Sunday Seven #12

I've been absent from this the last few weeks (sorry!) however I have had a lot of things that I have enjoyed lately. So here is my Sunday Seven (although it has turned into a Sunday Twenty One!) Hope you enjoy.

1. Harry Potter marathon with one of my best friends. Such a good day. Lots of food, lots of gossip, and lots of Harry Potter. We're watching the films in reverse (random?), so it was Harry Potter marathon part one - films 8 to 5 inclusive.

2. Cleaning out my bathroom - weird, yes. Incredibly satisfying? Also yes. Plus I feel like I bought $100 worth of make up because it was all in the wrong drawers... now I know where it is. And it's actually managed to stay mostly clean as well!

3. Hanging out with one of my best friend's cousin! He was here the week before last and we all got on really well with him. It was a bit of a shame to see him go - the constant banter and insults streaming from him were pretty hilarious.

4. Having successful shopping trips with two friends who aren't renowned for their shopping successes - one hates shopping, the other hates spending money without having a careful think. But we managed to buy what they needed and it was really fun as well.

5. Having Saturday mornings to myself over the last few weeks - although I absolutely love my job, there is something so lovely about having a few weeks off and being able to have a lie in.

6. Farmers markets with my mum last week - macaroons, bread, cheese sticks, massive dogs, vanilla tea - such a lovely morning.

7. Hopping into bed with mum after my dad had got up and gone for a walk. It was still really early and we had a nice chat before we had our breakfast.

8. My grandma writing on my Facebook wall saying that she enjoyed my blog - so lovely of her! I'm very impressed with how she has managed to master the Internet as well.

9. Celebrating a plethora of birthdays - Three 19ths and one 20th - over 5 days. So much food (it was kind of wonderful). It's always nice to celebrate with good friends as well.

10. Having a shoulder massage and reflexology with mum last weekend - so relaxing!

11. Successfully baking a cake (it turned out absolutely massive but I didn't burn anything!) as a thank you for one of my good friends.

12. Going out for lunch with my whole family during the week when dad was on his lunch break. Lots of food, lots of laughs. Times like those when I remember how, even though they drive me nuts sometimes, my family really means the world to me.

13. Brunch/ breakfast with a group of friends on Friday morning - it seems as though everyone else has left the city/ state/ country so it was nice to see those of us who are still around. I had pancakes - so good. I'm usually a gal who can be counted on to have something savoury for breakfast (just in case you were wondering), however the pancakes were top notch.

14. Helping to prepare dinner at the Ronald McDonald house. The families were so lovely and it was wonderful to see how much of a difference the house has made. It was a challenge cooking for such a large number of people (especially of the majority of us aren't known for our cooking skills) however I think we did a good job. Very rewarding and a lot of fun too.

15. Taking the time to read a few books. I love reading and have always been such a bookworm, however the addictiveness of the Internet sucks me in on more than a few evenings. The loss of wi-fi at my house halted that though, and so into a few books I burrowed!

16. Finally finding a pair of black ballet flats that are appropriate for work and don't kill my feet.

17. Getting cuddled by a foal this morning. So adorable.

18. Going to a party and seeing lots of friends I hadn't seen for ages. Had lots of compliments on my Laurables posts as well - thank you, you lovely people! It made my night...and then doing a cheeky Maccas run afterwards. Chicken nuggets and ice cream taste so much better at 12am, don't you think?

19. Going out to a few bars and going clubbing a few weekends ago. Both evenings were lots of fun, involving plenty of food and heaps of dancing. Perfect.

20. Editing the format of this blog. Not 100% sure what I think about it yet, but I'm very proud of myself for finally figuring out how to do something with this template of mine.

21. And finally, sitting down to write this post and realising that even though some weeks might be a little bit average, I have so many things in my life that I should be, and am, thankful for.

If you've made it to the end of this Sunday Seven bumper edition, well done! I hope you enjoyed this post, and that you have had a lovely weekend. All the best for this week as well.

Laura's Life // July

I thought I might let you know what's going on in my life lately just in case you're interested (and even if you're not). If things have seemed a bit absent around here, it's because I've been focusing on Laurables, but also because a few posts meant to go up over the last few days got pushed aside when WE LOST WIFI. As much as I want to pretend I'm joking about how traumatic I found it, I did struggle a bit (and I don't even consider myself a huge Internet user!) I got stuck into some books instead, cleaned out my room, and just generally pottered around. Our Internet is back now, which is nice, but it was kind of nice over the last few days not succumbing to the draw of blogs and videos, and instead enjoying a few good books. Here's what I have been up to over the last few weeks...

Read
I've read a few lovely books which will be posted shortly - Vogue On Coco Chanel was a notable favourite, but I also absolutely adored The Collected Works of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Levin. I'm now stuck into Longbourn by Jo Baker - when mum and I realised we both wanted to read this, we decided that it was definitely a sign and bought a copy to share. As for blogs, I've also been loving "Cider With Rosie" and "Paris in Four Months", but especially "The Private Life of a Girl".

Do
The university holidays have been absolutely wonderful, however I'm almost looking forward to returning to uni...? Feels a bit weird to say that but I do miss having a routine and keeping busy. However, that's not to say that I haven't been using my free time wisely… a lot of food has been eaten, a lot of chats and catch ups have been had, and the workers at my local Gelare know me (how I wish I was joking). I completely cleared out my bathroom as well, which was a strangely refreshing task (stuff. Everywhere) and now I can actually find most things that I need. I didn't realise how much of a hoarder I was until I threw away about 10 tonnes worth of out of date samples…

Write
As for my other blog, I've posted a few (very) opinionated pieces as of late (would we really expect anything less?) I've written about asylum seekers, people who insult Arts students and why the use of the word "rape" in a casual context is deplorable. There has been an absence of Sunday Sevens on here for the last few weeks (I'm sorry!) but there should be one up this weekend! I did put up a July Resolutions post, and I'm proud to say I have been sticking to most resolutions. Even though the temptation really is there to stay up on the Internet (I'm looking at you, Tumblr and Bloglovin'!) until the early hours.

Watch
I've been watching the television series Heartland, about a horse ranch in Canada. It is potentially aimed at a younger audience than myself, however I'm going through a horsey stage really enjoying it because it isn't too heavy, has a good storyline and the scenery is beautiful. I haven't had a binge watching session which is surprising, however I have steadily made my way to nearly the end of Season 4, which I think is quite a good effort for me. I watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower with my mum and sister the other night and it still managed to touch me as much as the first time I read the book and saw the movie. I think a lot of the time people don't realise how much of trying time the teenage years can be, however this movie projects this in such a poignant way.

As for YouTube videos, I really enjoyed The Persian Babe's Sale Shopping Haul, Fleur DeForce's Home Tour of her kitchen, and Amelia Liana's Sunday Club vlog.

Listen
I've been listening to Ed Sheeran's X album and I have to say, I'm really enjoying it. The songs are so catchy, and one thing I love about this artist is that the songs all have stories woven into them, which makes them so interesting to listen to. I've also been listening to G.R.L's "Ugly Heart" which is basically about a good looking boy having a not so attractive personality. Relatable, easy to listen to, and very poppy.

I hope you enjoyed this rather rambly post, and that you have also been enjoying whatever you have been up to lately :)

July Resolutions

Some of today's little purchases to get me organised...good thing one of my goals isn't to save more...

When I look at the date, I can't believe that we're already halfway through the year; however when I look back at everything that has happened this year, it seems crazy that so much has been packed into six months! I'm really excited with what the rest of the year holds, and especially this month because I'm on my uni break - 5 weeks of doing nothing but, well, working a lot, but also having much more time to myself. Here are some things I'm aiming to accomplish this month (and hopefully keep going for the rest of the year!)

1. Read more

This was one of my resolutions for May, however I definitely did not fulfil it. It's so tempting to go to bed after becoming engrossed in the Internet and it's much easier to watch a random video than push myself through a novel. This month, however, I have decided to nominate two books I want to read over my uni break - sadly, the days of me being able to plough through a book a day over holidays are long gone, as I now work instead of go to classes! This month, I will be reading Philomena (Martin Sixsmith) and The Bookstore (Deborah Meyler).

2. Go to bed earlier…and actually do it

Another one of my resolutions for May, and I was doing so, so well…until last week came along, and I began going to bed after 12am, and paying for it the next day. I always feel so much better when I have had a good sleep, and so this month, that's going to be happening (hopefully).

3. Stop saying "I wish" and start saying "I will"

After a long break due to a bit of a dodgy spine situation, I have decided to resume dancing this month (hopefully!). Although it'll be painful, it won't be making the situation worse and I have decided to go for it, instead of pining over missing dance classes. I cannot wait. It's more about not having the time anymore, plus all my classes are a bit of a trek away, however I think it will be worth it.

4. Sort out my wardrobe and sell clothes on eBay

After coming up with the rule of only buying clothes with the money I have made from selling things online, I have been much better at saving and also being realistic about what I do and do not need. I've surprisingly managed to stick to it (…sports clothes don't count as clothes, right? RIGHT?!). Plan this month? Sell lots of old clothes so I can buy some winter staples. 

5. Continue being in a generally great mood

This month I have managed to find myself in a much better mood all the time, and I don't know why. The only significant thing that has changed has been me exercising more, so I guess I should keep that up to? I'm going to try to continue looking on the bright side of things, after all, the last six months were pretty great and I bet the next six will be too.