Autumn/Winter Bucket List

Recently I have had loads of ideas of things that I would love to do over the next few months, I thought it would be fun to write them all down and then once I have completed one of the ideas, post pictures and accounts of what happened so that I have all of my memories of the end of this year in 1 place! I have no idea how successful any of these ideas will be and to be honest, if many of them will actaully happen however my I am going to do everything possible to make sure every idea, is completed between now and February!

1. Build a snowman- so what it won't be able to talk like Olaf, but surely its worth a try?!
2. Have a hot chocolate best friend date- cream, marshmallows, flake, the lot.. it HAS to be done
3. Have a Christmas movie day- whether this happens in October, December or February it doesn't matter, it is bound to happen at least once, if not 10 times!
4. Make Katie's Birthday pressies look incredible
5. Wear a Christmas jumper
6. Carve a pumpkin- I've never carved a pumpkin before in my life and I feel as if i am missing out on something by not doing this!
7. Own my first Yankee candle- from all the Yankee candles I've ever smelt, the sweeter Christmas ones are my favourite so what better time to purchase a Yankee candle than near Christmas
8. Wear a full autumnal outfit and photograph it
9. Wear autumnal nail varnish and not let my nails snap for at least a month- wearing autumnal nail polish is the easy part, not letting my nails snap for at least a month is near on impossible!
10. Invest in more collared tops in order to wear the collared top and jumper look more regularly
11. Buy winter Pyjamas- whether they  autumnal, wintery or Christmasy I could not care, although I don't really need any encouragement for buying pyjamas but oh well!
12. Watch a firework display- I find that it is the best way in order to enjoy the autumn and winter months, the cold evenings, and the hot chocolates! Plus I can get away with wearing jumpers!
13. Toast marshmallows- Perfect at a bonfire night or fireworks display, plus the fire makes you even cosier!
14. Go on an afternoon walk and take photos of the autumn leaves- its one of my favourite seasons so what better way to remember it than by photographing it!
15. Read at least 3 books by Christmas- I am the slowest reader known to mankind so I really want to push myself to read more often and more books
16. Go Christmas decoration shopping
17. Wrap all of the Christmas presents to match, involving a colour scheme.. Holly sad, never!!!
18. Try to go to winter wonderland- All the thrills of Christmas in one place, as if I'm not going to deny the opportunity to go
19. Try a mince pie- yes I'm sad, yes I've never tried a mince pie but that will change, I promise
20. have a Disney movie day- a day under the covers watching feel good films and pretending I'm a princess- perfect!!!
21. have a general movie and tv day because we all need these from time to time.
22. bake Christmas treats- such as cookies, cakes, mince pies, just about anything goes!
23. visit a garden center near Christmas- its such a festive location and I haven't been to a garden centre near Christmas sine I was around 7 so I really really really want to go to one this year.
24. watch a Christmas light display- if this doesn't get me in the mood for Christmas, what will?!
25. jump into a pile of leaves- because a. its fun. b. it means I have an excuse to look like and idiot and c. I can't remember my final point.
26. make toffee apples, I've never tried one but they look sooo yummy that it seems a compulsory autumn/ winter activity to try!
27. eat soup- just because i can,

So here are just a few of my ideas, let me know what you would like to do between now and february and i may try them out too!

Lots of love

Little Mad One xo

Mums Birthday Flowers

Beautiful flowers for a beautiful and incredible lady.. Love you mumma xo

Holiday 2014

 So this is me at my most favourite place in the whole entire world! Disney World Florida, I went for the first time this summer and lets just say Disney world is better than any boyfriend could ever be! Disney World, for me anyway, was better than chocolate fudge cake- and that is saying something! So for 2 weeks at the end of July, I became a 4 year old and it was incredible! So I thought I would share a few pictures with you all....

So here are a few of my pictures from my time in Disney World, this is seriously not meant as a bragging post, it is simply me sharing something I loved with others. If anybody else has Disney experiences or pictures, I would love to here or see them!

Lots of Love

The Little Mad One xo

How to choose A-levels or GCSEs(etc etc etc ..

So I have been studying my a-levels for 4 months now, and I know that isn't a great deal of time, however I am aware that so many people are choosing A-Levels and GCSEs at the moment and are finding it hard to pick subjects because they feel their whole life will depend on them.

Now first of all it isn't, please do not panic! Although they may shape your life, they aren't going to decide your whole life's plans. Most teenagers struggle to choose what to eat for lunch or what Disney film to watch, let alone what career path they want to follow for the rest of their lives.

Its normal to have some subjects that you are absolutely rubbish at (mine are things like art and PE), subjects you enjoy (mine are maths, chemistry, geography, french and performing arts) and subjects that you are naturally very good at even if you don't love them 100% of the time (mine are English, maths, french, physics, and chemistry). And personally I think its about getting the balance. At GCSE, there are the compulsory subjects that you have to take, these normally are: Maths, English Language, English Literature, Science, RE, Citizenship and PE. Which makes it slightly easier as you have to take these subjects in the first place so you don't have to choose these when picking your 4 subjects.

Now I've always been semi-smart in science so applied to take triple science, which wasn't cast as an option at our secondary school, you just applied and then took an entry exam and based on that, your year 9 classwork, homework and general behaviour, depended on if you got in or not. I was lucky enough to get in, and in terms of schooling i felt it was the best decision that I had ever made. The class was with each other for 6 science lessons a week (we had 5 anyway if we weren't in triple so it wasn't a massive difference)  , we were also in each others RE, Citizenship and PE class (yes mixed sex PE) possibly the most funny and enjoyable thing on the planet, normally involving playing dodge ball, hockey, netball (where the girls tried to teach the boys the rules but it ended up into a combination of WW2 and basketball, but it was a laugh never the less) and multiple multiple other sports. The majority of us were also in excel maths and/or excel English together which meant that combined we were near enough all together for a minimum of 15 lessons a week, and when you all got along it meant that you were laughing for the majority of 2 years. ANYWAY, sorry about the gassing, memories slightly flooded me! So if you have the opportunity or wish to take triple science then I'd recommend it.

Then you have the choice of choosing 4 other subjects (or 3 in some cases) and this is where the balance comes into place. PICK SUBJECTS YOU ENJOY!!! However you do need to be good or have some strength in the subjects too. I chose to take 2 academic subject and one double option that was more for enjoyment. So I took Geography, French and BTEC Performing Arts. Now don't get me wrong I loved BTEC, however when it came down to the coursework, there was always so much of it, i chose the course because i knew how much a stressed out in exam situations but it ended up that I was more stressed over coursework than exams, so if you really really really hate exam or don't achieve well in them then take a coursework subject, however if you work well under pressure then I would recommend taking exam based subjects.

I'd love to hear all of your thoughts on education opportunities, please let me know what subjects you are taken or have taken and any advice you have.

Lots of love

Little Mad One xo

15 Random Questions Tag…

Aloha Mes Amigos!! 

So today I have decided to upload a 15 random questions tag for you all, I hope you enjoy in and feel free to complete the tag yourself, also I have a new twitter account which is @themadlittle1 so please feel free to follow me there!

1. What’s a nickname only your family calls you?

My family call me hols mainly as my name is Holly, however I spell it Holz I also got called Magrolious - based on the name Holliusmagrolious (blame my father! :P) and also Holly Bolly.

2. What’s a weird habit of yours?
Folding up crisp packets before they get thrown in the bin!

3. Do you have any weird phobias?
FEET!

4. What’s a song you secretly love to blast & belt out when you’re alone?

She's so lovely - Scouting for Girls and stay stay stay - Taylor swift

5. What’s one of your biggest pet peeves?

Knuckle clicking

6. What’s one of your nervous habits?

When i get stressed i scribble on a piece of paper until it is completely full, and i also tap on surfaces

 7. What side of the bed do you sleep on?

The left - i normally end up diagonally across the bed in the middle of the night though!

 8. What was your first stuffed animal & it’s name?

A pig called Piggy Baxendale

9. What’s the drink you always order at Starbucks?

I've never had a Starbucks, but i live in Costa!

10. What’s the beauty rule you preach, but never actually practice?

Cleanse, tone and moisturizer

 11. Which way do you face in the shower?

Away from the shower head

12. Do you have any weird body skills?

Nope.. unless being clumsy counts :P

13. What’s your favorite comfort food that ‘bad’ but you love to eat it anyways?

M&Ms and Toffee crisps!!!

 14. What’s a phrase or exclamation you always say?

Right, okie dokie, amoug with various others that I cannot remember at this point in time!

15. Time to sleep!! What are you actually wearing?

In the summer a vest top and pj shorts and in the winter pj long bottoms and a top and socks

Thank you so much for really you lovely people, love you all lots!!

Lots of love
The Little Mad One xo

My Version of Heaven

Aloha Mes Amigos! I hope you are all super faboulousistic! So this kinda happened this evening... it may not be a lot, but its perfection to me, these 3 things make up my Sunday, especially when its cold and miserable outside! So recently I've been addicted to downton abbey, i'm watching it for the first time and i don't doubt it will be my last! This if my favourite hot water bottle and nothing beats a hot chocolate - especially when there's lots of cream and marshmallows! I hope you've all been having a lovely weekend! Let me know what you'd like me to post

Lots of love

The Little Mad One xo

This or That Beauty Tag

Aloha Mes Amigos! How are you all? So today I thought I would do the this or that beauty tag, I hope you enjoy and I would love to see your versions or your ideas on this tag! 
makeup:

• blush or bronzer - Blusher for sure, I am totally totally totally not obsessed with blusher :S

• lip gloss or lipstick - I always used to be obsessed with lip gloss and never wear lipstick but over the past few months since I've got a job, I've started buying more beauty products and doing my make up properly - used to be awful, id either look like a clown or look as if i'd been tangoed, but now i'm defiantly in love with lipstick so i'd have to say lipstick 

• eye liner or mascara - I have more eye-liners but if I were to have a day were I would only wear a little make up, i would defiantly wear mascara and probably wouldn't even consider eye liner. I think I've found a mascara that I love so I don't need to buy as many.

• foundation or concealer- as much as I love foundation I wouldn't leave the house without concealer, it is magic and my lifesaver when I have a break out.

• neutral or color eye shadow- neutral, neutral aaallllllll the way, i only tend to use one palette and it is completely neutral, i rarely wear coloured eye shadow.

• pressed or loose eye shadows- I'm not going to lie, i don't really know what this means, could someone let me know in the comment section please?! Thank you! :)

• brushes or sponges - brushes all the way, i do sometimes use a sponge for my liquid foundation but that's about it. 

nails:

• OPI or china glaze - never tried either tbh

• Long or short - I prefer reasonably long but as they aren't allowed to be painted in a dark colour they tend to break so they are reasonably short, however I never have them too short that you can;t see the white tip at all.

• Acrylic or natural - My nails have always been in reasonable condition so I've never found the need to wear acrylics that ruin my natural nails when they are nice anyway :)

• Brights or darks - brights and pastels in the summer, darks and sparkles in the winter

• Flower or no flower - i'm awful at nail art, but if I was any good then flower.

body:

• perfume or body splash - normally perfume, I own both but tend to wear perfume more

• lotion or body butter - lotion, its less thick and cakey.

• body wash or soap - body wash

• lush or other bath company - I love lush but as I work so much and have to get the bus to my local lush shop i don't really get a chance to go and when I do I always get a little over whelmed so leave without buying anything, i love there stuff so I think i just need to hang on in there and really have a good look round.

fashion:

• jeans or sweat pants - jeans, always always always

• long sleeve of short - short sleeve

• dresses or skirts- dresses, shirts always sit strangely on me and until I loose some weight I don't tend to wear them, I find dresses more flattering.

• stripes or plaid - tough one, probably stripes.. no plaid.. i have no idea!

• flip flops or sandals - sandals, i'm so clumsy I always trip up when I wear flip flops.

• scarves or hats - scarves, I have a full fringe so look slightly strange in a hat.

• studs or dangly earrings - studs, I only wear dangly earrings on special occasions, I find it hard to find dangly earrings that I like.

• necklaces or bracelets - it depends, i normally wear my Pandora but I like to wear a necklace a lot too.

• heels or flats - i'm a clumsy college student so day to day i wear flats, on special occasions I wear heels, but day to day, defiantly flats or wedges.

• cowboy boots or riding boots - I don't really wear either to be honest, I prefer ankle boots at so short.

• jacket or hoodie - jacket, i love a blazer, i wear my hoodies all the time at home, but out and about i don't tend to wear them much.

• Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe - never been to a Charlotte Russe shop so forever 21.

• Abercombie or Hollister - Hollister

• saks 5th or nordstrom - never been to either - i'm guessing they are american companies.

hair:

• curly or straight - naturally mine is straight however i normally curl it between 2 and 3 times a week.

• bun or ponytail - bun, I love pony tails, however I would like my hair to be slightly longer for a pony tail 

• bobby pins or butterfly clips - bobby pins

• hair spray or gel - hair spray

• long or short  - long, i wont be going short anytime soon that's for sure!

• light or dark - my hair is ginger so its very in between, it goes hark in the winter and light in the summer, but i would never contemplate dying it blonder whereas i would dark so i guess dark.

• side sweep bangs or full bangs - I love my full fringe!

• up or down - down normally

random:

• Rain or shine - shine
• Summer or winter - summer
• Fall or spring - fall - spring means hay fever which just means aaaaahhhh!
• Chocolate or vanilla - toughie, probably chocolate though
• East coast or west coast - not a clue!!!
• Thank you for reading mes amigos, I tag everyone that wishes to do this tag, have fun, and keep smiling!!

Pamper Evening

When stress comes along we all need a relief, my personal favourite relief is a nice calm paper session in the bath. followed but a lovely mousiterise and a paint of the nails. Now I am one for stressing like crazy so here are my tips for how to relax fully when you are feeling tired, stressed or just in need of some TLC.

 Step 1: Put on your favourite music, yes i do mean bring your iPod or laptop into the bathroom, just remember not to bring it into the bath with you- it won't end well! If you want to go super relaxing put some super calming music on, however sometimes i just go for my favourite playlist at the time.

Step 2: Run yourself a bath, remember that your bath needs to be at the optimum bath temperature for you to relax fully and for your muscles to relax, nice and hot, however not too hot that you end up burning half your body. 

Step 3: BUBBLES! bubbles a) smell amazing b) look incredible and c) are loads of fun. My favourite bubble bath is the I love Raspberry and Blackberry. It smells so lovely, and its a smell that I associate autumn and winter with as I tend to have showers in the summer rather than baths. This bubble bath makes your bath go pink first of all which is amazing too! At this stage i would also add in any extra bath products which i normally purchase from lush however i don't have any at the moment. 

Not please ignore the fish soap holder in the bath and the flannel looking a bit of a mess, I forgot to move them!

Step 4: Once you have ran your bath, light your candles, whichever ones you fancy really, try to get something that you love the smell of and that maybe ties in with the time of year, it helps you feel relaxed and for your senses to come alive! Please make sure your candles are far enough away from the bath that they won't fall in and burn you to death, I would not like for anyone to die!

The Three candles at the back that I've chosen aren't branded candles and are just from the bits and bobs shop in my local high street, so choose whatever you like and whatever smells good. The other candle is the Just Vanilla That's all Folks! candle. I love it, it smells amazing and isn't overpowering either, this is one that i found in the cupboard so i have no idea where its from however i don't think it is particularly expensive. I would really like some Yankee Candles but i just haven't had the time to go and buy any.

Step 5: Turn out the bathroom lights, only if you have enough candles lit, if you don't, then leave them on, otherwise if you get shampoo in your eyes- your screwed! 

Step 6: Get into your bath and enjoy! Use whatever products you fancy, I would love to try some more products so if you find any or have any favourites please let me know! these are mine currently:

For my face in the bath I use the Aloe Gentle Facial wash from The Body Shop, I'm meant to use it twice a day but to be honest I'm lazy and rubbish! For hair I use the Herbal Essences, Ignite my colour shampoo and their Dazzling Shine conditioner, I love them both however the shampoo isn't for my hair type so I find that after around a day and a half, my hair gets a build up of oil. If you have any suggestions of shampoos for long oily hair that don't cost £30 a bottle but smell really nice and feel like salon shampoo, please let me know :) I find this conditioner absolutely amazing! It makes my hair so silky smooth and all of my friends go on about how soft my hair is compared to all of theirs, i am aware that my hair is naturally very soft, however this conditioner defiantly helps. The only downside to this conditioner is the smell, neither my mum nor myself are massive fans of it when we apply it, however my hair always seems to smell really good once its dried if i use it. so.. who knows! For my body I am currently using two different shower gels, the first is the Lemon & Tea Tree Shower Gel by Superdrug, which is great for when you don't want to spend an arm or a leg but still want to smell great, I prefer to use this shower gel in the morning as its a more refreshing smell, so if i am having a bath in the evening to relax and unwind then i tend to use my I love Raspberry and Blackberry as its much for relaxing for an evening. I would highly recommend both of these products, and by having one for morning and one for evening, it defiantly helps me put my brain into the mindset of whether i need to wake up or if i need to relax.

And these are my top tips for a perfect bath, whatever your mood! Thanks for reading, and let me know any of your opinions or suggestions in the comments section.

Lots of Love

The Little Mad One xo

CHEESECAKE

Aloha Mes Amigos!

I'd just like to let you know, that i'm not totally and entirely mental but the title of this blog post, I promise, I can't promise that i'm not mental but I can promise that there is a purpose for this blog post being called cheesecake. 

So normally my general rule for desserts is chocolate, ice cream or nothing - with the exception of pavlova- durrr. My mum is one of the best bakers going, weather its cakes, cookies, biscuits or pies your after, she is your woman. So this evening we had company for dinner and mum had only made one desert, cheesecake, but not just any cheesecake my friend, oh no. It was chocolate cheesecake, yes the words chocolate and cheesecake were in the same sentence! So after seeing this cheesecake, i thought that I would be ever so slightly crazy if I said no. I was a little anxious about trying this cheesecake, but rest assured it was incredible, and I fell in love.

I fell in love with the smell, the taste, the texture just about everything, i mean come on, it looks amazing all sprinkled with flake right?! 

Now I am aware that it isn't brilliantly lit however i was using my phone and the flash was playing up so shush your mush! 

So the message from this little blog post is that you should try something new, whether its a new sport, new food, finding new friends, a new TV show, just about anything, even if you don't enjoy it, it doesn't matter. You only have one lifetime and therefore it is vital to live the life you have got to the absolute full and enjoy every second of it. 

Lots of love

The Little Mad One xo

Memories of 2013

When I happened to get ever so slightly excited about
seeing One Direction

Aloha Mes Amigos!! So last year had some pretty amazing memories for me, there has been a huge jump from January of 2013 to February of 2014. The start of 2013 saw me finding it slightly difficult to find myself, I was confused about who I was and who my friends were and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I was obsessed with my school work and thought that if I ever so slightly failed my GCSE's then my life would be over. I didn't realize that I spent so much time worrying and not actually putting my brain into action which therefore meant that I was stressing and struggling beyond compare. Over the first few months of 2013 I started to find myself and find out who my friends were and I started to feel as if I knew who I was. I was still working ridiculously hard but I had the support of my friends and they knew what to do when I started stressing and freaking out.

In April of 2013 my uncle managed to get me tickets to see One Direction at the O2 and it felt like the best moment of my life. I understood why I wouldn't be going and had come to terms with the idea so when my uncle got offered tickets it was the surprise of my life. He only got offered them 5 days before the concert so that meant that I had 5 days in which to teach my mum every single one direction song going. I loved it, not sure if mum did though. I felt so lucky to have the opportunity to go and see the boys perform and I loved every single minute of being there, I didn't waste a second, i mean literally, i only even went to the loo once!! (maybe that was slightly too much info)... sorry gang <3

So after going to see one direction exams started to occur and oh boy there were loads, stress started to build up to a ridiculously high level and I was struggling so much, but the last few weeks of school this year were something that i genuinely loved. So so so many incredible memories were made in those last few weeks especially those of triple science and excel maths, our class had the strongest bond i had ever seen and we all had so much respect for one another. The last day of year 11 was a special one, and just thinking back on year 11 makes me smile, the amount of friends I had gained was amazing, and I'm so close with every single one of them now.

After our exams meant only one thing, summer, 3 months to be exact, and I've never had a summer like it. I had a lot of friends who were in year 12 at the time so still in college so i met up with them most days and we would just sit, chat, have water fights and sun bathe in their free periods, they were all really new friends and it was an amazing 5 weeks or so, even if i did end up like a lobster once or twice as it was rather hot- especially for England.

All of my friends and I at prom

Then came prom, it was so posh! It was an amazing time to see everyone looking so nice and so happy together, it was amazing!

Georgia and I

Georgia, Liv, my brother and sister and I

A couple of weeks later came my birthday, my sixteenth, and we had all of my family round, it was such a nice day as the weather was so nice and everyone was in such a good mood. The best part about that day was that one of my best friends who lives in Qatar in the middle east was back in the UK so came to my birthday as a surprise, it was honestly so amazing as I've known her since i was 3 days old and we have been best friends ever since i can imagine. It was such a special feeling being back with her for a few hours, i felt like the luckiest girl in the world. This is the day that I also found out that one of my other aunts and uncles had got me tickets to see One Direction at Wembley Stadium in 2014, i honestly didn't deserve all of this.

A weeks later my friends decided it was there turn to celebrate my birthday, and then this happened, that's right gang, I hugged a giraffes bum, not the most flattering picture of me I know, but that day I went ever so slightly hyper, which is what normally happened whenever I'm around my friends. I'm sorry you all had to see this, I just felt it was a rather funny memory of mine, and thought you would all like to laugh at my own expense :) .

After the summer came a bit of a shock to my body as it meant going back to reality after being away from using my brain for so long. Starting college was one of the best and worst things, its taught me so much about working hard and about what you can achieve with hard work but its also been flippin' tiring! I have such a laugh at college but I've learnt to get the balance between work and play and its so worth it. I want to leave you all with this thought, 'Life is not about the amount of breaths you take, its about the moment that take your breath away' so remember mes amigos, enjoy life, every second of it, the good bits, the bad bits, embrace it all, and do the best you can.

Toddle oo

The Little Mad One xo

20 Things about moi

Bonjourno mes amigos - that sounds okay right?! I don't really speak Spanish, i can just about speak English to a reasonable standard as it is! So I've decided to create a blog and I predict that this may be interesting to say the least!! I thought it was a good idea to get stuff off of my chest, show off the stuff I love and maybe meet some new people, you never know!

so here are 20 things to know about me :)

1. I'm a sixteen year old studying my a-levels currently
2. I'm 5'2" -aka short
3. I'm ginger
4. I like chocolate!!!! i mean it isn't illegal nor uncommon
5. I shop when i stress
6. I get stressed superduper easily - which seriously sucks
7. I'm studying Maths, Further Maths, English Language and Chemistry currently
8. My favourite colour is purple
9. I'm so clumsy that i regularly fall over my over feet
10. I have a shoe size of 5
11. I love wearing jumpers and chunky knit clothes but i also love dresses too
12. I have one brother and one sister
13. Roast Dinner has to be my all time favourite dinner - closely followed by my mums bacon pasta bake, lasagne and spag bol!
14. I have a small love for One Direction (note the understatement)
15. I'm a sucker for a lipstick
16. I wear my Great-Grandma's engagement finger on all times
17. I'm single currently
18. I love watching youtube videos
19. Girly Rom-Coms and action films, and horror films and just about any type of films are amazing!
20. I've been to 6 different schools in my lifetime!