Hannah Elizabeth

The snow came to Nottingham, he finally put up the doorbell and I forced myself to do a cleaning day! Click here to watch the vlog or see below.  The week started off with a trip to the hospital on my day off. I had to go to another location because the appointments to get my uniform were so late at my hospital, so I rang and got an appointment for the next day which was great. I was even able to take them away, so they didn't have to be ordered in, which was unexpected. I was running a little late so didn't take any pictures of me trying the clothes on, plus it was a little stressful. I unexpectedly had to de-ice the car, to the point where I couldn't even open the door and then I was pretty blocked in so had to do a 20-odd point turn to get out.  When I got back, I had a lovely surprise with a present from Sam. I've talked more about it here but it's a keyring which matches what I look like. Then I made a start on some more mandatory training. Most of it is unpaid

I'm starting a new tradition this year of doing monthly round up posts. I thought that with everything going on it would be a nice way to remember the month, share some favourites and inspire others with things I have been enjoying. Let's start with January!  Book: Christmas Shopaholic is the latest edition to the Shopaholic series. I started this series with the Shopaholic and Baby book, in Year 6 and my teacher questioned my capability. I've been addicted to the series ever since and I loved the festiveness of this edition.  Film: Midnight at the Magnolia was another timely movie, this time from Boxing Day to the New Year and it was a perfect romance reminder, especially as I was missing my own lover over the holidays.  TV Show: Bridgerton had to have a mention here. I was originally watching it with my mum but she was only able to watch one episode a day and I was quickly obsessed. I’m actually going to do a post next month of the shows I’ve been enjoying because ther

It's a new month and after last month's successful completion of my January challenge , where I posted every day, I thought I'd give a little update of what my blogging schedule will be going forward. I am so proud that I continued to produce quality content throughout January, especially with everything going on in the nation, with lockdown 3.0, starting a new job and personal difficulties. I really enjoyed writing and sharing some more detailed and personal posts, because it's been a while since I wrote that sort of content.  Of course, some of those posts were the start of some mini series which I will continue to talk about, especially my health and well-being journey and thanks to the positive feedback, Covid-19 date night/relationship activities!  Generally, I will continue to post 4 times a week. Monday will continue to be "Midwifery Mondays", however given that I have now finished university, this content may change a little to be more focussed on wome

I don't know it it's the fact that it's been Christmas or simply because of the pandemic, but since early December, I really struggled to sleep. Throughout the festive season, I got into bad habits. Late nights, constant snacking and watching television in bed, meant that at times I wasn't going to bed until the early hours of the morning. It didn't help that I would then stay up on my screens for hours, and have more snacks in between brushing my teeth and laying down. I would also sneak a glass of Diet Coke, which was terrible!  The first step was to get rid of bad habits, starting with food and drink. Now that I'm settled back in Nottingham, I don't have food or drink (bar water) in the bedroom. I try to stop eating my 8pm, however this can be difficult with the work I do, as sometimes, I don't actually get home until 8pm and then I have to eat. Obviously, meals out are slightly different, but at the moment we can't do those anyway.  Similarly, th

January is always a good time to set better routines, and for me personally, that involves being prepared and organising my life in a clear method. I've always loved organising but this year it feels more crucial than ever. With the pandemic putting everything into chaos, I feel I need to have something I can actually control.  Some people love using technology and whilst I do love technology, there's something special about having plans written down on paper and being able to truly visualise everything. For Christmas, I had a detailed calendar on my wish list and my sweet boyfriend purchased it for me, in the week-by-week view. Whilst, it's a little more detailed than I'd originally anticipated, it is really useful to keep things clear and planned. Of course, there aren't many social plans going in it at the moment, but sadly that's out of our control. At some point in the not so near future, I'm sure some sense of normality can return and I can't wait

I think we all need a reason to celebrate and be joyful right now. Especially with Christmas finished. Thinking of this a few weeks ago I was reminded of something from  PIT Stop a few months ago. At my last in person PIT Stop , I shared some of the biggest thing I took away, but this year I didn't so I thought I would share now, when we need it the most. Dance.  Dancing is one of my favourite things to do. I love dancing. I am so bad at it and I find it much easier to sit and tap to the beat, but if I have an instructor telling me how to do it, I'll jump on board any chance I get. I find it fun and a great way to exercise. I use to take Zumba classes but haven't recently for obvious reasons. In the new year, I need to set up the Wii and getting back into Zumba on there. I genuinely cannot wait!  Here's 6 reasons you should also dance! Emotional well-being : dancing has been proven to be just as good, if not better than prescription medication for depression.  Maximise

There was a time in my life I never thought I’d be a newly qualified anything, and then when Covid-19 hit and we were pulled from placement, with so many things up in the air, it seemed we were going to be delayed. So, I genuinely can’t believe I’m writing this post. As I write, I’ve just found out, mere hours ago, my shifts for the rest of January. I’ve actually already started by the time you’re reading, but I wanted to write my through the in advance of starting. Everything was a bit up in the air and I didn’t quite know what to expect, but I finally received all my paperwork the week before I was expected to start. Then, the last weekday before I started, I got links to meetings, phone calls and shifts.  It was when the shifts came through it all hit home for me. It seemed a little surreal until that moment but having my shifts on paper made it all real. I think I was just waiting and waiting to find out what and when I was working, so even though it’s a little late, I’m very thank

After settling back into my life in Nottingham, I finally started work and even got my Covid-19 vaccine! Click here to watch the vlog or see below.  I took a few days at home to relax and truly enjoy being back in my own house, with my own space. It was also nice to be reunited with Luke, but that's come with it's own difficulties. We had a special date day on Sunday to reconnect and I planned some activities to do, after I cooked Sunday lunch. It was very yummy! We've also been watching Cobra Kai and it's been a great series that we've both really enjoyed.  Of course, the long awaited day came to start work. It was all up in the air for a little bit as I was waiting on different things to come together, but I finally got my induction information on the Thursday, ready to start on the Monday, then got my first month of shifts on Friday. I'm pretty happy with the shifts, but I was defintely a little confused on what was expected of me. I decided to start as a ban

Following on from my previous post on reconnecting  in my relationship, I really wanted to have a positive activity that helped us both move on. I've found that we're bickering a lot more, especially being stuck at home in lockdown, but I also don't want to be the girlfriend always having a go at her partner. It doesn't feel nice on my end, and I'm sure it doesn't feel nice in return.  I decided to have a look at some online reconnection activities and "at home counselling exercises" came up. I'm not someone who's against counselling, and I think that any service that can benefit an individual is something to always endeavour to support. I've actually been to counselling once before as a child, after my parents got divorced. I talked more about it in this post , but ultimately, it was very brief and not one that's particularly memorable. Since then I've seen the benefits it's had on relationships, as well as individuals going th

I am so excited to have been nominated for another blogging award, this time a repeated one, but I still wanted to accept it and pass the love onto other bloggers. I've recently joined a couple of close knit blogger communities and I've been loving seeing them all on their own journey's. Writing is something I've always loved and have continued to do for a passion, but being recognised it always so lovely and appreciated. It's also the first award nomination for the year...fingers crossed for more!  Of course, first of all I would like to start by thanking my Twitter friend and fellow blogger, Grace, over at Grace by Grace . I connect with her on so many levels, as our blogs follow similar themes. We write with our passions in mind, and always follow our hearts, regardless of not following a specific niche. You can read her nomination acceptance here .  Rules Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link to their blog. Answer the 11 questions asked by the pe

It's been a while since I posted a shopping haul, but let's face it, I haven't really been shopping to be honest. When I went into town a few weeks ago, I decided to buy a few bits and bobs, spend some Christmas money and vouchers and make the most of the Boxing Day sales, as well as the - sadly - closing down sale.  First of all, I went to Waterstones and spent my voucher. I ended up buying the Mrs Hinch Memoir , Sophie Kinsella's Christmas Shopaholic and a new healthcare professional book which is a sequel to The Prison Doctor, but based around women only instead, with Women Inside .  At Boots, I bought my favourite Olay Sensitive Skin Daytime Moisturiser and a new No. 7 powder blush . Both have been my go-to for years and they are pretty much the only products I use that aren't Senegence. I'm not going to lie, it's nice to go into a store and see things in person, buying them right there and then, but adding all the Amazon links to this post has made me