Showing posts with label lists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lists. Show all posts

Saturday, 4 April 2015

176. 24 before 24

Everyone who knows me knows how much I love lists. I write to do lists for each month, I write to do lists for work and for my days off, I plan my meals for the week and base my shopping list on it. Seriously, I just love lists. 

I attempted a 21 before 21 challenge in the months leading up to my 21st birthday, way back in 2013, and managed to complete about half of my goals. The aim is to write a list of things you'd like to achieve in a certain time frame, and work towards them, ticking them off as you go.

I've been working on a 23 before 23 list for months and, as I've only just managed to think of 23 things I'd like to/can realistically achieve, I decided it's a little late (as my birthday is in October!) to begin this challenge... so, instead, I'm giving myself that little bit longer to work towards my 24 before 24 challenge. 

24 before 24
 (Deadline: October 15th, 2016. 560 days)
1.     Get a full driving licence and my own car
2.     Holiday with our baby girl
3.     Introduce a pet to our family
4.     Pay off and keep credit/store cards under £500 at all times
5.     Learn a second language enough to make conversation
6.     Reach 300 followers on Bloglovin
7.     Stay in a 4 or 5* hotel
8.     Treat mum to a spa day
9. Visit Fi in Sheffield
10.  Take up a sport
11.  Try Vietnamese, Korean and Turkish food
12.  Try 18 new eateries
13.  Re-watch all of Breaking Bad and Peep Show
14.  Read every book on my ‘to read’ pile (31)
15.  Visit Liverpool
16.  Walk to the top of Winder
17.  Improve my own health and fitness; more sport, no smoking, healthier eating habits
18.  Get my eyebrows properly shaped
19.  Regularly donate to Macmillan, St John's Hospice and British Red Cross
20.  Go to a blogger meet up/event
21.  Holiday with Dad, Tristan and Megan
22.  Treat myself to (and learn how to use) a good camera
23.  Get my teeth whitened
24.  Have a night away (just S and I)

Do you think my goals are achievable?
Are any of them similar to what's on your bucket list?

I'd love to read other peoples bucket and ** before ** lists, so please send me your links!

Saturday, 7 June 2014

126. Lifestyle // The A-Z Of Me

I find 'getting to know me' posts really interesting, as an inherently nosey person, so when I stumbled across Cat's brilliant The A-Z of Me post earlier in the week, I couldn't wait to give it a go myself!

A - ASOS Curve. This website is literally my saviour, although my bank would probably disagree. I always get compliments on items of clothing that I've bought from ASOS Curve, and spend hours on their website each week.

B - Breaking Bad. I can't even talk about it, I'm still in bits about the ending. I got so ridiculously and embarassingly attached to the show and all the characters, I'm seriously still having withdrawal symptoms, but it is - without a shadow of a doubt - in my opinion, the best TV show EVER. End of.

C - Chocolate. I love chocolate, especially dark chocolate or anything that combines chocolate and orange, mmm.

D - Disaronno. Disaronno and lemonade is my drink of choice, after my sister Fi introduced it to me! It's so good. 

E - Edinburgh. Edinburgh is probably my favourite city in the UK; I've visited with family, with friends and with Shane, and I've loved it every time. The people are lovely, the architecture is beautiful and there is so much to do!

F - Feminism. I'd describe myself as a feminist, in as far as I support the movement for equal rights, and I disagree hugely with misogyny, chauvinism, sexism and all the rest of it, to the extent that I bore my friends and family (and in particular, Shane) to death with my rants. 

G - Gaming. Although I'm not a big gamer myself, my boyfriend is and therefore I've turned into some weird Xbox-sponge that just soaks up all this background noise and info about his games. Seriously, I know a lot more about Assassins Creed and FIFA than anybody needs to.

H - History. I've got a real interest in history and studied it throughout school. My favourite topics are Native Americans, Classics and local history as I live in a really interesting, historic part of the country, near to Hadrian's Wall and home to the infamous Border Reivers.

I - Independence. I pride myself on being independent, it's something that I've had to develop as an anxiety sufferer. I enjoy my own company, I'm happy to be by myself and I can do most things myself, which I'm proud of.

J - Journalism. It's always been my dream to be a writer; whether that's an author of novels, a historical writer or a journalist for a newspaper or magazine. I think it'd be really interesting and I'd love to put my creative talents to good use.

K - Kate Winslet. I know, I know, this is a bit of a sad one, but she's my favourite actress and I think she's just beautiful. I loved her in Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and thought she was hilarious in Episodes too. I love how diverse she is. 

L - Lingerie. As a "voluptuous" "curvy" "large chested" big-boobed" lady, I struggle with lingerie - bras, if we're being particular. I love reading blogs that cover lingerie reviews for ladies with "ample bosoms" as it's so helpful, I particularly love Georgia's blog.

M - Money. I have a serious love/hate relationship with money. I live payday to payday each month as I'm a total spendaholic, but I am trying to tone it down, I promise...

N - November. November is my favourite month for several reasons; it's the month S and I got together (way back in 2009!), it's Bonfire Night which is one of my favourite nights of the year, and it's a beautiful month too as it begins to turn crisp and chilly, and I love the dark nights.

O - Oranges. I love the smell of oranges and the taste of them too. They are so refreshingly summery!

P - Photography. I've had an interest in photography for a long time, in particular landscape photography and I'm always snapping away at little things like my lunch, pretty flowers or my latest purchases, which I share on Instagram and Twitter.

Q - Quiet. Much like Cat, I love peace and quiet. I'm no good with loud noises, unless I'm listening to some awesome music (or having a shouty argument, oops..). I can't sleep unless I'm in total silence either, which can be difficult sometimes!

R - Reading. A good book can keep me occupied for days, I just love to read. I tend to stick mainly to chick-lit but I occasionally delve into the odd classic, or even action sometimes. My favourite authors are Cecilia Ahern and Mitch Alborn. 

S - Shane. I've been with Shane for 5 years in November, I can't quite believe it myself! He's my rock. We argue a hell of a lot but, you know what, how can you appreciate the good without being subject to the bad sometimes? He keeps me sane, he supports me, he makes me laugh, he understands me and, most importantly, he loves me (and I love him).

T - Twitter. I'm a total Twitter addict. I'm constantly checking my news feed and I find it to be a brilliant tool for networking my blog and meeting lots of other lovely bloggers and readers. You can find my Twitter by clicking on the icon to the right of this post.

U - Umming and Ahhing. I'm an awful decision maker. And by that I don't mean that the choices I make are always awful, but just the length of bloody time that it takes me to come to a decision! I drive myself crazy with it.

V - Vinnie Jones. One of my (numerous) cringe-worthy celebrity crushes. This list also includes Ade Edmondson, Seth Rogen and the posh guy on Gogglebox! 

X - Xbox. I'm pretty much an an Xbox widow whenever there is a new game out, plus it's the only thing I could think of for X apart from X-Ray or Xylaphone! 

Y - YOU! Thank you for reading this post and for all my lovely readers who comment on my posts and chat with me on Twitter, it means so much to me and I'm eternally grateful.

Z - Zodiac signs. I'm not sold on the idea of horoscopes but I still do find them fun to read once in a while, it's guilty pleasure! I'm a Libra and I do think that many of the characteristics are very suited to me, however a lot of them are pretty general so, like I say, I'm not totally sold on it.

I hope you enjoyed reading this little personal, getting to know me post!

Thursday, 5 September 2013

73. Lifestyle // 21 before 21 Update #3

It's now only 40 days until I turn 21, and two months since I began my 21 before 21 list. The last month has been a busy one, and you can see from my August Round up post here, but I still managed to tick off, or make progress on, a few items on the list - any items which have been completed have been striked-through and any that have changed/had progress made, are in bold - any that I have totally and utterly failed at are in red!

So, let's see how I got on...


Health & Beauty
Lose another 20lbs (or reach a weight at which I'm genuinely happy) - I got started on the Get Fit in 12 Weeks challenge; so far I've only lost 1lb but, hey, slow progress is good progress right...? Right?!
Stop biting my nails 
Give up smoking
Get my hair in good condition

Blogging
Reach 50 followers on Bloglovin & 10,000 page views 
Attend a Bloggers meet-up or event - ticket booked for #MinkMeetUp
Get a proper blog layout

Friends & Family
Arrange my 21st birthday celebrations with friends
Have an amazing time in Amsterdam with S (everything is booked & paid for, roll on October 12th!)
Have enough money saved for a deposit 


 Hobbies
Read and review one new book each week (5/19)
The Boy in The River (9/10), Songs of the Humpback Whale (6/10), Oh Dear Silvia (7/10), The Pianist (8/10), Backstory (8/10)
Watch and review one new film each week (12/19)
Blood Diamond (6/10), Wreck it Ralph (8/10), World War Z (7/10), This is 40 (7/10), Snatch (9/10), Angel's Share (8/10), Attack of the Block (6/10), The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (8/10), Cloud Atlas (5/10), Olympus has Fallen (6/10), Bernie (7/10), Oblivion (6/10)
Cook or bake something new each week (6/19)
Chai & Banana Cake, Oreo Cheesecake, Homemade Nachos, Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies, Cranberry Flapjack, Lemon & Blueberry Cake


Financial
Save £600 towards Amsterdam & flat deposit ~ halfway there!
Do not go overdrawn or miss any card payments or bills~ went overdrawn and missed a payment :'(
Material Matters
Buy a good camera
Treat myself to a Kindle Fire HD
Buy or create one item each week for our new home (9/19) - I'll be doing a little post on this soon :)


The Boring Stuff
Pass theory and practical driving test ~ theory test booked!
Find a job that meets my needs, e.g. hours, income, challenging - YES! FINALLY!
Pass first module (The Arts: Past and Present) with a minimum overall score of 70% (currently on 75%, boom!)

What have you achieved recently?

Do you like to set yourself goals?

Lots of Love,

Becci xo

Monday, 5 August 2013

56. Lifestyle // 21 before 21 Update #2

I can't believe it's been a whole month since I last did one of these posts! It's been a total whirlwind with work, catching up with friends and studying. July literally just zoomed past! 

In the midst of all this (lovely) chaos, I've totally forgotten to even look at my 21 before 21 list, so now it's time to see whether I managed to achieve anything in July... 

Health & Beauty
Lose another 20lbs (or reach a weight at which I'm genuinely happy) - pfft...
Stop biting my nails 
Give up smoking
Get my hair in good condition - much better than it was, but still a way to go! If you can think of any brilliant products or treatments, do let me know!

Blogging
Reach 50 followers on Bloglovin (almost there!!) & 10,000 page views
Attend a Bloggers meet-up or event. Nothing yet *sob* but hoping to get to one over the summer!
Get a proper blog layout

Friends & Family
Arrange my 21st birthday celebrations with friends
Have an amazing time in Amsterdam with S (everything is booked and sorted, roll on October 12th!)
Have enough money saved for a deposit (put on hold until after Amsterdam for now)


 Hobbies
Read and review one new book each week (4/19)
The Boy in The River (9/10), Songs of the Humpback Whale (6/10), Oh Dear Silvia (7/10), The Pianist (8/10)
Watch and review one new film each week (7/19)
Blood Diamond (6/10), Wreck it Ralph (8/10), World War Z (7/10), This is 40 (7/10), Snatch (9/10), Angel's Share (8/10), Attack of the Block (6/10) - I can't remember the rest... this one is really hard to keep track of as I watch so many films!
Cook or bake something new each week (3/19)
Chai & Banana Cake, Oreo Cheesecake, Homemade Nachos

Financial
Save £600 towards Amsterdam & flat deposit - Amsterdam savings = DONE! Flat savings = on hold.
Do not go overdrawn or miss any card payments or bills - so far, so good!

Material Matters
Buy a good camera
Treat myself to a Kindle Fire HD
Buy or create one item each week for our new home (1/19)

The Boring Stuff
Pass theory and practical driving test (I have to wait for my new glasses before I can have any lessons *sob*)
Find a job that meets my needs, e.g. hours, income, challenging - YES! FINALLY!
Pass first module (The Arts: Past and Present) with a minimum overall score of 70% (currently on 75%, boom!)

As you can see, this month hasn't been particularly productive in terms of crossing items of my to-do list, but it's been a good month nonetheless for so many other reasons and I'm feeling so motivated to make August an absolute belter.

Lots of love,
Becci xo

Monday, 8 July 2013

47. Lifestyle // 21 before 21 Update #1

A month ago I set myself a list of goals that I wanted to achieve by my 21st birthday (99 days to go!) and promised that I'd update once a month so that I - and anybody else who is interested - could monitor my progress. So, here goes, how have I been getting on?

Green = achieved
Orange = in progress
Red = not quite yet...

Health & Beauty
Lose another 20lbs (or reach a weight at which I'm genuinely happy) - erm, no.
Stop biting my nails – haven’t bitten them for 10 days! *proud*
Give up smoking
Get my hair in good condition (no more split-ends or hairs falling out all the time!)

Blogging
Reach 50 followers on Bloglovin & 10,000 page views - this started off as 'reach 100 followers' but I don't think that will happen by October as I'm such a new and unestablished blogger so I've changed my goal to 50 followers. I'm currently around the 20 mark and just over 2,000 views, so I'm happy.
Attend a Bloggers meet-up or event - I've not managed to get to any of the events I've been invited to yet, but hopefully soon!
Get a proper blog layout

Friends & Family
Arrange my 21st birthday celebrations with friends - I'm planning on a cocktail night with all my favourite girls once I'm moved into the new place!
Have an amazing time in Amsterdam with S - so far we've booked the hotel and saved up some spendies too! Roll on October 12th! 
Have enough money saved for a deposit - we're getting there, but it's looking like we'll JUST get there by my birthday...



 Hobbies
Read and review one new book each week (1/19)
The Boy in The River (9/10) - unfortunately, due to lack of time, I've not managed to read 4 books but I'm halfway through two books at the moment and now that the weather is better I can sit and read in the garden, so perhaps that'll spur me on!
Watch and review one new film each week (4/19)
Blood Diamond (6/10), Wreck it Ralph (8/10), World War Z (7/10), This is 40 (7/10)
Cook or bake something new each week (1/19)
Chai & Banana Cake - again, I'm not quite up to date on this one either... oops!

Financial
Save £600 towards Amsterdam & flat deposit - as I mentioned before, this is a work in progress!
Do not go overdrawn or miss any card payments or bills - so far, so good!

Material Matters
Buy a good camera
Treat myself to a Kindle Fire HD
Buy or create one item each week for our new home (1/19) – only got one new item so far, I'll do a little haul post once I've got a few more bits and pieces!

The Boring Stuff
Pass theory and practical driving test - finally got round to booking in some more driving lessons, hoping to book my test next month!
Find a job that meets my needs, e.g. hours, income, challenging - YES! FINALLY!
Pass first module (The Arts: Past and Present) with a minimum overall score of 70% - currently on 75% overall!

Apologies for the hideous colours but I hope you enjoyed this post!

Lots of love
Becci xo