Tuesday 30 December 2014

Chapter 72: 2014 Is A Thing Of The Past....

Hi all,

I hope you all had a great ChristmasJ. So with the New Year looming, what are your plans?! My friends and I are planning to go away to Manchester which I can’t wait for! Now usually I’m not a fan of New Year but I am keen to ring it in and have a “fresh start” well away from 2014. 2014 has had its highs and lows for me like I’m sure it has for all of you too. I have continued with this blog and had so many views and so much support from all of you. I just want to say a massive thank you for that! Think my favourite blogs of 2014 were:




According to my page views, these were your favourite blogs too! I have to say though, these were my peaks, so I’m not sure it’s going to get much better than the above!

In terms of my personal life this year... Here are my main highlights:

  • My sister getting engaged. Ahh... this was such a happy time, right at the beginning of the year as well. I knew from 2013 that my future Brother-In Law was going to pop the question as soon as she beamed about how he had treated her to Hoar Cross Hall and a trip to Paris on Valentines weekend. All I did was give Adam one look and he mimed, “Please don’t say anything!” Literally had to be the biggest secret I kept for 4 months! Totally worth it though... I know Mammy is looking down and is so happy for her and her new ventures coming her way J xxx
  • Next would have to be getting a promotion at work. I was so happy when I got this as I've never had one before. I do love my new job and I love working for the company as it is a great place to work for.
  • Both my sisters purchased new houses in a lovely area! Although they aren’t as close as they were to us, I am so happy for them as I know their futures will be so bright being where they are now J.
  • Our family holiday to Devon was absolutely amazing back in May. Last time we went on a family holiday was before my sister had her children and we went to Florida back in 2004. Obviously there was a massive piece missing from the group.... But we know Mammy was there in spirit xxx. The kids loved it so much as there was quite a lot to do there and the beach wasn't far away. Think we will be making a yearly thing of it which will be fab! We also booked to go away in March 2015 – me, Dad, Esther & Adam are going to Arizona & Vegas! A massive holiday of all inclusive food & drink, horse riding and gambling – what more could you want?!
As for my New Years Resolution? Well... I have a few... One year me and my best friend since I was 16 made a list of things we wanted to achieve. The list was pretty big. Quite a lot of it contained things such as learning about history and politics so that we could engage in interesting conversations with our ridiculously smart lad mates who studied the likes of Theology, Philosophy, History & Law at University. Did we do those things? No. No we didn’t. We will one day though! Right, Charl? J. However I do like the idea of making a list this year. One of the big things for me is concentrating on my script writing and being proactive about getting it noticed. However, the main thing I want to do for myself: to believe in myself and to give myself more credit. All my life, I have been pretty dependent on others giving me the encouragement I need to do things for myself. My family are the people I turn to for this and they never ever fail to make me think I can do anything possible. But the thing is, I need to actually realise this for myself. I know who I am and what I’m about and what I want... However I need to take the courage of my convictions. Someone said this to me once, I won’t say who, but it has only really made sense to me this past year.

I am currently reading a book recommended by my Aunt Elise entitled, “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran. The following piece really spoke to me and made me reflect on what Joy and Sorrow really is.



Live and learn everyone. The mistakes we made this year will NOT be a thing of 2015. Believe in yourself, do the things you always say you will do and don’t let anyone or anything make you think you are less than what you are. Hold your head high and may the things that got us down before, give us strength going forward.

On that note, I’m going to leave you with one of my favourite songs of 2014:
Sigma ft. Paloma Faith - Changing.

Happy New Year everyone! May 2015 bring you all strength, love and most importantly, happiness.

Big Love.
T.x

Tuesday 23 December 2014

Chapter 71: Stressing Over What???

Christmas is a very joyous time of year for many. It’s a time for reuniting with family and friends, having a lovely meal and drinks, sharing stories and piling on the pounds without a care in the world. However, for me I really dread Christmas shopping. I used to be so organised... When I worked at The Clothes Show a few years ago, we used to get paid cash in hand for our time with the addition of £100 bonus. Was pretty cushty looking back... I literally did my Christmas shopping the next day in one go. Granted it was a stress, but I had a routine and it worked!

A few years later, I found myself unemployed. With Christmas looming all I kept thinking was, “how am I ever going to budget getting Christmas presents with the income of job seekers?” Like this wasn’t already a stressful enough time, I was searching for jobs every day and EXTREMELY actively. The stigma that comes with being unemployed always riles me up, because I have been there – twice over. It’s not a pretty experience, but only YOU know in yourself how well you are doing with your job search – no other fucker and their small minded opinions can take that away from you. If you have ever been on job seekers, you will know that you are required to apply for at least 20 jobs a week – I was searching for at least 40 jobs a day. Of course, I couldn’t fit this in my job seekers diary which needed to be filled out and checked by an officer during sign on. So it shocked me that I actually got told off by an officer for filling my book in... too much. Are you fucking kidding me? I’m DYING to get a job and you can’t be arsed to do your own and check my book because you’re too lazy? The God damn irony of the situation actually filled me with anger. Nevertheless, although I was unemployed, this was probably the only year I was stress free. I budgeted everyone I was buying for and everyone LOVED their presents. I was delighted that even though I was in a bad place personally, I was able to put a smile on my family and friends faces; this was enough to make my Christmas.

Since then, Christmas has gradually gone downhill for me and for obvious reasons. Without one of the most important people in my life, it won’t be the same for me. My mother was the one who was my rock throughout unemployment and she had such a love and zest for Christmas; without this, I really can’t be bothered with it. The Christmas before she passed I told her I really didn’t like Christmas any more. She said “WHY?!” in her fiery passionate tone. I said “Because I associate it with you falling ill.” “Patricia.” She fired back, “you HAVE to love Christmas BECAUSE I love Christmas. Do you understand?” Believe me; I’m trying to work on this.

Since being employed and having the money to not even care about a budget for presents... sometimes this can be more stressful. Like I said in a previous blog, “Mo money, mo problems.” My sister told me when I was on the minimum wage working in retail, “Trish, the more money you have, the more problems it can cause. The more money you have, the more your spend. Sometimes it’s best not to have so much money because you appreciate the smaller things in life.” The point I’m trying to make is; money can’t buy happiness. So don’t be getting stressed over Christmas shopping- even if you haven’t finished it yet. I said it last year and I’ll say it again – Christmas is about spending time with the ones you love. It’s not about lavish presents and spending loads. It’s the thought that counts. My Dad is a very talented painter and has designed his own Christmas cards this year which to me, I find is way more thoughtful than just giving one from a pack. Here's just one of his designs:



I gave one to my friend and her family and she couldn't get over that my Dad had made it. All of his designs are so beautiful, others include a glittery Robin with a holly branch and a man pushing his daughter on a sledge which is so sweet! – I’m not at all biased!

Anyways, keep positive thoughts this time of the year guys. Although it can be difficult, please embrace the time you have with the people you love J.
Festive love,

T.x

Tuesday 9 December 2014

Chapter 70: "I'm Not Feeling Cute Today..."

Arguments... they happen all the time. Sometimes we argue so much and feel so strongly about winning that we forget what the argument was actually about. I have been a victim of this many a time. Anyone who knows me, knows I'm quite a feisty person. Anyone who knows me also knows I'm as stubborn as they come. Okay, now I'm really underselling myself... Basically I think a good argument every now and then is healthy! I don't think I'm the only woman to think this though... Am I?

My sister inboxed me last week on Facebook with a video from Buzzfeed called "If Girlfriends Were Honest When Arguing." Have a look at the video for yourself. FYI: It's best to view this blog on your laptop rather than your phone as the video won't display otherwise:


I think my all time favourite of this is, "When I say it's nothing, it's literally EVERYTHING! How do you not know that?" LOL. So true though, right? It's almost textbook when a woman says that though? It's like this:

Come on guys! You must know this by now! Hehe! Jokes :). I also enjoyed, "I've been planning my argument for days now, so good luck winning. I've got a TIGHT defence."

I then had to see if there was a man's version. let's face it ladies, I think we would like to understand the male brain and how it works when we are shouting our heads off at them for no reason, right?


LOL. I'm sorry this is too much. But I can understand their frustration as well. Why on earth would we feel the need to ask men, "which of my friends do you think is hot?" I can see why men might think we are a bit mad in the head... But men... you're a bit cray too! "Why do you need that many guy friends? I mean why? Why do you need that many guy friends?"

After seeing these videos, I then stumbled across this little beauty...


If only men behaved this way when a wedding was approaching! Haha! What kind of world would we live in then? The point is, as much as we can complain about men and women, we wouldn't really have them any other way. I mean if men behaved like that in the Groomsmaid video.... well, that would just be weird right?!

Ladies & gents, would you want your partner to be honest in arguments? Or would you prefer a gender switch for a few days? Women not being bothered and men being bothered in an argument? Women not acting paranoid about which of her friends are hotter and men being late instead of women on date night? Let me know your thoughts on the back of here, contact me on Facebook or tweet me @triciabaxter.

'Til next week peeps!
Big love.
T.x

Tuesday 2 December 2014

Chapter 69: An Ode To My Everything

The past few weeks I have been writing on and off, because it has been my families Birthday's. They all fall two weeks between one another; my Dad's, Laura's then Esther's. Last Tuesday was Esther's Birthday. She woke up that morning and said, "29 and feeling fiiiine!" I love that about her, she always comes out with the funniest comments and always knows how to put a smile on my face :).  I love celebrating with them and most of all I love spoiling them. So this is just a short dedication to them and a blog of appreciation for everything they do for me. My family are the people who make me who I am today. They listen to me nag, dissolve all of my worries, shower me with love and give me all the confidence and strength I need. They have been with me at my worst... My Mammy was my angel when I was unemployed. She would have given anything for me to get a job a few years ago. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, because although I thought that was a bad time of my life, it was in fact one of the best times because I spent so much time with my family and they were some of the best times of my life.

These bad things that we only think are bad in our lives, really aren't when we think about it. It's all relative really... when something happens and we say, "I can't believe this is happening to me", there are so many more worse things that can occur in life and they happen around us every day. Bad is the person on the street who has nothing but a blanket to cover them up. Bad are the starving people in Third World Countries who would do anything for even a sip of clean water. Bad is a loved one being taken from right under your nose and nothing you do will be able to prepare you for the grief that will follow. We must take solace in the fact that we have a roof over our heads, our health and the people in our lives that we can take for granted on a daily basis - something we have all been guilty of.

So right now, I want to take the time to say... Baxter family, thank you for everything you do for me day in, day out; you really are the best people in the world. Love you all very much xxxxxx

You're with me at my worst,
You're with me at my best.
You're with me through everything,
Especially when I'm put to the test.

Through thick and through thin,
There you will always be...
You put a smile on my face,
And bring me so much glee.

No matter what life throws,
I know I can count on you.
And no matter what life throws at you,
You know I am there for you too.

So it is with a heavy heart,
That I must confess.
My dear family you really are.
Nothing but the best.

T.x.

Tuesday 18 November 2014

Chapter 68: Break The Internet?

Think you all knew what I would be discussing (ranting) about this week peeps... I have put it a couple of times on my Facebook the past few days, but I'm going to express my feeling about it on here. So here goes...

Kim Kardashian has posed full frontal for "Paper" magazine for a reported $40 million - that's a lot of doe. Maybe she really needed that money... Come on! This is Kim Kardashian we are on about here! She's been brought up from a wealthy background with a well known family (the Kardashian/Jenner clan), has her own reality TV show, a singing carre (I know, right?), a rapper husband, her own clothing range and a phone app called (wait for it) "Kim Kardashian" - original...

So basically, it started off with this (Warning: If you are queasy easily, look away):


Then is went on to this:
(Sorry I had to censor out the bum, it's ridic).

First of all, let's talk about the composition of this...Is that a bin bag? Is she standing on a cardboard box? And are those satin gloves? I don't understand? Can someone fill me in? What exactly is this this supposed to represent??? I get the champagne on her bum... That is quite hilarious and she can obviously take a joke with regards to her big derriere... But is it even real? Break The Internet? How big headed to you have to be to have that as the cover title???

I'm a massive fan of Tina Fey; I think she is an incredible writer and so she is very good at articulating situations. This is what she made of the above:


She said this three years before the photo was even taken - well said, Tina.

I'm going to leave you with this video, which I think perfectly portrays how ridiculous this photo shoot must have been. Kimmy K, don't get me wrong love... You're entertaining. But no. Just... No.



Big love,
T.x

Tuesday 11 November 2014

Chapter 67: Fad Diets & WW

Fad diets; a person’s best friend and worst enemy. Fad diets are fantastic for wanting to lose weight quickly in time for a holiday, or a special occasion. However great you think it is, it really isn’t. Let’s look at this logically... say you lose 5lbs in one week from a juice diet and then you eat normally the next week, you’re just going to pile it on more... and then some! Is it really worth starving yourself to see all your hard hours of starving yourself go to waste by piling it back on? No. No it’s not. Believe me, I’ve been there. I was going away to Egypt for a week but felt quite sluggish before, so I thought I would extreme diet for the week before; by extreme diet I mean scrambled eggs for breakfast, soup for lunch and a bowl of cereal or an omelette for dinner. I lost 5 lbs in 5 days and got to the weight I wanted. I was chuffed to say the least. At the time I felt like I was wasting away, but all I keep thinking was, ‘a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.’ What did I do when I got the airport? I have a Frankie & Benny’s pizza all to myself. What did I do when I was on holiday? Stuff my face with all inclusive food. You name it. Fish, potatoes, pizza, chicken – the lot. What happened when I got home? Along with holiday blues, I felt like a lump after and so the fad diets continued on and off for years - it's a vicious cycle!

My sister had my little Nephew last December and my other sister got engaged shortly after, so we had our minds on dropping the lbs before the big day. I didn't want to lose much, just half a stone. So my sister suggested Weight Watchers (WW), as this worked so well for her and my Mammy in the past. She lost 2 stone after her second child and the weight literally dropped off of her. So I said I would give it a go. Now, I know I’m generally quite petite, but I only wanted to lose a few pounds and what have I got to lose (excuse the pun)? The woman did warn me I would have harder fat to lose so it may take a while longer. I got to my goal weight and I was really pleased. Not only that, but the meals are so good! The system is easy if you stick to it. Each woman gets weighed and daily points are given according to this and your situation. For example, if you are breast feeding you get more daily points allowance. The standard amount is 26 points with a pro point allowance of 49 points for the week. So for example, if you stick to 26 points a day you could use your 49 points for a night out at the weekend drinking or going to a restaurant. For me I only really do it from Monday to Friday and I buy the Weight Watchers meals from the fridge and from frozen. My FAVOURITE is Red Thai Curry - SO flavoursome and a nice portion. You might think that there isn't enough in the Weight Watchers meals, but there really is. For lunch I would have one of these or two crumpets with a slither of butter.

There are a number of famous people who have used this diet and it has worked wonders for them!
Patsy Kensit.
Jennifer Hudson.
Jessica Simpson.
I tried to add Gregg Wallace in here but ironically, I couldn't fit him in! If you are looking to lose a few pounds but really don't want to deprive yourself, then this is the perfect diet. At the moment it is £10 for the first month and if you find it doesn't work, send then an email to cancel. If you don't want to go to the weigh ins, you can do it online and do your weigh ins at home! Believe me, it's worth it!

Have you been on Weight Watchers before? If so, what did you think? Are there better diets out there in your opinion? Let me know your thoughts; just contact me on the back of here, visit my Facebook page or tweet me @triciabaxter.

In the meantime, why don't you enjoy some music from our Patsy's ex: Oasis - Rock N' Roll Star.

Have a good week guys!
Big love.
T.x

Tuesday 4 November 2014

Chapter 66: 20 Things Every 20 Something Year Old Thinks...

So, the majority of you reading this are in your 20's, so you're going to know what you think already. Today I am going to put fingers to keyboard, and write about 20 things that have popped into all of our heads from time to time or on a regular basis. But I'm going to make this as fair as possible; I'm going to route for the girls and write 10 things we all think, but I'm also going to put down 10 things men think too (based on an actual male's mind, so before you have a go lads, I've done my research). SO, here goes...

Women
  1. Can I be arsed to wash my hair this morning or shall I dry shampoo?
  2. No point in shaving any part of my body today because I'm not seeing my boyfriend tonight/I haven't had any action in 10 months.
  3. Yes! I'm on my period!!
  4. Great, I'm on my period.
  5. Fuck, have I leaked?
  6. Shit, I have gone overboard on my liquid eyeliner. Now I look like a hooker. Better baby wipe a millimeter of it off so I look less hooker-fied.
  7. I wish  I could wear a sports bra every day.
  8. Is that lad going to approach or?
  9. Should I text him or do I look desperate?
  10. I need to fart... gonna have to be an inwards one cause I have company...
Men
  1. Boobs.
  2. Beer.
  3. Bacon.
  4. Football.
  5. "This time next year, I'll be hench."
  6. Fuck the queue, I'll piss on the wall.
  7. To wank or not to wank?
  8. I'm not going out ever again. Thursday: "We going out or?"
  9. "This girl liked my status... she clearly wants the D."
  10. Why does my girlfriend moan so much?
Think the above isn't accurate enough? Or maybe you have more thoughts to add? Let me know your thoughts ladies and gents. Contact me on the back of here, visit my Facebook or tweet me @triciabaxter.


Big love.
T.x

Tuesday 21 October 2014

Chapter 65: 10 Things I Hate About... Things

This week, I'm going to complain (in true Patricia Baxter fashion), about the 10 things that really bother me. Please tell me if they bother you, too!
  1. When someone sneezes and you say, "Bless you." For them to not even say, "Thank you." Okay, how about, I hope you have a fecking cold, biatch!
  1. When you say "Hello", "Good Morning" or "Goodbye" and no one responds. I'm sorry, you must have me mistaken for someone who enjoys talking to brick walls and statues.

  1. When you're sat on your chair and someone leans on it, therefore making it fall back. I'm sorry; I didn't know my chair said "lean on me when you're not f**king strong!"

  1. When you drop something in front of someone and they do nothing about it. This one time I was carrying out a cup of money at work and I dropped it right near my superior's feet. He literally looked whilst I picked it all up - nice!

  1. When you send a long letter of complaint to a company about how shit their service was and all they can offer you is a £20 voucher. Look... I'm not sure you're getting me... YOUR SERVICE WAS SHIT! WHY WOULD I WANT TO COME BACK FOR MORE?! GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK!

  1. When you put so much effort into something, e.g. redecorating your house, and you finally get visitors over for them to say, “Oh, is that a new toaster? That’s lovely.” No it’s not a new toaster, but I do have a new sofa, TV, curtains. How about you just walk back out and never come back and leave me to eat my ready meal I made you that I was going to claim I made from scratch? Cheers.

  1. When you proper go for it and sing the lyrics to a song but get one word wrong and some prick pipes up within a millisecond and says, “Er actually it’s...” Look, loser, get lost and let me get down to lyrics I think would be good for the song, okay?

  1. Chauvinists. Yeah, I bloody said it. “You women this, you women that.” When was it acceptable for this to still be... acceptable. Welcome to the 21st Century, playaaaaas.
  1. When you talk about something you have an opinion about and you are having a gentle debate and someone butts in and takes it to the next level., e.g. you are talking about how you enjoy eating Nutella from a teaspoon and how this gives you a simple enjoyment (me), and someone says, actually no that is so wrong on so many levels. Is it? Or are you just being awkward. You eat your Nutella on bread and I’ll eat mine from a spoon. Thank you, please.

  1. Being hungover. It’s true; it gets worse as you get older. Mine currently last 2 days. This is not fair. I don’t know what to do with myself? Do I eat like a pig or take the foetal position? Why can’t I just remember what happened the night before and feel happy about all the fun I had minus the sickness and headaches?
Do you agree with any of the above? Or maybe you'd like to share some of your own? Contact on the back of here, visit my Facebook or tweet me @triciabaxter. Get ready for more blog entries like today's peeps ;). In the meantime, listen to this one song my sister thought was, "Check out my manequin..."

Wu Tang Clan - Gravel Pit.

Big Love.
T.x

Tuesday 14 October 2014

Chapter 64: Winter Essentials

As we are coming into the Winter Season, I want to discuss why this is my favourite time of the year. Aside from the fact I'm a Winter baby (born 29th February AKA Leap Year, just so you know), I just love to wrap up. Especially being a woman and like every other woman, I have my own body hang ups. So this season is the perfect time for me to layer up and hide my lumps and bumps (in hopefully the most fashionable way possible). So let me go through a few things with you that I love and are a complete Winter MUST have!

  • The Snood. Whether this be a jumper or a scarf you can wrap around you more than once, this can complete literally any outfit you're planning on wearing. Maybe a tea dress and leather jacket or a maybe a t-shirt and leather skinny leggings. This item is fit for any occasion and can be found in many major high street and online fashion retailers:
New Look, £9.99
  • The Poncho. Now I know what you're thinking, this item of clothing comes back and goes away within minutes, just like the bandanna (WARNING: the bandanna is NOT a Winter essential). They're great to throw over you (even if you don't think much of your outfit that day). Once on, BOOM! You're instantly transformed and immediately cosy:
Burberry Poncho's as seen in London Fashion Week 2014, £Out of our price range.00
 
  • This one is a must for me... Recently I've seen Lauren Pope (my fashion idol) wearing some over the knew boots on Instagram. Also seen on Millie Mackintosh, these boots are literally PERFECT for any occasion (I know, I sound like Monica from Friends when she paid a months rent on boots - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrrMTogekok). Whether it be a night out or date night, these are a winter essential that are bang on trend any time, any day!

FYI: These are now available at Primark for £20 #justsayin'.
  • The Fedora Hat - me LOVES a Fedora. Perfect if you just CBA to do your hair and you instantly look cool wearing one. They go great with short hair and long hair and if you're not a hat person, it doesn't matter, the Fedora does well if you want to hide a face of shame from antics the night before also (always thinking, always dancing, me). Shove one on like Mossy always does, the woman can do no wrong, so it makes sense for you to do right also...
  • If like me you get terribly dry hands in the Winter (for me, so much to the point where they can bleed. Gross I know), you need a good hand moisturiser to relieve this. I recently tried Dermalogica as a sample from my boss on my hands and it was brilliant. Smelt gorgeous too and always keeps your nails strong.

Amazon £15.99 - expensive, but totally worth it.
  • And if you are want to lock in moisture and warmth, you need to wear gloves ladies. But not just any gloves, mitten gloves. You know, the ones where the mitten covers your fingers but if you want to use your phone or munch on a weiner at the German Market (coming to us in a month, ladies & gents), then you can pull back the mitten to create fingerless gloves.
River Island, £12.00
  • Last, but certainly not least, The Faux Fur Coat. My FAVOURITE winter item. I literally get exited putting one. But the one place I'm a sucker for buying them is eBay. I bought a short brown Topshop one 4 years ago for £25 and it still serves me well to this day. I also bought a long Leopard print one for £20 and it is so soft. Perfect for a night out and like the poncho, dresses up anything you are wearing underneath or merely enhances it.

Sorry it's been another girly one this week, fella's! But don't hesitate to tell me your Winter essentials on the back of this blog, visit my Facebook page or tweet me @triciabaxter.

In the mean time, listen to this fashion icon! David Bowie - Fashion.

Big love, readers!

T.x

Tuesday 7 October 2014

Chapter 63: Define Me! Define Me!

It seems all people do these days is share pictures with a caption or funny video. I should know, I'm one of them! But I love it. As you all know I love Instagram. It provides minimal effort of words and a picture can instantly cheer a person up! However, I have recently got into Pinterest. I have had the app for a few years, but only really got into it when I was in bed one night and I couldn't sleep. So I got bored and explored it, and before I knew it, I had about 7 boards.

7 boards is NOTHING in comparison to some of the pages of have seen. Basically, it's a great site to collate ideas for things such as interior design, cooking, beauty, art and even wedding plans! You can choose to have your profile private or not, but many celebrities are jumping on the bandwagon and even Kim Kardashian shared her wedding Pinterest board for the whole world to see!

For me pictures and videos can instantly change my mood. This could be anything though. I mean it can be a fashion photo (which would then prompt me to internet shop), someone sharing a movie photo with a caption (which would then prompt me to watch that film later) or it could be a comedian talking about something I can totally relate to. I came across a Kevin Hart comedy sketch last week and I couldn't stop laughing. I laughed so much I shared it on Facebook and watched it about 3 more times: Kevin Hart on cursing.

If you recognise my title, it's from an episode of Friends. The episode where Phoebe goes out with a Psychiatrist and he instantly defines everyone based on the things they say and do say. Like the way Chandler uses humour as a defence mechanism to mask his troubled childhood and insecurities. I feel like this is how people define themselves today though; social networking, texting, emails. It's not that people are scared to express themselves outright to people, but sometimes using pictures and videos is the best way we can. Like for instance, me writing this weekly Blog. To be honest I didn't think I would be able to keep this up for as long as I have. Quite a lot of people know I do this, but a lot of people don't really expect it of me either. Many people are shocked when I tell them, but in truth, I find this one of the best ways to express myself.

Here are a few pictures I've loved this week that best describe me:






So tell me, what best defines you in a picture? Let me know on the back of here, visit my Facebook page or Tweet me @triciabaxter.

The Who - Who Are You?

Massive Loves.
T.x

Tuesday 30 September 2014

Chapter 62: Fine.

I work in town. When I first started I caught the bus every day, but it's £4 for a Day Saver and I'm not being funny, that shit is too much to ride with people that smell. I was running late one day and was too late for the bus so I drove and parked outside my work where it cost £6 for the day. Okay it was £2 more, but at least I wasn't travelling with 70 odd people. I did this a few times and thought to myself, something's gotta give? Surely there is a cheaper car park near by... I asked people at work and quite a few paid for a space for the year but I missed my chance to do so. Then someone finally told me of a £2.10 all day car par near by. It was a little bit of a walk, but it was better than the walks I was doing to the peasant wagon. So I thought, "Score!" Finally I found a car park and didn't have to get up so early in the mornings. I did this for a few weeks and then one day,  I didn't have a 10p piece on me, only two 5p's. The machine said it accepted 5p's so I didn't think it would be a problem... until the machine spat them both out. Fuck. I've only got 6 hours on the meter... It'll have to do. So I hoped for the best and prayed that I wouldn't get a fine.

Later that day, I have a Weight Watchers meal, Shepherd's Pie. Was quite tasty actually... An hour past and what I thought was indigestion to start, was actually the beginning of a 24 hour barfathon. I was running to the toilet every 5 minutes to be sick and at one stage I even sat on the floor of the toilets for a bit because I was that exhausted from yacking so much. I HAD to go home. But how was I going to walk ALL the way to the car park without barfing? I finally grew some balls and got to walking. I had a cold bottle of water with me and took deep breathes like my Mammy always told me to do whenever I felt ill when I was wee. Anyways, all I kept thinking was, "Why the HELL did I not park out front today?" I finally made it to the car and I was that rushed to get home, I drove away. I think I was a bit dazed and confused to be honest.  I made it to Perry Barr and that was the furthest I could go. I had to pull over and be sick. Once I was finished I looked outside my window and low and behold, a massive yellow fine bag stuck to my windscreen. How the HELL did I not notice before? £25. Was only 10p! The amount of times I have paid £2.20 instead of £2.10 as well. I mean, if you think about it, I have definitely paid that back! I write and email to appeal but it didn't stand. They said they would keep it to £25 for a little while longer. However this was sent in email when I was away in Wales with barely any signal and because I don't pay a hell of a lot of attention to my emails, I now have to pay £50 - great.

My Sister & Brother-in-Law currently live in a flat where you have a designated parking space. Well my Bro went to go to football, got in his car and drove off. But then he realised he forgot something, so he parked right outside the flat, ran upstairs for 2 minutes and when he returned, he found a £60 parking ticket plastered to his windscreen. WHAT THE EFFIN' EFF?! Insane. Where was this parking attendant? Hiding in the bushes in the dark?! That's just freaky. He is going to appeal this as soon as so hopefully he will be let off.

Not sure what it is, but Parking Attendants must LOVE the power. I know it's their job but I know if that was me I wouldn't be quick enough to give one and if someone arrived just as I was giving one, I'd be like, "I'll let you off mate." I'd wanna be the good guy! I'd probably just smile like this and walk away:


I know quite a few of you have had parking fines, let's own up and share! Any funny stories? Please let me know on the back of here, on my Facebook page or Twitter at @triciabaxter :).

On top of paying our bills, fines are the LAST  things we want to face! Am I right?

Destiny's Child - Bills Bills Bills.

Much love,
T.x

Tuesday 16 September 2014

Chapter 61: Basic Instinct

Sorry fella's, this blog isn't about the raunchy film starring Sharon Stone. I want to talk about something I have recently adopted to start off my week ahead. Yesterday morning I woke up and knew I needed a kick start to my day. It physically hurt me to peel myself out of bed. After getting showered and lying back down on my bed, I started to nod off again... with a strong cup of Joe in hand an all. I knew what I had to do... I had to update the songs on my iPhone to play on the way to work. When I used to have a longer commute to work I would make time in the morning to do this, but I had an incident recently where I updated my iPhone and somehow music was pulled OFF my phone. Since then, I haven't really had the time to update it... but I WILL make the time eventually.

In the meantime I have been streaming songs from YouTube and only one person in particular could kick start my day - the one and only, Dolly Parton. None other than 9-5. Now, this is a song that used to be played constantly when I used to go on cheesey nights out to Walsall. But this NEVER gets old for me and I tell you all now, she definitely set me up for the day. I then followed this on with Jolene. No amount of covers for this song will ever compare to the original. She sounds exactly the same live as she does on record.

I think the reason why Dolly always cheers me up is because she is a very happy person herself and ALWAYS sees the brighter side in life. Just look at her at in her interview at Glastonbury this year.

The person who got me on to having 'a song' on the way to work was my sister, Laura. She told me that she has one song she listens to on the way to work to get her geared up for the rest of the day and that's Pink - Raise Your Glass. She turned on the radio one day, heard it and that was it. Pink HAD to be her song. So one day she was singing away and I mean she was BELTING it out. She has the windows down, wind blowing in her hair, sun shining and shades on:

"SO RAISE YOUR GLASS IF YOU ARE WRONG, IN ALL THE RIGHT WAYS OR THE UNDERDOOOGGG! WE WILL NEVER BE, NEVER BE..."

So as she was singing she looked in her rear window and noticed a young girl behind her also doing the same thing. Laura even reckoned she had the exact same song on because she seemed to be in keeping with what Laura was doing. Laura even thought she might be mocking her cause it was a bit uncanny. They both approached the lights next to each other, my sister looked over. The girl looked fairly young, but I think Laura tried to hear what song she had on. All of that went away when she seen the girl take a big pick up her nose and eat the snot without a care in the world. My sister immediately looked forward and I have a feeling she doesn't make the time to put Pink - Raise Your Glass on, on the way to work anymore... I'm sure she has another song though!

The reason behind today's blog title is down to this: as soon as you get up in the morning, you instinctively know what type of day your'e going to have. You're either going to be like this:


Or like this:



Now you can either choose to get up like Bette here, or do something about it to help motivate you for the rest of the day. Dolly does it for me, what does it for you? Let us know what gets you up in the morning and sets you up for the day. It doesn't have to be music, it could be a film or programme you watched the day before, it could be a breakfast you're really excited to eat or it could be someone in your life that tells you plain and simple, "I know you don't want to do today, but you gotta grow some balls and just get on with it." Contact me on the back of here, visit my Facebook page by clicking this link, or tweet me @triciabaxter with the #9-5

On that note, I'm gonna round this up with Jamie T's new single that I heard last week, but when I heard it on a Monday evening in home time traffic, it couldn't be more fitting - sing it, Jamie!

Peace.
T.x

Tuesday 9 September 2014

Chapter 60: Underneath Your Clothes...

Yeah, I'm talking about underwear. No, I'm not running out of things to talk about. In fact, this is something I have had an opinion about for quite a while. For those of you who have met me, I have always been known to have fairly large breasts for my size/frame. I'm 5'2" and I have 32E breasts. Yeah, I said it. I don't get why women are so secretive about it? Men don't ever really understand what the numbers and letters mean anyway... They think a 36A is massive. FYI, men, the number is the back size, the letter is the cup size. Moving on... I developed at quite an early age. I was about 10 years old when I had B cup breasts. Growing up I really wanted smaller boobs, but I have grown to appreciate my body in recent years. As I've said in previous blogs, everyone has a specific body hang-up. Let me tell you this ladies, whether you have small or big boobs, NEVER be hung up about them. And no men, we aren't hung up because of you. 99.9% of the time, it's about how we look in clothes. Most importantly, underwear.

UNDERWEAR, the bane of my life. Girls with smaller breasts, I envy you because of this. Don't get me wrong,  I love my breasts, but I just want to be able to wear pretty underwear at a REASONABLE price. So whenever Debenhams have a sale or promotion on the underwear department, I am there in a shot. They have the prettiest bra's for DD+. So when I get there and I see a gorgeous that:
  1. Suits my skin tone (I'm like casper).
  2. Has a pretty pattern.
  3. Does a lot for my cleavage. 
  4. Doesn't give me 4 boob syndrome - when the cup cuts into your cleavage making you look like a 4 boobed alien from outerspace with a t-shirt on.
I am all over it. "YES... They have my size!" Is what I yelp in my head after rummaging for 10 minutes without my glasses on, trying desperately to find my size. After this glorious success, I go to the matching pants. "Oh, FUCKING A!" Is what I scream in my mind when I look and see only the pants are left to match. Now, don't get me wrong. The pants are also pretty, I have NOTHING against the pants... for other girls. Unfortunately for me, these hips don't lie. No. I need either a thong for jeans, or french knickers for dresses. I can NOT have pants that show:
  1. 4 bum - when the VPL digs into your ass, making you have 4 bum - the aftermath of The Human Centipede when the people stitched together finally get separated).
  2. 4 hip - when the top seam of the pants dig into your hips, making you have 4 hips. Similar to that of a stacking toy game you got as a kid:

Yeah the above image, best represents me in pants.

Bravissimo... Let's talk bravissimo. Smaller boobed ladies, be grateful you don't have to pay the below prices for a pretty underwear set:


Yeah, that's JUST the bra... See below for bottom prices, entitled "Accessories":


Yeah... the word 'joke' springs to mind. A whopping total of either £62 for bra and brief or £60.50 for bra and brief... Thank God they knocked off £1.50 for less material. I just hope the bra acts block bullets in case I decide to walk through the ghetto one night.

In addition to this, we (I) have to go through the embarrassing rigmarole of slyly taking off a size 18 bikini top from a set and swapping to go with the other size 10 set for the customer service advisor to say, "Are you sure you got the sizes you want right?" "Do you want me to show you my bra size, lady? Shall I just get back in the changing room and model the bikini for you and the rest of the queue to assure you I have the right sizes?"

So although I love my boobs, it costs to make em look pretty! It's true what they say, having a nice set of underwear on underneath your clothes gives you so much confidence, you instantly feel better. So although you smaller breasted ladies may want bigger boobs, we want your pretty and affordable underwear! Although some celebrities like Kelly Brook and Katie Price have tried their hand at nice underwear for big boobs, they are only every so often released in stores (e.g. Valentines or summer for bikinis) and so are subject to availability... screw you, bitches!

Girls, I want to know your views. I shared mine, no please share yours. I want nice affordable underwear for my size available EVERYWHERE that sells underwear. It depresses me when  I see beautiful underwear in the magazines and then I see it's available at Primark, AKA, NOT FOR ME. What do you reckon? Do you like underwear as much as me? Do you care if it's matching? Are you embarrassed to shop for underwear or to ask to be measured? Please respond on her or my usual places on Facebook or tweet me @triciabaxter.

Meanwhile, listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FE194VN6c4

Embrace your bodies ladies.
T.x

Tuesday 2 September 2014

Chapter 59: When Should I Stop???

Hi everyone! Hope you're all well :). Sorry I never wrote last week, I was on my jollies in sunny Angelesey, Wales. Let me tell you know, the pictures I researched beforehand was exactly the way it was in real life. Beautiful seaside and it was such a quaint little town we stayed in. Fish & chippy and an ice cream shop right at our doorstep... just can't go wrong really can you?!

Most of our days consisted of drinking and relaxing. Now I know what you're thinking, what a hard life I must lead. But I'll tell you something, I NEEDED it! There was a fantastic fish restaurant called the Oystercatcher. It was out of this world! If you love fish, you'll love this. My Dad and Brother-in-Law had the classic Fish & Chips, whilst my sister had the Salmon with Moroccan Vegetables & Cous Cous and I had an All Fish Thai Curry - actually one of the best meals I've had in ages. So good, I went back for seconds a couple of days later:




So like I said, when you're on holidays you tend to relax. I did a bit TOO much one day. The jist of it goes, I didn't eat that day, but I drank - a lot. So much that I went to bed at 8pm and woke up the next morning at 8am. I felt a lot shame to say the least, most of all because I couldn't remember much of the events that occurred. I woke up and apologised to my family for my behaviour and of course they were sympathetic because I hadn't really ate - funny story to tell in the future I'm sure.

The point I want to make is, when do we know when to stop? I'll put my hands up and say that I have went out on nights out to get severely drunk:
  1. Because I don't like where we are going on the night out.
  2. Probably because I'm not very comfortable with the people I'm with AKA people I don't know.
  3. It's the only way I can dance.
I have had a few incidences in the past where I have fallen out with friends over nights out where I have been too drunk or someone else has been too drunk. But we can't tell others to stop and we certainly can't tell ourselves when we have had one too many. If we have the control to lose weight and put down the pies, why don't we have the control to put down the drink? Granted you can say drink creates chemicals in the brain that makes you want more, but again, you can say that about chocolate.

The thing is, we can say every week, "I'm never going to drink again." But that's like me saying, "I'm never going to be in a mood again." If you know me well, you know I'm moody 95% of the time. It's completely unrealistic for me NOT to be moody. The same goes for me saying I will never eat chocolate again - COMPLETELY unrealistic. One thing's for sure though, I'll never end up like this:


I'd love to know your drunken stories. Sharing is caring people and there's no need to be shy... after all, this is the 21st Century and we live in a drunken culture. Just contact me on the back of here, Facebook or tweet me @triciabaxter.

Here's a song that was prominent to me in Uni - the start of the drinking days: Asher Roth - I Love College.

Peace.
T.x

Tuesday 19 August 2014

Chapter 58: Paradise Isn't Too Far Away...

This week I'm going to talk about... Holidays at home! Every year people talk about going abroad on their holidays. They want all inclusive, constant cocktail slurping, water park splashing, sun tanning fun. When I was in Year 7/8 I was super self conscious, but even more so after the summer holidays. Because I have red hair and freckles, it's pretty hard for me to tan. The closest I ever got to a tan was when I accidentally slept on the sun lounger in Salou when I was 13 and got prickly heat all over my back. Even then I was gutted, cause it was hardly a body part I could show off. No, my nice massive warm blazer at school wasn't irritating AT ALL after that.

Last weekend I had the privilege of being invited to a wedding in the Lake District. I'd never been before, but I'd heard great things. Whenever I thought of it before, I thought it would be a nice place of relaxation and beautiful sites... a chilled out place to get away from every day stresses. And believe me, it was just that. I was invited as my best friend's guest and she was doing the hair and beauty for the bride and bridesmaids.We arrived on the Friday and as soon as we hit the country side it was incredibly picturesque. We arrived at our location and from the moment I seen it, I gasped in shock. "Is this where we're staying?" "Yeah Trish" said my friend. It was out of this world. A Manor House right on the Lake with beautiful hillsides, sheep, a barn - basically it was the definition of breathe taking. Here was the view from our room:



Pretty amazing, huh? Views aside, the weekend was so lovely and Katie and I felt so honoured to be a part of the weekend and we just want to say a massive congratulations to Mr & Mrs Henley! Wishing them all the love and happiness in the world xxx.

These views just go to show that you don't have to travel far to feel like you're a million miles from home. Let's face it, I love Birmingham, but it's great to get away every once in a while to take a break from reality. My family and I will be off to Anglesey in Wales for the week and I just can't wait! I have also heard so many great things about this place, but mainly that it is the ultimate location to chill out. We are renting out a house on the beach for the week, complete with a hot tub, loads of DVD's and a pub nearby! If the views look like the picture's I have researched I will definitely be returning to Birmingham feeling relaxed and refreshed:



As you know I went to Paignton, Cornwall with my family last May and it was just fantastic. It was for a long weekend but I wish we were there longer! There was so much to do like going to the beach, the Zoo, there were Crazy Golf and Go Karting sites near by, but also it was the perfect place to take the kids and the cottage where we stayed was dog friendly so that was a bonus for us because it meant we could bring little Penny (our Lancashire Healer, she's a beaut. She'll be coming to Anglesey as well). The cottage was super homely so if you felt like just chilling out for the day, the cottage was the perfect place to have a lounge and relax. I took quite a few photos from this holiday, but here are a few from the beach I took on the first and second day:





I'm hoping these pictures will help you all see that you don't need to go too far to have a good time away from home. It's good to plan ahead, because then you always have something to look forward to! If these pictures weren't enough, check out the old Holidays at Home 2012 advert. Yes it's old, but the point is clear!

On that note I'll leave you with this.

Toodle pip.
T. x