January Sum-Up

January has been a weird month. In one way, it has flown by and I can't believe it has been more than a month since Christmas. On the other hand, it has dragged on a bit. I dislike January a lot, for many reasons and this year has not been any different to the past 15 that I have endured. But anyway, here is my sum up of my favourite things and things that I can't believe have happened.

Favourite Songs?

I have completely adored a few songs this month. It has been quite a month in terms of music for me, as I have discovered so many songs and artists and rediscovered old ones. 

I have been loving Dodie Clar of DoddleOddle lately. I have a playlist on YouTube of all of her songs and covers she has done on YouTube and during my exam week, I listened to her constantly. Also, I have listened to the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack. This might sound a bit weird, but I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that it is the best soundtrack that I have ever listened to, for a film.

I have also loved Birdy and Adele, of course. I have been a fan of Adele for a long time and I am going to see her perform in March at the O2, which I am UBER excited for! Also, Birdy is a firm favourite because her music is so relaxing and you can listen to it, whatever mood you are in. You can cry to her songs, smile to her songs, be angry to her songs, whatever you feel like.

Favourite People?

My friend Maisie is one of them. If I am ever upset, worried, whatever, she is always there to calm me down and talk to me. I can always speak to her, wherever and whenever and she is just the most amazing person ever. She puts up with so much and she deserves everything possible. So thanks, Maz, if you are reading, I love you.

Also, Jemima (as always). Her blog has inspired me so much this month and she has put up some great content! Go and check her out!

Favourite Make-Up Product?
It has to be my either my Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer or my Clinique Eye Shadow Quad. Both these products have been my saviours lately and I love them both so much!

Favourite Drink?
Obviously tea?!? What do you take me for? Recently I have been loving Lady Grey tea. It is so relaxing but has caffeine in so I can drink it whenever and wherever, which is so nice! Also, I have loved Naked smoothies. I have been drinking the Red one a lot but my favourite is the green one! I feel so healthy when I drink them, which is so nice because when I am revising I seem to get quite unhealthy. It is all this comfort food!
Favourite Picture?
This one of the horizon as I walked to choir the other day.

What were your favourite things this month?
Stay happy,
Katie

Things That Make Me Smile

These are a few things that make me smile :)

1. My friends
2. My rabbit, Nugget
3. My sister
4. My family
5. A nice cup of tea
6. Singing
7. Playing the flute (I can't smile and play, but you know what I mean)
8. My blog
9. My room when it is tidy
10. A fresh duvet and pillow cover
11. A walk in the woods
12. Crisp leaves under my feet
13. A warm scented candle
14. A bath
15. Having a lie in
16. Buying new makeup
17. When an Amazon delivery arrives
18. Going abroad
19. Being on a plane
20. Eating dinner out
21. Soft hair
22. Swimming
23. When you see your favourite person
24. A storm when I am inside watching it
25. Shopping
26. Wearing new clothes
27. A message from a friend who is asking how you are
28. Seeing old friends
29. Meeting new friends
30. When you put a lipstick on perfectly

I was going to put up my everyday makeup routine but I am doing a video with it and I have a cold, which is extremely gross and I looked horrible, so I am waiting on that so I look better!

Stay happy,

Katie xx

That Heart Sinking Feeling

Recently, I have had many a time where I have expected something to be so good or something to be exactly as I would like, but it hasn't been. Then you get the feeling. That feeling where your heart moves 4 inches into you stomach because it isn't right and you are sad that maybe you can't do anything about, or you just aren't happy with it.

For example, when you come to school and then your favourite person isn't there. They may have texted you or they may not have done, but they aren't there all day or maybe even all week and you still have to live through it, with the fact that there is a person-shaped hole in the day. Like when your friend is ill and you want to tell them something in a lesson or make a joke, but you can't because it was between you and them and they aren't there.

Or when you get so excited about something because it is going to be such a good day but then something happens like the person you dislike tags along or you go for a shorter amount of time than you had thought you would be there for. But then you shrug it off, even though if you think about it, your heart sinks again.

Some days, my heart sinks so far that I think it might fall out because it has moved so far. Recently, with results and expectations so high, that feeling has become all too common and you have to step back and think about it in reality.

That person who you want to be there is on the other end of a phone, perhaps, if you need them. Or they might not be, so you write a card and get a friend to give it to them so that they know you are thinking of them. And that thing you are excited about will be just as fun, you just have to jump over the obstacle. Think about it like that and things might feel a bit better.

But sometimes, that person who you want to be there, isn't. And they never will be again. And as much as you look at photos of them and the memories of the happy times flood back, they will never be there to see you grow, to be proud of you. They may do up there, watching down on you, but they will never be by your side. And you cry and cry but you can't make it better. And it does get better.

I was watching a program the other day and there was a quote that said: "They might be gone forever, but they are never forgotten."
I'm going to leave it there because I know that I am welling up. I know that went deep, but I had to get my thoughts out onto paper and that is what my blog is about. Finding people who are feeling the same as me.

Stay happy,
Katie xx

January Mist | A Poem

January Mist, seizes the dead leaves and branches that hunger for life,
Scares those like a man with a knife,
Calming the ocean and freezing the blue,
And a boat that sails by that is freezing too.

January Mist, with eyes so white,
Haunts people walking out in the night,
Pounces on them, like a bird of prey,
Threatening, gracefully, to take them away.

January Mist, swaying and swooping,
So spread out to begin with, then suddenly grouping,
Crashing down on innocent beings,
Without any warning, without any feelings.

--
I really enjoy writing poems, but do you enjoy reading them?

Stay Happy,
Katie xx

I'm Back and Better Than Ever

After many, many hours (no exaggeration, this literally took me more than a week), I finally imported my blog back from Wordpress to Blogger. I didn't like the set up and I fell so much better having it on Blogger!

I am sorry I haven't posted in a while but it will now be back to normal, which is good!

Stay happy,
Katie xx

Being a Flautist in an Academic World

Like any instrumentalist, playing an instrument nowadays is both an admired and a looked down on thing to do. On the one hand, we have those who are inspired by it and find music the source of all of their happiness. On the other hand, we have those people who do not like music being taught in schools or money being spent on music services. For example, one of the music services near to me, the Wiltshire Music Service, was cut of all funding and had to shut down. This means that any bands or anything within the area have to fund their own equipment, instruments and conductors.

After passing my flute exam (with a distinction!), I got a lot of mixed reactions. Many didn't care. You could see it in their eyes. I don't mind though, because it isn't affecting them in any way. Some people were over the moon and some people didn't even know what a music exam was.

The world is one split opinion and although it was bound to happen, things like this make you find out who really cares about the things you care about and things that you might not care about.

In the school play at school, for example, the pit band last year didn't get any recognition. It was all paid to those actually dancing, singing and acting. The recognition that musicians once had has been slandered by people who dislike it and feel like the academic subjects are way more important. For some people, this is correct, but for others, it isn't. The oppertunities shouldn't be cut because someone isn't academic or high achieving. We are all good at different things, so don't hate someone for being creative because they might just take over the world.

Stay happy,

Katie xx

New Year Blog Goals

This is slightly copying Jemima of Another Ranting Reader but I thought I would do a post about what I aim to achieve this year on my blog. I, therefore, give credit to Jemima, whose blog you can view here.

1. More followers on Bloglovin' 
This is very much like Jemima's goal, but I am aiming for 100 followers by the end of 2016. At the moment, I have 33 followers and I think that I should be able to get 100 by the end of the year. If you have not followed my Bloglovin' profile, there are buttons to the side of my posts.

2. Keep my posts consistent
As I have exams this year, my goal is to keep my posts as consistent as possible throughout. This will mean I will have to schedule posts, but I already do that a lot anyway because when I have little moments of time, I like to write a lot at once because once my brain starts think of ideas, it won't stop until they are all out!

3. Start putting videos on my posts 
I enjoy making little videos of me doing things and I think that if I can intertwine that with my blog posts, they will look really nice!

4. Put more recipes up
I enjoy baking so much, so I think that if I can put more recipes up, it would be a nice change to my normal posts!

This was just a small post to say what I am aiming for!

I am back at school today and I hope everyone has a good first proper week bak if they are back at work and school!

Stay happy,
Katie xx

My Top 5 YouTubers

I love YouTube and I thought that I would share with you my 5 top YouTubers at the moment. Some are bigger ones and some are smaller ones, all of which should have more subscribers because they are so good! This is not in order, by the way!

5. Gabriella Lindley
I love Gabbie. I have been subscribed to her since she had 800 subscribers and now she has got nearly 800,000, which is incredible. Her videos and so well done, her content is always brilliant and she puts so much effort into her videos. She deserves so many more subscribers because she is fabulous. Also, I love her vlogs because even if she just talks and she isn't doing much, I always like to watch them because they make me smile!

My favourite video - Saying Goodbye

4. Beckii Whiting
I found Beckii through Twitter and I have loved her ever since. She is so funny and her Twitter is hilarious. I love her content and she always puts effort into her videos. She deserves way more subscribers because she is such a good YouTuber!

My favourite video - What I got for my 18th birthday

3. Zoella
I know this is probably a really obvious one, but I love Zoe's content at the moment and I also love her vlogs. I love watching a little bit of her life and I do envy her when she gets a Wagamamas but I will keep living!

My favourite video - Get ready with me: Beach Walk

2. Sprinkle of Glitter
I have always loved Louise's videos and I think her content is great. She makes me laugh so much and her vlogs always make me happy and she is always this big ray of sunshine on my laptop! Fun fact - I used to own a Sprinkle of Glitter fan page

My favourite video - Not Worth Watching 1 and 2

1. Eve Bennett
I could talk about Eve until the world ends but she is such a nice person, her content is always amazing and she puts so much effort into every video. She recently hit 100,000 and I am so proud of her because I was subscribed at 1,000. Her vlogs make me so happy and she is just such a good YouTuber :)

My favourite video - The Yoga Challenge with Beckii

Stay Happy,
Katie xx