7 Things For October
So September went by in the blink of an eye and this morning we welcome October. As a long time, cold weather hater nearly every single year I’ve dreaded the arrival of A/W but this year feels different, I’m so excited to see the seasons change and I’m far too excited about pulling on my new knitwear. I’ve got a few things that I want to achieve this October and here are seven of them.
KNITTING
You might have seen over on my Instagram that I’ve started knitting again and I’m so happy to have picked it back up. I taught myself to knit a couple of years ago and made a couple of scarves but then at the time I was really struggling with a lot of muscular pain in my arms so had to put down the needles for a while. But I’ve picked it up with the help of We Are Knitters (not an #ad, just gifted) and it feels so wonderful to be creating something with my hands again. I find knitting one of the easiest ways to switch off when my mind is too full and busy to sit and read which is how I feel at the moment. I’m currently crafting myself a snood and then when I’m done with mine I’m going to make the dogs one each as they have a couple of coats that don’t have a high neck so a little snood would be ideal for them. If you’ve never knitted before and have no idea where to start YouTube has a plethora of videos available, it’s best if you watch them at 0.25 speed as then you can really watch the movements of the needles.
COOKING FOR THE DOGS
Since finding out that Edie is allergic to all poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, and eggs) it’s meant that I’ve had to be so incredibly careful with what we feed her. Because it turns out that it’s in the vast majority of puppy food as well as treats. There are a few treats that she can have that are pretty pricey which I don’t mind buying because obviously, I do not want her to be ill but something I’m going to start doing is baking treats for both the dogs. It’s something that has been on my to-do list for a long time but I’ve never quite got round to it. There are a plethora of recipe ideas on Pinterest for vegan dog treats that the dogs will absolutely adore and I think it’s a really lovely thing to do for your pet. I’m sure when I get round to it then I’ll document the process and share some of my favourites over on the Adventures of Josie & Edie.
TAKING MY CAMERA OUT MORE
When photography become such a big part of how I make my money I definitely stopped taking pictures for fun so much. I think that’s one of the most difficult things about your hobby becoming your job. I’m desperately trying to take my camera out on the go with me more now and this very picturesque season makes that far more inviting. I’ve not taken photographs without some sort of project or Instagram post in the back of my mind for years and I want to change that. Now I’ve got a smaller camera that I can take out with me without needing a huge bag it makes it much easier and even though I’m sure I’ll end up sharing the shots eventually it’s nice for that not to be the main focus.
shop for some new homewares
Shopping for homeware is one of my favourite things to do but something I struggle with is buying things that are actually practical and not just going to sit there looking pretty on a shelf. But there are some things that our home could certainly do with. We are hoping that work on our bathroom renovation will go ahead in the middle of the month so that means I’m going to be buying some pieces for in there but our bedroom could also do with some love. We are in serious need of upgrading our bed to a kingsize as with two whippets sleeping with us we are struggling a little for room and could do with a few more inches. As well as some new sheets as apart from a couple of new sets from House Of Fraser we are lacking in sheets that don’t show up every little paw print. Oh, and of course, there is always room for more greenery in our house, much to my boyfriend's display but since I’ve not killed a plant in a good while I think we are good to go.
TALK MORE ON INSTAGRAM
A few months ago I was finding it really difficult to share my life on Instagram, an app developed for that exact purpose but for some reason, it seemed so hard and that was all down to the pressure I was putting on myself. I constantly worried about a decline in followers (something that the majority of us are dealing with) but I was taking it so personally which is obviously easy enough to do. But the more I talk on my Instagram stories and I’m more personable the better I interact with my audience and form a bond with them which is what matters the most to me now with the platform. Growth seems absolutely impossible so nurturing the community I do have is now even more important than ever before.
AUTUMN CLEAN
We’ve probably all been inspired by Mrs Hinch on Instagram, I mean that woman's growth is absolutely crazy and she seems like such a lovely human. And even though I won’t be doing any Hinch hauls anytime soon she has inspired me to give the areas that I dread tackling a good clean. Like the washing machine rim that gets covered in Josie’s fur and the stairs haven’t been hoovered in a good month or so. When I rearranged our bedroom it gave me the chance to dust and hoover everywhere properly because even when you use any area every day it’s amazing how much dust can gather there. And even though I won’t be doing my own Hinch haul you better believe that I want a Minkeh in my life as she looks like the ultimate cleaning tool that I need in my life.
CONTINUE TO DECLUTTER
You might have noticed how utterly obsessed I am with decluttering lately and it feels so good to be slowly shifting the things out of my life that I’m no longer using. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again but I am really bad for clinging onto items that I know I probably won't wear or use but there is always that question of what if in my mind. My wardrobe is always an area that I can go through because even though I don’t stick to any rules with it I cannot abide for my rail to have items on it that are there ‘just in case’. In A/W I tend to get carried away when it comes to buying knitwear and even though I use it daily I don’t want to overload my wardrobe with 10 grey jumpers which is something I’m certainly guilty of. My beauty stash is an area I’ve made the most progress with, I passed along all the items I’d been clinging onto and things are looking far more manageable. I know everyone waxes lyrical about decluttering but it really is so refreshing and incredibly cathartic.
