New Year: New You????

Dear Sarah of 2016,
I am sitting here writing this post at 11.15pm on New Years Eve 2015. It is a time when realistically most people will be with their friends or family wanting to bring the new year with a set idea of what they want to achieve. I suppose I am also part of this, like you I have 50,000 things that I want to achieve and narrowing them down to a small amount is completely unlikely. Some people will tell you that New Year's resolutions don't work and others will tell you that they do. But for most people they might last the few months and then break them. I know that I am overly rubbish at this, I try so hard to achieve things, but the reality is that I am gonna fail at least half of these things.

It's ok to fail, and I know that. This post is more for myself to look back and know whatever I do if I fail ultimately who cares? It is so easy to fail and live by other people's standards and even easier to disappoint your self. This past year I have discovered my love to write, like most writers I am impulsive.  Always finding another distraction and this is why I suck at sticking to things. I will start a project or have a dream that might last a few months. Every year I make a list of the things I want to achieve and I try to keep them. My problem is that alot of things won't be achieved by the end of the year. And it's not because I don't care about them. It's because everything on my list is either simply unachievable or I just don't get round to it.

I have wanted this blog to be so many things but it never seems to fit them. Rather Coral Sunset is turning into a place where I seem to share what is on my mind and be done with it. For me this seems to fit my personality to a tee. I always write what I feel on here and so this year for the blog I am going to just see what happens, and see where that takes me. That way whatever happens I am not failing, but I have also realised it doesn't matter whether I fail or achieve because whatever happens I will eventually get there. This is not me giving myself a lecture or you about resolutions or even failure, I suppose this is just me accepting myself and seeing what happens. Let life take place and see what curveballs it throws at us!

So Happy 2016!!

Christmas Blues

Over the Christmas period it can be hard to find the wood from the trees. We can get so overwhelmed with trying to capture the joy of Christmas, into one day forgetting the true meaning of Christmas. With all the stress that it brings, Christmas is about family; whether you believe in God or not and the story behind it. Christmas should be a time of love and care.

For some of us Christmas can be even harder, like the January blues, people can often find Christmas stressful for the same reasons.  Whether you have a form of anxiety or suffer from loneliness or a mental illness it can be hard. I know this from experience, I wanted to write this piece to encourage anyone who is suffering this Christmas to talk to someone about it. For me talking about my problems can be hard, because I felt that there was no one willing to listen. But you will find that there is amazing amount of people who would be willing to share and listen to you.

I have often been my own worst enemy, stopping myself from doing something or finding a way to express myself. Don't ever restrict yourself, for you are amazing!! This Christmas please find someone who you can share with, and if you have no one to share with I have enclosed a few links at the bottom.

Give your self the best Christmas present possible by not being afraid.


Sarah


List of Links:
The Samaritians
http://www.samaritans.org/

Childline
https://www.childline.org.uk/Pages/Home.aspx

Book 1: Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen is one of my absolute favourite authors. I have read this book so many times that I have lost count. So for the sake of the challenge I have decided to read one of my old favourites again. Prepare for spoilers within my review!

My review:
The story follows Auden, a girl whose world is turned upside down by the divorce of her parents. Her parents break up with no explanation, leaving a gap in her life. The book then starts a few years later just after she has finished her senior year, and deciding how to spent her summer. Being an over achiever Auden decides to spent her summer getting ready for college and studying. Both her parents are professors, so she studies to impress them. For years of being unable to sleep due to her parents fighting, Auden has been unable to sleep at night. Having enough of staying with her mum for the summer, she goes to stay with her father and his new young wife Heidi. Who have just had their first daughter together, Auden's half sister.

During this time away, Auden reconnects with her dad and meets Eli a withdrawn teenager with a lot of his own secrets. I found Auden and Eli's relationship inspiring, it starts small but leads to an easy friendship and then relationship. Something that Auden had not experienced well before. Not only does Auden meet Eli, but she breaks free of her mother's expectations and learns about herself.

Reading this book again, brought me back to the emotions of my teenage self, who was just trying to find herself. A lot like Auden in this book who is trying to find herself no matter what the consequences are. My favourite aspect of Dessen's work is her ability to give great character development, whilst being able to continue on with the main plot of the story. Coming away from reading her books always leaves you thinking about the deep meaning that Dessen puts into her books. Reading Along for the Ride was just the same, I learnt the values of meaning and friendship from Auden and the book keep me on my toes all the way through.

So for that reason I give the book 5/5 stars, Auden's story is a spine tinkling journey of life from a realistic perspective.

Wishing for tomorrow?

This is a more personal post,  I  will soon be putting up my first 5 books in the 100 book reading challenge. I have been bouncing between books trying to read as many as possible but only getting half way through. Finally, I have managed to finish some of them and I will be sharing them with you. This has also affected the way I feel in my personal life, I have had so many options that it has been hard to focus on what is true.

For awhile having too many options had left me feeling terribly overwhelmed, but in the last few days I have been given a new perspective. Perspective is a wonderful thing, it allows you to look back or look at a situation in a new way. Instead of being overwhelmed by the possibilities, I am now feeling free to start again. Finishing university, getting a better grade than expected on my degree, as well as watching my friends take on new but surprising opportunities is amazing. Just as equally, as it is scary, life is full of random but interesting moments that can make tomorrow a million miles away. Instead of wishing for tomorrow and wondering what will happen next; I am going to try and make it happen. Wishing for tomorrow, can be a fun and healthy thing that gives us a chance to dream. Dreaming allows us to imagine and can fuel us to do incredible things, but sometimes we can get stuck in it. By wishing for the things we don't have or wish to have we forget what we have now.

With the pressure of deciding what's next it is difficult to not do this, but I don't want to fill my life with options or possibilities but truth. Possibilities are not solid in their nature, they are incredibly fragile and by wishing for tomorrow in some ways I am doing this. This is not me trying to get you to stop dreaming but to be realistic about your options and take risks if you get to comfortable. Having too many options can hinder you and be the problem rather than the solution. I have recently discovered that waiting can be the hardest part of this. During this time, I have found that for me writing, has been a form of self expression, helping me to make sense of this and I hope that this blog can help express that feeling.

Sarah

A shift in the blog??

For the next few months, posts on Coral Sunst will be a bit more varied. I want to bring in new posts ideas which will focus on:

• More creative and organisation posts- fun things that I will be making using my trusty showing machine, that you can make too.
• My 100 book challenge- I have decided to read a 100 books, which I will list on the blog and review. This challenge will run from June 1st 2015 until December 31st 2015. I will add new page to the blog, so you can see my progress at every point and join in if you want.
• TBR- if you are wondering what a TBR post is, then I shall enlighten you. TBR means the books to be read, all books in my TBR will be from my reading challenge. So it will force me to read the books, (I am being me to myself)
• Expect more lifestyle question posts to continue, because I love to talk about the great questions in life

Well that's all for now

Sarah

What do we really need to make us happy?

I suppose in life in the 21st century it can seem to be so easy to know what we want. In a century where we have so much choice, technology, and freedoms. It can seem easy to be overwhelmed by the this choice, where do we go to university, how do we communicate with one another? Is it important too....

So many questions in a such a small space and time. In a way we can lose a sense of who we are and be overwhelmed by the amount of decisions we have to make in a daily basis. Some decisions are instinct, like to eat when we are hungry or to cry when we are in pain. Other decisions can take a lifetime to make. We can be so overwhelmed that we have no idea which way to go. This always for me seems to come to the question: What do we really need to make us happy?

I could answer this question in so many ways, and I know for some of us it is our families. Who take precedence over every one else. For others it is material things, or just simple events of everyday life. Happiness can be defined in so many ways that it means millions of different things to lots of different people. I asked in an earlier post What is happiness? At that time I was trying to seek answers for myself.

Normally I plan the posts I write however today at quarter to 12 at night I just decided to write this. For me this question has no answer, and I feel like this blog is turning into something bigger for me. A place to discuss the thing and issues that I don't always have the answers to. This question has been eating at me for a while, in three weeks I finally graduate and have to begin my new life. Its scary for me, but  it has made me think about this question. As I have had my head stuck in books writing essays, it has been burning in my mind.

For me time never seems to stand still and the only way I can see to answer this question is to think about the things I love. In some ways this makes it easier, I know I love my family, friends and the feeling of the breeze through my hair and watching a coral sunset (hence the name of the blog). Sometimes it can be so hard to answer. In 21st century Britain we are kept so busy it is hard to remember what is is important to us. Decisions can be the hardest and cruelest things in our lives but there is no need to be afraid. It is just important to remember the question: What do we really need to make us happy?

Please share what it is that makes you happy, I would love to know!!

Sarah x

Future Plans

A few blog posts ago, I wrote a post talking about not knowing and not being afraid to be who you are. Now I want to tackle something that has been plaguing me for the last year. It can be hard to admit but I am at the stage in my life, where I am about to graduate in two months. It is a scary thing to think about, that I will have no essays or exams left and my three years at university will be over.

I have absolutely no idea what to do with my life after I finish, there are so many people who are around me, who have their dreams. I could do some many things, and there are so many choices to come. I guess I am writing this post to agains so that it is ok to feel like this. To not know what you will be doing in six months or how frustrating it feels to not have yet discovered my dream. Hopefully I will be able to look back in 6 months  at this post and would have found it somewhere. But if not I know that one day it will hit me in the face.  Until then I will take every opportunity to find it.

Remember its ok not to what will happen next both for you and for myself

Sarah x

Memo Notice Board Organisation

Recently, I have decided to start to organise my life better. I already try to make daily to do lists but I thought it would be more fun to organise all areas of my life. With it being my last ever term at university and my last year, it comes to time to organise and write my dissertation. Which means my schedule just got ten times busier with university, work, life and visiting as many archives as possible for study. Not to mention all the essays and projects I have before I finish. If you are a student, or have been one then you'll understand. Below I have written my first step by step process for organising my time, my new Memo Board system.

Memo Notice Board-handmade by ShabyChic on eBay £16.99

 Step 1:
I decided to purchase a Memo Board and found this great one on eBay that was handmade so that I could put all my important information in one place. This way I know where all my important information is. (Picture is a blurry)

Step 2:
Getting the Memo Board made me realise that I needed some printables to help me organise. Including daily, weekly schedules, as well as yearly calenders and weekly to do lists. I have pinned some of my favourites on pinterest which you can find on my organisation board here https://www.pinterest.com/SarahLouPlays/organization/

Step 3:
I am  using my favourite printables : the calenders and to do lists to write my new schedule. Planning is so much fun. All I have to do is put up the Memo Board and I will be done!


I hope you enjoyed the post and maybe if you want to you can comment below on your favourite ways to organise. And if you have any ideas about future posts !!

Sarah
Don't forget to follow me on twitter: @Simply___Sarah

A letter to those who just don't know: Don't be ashamed of who you are!!

Everday I wake up wondering what life will bring.  On this blog I don't really talk much about my faith however today I have been inspired. It is hard in the modern world to know to freely share your beliefs or ideas without being criticised. There will always be some one who who critices you is as part of life.

In the wake of the attacks in Paris in the last week or so it has got the Western world thinking about freedom of speech. But I think the idea is bigger than freedom of speech, more to do with identity. In modern Britain it can be so hard to know who you are, what you believe and how to get there. As a teen I searched for yours trying to understand who I was, until it hit me that I would always be changing yet the same. Parts of your character and who you are develop over time influenced by who you are with and events that happen to you. That's why I believe that being your self in the moment is the most important thing.

Whoever you are or wherever you are everyone is in tilted to their view whether it is something we agree with or not. So don't let people in your life push you towards something you don't want to do. You have the freedom to be who you are, have your own interests and believes.

For me my faith in God is extremely important, believing in a God who sees and hears everything is amazing. I am not ashamed of this, neither should you be . And if you are not sure what to believe in then remember that it's ok not to know because gradually you will. Take each day at a time and remember to enjoy life and your soon find who you are. I still am not sure what I want to with my life, but I know that one day it will come.

God Bless
Good Luck
It's not about what others think but what you think of yourself that counts!!


Sarah x

Happy 2015!!

With the last year behind us and we have more chances to think through old experiences but to also plan new ones. My main aim this year is to update this blog and my new blog www.mylittlef1blog.blogspot.com  more. For those of you who don't know I love formula one and have decided to create a sperate blog for it rather than to post on here. As I feel that it does not really fit with this blog.
Five things to expect of this blog in the next year:
1. I will aim to update the blog as reguarly as possible.(It may depend on how much time I have in my third year of university)

2. A student money saving series of blog posts. As I student I am always trying to find new ways to either save or earn cash.

3. More creative blog posts, i.e. where I show you how to make stuff, or beauty related posts.

4. What I do in a month posts: pictures from the last month of my life, as I love to take pictures.

5. A blog aim to try and get 1000 blog views by the end of 2015!!!

Happy 2015!! What are your aims or resolutions in the new year?
Let me know in the comments

Sarah

What is loss?

With the recent crisis in the Middle East, it has got me thinking a lot about loss. I know that we all feel a sense of loss about different things. Whether it is someone disappearing from our lives through death or disappearance. Loss can impact us in so many different ways.

For me my own personal journey with loss is fairly normal. I personally have not lost any family extremly close to me. But I have lost people who I have cared for. Therefore I know how painful loss can be when a death impacts you when you least expect it. Losing someone you one day, was there and the next day you were gone. Whatever side you are on in your personal perspective or war someone will miss and experience loss by losing their loved ones. That's why family is so important, whether it is through your actual family, or adopted family even people who become like family. It helps and ties us as people through hard times.

Loss in its self is not always negative, it can help us change for the better. Whether a loved one is gone or we have lost something personal such as a dreaming falling apart. It will always get better. When you are in the deepest darkest of places, there will always be someone there for you. For me my faith in God helps me get through. For you it could be the next person you meet. Don't be afraid to share your hurt and grieve for who or whatever it is you have lost. It makes you stronger in the end.

I hope this encourages whoever reads this to know that you are not lost but you are found. Wherever you are....

Sarah

What is this blog even about?

Have you ever compared yourself to a book character or felt inspired by a book or film, even the people around you? So much so that you want to change your entire life? This blog is that for me, it will be my book, I will write it's chapters. It will be a part of me on the internet. For me the meaning of a Coral Sunset or any sunset is a fresh start. The act of the sun rising is one of the most spectacular in the world it suggests that there is a time for fresh beginnings. Whereas a sunset which is this blog is named after is the sunsetting with hope for a brand-new day.

People say be the change that you seen in the world. So if you are reading this welcome to my my fresh start , for me this blog will be my change, if by reading this blog it makes a change to your life then great. If not thanks for even being bothered to read and look at my tiny part of the world (or internet) and have a nice day! :) 

New Desk Tour

Hi guys welcome back to my blog. I am sorry that I have not posted for a while, my life has been so busy. Anyway on to the post.

Recently, have got fed up with the size of my desk and the space that I have on the top is limited. As part of my Spring Clean and sort I thought I would show you my progress with my desk. So I decided to get a bigger desk with a bigger surface area to spread myself out more. As a uni student I often find myself spreading my notes and books everywhere so below is a picture of my old desk: 

 Malibu desk from Argos £49.99 (sorry not the best quality as it a copied version of the original)

Now below is a picture of my lovely new desk that I got of gumtree for £40. It has a glass top so will not scratch my as easily. 

New Desk: The desk is an old version of the Ikea Micke desk if anyone is interested.

                                     


 Under my desk is a small bedside table that I bought from Argos, it was £24.99. As the desk did not come with draws I felt it needed some. These are really useful for storing notebooks, paper and files. As the desk is so big, at the back I have also stored my sewing machine, laptop cases and past uni work in a box.For the new desk my first thought how to organise the surface area. So using some old  Christmas card boxes I have made containers to hold my spare stationary. In the left hand corner is my mini bureau which holds all my pens, pencils and small stationery.  To make the Christmas card box look better all I did was to cover the outside with wrapping paper and then tape it on. It's a very easy DIY.

Before

After

I also have a few more containers along my desk holding stationery, as well as my favourite dog notelets holder he is so cute, here is a picture:

Cute dog Notelet holder (Was a gift)

Last but not least is my lovely desk chair from Ikea. It cost £72 but was well worth the cost as it is both comfy and gorgeous.

Ikea Gregor Office Chair

 

All in all my new desk organisation has really helped improve my life, as I can do my work so much easier, with more space and storage. 

Hope this helped to give you guys inspiration on decluttering your office space

All the Best 


Sarah

Update on Posts!

Hi guys, I have edited this post just to say that more posts will be up this month November (14). I have been extremly busy over the last several months and I apologise for this. So expect more posts to come.


Sarah

Blog Schedule

The last few months have been extremely busy for me with University coursework. So I have decided to tell that I will update the blog and the very least every once a month. I  have lots of ideas for posts so they will be kept coming over the next few months. I will still be very busy with university coursework over the next month or so there may be less posts for a while.

Update: Spring Clean and Organizational Tips

Have you ever had enough of your own untidiness? I have, I've decided to start a new series on my blog called 'Spring Clean'. I will be posting my favorite organizational tips from my bedroom and showing you my organizational progress. Hopefully this will be a part of my fresh start! However I don't know how tidy I will actually keep my space!

What is happiness?

Living in the western world, it can be hard to understand the meaning of happiness. Everyday we all strive to achieve happiness. But why do we do this and what exactly is happiness?

For some happiness is the perfect state we achieve when there is nothing wrong in the world. In many Hollywood movies the main character is someone who wants to be happy. Happiness can be many things to many different people. Depending on who you are it will play a different role in life, like anything it can be a person's dream to be happy. This can be perceived to fill a void that is present in our lives . Often people use drinks, drugs or self harm to fill this gap but people often use happiness as well. Happiness is often temporary, all emotions come and go , I think that this is the key to happiness knowing to accept it when it, comes and goes. But also to try and enjoy every moment we have.

I know for me that happiness is often temporary so it is hard to keep in our lives. By us constantly trying to acheive happiness we (in my opinion) are setting our selves up to fail. In live we are going to be sad, happy , angry, desperate and so much more. If we don't accept these parts of us, then we can never be at peace with ourselves.

So to finish, in a culture where achieving happiness is our goal , is it really nescessary to worry about? The more for me I focus on  trying to acheive perfect happiness the more I fail. Happiness then becomes the focus so I know for me that everything else doesn't matter. I am writing this as a 20 year old who is still on this journey and learning all this for herself.

November Favourties

So I thought my first (proper) post would be with my monthly favorites. This month I have had a several of favorites.

Clean & Clear Morning Energy Shine Control Daily facial scrub: 

I don't use this facial scrub every day, at most a few times a week. As I find it to much to remember every morning otherwise. I have found I only need to use it about once a week as a lot of it goes a long way and the exploitation is just enough for me. it works really well at cleaning out my pores and getting rid of black heads. So if you want to get rid of them this is great.

Kleenex Facial Cloths:
I love these. They are great for removing make up (on the odd occasion I wear it). Applying to your face to use with any cleanser. They even remove nail polish. It is not normally something that I would buy but I found them in the 99p shop (a steal). They are really worth buying , as they even can clean your face by just adding water. This really worked for me and I would say that this is my absolute favourite of the last month.

BabyLips Hydrate:
I love this lipbalm it has been a constant favourite over the last month, I use this all the time, it is so great for those winter chapped lips. It completely does what it says in the name. My lips are so much smoother and it smells great to. Bonus!

Markwins International Pink Lipstick: 
I think this lipstick is from their Colour Institute range, it was in a gift set I was given so I am not really sure.  This colour is amazing as it easy to apply and is slightly darker than my normal lip colour, so it makes them look flawless. The only problem is that it constantly needs reapplying every few hours.

Rival de Loop Berlin Natural Touch Concealer:  
I bought this concealer when I was on holiday in Germany a few years ago, and I have only just started to use it recently. This concealer is great at hiding blemishes and spots. The only problem is that it doesn't appear to be long lasting on my skin. It's either that my skin is simply too oily or it just doesn't last well. I don't know by it the coverage is great and when I wear it doesn't feel like I have any make up on. So I really recommend it to try and see if it works with your own skin tone.

Rose Scented Candle (I can't remember who made it ): 
This candle is great. It smells so strong that I do not need to light it. So my room smells fresh and nice. The great thing is that it is not to overpowering it smells just right. I love candles like this.