Think About It Thursday….

I am so sorry for the delay in these.. I am a huge fan of Dancing with Fireflies ‘Think About It Thursday’ and I shall get more organised in future.
I think these are all of the questions I am missing. Enjoy and feel free to comment with your answers I’d love to know.

What are you best known for?
Being sensitive and caring….plus I am extremely hard-working and I never give up. Even though sometimes I really want to deep down I know I won’t.

Favorite side-kick? Piglet to Winnie the Pooh a loyal friend ALWAYS.

Food you would hate to be stuck eating if that was all you had for the rest of your life? Rice! It would get extremely boring.

Name something that you wish you had done yesterday but didn’t?
I should have made a dentist appointment yesterday….

What would you like to see Dancing with Fireflies do more of?
I would love Dancing with Fireflies to do a guest post here at Hayleyslilworld. It would be epic!

Something scary?
Failure.

When was the last time you went trick or treating and what did you dress as? Yonks ago and I’m pretty sure I was a ghost so I had a bed sheet over plain black clothes. I remember one lady saying to me and my sister not today. Well it’s Halloween today.

Sweet, Salty, or Sour? Sweet every single time. I have such a sweet tooth.

Hero or Villain? Hero!

Favorite new TV show or book? The Originals!!! I love love this spin off from The Vampire Diaries. My other fave is Nashville.

Favorite bedtime story? I have always been a lover of books as a child I enjoyed Janet and John and Enid Blyton. On Christmas Eve we always used to read The Night Before Christmas I just loved the magic of that. I may well have to find or re-purchase that to read with my niece this year.

Who inspires you? I can be inspired by many things. My Mum is a fighter she always has been and my best friend Emma makes me see the world differently, she always has a positive even when I’m unsure and I love that in her.

How do you react when someone doesn’t like you? This really depends some days I don’t care other days it really gets to me.

If you had to describe yourself in one word, what would it be? Emotional.

Weapon of choice in a zombie apocalypse? Hmmmm!!!! a gun that would kill zombies I guess.

What’s your favorite Holiday treat? Share the recipe. It depends on the holiday. I love Christmas eve mum always does cocktail sausages and sausage rolls it’s been a tradition that I still enjoy now. Usually followed by a beverage or two.

What’s your favorite day of the week? I don’t really have a favourite day as I work in retail I rarely get weekends to myself, but what I do love is the rare Sunday off when I’m around to have a roast dinner straight from the oven rather than a microwave warmed up version.

Think About It Thursday

When I first discovered this writing prompt I was intrigued. I have been trying to do more regular posts and this was like a beacon at the right time. So I should be at least posting Inspirational Monday’s and Think About It Thursday’s each week. (SHE SAYS)

At the time I was busy and therefore couldn’t sit down and answer the questions, so now I am taking the time to answer the questions from last week and this week. I think that means I still have missed a week????? I can always catch up if anyone’s interested LOL!

What does Nature mean to you?
Nature is the beautiful outdoors, the countryside, the wildlife. Taking some time out to sit outside among nature itself is calming.

What do you hate?
There are a number of things I hate spiders- because I don’t like them crawling on me and they look terrifying even if they are tiny creatures. Rudeness- just plain upsets me there is no god damn need for it. Bullying- for those of you who have been reading my blog posts for a while now you’ll understand this. The last thing I will say is I hate seeing people I care about down or upset, it breaks my heart.

What annoys you?
Cheating, lying, bullying and the fact that this world can be cruel at times.

What is your least favorite holiday?
Valentines Day!

Do you Exercise?
Now I am going to be honest. I was in a real good flow before I went to Spain but since my return I have been extremely lazy. Although in my defence my work shifts are all over the place. So I don’t have a steady pattern. I am hoping to correct this once I have returned from France.

If you were to go to prison, what would it be for?
Well I hope I don’t ever have to. But if I were to go to prison it would be to protect someone I love. So a close friend or family member. I would put my life on the line for those I hold dear to me.

What is the name of your imaginary friend?
With my strange imagination I am a little sad to say I have never had an imaginary friend. But I think it would be a he called BOB!

Schrödinger’s Cat.. Dead or Alive? Dead!!! Just because!!!

Where did you meet your best friend?
I met Emma through a boyband who are no longer around. We were waiting in the same place at the same time and got chatting. We had both seen each other at various events but hadn’t really spoken properly until 2002-3 ish Haha!! We are quite in sync. We like lots of the same things, like Irish boybands, our love for theatre and we have the same middle name Louise.

When you wake up, what is the first thing you see?
Honestly! Normally my phone as I am regularly turning OFF my alarm.

If you want to take part check out http://fireflydance.net/2013/09/19/think-about-it-thursdays-2/

Also feel free to leave your answers in my comment box I am intrigued to see what everyone else comes up with.

Guest Posting…

I shall be going away for a few days in October for my best friends birthday, so I decided to start thinking ahead. I may try and document some of my trip whilst I’m being a tourist.
As I know I’m going somewhere that I may want to talk about. But I thought I would ask if anyone is interested in taking over while I am away.

You can talk about whatever you wish. Feel free to let me know. I’m away from 3-7th October but depending on who is interested I may just give free reign for the first week or so including my #InspirationalMonday.

Feeling Lucky

Well this wasn’t what I’d originally planned to write about today. I have been working on potential posts on and off alongside being rather busy at work.

However, I thought I would share my happiness with my faithful followers.

I am feeling lucky and I hope my luck continues, thanks to Twitter I won tickets to the DVD screening of Safe Haven. Which I must say was amazing, a really good adaptation of a book I thoroughly enjoyed. We were also given some cute goodies Safe Haven pj’s and the film version of the book. (Picture to follow).

Yesterday I was ATG tickets Lucky Monday winner, winning two tickets to see Once the musical a show I have been itching to see. I shall be going to see that next Monday.

And today both me and Emma won two tickets each to see Bon Jovi in Hyde Park a gig we have been trying to get tickets for. Yay yay yay!!! Over the moon at the moment. I am now hoping for some career based luck and also some secret luck.

Until next time…

The Community Pool Rocks

I started writing this post last week but I haven’t been feeling great so I’ve been a little slack I do apologise.
I would also like to thank Matt, Sheryl and Tegan who have all nominated me for various blogger awards. I really am humbled now I am almost back to normal I shall be back.

The Community Pool is an amazing post that brings bloggers together.
Until recently I’d never really taken part, I had read the rules many times but never joined in.

So I posted asking for feedback. Since my WordPress journey began I’ve had a right mixture of positive and negative comments.
I have learn’t to embrace constructive criticism and I would like to think in doing so I am becoming a better person and blogger. I have also learn’t to ignore the nastiness, this is not always easy but I’ve learn’t you can’t please everyone. I know I’m not everyone’s cup of tea and that’s totally fine, but when people get personal that’s bullying.

Thanks to the ‘Community Pool’ I feel like I’ve got my mojo back.
Thanks to Tegan for her suggestion I’ve changed my background theme and I couldn’t be happier with the way it looks.
It takes a fresh eye to tell you the truth, my original theme was dated and tame. One of the main reasons I had kept it was because I liked the colour. I previously tried to change the theme and it had ended up altering my pages strangely. But now I have found a theme that suits me so thanks Tegan.
It does make me smile when I get some encouragement. Tegan sent me a comment saying how my new theme had made all the difference. Which is nice to hear.
I have also found a new friend and a fab blog to read in Mrs Robertson over at Avoiding Neverland.

‘The Community Pool’ is a pretty inspirational place for all bloggers. It doesn’t matter if you’ve only just started or whether you’re a veteran blogger. Each of us can do with some feedback and encouragement every once in a while. I have made friends, made changes, gained followers and found new blogs to read/follow myself.

As I’m in a relatively good mood I would like to say what would you like to see on my blog?
Also any questions for me?
I shall blog the results next week before I fly to Spain.

Until next time 🙂

There Is No Place For Violence In Football

Firstly, I would like to start by congratulating Wigan Athletic on reaching their first ever FA Cup final, after beating Millwall 2-0 at Wembley yesterday.
It’s an awful shame that a first in the clubs history is marred by violence and abusive behaviour.

Today’s back pages should show jubilant Wigan Athletic players and supporters but instead we have a collection of thugs causing havoc.

Following the violence 10 people were arrested, many supporters were left bloodied and a number of youngsters were in tears.
Millwall FC said it could not “allow the actions of a mindless minority” to undermine efforts made to lose the club’s reputation for hooliganism.
I feel sorry for the real Millwall fans because these hooligans who probably sat in the pub all day getting tanked up before the game just wanted a fight.
How many youngsters went to Wembley to witness a semi-final game ended up in tears. Many of them are probably too scared to attend a football match again.

The FA have said what happened is unacceptable and will launch an inquiry. I just hope they do something about this as it seems to be a running trend with a number of Millwall supporters, who are continuously ruining it for the real fans and the club.
Why they felt the need to fight amongst themselves is beyond me.

England will face Ireland in a friendly at Wembley next month. The security at Wembley will be re-evaluated and it also seems that many fans could lose out, as this game may NOT go on general sale following yesterday’s incidents.

Football is supposed to be a sport the whole family can enjoy. This violence has to stop, not only are English football fans getting a bad reputation it also does nothing for the beautiful game.

I’d love to hear your thoughts?

Until next time 😃

Guest Post: Jenny Takes Over My Blog Today With Over-Thinking

Hi everyone! Firstly, I’d like to thank Hayley for inviting me to do a guest post for her.
I am generally nervous about this guest posting thingy. I was like, “What am I going to write? I really do want to do a decent post for her.” So, I searched my head for something. This is what I came up with:

I’ve always been the type of person who is struggling with how I can overcome OVER-THINKING. I think it is actually one of my weaknesses. Maybe, I am becoming a perfectionist. But no, I’d rather like to think that I am way too far from being someone who is a perfectionist.
After all, I am not that much of an OCD-ish person. I am really more of an over-thinker. Mainly that is because I want the good things to happen. I am always afraid to make mistakes.

There were times that I was frustrated about the things that happened in my life that I questioned everything. I had to analyse everything and make plans. The negative thoughts come first and make me doubt myself. I was actually being hard on myself. I was like, “Why do this thing have to happen? , “What have I done wrong?” , etc. I do hate myself for doing that to myself.

Then, I started expressing my thoughts by starting out a blog. In my posts, you would see that almost every post is about overcoming my habit of over-thinking. That’s how I met Hayley too. It was good to know that I’m not the only person who goes through it, that there were other people who want to conquer it too.

As time passed, I tried my best to think only of the positive things. I tried to do thought-stopping. When I think about something that much, I internally say to myself to stop it and focus on other things. It helped me a lot up to this point. It really helped me a lot during those bad days that I am still having.

I think being able to get a grip of my thoughts changed my life. I have less negative thoughts now. I can say that I am enjoying my life now. If I make mistakes, I tell myself to let go and just learn from it.

I am still in the progress of overcoming my over-thinking. I will be all throughout my life. There would be the good days and the bad days. But that’s life right? We cannot do much about it but learn to cope effectively with it. Acceptance is the key. We have to accept that we are people who are capable of feeling so many emotions. It’s okay to over-think just because we want to be careful etc. Whatever our reason is for doing it, it’s better to understand and accept ourselves. It’s always better to get to know ourselves and improve ourselves. This is a life-long process we have to go through. J

I think that would be all. Again, I’d like to thank Hayley for this opportunity. Thanks dear!

Thanks Jenny, I feel that through blogging Jenny and I have become good friends. She is an ambitious young woman and I really do smile at her posts so make sure you check her out….Jenny’s blog

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day to each and every one of you. I am not usually one for even mentioning this occassion but this year I have had a change of heart.
I don’t have a valentine and I never expect any cards or gifts as I never get any. That’s not me feeling sorry for myself it’s just the truth.

This year I want every single person to think of what they are truly grateful for.
I may not have a lover on my arm but I do have a loving family and the best of friends. I am yet to find my ‘Soul Mate’ but I am loved by many. I have the best friends a girl could ask for and the most wonderful family who love everything about me. My good and bad qualities and all the stupid parts in the middle.

However, I would be lying if I said that this particular day of the year didn’t make me feel lonely. Because let’s face it for every single singleton out there Valentine’s Day is a huge reminder that we are single.

I know that there are just as many people out there who are in the same position as me. Let’s look at the good in our lives and embrace that we have awesome friends and family…

Good things come to those who wait…

Laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears & keep reminding ourselves that everything happens for a reason.

Appreciating The Simple Things…

Well hello, I can hardly believe that I haven’t blogged at all in February.
I must say February is one of my favourite months of the year, it’s a short month and it’s the month I was born.

On the 23rd February I shall turn 29 taking me into the final year of my 20s. Having read a wonderfully uplifting book from Miranda Dickinson I intend to make the most of this year. I have even hinted to mum that I may well want an embarressing party for my 30th next year as I seem to have missed out on having a party for a fair few big birthdays.

All that can wait…

I have been doing a fair bit of soul searching recently and most of this is due to the fact my very best friend is very unwell. Originally she had flu which thankfully has passed and now her bones seem to be the issue.
Thankfully the doctors have given her some stronger pain killers and have taken her blood for tests, so hopefully my partner in crime will be back to her best very soon.

At the moment Emma is finding very simple things like walking and making a cup of tea really painful. I didn’t know just how bad she was until I saw her. It breaks my heart to see my friend in so much pain.

This made me think that every single day of our lives we ALL take certain things for granted.

I am grateful for:

Amazing friends and family who love and support me in all aspects of my life however mad or stupid I may be.

Having a roof over my head.

Having a stable job- we may not always like what we do and I think everyone of us has a bad day, but I appreciate the fact that I earn a regular income and I can support myself and my family in doing so.

Being able to go on lavish holidays.

Being able to go to the theatre- the talent that the theatre hosts is out of this world and I truly enjoy the escapism a feel good musical or play can bring me.

Now I really do understand how hard it was for Sheryl to write down what she was grateful for. There are probably many more aspects of life that I am grateful for, and I am challenging myself to document this coming week next Sunday.

The moral of this post is never take anything for granted no matter how simple it may well be. As someone somewhere may not be as fortunate as you are…

Life is a gift. Never take it for granted.

Without bad days, you’d never know what a good one was.

A Simple Quote

Dream It. Wish It. Do it.

A very simple quote that sums up positive thinking. Getting there.
I had a real fun and oh so rare Sunday off, I went to see the lovely Shane Lynch in panto which meant spending time with my bestie. It really did make a change to see Shane play a bad guy, I kinda enjoyed boooing him.
On the productive side I have partially made progress on something, can’t say much as what I have done is only one small step.

Anyway I really should sleep time to start dreaming that quote night all. I have a childlike post coming up soon.