HAPPY BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST

 

Today was my brother's birthday; he turned 13 years old. Although 13 isn't as widely celebrated as some other birthdays- for example a sweet 16, turning 18, turning 21, hitting 40 years old etc- I would still consider it a special birthday.

Turning 13 years old marks the beginning of your teenage life. You are no longer a child that needs to be protected from the big bad world, but a teenager that is  transitioning into the world of adult responsibilities (don't worry, you won't be expected to start paying bills and what have you). You begin to go out more with your friends, make more plans and (the worst of all) get sucked into the black hole that is the internet.

To celebrate my brother's special day I decided to throw him a Birthday Breakfast. It's slightly unconventional and different than your regular birthday party. It was small and quiet but it didn't have to be big and in your face as I was only filling in for my mother and father who both had to work; they can sort out the real celebrations later.

I got up early (I'm an early riser anyway so this wasn't an issue) and headed downstairs to get everything set up. I got the helium balloon from the cupboard it was hidden in, retrieved the bag of goodies from my car and set everything out on plates.

Then it was time to make the pancakes, at which point I realised we had no eggs and had to pop to the shop in a shabby outfit and bed hair (I will post the recipe for the pancakes at a later stage perhaps). Once the pancakes were done I topped it off with a little flag, lit some candles and was just waiting for my sister and her boyfriend to arrive.

My brother woke shortly after and was delighted with his small breakfast party (he said he will plan one for me when I turn 18 this year)and took no time at all in getting stuck into opening his presents (money in a card from my sister, a scratch card in a card from my sister's boyfriend and an electric toothbrush from me).

It was such an enjoyable way to spend a birthday and he's invited his friends around to the house and they're going to the amusements later tonight.

This morning has shown me that you really don't have to go all out to celebrate someone's birthday, sometimes the little things you do really do mean the world to people and that truly warms my heart.

Until next time...

C.

SECOND CHANCE SUMMER : BOOK REVIEW

I'm a book worm. I love finding an amazing book that can entrance and transport me to a world that is somehow better than my own... we all need a little escape sometimes, and I just happen to escape by diving head first into a world that isn't my own.

I have just finished a wonderful book: Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson. This is the second book I've read from Morgan Matson and I have to say I truly enjoy reading her work. She writes in such a way that you can really relate to some aspect of the novel.

Without giving too much away, this book is about the Edwards family, who have never been close to each other. However, when Robin Edwards is diagnosed with Stage Four Pancreatic Cancer, the family decided to take one last trip to their lake house for the summer. This proves to be a problem for eldest daughter, Taylor, as the last time she was at the Lake, she left her best friend and boyfriend without an explanation.

It's a story of love, loss and discovering yourself as we follow Taylor through her struggle of coming to terms with her Father's illness and making amends with the people she left behind.

Second Chance Summer made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me reconsider my own relationship with my family, but what I love the most about this book is that it made me feel.

I would highly recommend giving this book a read, as I am 100% sure that you'll not  be disappointed. Also check out other novels by Morgan Matson as they are equally as heart warming and emotional.

Let me know if you would like more book reviews. I really enjoy expressing my feelings about my most recent read but unfortunately can't find anyone willing to listen for more than 3 minutes!

Until next time...

C.

AND THE RESULTS ARE IN

So it's that time of the year again: results day. I am going into my last year of school before university and today I got my AS results. For those of you who don't know what A-Level and AS exams are, A-Levels are the exams you do in your very last year of school and the results determine whether you can do your preferred course in university. AS exams are the exams you do in your second last year of school that count towards your final results.

Today I got up at 7:00am and drove to school to find out the results of the exams that I can barely remember doing in May... I got 3 B's. Do not be fooled by the tone in which you may be reading this post, I am very pleased with my results (especially given the fact that I didn't start studying until at least 2 days before each exam).

I'm not a big headed person, but I know I'm intelligent, as is every single being on this earth. At the end of the day, exam results do not define who you are as a person, and that, my lovlies, is what truly counts. I would rather have received 3 E's and know I have a good heart than 3 A's and be known for being an ignorant, know-it-all.

So, if you're opening your own envelope of exam results today and are slightly disappointed at the outcome, just remember that you are so much more than those little letters printed on a sheet of paper. Exams do not test your intelligence, they test your ability to remember certain facts and as a human being, you are so much more than what you can remember about the effects of obesity on an individual's psychological well being (something I had to memorise for one of my exams)and amazing exam results doesn't guarantee a successful future, the same way failing your exams doesn't mean you're going to end up homeless and unemployed.

Whatever you take away from this post, I want you to know that each and every one of you is unique and extraordinarily talented in your own way- don't you dare let anyone try to tell you that you're not enough.

Until next time...

C.

CURRENT FAVOURITE SKINCARE PRODUCTS

For years I have struggled with having both oily and dry skin. When I was a child, this obviously didn't bother me as I was usually covered in dirt from being outside from dawn to dusk everyday, but now that I'm older and have dived into the world of makeup, it's become a slight problem.

Like everyone else on this little planet in our solar system, I have my favourite skincare products, and today I'm going to share them with you. All of these products are cheap and can be purchased from your local drugstore.

The first product is the Nivea Daily Essentials Gentle Exfoliating Scrub. This is a very simple face scrub with vitamin E and Hydra IQ. It has little balls/crystals in it that removes dead skin cells and  leaves your skin feeling smooth and fresh. It has a lovely sweet smell, yet it isn't strong enough to make you feel ill. I have noticed a HUGE improvement in my skin since I started using this- my dry skin is less noticeable and my face feels softer and smoother!

Next up is the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water and oh my days this is a God send! It removes makeup and cleanses your face like nothing I have ever seen before! For such a simple product (it's literally water) it does exactly what it says on the bottle! It gets right into your pores and doesn't include any harmful perfumes that could potentially damage your face and you don't have to rinse it off after using it. This product has literally saved my life (or should I say my face?) many times after a night out when I can't be bothered rummaging around for makeup removal wipes!

Finally we have the Simple Kind To Skin Hydrating Moisturiser. Now, as I mentioned earlier, I have both dry AND oily skin, so it has been particularly hard to find a product that will hydrate my skin without making it ooze oil (I apologise for any graphic images of a face oozing oil that may have popped into your head). When my sister recommended that I use this, I wasn't hopeful. But after I had been using it for about a week I was pleasantly surprised to find how well it hydrated my skin while keeping my face oil free for the majority of the day. It is made of natural ingredients which is great for me as I tend to take small allergic reactions to products that have too many chemicals in them and with this product, a little bit goes a long way. I would say that you only need a blob the size of a Malteser (a pea might be a tad too small to do your whole face) and tadahh! you have one hydrated face and are ready to rock your day!

I would love to know of any other products that have the power to tackle a dry yet oily face, so comment your favourite products and I just might give them a try!

Until next time...

C.









AN INTRODUCTION

I've had this blog sitting empty on my laptop for a while now and I finally decided that it's time I do something with it- it's summer and I'm not getting any younger!

As of yet, I'm not 100% sure what I will write about here, but writing is one of my favourite things to do, so what better way to express my love for it?

So, just to give you a little bit of information about me: my name is Ciara and I am from Ireland, I am turning 18 years old in December, I got my driving licence in June, I love reading, writing, music and spontaneous adventures (even the little ones to McDonald's at 2am) and I have a dog and a guinea pig both whom I absolutely adore!

I'm not certain how often I will update this blog but I'm really hoping that I can stay motivated to write and find things to write about.

Until next time...

C.