Words on Wednesday

21st Aug 201920th Aug 2019 | Suzi Stamp

Wednesday (3)

On a total flip side to last week’s “Words On Wednesday” where I wrote about how I felt a bit isolated in work, today’s post is all about being included and belonging.

Since I wrote last weeks “Words on Wednesday” post I have had lots of lovely comments from fellow bloggers with suggestions and other helpful ideas and also people sharing their feelings and stories too. I began to realise, that although I don’t really feel like I fit in at work, I feel like I really belong here.

It struck me that blogging is one of the only places that we don’t get judged on how we look, our appearance, what we are currently wearing, our occupation, whether we are rich or poor, famous or not, whether we got good grades in school or whether we dropped out at the first opportunity, where we are from, our accent or dialect, the colour of our hair or skin, any medical conditions we may have, how we spend our time and all that other stuff that we get judged on in “real life”. Blogging levels the playing field in so many ways.

And because of that levelling of the playing field, and we only really can judge on what each of us writes, I have found that the blogging community is far more accepting. Since the first day I started blogging, I have never been made to feel awkward or stupid, I’ve never felt left out or singled out, I have always felt supported and able to ask advice and questions (no matter how silly they may have seemed) and I have always felt like I belong.

And that, that right there, that feeling of belonging, is what makes blogging so great. Each and every one of you have, in some way, helped me to feel like I belong. And in turn I count each of you as one of my true friends. And I really am very lucky to have you guys in my blog life! Thanks so much for supporting me and reading and all the other great things you do! 🙂

Blog Planning

20th Aug 201918th Aug 2019 | Suzi Stamp

Blog Planning

I know that we are still in August but my thoughts have been steadily heading towards 2020 and where I want to take this blog in terms of content. I have been looking at my stats and at what types of post do well and which seem to be lagging behind in terms of engagement. I have decided in 2020 that some changes will be made to my blog posting schedule.

Because I want to change the frequency of some blog topics and move other things around I have decided to start the planning of my content schedule now. By starting my planning so early on I can work out when I want to post certain things and move things around until I’m happy with them.

I am currently using Excel to work out my posting schedule. For me, Excel is the best program to use as I can cut and paste things, move things around and colour code where needed.

I have made a start on things that will happen frequently (like my Saturday Shout Out slots) and other daily/weekly features and blocked out where I will be taking part in blog challenges (April’s A-Z Challenge, Blogtober and Blogmas) and I have also put in the days that are important to me (Mental Health Awareness Day, Christmas, Easter, New Year etc) and so far I am happy with how it is all looking!

One thing I am not doing just yet are the general posts which I will work into my schedule the month before and give me leeway with what I want to feature on my blog that month.

As a blogger, I think that it is really useful to craft yourself a schedule for posting and review what works and what doesn’t from time to time. I think that by taking a look at your stats and being aware of the stats for each post can help you to keep things fresh on your blog. And by keeping things fresh you are more likely to gain new readers, engage older followers and stay enjoying your blog content from your own, writing, perspective too!

Hopefully, come the end of December or the beginning of January I will be able to share the full plans for my blog and also the new and improved blog schedule!

What plans do you have for your blog in 2020? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Weekly Roundup 11/08/19 – 17/08/19

18th Aug 201918th Aug 2019 | Suzi Stamp

Copy of WEEKLY ROUND UP BLOG(3)

Reading

This week I have been reading The Friend by Teresa Driscoll and managed to finish it by Wednesday. It took me a week to read and I have really enjoyed not only the book but generally getting back into reading in general! I have also been reading Creating A Brand Identity by Catharine Slade-Brooking which is a really interesting read for anyone who wants to create their own brand identity. I have, so far, only read the first chapter but I have gained so much from it and have so many things to think about!

Watching

This week I watched Sextuplets on Netflix which I really enjoyed! It is a film about a man who decides to trace his birth mother and in doing so, discovers that he is part of a group of sextuplets. The film was really funny and worth a watch!

Listening to

This week I have been listening to a New Age music CD called Stonehenge by Runestone. I have had this CD for years, previously owning the tape which I wore out! I find that this CD is really relaxing and the music is perfect for background music when working, eating or relaxing. I have been lighting incense and just sitting, practising mindfulness meditation which has been lovely.

Eating

It has been a week for comfort eating, though it has been too warm for jacket potatoes and hot food so I have been tucking into Marmite sandwiches which have reminded me of being little, packed lunches and school trips.

Drinking

This week I have been drinking a lot of water. I have also been enjoying freshly brewed coffe, Hot Lava Java, in work thanks to my Bodum Travel Press. I use the Travel Press for both loose tea and for ground coffee, depending on which I fancy, I add a spoon of either to the mug and put the mug back together, then in the afternoon I will fill it with hot water and let it work its magic before enjoying a hot tea or coffee!

Doing

This last week I have been working on my blog schedule for next year. I have a few things that I want to add in as well as changing a few things around so I wanted to have a play around with the schedule in advance so I can move things around and get things how I want before we hit 2020! I’m pretty pleased with how it’s turning out though I have a long way to go before I’m totally happy with it! I have also been making progress on my project and, with a few more tweaks it should be ready to launch soon, I am thinking that September may be better to launch though rather than next week!

Feeling

I’ve been feeling pretty ok this week, aside from feeling a bit isolated in work though by the end of the week I was feeling a bit better. One positive of it all is that I have got all my work done and my desk cleared each day which has been a good feeling! The other positive to come from it all is that I have taken that motivation from completing my work, bought it home and been able to continue with working on my own projects, and am even more determined than before to get my projects working to the best they can.

How has your week been? What have you been up to? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Blogger Recognition Award

16th Aug 201915th Aug 2019 | Suzi Stamp

I was gifted this award by the lovely Ami who blogs over at Undercover Superhero and am delighted that she chose me as one of her nominations, Thank you so much, Ami!!! Ami has a fab blog that is all about superheroes, living with disability and is a blog full of positivity. Please go and say Hi and have a read of her blog!

Blogger Recognition Award

There are some rules that go along with the nomination. It is by no means required to make a post if you are nominated, but here they are!

Thank the blogger(s) for nominating you and give the link to their blog!
Write a post on your site, displaying the award, that describes why you started your blog.
Write 2 pieces of advice you have for new bloggers.
Nominate (and notify!) 15 more bloggers that are awesome.

I started this blog as I had begun to miss blogging. In the past, I had a few different blogs that were very niche which I updated in a very ad-hoc manner. Because the blogs were so niche, and because of the names of the blogs I felt that I couldn’t add other topics into them and over time I just stopped blogging. I realised that I had started to miss writing and the whole blogging community, I wanted to write about my life, art and craft, DIY, fashion, tips and other things that I found interesting and so this blog was born.

In the time that I have been blogging, I have learned a few things and my 2 key pieces of advice to anyone on their blogging journey would be…

Never compare yourself to any other bloggers. I know that this can be hard when there are some brilliant bloggers around, but, if you start to compare yourself then it will not just affect you, but your writing as well. Don’t get sucked into being envious of others because of the number of followers, likes or comments that others get, and don’t be jealous of another blogger for the content or images they share. If you find that you are starting to compare yourself then see if you can learn from what you are envious of, whether it be how to take better photos, write better and more engaging content or think of ways you could improve your blog to attract more readers.
Never be afraid to try something. If you have an idea, then try it out and see what happens. You will never learn or grow if you are afraid to try new things. The worst that can happen is that the thing you try goes unnoticed and doesn’t go as planned. You can work with this and think of ways to improve on your idea. At the very worst, there is a delete button.

My Nominees…

Rory of A Guy Called Bloke

Carol Anne of Therapy Bits

Kriti ‘s Blog

Tatterhood

Sadji of Keep It Alive

Giggling Fattie

Simon of Beyond the Infinite

Ashleyleia of Mental Health @ Home

The Confusing Middle

Salted Caramel

Mel at Decor Craft Design

Beckie’s Mental Mess

Riya of World Of My Thoughts

Cyranny’s Cove

Top 10 Phone Lock Screen and Background Wallpapers

15th Aug 201914th Aug 2019 | Suzi Stamp

Copy of Copy of TOP 10 THURSDAY INSTA (1)

I love to change my phone lock screen image and background wallpaper on my phone. By changing these images it can give my phone a new feel and I really enjoy picking out images that are similar to customise my screens with. I tend to choose visually similar images which echo the elements of the other image, whether it be a shape, colour, style or character.

In today’s Top 10 I am sharing my favourite pairs of images that I have either found on Pinterest or created myself.

The first column is the images I have used for my lock screen and the second column are the background wallpaper images.

What have you got set as your lock screen and background wallpaper at the moment? Let me know in the comments!

Words On Wednesday

14th Aug 201913th Aug 2019 | Suzi Stamp

Wednesday (3)

I have Aspergers, and for the most part, living with it does not really bother me but recently I have found myself feeling a bit isolated, especially in work. Normally, I am quite happy to keep myself to myself and I actually prefer my own company or interaction with just a few select friends but recently I have been wanting to be part of the “crowd”.

With my Aspergers, I find it hard to have conversations and make friends, I never really know what to say or how to keep a conversation going, half the time my mind goes blank and there are awkward silences or I say things that are out of context, or I just feel really awkward and self-conscious. On top of that, too much interaction can leave me feeling a bit exhausted and overwhelmed and I need time to process my thoughts and feelings.

I have been having these internal conflicts in my head, I feel that I want to talk and add things to conversations but at the same time, I have no real idea of what to say or anything.

Because of this, I very rarely get involved in conversations, especially in work, and now I’m starting to feel a bit isolated. I don’t really sit near enough to anyone to just chit-chat over the computer monitors and would need to leave my desk to go and chat or have to raise my voice to be heard. I’m pretty conscious that I have work to do and don’t want to be seen walking around and chatting, nor do I want to disturb anyone by raising my voice, both are things that really irritate me about others.

I do listen when people are talking and do try to join in occasionally but sometimes I feel like I’m not being listened to which is something else that puts me off from joining in. I have been working in the same office for the past 4 years with some of my colleagues and I feel that sometimes I just don’t get included in things because I don’t get so involved and that can hurt sometimes.

A lot of my colleagues are friends outside of work and see each other regularly, go out for nights out and all sorts of other things which, for me, are too overwhelming. My anxiety, as well as my Aspergers, makes it hard for me to do these things as I am not keen on crowds or overly loud places. I struggle if I go out to hear what others are saying or concentrate on what is being said as everything seems as loud as the next noise and can all blur into one deafening roar. And I think that is partly why I don’t get asked to go places as I normally say I can’t go unless it is to somewhere that I know and that I can leave when I need to.

I know that I won’t always feel like this and that I’m really ok just going to work and doing my job and coming home again, that’s what I’m paid for, but sometimes I think it would be nice to be included in these chats that go on.

I am struggling a bit with this, and really wish I could explain to others how I feel.

Book Review – The Girls – Lisa Jewell

13th Aug 201912th Aug 2019 | Suzi Stamp

Book Review

This book was given to me by a friend after we had been talking about another Lisa Jewell book that we had both read. I settled down and read it in my lunch break in work and at home in the evenings. I finished it in just under a week.

The Girls – Lisa Jewell

You live on a picturesque communal garden square, an oasis in urban London where your children run free, in and out of other people’s houses.

You’ve known your neighbours for years and you trust them. Implicitly.

You think your children are safe.

But are they really?

Midsummer night: a thirteen-year-old girl is found unconscious in a dark corner of the garden square. What really happened to her? And who is responsible?

This book focuses on the lives of two sisters and their mother who have come to live in an area of London after actions their father made caused the family home to burn down. The father is no longer on the scene and it is just the mother and her two daughters, living in a flat that shares a common green with their neighbours. The girls make friends and the story follows them and the people they meet along the way. One night something awful happens to one of the girls and we are taken down a path to discover who could have done this horrible thing.

I loved this book from the very first page. It is written in such a way that all of the characters feel like they are hiding things and it compels you to keep reading until you find out what has happened. The youngest daughter writes letters to her sick father which add extra information to the storyline and allow the reader to understand the thoughts that she has about the situations and people that she meets.

I am a huge fan of Lisa Jewell and really don’t want to say too much about the book and spoil it for any others who want to read it. It really is a page-turner and hard to put down.

Have you read this book? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!