What dreams are made of...

One of my favourite things in life is reading.

Reading a good book.

A book that completely swallows you up, like completely whole.

Where you are so engrossed in the story or real life situation that you forget where you are, forget the time, forget all of what life has thrown at you at that particular moment in time or in your past. Even any events that are heading towards you in your future.

I lost the reading bug for a log while. Mainly due to IIH and not being able to focus.

I'm quite hyperactive and find it hard to sit still, not fidget or do something.

However reading is the one thing where I am completely and utterly still, able to just switch off and be in the book.

I laugh and get all the emotions that the characters feel. Only if the book is well written that is.

I do love fiction books as its great to see and feel the authors imagination and just go with the flow with them.

Its also interesting to see if you are able to guess the ending, if there are going to be multiple twists and turns, maybe just the one, or is it simplistic and a beautiful cliché(?).

Myself and my Fiancé have gotten so many books in our home that our current bookshelf is bowing.

It has books at the back and front, then we've wedged some on top of the ones that are stacked properly; that's on each shelf too!

We have overflow onto the floor in our bedside draws, that many you could call us book hoarders!

We have most likely, spent a pretty penny or two on our collection...

We have a few on our kindles. However we just didn't like the kindles for reading; there's nothing better than an old fashioned book to hold, smell the papers and wonder who held the pages before...

Yes I said who held the pages before.

See we buy most of our books from charity shops or get them given to us by friends or family.

Why go and buy brand new when you can give money to charity and get an amazing new read?!

Its rare I can walk  past a charity shop without going in to look at the books and walk out without purchasing a new book (or 5!)

Small towns and villages are perfect for this.

As you can imagine, we defo need NEED a new bookshelf.... Well wall!

Yup, I said wall.

I have gave us the challenge of turning one of our walls into a bookshelf.

Due to the fact we have never done it before I have turned to good ol' google to give me some inspo.

There are some quirky book shelves like this:

I thought it was rather cute/funny too.

The idea of keeping all your books in your staircase is uber practical and ideal; you can grab a book on the way to bed or with a cuppa into the living room.

Its making use of a void/space already there without intruding on any space anywhere else in the home.

This wall is absolute goals for an attic study.

Even has a little ladder to reach the top!

This cute snug is adorable.

Imagine having this in your home.

Cup of tea, book, sat at the window watching the snow fall, all cosy in your chunky knit jumper and fluffy socks.

Another take on an loft/attic study, but with a bit of the snug thing popped in.

Cute and effective.

This is amazing!

Just wow.

I would love a wall like this.

Think of how many more books I could get to fil this!

Obviously I don't have a penthouse or a mansion - At the moment!!

So wont be able to have anything as extravagant as this.

I am looking at getting Ikea book case stacker shelves to put together and build a wall, or possibly salvage some old wood and go rustic.

If I salvage I think it would look awesome.

A bit of wood treatment, varnish and with the books stacked on top it would look fab.

Like an old gentleman's smoke room.

Well that was a longer blog than anticipated.

But its a love of mine.

For now.

Kate

XxX

'Out of Clutter, find Simplicity'

Spring Cleaning - These are the buzz words for this January.

Its the general consensus for the most of people. However, myself and Fiancé have been doing a mass clear-out (slowly) this past year... Yes I said year.

Just before the festive period, we decided that we need to really have a major 'get rid of this shit' couple of days. Our spare room has turned into a dumping ground as well as storage room for overflow. There's so much in said room that we can no longer see the double bed in there... In fact you wouldn't know there was a bed in there!

What is our solution to this?
We are going to hire a skip! Yup, a skip.
We are literally just gonna grab the crap out of the house and say 'used in last 6 months? Nope. Skip!!'
Its going to be ruthless.
The better and more quality items can go to a charity shop. Straight away. Not fester in a bin bag in a corner or garage for a year.
All of this will be completed in 2 days. It will. As that's the time limit on the skip.

Its not just the spare room we will go through; we shall go through our wardrobe room (yes we are lucky enough to have one), other wardrobes, units and cupboards I can get us in!
Like I said ruthless.

It will be so worth it in the end. A proper clear-out so we can have a fresh home.
Our home will seem brand new again.

If you have any advise to pass on, please do.

Do you have any spring cleaning plans for yourself/ves?

Kate
XxX

Pic from Bing search

2016 summed up

Hey!
I'm baaaack... Ok, I don't know how long for but I am still active.
A new job, exercise and a social life are a hard balance without adding this to the mix:

As its officially the last month of  2016 - Damn its been a fantastic year for me!! I thought id do a little (not so little) summary post of my best/favourite bits:
This is a bit self indulgent, but damn I'm proud so lets rolllll!!

As Dermot O'Leary says 'In no particular order':

I took part & completed USF day with Foxy, Ollie, Freddie and their incredibly hardworking, super fit, intelligent and at times intimidating team. BOOM! Completed for charity as part of Team Fortitude for Rock to Recovery. Chuffed and overwhelmed still.

Joined Team Fortitude. THE BEST life decision I could have made. I shall be leaving this year with a new group of friends that are equally as crazy and wiling to push themselves to new limits and try new (silly) things. All of this while raising a shed load of money for a well deserved charity. Proud.
2017 wont know what's coming!!

Raised £1000 for R2R - Rock to Recovery - a charity that takes the personal approach to helping our service men and women, their families too with PTSD and minor head trauma. These guys and girls are real super heroes and worth every penny to be cared for and every moment of discomfort I have felt is totally worth it for them. Thank you.

Done two fun, scary, challenging training days with Rob Edmund and team at Urban Attack, in prep for all the events that I have partaken in this year. The monkey bars are still my nemesis but I shall conquer them! The first Urban Attack is where I got chosen by Rob and the team - Plus Mr Ollie Ollerton himself - to go with my team to the Break-Point USE day. Life changing.

I have managed to stay out of hospital for a year as of Feb 2017. I haven't needed to contact my neurologist once this year for any concerning factors. I am so pleased. This means moving towards a drug free future! Yay.

Myself and Amie from Team Fortitude done a two dayer of events!
We done a 5k colour run on a Friday evening, with a fellow Team Fortituder, then was up in the morning to complete a Pretty Muddy 5k with another couple of Team Fortitude team mates.

Its a year that my self and the fella have been going to the gym this month. I have managed to lose 8 stone. Build muscle. Lose fat. Can see that I still have a couple stone to lose but I am so close. I lift weights, hiit train & force cardio upon myself! Ha.

 My Mr has lost two stone and runs half marathons weekly, with small runs in-between.

We have even had a couple of getaway's that have involved fitness! Fitness holidays! FFS, we are those people now!

Tough Mudder half was completed - first time meeting some of TF. I was scared of everything. I screamed the whole way, fell over often, but after a while all I could do was smile. One of my most fav days.

Got an amazing job with some fantabulous people. Its been a rather long time since I felt truly settled and happy in what I do; now, now I do. This is good.

Also, another fitness weekend with the fantastic girls from TF. Cross fit weekend!! Yup! We all went to cheer our Gemma - Nickname Cross - In her first cross fit competition. The days before it, we done a park run, cross fit sesh with Gemma's coach Ross and also some much needed yoga!! Defo packed it in.

Climbed the 02 with my epic family. All to help me achieve the goal of £1000!! I cant thank them enough. So much fun that day!!

The most amazing this about this year is having control over my own aniety and other. As it has allowed me to be able to get out there and do some amzing adventurous things. Things I never thought id be able to do. All due to iih.
But heres proof. If you realy want something. Work hard on yourself and your physical fitness, your mental fitness blooms too. You open up so many doors for yourself. You bloom.
People naturally want to be around someone that is radient and gives off all the positive vibes with the strength of a warrior.
If you haven't got it, then its something that can be worked on. No one is perfect. No one shall ever be. But if you don't chase something that is worth chasing, your own life, then what do you want?
Make friends on a journey of discovering weird and wonderful things. Go out fall over and laugh at yourself when you think you can pull a weight first time and its way too heavy!! Look back in a few weeks when your warming up with it and allow yourself to be stunned.


So, heres  to 2017 being even more random, adventours, crazy, daring and meeting new BREAK-POINTS!!

Kate
XxX