#ponytail (?) also check very nice super good get in the basket

[3-aem]

Okay I'm going to draw aki from chainsaw man. I can do this.

[winryofresembool]

Edwin fic: A Haircut

A/N: Long time no fics (again). Feels like I’m saying that too often these days. But anyway, here is finally one! This.... probably doesn’t /actually/ happen in canon as in all the post promised day shots of Winry she has long hair but I wanted to write this anyway so here we go. I imagine this fic takes place a few months into the boys’ return to Resembool, and Edwin is starting to act a bit coupley. Please enjoy and review! This fic is dedicated to @stephysketchy for being such a super nice person :’)

Words: 2200ish

Genre: guess.(Floof)

Warnings: none

...

“Did you hear that Annie cut her hair short after breaking up with her boyfriend? I saw her yesterday and I can tell you guys, it doesn’t suit her at all.”

It was an early morning, and Winry was sitting at a small Resembool café with her old friends Nelly and Mary, after deciding to give herself a break from working on her current automail project for a day. Her granny had recommended she should try to bond with her old classmates more now that the whole Promised Day disaster was over and she was allowed to leave the house. However, Winry quite quickly realized it was not a very good idea, in the end.

It had been almost a year since she had last seen either of her friends because of all the traveling, working and hiding. So much had happened during that year, making the emotional gap between her and her Resembool friends wider than she had imagined. Winry supposed it was called growth. She was no longer the same person she had been. Meanwhile, these girls, who knew nothing about the recent events of Amestris, were still in the same spot where they had been when they previously met. They still gossiped shamelessly with no worries about what anyone would think of them, while Winry was already ready to leave the café and never come back. But she decided to try to be patient; maybe they would change the topic soon.

“Really?” Mary asked, pulling Winry back from her frustrated thoughts. “What a shame. Her hair was so pretty. Did she explain why she did that?”

“Yep,” Nelly nodded. “Apparently she had heard some people cut their hair after a big change in their lives, such as a break up. But if you ask me, that’s a liiittle bit overdramatic. I wouldn’t ruin my hair for a boy.” She twirled her long tresses proudly.

There was a loud bang on the table. “OK, I have heard enough,” Winry announced angrily, a venomous expression on her face. “Can you hear how awful you guys sound? What if Annie was talking about you guys the same way? How would you feel about that?”

“I…”

“Uh…”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too,” Winry hissed. “Annie is allowed to do whatever she wants with her hair. If you guys have nothing better to talk about, I’m gonna go back to my workshop. At least the metals are something I understand.”

Winry rose from her seat and made a dramatic exit that she imagined Ed would have been proud of. She wondered briefly how he would have reacted to the girls’ conversation. Probably the same way she did (except, even more dramatic if possible), she concluded, and continued towards her home.

However, one part of the conversation did stick to her mind: the reason behind Annie’s hair cut. It made her think about her own life and the changes she had gone through. The apprenticeship in Rush Valley. The Promised Day and events that had led to it. A few months ago, she had finally gotten her two best friends back, and things had calmed down notably. She didn’t have to worry about Ed and Al anymore, and she was free to do whatever she wanted. That was a feeling she wasn’t used to, but something told her she should embrace it. She should do something she hadn’t done in a long while, and now she knew what it was.

She would cut her hair short.

Sure, there were also more practical reasons why she wanted to do it: the long hair got easily stuck between the metal plates and joints when she was working on automail, and in the summer heat her ponytail got all sweaty, but more than that, she wanted to see this hair cut as a symbol of the new, more peaceful part of her life. Besides, she smirked to herself, she would definitely love to see her “friends’” expressions when she’d show up at the town center with the short hair. And – a tiny voice spoke inside her – maybe she was also a little bit curious about how a certain golden-haired boy would react. She hoped he wouldn’t hate it even if it was her own opinion that mattered the most.

...

A couple of hours later, Winry stepped out of a hairdresser’s shop. She was sporting an bob cut that was slightly shorter from the back than front and a content smile that was nearly as wide as Ed’s. In her opinion, the cut had been a success and she was quite positive Ed and Al would like it too. Now all she had to do was to go home and see what would happen.

…

“Hello?” Is anyone home?”

Den ran to greet Winry when she opened the door, but to her slight disappointment the boys weren’t anywhere to be seen. She figured they must have been jogging somewhere, working on Al’s stamina. Her granny, however, gave her a couple of compliments about her hair when she found her from the kitchen. Pinako remembered that Winry’s mother had had exactly the same kind of hair cut when she had started dating her son and showed Winry an old photograph of her from that time. In the picture Sara was wearing a blue summer dress that Pinako believed was still in her late son and daughter-in-law’s old room. Winry wanted to see it, leaving her granny to cook and digging into the wardrobe of her mother.

For a moment, Winry felt overwhelmed as she smelled her mother’s dresses and remembered the times when she had seen them on her. After wiping a couple tears from her cheek, she noticed the one she had been looking for and gently took it out of the closet. She tried it on and was happy to notice it fit to her.

The dress in question was a light blue cotton dress, with a long ribbon going around the waist. Its sleeves were short and the hem about knee-length for Winry. She thought it would be quite suitable for the picnic she and the boys had planned for that day; not too fancy but still comfortable for the warm weather. The color also seemed to match her eyes.

The young woman took a look at the clock on the wall and realized it was almost lunch time; Ed and Al would probably come back from their work out session soon. Leaving the blue dress on, she quickly organized the rest of her mother’s dresses back into the closet and went to help her granny to pack the food for the picnic.

“You seem awfully eager about the picnic today,” Pinako noted suddenly as they were filling the basket, taking a look at Winry’s appearance. “Are you sure you are not trying to impress someone?”

“What, who would I need to impress?” she tried casually but blushed a bit nevertheless.

“Winry, I may be old but not blind,” Pinako shook her head but let the topic be.

The boys were waiting in the hall when Winry came there with the picnic basket. At first Ed was more focused on the basket, curious about its contents, but when he turned to see Winry, his mouth went wide open.

“Something’s different about you,” he stammered wisely.

“Well, yeah, brother, she has cut her hair short!” Al said like it should have been the most obvious thing. “Can’t believe how blind you are. Oh, is that a new dress, too, Winry? Both the dress and the hairstyle suit you very well!”

“Thank you, Al! No, it’s my mother’s old dress, but this is the first time I’m using it!” Winry beamed happily, satisfied that at least Al had noticed what was different.

Al nudged Ed on his arm, telling him to say something too.

“Umm… the hair looks… nice?”

“Just nice?” Winry’s happiness turned into disappointment. “You should be happy you won’t be getting so many long hair between your knee joints from now on…”

“Winry, I think when brother says ‘nice’ he means he thinks it’s super pretty,” Al tried to calm her down.

“Oh, well,” Winry sighed. “Anyway, let’s go then.”

On their way to their favorite picnic spot, Winry, who was walking in front of the brothers, felt that she was being stared at the entire time. Her suspicions turned out to be true when she first heard Al whispering something, and Ed, incapable of staying quiet, immediately yelled back: “I’m not staring, I’m just… checking that nothing falls out of the basket!”

“And sheep can fly, brother,” Al snickered back, not having any of it.

Winry smiled contently, glad she had gotten some reaction from Ed after all.

“I’m hoping none of that milk I packed has spilled over, that would be a disaster, wouldn’t it, Ed?” she asked slyly.

“I… what? Why did you pack milk?! Al, she’s crazy.”

“That’s how I know you didn’t actually pay attention to the basket, you would definitely have noticed the milk,” Winry laughed and Ed turned bright red.

“Way to make him silent, Winry!” Al exclaimed and reached to give her a high five.

Ed mumbled something to himself, but the others couldn’t hear what was being said, other than possibly giving a second thought to something.

…

Eventually, the trio reached a spot where they could see all the way to the Resembool lake and spread the sheet on the grass. As an “apology” to Ed for her earlier teasing, Winry sat right next to him and fed him grapes from her hand. Al just watched the two of them with amusement. They still hadn’t made an official “announcement” about dating, but everyone within a 5-mile radius from them knew what was going on.

Ed broke the peaceful silence by asking: “So, why did you cut your hair? I thought you liked the long hair.”

“I did!” Winry answered. “But… You remember Mary and Nelly, right? I heard them mocking someone’s short hair, and… I want to show them that they are wrong.” “That sounds like something you would do,” Ed laughed and patted Winry on her head. Then he combed his fingers through her blonde locks to test how it would feel like, a move weirdly intimate for him. Al decided he should let the other two have a moment alone and pointed towards the road: “Oh, look! Mr. Jackman is there with his dog! I should go say I hi to them, I need to thank him for borrowing… um, something. I’ll be right back.”

“OK, Al. Don’t stay too long, the soup will get cold.” Winry said after him.

“So…” Ed grumbled, not sure what to say once they were alone.

“So…”

“It feels so different from earlier,” he stated after twirling a lock of her hair between his fingers. “In a good way!” he responded to Winry’s questioning look. “I mean, my fingers don’t get tangled into it anymore.”

“Silly. I’m glad you are enjoying it that much. But yeah, it’s much easier to take care of now too. And I should be able to inspect your automail more closely too now that it won’t get stuck there.” She winked.

Chills went through Ed’s spine. “Hey! Don’t… talk to me like that here! We’re in public!”

“And could be heard by whom? Mr. Jackman seems to be chatting with Al eagerly and I don’t see anyone else nearby.”

“You really are a bit crazy,” Ed said but pulled her closer to him. “Anyway, why do I think you are not telling me everything about the reason why you cut your hair?”

“Sometimes you’re too curious for your own good, alchemy geek.” Winry gave him a disapproving look.

“C’mon, you can tell me.”

Winry poked her fingers together nervously. “Well, they say that… some people like to get a haircut after they have experienced some big life change…”

“And?” Ed urged her to continue.

“That is kinda why I wanted to do it,” Winry answered. “Because… this situation is new to us. I mean… we… have lost a lot on our journey, but… now we have reached this point. We are safe… and we can do whatever we want, right?”

Ed seemed to think about it for a little while. “Well, when you put it that way… it makes sense. So, what is it that you want to do?”

“I want to become the best automail mechanic I can be! But… right now? This is probably gonna sound lame to you… but I just want to enjoy this moment.”

She snuggled closer to Ed’s arm, waiting for his response.

“Nah, I get what you mean,” he said to Winry’s surprise and wrapped an arm around her. “By the way… I think it suits you.”

“What?”

“Your new hair! I… really do like it.”

“I figured as much,” Winry chuckled, nudging him gently. Before she could get too comfortable on Ed’s lap, though, his stomach started grumbling, telling them it was time to eat.

“We should tell Al to come back as well,” Winry pointed out, nodding towards the two men still talking a few dozen metres away.

“I guess you’re right,” Ed snorted and hid his face into a huge sandwich.

[mei-mei-me]

These Are 13 Of My Favorite Beginner-Friendly House Plants From Bloomscape To Grow In Your Home

Keeping house plants is a great way to cozy up your home, although it can be quite a commitment if you aren’t used to watering them every day. For those looking for low-maintenance plants to grow indoors, I’ve put together a list of different types from Bloomscape that are both aesthetically pleasing and easy to take care of. Not only are these plants a nice addition to your space and make for the perfect Instagrams, but they also have health benefits. Some are known for their air purification abilities, while others can even be used in your skincare routine. You won’t need to worry about inviting insects into your home along with these plants, as many of them don’t cause this problem at all. Forgetting to water some of these plants is also not a major issue, as they can even last through droughts.

Scroll down to take a look at the easiest houseplants to grow, along with some useful tips on how to take care of them. When you’re ready to purchase, you can get $15 off your first purchase of $50+ via my link. While you’re here, check out some of the best modern vases for your indoor plants.

Ponytail palm

Fun, distinct, and handy - this plant is low-maintenance and super adaptable to changes. The Ponytail Palm is drought tolerant, slow-growing, and requires very little care. This plant is ideal for people with very little time or who travel regularly. The Ponytail Palm will be perfectly happy being watered every couple of weeks and left alone to soak up the sunlight. This distinct plant brings a little fun to any room in your home.

Bird of Paradise

Impressive and tropical with large, glossy leaves - Bird of Paradise is considered the queen of the indoor plant world. This large, upright plant adds a rich, tropical flair to your space as its glossy, banana-shaped leaves fan out. It is relatively hardy and adapts to a wide spectrum of light conditions from direct sun to low, indirect light, but will flourish in a sunny spot.

Aglaonema indo princess

Low maintenance with unique camouflage-pattered leaves - the Indo Princess Aglaonema is known for its distinctive grayish-green foliage with rich deep green spots and chevrons. Because of their tolerance for both moist and dry conditions, and the fact that they will thrive with low light, they are a perfect choice for less than ideal light conditions or forgetful plant owners. This species of Aglaonemais native to Indonesia and is perfectly suited for a modern living room or office, dim bedroom, or cozy study. The Indo Princess Aglaonema will even flourish in offices with very little or no natural light and adapt and do quite in under fluorescent lighting.

bamboo palm

Lush and dramatic with dark green fronds - the Bamboo Palm is found in the forests of Mexico and Central America where it lives in the shade of larger trees. This means it has adapted to lower light conditions found in most homes. It is a great choice for the home or office because it rates highly on NASA’s list of air-purifying plants.

Dracaena limelight

Full and bright with wide neon leaves - the Dracaena Limelight is among the easiest indoor plants around. This bright indoor plant will flourish and adapt in almost any environment. With glossy, electric lime green leaves this native African tropical houseplant thrives as a low-light interior plant and even adapts to fluorescent lighting. It will also grow well in indirect bright light, but the foliage will be a lighter green in color.

Prickly pear cactus

Playful and easy to care for, the Prickly Pear Cactus has bright green paddle-like pads that actually grow on top of each other. A Prickly Pear is perfect for the person who wishes to add a bit of green to their environment with limited time to care for plants. Native to the hot, dry desert climates of South America, Central America, and the southern parts of North America, the Prickly Pear thrives in a warm sunny spot in your home.

KIMBERLY QUEEN FERN

Graceful, soft, and timeless - the fern grows upright, making it perfect for hanging baskets. This fern will enjoy regular mistings and warmer temperatures and will, in turn, clean and filter the air of pollutants and toxins.

Dracaena marginata open weave

Fun and delicate, with woven stems and spiky, upright leaves - this Dracaena Marginata variety is tall with an open braid weave consisting of 4 canes or stems. Its thin, green leaves banded in red or pink on top of slender stems make a delicate, slight abstract silhouette. As it grows, it maintains its upright appearance making it perfect for blank walls, spots behind furniture or narrow corners.

SANSERVIERIA

Architectural and sturdy - this plant is super easy to take care of and highly adaptable. Sansevierias have stiff, upright, sword-like leaves. Its architectural nature makes it a natural choice for modern and contemporary interior designs. If you’re new to plant ownership or are simply looking for an easy-care houseplant, the Sansevieria is the plant for you. This hardy plant remains popular because of its adaptability to a wide range of growing conditions. It can withstand full sun and handle low light—though it will do best in indirect sunlight. And because the Sansevieria is native to the arid deserts of West Africa, it does not require much water, especially in the winter. NASA research has shown that Sansevierias purifies and clean indoor areas by removing toxins such as formaldehyde and benzene. Since they produce oxygen mainly at night, Sansevierias make excellent bedroom companions.

Philodendron hope selloum

Stunning, exotic, and vibrant with large, serrated leaves - this incredible houseplant makes a huge impact. Its impressively large leaves are heart-shaped, medium green, and glossy with deep, wavy incisions along the edges. This jungle giant is not only beautiful, but also a very forgiving, adaptable, and low-maintenance houseplant.This Philodendron is a fun tropical addition to any space in your home and also filters certain toxins from the air, improving the overall air quality in your home.

Money Tree

Easy and graceful, with large leaves and a braided trunk - the Money Tree is a perfect indoor foliage plant to give you a tropical feel. With its braided stem and bright green palm looking leaves, it looks both like a tree and palm. The Money Tree gets its name because the Feng Shui practice believes it will bring positive energy and good luck to the owner. It has been said this plant reduces stress, anxiety and may also help lessen sleeping disorders.

Burgundy rubber tree

Robust and dramatic with large, glossy leaves - the Burgundy Rubber Tree is a spectacular indoor plant with thick, glossy leaves that range from a rich burgundy red to almost black. It is strong and sturdy but doesn’t like change—so pick a bright spot and let it do its thing! Native to the rainforests of India and South America, it can quickly adapt to common indoor temperatures. Given enough bright light, ample humidity, and with careful watering, your Rubber Tree will thrive in your home, filling the corner of a room within a few years.

Dracaena janet craig

Whimsical and low maintenance - the Dracaena Janet Craig is highly adaptable and very easy to care for. They thrive on neglect, adapt to low light conditions, and need very little water. This, along with their size and upright growth, makes the Dracaena Janet Craig a perfect plant for beginners who need a large, indoor plant in their home. Plus, NASA lists it as an excellent plant for removing harmful chemicals from the air.

Thanks for reading! Remember - plants come fully grown and potted, straight from Bloomscape’s greenhouse. When you’re ready to purchase, you can get $15 off your first purchase of $50+ via my link because there’s no such thing as too many plants.

[peaflesh61-blog]

A Day In The Life Of A Working Mum

22/08/18

Have been thinking about writing this post since a time when – ooh – I didn’t have a permanent stream of sweat cascading down my back, but after reading this from Vicky Gooden, it inspired me to actually y’know, put fingers to keyboard.

Here goes.

6am

The cat jumps on the end of the bed and starts meowing for breakfast. I think not, hun. Moments later the baby starts whimpering through the monitor. I keep my eyes closed and pray everyone just goes back to sleep.

6.45am

Classic FM starts smoothly chortling through the radio which means oh yes excellent my boyfriend needs to get up for work. I look at the monitor and see that Atti is awake and apparently fascinated by his hands. Either he’s been awake and occupying himself for the past 45 minutes or he fell back asleep. I’m hoping for the latter.

7am

I get him out of his cot, change his nappy and give him a bottle in my bed whilst surrounding him with a nice little selection of toys.

7.15am

ASOS have launched a 20% discount code for today only, so drag my laptop onto the bed to very quickly place an order from products that are lurking in my Saved Items folder. They’re not actually for me, but for my mate Chloe as we’re doing a ‘blogger friend does my ASOS haul’ bit of Instagram story content for the lolz. I did the legwork the night before so literally just need to add to basket before everything sells out in her size.

8.30am

After playing with Atti and giving him a bowl of porridge, I put him down for his first nap and utilise the time to do the washing up, refresh the steriliser, cook and eat an omelette, make the bed, shower, throw on a jumpsuit, put a ribbon in my ponytail and put on super basic make-up. I also put out my ‘The HG Ten’ on Instagram stories and start editing a photo to post.

10.10am

HE IS AWAKE. But not crying. He’s playing with his hands again. Sure, sure. I continue editing and whip together a quick caption and get the post out, convincing myself that OF COURSE everyone (including seven-month-old babies) loves a few moments alone to gather themselves after waking up from a nap.

10.15am

I change his nappy and go to get him dressed for the day. Mid-change he starts doing a poo and it is the biggest baby poo I have seen in my entire life. I am shook. I take a photo to send my boyfriend before realising he probably doesn’t want to receive a photo of what looks like an adult poo mid-meeting.

10.30am

We take the 30-minute stroll into town for coffee, toast and a short mosey around the shops – we’re on foot today as my boyfriend has the car for work appointments.

12.15pm

HOME! I go and pick up a missed delivery that has been flung over our back fence before giving Atti lunch, reading a book with him and putting him down for his next nap of the day.

1pm

I have received a letter in the post from the NHS advising me to book a smear test which is all very well and good aside from the fact I had one three months ago and never received the results. Try to ring my GP but am number 20 in the call queue and quite honestly no.

I sit down to type this post having had the OMG YES LET’S DO THIS HOW EXCELLENT thought this morning, before making myself a cup of tea and taking the washing off the line.

I also blitz through the most important of emails lingering in my inbox which mostly say ‘Hi Hannah, sorry to chase but have you had a spare second to look over my last email?’.

I have more work to do but get completely and utterly hooked by an online article about working mums which then forces me to pre-order a book about working mums and then ah well nap time is over.

2.30pm

I decide that this afternoon seems like as fine a time as any to top up the supplies of baby mash in the freezer, and decide that YAY ME AND ATTI WILL COOK A TOMATO PASTA TOGETHER.

He wails the entire time he is in his highchair, unless I am plying him with Ella’s Kitchen Melty Puffs or performing elaborate dances for him.

In fact, he doesn’t not stop yelling at me for the next two hours until I decide that I’m going to put him down for a random afternoon nap because maybe he’s tired? PLEASE SAY HE’S TIRED.

Would like to just sit and stare at a wall but instead got an inbox to refresh and a kitchen to clean. Sweet joy.

4.50pm

Ten minutes into cleaning the kitchen, just as I have spritzed every surface with my beloved rhubarb Method spray and made a small dent in the washing up, there is a knock on the door. Because OF COURSE today is the day our Tesco delivery man swans up early.

I manage to find space on the floor for everything we’ve bought and just as I say ‘have a nice day’ and close the front door, I can hear hysterical screaming coming through the monitor.

Please just picture me tapping my fingers together like Mr Burns and going ‘eeeeexcellent’.

5.19pm

There is one delightful upside to my boyfriend having the car – he arrives home a full eight minutes earlier than normal and is clearly in a 10/10 mood because he’s not only brought home a cheese scone but he happily takes the baby off me and heads off upstairs for half an hour, leaving me to cook dinner in peace.

6.10pm

Dump loads of cold spaghetti on the baby’s high chair tray and surprisingly he thinks it is the most exciting thing he’s ever seen. Cue us eating dinner like a grown-up couple whilst he flings spaghetti at us, the floor and the wall.

7pm

Take Atti upstairs for a bath to clean all the spaghetti off his belly, a book, a bottle and bed.

Turns out the reason my boyfriend managed to distract the baby for half an hour was because he gave him a rice cake to eat in our bed. On top of the fresh bed sheets I put on… ooh less than 24 hours ago. Spend five minutes picking tiny crumbs off my pillow.

7.30pm

Kettle boiled and a last check of my emails in case Virgin have got in touch begging me to go on a family holiday to Cuba leaving tomorrow. They have not, but there is a lovely press release on denim watches waiting for me.

8.20pm

Put laptop away, change into my pyjamas and settle down on sofa with chocolate and boyfriend to watch Sharp Objects. Watch with subtitles because it’s too arty and there’s too much mumbling and I can’t hear what’s going on with the white noise coming through the monitor.

9.30pm

Face oil slathered on, sleep spray spritzed and eye mask firmly covering my peepers from the bright glare of THAT BLOODY MONITOR (love it really, I GET TO CHECK MY BABY IS BREATHING EVERY 30 SECONDS).

And good night, I am done for the day, resigned to a glorious sleep in my rice cake crumb-laden bed.

Source: http://hannahgale.co.uk/2018/08/22/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-working-mum/