Category Archives: life

Life on Instagram

06th February 2017
Woo yeah, I’m on a roll with my instagram round-ups now it would seem (because I am sure everyone is just soooo excited by this news!) Here are some of the most recent happenings in my life lately as told through my iPhone- for the bigger picture of my daily doings you can give me a follow over on instagram. I’m always on the look out for new folks to follow so let either leave me a comment below with your username and I’ll get stalking…
Rare cuddle time with my girl
The cosiest new dressing gown
Hello Harriet necklace that sums me up
Mae gets retro
Playtime plotting
Playtime never ends in this house!
Peaceful thoughts stone, I’m a sucker for anything like this
The local, overly ambitious ice cream man!
Spark out
Powerless to resist new Barry M releasees
Chocolate orange cookies
And peanut butter cookies
Greatest phone case purchase to date
Retro treats! I so regret getting rid of my Polly Pockets
Gorgeous heel detail from Ego shoes
More retro loving with this gift from my best friend
How we feel about Mondays
Fresh hair and actually wearing my glasses for once
And epic lunch creation of goats cheese and red onion chutney.
As you can see I’m still living an extremely wild life whilst off from work. Most days it is just Mae and I for hours on end whilst everyone else is busy living their normal lives and it does get pretty lonely. I’m currently working my backside off to enable myself to get back to work ASAP. I’m cross with myself for not putting a real shift in sooner and that frustration is what’s powering me through the tough days, of which there are plenty right now.

As always click on an image to see it full sized or hover over it to see my (rarely interesting) caption. Want more details on a snap- a recipe or shop link perhaps? Just leave me a comment!

end

Posted in instagram, life, life stuff, Mae

Permalink 1 Comment

My (latest) vaping experience with e-cigarette direct & giveaway

26th January 2017
I always feel like this kind of blog post is a bit taboo- you don’t see smoking, or vaping mentioned all that much within the blogging community but I’m pretty sure I’m not the only smoker out there, or the only person seeking an alternative.

I’ve been a smoker since I was 17, that’s almost 13 years now and to be honest I haven’t enjoyed it for probably the last 5 years. Add to that the ever-rising cost of cigarettes, the fact I’m not getting any younger and of course all of the health dangers that come with smoking I’ve been mulling over the idea of quitting for a while now.

As much as I hate to admit it, I’m not quite ready for cold turkey. Smoking has always been related to my mental health and a coping mechanism when anxiety gets too much. I’ve tried patches and gums in the past but it’s the hand to mouth action that I missed and the inhalation so vaping has always held some kind of appeal. I’ve given it a go once or twice in the past but didn’t get much from it if I’m honest- however with the idea of stopping the cigarettes firmer in my mind than ever it was timely when e-cigarette direct offered to set me up with the kit so I could try again.

For the device itself I picked out the Halo Tank Kit* based on the reviews (and the aesthetic I’ll admit). The kit itself represents excellent value, currently on offer at £17.59 but only £21.99 full price. That’s just one week’s worth of cigarettes for me so already you can see the money saving potential as this will last a heck of a lot longer!

I went a bit crazy ordering all kinds of flavoured liquids, again from the Halo Brand*. At £3.99 the liquids are cheaper than a ten pack of cigarettes and again last an awful lot longer- I’m two weeks in and still on my first bottle. I like the fact you can pick from a whole range of flavours, the novelty appeals to me but even the regular tobacco flavoured ones are a lot more palatable than an actual cigarette.

It has been a slow process but this is the longest I have stuck with vaping and whilst I’m not completely off of cigarettes yet I am getting there. This would be a good time to add that I AM NOT ADVOCATING VAPING AS HEALTHY, or indeed any better for you than smoking as I know there is still a lot of research in to the effects going on. From a financial point of view it has already had clear benefits and I’ve found that I’m actually reaching for both cigarettes and the vape kit less and less which is hopefully a sign that I am heading in the right direction to stopping full stop.

Until I’m ready to stop completely though I will be giving my custom to e-cigarette direct. The speed of service was the most notable part of the experience- I placed my order on the Wednesday and had it with me on the Thursday!

For anyone else thinking about giving vaping a go I always have a giveaway running to win yourself £100 worth of kit! Just follow the simple instructions below! Giveaway runs from 26/1/17 until 17/2/17, UK only.

Win an e-cigarette kit worth £100 #17

end

All products were sent to me by the brand for blog consideration but I was under no obligation to post.

Posted in gadgets, life, life stuff

Permalink 2 Comments

What’s New Pussycat?

13th January 2017

The sales have been pretty kind to me this year- not only did I score some complete bargains but I also managed to snap up a couple of items I’d had on my wish list full price and resigned myself to not being able to afford.

The cat print dress in this post is one of those finds. First bought to my attention by the wonderful (and ever so stylish) Laura a couple of months ago I knew straight away that I wanted this but at £45.99(ish) it was way out of my price range. After a quick online browse of the Zara sale I was excited to see the dress had gone down to £26.99 but still assumed I wouldn’t get it but left it in the hands of the shopping gods and decided that if the Bristol store had it in stock in my size I would buy it- but because I didn’t technically NEED another dress I wouldn’t order online.

Someone was smiling down on me the day I ventured in to the sales (and the Zara sale is one I tend to avoid because it gets so chaotic and often vicious in store!) as there was one cat printed dress left hanging there all alone. A size up from my usual but I tried it on and decided I didn’t care, I like the sloppy look and so I happily trotted off to pay.

Dress: Zara | Boots: Office (similar)

These ankle boots are the third pair that have recently come in to my possession, but as my most worn flat black pair as starting to give up the ghost and I had a gift card from work I figured they were a worthy investment especially as they were reduced from £72 to £32. I’ve been after a pair of lace up ankle boots for a while and whilst the exact pair I got aren’t on the Office Shoes website any more I have linked to a very similar alternative for anyone else on the hunt.

This is probably one of my current favourite outfits. I’m a massive fan of longer length over-sized dresses at the moment and anything with a cat print on it is always going to be a winner in my eyes. I’ve already worn this dress several times so on a cost-per-wear basis it’s probably in the minus figures by now.

Thank you for all of the well wishes for my occupational health appointment, they were very much appreciated. It didn’t go exactly as I’d hoped- I suppose I thought that if I could get myself mentally a lot better I could somewhat overlook the physical side of things (and my first experience with occupational health seemed to confirm this). Alas this wasn’t the case so now I must face my biggest fear and hurdle in recovery and put on some weight before I can resume the job I love so much. I suppose I’m writing this down so I can’t back away from it. It’s so easy to get swept up in the disordered thinking of “well I already look healthy” but using my blog as a perspective I can see that I’m a way off looking like I did when I was last at a healthy weight (in this post for an example) and I’ve just got to man up and get on with it. I always struggle through the process of weight gain and seeing my body change but I know that when I get there I feel so much happier and more confident in myself- and the rest of my life becomes a lot more fun and fulfilling as a result. That has got to be worth toughing it out for. Hopefully it won’t be too long before I’m at a level where I can return to work, it’s so hard to know that the only thing holding you back from the one thing you really want to be able to do is yourself and yet you’re trapped by an illness that does it’s best to stop you achieving anything resembling a happy and healthy life.

Anyway, enough of that… tell me about your top sales purchases this year- or I suppose end of last year really!

end

Posted in life, life stuff, outfits, recovery, shoes, shopping

Permalink 10 Comments

My Top Food & Lifestyle Apps with the Vodafone Smart First 7

11th January 2017
It’s hard to imagine now a life without smartphones, I can still remember getting my first ever mobile phone at the age of 13 and how excited I was thinking I was the height of sophistication and yet it was so very basic that I wonder what purpose it ever served, even text messages were limited in character! These days, as much as I hate to admit it I would struggle to keep everything together without my trust iPhone in hand and it’s true what they say- there really is an “app for that”, even things you never thought you could need an app for!

I was recently contacted by Vodafone about their super affordable smartphone- the Vodafone Smart First 7 which costs a mere £20 on pay as you go (which costs £15 per month so much cheaper than your standard contract). They offered me the loan of the device as a chance to explore the wide range of food and lifestyle apps available on the Google Play Store. Now I’m usually an out and out Apple girl but I was intrigued by the affordability of this model and also I was curious to see how the two rival app stores could compare.

So before I get on to the apps I’m loving a quick word on the phone itself- I’m genuinely amazed at the price of this. Whilst I might not be about to rush out and replace my iPhone with it I was impressed with how sleek it looks and how fast it runs. It doesn’t have a huge amount of memory (4gb internal but you can expand this with a memory card) but it has all of the features you’d expect from a smartphone and is very easy to use, making it perfect for anyone knew to the mobile technology world or if you’re on a budget but still want access to the benefits a smartphone can offer. Hats off to Vodafone for creating something so affordable that actually works!
I had a good play around on the google play app store which itself is user friendly and provides easy downloads. I’ve selected a few of my favourite food and lifestyle apps as despite not making any resolutions I do want to start off 2017 with good intentions!
The Headspace app is actually one I’ve been using for a while having had it recommended by a variety of health care professionals as well as friends. Initially it is free, you get a 30 day trial before needing to subscribe and in my opinion it’s worth it. The app uses proven meditation and mindfulness techniques to help you train your mind and gain some inner peace, all in 10 minutes a day to begin with. Well worth a download if you’re finding yourself feeling frazzled and stressed- I also find it great for managing anxiety.
Smart Recipes is a free app produced by the NHS to encourage smart food choices by providing family friendly easy to follow healthy recipes. It has over 160 calorie counted meal choices and helps you plan, organise and mix up your meals without spending a fortune.
Another free app I’ve been using for a while is Clue- Period Tracker and I find it invaluable. Since coming off of my pill my cycle has been irregular to say the least and I find inputting each period really does help me keep track not only of when my period is likely to arrive but also where I am in my cycle and when I am most likely to experience PMS symptoms (which is handy to warn other people to avoid me as I get majorly grumpy!). If you’re looking to start a family you can also use the app to track your most fertile days. I can’t recommend this app enough!
The Love Food Hate Waste is another easy to follow recipe app that aims to help you reduce the amount of food waste you generate (and thus save you up to £200 per year!) I’m making a huge effort at the moment to reduce how much food I waste and I really like the selection of recipes provided on this app as well as the ability to meal plan, create a shopping list and get help gauging portions which is something I really struggle with. Again this is a free app and one I use regularly.
Finally another mindfulness based app, Calm. Perfect for beginners the app offers guided meditation sessions ranging from 3 minutes long to 25 minutes. It covers a wide range of topics from anxiety through to gratitude with various programmes and exercises available.
All of these apps are also available on the Apple app store and I’ve been using them regularly on my iPhone- having had the chance to properly explore them I now wonder what took me so long!

I’d love to know what your favourite apps are, covering any topics…leave them in the comments below and let me know if you try out any of my suggestions.

end

Posted in apps, life, life stuff, review, tech

Permalink 1 Comment

Rose(gold) Tinted

09th January 2017

Over the last couple of months three new pairs of ankle boots have somehow made it in to my posession. I say somehow, I do actually know how- of course I do but I am pretending to plead ignorance because I really had no need of even one pair, let alone three!

The rose gold pair in this post were a Christmas present and I just couldn’t resist them when I first saw them in River Island. Much like with my pewter pair I was attracted to how shiny they were. That and being a typical blogger and loving all things rose gold of course! I gave them their first outing paired with a floral dress I picked up in the M&S sale. It was so nice to mainly have money for Christmas and then to be able to indulge in some guilt free sales shopping for once, especially as my income is severely lacking whilst I am still signed off from work.

Dress: Marks and Spencer (similar) | Boots: River Island (available on ASOS)

I’ve been trying to make a bit more of an effort with how I dress lately. I spent a large part of last year living in the same pinafore dresses and black ankle boots and generally not feeling like myself. Thanks to some saving up and some sales shopping I’ve managed to make some modest additions to my wardrobe that are much more “me” and as shallow as it might sound I am feeling better for it.

This is probably the first January in a long time where I haven’t felt resigned to “January blues”. Things might not currently be how I want them- I’m not yet back at work, I’m fighting a huge mental battle with myself each and every day and it’s sometimes overwhelming just how many changes I need to make in my life. But I have hope, for the first time in a long time I have hope that things are going to change for the positive. I have goals and direction, tangible goals at that- not huge big dreams that would be near impossible to achieve.

The first step will be a second occupational health appointment this week after the first one turned out to be well, a disaster for various reasons. I’m hoping this will set the wheels in motion for getting back to work and from that the rest is bound to follow, slowly but surely. I know what I need to do and it’s just a case of working out how best to get it done now.

It’s not all sweetness and light. A year ago today I was in the midst of moving to my flat and starting what I thought would be my new forever and of course that does get me down at times but I’ve found now that I can brush it off, remind myself of the bigger picture and muddle through the days with a smile on my face for the most part.

How are you finding January so far? And on a sartorial note how would you style up the rose gold boots?

end

Posted in life, life stuff, outfits, shoes, shopping

Permalink 8 Comments