Emma’s Extras | Monthly Favourites January 2021

How is it February already? I think I say it every month, but seriously, the months just keep flying by so fast.  And despite it being the first month of a new year and another lockdown, January hasn’t been too bad. After a mini-break over Christmas and realising I need to distinguish when the workday ends and ‘switch off’, I’m happy to say I’ve managed to continue that (sort of) through January. I’m taking more time to do other things and find new interests, which I’ll discuss in this post. Also, I thought I’d switch things up a little and create a new title for my monthly favourite posts. Let me know what you think of ‘Emma’s Extras’. 

So what have I been getting up to lately?

Cross stitching

I’ve been wanting to find a new hobby that I can manage to do myself for such a long time. And I finally found it! My new found love hobby is cross-stitching and I love it. Well, I am probably getting a bit ahead of myself here because I’ve only just recently finished my first pattern which is the letter E from an Alphabet Letter Cross Stitch Kit. But I’m being optimistic that it’s going to work out and I’ll be a master cross stitcher in no need.

In all seriousness though, I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to physically cross stitch but I watched lots of YouTube tutorials and got advice from my friend (thank you Sarah) who is amazing at cross-stitching, so I decided to give it a try. I’m really glad I did. I can’t wait to try a completely different pattern next.

Not going to lie, it can hurt my hands and arms especially my shoulder after a little while so I’ve been doing it only in short sittings and then taking a break to prevent muscle fatigue and manage good posture.  But I’m so chuffed to have finished it.  

New Inclusive Products

Did you see that Nike has just unveiled, the Go FlyEase, its new ‘accessible’ shoes you put on without bending down or even using your hands? How cool are they? I think they look great and I like the colours.

I don’t think Nike necessarily created these with disabled people in mind though. It’s for anyone and happens to have a cool design that makes it easier to put the shoe on and take it off. 

Another brand promoting inclusion and diversity is Mattel with the release of two new additions to its Barbie Fashionistas line. They now have Ken in a wheelchair and Barbie with vitiligo joining the brand’s most diverse and inclusive range with more than 175 looks. You may remember I wrote about my childhood, growing up with a disability and the lack of inclusive toys compared to the range of inclusive toys on the market nowadays. In that post, I spoke about disabled Barbie Dolls and what it was like receiving my own as an adult.

TV Series

We have so many TV series that we start watching around the same time and some we end up forgetting to finish. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves. So recently, I decided we need to complete a series before moving onto a new TV show. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Well, one new TV show we started and completed over a couple of nights was a miniseries called “A Teacher” which we watched on BBC iPlayer.

It was based on the film of the same name about the complex affair between a married female high school teacher and her student. It follows their relationship and the consequences of her actions. It’s a great series with a great cast whose aim is to change the perception of sexual abuse at the hands of women. However, it does come with a warning due to its grooming and abuse subject.

Reading

As part of my downtime/self care time, I’ve been trying to do things that I enjoy doing and doesn’t involve being on my computer or phone hence taking up cross-stitching. Another thing I’ve been trying to make time for is reading books on my Kindle. I just finished Serenity (The Shelby Alexander Thriller Series) by Craig A. Hart. Its book one in a series of eight so I’m looking forward to reading the rest.

The series as the title suggests, is about Shelby Alexander who is a retired ex-boxer who moves back to the small town from his childhood to enjoy a quiet life. But he has a few enemies and his plans for a quiet life don’t go to plan when he gets caught up in helping a local drug dealer find out who killed his sister. Shelby is a vigilante though and the first book is full of action.

Movies

Last months favourite movie was ‘Wish Man’ on Netflix. Did you manage to check it out? Let me know what you thought if you watched it? Even though we’ve watched a lot of movies this month, we don’t have a favourite as such. We did enjoy Soul (Disney+), Wild Rose, Pieces of a Women, Black Kklansman, Run Hide Fight and The Vanished on Netflix. 

Music Playlists

Spotify is always on in the background whenever I’m working or doing bits around the house. This month I’ve enjoyed listening to random playlists for easy laidback listening, indie road trip, winter acoustic and chill vibes. I think I’m seeing a bit of a theme here.

I have also been loving Olivia Rodrigo “driving license”. Its a beautiful song that follows my theme of laid back and chill songs this month. I also love the music video cinematography and how it compliments the story of heartbreak and reminiscence.

Lifestyle Magazine

January wasn’t all about relaxing and crafting. It was also a busy work month too. One of my highlights was featuring in the Lifestyle magazine for Motability Scheme customers about Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAV). It’s always a great feeling to see something I’ve worked on featured in a magazine. It was also lovely to receive lots of messages from friends and readers showing me photos of their copy of the magazine. It made me smile.

So that’s some of my January monthly favourites. I hope you enjoyed these snippets from the past month. I’d love to know what you’ve been enjoying or doing recently. What are your hobbies? Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you. 

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