Hello hello and welcome to October! Autumn is finally here – along with a shed load of rain. The mornings and evenings are getting darker and everyone has a head cold. Pretty standard! If spring is the time for new growth and spring-cleaning, then autumn could be considered the time for shedding and having a clear out in preparation for winter. And that’s what I’ve found myself focusing on – trying to clean the clutter aka what I like to call Project Simplify {more on this later}.
How are you? How are you feeling? This past month has been a bit cray cray. Here’s a summary of what we’ve been up to – and information on how you can apply to be a tester for a new product I have in the pipelines!
Boss Mum
September was very work focused with my “little” side business really picking up {for those who don’t know I run a Clerking buisness called Pro-Clerking}. This has been both a blessing and a curse. It’s great that the work is there and being self-employed every hour {literally} counts but it also means you’re potentially working all hours – in addition to all the other “stuff” {and also working 2 full days a week in my “real” job}. The flexibility which comes with working for yourself is amazing but it is also so important to set boundaries. Which is something I definitely need to improve!
Another new normal
Covid is still {unsuprisingly} sticking around and looks like is here to stay for the autumn/winter at least. After starting to venture out with some kind of normality we’re back to having tighter restrictions and working from home. In all honestly I have no issue with this. I’m a home bird and would much rather stay home – especially at this time of year! That being said I have loved catching up with friends and family when we can and I hope we are able to continue to do so whilst keeping eachother safe.
Project Simplify
If you follow me on Instagram you’ll have seen I’ve been having a major wardrobe clear out and re-style. I turned my “junk” cupboard into a wardrobe and moved all of my clothes into our spare room which has also become my dressing room {rather than having clothes in different rooms and wardrobes}. I’ve had a big clear out and given a load of stuff to charity and posted some stuff online to sell and it’s been really freeing! I have also split my clothes into what fits and feels comfortable now and what I’d like to be able to wear again. Another project I’ve been working on is our pantry – which is now doubl ethe size {in our garage}, has matching baskets and everything is labelled – it’s made such a difference! Follow along using the hashtag #projectsimplify if you want to see/learn more about what I’m doing 🙂
New Product Development – Testers Wanted!
Sooooo I have mentioned a few times that I’ve been developing something exciting and I {finally} feel ready to share one of these with you! {Drum roll please….}
It’s no secret I LOVE stationary and have an especially soft spot for planners and organisation. With this in mind I’ve been developing a digital planner which can be used in 3 ways – as {exactly what it says} a digital planner to use on your electronic device, as a printable planner or as a physical {in your hand} planner. And not just one kind of planner, no no no, a series of blog planners, personal planners, business planners and the option of bespoke planners – I’m designing one for my Clerking business and for teachers for example. If you’re interested in being considered as a product tester simply follow this link and complete the form. Simples!
I also have some other ideas in the pipeline which I will share once they are a bit further along 🙂
On the blog
Ok so last month’s blog posts didn’t quite go to plan so I’ll be playing catch up. But you can read about our Simple {Early Autumn} Home Decor and a very spontaneous/honest post Saturday Night {Musings} / Body {Respect}.
I’ll pop up some catch up posts on money management, how to be productive when you’re feeling a but stuck as well as reflecting on my first year of running my own business plus this month you can also expect posts about autumn wardrobe essentials and October skin saviours.
I have also signed up for my amazing friend Anjali’s {from This Splendid Shambles} Personalised Pinterest Plan which I am super excited about! Using Pinterest to drive and advertise my blog and posts is something I’ve been thinking about for a while. However I’ve just not had the time to action it so when I saw Anjali was offering this course I decided to empower myself and ask for help. I’m excited to share the results with you soon 🙂 Spaces are limited so meke sure you go check it out before she’s fully booked! {You can find Anjali on Imstagram here}.
On Instagram
This past month on Instagram we’ve been talking autumnal home decor, pumpkin picking and chosing nutrition over dieting. I’ve also been sharing my new obsession over the Home Edit and their Get Organised series on Netflix – have you succombed to it yet?!
October favorites
Here are some of the things I’m loving this month:
{From top left} 1. The Home Edit – If you haven’t already come across The Home Edit check it out RIGHT NOW! Joanna and Clea are a origanisers dream! 2. Seasonal Veg – I’m definitely more of a veg than fruit person and I love what this season has to offer. Can’t wait to have a nosey around our local veg shop 🙂 3. Finding new play areas! Just like this one in the Forest of Dean! They are also building a cafe – perfect for those cold autumn mornings! 4. Pumpkins – there’s always something really lovely about visiting a pumpkin patch – I love using pumpkins {real and fake} to decorate our home and the boys will love carving their pumpkins for Halloween this year 5. Noteability App – I’ve mentioned this app before but it is currently my absolute favourite! With my iPad and Apple pencil it makes taking and edit notes and sketching out ideas and plans so easy! 6. Blankets – there is an unwritten rule in our house that you can’t sit on the sofa without a blanket. In my mind there is nothing better than snuggling up on the sofa with a hot drink and a warm blanket. Bliss.
This month’s goals / focus
This month I’m looking to create some boundaries and focus on #projectsimplify – both at home and from a health perspective. I want to start shopping locally for seasonal fruit and veg again and create boundaries with work to allow more time for both my kids and myself. I’m also really exicited to start using Pinterest more with the help of the lovely Anjali. Plus we have half term coming up and all five of us have the week off! We were thinking of going away somewhere but with so many unknowns with covid we’ve decided to wait until next year. But still to have some proper family time will be so lovely.
Don’t forget to to come over to Instagram and say hi and I hope you have a great month 🙂
Business Health and Home 