In this post I will share with you my DIY bouquet of artificial red roses and how I put this creative arrangement together, including handy tips and tricks that I learnt along the way. A tale of a steady hand, creative eyes and lots of fun, each step on this ‘Do It Yourself’ journey… who knew faux flowers could be so enjoyable and satisfying? (Well okay, my Nan knew! lol)
Continue reading “DIY Artificial Flower Arranging Tutorial: bouquet of red roses in a cut glass rose bowl”
Words can be comforting, supportive and help validate our experiences – so I feel compelled to share my personal navigation through death and grief with my readers. May my words touch you, help you, talk to your heart, ease memories of saying goodbye and comfort your pain…
– Helen’s Journey Blog
The reality of loved ones dying is never an easy one. Yet, what about when you get to the point when you personally feel you shouldn’t be encouraging your dying loved one to keep fighting and hold on anymore? Instead, you feel in your heart it is right for them to go, it would be better for them to be out the pain or suffering or it is their wish to die. How can you express those feelings? How can you give your loved one your ‘permission’ or ‘blessing’ to let go?
I recently found myself in this situation and these questions were running through my head, as these feelings started to weigh heavy on my heart and I needed to find a way to navigate through them – which for me was writing a poem. In this blog post I am sharing the poem I wrote in my Grandad’s last few hours, but I am also writing about my experience with navigating through a loved one dying, with the aim of:
As the English Government call for 150,000 NHS ‘Volunteer Responders’ from society to support the NHS during the COVID-19 outbreak. The ‘healthier’ and more able of the volunteers can help with delivering medications, shopping, transport to/from hospital etc. However, don’t think there isn’t a role for you if you are self-isolating, part of the ‘at risk’ group or don’t drive. There is also the role of ‘check-in and chat’ volunteers, whose job is to call people on the NHS list of being ‘at risk of loneliness through isolation’.
I have already signed up to be a ‘check-in and chat’ volunteer and it was so quick and easy to do! I thought I would do a blog post to show just how easy the process was and to also spread the word to try and get more people in England to volunteer themselves, at the times that suit them individually.
The website to register to be a NHS Volunteer Responder is: https://www.goodsamapp.org/NHS and the rest of this post will show you step by step, just how this process works and the easy effort it takes to sign yourself up.
Plus at the end of the post I talk about why lonliness can be a difficulty during self isolation, especially for those that live alone. I also give you lots of ideas of things you can do to reach out to the lonely and things to help show care to others during isolation.
Continue reading “How to register to be a NHS ‘Volunteer Responder’ to support the NHS during the COVID-19 outbreak (including ‘check-in and chat’ volunteer roles to do from your own home in your own time)”
This post is to encourage everyone everywhere on these kindness awareness day’s (and every day of the year) to be KIND and it will give ideas of just how we can show kindness in the world we live in – as well as in the digital online world where kindness is needed more than ever!
“In a world where you can be anything – be kind!”
Caroline Flack RIP
Well, they do say “You learn something new every day” or as my Mom, and her Mom before her used to say: “Every day is a school day”! Today is no exception as I discovered via the enlightening world of Twitter that today 17th February is actually ‘RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY’ in the USA. I’m sure my overseas readers will forgive me though, as here in the UK we celebrate ‘World Kindness Day’ on 13th November each year as an alternative. However, regardless of when things are done in your part of the world, this relevant encouragement for kindness and ideas of how to be kind to others, is for everyone from everywhere at any time!
Continue reading “Top Ideas for how to show kindness to others through ‘Random Acts of Kindness’”
Starting off my New Year with a women’s weekend away in January, has really helped with keeping me fired up for the rest of the year ahead and all the possibilities to come. There is something powerful when women come together in a positive atmosphere and a supportive structure. If you have read my poem “WE ARE WOMEN!” all about the power of a woman and my celebratory posts on International Women’s Day & Mother’s Day – you will know already that I am all for female empowerment!
In this post I want to encourage you, as to why you should find a suitable women’s retreat or women’s event, for that all important ‘women supporting women’ vibe. I will also share with you a review of the women’s spa weekend away I attended this year and then end the post off with a list of additional sources when we can draw female empowerment from in your day to day lives.
Continue reading “How attending ‘all female’ events and retreats helps with female empowerment (plus event review of ‘Activate Your Life’ women’s spa weekend)”
I have already spoken in a previous post ‘Handy ways to get prepared for the new year ahead’ about why as a New Year begins, one of the things I choose to do instead of resolutions, is to choose myself a ‘Focus Word’ for the New Year instead. Choosing this ‘focus word’ makes you really zone in on the direction you feel you are going in or, the change of direction you wish to be going in instead!
This post will go into detail about how to choose the right ‘FOCUS WORD’ for yourself and ways in which you can then use this focus word to keep you fixed on your goals, resolutions and the path you wish to take.
Continue reading “Top Tips for choosing the right ‘FOCUS WORD’ to give you direction in the New Year ahead!”
If you read my latest ‘Chronic Illness Joke of the Week Series’ you’d know I am a big user of electric heat pads for sore and painful muscles. I have gone through soooooooooo many electric heat pads that eventually just overload from such extensive use and stop working. I can’t deny that I have murdered many over the years!
So when my Sister, @libby.artist on Instagram, and fellow chronic pain warrior saw that the supermarket Aldi were bringing in a ‘Heated Throw’ as one of their featured special deals – as you can imagine we got super excited to try this, instead of the normal electric head pads that we had become so used to.
So the very day they were arriving in our local Aldi store (24th October 2019) my Sister was right there getting one for me and one for her. We both LOVE them so much that I wanted to do a product review post to share all about them with my readers and social media followers as they have so many great selling points…
Continue reading “Aldi’s ‘Heated Throw’ Product Review of its Top Features and Functions”
Everyone loves a denim jacket right? To me it is a staple item in my wardrobe, especially in my Spring and Summer wardrobes. I just love a denim jacket as a lighter jacket alternative esp on a cool evening, when no coat would be a bit cold and a full jacket would be too warm. Denim jackets to me bridge that gap perfectly. So it’s no wonder when I visit Charity Shops and Thrift Stores, that the denim jackets always catch my eye. Let me share with you these bargain second-hand denim jacket finds I couldn’t resist…
Continue reading “My Bargain Denim Jacket’s from Charity Thrift Shops, to support Sustainable Fashion Choices”
‘Fast Fashion’ is a fast growing problem in the world today, as lots of people throw away clothes into landfill even though it may still be wearable – to plenty of others if not to them anymore. That is why I’ve always been a supporter of ‘charity shops’ what we call our second hand shops here in the UK (and I always visit ‘thrift stores’ the US version of charity shops when I visit the States too).
So I want to share with you my ‘top finds’ this month while shopping in lots of second hand shops, esp because if you have read my post #SecondHandSeptember Challenge not to buy any brand new clothes for 30 days, to help encourage ‘Sustainable Fashion’ in a ‘Fast Fashion’ world you will know about the pledge I took with Oxfam to only buy second hand clothes for the 30 days of September. If not, here is what ‘Second Hand September’ is all about:
Continue reading “My top thrifty charity shop finds, as I take part in #SecondHandSeptember pledge to only buy second hand clothes to support ‘Sustainable Fashion’ awareness”
As the title of this blog gives away, today is my Nan & Grandad’s Wedding Anniversary, so close to celebrating 70 years together but unfortunately she died 11 weeks ago now. However, this post is one of celebration, reflection and appreciation and of love not of loss.
What a blessing it is in life to find love, marry, have children and stay together to watch your children have children and then some of your grandchildren have children! 💞 Yet, I ponder, do some people take this chance in life for granted as if love, marriage and actually staying married, is a guaranteed part of life?
cONTINUE READING
Each year on 8th March is International Women’s Day – the official website explain it “is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.” So to celebrate I’m sharing with you a poem I wrote about the power of a woman and a post giving you a dose of female empowerment that can encourage you any day of the year!
continue reading this dose of female empowerment“See the privilege that exists not only with gender or the country of residence, but with race and ethnicity even between the same gender in the same country!”
– Helen’s Journey point of thought
All about World Book Day!
Today marks ‘World Book Day’ here in the United Kingdom & Ireland, as we celebrate it each year on the first Thursday of March. It is a day to celebrate all things books – reading, authors, illustrators, book characters, etc. With the aim of encouraging more children to discover more books and the joy and pleasure that can come along with reading.
Primary schools in the UK have a fancy dress policy on World Book Day where all staff dress up in fancy dress as book characters and the children also come into school dressed up as book characters too. I personally feel this dressing up element, also invites children into some of the imaginary worlds that these stories create for these characters to live in.
Read more about world book day & let me know if you like my costumes
February: a month for LOVE not only Valentine’s Day romantic love for couples only, but other types of love for singles too!
– Helen’s Journey Blog
February can be a tough month if you are single, simply because Valentine’s Day seems to make everything around us this month seem to be about love, romance and relationships.
However, this post is to reassure singles that February can be a month of love for us too! Learn about the four Greek words for the different types of love we can have in life, as well as me sharing my strategies and advice for being single. Let this post change your perspective from lonely, to loved!
When looking ahead, I like to do things that will get my mind focused on the future. I still want to carry with me the lessons learnt from the past, but in order to then go forward, being clear on my goals and my intentions for the year ahead.
If you’ve read my post Be ORGANISED & FOCUSED in life, with these TOP 3 ITEMS to keep you on track! you would know I use a few different items such as a diary, journal and calendar, in order to keep myself prepared and organised in a practical way.
However, below is a list of other things I do at the dawn of each new year instead of traditional resolutions, to get myself focused and ready for the future:
However, whatever time of the year you are reading this, you can start to implement these things to help you get focused in life. In this post I will go on to explain just how I do each of these future focusing exercises and why. With the aim of inspiring you to do the same no matter your circumstance – if you are a business executive, stay at home parent or a chronic illness warrior. We all need a direction, plan, vision, goal and dream to work towards and focus on!
Continue reading “Handy ways to get prepared, focused and be ready for all that’s ahead in the future: Focus Words, Goal Setting & Promises to yourself!”“Wave goodbye to the past but take with you it’s lessons. Say hello to the present with focus and determination for all that’s to come in the future…”
– Helen’s Journey Blog
When it came to choosing a costume for the latest fancy dress party I attended, I decided to choose an English favourite; Mary Poppins!
Even you are unfortunate enough not to know who Mary Poppins is, click here for all the info about the movie off IMDb. Growing up I loved the original Disney movie ‘Mary Poppins’ and I wasn’t disappointed with the recent sequel either ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ as it was another wonderful play on imagination and creativity. But let us get back to my DIY tutorial guide for my Mary Poppins fancy dress costume… Continue reading “‘Mary Poppins’ Fancy Dress Costume D.I.Y Tutorial Guide”
There are so many gift ideas out there, sometimes you can feel confused and lost as to what to get your friends and loved ones for their birthday, Christmas, Valentines Day or any occasion when you get them a gift. Well here is a break down of some lovely gift ideas that will show your loved ones that they were chose from the heart. Let me also share with you a list of gifts I had for my Birthday this year, that helped to made it so full of love and effort…
Continue reading “Touching Gift Ideas for your Loved Ones”
Have you seen the hashtag floating around on social media #shorthairdontcare ?
Well, this was always my reality, as I’ve almost always had short hair, even as a child as I made washing my hair such an ordeal as I hated getting water in my eyes (mix of eczema, sensitive eyes and being a diva) and disliked getting my hair brushed too! I think it was just easier for my mom to let me have the shorter hair I wanted.
Yet for the past 3 years, as I’ve been growing my hair an extra 12 inches in length, for a charity donation my hashtag became #longhairdontcare instead, as I grew my hair the longest it has EVER been in my whole 34 years of life at the time.
Only now, with ‘the big charity chop’ being two weeks away, my reality has now become the opposite of that hashtag. As now it’s more like #longhaircozicare
I know my Mom will have some difficulty working that out so here it is ‘un-hashtagged’ (I know that isn’t a proper word Mom, but maybe it should be a modern addition 😉) “long hair coz I care” – Let me explain…
The power of words! Everyone loves a good quote, right?
Well, I must say I’ve rather enjoyed taking part in a ‘‘3 Day Quote Challenge’ with choosing a new quote to share each day and explaining my reasons for choosing it. I love to have fun with words, I love sharing and I love encouraging others – the perfect challenge for me! 😉
As today 22nd April is ‘World Earth Day’Â I felt it appropriate to choose a quote from ‘Mr all things nature’ himself, Sir David Attenborough:
Continue reading “David Attenborough Quote to encourage people to look after the planet”
This post is for the ‘3 Day Quote Challenge’ This is Day 2 of sharing a quote to live by and the reasons why I chose it.
So just what is the ‘3 Day Quote Challenge’? I hear you ask… well it’s when each day you choose a quote to share and explain your reasons for choosing it – I’m always up for fun with words! 😉
So here is my quote for Day 2 and why I chose it…
Continue reading “A quote to help with difficult life changes”
I love a challenge, so being nominated to do a ‘3 Day Quote Challenge’ when each day you choose a quote to share and explain your reasons for choosing it – of course, I accepted!
Thank you to Shannon from the blog MSnubutterflies for nominating me for this challenge!
Here is my quote for Day 1:
👣 Helen's Journey 👣 