Stella's Crafts update and ruby fruit nails

Hey y'all,

It's been a while since I've posted about my mother's woollen creations so I thought I'd showcase her latest project.

What with the winter now on its way and the cooling temperatures the time has come to stock up on our favourite winter warmers to get us through the cold months.
Inspired by her love of floral motifs and the warm autumn colours comes these cute little crocheted slipper socks.

These are only a prototype but they have turned out beautifully. You can see the multicoloured flowers attached to the front of the sock made with a mixture of rich autumn colour to suit the season. In keeping with the foliage-inspired theme is the green ribbon strung through it to add that delicate touch. 

Speaking of winter, yesterday I bought a new nail colour from the new Maxfactor 'Glossfinity' collection. 

I kept having those moments, y'know those ones where you want something so bad you feel like you see it everywhere? Yeah, so when I couldn't find a cheaper alternative for this exact colour (ruby fruit) I caved.

The pigment is so lush, it reminds me of mulled wine which is rather fitting with Christmas on its jolly way. Glossfinity promises to give a glossy finish- which it does. I didn't even need to use a topcoat, I love it! 

my trainers are cool, right?

So I got myself up early this morning and went for another run after a decent warm-up session, (I refuse to go through the horrid leg pain similar to the one I endured over the weekend again).
I'm really trying to get in to this habit of just getting up and going for a run instead of trying to mentally motivate myself every time but, of course, it's motivation that gets things done. Apparently one can change a habit within 21 days.. Though I wonder how accurate that theory really is...
My run lasted for approximately 30 minutes (again walking and running in between) and I think I'm going at a fairly good pace. The burn in my chest wasn't as bad this time around which can only be good, I guess. I have to admit, it can be quite difficult to keep tabs on my timing and often end up approximating my running and walking time. I'm tempted to wear a watch!

Post-summer pounds... eek!

After a fairly gluttonous few weeks I've decided some fitness is in order.

I've always had issues with my diet and my weight, being overweight as a child and a teen. I have successfully managed to shed the pounds over the last few years, taking up slimming world during uni to avoid the terrible habit of eating out, as well as just generally cutting back on all the guff- though I admit this was hard during deadlines!
Lately though it's become difficult to keep up being healthy, what with moving back home and no longer in charge of the shopping so my good eating habits have somewhat dropped. I can safely say I'm so done with my gut and I've had enough of my lingering low body self-esteem. Alongside all this there's a tiny voice in the back of my head that is just screaming at me to fix up my diet and work on becoming fitter and healthier. So I want to immerse myself in running- a cheap exercise option that doesn't require the pricey gym contract (until I can afford it).

I admit, running has always been something that I've never taken that seriously, going only so often and rather sporadically.

So I'm starting out with a running routine that I'll (hopefully) do 3 times a week in order to help develop my overall fitness levels and my running ability that I got off The Runner's World Get-Started Schedule for beginners. It's an 8-week plan that is geared to help beginners build on their fitness levels, so by the end of the 8 weeks they should be able to maintain a continuous run for 30 minutes. It sounds like a suitable plan that could work for me if I put in the right amount of hard work and dedication. I've decided the only real way I'll stick to my fitness routine is by recording it and sharing it.

In fact, I went on my first run this morning with the running gear I bought a while back and my playlist.
I only managed half an hour, walking and running in between, with a painful chest pain by the end of it. I might've overdone it (because lord knows I'm terribly unfit) but I've been told this can be normal if you're out of shape?  I plan to go again on Monday morning, sticking to the Runner's World routine.

Wish me luck guys!