this going for a couple of months, but doing it everyday just became too much, especially when I was away from home.

5) Improve my Posture - I have been working on my posture and it has improved but it is something that will take a long time to fully correct, so I'm going to keep working on it into the new year.

6) Do a Blog Post Once a Week - To start with this didn't go too well, but from August I have been posting twice a week, and for blogmas I am posting daily, so I think I have made up for the bad start towards the end of the year.

7) Post on Instagram Twice a Week - I actually quit my themed instagram account a few months ago, so clearly I didn't achieve this one. However, if you do want to follow me, I still have my personal account @emmajolliffe.

8) Write down One Good Memory Everyday - I did do this for a couple of months and it did help me to be a lot more positive. I have since stopped writing it down, but I do like to spend a bit of time reflecting as the end of every day, and think about all the things that made me happy, and it's been working really well, so I'm hoping to continue this into the new year.

9) Get a Job - A big success here; I got my job at the end of August as a receptionist at a local Sports and Recreational Centre. So far I'm really enjoying it and am enjoying having a better of extra money to spend.

So overall, some resolutions went well and others didn't but I'm happy with what I've achieved this year, and am really looking forward to 2015.

emma x

Delicious and Easy Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe

I haven't done a recipe post in a while so I decided I would take some pictures when doing my latest bake so I could share it with you. The pictures aren't of the highest quality because it was getting dark, and to be honest the cake does look a bit boring, but this recipe is all about the taste! It is so lemony, zesty and tangy, perfect for all you citrus lovers!

1) Preheat the oven to fan 160, and grease line a loaf tin.

2) Sift 175g of self-raising flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder into a large glass bowl.

3) Add 175g of margarine, 175g of castor sugar, 3 egg and 4 tablespoons of milk to the dry ingredients.

4) Beat until smooth with a mixer to ensure that all the ingredients are fully combined. It should lighten slightly in colour; this shows that it is properly mixed.

5) Add the rind of two lemons and mix in lightly with a wooden spoon,

6) Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin, and hollow out the centre. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes.

7) As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, turn it on to a wire rack to cool.

8) Use a skewer to make lots of holes all over the top of the cake. Push it in and then twist to make sure the holes are big enough.

9) Wait for the cake to cool fully then heat together the juice of one lemon and 60g of castor sugar in a saucepan. Only a low heat is needed.

10) Spoon the drizzle over the cake. It will sink into the holes so it spreads through the cake. Some of the drizzle will run through so ensure the wire rack is on a surface that can easily be wiped clean.

11) Leave the lemon drizzle to settle into the cake and then transfer it to your chosen serving plate.

12) Enjoy your cake!

emma x

Adapting to Change

Last week my life went through a lot of changes, all for the better, but scary all the same, so I thought I would share with you how I have been dealing with all the new experiences. In the space of a week I started college, which involved going to a new school with entirely new people, I started my first job, working on reception at a local social and fitness centre, and I started a new badminton session as I got into the Sussex team so I have to attend team training where the majority of the players are a LOT better than me. Turning up to all of these things for the first time quite frankly terrified me, however I got through it and it made me feel a lot better about myself. For this reason, I really want to stress that if you want to do something, don't be afraid to do it. After a few goes you won't feel nervous anymore and you'll be so glad you did it.

In terms of getting through your first time doing something, I would say that confidence is key. Even if you don't feel confident in what you're doing, pretend that you do. In my first lessons at college I spoke up a lot in class, which was really out of my comfort zone, but it gave off a positive message about me to other people and then they felt able to talk to me, enabling me to quickly make friends. People are much more likely to start a conversation with you if they can see that you engage with others, so even if you don't feel confident talking to other people, put on a brave front and speak to them. After you've spoken to them a few times, you'll be much more confident anyway, so you won't have to pretend anymore.

Another method I use to calm myself is to feel really organised. If I'm going to a new place, I will make list upon list of what to do before I go, both in the hours before, and in the days before. I write all the things I have coming up on my calendar and make sure that my desk is a stress free zone so that I can focus fully on what I am about to do. I also try and keep really busy beforehand. Not so busy that I'm stressed about getting everything done, but busy enough that I don't over think everything.

This was a very different sort of post for me to do, which I suppose fits in with the theme of the post as it involved me stepping out of my comfort zone a little bit. I really hope this helped some of you, especially if you've just started a new school or are taking up new activities. Remember that the most important thing is to enjoy yourself.

emma x

That Time I Walked 100 Miles

I have another photo based post for you today, and this time it's of a much less relaxing trip haha. In July I went with a group of people from my school to Nijmegen, in Holland, to take part in the Walk of the World, which involved walking 100 miles in just 4 days. It was a huge test of mental and physical strength, and was easily the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. However, it was also one of the best, and I hope that these photos can portray to you the amazing atmosphere and incredible vibe throughout the whole walk. Photo credit for most of the photos goes to the lovely Emily who was our team photographer and took all of our photos so that we didn't all hold up the other walkers by stopping to take endless photos.

When we first arrived in Nijmegen, we went to explore the city and who did we find but Donald Duck!

We stayed in the city into the evening to explore the entertainment but we couldn't stay up late because on the walking days we had to get up at 3 in the morning!

The next day, we all went to a cemetery to lay a wreath on behalf of a previous walker in our school team. It was a lovely experience, though it did make us all a little teary eyed.

The next day we went back into the city to explore even more....

The next four days were all pretty much the same thing so it's hard to know when the photos are taken but first things first (I'm the realest), came breakfast at 3, that's right, 3 in the morning! Then we got ready, and set off for the start line at 4.

We then walked, walked and walked some more until about 5 in the afternoon/evening.

At one of our rest stops, we taught some Dutch soldiers how to do the Macarena.

One day, all the walkers were given a free can of beer, making for quite a cool photo with all the empty cans.

As we approached the last 5 miles on the final day, all the walkers were given flowers which made for another cool photo.

And then we finished! I can honestly say it was the proudest moment of my life as never in a million years did I think I could achieve something so massive. The atmosphere the whole way round was insane; all the locals came to watch and brought huge speakers which boomed out great music to keep us motivated. It was incredible to see the amazing amount of spectators and it really helped us to stay determined to finish the walk. We had a final team photo with our medals, celebrated with a scrumptious BBQ, and then the next day we set off back home.

Disney Paris 2014

For today's post I wanted to do something more lifestyle related to add a bit more variety to my blog. In the Easter holidays me and the fam went on a 5 day trip to Disney Paris. We only planned on going for 3 days but we got a deal where we got another 2 days for free which was amazing. I was beyond excited to go because, having been to Disney Florida 5 years ago, I was desperate to relive the experience.

I had the most amazing holiday, spending five whole days going on rides, meeting characters, eating amazing food (including a meal at the Rainforest Cafe), and watching the parades. I felt so free and like I was young again, with no stress or cares in the world. I don't want to write too much because I think that the photos I took speak a thousand words, so I'm going to share some of my favourites with you.

 

  

I hope you enjoyed reading (or just looking at the photos!). Be sure to let me know in the comments if you've ever been to Disney.

emma x