nicoleaejayflora

Hey guys,

I know I don't usually post on wednesday's but today, is International Women's Day. 

I'd like to dedicate this post to a very special woman in my life who shaped who I am today and who gives me a reason to keep fighting.

My grandmother.

"Grandmother, 

The alchemist, 

You spun gold out of this hard life,

Conjured beauty from things left behind,

Found healing where it did not live,

Discovered the antidote in your own kitchen,

Broke the curse with your own two hands"

You were there for me when I spent most of the first 8 years of my life in the hospital, and always tried to keep the coldness out of my life. And you told me that my life was going to be nothing like yours because it would be so much better, which was the main reason why you had to let me go and live all the way across the world for better education and healthcare. You told me that if I ever feel unloved, to remember there's two more people across the world that loves me so much more than the width of this universe.
 Even now, I'd rather be with you and grandaddy. 

Everything I do is for the both of you.

And, I still remember the last time I visited you. You saved the christmas gifts you'd receive for so long and you wanted me to open them because, you remembered how I enjoyed doing that when I was little.

Thank you for teaching me how to love,

For teaching me what the true definition of true love is,

For giving me unconditional love,

For raising me like your own,

For being my hero,

For never making me feel like you loved me any less,

For bringing so much happiness in my life,

For understanding my heart,

For always knowing what to do when I'm upset,

For your endless support,

For spoiling me with love and kindness,

For teaching me that money isn't everything.

.nicoleaejayflora.

.nicoleaejayflora.

We're half way through February and it has taken me nearly 2 months to complete this letter.

2015 said you'd be scary but I felt optimistic anyway. 

You drained me emotionally at times and other times I never felt so free. 

I feel like you've taken a piece of me then you brought me back up and shattered me again. You made me stand in the mirror not quite sure who was looking back.

You taught me how to be brave, how to not let the past dictate my present and future, you taught me how to be stronger. 

Tick tock. 

I was never good at living in the moment.

Tick tock.

I was never good at accepting everything won't be perfect.

Tick tock.

Until you came. That is.

Yet, still, nothing made less sense.

I've had people tell me what they wanna do, people pushing me to what they want me to do and pushing me and pushing me slowly making me forget who I am. And so much more stupid drama. And, they didn't even care as long as they got what they wanted. As long as it was perfect in their eyes. 

And who was I to refuse them? 

I was just the "secretive", misinterpreted and misjudged by the people 'close' to me girl. 

You see there's a big difference between me being secretive and me who just simply do not trust them after everything they put me through. That's where they got me confused. You want to know the truth? I didn't trust them enough to tell them, I didn't trust them not to ruin what made me happy like what they've been doing all these years. And because of that, they couldn't accept my reasons nor did they care. 

Now they question where I got my bravery from. They don't want to face the fact that the reality is they shaped who I am today so they come up with excuses, to themselves and to me, to seek validation that what they did was okay.

All these years, I asked myself how can the people that's supposed to teach you how to love make you so afraid of it?
Over the years, I'd let the guilt they drowned me in consume me because, like they said, I wasn't good enough. 

They pushed me to become what they wanted, not what I needed to be. 

They told me anything that goes beyond the whispers of their voices was wrong. That what makes me happy was wrong.

So dear 2016, 

Thank you for making me see the truth. Thank you for teaching me to stop living for them and to start living for me. Their definition of who I am does not define me. Just because I don't meet the perfection in their eyes does not mean I wasn't made in God's image. 

Whilst finding myself, I lost a lot of people along the way and it never felt more right.

The taste of freedom and happiness of the knowledge that I could be who I want to be touched the tip of my tongue. It's bursting with flavour.

Dear 2016, keep the piece you stole from me. There's more pieces of me to find over the years.

.nicoleaejayflora.

.nicoleaejayflora.

.nicoleaejayflora.

1. Hot Chocolate Stirrers

For this, you will need:

6 Gift tags

6 Cupcake cases

Pastry brush

6 Empty fromage frais pots

6 Wooden lolly sticks/Candy canes

Cellophane

Strings or ribbon

Pencil

Step 1: In each cupcake cases, push a small hole in the middle using a pencil

Step 2: Grab your fromage frais pots and with your pastry brush, dip it in sunflower oil and paint a thin layer over the insides of the pots

Step 3:  Melt your chocolate by heating your chocolate bars in a bowl and putting it in the microwave until it's runny

Step 4: Grab your pots and pour your melted chocolate into each one and put a lolly stick, or candy cane in the middle of each pots. You can add sprinkles to add as a decoration around it

Step 5: Sit a cake case on top of each fromage frais pots making sure it covers the chocolate and the stick/candy cane poked through the hole. Let it set by putting it in the fridge overnight.

Step 6: Pull the chocolate out of the pots very carefully. Throw away the paper cases. Design it cutely by wrapping each one in cellophane tied with string. Write a tag to read: 'Stir me into hot milk'. 

2. Snow globe hot chocolate

For this, you will need:

3 Large white marshmallows

Orange and black icing pens

Chocolate button

Reese's peanut butter cup

Cocoa Powder

Horlicks powder

Mini marshmallows

Strawberry laces

Cookie

Cocktail stick

Jar

Ribbon and gift tag

Step 1: Make a marshmallow snowman and skewer the marshmallows together with a cocktail stick, cute off any of the stick that is sticking out. 

Step 2: With the icing pen, stick a chocolate button and peanut butter cup to the top of each marshmallow stack. Draw the snowman's face and 3 dots for buttons

Step 3: Plait 3 strawberry laces and tie it around the snowman's neck as a scarf. Stick the snowman to a cookie with a little more icing and set it aside to dry for a couple minutes

Step 4: In the bottom of your jar, mix the cocoa and horlicks together and put the snowman on top. Scatter mini marshmallows around.

Step 5: Screw on the lid and tie it with a ribbon and a gift tag that says 'Warm your milk and remove the snowman from the jar. Add your milk and stir until it's smooth and chocolatey. Add your snowman for dunking. Enjoy! 

I hope you guys enjoyed this post!

Don't forget to subscribe to my blog.

Thank you.

.nicoleaejayflora.

You are the most down to earth person I've ever met and you never let me give up on anything. You're the first person I think of in the morning and the last person I think of at night. You are my biggest supporter and I cannot thank you enough for all the help I've received from you. The first day I met you, I never thought that the person standing in front of me would mean so much than you do now, and I'm so glad that we had a mutual friend otherwise we would have never met. When you do something wrong, you let me be upset with you and you put yourself in my shoes to understand my point of view. You are a gentlemen; you still hold the door for me, carry heavy bags and carry me over to the other side when the grass is wet and I'm not wearing the right footwear and I could go on and on and on. I'll never forget you bringing me tacos&churros&medicine, when I was ill, to college even though it was your day off because, 'little' things like that shouldn't be taken for granted. Honestly, your mom has raised such an amazing person and I am so proud to be your girlfriend. Thank you for putting my love on top and being by side in this crazy ride. Now, you're turning 18 and I got/get to see you grow to a prodigious human being, who has so much love in his heart.  I got to watch you bloom this year with your music and it's splendid to see you in your element. I would never want you to change. The love and respect I have for you is immense. You are my other half. Meeting your family that night was the best thing ever because I got to meet where you got all your love from, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Happy early birthday my love, let your love and happiness radiate! 

For Ore: 

Who knew the question 'can I borrow your pencil?' would lead us here! My high school memories would be completely dull without your crazy ass beside me. You are forever my true sister and you hold such a special place in my heart. All the dramas, (aka lemonade, toilet, jelly babies etc), looking back, was actually the funniest thing ever. Our secrets and secret language is what I'll cherish till the day I die. Through the ups and downs, we still managed to sing random songs around the playground in lower school. Art will never be the same without you. Getting told off in graphics because of your lazy ass will never be replaced. So much has changed in a space of a year and we no longer attend the same school and, I'm glad we still talk and meet up when we can. You helped me face so much troubles and gave me tough love when it was needed. You helped shape who I am today. I'm so proud of the person you've become with your future so bright, I know that you don't need anyone for you to keep shining so don't ever stop shining chica. You don't anyone to define the true beauty you are, inside and out. Happy early birthday girlfriend, you deserve the very best and more! (P.S. I'm still going to get you back from all those ugly pictures you posted of me on my birthday so be very scared). 

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Mk's Social Networks:

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/itsactuallymk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsactuallymk/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTJWl3st8ws8B1xYpcq5DKQ

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Ore's Social Networks:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joanna_fakeye/

Thank you for reading!

.nicoleaejayflora.

Welcome back to my blog and thank you for checking it out.
If you don't already know, my name is Nicole. I have a YouTube channel, which you should totally check out by clicking here because, spreading love and growing together is #GOALS. 
You can also subscribe to my channel in two ways because I appreciate y'all so much.
1) Scroll to the bottom

One the things I found out later this year was TOMS. If you guys haven't heard of them, every single item you buy they will help a person in need. For example, if you buy one of their shoes then they will give a person in need shoes. This is what I love about them because it's guaranteed that you will help someone out. This is not a sponsored post, I just felt like more people should know more about them.

If you check their website, (click here or the picture of their logo above), not everything is expensive. Some are very much so affordable and it's never too late to help people in need.

Recently, my mom bought me and her matching shoes from them, which she purchased from here. This was how I found out about them. Honestly, it is so comfortable. The insole is suede with arch inserted for support. The mixed-rubber outsole ensures flexibility, durability and resilience. My mom had the Black Multi Canvas Ikat Women's Classic and I have the Pink Multi Canvas Ikat Woman's Classic.

Thank you for reading.

PSSSSST! Don't forget to subscribe.

My blog post today, as you can see, is about tricks to healthy eating. I find that most people tend to eat less healthily when it's nearly winter time. From psychology, I learnt about Seasonal Affective Disorder; this is a depression that occurs during late autumn and winter. I'm not going to get to the science behind it but eating healthily surely helps. If you suffer through this or know anyone who does or just simply want to start eating more healthy foods then stay and continue reading.

Healthy eating isn't all about salads and smoothies. There are many diets to choose from. Finding the right one for you may take trial and error. 

1. Eat breakfast every day

.nicoleaejayflora.