Lorna Cole

  I never used to be a fan of Sundays, I just saw it as the end of the weekend and a reminder that the same weekly routine would begin again. Sunday's are often the more chilled day of the weekend and this makes it perfect for a sort of 'reset', and this can mean something different for everyone. You can do this anytime but I think it's natural to be in the mindset of making changes at the start or end of a week/month/year, but do whatever feels good for you! There are so many ways to reset, most of which involve slowing down (both mentally and physically) and focusing on yourself. I know that dedicating a whole day to this is a complete luxury but many of these things can be done in a small window of spare time, or alongside something else.  A vital part of a beneficial reset experience is self-care. There are many different forms of self-care and only you know what is best for you but here are some of my suggestions!  Get outside and going on a walk Have a bath Listen...

I'm not sure if I'll make this a monthly thing but I wanted to reflect on the progress of my goals and habits through January and I've actually got an exciting update!  This year I spent some time to properly think about my goals and plans so thought it would be good to reflect upon them after a month! I think I'm fairly good at being self-aware and acknowledging areas I'd like to improve or change but hopefully this will help me to stick to the goals I set myself.  Let's start with the update then, as I mentioned in my 2021 goals post, I decided to apply to start a new university degree this year. If you want to know a little more about why then you can find that post here . After hearing back from one of the universities within a few days, I couldn't help but check for any updates all the time... I'm not a fan of waiting for things! A couple of months later and I've now received unconditional offers for all 5 courses which I couldn't be happier...

It's been a while since I've done a favourites post and I definitely feel like I missing something I wanted to share! Just a quick disclaimer - I've shared some Amazon products which are affiliate links but as always, my opinions are completely my own! Special Mentions Snow I had to mention the brief appearance of snow we had yesterday, it was so nice to see people's social media posts of them enjoying time outside! Photos of the snow are always so pretty and I mentioned on my Twitter recently about hoping to be able to take my own so was watching the weather all evening on Saturday. I had a feeling it wouldn't be that heavy and it would probably melt quickly so I got up early to take some photos! Although it was very cold, seeing a snowy sunrise was definitely worth it. Something about being outside when it's so quiet and still is also quite relaxing! Notion I won't say too much about Notion here as shared my thoughts about it in my last post. However, sinc...

At the beginning of 2021, I started using Notion and I wish I'd done sooner! It's a productivity/planning/organisation tool but can be used to store any information - from study notes to meal plans to finances and lists for pretty much anything you need. There are loads of tutorials on YouTube to help set up your Notion which I definitely used for inspiration, as well as tips and ideas on TikTok, These videos from Unjaded Jade , Twirling Pages , Om & The City helped me particularly! I've also added some quick videos of my Notion pages at the bottom of this post if you want to see what it looks like in use. This post isn't an ad but as you'll see pretty quickly, I'm a fan of Notion so far! App & Quick Notes Notion also has an app that is compatible with iOS 14 - this makes it even easier to access any daily to-do lists or whatever content you want to access quickly. I have a widget that takes me to my Notion homepage, it has links to any of my pages so I...

You don’t have to wait for a new year to make better decisions, habits or goals but I think it does motivate people to reflect on what they want to do over the next 12 months.  After the Christmas period and when no one really knows what day it is, it can often be a relief when January rolls around! It’s an opportunity to get back into a routine and be a bit more organised again. I took some time to have a think about my goals and plans for 2020 so thought I’d share them here! Creative Arts degree  In late April 2019, I started studying for a Creative Arts open degree (you can read more about it here). I’ve made a lot of progress and am really getting into it now. Obviously studying is something that is a priority and I want to dedicate a lot of time to over the next year so I can continue learning and working my way through the degree. I’ve enjoyed it so far and am looking forward to the upcoming stages!  Regular exercise  ...

Since the academic year has recently started I thought I'd do a quick post to share some tips that I used or wish I knew at the time! I often found myself feeling pretty prepared and motivated at the start of the year but hopefully, some of these will help that to continue all year round, or more at least! Attitude and Behaviour >  Put in the effort now - when you get further into the year you'll thank yourself for putting in the time to learn everything properly, especially when it comes to revision as you'll already have materials to look back at. > Mistakes are good - it can be disheartening when you make mistakes or don't get the feedback you hoped for but learning from them is a really productive and useful way to help improve. > Strengths and Weaknesses - everyone has things they are better at and things they may struggle with, finding that out now and setting time aside to focus on the things you find harder will help reduce stress. You could als...

I did it, a whole year of blogging! I'm so glad that I stuck at it because I enjoy it so much and can't believe how much progress I've made with it all. Not only that, but I've connected to so many people all around the world which is just amazing, I can't wait to see what the next year working on my blog brings! Anyway, here is a sum up of my blogging journey so far. What I've achieved - Just over 50 posts which is equal to roughly 1 per week, and I'm definitely pleased with that! I started off slow and could have probably done a lot more but at least I've got something to work towards! - Hit 1.5k+ followers on my blog Twitter account and also had 30.5k impressions in my best month - Reached 200+ followers on my blog Instagram account after starting to properly use it in May - Had 2562 viewers on Pinterest in one day and an average of around 1000 - Over 9000 pageviews, the fact that I'm on the way to 10,000 blows my mind! -...

Since we're halfway through the year I thought I'd do some reflecting and wanted to refocus on some goals to work towards for the rest of 2018. I like having something to work towards whether it's more short-term or something that I'd like to improve over time. I've tried to include a range of things so I can target different aspects of my life! Blogging Goals Hit 2000 followers on Twitter - I just hit 1.5k so 2000 is my next goal! I'm really pleased with how my Twitter following is growing as it's my favourite social media and way to connect! Hit 500 followers on Instagram - My blog account is pretty new & I'm still learning to use it for blogging but I hope to reach at least 500 followers. Work with more companies - It's so rewarding when brands contact and want to work with you so I'd love to work with more companies, I've not had much experience of it but have done a couple of reviews! Schedule more posts - It...

Being nominated for blogger awards is always such a lovely experience and a great way to support and discover blogs. So a massive thank you to Jess for The Sunshine Blogger Award nomination, please go and give her blog some love and you can check out her post here ! Here are the rules for this award: 1) Thank the lovely blogger that nominated you and of course, provide a link to their blog!  2) Answer the set of 11 questions that they asked you 3) Create 11 new questions and nominate 11 bloggers to answer them 4) And finally, when doing your post make sure you post the rules and add The Sunshine Blogger Award logo! ... And without further ado, my answers to the questions: 1) If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?  I think I'd have to go with pasta as it is one of my favourite foods anyway, plus there are so many variations of it (if that counts!) 2) What is your favourite Disney film of all time and why? ...

Each and everyone has a different opinion of New Year's resolutions, personally I don't think you should put too much pressure on them, as you can't always achieve them! However I do think setting yourself some sort of goal to help better yourself and to open up new opportunities is a great thing to do! Here are 10 resolutions or goals I have set myself for 2018! Be healthier A fairly common one here and one of the hardest to stick to I'd say! I really want to start being healthier in general, for instance I'm planning to make smoothies as a replacement for breakfast or lunch on some occasions, as well as making sure I drink enough water. One of my biggest downfalls is snacking so that is also something I want to work on! I've recently made a Pinterest board with some ideas for smoothies, you can find it  here ! Start exercising more I definitely want to start being more active again, I used to love sport so this is something I hope to get b...

Since there seems to be an app for everything these days, I've made a list of the apps I have been loving and using recently! 1) BuzzFeed - So I'm pretty sure most people have heard of BuzzFeed (if not, why?!), but basically it's an entertainment platform that provides news, life hacks, recipes, quizzes etc. I'll tell you what though, whatever you use BuzzFeed for, it is great for procrastinating! I'll be honest, I have probably gone through the most random and pointless quizzes on there but hey if you're ever on a long journey or something then it can be a laugh! Plus there's also tonnes of helpful tips, videos and creative ideas that can provide so much inspiration to try out something new! 2) Notebook - This app is absolutely amazing for organising things and I've started using it to plan my blog posts. Like me, I'm sure that finding new and engaging blog post ideas can be challenging so this is a great way to note things down whenever you...

As the temperature drops and the delightful grey, rainy days become even more regular, I often find myself watching TV shows that I couldn't care less about and feeling unproductive! So to combat this feeling of boredom I have made a list of things to do in the Autumn. Go for a walk - I love going for walks in Autumn because the air is so fresh and crisp. Plus the trees are so colourful at this time of the year so going for a little walk is always nice! Whether you just pop into town, visit your local park or head out to your favourite spots, I guarantee a quick walk will make you feel productive. It's also great if you need to clear your head or just want a break from your everyday business!  Cook  -  Sometimes cooking can feel a bit like a chore but it's always rewarding when you have a delicious hearty meal at the end. My personal favourite at the moment is a creamy tomato, chicken and chorizo pasta bake. I've made this a few times recently and I absolutely lo...