To the End of the Earth and Back Again

I travelled today, from Bradford to Aberdare. I took two buses, 2 trains and 1 car ride. It was very warm and very sticky. Urgh, my two favourite combinations of weather. I've come down to Wales for the week for my week off. I leave Bradford at 28degrees and end up in Aberdare at 16 degrees. Not cold, but not Bradford haha.


I finished reading The Picture of Dorian Gray. It certainly doesn't end like the modern film Dorian Gray, but it does end with a certain tragic sadness too it. I didn't realise what happened in the end especially when he doesn't realise it is going to happen. I guess that is what happens when you sell your soul to the devil.

Short post tonight because I can't think of anything eventful from my day and because I am tired. My dad and Gayle, his girlfriend, have been telling me the do's and don't's of driving, and now we're watching Traffic Cops.

It's all so Lovely

According to a little girl in my class today, who shone brighter than a little star.

I was sat in Sacrament meeting and realised I was the only Primary Teacher so after the meeting I rushed up to Elizabeth and told her I'd take the younger ones in Primary, 3-6yr olds, and what an amazing time we had.

We had sharing time as usual and Gill came in and helped Elizabeth and I out and then it was time for the lesson. I'd kept it very basic because I usually have to spend half the lesson telling them to climb down off the chairs or asking them to stop running around, not forgetting that they always seem to want to strip off their shoes followed by their socks and today wasn't going to be an exception; at least I didn't think so.

My lesson was 'I Can Do Many Things'. We were talking about what types of things we can do as a baby and what types of things the children can do now and what things they can do when they are eventually my age. I asked who wanted to say the opening prayer and Eloise offered with no help, "Dear Heavenly Father we thank you for this lovely day and we thank you for our lovely primary teacher, Grace who is lovely, we ask that everyone will be good today, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ Amen". I was like awwwww. She is a little gem.

We talked about having two fathers and I asked Eloise who her father was and she said "JONATHON!" or rather shouted it, then I asked who the father of our spirits was and she said "Heavenly Father". Then one of the other children said their daddy was in New Zealand, which is true, but I said they'd be so happy when they got to see him again. Then I passed around little pieces of paper asking all the children to do something, which got them hopping, spinning, doing cartwheels and jumping around the room. Then Ethan picked up a piece of paper that said "Hug Someone" and everyone came to hug me which was cute. Then when we were spinning around in a circle my skirt was puffing outwards and Eloise said "Grace you have a lovely skirt you look really lovely", then Hannah said "I like your skirt it looks really pretty you look really pretty today".

I clearly needed the compliments or something.

They were all little gems today, I didn't have to tell anyone off and my lesson was finished after about 20 minutes and because it was such good weather outside I got permission to take them onto the grass, but try looking after 6 crazy children, it's a bit hectic so Elizabeth had the amazing idea of going on a bear hunt around the edge of the car park, we didn't catch a bear though. It was amazing. Eloise's parents were outside as well and Eloise went running to her mum and said "Mummy, Grace said because we had been good and because she'd run out of lesson we could come outside" which was true. Bless her little golden heart.


We said the prayer outside and the children went back to their parents. As Eloise was leaving she said "Thank you Grace, you are a really lovely teacher and you look really lovely thank you". She then came to tell my mum afterwards too.

What beautiful children the world is blessed with. Yet, what a wicked world we live in.

Life's Little Surprises

I used to think I didn't like surprises because I really nosey and want to know everything but to be honest, if I didn't know it was happening then I couldn't badger someone into telling me everything so I totally think surprises should be kept a total secret. In fact, don't even tell me "I've got a surprise for you" because chances are I'll either guess myself to death until I figure it out or I'll get it out of you eventually.


Surprises, don't you just love them?
This evening Bethany and I went to ASDA to pick something up and decided that the weather is so gorgeous that we'd go through Bowling Park (usually off limits in the evening due to it being 'slightly' dangerous), and when we entered we heard music coming from the bottom fields. Me being me, I ran down the hill and stopped at the field where there was a fair! I love fairs! I couldn't go to this one though because I don't have any money but I do know there is another one in Lister Park from 2nd-10th July so I'll have money then. And I love fairs.


Then as we wandered back through the park and found the usual park apparatus, swing, slide, monkey bars (that both Bethany and I are too big for) we came across an awesome rope swing and a little trampoline that holds both mine and Bethany's weight! So we were jumping around and making videos of the rope swing. It's honestly really good exercise, we're thinking of going back tomorrow. I love little surprises and the weather is great too; always something to smile about.

My Loves - Polyvore

I'm actually in love with this website (Sorry Adam) because it is just A-MAZE-ING. It makes me look like a slight sign of fashion sense. It is a brilliant website. I think it works by bringing all the clothes from all of the shops online (or at least a lot of the shops online) and categorizes them. Then you mix and match until you find your perfect mix. Only problem with having a fashion sense matching the one on the website, I need to have a money tree that matches it! But seriously, I have an outfit that is very similar to this one, just without the green top or the gorgeous bangles.

Scroll to the bottom for more information on where to find polyvore collages.

My Loves by Gbbayb featuring a silk skirt

Lilly Pulitzer beach top
$78 - lillypulitzer.com

TopShop green tank
$12 - topshop.com

Jonathan Saunders silk skirt
$753 - net-a-porter.com

Lanvin ballet shoes
$347 - kirnazabete.com

Givenchy logo tote bag
€1.249 - jades24.com

Gold jewelry
$188 - couturecandy.com

ASOS flower jewelry
£16 - asos.com

Wet Seal woven belt
$4.99 - wetseal.com

David Yurman Fresh Essence Eau de Toilette 3.4 oz.
$85 - bloomingdales.com

Go check it out. It's www.polyvore.com

You can either sign up and create your own 'fashion collages' or you can just browse the ones other people have already put up.

The Money Tree

Oh how I bet we all wish we had one. I've got a full time wage this month and everything gets paid I still don't seem to have any money left... how does that work?

Well, the extra wage is being spent 'wisely' on hiring a van to get all my things from Cardiff to Bradford, more driving lessons and obviously giving a little extra to my mum and to my savings account and before you know it, you don't have any money left.

I tried to budget last month but note to every single woman who wants to go on a shopping spree when you get paid, don't. In fact wait until just before you get paid at the end of the month as a kind of luxury thing. Then you know what you need to buy. I've been thinking to myself this past month 'Oooh I'll buy this when I paid' and 'I'll buy that' but in the end it just goes back on things that need to paid that are more important.

Mainly, tithing, mum, dad, savings, phone, bus pass, driving lessons and finally I am going to get my phone screen fixed if I have any spare money at the end of the month. I've been saying I'll get it fixed for the last couple of months... or so.

I was going to buy materials for my skirt which my mum looked at and said would be possible to make so that sounds like it could be good fun. I might make a day trip out of it and go to Leeds Market where mum said the material would be cheapest. The only thing that worries her about the gypsy skirt is the ruffles where tier joins tier but we'll work it out. I'll show you my w.i.p :) Have a nice night lovely peoples.

(P.S. Please follow my blog or like my Facebook page)

A Pleasant Peasant Skirt

I've been trying to find a pattern everywhere for a really good long gypsy skirt. I've also tried to convice my mum into helping me with the sewing machine so I can make the skirt myself. I can use a sewing machine easily, but it'll be my first time making a skirt in a long while and plus... it's a lot of work and why not.


Mum said I didn't need any more gypsy skirts but to be honest in the Summer heat, you can never have too many and the benefits of making one yourself is that you can choose the colours and the length. I find that most the skirts I buy these days are too short, or even worse too long! Plus if I make a skirt with all my colours in it then I can't possibly moan about not having anything to wear it with. I think it'll be a July project though because of lack of funds, even after I've budgeted!


I have three long gypsy skirts, one is white with blue patterns (mostly flowers), one is like an auburn/maroon/chocolatey colour is all I can describe it as with patterned ruffles at each tier then I have a green one that goes from a turquoise green at the bottom to a mint green at the top. But I haven't seen those skirts in ages and who knows whether they'll even fit my big bum anymore! That's also the plus side of making your own... they fit you exactly. No worrying about the size or anything like that.


The amount of material I'll need for each layer won't cost me that much either! I might challenge myself to buy materials for the skirt that cost less than an actual skirt but we'll see. I really hope so. I love gypsy skirts and the way they flow and you can still wear them in winter!


This could go horribly wrong but wish me luck! Who know's I might start making them for other people if mine turns out 'okay'.

Half- Way Book Reviews

I say half way because I haven't finished reading them yet. I have two books that I am reading at the moment. One is The Picture of Dorian Gray which I've mentioned before and the other is my bathroom book. Which I'm sure you'll all agree is a definite must have. Of course my book isn't called The Bathroom Book, I'd be a little bit worried of the contents if it was. My bathroom book is called The Piano Teacher.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

It's going well. I must admit even in the book it doesn't really give a detailed explantion of how Dorian's picture has now become his soul besides an off the cut remark right after he saw the painting, but I am going to hold full judgement until I've read the whole book, but it does kind of explain why the film Dorian Gray gives a very vague answer to the question of how his soul came to be in the painting, well in the words of Oscar Wilde, it just did.


The characters are still as enchanting although further into the book you don't see Lord Harry giving Dorian some of his great wisdom and even Basil, the painter, takes to the sidelines. But, I suppose if the book had been about them then it wouldn't be called The Picture of Dorian Gray. Overall, so far the book is still fantastic. I do keep forgetting to read it on the bus to work but they aren't very long bus journeys and you need a good chapter's worth of time to really get stuck into it; maybe even two chapters worth.

The Piano Teacher

At the moment I'm a third of the way through the book and I'm slightly struggling as to see why it's called The Piano Teacher. I'm not a professional critic or anything but usually the title on the front kind of gives you an insight into the contents in the middle. I can't even remember the piano teacher's name she hasn't been mentioned in it that much! This book is set in WWII, as all the best books are, in Hong Kong. At the moment it's flitting between two time periods 1941 and 1952, the main character in both of these periods is Will Truesdale. The 1941 tale is from Will Truesdale's point of view and the 1952 period is from the piano teachers point of view but has Will in it.

The whole context and plot of the book actually reminds me of The Painted Veil; a film with Naomi Watts and Edward Norton in it. The time periods all fit too. And, the piano teachers husband in the book is involved with the government helping to sanitise the water systems in Hong Kong because of cholera; and the woman's husband in the film is actually a biological doctor of infectious diseases and works with the government to improve the water systems in the small towns and villages to stop the spreading of cholera.

Interesting, I'd say. I can never read one book at once, that'd be terribly boring.