Okay, so it's Day 6 of Blogging Everyday In May and today the topic is if you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do.'

What do I do?
First and foremost I'm a mum to two girls aged eighteen and twenty. My relationship with my girls constantly changes as they grow. There is always new things happening in their lives and they always come to me for advice. It's up to me to give them the best advice I can, so I find myself learning all the time.


It will be a year on the 8th May since I started my blog but I still feel like I'm just starting. For instance, I only worked out how to put Google Friend Connect on the other day as I thought Google had taken it down. How daft did I feel!

I'm still learning how to use Photoshop and Lightroom to edit my pictures and I'm getting to grips with my DSLR. Twelve months ago I had little knowledge of Blogger and how it worked and now I've begun to tweak HTML to make the site do what I want.

The blog is a reflection of me constantly trying out new things. I have more confidence in getting out of my comfort zone and trying out outfits that at one time I wouldn't have had the nerve to wear. Photographing outfit posts makes us go and find new, pretty places that we haven't been to before.


I've enjoyed spending more time on DIY projects to make our modest little home a more stylish and funky place to live. Cooking is also a big love of mine and I've been able to share my love of food on the blog. One of my next challenges is to make my own pasta!

Travelling is a big part of my life when money allows. I love visiting Greece, Italy and France. I would be quite happy spending the whole of the six weeks summer holiday touring around Italy. What a beautiful place! Now my girls are older and more independent they go on holidays with their friends. Another change of them growing up!


What do I do? I'm still finding out.

Have a lovely Monday.

Day 5 of the blogging Every Day In May challenge and today we are publicly professing our love and devotion for someone.

The one person that had the biggest influence in my life was my Nanna. I never look back on events in my childhood without her being in nearly every memory. I spent an enormous amount of time with her and my grandad, going up to their house after school and every weekend.

I loved it and she always had my favourite Cadbury's Caramel chocolate bar and sweets waiting for me. It was a little girls dream! I was the only grandchild up until I was eight, so I had her undivided attention in my life.

A special day for me was when I went round and she had bought me a three storey Sindy house. My life was complete!

She used to take me on day trips to the seaside with her and she took me on my first holiday to Wales. I can remember being so excited that my parents got fed up of me talking about it!

Even now, I remember my Saturdays with her so clearly. She would make me a prawn cocktail starter, followed by a roast dinner. Depending on the weather, we would play tennis or darts outside or play cards and watch black and white movies all afternoon. We would then have salmon sandwiches and trifle for supper and watch game shows on the television.

Isn't it funny how things can stick clearly in your mind! It's only since I've got older that I've realised she must have been so tired at the weekend, as she worked full time until she retired. Nevertheless she still had all that time for me.

When I was seventeen, she moved away to be with my auntie and I really struggled with that. I knew she was only a couple of hours drive but it was still tough, especially when I had my own daughters. I used to go to see them when I could, but unfortunately my grandad died a few days after I had my second girl so he never got to see her. He spent a lot of my childhood poorly due to ill health and I always remember him sitting in his chair eating toffees.

My eldest daughter got to spend more time as a toddler with her than my youngest, as my Nanna died not long after my grandad. I'm sad that they didn't get to experience all the things with her that I did. Thank you Nanna for always being there for me when I needed you.

Well, here we are on Day three of blogging everyday in May with the story of my most uncomfortable moment.

When I think of feeling uncomfortable, this particular event always shines brightly in my mind. It still makes me cringe now, twenty five years later. I've tried hard to block it out my mind!

I can think back to a time at school when I became very self aware and this manifested itself during physical education. Up until this period, I was a very good high jumper and was the best in the year. On sports day, we were always put into teams and I always (still do) expect perfection in everything I do (which is of course totally unrealistic.)

I begged my mum to buy me a new school sports outfit for the occasion. But she informed me that a friend had given her some hand me downs from her daughter that had been to my school about five years previously. My heart sank as the uniform had changed since then and I could see the other girls reactions when they saw me in this!

I nearly cried when I tried the sports skirt on as I was so much taller than the girl who this had belonged too. The skirt was so short you could see the ugly, green, thick cotton sports pants underneath, mortified! I begged and pleaded for days but nothing was going to change her mind. It kept me awake at night, this was a major issue with me.

How can I go out onto the field looking like this in front of all the parents, teachers and pupils, I thought? I remember it was such a lovely sunny day and I had gone home for my lunch before the sports event in the afternoon as I only lived up the road. As I walked slowly back to school it suddenly hit me that I couldn't go through with it! So guess what I did? I ran! There was a park at the back of my school so I went and hid there for the afternoon.

The worst thing was, as I was sat there I heard a teacher announcing my name over the tannoy system asking me to go to the high jump event. I froze! This went on for a few minutes until they must have realised that I was a no show!

When I got home later that day, the first thing my mum asked me was 'why was the teacher calling your name over the tannoy system several times?' She had only been sat in the garden! My face said it all, but I blamed her, of course! Isn't that what all teenage girls do when something doesn't go to plan!

That experience scarred me for life! I have never worn short skirts as that image creeps into my head. It has stayed with me all of my adult life! I'm all for a good thrift and I buy from charity shops a lot but if I buy an item of clothing I always like to try before I buy!!

Do you have any times when you have felt extremely uncomfortable?

Hi I'm Rachel, a blogger, mother and sometime traveller. I am a lover of all things pretty, addicted to coffee and Apple, and I have a major in walking in high heels! My fashion inspirations are Kate Moss and Monica Bellucci.