Saturday Shout Out – Crushed Caramel

12th Oct 201911th Oct 2019 | Suzi Stamp

Today’s Saturday Shout Out goes to Mel of the blog Crushed Caramel!

I sent Mel a few questions about her blog which she has answered with so much information that I am going to share the full questions and answers with you all!

1)What is your blog name?

CRUSHED CARAMEL (LEARNER AT LOVE)

Caramel is me! Melody Finch (writing name, not real name – my blog is anonymous).

2) How long have you been running this blog?

I think we published a few posts all on the same day in April 2017. But it was at the start of May 2017, when I started to give a little attention to blogging every day. I realized that seemed the way to do it.

3) What is your blog about?

Well…it is generally a light-hearted, almost entertaining, accounts from my personal life. Some stories are from the past, others the present. I think perhaps 75% of my content has a personal touch to it. It is deliberately light-hearted and easy-going on the whole because I wanted to write about a few challenges I had (thus the name CRUSHED Caramel), but I didn’t want people to dread seeing my posts because they thought I was just moaning and groaning all the time. This year, I have tried a bit harder with attempting poetry (my weak point I am afraid) and fiction. There are some short stories on my site and I have almost completed my first long fictional project. I am tempted to have it published – you like a book – but I have no idea how to do that, so I might be asking fellow bloggers for advice. We will see! Oh and also…I co-hosted THE GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE-OFF with two fantastic bloggers in March 2019, and we are all keen to do it again in 2020. It was so much fun!!!

4) What are your favourite blog posts you have written?

Well, right at the very top is a poem I wrote 20 years ago. It means a lot to me and it is by far the most “liked” post on my site. I am glad about that because it is very special to me:

River

These are some of my personal favourites amongst my other posts:

5) What is a fun fact about you/your blog?

I am a karaoke queen! Come out for a night with me and you will see a side of me that it is hard to capture through blogging! What is fun about my blog? It just is fun!!! It is full of life, music; colour – it’s a carnival! The best thing about it is the other bloggers who pop a comment at the end of a post. I have had some really “fun” chats with other bloggers, who I love interacting with. I think most would agree, that is why we love blogging – we do have great fun with other bloggers.

6) Where else can we find you on the internet?

You can not find me anywhere else! I don’t do any other social media. WordPress blogging does not feel like the others. I think in general most of the WordPress bloggers seem more responsible about the way they use their blogs. Many put a lot of effort in to creating beautiful posts, with great fiction or informative articles on subjects they are passionate about. You don’t see too many being belligerent and lashing out at others. It happens occasionally, I know, but on the whole, there is a supportive friendly community spirit. It’s an international, multi-cultural scene and it’s something I would hope remains positive and friendly.

As you can see from Mel’s answers, her blog is full of fun, positivity and some brilliant blog posts to boot! please pop over to say Hi to Mel and also read some of her fab posts!

Blogtober 12th

12th Oct 201912th Oct 2019 | Suzi Stamp

Its the 12th of October which means it is also the twelfth day of Blogtober! Today I am answering my questions based on 11th October.

What made me feel enthusiastic today?

I had an e-mail in work today about a design competition that is being run which really made me feel enthusiastic as it is something that I would love to partake in. I love designing and have already got a few ideas of what I could do for my entry.

What drained me of energy?

My mental health hasn’t been particularly good for the past few days but today it felt pretty bad and I spent a lot of time battling negative thoughts, you know the kind – the ones that tell you that you aren’t pretty enough, clever enough, popular and all the rest. I know that on a normal day, most people get these thoughts and can brush them off but, today was just a never-ending battle and it was just so tiring.

What did I learn about myself today?

I learned that despite the battles inside my head there are moments of calm and sometimes, to get through the tough days I have to hold on to those moments of calm and breathe through the bad stuff. That, and sleep really can be a cure at times.

Blogtober 11th

11th Oct 201910th Oct 2019 | Suzi Stamp

Its the 11th of October which means it is also the eleventh day of Blogtober! Today I am answering my questions based on 10th October.

What made me feel enthusiastic today?

Getting up this morning the rain was absolutely hammering down but I felt really enthusiastic about getting up and getting ready to start my day. I think this was helped by today’s outfit choice of wet look leggings, red tunic jumper dress and floral Dr Marten boots, cosy, comfy and totally work appropriate!

What drained me of energy?

I stayed in work until just gone 6pm which in itself was good and I managed to get a load of things done that would have been hanging around until next week if I hadn’t stayed late but what drained me and made me feel totally lacking in energy was how dark it was when I left work. Just a few short weeks ago it was still proper daylight at that time of the evening but it was dusk, with a dirty grey sky overhead that was full of rain.

What did I learn about myself today?

I learned that having the right outfit choice for the morning can have a really positive effect on my day and because I chose an outfit that I love and that I feel good in while also being comfy and warm I felt pretty good all day.

Blogtober 10th

10th Oct 201910th Oct 2019 | Suzi Stamp

Its the 10th of October which means it is also the tenth day of Blogtober! Today I am answering my questions based on 9th October.

What made me feel enthusiastic today?

Painting a wall in my spare room after work today made me feel enthusiastic. It is a job that I have been wanting to do for so long and was not really sure of the colour I wanted having ummed and ahhed over having it a lilac colour or something brighter. When moving furniture the other day I found some leftover paint from when I moved in and have decided to use some of the pink paint I used in my living room. The colour goes so well with the bedding I use in that room. I will also be adding a few pops of lime green paint once I have given the wall a second coat of pink paint.

What drained me of energy?

Working out the times for putting food in the oven drained me of energy, some things needed half an hour, others needed 12-15 mins and other things needed 8 minutes but I really could not work out when to put things in so that they were all ready at the same time. Luckily, my friend was here and he did all the calculations for me. It’s not that I am bad at maths, I’m just super useless when it comes to times!

What did I learn about myself today?

I learned that by doing something that I enjoy (painting and decorating) it can give me the energy to complete other things I don’t enjoy so much and not just that but I seemed to enjoy those things a bit more than normal too…laundry and dishwashing I’m looking at you!

Top 10 Comfort Foods

10th Oct 201910th Oct 2019 | Suzi Stamp

Copy of TOP 10 THURSDAY - PHOTOS(5)

As the weather starts to become more autumnal, colder and a lot rainier, with darker nights and mornings, I start to crave comfort foods more. Todays Top 10 Thursday is a list of my favourite comfort foods.

Jacket Potatoes
Beans on toast
Chips
Soup
Pasta
Pizza
Rhubarb Crumble
Custard
Apple Pie
Strudel

What are some of your favourite comfort foods? I’d love to know so leave me a comment!

Blogtober 9th

9th Oct 20198th Oct 2019 | Suzi Stamp

Its the 9th of October which means it is also the ninth day of Blogtober! Today I am answering my questions based on 8th October.

What made me feel enthusiastic today?

I’ve been thinking of having a re-jig around of my home office space but, until today I wasn’t sure how all of the furniture would fit in the space together. In work, I finally had an “Ah-ha” moment and figured how I wanted the space to be. I felt enthusiastic to get home and see if my plans would work!

What drained me of energy?

Funnily enough, moving furniture around was also my downfall and has drained me of energy. My shoulder is still really painful and I think I should probably have left moving furniture to another day. I also underestimated the time it would take to move things around too…

What did I learn about myself today?

Sometimes the best plans can be made but should be sat on until a day when I have not done a full day in work. Patience, as they say, is a virtue…a lesson learned the hard way today.

Words On Wednesday

9th Oct 20198th Oct 2019 | Suzi Stamp

Wednesday (3)

Google informed me that it is Mental Health Week in America this week which coincides with my Words On Wednesday post where I wanted to talk about my mental health as I feel like I haven’t done an update in ages.

I’m still taking my Sertraline which the Dr prescribed to me over a year ago now. My current dosage is 150mgs though I am currently wondering whether I should go back to the Dr for a review as I’m not sure that the dosage I am taking is enough or if the Sertraline is still the best medication for me.

I’ve been having sleep issues, again, recently, from hardly sleeping one day to sleeping nearly the full day away the next and I’m feeling constantly tired. I’ve been putting this down to my shoulder pain but I’m starting to worry that it could be a dip in my mental health.

I do get more tired as the season’s change, the dull days and damp weather affect my mood quite a bit normally, so perhaps this is not something to worry about too much but maybe a visit to the dr would be a good idea.

I’m pretty lucky that I have close friends and family who I can talk to about how I’m feeling and that they check up on me regularly but I do urge you to pay attention to friends and family and to chat with them about how they are really feeling, especially as the weather changes. So many people are affected by SAD and having a friend to speak with can help tremendously.

Blogtober 8th

8th Oct 20197th Oct 2019 | Suzi Stamp

Its the 8th of October which means it is the eighth day of Blogtober! Today I am answering my questions based on 7th October.

What made me feel enthusiastic today?

I have a few ideas that have been bouncing around in my head for some time and today I decided to see if they would work. So far so good and I’m happy with the results!

What drained me of energy?

My physio appointment really drained me. I was really anxious before I went because, although I know the hospital, I was really unsure of where I needed to go. I worried that I would be late for my appointment and then worried about what the appointment would entail. I had to move my arm around and the physio assessed it, then I had to lay face down while my back was worked on (pressure was applied to my spine in several places and it clicked a ton of times). I then got sent to have an X-ray and have to go back next week.

What did I learn about myself today?

Sometimes, I really need to trust myself and worry less, I had a vague idea of where I needed to go and living 5 minutes from the hospital meant that I wouldn’t be late unless I left the house late.

How is everyone’s Blogtober going? I will be attempting to collate a list of Blogtober participants to share shortly, so please let me know (and leave me a link to your blog) in the comments!