June 3: Birthday Planning Introduction

Hello again, 

Ooooo look its a post that isn't on a Sunday or a week on Instagram post yay!!!

This year marks my 18th birthday, and thus birthday party and I didn't see why I shouldn't take you all along with me during all of the planning I have been doing along with school work which is why I have been absent for a bit lately (sorry)

Anyway an introduction to all of this is probably called for.

My birthday is on a Friday so it was only fitting that my party be that Friday night.
The general theme is woodland (I've always had a theme) and I've asked everyone to dress casual and warm.

From 7pm I am having family over for a pot luck dinner. I've just asked them all to bring something savoury to share just so that it takes the weight off my shoulders in terms of making sure they all eat on top of all my baking.

The rest of the non family people are coming at 8:30pm for sweets and drinks (yay!!)

I am planning on making all of the sweets myself, so I'm in for a lot of baking over the next three weeks. It's a good thing that we have now hit the dead part of the year work wise. I've planned on making cookies and cupcakes and brownies and hedgehog slice and caramel popcorn and apple turnovers. All yummy foods. (I think I am going to do recipe posts on some of them, thoughts?!?)
I've got a whole stack of decoration plans (thank you Pinterest)so that's going to be fun testing all of them out.
I also made all of the invites and thank you cards and little food tags myself to match the theme. I think they are super cute so there will be a post on them.
I think that is every thing I am doing. Here's a little sneak peak of the invitation.

Until next time,
Liana xx

PS name that book I used for the background

Feb 1: Don't cry over spilt... pasta?!?

So the past couple of days have been really full on, but first of all Happy February!!
Yesterday was my last first day of high school which was kind of scary but really awesome at the same time. I got lost a few times on my way to new class rooms and met some new people who have just transferred to my school, one of them being this really cute guy in my english class but shh.
I've already go homework and it's only been two days including a test on Monday, yay!

But right now I'm going to get stuck into the weekend.

But the real reason this post is going up today is because from about six last night to ten thirty which is like four hours!! We had no power which made cooking so hard but luckily we have a gas stove. We had about fifteen candles lit in our house including a few in my parents new en suite. We didn't burn the house down which is a good sign.

Cooking by Candlelight

But of course the first thing I did while cooking dinner was to take a picture of my sister cooking and put it on my instagram (at)lianam216

Today was also pretty dramatic. As last night we had issue with the power this morning was really rushed and I had to go to school without makeup on, not even mascara which is something I hardly ever do.
I had to look after my baby brother to night and while I was getting my dinner ready he accidentally dropped his bowl of pasta on the ground and spilt  it everywhere. He burst into tears and stood there crying. It was heart breaking. I felt terrible and it wasn't even my fault. Me and the dog cleaned up the mess and I made him more food (toast pizza) and everything was good.
It reminded me that sometimes we get worked up over little things, when say emotions are running high or you're hungry or tired, that are really not that big which not only has it had an effect on you but also people around you without you realizing.

Until next time,
Liana xx

Jan 30: Bechdel

Today was the introduction for year 12 and by introduction I mean I had to go to school for an interview with a teacher who won't be my homeroom teacher to talk about my goals for the future and the year and to get my timetable, which they made a mistake on, and to get my locker number.
On top of that I had to be there at 8:45 to drop off my brother for his first day.

Chocolate Cake

Okay so I guess it wasn't all bad, I made a chocolate cake with my sister and her bestfriend, complete with chocolate glaze icing Yum! (pictured), as well as watching one of my favourite Drew Barrymore movie Ever After. No matter how cheesy it is, it always puts me in a good mood. There is something about a good chick flick.
Last night I was watching a Ted talk (linked) about movies and what they are teaching the children of today. Anyway in the talk he was speaking about the Bechdel Test which asks three questions assessing the female characters in a film.
1) Are there at least two women who have lines?
2) Do they speak to each other?
3) Do they talk about something other then men?
So basically two women who speak to each other about stuff. I think it's quite sad that the list of films I can come up with is very limited but I found it very fascinating. It explains it more in the video.

And dad might also have called up to ask if we were all free to go to see Chitty Bang Bang in a week, which is fantastic as I haven't seen a professional stage show in ages. I'm super-duper excited.

Until next time,
Liana xx

Jan 29: Premature aging

Today went to the chiropractor, who after ten/eleven years of dancing has become my best friend. I have so many problems with my hips and knees that it makes me feel about sixty years old.

Anyway my chiropractor was talking about what her daughter did for her 'gap year' and it sounded so much like something I would be interested in, when I got home I looked it up straight away. To the point her daughter when to the UK to be a matron at an all boys boarding school for a year starting in January. So she was earning money throughout their school year but had the freedom to travel round Europe in the school holidays. I was thinking already of starting Uni and having my gap year halfway through my 5 year course, doing the first three years then taking a gap year before finishing the next two. Even though it has nothing to do with the course I want to take, it would be an absolutely fantastic experience plus growing up in a family with four kids, my maternal instincts kicked in at an early age, I was nine when the youngest was born.
Though I'm not entirely sure I will be able to do it I think it will be right up my alley.

Until next time,
Liana xx