Loving the Crap Out Of...#1

I've done a few 'Favourites' posts in the past which weren't spectacular but that's because I was trying to write what I thought a favourites post should look like based on ones I'd read on other blogs. 

That's not me and it's not my blog so from here on out, no more feeble attempts at monthly favourites. 

What I will do sometimes is a round up of things I'm 'Loving the Crap Out Of' at that particular moment in time. 

Any products mentioned below are not gifted, no brands I've mentioned have sponsored me to mention them, I'm just presently loving the crap out of the stuff below and thought I'd share it in case you love the crap out of it too! 

Mixx Audio Headphones

I'm loving the crap out of my Mermaid Mixx Audio headphones right now. I bought a marble pair for my dad (primarily for selfish reasons - I couldn't be bothered listening to the radio programme he listens to on a Saturday morning) and decided to pick myself up a pair too.  You can plug them in or go wireless and connect to a phone or device with bluetooth. Podcasts,, Music, Meditation, deterrent to chatty strangers when I'm tired - all possible. Majorly improved my morning journey to work! 

Chocolate Oatly

Can I just talk for a minute about how I'm loving the crap out of Chocolate Oatly? I enjoy Oatly in general (Orange and Mango is also the shiznit). It's tasty and super versatile. 
Heat it up for a super chocolatey hot chocolate or freeze it for a super chocolatey ice lolly - see mine above!
I've also found that pouring it over cereal is a game changer! 

Owl Backpack

Found this a few weeks ago in a shop on holiday. Couldn't tell you what the brand is, all i know is I had to have it and am presently loving the crap out of carrying my lunch and keys to work in it! 

Irregular Choice Trainers

I have quite a few pairs of Irregular Choice but this is my first pair of trainers. I love the two different designs on them and I think the floral and the polka dots go well together without being too busy! It also helps that they are super comfy! 

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Quirky Faves: Autumn 2018

The first time I typed the title of this blog I typed Summer 2017, I'm off to a great start!

I love Autumn. Nature starts charging it's batteries and takes a bit of time out to rejuvinate before bursting to life again in Spring.
That's a really healthy reminder sometimes, to take some time to recharge and not to burn out.

I'm probably rubbish as favourites posts, I think I've made two lacklustre attempts but I thought I'd give it another go, maybe seasonally. Which would work well, as I'm also terrible at having an upload schedule.

Here's some of my quirky faves this Autumn.
I'm not sponsored by any companies, authors or locations I have mentioned below.

Books

  

Yes, I am a 29 year old woman and yes there are two unicorn books in this section. I've said it before, I'll say it again, I dig unicorns.

This Summer/Autumn some of my favourite reads have been

Be More Unicorn: How to Find Your Inner Sparkle by Joanna Gray
When The Curtain Falls by Carrie Hope Fletcher 
The Little Book of Unicorns: Unicornucopia by Caitlin Doyle

You can find all of my Quirky Reads posts here

Monki Midi Skirts

I've built up a steady collection of these since I first discovered Monki last autumn.
I fall in love each time a new quirky pattern is released - I don't buy every one I see but I've been reaching into my wardrobe for these again and again. 

Shoes

Another Monki purchase, I don't normally wear mustard but when I saw these I knew they belonged on my feet.
I don't wear alot of corduroy either but I love these.
They are super comfy and they fit like they were designed for my feet.
Great for walking through crunchy leaves! Not so much on a rainy day but there are other shoes for those days! 

Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Pumpkin Spice Lattes! I don't actually like coffee and I have a dairy intolerance but thankfully this can be customised!
I discovered I enjoy lattes when I can't taste the coffee so I've been having them with soya or coconut milk and the occasional shot of caramel or vanilla.  I discovered a few weeks ago that Pumpkin Spice Latte's are amazing! Another reason for Autumn to be my favourite season!

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A Mile A Day....Or Close Enough

Hello! I've been pretty silent on my blog for a while.
My batteries have been charging.

I forget sometimes when I'm charging my devices throughout the day that my brain is the most frequently used device I own and needs the same care an attention to work at full capacity.

I'm keen to get a bit fitter than I currently am, not in an I must be skinny, I will now document my trip to the gym every day, but I do spent alot of my day sitting and I'd like to be a bit more active, and climb a few flights of stairs or a hill without needing a good 5-10 minutes to recover.

I'm going to combine my shoe diary with my attempts to get out and do some exploring on foot.   

According to the internet - and who am I to argue with the internet? - there are 2000 steps in a mile, I initially set my target at 3000 but found that I was exceeding it so I moved it to 4500.  A few days ago I managed over 18,000 but I did an uncharacterisitic amount of walking that day so I won't get too cocky!

My aim is to have more adventures an hopefully, in turn become more adventurous!

Today's Shoes 

These super comfortable beauts are Beach Athletics, I think I bought them from the Saltrock website.
If there is a day for stripey and colourful shoes - why not Tuesday?


Steps:7,152

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A (Sort Of) Introduction.

I did say in my last blog post that there would be no 

'New Year, New Me' but I have given my blog a new name so I didn't really stick to that...

You'll have gathered if you've read my blog that I like to embrace the quirky things in life, the musings and content will still come from the mind of Rachie, my name just won't be in big letters at the top. 

I mentioned in my last post I'd like to use my blog to embrace all things quirky in my life whether that's sharing my musings, talking about my adventures or sharing things I've found.
I've never really had a theme for any of my personal blogs before and I'm not certain that quirky is really a theme, but it will be the thread that stitches everything together... I hope. 

It's a Rachie Thing was an outlet that helped me to process my thoughts, continue to develop content when I had no other outlet for my creativity and develop my own voice.
I've brought over all of my existing content, even the posts I think are a bit rubbish because they are part of me.

Now that the reintroduction is out of the way, I'll make sure the next thing I post is far more interesting. 

Today's Shoes

Technically, this is not a picture of shoes.
It's my flamingo slippers from Asos!
I also took this picture two days ago but I'm wearing them again at the moment so it totally counts!
Life is far too short to not own fluffy flamingo slippers, right?

Also

Thank you to Aloha Lola Cards for designing my header image, she took a thought in my head and turned it into a reality.

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Hector and Roland's London Adventure

Roland here, we've already been formally introduced....but for those of you who don't know who I am, I'm Rachie's right foot - Roland. 

My buddy Hector (her left foot) and I are Rachie's feet, we're the guys who take her places and we usually let her do the talking, but we recently came back from London and thought about letting Rachie blog about it, but to be honest...this was our trip...we did all the walking! 

Here is just a snippet of our London Adventure with Rachie. 

Day One

                     
                         

Hector and I got up early to make sure Rachie got the 7.30am train from Glasgow to London , we broke our no peeing on a train rule because Rachie just had to have an Irn Bru and a water and finally around lunch time, we arrived in London, had lunch and made our way to the hotel.  Later on we took Rachie to Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square before making our way over to Victoria to see Wicked.  We really enjoyed Wicked because it was such a comfortable theatre and we got a nice long rest from walking, Rachie loved the performance, so a worthwhile activity for all of us!

Day Two

                         

                             
                     

On day two, we were excited to start walking around London and see some local tourist spots, we weren't quite as giddy as Rachie about it but we were still pretty excitable.

We began our day at Big Ben, Rachie was fascinated, she stepped out of the tube station and there it was....right in front of her. We walked over to the bridge to look at London Eye (we didn't go on it, Rachie's Mum doesn't love heights, and if we're truly honest, we don't love them either.)
From there, we walked to the Parliament Buildings, then Westminster Abbey then on to Buckingham Palace where Rachie got to watch the changing of the guard! We then walked to Covent Garden and then went to visit Hamley's.  After a long day with lots of walking, Rachie was knackered and we were knackered, but what a day. 

Day Three

On day three, we took Rachie to St Paul's Cathedral so she could feed the birds, tuppence a bag. We went a wander over the millennium bridge, walked past Shakespeare's Globe, walked by London Bridge,  Walked over Tower Bridge, its gorgeous! We took a rest while Rachie went on a boat tour, finishing at Greenwich and we went to Piccadilly Circus to see A Comedy About A Bank Robbery, which was pretty funny. Rachie loved it, she was absolutely knackered though, so she'd love to see it again sometime. 

Day Four

Day four was our last day, Rachie started the day grumpy because there wasn't really anything in the hotel breakfast this morning that harmonised well with her dietary requirements so we went a bonus trip back to the room where Rachie ate mint oreos.

When we did eventually venture outdoors we visited Hyde Park Corner, forgetting it was the Queen's birthday, we were surprised when the artillery came walking by for the 21 gun salute. We the walked along Regent Street and Oxford Street where Rachel bought us more shoes to keep us stylish, we took a quick walk along to the Marble Arch for Rachie's Dad and then we jumped on the Tube to visit Harrods before it was time for Rachie to head home.  Our last stop of the adventure was to Kings Cross Station to see Platform 9 and 3/4. The queue was massive and Hector and I didn't have it in us to wait in it so Rachie just took a picture and we set off on our journey home.

Hector and I might let Rachie tell you about our next adventure or we might just do it ourselves.  We haven't decided yet. 

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The Adventures of Hector and Roland: An Introduction

If you've been on my blog before, you'll know that I have a penchant for all things shoe related, but I've never introduced you to the two who make all the shoe interaction happen, the ones who do all the shoe related work....Hector and Roland. 

I decided it was time I rectified this and allowed the real stars of my shoe experiences to shine. 

Meet Hector and Roland
Yes, I'm a 27 year old woman with a minion duvet, we'll discuss that another time.

Hector, on the left already has something of a presence among my closest friends, I've spoken before of his desire to succeed in politics...standing for the important issues, as that is what feet do, they stand. He's partial to a quirky design and is willing to be adventurous in his shoe choices and enjoys being outgoing.

Fast Facts About Hector

Name: Hector McFoot
Age: 27
Occupation: Full time foot
Ambition: Politician
Interests: Current Affairs, Networking, Origami.
Shoe Size: UK 5/5.5 - US 7/7.5 - Euro 38
Fave Shoe Types: Boots, Low to Mid Heels, Unusual Designs

Roland, on the right, is somewhat more reserved. He's happy to take a back seat when Hector is in the limelight and will even write 

speeches for him. Much like me, Roland enjoys reading and writing.
 He's also partial to a quirky design but values comfort in equal measure. 

Fast Facts About Roland

Name: Roland McFoot
Age: 27
Occupation: Full time foot
Ambition: Writer
Interests: Writing, Reading, Theatre.
Shoe Size: UK 5/5.5 - US 7/7.5 - Euro 38
Fave Shoe Types: Canvas lace ups, Ankle boots, Flats.

I'll be featuring some of the their adventures, their experiences and the shoes they come into contact with on my blog if you fancy having a read.

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New Beginnings.

It's been a little while since I last put anything on my blog, reality sort of took over at some point in February and all of a sudden I looked up and it was nearly the end of April!

Although not much has changed in the last few months, in some ways, lots of things have changed for me. 

Just a few months ago, almost all of my posts were quite focused on how crappy I was feeling about struggling to find a job of any sort, let alone one that ties in with my degree, I was going for interview after interview and getting nowhere fast.  I kind of reached a stage where with every no thank you, came a metaphorical kick to the stomach or a crying session.

Then one day at the end of February - something clicked - someone said yes and in March I started a new job and one that uses my degree.  I'm loving learning all about my new role and the place I work.  I'm a much happier Rachie in that respect.  Gone is the feeling of worthlessness, the feeling of failure and in its place is a whole new sense of excitement.

I'm hoping I can take this feeling and channel it towards injecting a new lease of life into my blog.  I started it as a bit of self therapy and slowly adapted it into a bit of a hub of general Rachie-ness.  Which is fine, except somewhere in the middle it became self therapy again and got a bit heavy.  There is nothing wrong with expressing my feelings or using my blog to do so, I just don't want it to become my dumping ground for everything rubbish I feel.

So I've decided I want to set myself a bit of a schedule of fun - more book reviews, I haven't properly opened a book in a while and I'd like to change that.  

I wanna take my blog on some journeys with me and more importantly I wanna have some more journeys.  They don't have to be far traveled expeditions they just have to be new and fun. 

The other thing that's changed for me since the last time I posted is that I've aged.  Last week I had a birthday and it stirred a bit of a change in me.  I don't mean that now that I'm 27 I'm going to suddenly start changing everything about myself but its instilled a need for a little bit of confidence in me.

A few weeks ago I was mildly irked because I was in a situation where I was the youngest looking person in the room and it had a definite impact on the tone of voice and manner that people had when interacting with me.  Not in a horrible way, if anything it was encouraging and kind - but it also made me feel like I was a child.

While I still sort of thrive on the feeling that the 'proper grown ups' will look after me and make sure I'm safe, I need to recognise and remember that I'm one of them, even if at times others don't.
I don't think I'll ever be 27 going on 47, if anything I'm 27 going on 17 but I need to learn to identify the times to remember I'm a lot closer to 30 than I am to 20.

It's a work in progress. 

Today's Shoes

This is a bit of a blurry picture but these beauties were a birthday present from James.
They are Vans Slip Ons and I adore them!
Especially the purple check pattern which kinda matches my recently dyed purple hair.
I haven't worn them outta the house yet as I only got them yesterday and I'm still wearing them in but I look forward to taking them on their first excursion soon. 

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Goodbye January, Hello Rachie.

Cards on the table....I've been a bit of a misery guts for the past few weeks.  

I feel like for most of January, my personality has been somewhat switched off.

I'm not really sure why.  I don't know if the job hunt is getting me down, if I'm spending too much time indoors and on the computer.
 It might be the lack of chocolate in my diet, it could be the countless hours of reality TV my eyes have witnessed over the month of January - but what I am sure of is that I need to snap out of it.

For someone who talks a lot about being positive and looking for the sunshine, I haven't done a whole lot of it lately.  

It's possible that's down to the fact its currently winter in Scotland and the sun is currently shielded by an abundance of rain filled clouds - that doesn't actually sound too dissimilar to the description of summer in Scotland, but at least it's usually a little brighter!

January is gone, well at time of typing its the 30th so there is still a day to go, but the month is basically at an end.  

I've decided that as this month draws to a close - with the exception of times when I need to let sad feelings happen - I've used up all my moping around time for the year.

I've decided in order to kick start my 2016 kick up the bum, I am going to give myself some hopefully achievable goals.
Some to aid me in my job search, some to aid me in keeping myself chipper when not doing something application or interview related. 

• Pick up a new hobby, I have an entire box of origami cranes, bats, cats and swans - its a fun hobby, its one I can do anywhere, I once made 10 cranes while waiting to go into an interview from some post it notes in my bag - however, if I overdo the origami thing all the time, its going to get tiresome and boring for me.  I enjoy baking and making things like banana jam, but realistically I can't do those everyday or I'd be eternally full to the brim with sugar, so I need to find something else to capture my attention and pass my time. Maybe crochet, crosstich, jewelry making, I don't know yet. 
  Suggestions are welcome.

• Last year I wrote a blog post about doing One Scary Thing Every Day  and somewhere over the last few months, I've let that slide.  Maybe I felt I had gotten to a stage where my nerves weren't holding me back quite the same, I don't know but I feel its time I start embracing the mission again, whether its something small like volunteering to make dinner (I'm not exactly experienced in the kitchen), saying no to something I don't want to do rather than doing it, feeling miserable and wishing I'd said no.  James is forever telling me that controlled fear is a good thing - its usually when he's trying to convince me to go on some terrifying ride like a roller coaster or something equally scary that goes upside down but he does have a point. I can't live in the safety of my bubble 24/7 or my world will become very sheltered very quickly.
  
  
• Find one enjoyable thing to take away from each interview, whether it's knowing I did well even if I didn't get the job, if someone who works there was kind and gave me a free pen, if the someone on the panel complimented my coat (those last two actually happened on separate occasions and both were pretty cool) if I made the interview panel laugh - in a good way. 
  I need to stop coming away from these things and once I hear back feeling like it's just another thing to cross off the list of things that didn't work out. Whether or not I get the jobs I go for, I need to start treating interviews as enjoyable experiences to take something fun away from. 

• I like to write.  I need to do this more. Whether that is in blog posts, poems, letters, stories, happy lists. 
  It's a skill I have and in the career path I want to follow, its an essential one, so I need to need to keep it active. Maybe it will help me find that full time job that seems out of reach, maybe it won't. Maybe it'll help me process things better, maybe it won't but its definitely something I need to keep doing.

• Go outdoors.  Spend more time with James, spend more time with my friends - ask them to do something cheap or free while money is a concern. Take a book to the park - weather permitting, it is winter. Do things that involve leaving the house for more than the few hours a week that come with long standing routine.

Today's Shoes

Technically, these shoes are slippers.

But they are what is on my feet today and I decided for the purposes of this blog post they can be shoes as I haven't done a shoe diary post since last summer and I'd like to correct that.

These Bunny Slippers were a Christmas present and I think they came from Next, I'm not sure if they still have them but they have a cute pair of bear slippers that are pretty similar.

The cake and cat trousers came from H&M  - seeing as they are on display in the picture!

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I Don't Wanna Talk About It.

I Don't Wanna Talk About It.

I'm not really a fan of talking about feelings or something that's troubling me. I much prefer to be an ear or a shoulder for someone else and their worries, its where my comfort zone is at.

When it comes to talking about things that make me feel down or unhappy, its not really a case of bottling it up and not dealing with it, it's just that I don't always find that talking about it works for me.

I remember hearing a character called Ephram in the programme Everwood use this quote to describe overcoming grief and it's something that I like to remind myself of when something makes me feel a bit crappy.

"Like if you busted your right hand, you figure out how to use the left one. And sure, you might resist for a while because you're pissed off that you have to learn all this stuff again that nobody else does. Eventually your body takes over and figures it out for you, and your glad, because if it was up to you…you'd look at your broken hand forever and try to figure out what it was like before"

I'm not dealing with the loss of a loved one or a busted hand but I like to trust my body and my mind to look after me.  I get a bit down after interviews when I don't get the job or when there is a bit of a lull in things to apply for or a long line of no 'thank you' and it feeds into my insecurity of not feeling good enough that I've mentioned in previous blog posts.

In the grand scheme of things, this is not the biggest problem in the world, I have a roof over my head, a kind and supportive family and friends, I have some money coming in from invigilating exams and I have a kick-ass shoe collection.
I have a pretty good life, even if I'd prefer it to be just ever so slightly happier by getting past the interview stage of a job application.

Even when there is something a bit bigger or sadder going on that's getting me down, I still like to find a way to come to terms with it naturally rather than to reach out to others.

I get where my friends are coming from when they encourage me not to bottle things up and talk - they are right but just because I chose not to speak about things doesn't mean I don't process them in my own way.

I find my own therapy in writing letters to myself, nonsense blog posts, making origami birds/bats or even helping others.

What about you guys? Are you a talker or do you prefer to handle things in your own way?

Today's Shoes

Something I'm more than happy to talk about is shoes!
Today's shoes are my Disney Villian Vans which I acquired from Schuh.
This is an old picture of them as I forgot to take one today.
They combine two of my biggest loves - Shoes and Disney!

They are also super comfy!

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Simple Pass Times

A lot of the things I like doing, like eating out, buying shoes, going to the cinema, going out for the afternoon with friends (which can at times include all of the above) - all cost money, which I unfortunately don't have growing on a tree in the back garden. How cool would that be though? If you could just nip out the back and pick off a note or two when you need some pennies? I digress, moving on. 

I've been making a conscious effort over the past little while to try and enjoy some of the things I can do and see for free, not because I can't afford to spend anything but because I don't always have to be spending money on something extravagant or exciting to have a nice day.  

Most days, I can happily pass the time at home getting stuck into a book, watching films (three of which today were Disney  - whilst reading a book!) chatting nonsense with my parents or letting my imagination run away into the wilderness while I type nonsense stories and poems. There are times however, when it's good for me to remember that there is also a world outside of the security of my bedroom door. 

A few times this year, I've found myself with a little bit of time to spare while waiting for a friend to arrive in town or I've had time to spare before or after an interview and I've popped into the Gallery of Modern Art and had a gander at what the current display is or nipped downstairs to the library and either started a to read a book or made lists of books I'd like to read. 

A few days ago, I had a picnic in a local country park with my boyfriend (who shall in future blog posts, should he be referred to at all, be referred to by his name James or a variation of that as the phrase 'my boyfriend' feels icky lol), as well as enjoying the sunshine and home made tuna mayo & chive pasta, we went on one of the nature walks, taking in the hidden beauty of the forest, skimming stones across the water (Well, James skimmed stones, I watched).  We also spent time appreciating little things like how many dogs were enjoying running around the freshly cut grass (thankfully my hey fever was kept at bay lol)

and how pretty the views of various parts of the city, which seemed to stretch on forever, were. All for the price of a return train ticket, a packet of doritos and a packet of tangfastic!

Yesterday, I visited another local park with my friend Nicole and again we enjoyed taking in the greenery, the pretty fountain and learned more about our city's history in the museum - all we spent was £3.25 for a pretty large Mango Smoothie - bargain!

I sometimes forget that I don't always have to be rolling in money to get out and about, enjoy the fresh air, get some exercise and discover new and exciting things. 

I'm going to keep making a conscious effort to get outside and enjoy the simple things like parks, museums, nice views, lovely weather - that don't cost much to enjoy. 

Today's Shoes. 

Technically, I didn't have these shoes on today, I've mostly had my slippers on today, but I've worn them most of this week as the weather has been gorgeously sunny.

These are my floral print Lora Dora Canvas shoes, they were a birthday present a few weeks ago and they are so comfy! 

I'd never heard of Lora Dora before but I'd definitely wear them again!

Excuse my slightly sunburned feet haha!

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