Love, Rosie

Hello,

I've been doing a lot of pondering lately, and I've decided to change things up a bit. You probably know that Rosaly is not my real name, it's Rose. Or Rosie, as some people like to call me.

So this is just to let you know that from now on, this blog will be called Love, Rosie. Just because.

(The URL stays the same, for those wondering.)

ALSO, I know I have been a little absent lately, and that has a very good reason. I decided to quit. Just quit. Everything. Every single distraction. No matter how little. I had to focus on myself and on school. So I did. And I have no intention of returning to weekly posts anytime soon. Just whenever I feel like it.

That was all.

Love,
Rosie

MY BULLET JOURNAL

Hi there!

As some of you may know, I am a huge list-person. My thoughts usually consist of a non-stop stream of things I have to do, things I want to remember, ideas for recipes and blogposts, etcetera etcetera. The constant pressure to actually remember all of that can get a little exhausting at times. I'm sure you're all familiar with that feeling, because who hasn't experienced stress? My way of slightly slowing down that flow of information is making lists. Every single thought that crosses my mind and is worthy of remembering needs to be written down, otherwise it'll get lost in the sea of thoughts and ideas that might not all be as great as that one. Apparantly I have a lot of thoughts I consider worthy of remembering, because my desk - and the rest of my room - is littered with lists. Furthermore, I have 46 lists on my phone, 28 on my email account and - wait for it - 295 on my computer. It's absolutely ridiculous, I know. Lists are great, but the one thing I still struggle with is the fact that they are never in the same place. I don't have a notebook of lists, I have a pile, and another pile, and another one. Plus, I have the same list over and over again. If I have an idea for a blogpost, but I can't find my 'blogpost-ideas' list, I make a new one. My love for lists and my need for all the information I need every day to be in one place, led me to try something new called a Bullet Journal. So - after this very long intro - that's what I'd like to write to you about today.

HOW AM I DOING?

Hi there,

Of all the questions we are asked, the one we hear most frequently by far, is 'How are you doing?' Whenever we're asked that question, there's two things we can do. Firstly, we can tell the truth and elaborate on our emotions and feelings of that week, day, or moment. But this is not what we usually do. The question 'How are you doing?' isn't meant to start a lengthy conversation on the deep, abstract misbehaviour of our subconscious. It's meant to say: 'Hey, I'm interested in you and I think you're nice, but let's not become best friends or anything.' So most of us choose the second option and say, as sincerely as possible; 'I'm fine'.

MY NEW CAMERA

Hi there!

This Wednesday, I got what was probably the most exciting package maybe ever, my new camera. I'd been saving up for it for months on end and finally, finally it was there. Here she is, isn't she pretty? For anyone wondering, it's a Canon EOS 70D, with a Canon 18-55 mm II lens

DECEMBER FAVOURITES

Hi again.

There's not gonna be an apologie this time, there's been enough of them. I'm just going to start over like there's no tomorrow. Deal with it.

After that radical intro, let's dive right into my December favourites. First up are two bath and shower gels from Treacle Moon in the scents 'Cinnamon Nights' and 'Apple Pie Dreams'. Let's talk about 'Cinnamon Nights' first. This is winter in a plastic bottle. It's truly amazing. If you like baths and warmth and Christmas, you'll certainly love this. Period. 'Apple Pie Dreams' is about all those things, PLUS it takes me back to happier times when me and my mum would cook up a storm in the kitchen on Sundays, baking apple pie after apple pie, with apples we'd picked ourselves. (Legally, get your head out of the gutter.)

Next up on my list is the Good Wife. One time, when me and a friend of mine were getting ready for a night out, we had time left, so she made me watch a random episode. I loved it. I'm not usually a fan of court-drama-ish series and movies, but I absolutely adore this one. It's funny, smart and the acting is incredible. Ever since that day, I'm hooked.

Another thing that I've loved is the book PS I love you by Cecelia Ahern. Imma be honest with you, I cried. A little bit. It's such a moving story about loss and finding your way after an incredibly life-changing event. Very well written, too. Chapeau.

Alright, on a slightly different note - all of the above have been focused on lazy days in bed - a concealer. Because you've got to do something about those undereye circles at Christmas. The one I've been using a lot is the Maybelline New York Super Stay 24H Concealer. It's all I could ever wish for. Great coverage, exactly my shade, lasts not 24 hours, but definitely 10. Also it has a slightly angled applicator for lazy people like me.

That was it, sorry it wasn't too many, I could've listed all of my Christmas dinners but I don't think that would've been interesting to read because it was just a lot of falafel and ice cream. And also sorry for the fact that I haven't included any pictureees, my new camera arrives sometime soon - hopefully - so you'll be getting a lot more and a lot better quality in a few weeks :)

BYE - have a great week.

Oh yeah, and watch Bad Moms. It's great.

HAPPY 2017!

Hi there!

It's been a while, but I'm back! I can't promise you anything though, as you probably know by now. I simply am going to try again. Start again.

So..

A few things.

1 >> I went to Rome...

...and it was amazing. I've never had such a rollercoaster-like week in my life. I learned so many things and although it wasn't all fun, it is very likely to have been the best week of my 2016.

2 >> 'Love, Rosaly' has had a few updates...

I've added some colour, changed the layout, and you can now follow this blog on Bloglovin' by simply entering your email right above this post. Overall, I've thrown away the things nobody ever used and made it a bit more overseeable.

3 >> There's someting new...

Other than all those things, I've also added a new page: 'another year of words'. It's something I've been wanting to do for a while, and the start of the new year seemed like a perfect time to introduce it. Long story short; througout 2017 - whaaat?! - I'll be posting one word - and its meaning - every day - so that's 365 words, y'all. Ambitious right? I know. (If you want the long story, click here to go to the 'another year of words'-blog or the tab atop this page.)

And there you go, that's everything new for 2017. Now looking back.

I'm gonna be honest here. 2016 was a shitty year. Not just regarding politics and celebrity deaths, but also - mainly - regarding my mental health. My mental health is also the reason it has took me so long to get my lazy butt back at my computer and write something - anything.

2016 was the year I quit Day Zero. Because the stress of having to do so many things with so little time on top of my everyday struggles was just too much for my messy mind.

2016 was also the year I wanted to look back on without regrets. Well. I can't say I've succeeded, really. I do, however, have less regrets than at the end of 2015. That should count for something, at least.

It was the year I wanted to grow my hair healthily. In February, I exited my hairdresser's with a lob. Fail.

It was the year I wanted to be angry. I have mixed feelings about this. I feel like I have become more expressive of my feelings and thoughts towards people that matter to me, but I still regularly silent-scream and turn my agressiveness inward. But it's a start.

2016 was the year I wanted to stop being so scared of everything new. Fail. Absolute fail. I'm still scared of the unknown. More than ever, probably. But the thing is, I know that about myself and I've decided I'm not going to try and change it, because I think that would take me more effort than calming my nerves whilst immerging myself in the new.

It was also the year I conquered my anxiety, climbed to new happiness-heights, and allowed that same anxiety to pull me all the way back down. I got on an airplane FOUR times. To Copenhagen. Back home. To Rome. Back home. THAT'S something I am proud of.

'Twas the year my feelings and thoughts confused me more than ever before. My gut would go against my heart, and the other way around. And all the while, my mind would just sit there, dazed, staring at those two idiots fighting over yes or no, good or bad, happy or sad. I still can't get my head around it.

2016 was the ultimate rollercoaster-year. The ups were higher, the downs were lower. I went deeper into utter loneliness than I've ever been, but I also have had times were, for God's sake, I felt normal again. For the first time in Forever - cue Frozen music.

2017. The year I turn 17. We'll see what happens. I'll live through it.

Happy New Year, you lovely bunch.