Happy New Year! Can I still say that? Well, it’s my blog 🙂
2016 seems to have been a hard year for most everyone, me included. We lost our lovely boy cat Milo and went through other difficulties that I hope will one day be a memory. But you can’t have good without the bad, and a huge amount of good stuff came out of last year too. Maybe some of it can add value to your life too?
It’s all about people, not things
2016 is the first time I really started to question my consumption choices, triggered by reading various books and watching the Minimalism documentary that is now on Netflix (or online).
I really recommend giving it a watch if you find yourself spending more money and energy on material possessions than you’d like. It really triggers a thought process about what the important things in life are – people, not things, and how you can focus your life on that.
Podcasts (and books) are awesome
Some of the best things I read and listened to in 2016 were
- Better than Before {a book about habits, knowing yourself and creating the life you want (again!). If you ever struggle with maintaining a good habit you want to keep, you need this book}
- The Five Love Languages {disregard the cheesy cover, this book about understanding the way you prefer to express affection, versus the way your partner/family/friends does, is hugely practical and useful}
- Talking as fast as I can {Lauren Graham’s latest book is hilarious and insightful, with really fun tidbits about filming Gilmore Girls}
I didn’t read many fiction books I loved in 2016 – do you have any recommendations for me?
- The Happier Project podcast {a fab podcast with practical advice and hacks on building a happier life}
- The Minimalists podcast {I just discovered this riggght at the end of the year – after watching the film – but I’m already finding it really valuable. Plus, I love the intro song, every little thing}
- The Food Blogger Pro podcast {obviously niche to food bloggers but some great tips here on running any small online business too!}
Do you have any other podcast recs for me? Let me know!
Finding the right foundation can change your world
I discovered Bare Minerals complexion rescue gel cream after my friend Trista was looking especially beautiful one day, and we asked her what she was using. This stuff is incredible – truly my skin, but better. It manages to be super light and yet cover imperfections (I don’t have perfect skin at all, so I’d never considered using a tinted moisturiser rather than a full cover foundation before). Plus, it makes your skin look dewy, healthy and just great!
Sprinkles are literally life
Bright sprinkles all the way, none of this washed out supermarket sprinkle bullshit. My fave places to get them are:
TV should be about quality, not quantity
In this time of ~peak tv~ I’ve started to become ever more selective with what I invest my time in watching. My favourite TV shows of 2016 were Crazy Ex Girlfriend, The Affair, and the Gilmore Girls revival. What about you?
Pizza is eternal
Enough said. (If you’re in Nottingham, the best pizza here is Oscar and Rosie’s, by a mile).
What did you learn in 2016?
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Claire says
January 11, 2017 at 2:29 pmOh, wow, those sprinkles look amazing!
i learned patience, and am still learning 🙂 happy new year 🙂
Kerry Cooks says
January 12, 2017 at 10:15 pmIt’s a long lesson isn’t it! Happy new year Claire!