So, Christmas is officially less than a month away, I repeat - less. than. a. month. And, if I'm totally honest, I have no idea how that happened! With only a couple of weeks of the semester left and exams just around the corner, there is plenty of work I should be doing and, as always, trying to find a balance between university, work and enjoying the festivities is something of an eternal struggle! But, as I always try to focus on the positives, I've found that the busier my life becomes, the more there is to be grateful for so here are some of the things that have been making me smile this week.
Toast. I really don't think there are many things in life better than toast, it's one of those simple pleasures that I don't think I'll ever get bored of. As the weather has been getting colder, I've been finding myself enjoying a lot of tea and toast and while, as a food blogger, I do enjoy experimenting with more exciting foods, I just don't think you can beat a hot cuppa and a few slices of toast.
Essay feedback. I was so relieved to get the feedback for my first piece of uni work for the year this week. I'm the kind of person who can't seem to stop thinking about essays and exams until I know exactly how I've done (I often end up dreaming about my results - crazy, I know). So by the time feedback comes around, I'm usually just desperate for some closure, regardless of how well I've done. But I was actually really pleased with my grade for this essay and, as I often seem to do better in exams than coursework, I'm feeling a little more confident about my January exam.
Enjoying the last of autumn. It seriously wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I seem to have blinked and missed autumn. The season seems to be flying by and with December just around the corner, I'm trying to enjoy every last bit of my favourite season. Although the weather definitely feels a lot more wintery and most of the trees are bare, Jay and I managed to enjoy the colours of autumn on a beautiful, albeit freezing, walk this weekend.
Pret breakfasts. After weeks of thinking and talking about Christmas shopping, I finally managed to make a dent in my list this week. But as it was Black Friday this week, I thought it would be sensible to fuel up in Pret before taking on the crowds. So I treated myself to an acai bowl, green juice and, for balance, a coconut hot chocolate and it was the perfect pre-shopping fuel!
Bullet journals. I am what I would describe as a notebook hoarder, over the years I have purchased (and often not used) an insane number of journals, but since I started bullet journalling back in August, I've actually been putting my journals to some good use. So, although I was predominantly focused on Christmas shopping for other people this weekend, I literally could not resist the rose zodiac bullet journal I found in Anthropologie. I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to use the journal for yet but I'm sure I'll find a good use for this beautiful little notebook.
Advent calendars. As it's the last week of November, I thought this weekend was a good time to pick up my Moo Free vegan advent calendar. I'm pretty confident that you can never be too old for a chocolate advent calendar because, really, who doesn't want chocolate for breakfast?!
Love Actually. Now that Christmas is less than one month away, I am shamelessly embracing the Christmas spirit - no holding back. So, to ease into the festivities, Jay and I decided to enjoy our Saturday night takeaway in front of Love Actually. Although we started off with a mildly festive film, I'm sure we'll be on to Elf in no time!
Have you been enjoying any festivities yet or are you waiting until December to get excited?