First of all, WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED? Why is my Christmas tree borderline dead and why do I feel like I should be shamed for enjoying a selection box of an evening? Christmas is over, everyone keeps hashtagging ‘New Year New Me’, and there’s no George Michael in the world. I don’t want to be here.

In a bid to welcome new beginnings (and to distract from my grief over Gorgeous George) I thought I would write my first ‘personal’ post if you like, full of good thoughts and goals for the year. I don’t believe in setting resolutions, mainly because I never EVER stick to them and why should you live your life set against some ‘rules’ which you made purely because it was expected of you? Nine times out of ten, they are never truly realistic, especially when you quite enjoy your unhealthy lifestyle which involves the weekly consumption of McDonald’s as you witness the £30 gym membership disappear from your bank account.

For me, I’m not bothered about celebrating the New Year, 2017 was welcomed with a cup of tea in bed as me and my boyfriend sat discussing the aftermath of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows part 2 (he had never seen it, the oddball). So whilst I sound like a boring, miserable maybe slightly bitter old lady, the next few paras might shock you as I reveal how content I am about starting the New Year. In 2016 I made some massive steps (such as quitting my job) and some smaller, easier ones like making more time for friends, my family and eating doughnuts. I eventually stopped caring about what I ‘should’ be doing and started living by the means of ‘everything happens for a reason’ and ‘life is too short’. Though I would never admit to it, 2016 has made me excited about starting 2017 and slayin it too:

My Best Friend is getting married (the first of many friend’s weddings to come):

Despite the  endless jokes about Ryan Gosling being our only true love (and a KitKat Chunky), my best friend from school has actually found the Noah to her Allie. More excitingly I am going to be a bridesmaid, the last time this happened I was six and I witnessed my cousin wet herself from nerves so I’m hoping for better things. Being a bridesmaid also means I’ll be involved in the Hen Party plans which pleases my game loving, super controlling, Monica-from-friends-with-a-walkie talkie-alter ego.

I can’t wait to embarrassingly sob as she (well, we technically) walks down the aisle and joins the ‘you’re officially a grown up’ club.

I will continue eating cake as a hobby

Last year meant some exciting things for the blog – I got to partner with one of the most iconic baking brands and see a bunch of lovely people bake my own recipes. This year, my goal is to continue posting content (without putting any additional pressure on myself), stretch my creativity and keep telling jokes – sorry. There really is nothing more comforting and heartwarming than knowing that other people understand your shameful food puns and baking rambles.

One negative which comes with running your own blog is the feeling of underachievement when accidentally comparing yourself to others, mainly those who have started after you. I am going to write this here, now, so I can revisit this whenever I start to feel a little low. We should not define ourselves or others by how many followers they may have on social media and we certainly shouldn’t compare our own successes against others. Everyone is different, everyone has their own voice and you just have to believe in yours. If you don’t, why should anyone else?

I will continue to chase the career I want

When I started baking, it was a major stress relief from a career I was no longer enjoying. The job was office based, advertised as 9-5 hours but really you were expected to be switched on at 7am when the emails started flooding in on your mobile up until 7pm when you were eating dinner at your desk. I was also living in London (unbelievable when you considered my almost 3 hour round commute) and I was desperately missing home. After four years of a career which I stepped into straight out of University I took a massive leap of faith and quit my job, left my flat and moved back to the country.

I am now in childcare and whilst kids can cause a grown adult to cry in a dark room at times and most nights involve washing spaghetti, play dough or vomit out of my hair, I still have no regrets. I am now looking forward to the next stage of my life which involves the almighty and somewhat crumbling education system. Wish me luck pals!

Sign me up to a book club

A great passion of mine is reading and I lost this a bit last year amidst the piles of BBC Good Food issues and occasional Look magazines which kept me sane during the children’s nap times. As we move to a digital era, I have set a goal to pick up a paperback or two each month, rediscover some greats (hellooooo Mr Darcy) and enjoy some me time. I recently picked up a copy of Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber which I studied during my A-Level English literature days. It’s a book I loved at school though after reading it again, I should probably be worried. Some of the stories are a little….folk tale meets Fifty Shades. I can certainly understand why it appealed to the ever curious mind of a 17 year old.

I’m also in LOVE with the Clothbound Penguin Classic editions, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Sense and Sensibility and Dracula (to name a few) are too pretty for words.

Soooo, that’s me! In a small, 969 word nutshell. There are many other goals I have for the year, like travelling outside of Europe, take my god damn Theory Test, allow myself that coffee and a muffin treat on a Saturday, reduce monthly cushion buying etc. but the above are the motivators for a good year. I hope you’re looking forward to the next 12 months too!

Nic x