21 Quotes To Make You Smile

“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.” -Winnie-the-Pooh

"You may have weaknesses, but God has strength. You may have sin, but God has grace. You may fail, but God remains faithful." -Jarrid Wilson

“That moment when you finish a book, look around, and realize that everyone is just carrying on with their lives as though you didn't just experience emotional trauma at the hands of a paperback.” -Jamie Craig

"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter." -Ansel Adams

"When I'm 80 years old and sitting in my rocking chair, I'll be reading Harry Potter. And my family will say to me, 'After all this time?' And I will say, 'Always.'" -Alan Rickman

“Some people care too much. I think it's called love.” -Winnie-the-Pooh

"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you" -Psalm 55:22

“Go back?” he thought. “No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!” -Bilbo Baggins

"I walk. I look. I see. I stop. I photograph." -Leon Levinstein

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities." -Dr Seuss

“There is something beautiful about a billion stars held steady by a God who knows what He is doing. They hang there, the stars, like notes on a page of music, free-form verse, silent mysteries swirling in the blue like jazz. And as I lay there, it occurred to me that God is up there somewhere. Of course, I had always known He was, but this time I felt it, I realized it, the way a person realizes they are hungry or thirsty. The knowledge of God seeped out of my brain and into my heart. I imagined Him looking down on this earth, half angry because His beloved mankind had cheated on Him, had committed adultery, and yet hopelessly in love with her, drunk with love for her.” -Donald Miller

"I like coffee because it gives me the illusion that I might be awake." -Lewis Black

"My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies, fairy tales of yesterday will grow but never die. I can fly my friends" -Queen

“There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask "What if I fall?"
Oh but my darling,
What if you fly?” -Erin Hanson

"You're mad. Bonkers. Off your head...But I'll tell you a secret...All the best people are." -Alice in Wonderland

"...but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

"Some people are worth melting for" -Olaf

“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.” -Albert Einstein

"As far as east in from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" -Psalm 103:12

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." -C.S Lewis

"Let it be." -The Beatles

Healthy Yet Delicious Breakfast Muffins!

Hey guys!

Here's a little recipe I put together; it's healthy, simple and incredibly yummy! I find they're great for a breakfast treat, or just snacking throughout the day!

Ingredients:

• 150g self-raising flour
• 200g porridge oats
• 1tsp nutmeg
• 100g brown sugar
• 2 medium free-range eggs
• 250ml milk
• 2tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 medium bananas, mashed
• a handful of blueberries (or any other ingredients)

1. Combine your flour, oats, sugar and nutmeg.
2. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk your eggs and add your milk and oil.
3. Pour your wet ingredients into your dry mixture and fold it together.
4. Stir in your mashed banana and blueberries (or any other ingredients you choose).
5. Turn your oven onto 180C (to avoid wasting energy by pre-heating it at the beginning).
6. Lay out 12 muffin cases in a muffin tray and separate your mixture into them evenly.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
8. Leave them to cool.
9. Enjoy!

The Biology Lesson That Opened My Eyes

Hey guys! I hope you're all having a fab week so far.

This week's been different, to say the least! On Monday, I had a Biology lesson which really opened my eyes.

The lesson was on deforestation and the negative impacts it has on the environment, for example the destruction of natural habitats and preventing biodiversity. This really hit me, like, REALLY hit me. Some of the videos we saw during the lesson of trucks and diggers demolishing forests was just heart-breaking. Did you know that 200,000 acres of woodland is burned each day for human needs? It's even estimated that in 100 years time, there'll be no rainforests left. Just think of the animals being forced to find new homes, the tribes that are being made to flee. As well is this, a decrease in the amount of photosynthesis means an increase in global warming.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to guilt trip you into chaining yourselves to trees to fight against deforestation. There are numerous advantages to the process, for example creating more land for farming. I just wanted you to give you some context!

After this lesson, I was suddenly really motivated to do more to fight deforestation and help the environment. By this, I literally mean that I went around school all day telling everyone I spoke to to 'save the trees'. As you can probably imagine, people thought I was pretty mental. But, at the end of the day, it became a very important issue for me.

When I got home I started researching ways to help save the environment. Immediately, vegetarianism jumped right out at me. So, I got thinking, why not? As a Christian, I feel responsible to look after the beautiful world that God has created. Therefore, vegetarianism seemed like a logical place to start.

Some of the points that made me think were:

• 18% of the Earth's greenhouse gases are produced by the process of farming animals for food
• Land used to farm animals for their meat take up 30% of the Earth's land
• 70% of grain grown in the US alone is used to plump up animals for our food- think of how many humans this could feed.
• vegetarianism is a really healthy lifestyle to live!

So, after reading up on it, I decided to become a vegetarian!

Thanks for reading. I hope this challenges you to consider how we can can help the environment in our everyday lives.

See you next week!

20 Things I Miss About Being a Kid

Happy Wednesday, everyone! This post was really fun to write, and brought back so many memories! And yes, I know you're probably thinking 'Dude, you're 16, you're practically still a kid.', but I mean more like pre-secondary school -ish!

1. Making shapes out of the clouds
2. Walking down the street with your CD walkman like an absolute boss
3. Dressing up in your mum's clothes and high heels
4. Making up dances and performing them in front the crazy crowd consisting of your mum, your dad and your dog
5. Getting excited because your birthday is only 364 days away
6. Drawing pictures and sitting outside the front of your house with a plastic play till attempting to sell your works of art to passers-by
7. Playing in the street with your friends all afternoon and then getting called in for tea #thenostaliaisreal
8. Worrying that your eyes are really going to turn square shaped from watching too much TV
9. Believing that if you bit the top off of a cola bottle sweet you could suck real coca cola out of it
10. Creating a code with the kids next door that consisted of banging on the wall really loudly a certain amount of times
11. Grieving the kids who failed Raven
12. Shouting to your parents downstairs once you'd gone to bed to make sure they were still there and hadn't been abducted by flying space rhinos
13. Trying with all your might to get to sleep before 8pm to avoid a visit from Wee-Willie-Winkie
14. Believing that the sooner you get to sleep the sooner you wake up
15. The biggest responsibility in your life was feeding your Tamagotchi
16. 6am raves to High Five every morning on Cbeebies
17. Scented highlighters were your life
18. Strolling on into Blockbuster and hiring your fave movies on VHS
19. A minute of appreciation for the Gameboy...
20. Buying dolls and being disappointed because they never did half of the things they advertised

Hope you enjoyed the post! Have a fab week! 

My Half-Term in Pictures!

Happy Wednesday, everyone!
Those of you who are still in school, I hope you had a fab half-term!
I thought I'd tell you guys about what I got up to over my break!

As expected, I did a lot of baking over the week- and when I say a lot, I mean a lot! My mum asked me to help her out with her university project, which involved baking a load of food, photographing it, and then eating it (of course). It took hours, and hours, and hours...but was really fun! Photography and baking are two of my favourite things to do, so that was time well spent!

A beautiful walk home from work

I also had my first shift at Cancer Research, which was great! I'm incredibly passionate about the charity, so I'm really glad to have the chance to be a part of what they do.




For a majority of the break, I was babysitting for a couple of my younger sisters. This meant trips to the park, visits to the cinema to see things like The Peppa Pig Movie (which was unbelievably lengthy...), and endless games of dolls houses. Nevertheless, it was great fun and I love those girls to bits!

On the Thursday, my mum, two of my sisters and I had a day out in London! It has to be one of my favourite places in the UK; the bustling streets, the endless rows of shops, the unique characters- all of it!

We got the coach there, which meant an early start! Once we'd arrived, we hopped on the underground (avoiding the classic Paddington Bear moment where he gets trapped by the barriers, which yes, has happened to me not long ago...) and arrived at Southbank!

First we got lunch (of course) from the Southbank centre cafe- butternut squash and feta salad and a chocolate cupcake; delicious! My mum had a lemon and thyme cupcake which, after hesitation, I tried and really liked! 




We then watched 'Charlie and Lola's Bestest Best Ever Play' at the Southbank Centre, which was incredibly cute and thoroughly entertaining! I'm a huge Lauren Child fan, so it was so much fun to see one of my favourite childhood stories made into a play!

We then had a quick walk around the comic festival at the Southbank, and of course couldn't leave without buying a few books!

Afterwards, we made our way to the London Eye. I hadn't been on it for a few years, so was really excited (scared, yes, but excited!). With my camera at hand and a packet of chocolate buttons, I was ready for the ride! It took about half an hour in total, and we had such a breathtaking view of London! When we got off, we headed home after an exhausting yet thoroughly enjoyable day. Here are a few more shots from the London Eye and of the gorgeous streets of London:

The next day, some friends and I had lunch at Pizza Express; I had half a pesto pizza, and half a goat's cheese and red onion pizza (my friend and I were stuck between the two, so had half each!). We then visited a modern art museum, which I had never been in before. It had a great exhibition on, and some of the pieces there were just breathtaking! We then did a spot of shopping (of course), before heading home.

Enjoying my last Starbucks before Lent!

On the Saturday, I met up with a friend from church, and we had a coffee and a catch up before heading to hers for lunch. Such a great day!

And there we go! You may have noticed that my week involved absolutely zero revision...terrible, right? That was my last revision-free week before exams; from now on, its full on work!

Thanks for reading! Have a great week!

Crazy Not-To-Be-Missed Holidays and Celebrations!

I'm one of those strange people who keeps up to date with crazy holidays and celebrations throughout the year (for example, Happy Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day)! Like, honestly, I feel sorry for some of my friends that receive random messages in the year with me telling them it's 'Chocolate Mousse Day'! So, I thought I'd update you guys on some of my favourite, not-to-be-missed celebrations!
Here's a list of my favourite day (or two) of each month:

January 22nd- Answer Your Cat's Questions Day
Let your curiosity get the better of you, and spend a day trying to figure out what your cat is trying to tell you! Whether or not you'll actually achieve anything, I don't know; it could be a total waste of your life. But, anyhow...give it a go!


February 17th- Random Acts of Kindness Day
Go kindness crazy! Give out flowers, randomly smile at strangers and make it your challenge to compliment everyone you see!

March 9th- False Teeth Day
Celebrate false teeth; where would we be without them? 



April 5th- Read a Road Map Day
Exactly what it says on the tin; ditch the GPS and appreciate good old road maps!

May 9th- Lost Sock Memorial Day
This is an emotional one, guys...
I feel like this could've perhaps been invented by Dobby! I could be wrong, but...

June 15th- Smile Power Day
Here's your challenge: don't stop smiling!

July:
13th- Embrace Your Geekness Day
Do exactly that- embrace your geekness! Throw a geek party, dress up, play Dungeons and Dragons; don't be afraid!
The Second Friday of July- Cow Appreciation Day
Eat ice-cream, dress up in cow print and appreciate cows!





August 9th- Book Lovers Day
Take this as a great excuse to sit back with a good book and read for the day!





September:
The Second Friday of September- Stand Up to Cancer Day
If we unite, we will beat cancer sooner.
29th September- International Coffee Day
I literally love coffee. I don't think anything else needs to be said on the matter...

August 4th- Taco Day
Time to appreciate the best food on Earth!

November 22nd- Go For A Ride Day
Get out of the house and see the world! Or just your street, at least...

December 8th- Pretend To Be A Time Traveller Day
Do exactly that! Go all out with a costume, and spend the day acting confused about what year it is, sneering at modern technology and confusing strangers with your craziness!

I hope you've enjoyed finding out about these weird and wacky days as much as I did!
See you soon!

Five Things I'm Looking Forward To for the Year Ahead!

Happy Wednesday!

Now, I know we're already well into the year (February, how crazy is that?!), but I wanted to post about some of the things I'm looking forward to this year!

1) Go Set a Watchman

As you might know, To Kill a Mockingbird is my all-time favourite novel EVER, so when I heard about the sequel that's coming out in July, I literally died! I can't explain how excited I am! I preordered mine yesterday to arrive on the release date. Yes, I'm aware it comes out in July. Yes, I'm aware that's in five month time. Let's not dwell on how sad I am...

2) Goodbye GCSEs, Hello A-Levels!

For me, 2015 means exams, and lots of them (nineteen, nearly half of which are sciences!). However, finishing GCSEs is an incredibly exciting prospect, as I'm really, really looking forward to sixth form! Being able to study four subjects that I'm really passionate about is going to be great! Stressful, yes, but still exciting! I'm hoping to study Physics, Philosophy and Ethics and English Literature and the Extended Project, all of which sounds super fun!

3) Moving House

My family and I are moving in the late Spring, which I'm really looking forward to! The new house is in a really cute area, where pretty much everyone knows each other! In all honesty, it slightly reminds me of Emmerdale...

Also, a new house means a new bedroom and a whole lot of decorating! For my fellow decor and homeware geeks, I'll be sure to keep you updated on it; watch this space...

4) Summer!

Yes, I love winter, but the thought of summer has me completely buzzing! Warm weather, holidays, fun with friends and family; I'm just so excited! Our family holiday this year is to the gorgeous island of Mallorca, where we went a couple of years ago, immediately falling in love with the beautiful scenery, amazing food and lovely people. Mallorca is also the place where I started reading Harry Potter for the first time; oh, the memories! Don't get me started...

I usually go on a Christian camp each summer, too, which is always the absolute highlight of my break! However, the time has come when I'm too old for the one I usually go to; sad times!

5) Learning to Drive

Guys, watch out, as come November, I can learn to drive! I'm not gonna lie, I'm slightly nervous, but still really looking forward to it! Really, though, I'd stay safe inside and keep clear of the roads if I were you, as I'm really not sure how driving's gonna go for me...