Christmas Gift Guide - Boyfriend Edition - BLOGMAS DAY 3

Happy Blogmas day 3 everyone! 

Todays is a little Christmas gift guide for the lads in your life. I find buying things for my boyfriend quite hard because he doesn't necessarily have a 'thing' and I'm like.......thank you that's super helpful. So I end up buying clothes and random things that I think will make his Christmas special. I think I've done a good job this year.

The below include a couple of things my boyfriend already has (Dior Homme makes me think of our first date together!) - the others are just little bits I came across and thought "yeah, someones boyfriend might like these". 

all photos are credited in the links below 

FIND THESE ITEMS HERE: 

1. Dior Homme Eau - £54 - £73

2. Posh Sandwiches Cook Book - £12.99

3. Knotted Leather Bracelet - Tommy Hilfiger - £39

4. Jack Wills Boxers 2 set - £25

5. Vans Old Skool Trainers - £57

6. Star Wars Drink Bottle - £20

Let me know what you are planning on getting your boyfriends or girlfriends. I'm pretty much finished but knowing me I won't stop buying him things despite this! I'm a spoiler... 

See you tomorrow! 

Shannon x 

Christmas Wishlist - BLOGMAS DAY 2

Happy Blogmas Day 2! 

I will be sharing with you just a few things I would like for Christmas this year. The older I get the harder it is when my mum asks me, my 23 year old self "make me a Christmas list so I know what you want". 

I miss the old days when you would sit down for hours to pen your Christmas list, or sit in your Nannies kitchen and go through the Argos catalogue and pick at least one thing one each page. Just me? No? Didn't think so! 

all photos belong to each brand linked below

FIND THE ITEMS HERE: 

1. Fujifilm Instax Square Camera - £125

2. LUSH Snow Fairy Body Spray - £20

3. Jimmy Choo 'Fever' - £43 - £79

4. Pull & Bear Metallic Dress - £12.99

5. Hand Lettering 101 - £18.79

6. Converse - £75

7. Denim Dungarees - £42

I would be a very lucky girl to get anything from this list this year, but I am more stoked to give my presents to my loved ones. Some ideas will be coming up in the following days! 

What's on your Christmas wish list this year? Let me know! 

Shannon x 

My 2018 Goals

Hey everyone, firstly I want to wish you all a Happy New Year! I have a good feeling about this one...especially after the shit show of 2017. What the fuck was that, universe?!

I've got a few things I'd like to do and achieve this year and I am confident and motivated to do them! Here we go 2018...

Start Yoga

I've wanted to start yoga for a long time now but have either not had the motivation or confidence to do it. I feel like it's going to improve my mental health so much and make me feel so well in general. My best friend Ben gave me such a lovely Christmas present with Yoga Dice so once I start in a class I can then do it at home. It's going to be a big step, to either go alone or with a friend. I'm excited!

Write more

Whether that is on my blog or in a journal, I just want to write. I love writing, it really helps me and is therapeutic. Hence why I tend to always write a long blog post whenever I am really struggling. I've attempted journals for years, I have tonnes of books but this year I am going to write as much as I can, when I can!

Start a Youtube channel

This is something I've wanted to do since I was younger, I attempted it once when I done a vlog about the One Direction premiere and it was fucking tragic. I want to start doing videos talking about mental health, getting it out on a different platform and in a different way. I think it will be helpful for me and for other people too, what do you think?

Stay tidy! 

A tidy room equals a tidy mind if you ask me! My room needs decorating, it hasn't felt quite like home since I moved back into it earlier in the year after leaving the house I was renting with my ex boyfriend. It needs some TLC and I need to look after it more, it's my home after all and where I spend a lot of my time. I want to do it all up, make it tidy and nice and I think my mind will feel fresh because of it!

Say yes to plans 

In 2017 I became nervous whenever plans came about, there was a handful of people I was okay with seeing and that was it. I want to go and see my friends India and Damian more and hang out in their lovely home, I want to see Dans friends more without feeling unnecessarily nervous (anxiety, please suck my dick) and I just want to say yes more! I want to text friends I haven't seen in a while and go for a drink without thinking it's a burden on my day, I just want to enjoy myself again and I am going to. 2018 is the year I become a more confident person.

BE HAPPY

This is my ultimate goal this year and forever on wards. I want to break through my anxiety, depression and whatever the fuck else is going on in my silly head and be the happiest version of me. I have so much going for me, I have the potential to move to a better job, I have amazing friends and family, a lovely boyfriend and inside I have the drive to move forward. I will be happy this year, last year I spent most of the time being sad and worried, not this year, no thank you.

I am excited for what this year has to offer, let's go 2018, let's make it a good one!

x

Autumn 2016 Tag!

Hey everyone! It's been a wonderful, cold, rainy day - my fave. I'm sat in my cosy house and came across an Autumn tag on Twitter that another blogger had done and thought I would do it for you to embrace the Autumn. I'm calling everything I do related to Autumn, my Autumn rain dance. IT'S COMING, IT'S COMING. 

Do enjoy! 

1. Drinks - What's your favourite seasonal drink from Starbucks?

I really do enjoy a Pumpkin Spice Latte at this time of year, it's just natural. Although, in Ireland we ordered a Pumpkin Spice Frapp - they did not blend this, it was just an iced Latte. It was wanl. 

2. Accessories - What do you option for? Scarf, boots, gloves?

Black. My accessory is black. HAHA, oh my god no I really need to branch out this Autumn and get some cute little autumnal colours in my wardrobe. I need a nice mustard scarf, some dark red gloves, etc, etc. I'll have a look round, perhaps even do an Autumn wish list...

3.  Music - What's your favourite music to listen to during Autumn? 

During Autumn? My music taste does not tend to change with the seasons, but I'm currently obsessed with The 1975s album which I have been for months. I'm sure it'll make me feel 100x more dramatic when it's cold and windy. 

4. Perfume - What's your favourite scent for this time of year? 

Apple and cinnamon at this time of year is a bloody winner, holy moly. I cannot wait to go out and get some candles and sprays for the house in this scent! Back home at my mums she would always by an air freshener in that scent and it would just smell like home. It would smell cosy and I used to love coming home from school/work because it just felt warm with that smell. 

5. Candles - What scents will you be burning this season? 

As previously stated I'm going to go shopping for some cinnamon scented candles shortly! 

6. What do you love most about Autumn? 

I love the cosiness of the cold evenings. I'm strange and I would take cold, windy weather over the sun anyday. (Hello, I have a tattoo of an umbrella and rain) ((I might even get an autumnal leaf shortly, watch me)) I love the colours of the leaves, the crisp morning walks, the warmth of your house when the lights are out and it's just your lamps on. The blankets, the slippers and the cosy pyjamas. Waiting for Halloween knowing Christmas is just around the corner! 

7. Make up - Favourite makeup look? 

Okay, so you know me I don't wear too much make up! But I really have been looking at so many bloggers/instas and see some adorable looks. I'd never be able to pull them off but I can admire from afar. Perhaps I will, but I'll probably stick with my normal look. I woke up like this. 

8. What are you looking forward the most in Autumn? 

I want to make our new home look sweet and Autumn-ey. I want to buy and carve pumpkins with Ry again this year because last year was the first time I've ever done it. I can't wait to take my little dog out for Autumn walks over the park when I go to visit my mum, walks up the lane to work in the rain. Cosy evenings in with warm drinks and blankets! AGH BRING IT TO ME.

I hope you've enjoyed this, if you do the tag let me know I'd love to read your Autumn faves! 

Rome 2016!

Hello everyone! 

It's been almost 2 months since myself and Ryan went away to Rome, we go to Dublin next week so it felt right to FINALLY do a post about it! 

It was incredible, one of the most beautiful places I've ever been with the absolute love of my life. It was just perfect. The weather was sweet, maybe even too hot. The food was bloody incredible oh my god, don't, I am still mourning the loss of the Italian pizza when I eat a disappointing pizza from England. Sigh, forever in my heart. The landmarks were just insane, honestly the whole place just blew my mind. I don't understand how the buildings were made so many years ago, it was just amazing! 

So, we started off going to Heathrow. Ryan does not like tubes but we were getting the train and tubes, HE NEARLY DID NOT GET ON THE TUBE. I am still traumatised, a lady on the tube gasped and we looked at each other through the window like this is the end. It was so dramatic, should've been a TV show. All was well though, he got on. Our flight was then delayed so we went to a restaurant and just chilled for hours and hours with both our anxiety levels rising because we both don't like flying, what a mare. 

Ryan being mis because of the delayed flight, the viewing platform and me having an air pee lolz.

Okay, so we got to Rome and we got pushed into a Taxi...there was already a man in the taxi. Why? Was this a thing? Apparently so when another man got in. It was so bloody weird, and then the taxi driver started to drive while on his phone, looking at a map, just being a fuckin nut nut it was crazy. No one warned us about the crazy drivers! 

Day 1 we walked to the Colosseum and wow, in-fucking-sane, I still can't believe it. How?! HOOWWOWOWOWOWOw. 

Our walk to the Colosseum and the ruins around the area! 

When then walked to the Piazza Venezia, and that was just so huge and crazy. It was white, was I in heaven? Maybz. 

Also, we spent about €17 on GELATO. Okay, we knew it may be pricey but after that it did not cost that much. I think we were mugged off, but it was worth it right?

Evening with Pizza and Gelato!

At a cute fountain outside the Piazza Venezia

Day 2 we went off to the Trevi Fountain! It was gorgeous, it was the one thing I was super stoked to go and do. We also went to the Spanish Steps but they were shut...the steps were shut? Yeah. Anyway, the whole area around there was so Italian. The shops, everything. We looked around the shops, got asked to come into so many cafes, not today thank u. It was lovely, then we had dinner on Gay Street which turned out to be our favourite street to have dinner on and it was beauts, another pizza obvz. Then we went and saw the Colosseum at night and wow, nothing like it. 

Beauts Day! 

Day 3 we went to the Vatican and Vatican City. So the Vatican Museums were insane, like there was too much stuff everywhere on the walls on the ceiling on the floor in my FACE. It was incredible and I'll never experience anything like that again. We also climbed up 500+ steps almost facing our death to see the view of Vatican City, and it was unreal. Worth the pain of the 500+ steps and seeing Ryans whole being sweat and almost die. We went to the T-Bone Station that night too, not very Italian but Ry has always wanted a T-Bone Steak and he looked v proud of himself for destroying it. 

Part 1 of the Vatican, all those beautiful ceilings! 

Part 2 of the day, that view and Ry with his T-Bone.

So our last full day we went to see the Pantheon, just in the middle of a little place and the history behind places like this as I said before was just blowing my mind. It was great. We also went and saw the Piazza Navona and it was like the Covent Garden of Rome in my opinion. That night we had dinner with the view of the Colosseum again and we finished fairly early so off we went to the Ice Bar! It was so cold (obviously, duh) but so bloody funny, me and Ry had already had a bottle of wine with dinner then we were the only two in there and we were just having such a laugh. It is now one of my favourite memories with Ryan! 

More Pizza I love myself. 

Of our titties in the Ice Bar

And that was that, the next day we went home and now I have all these new memories with my love and I can't wait for the next adventure next week to Dublin! 

Hope you've enjoyed this post! 

Positive Tuesdays, they're back!

Oh my god HI. I'm bringing back Positive Tuesdays, if you were about in my Uni days you'll know all about these. Have a look here, there's loads!

I enjoyed doing this, let me fill you in on the dealio with these. Every Tuesday I will look back on the week I've had and pick out all the good things, it's a day of positive reflection. A moment to focus on the good and forget any of the bad and document it to look back on when I need to! I loved doing it back when I was struggling at university.

It did help, it helped slightly then however I feel now as I am well into my recovery and getting better that these will help me so much more! Please join in, use the hashtag #PositiveTuesdays on Twitter and label your posts with it, I'd love to read what's been happening with your week and all the good stuff that's made you happy! I love to reflect on all the funny, weird things that have happened to and believe me on planet Shannon there's a lot.

I hope this sounds like a good idea to other people? I know I'm so stoked to be bringing it back! Shannon 1 - 0 Mental Health.

Anyway, MY WEEK. What's been happening?! Well, we've gone into our second week of living in our brand new lovely house ahhhhh - my first homeware haul was put up last week so check that out if you'd like!

The Great British Bake Off started again and me and Ry were stoked so we made banana bread - or attempted to - with the left over bananas in the house. We had no scales, Ryan aka Paul Hollywood thought oh no it's fine we'll just measure FLOUR WITH A SPOON. We only used two table spoons, the banana bread came out sludgey and looked like a slab of pork. The more I think about it the more I want to gag and fall into a hole and live there forever but we tried. Our first baking experience in the house was not a great success but at least we enjoyed it? Haha.

Honestly, not a lot has happened this week, I've hung out with my family and my puppers a few times so that's been GREAT. Look at them, they're adorable! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

Well, that's it my return to Positive Tuesdays, let me know if you join in I'd love to see some more posts! 

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Everything to gain...

Hiiiiiii everyone, another day another post about my mental health.

I've been thinking about what I have to gain and lose from my mental health, it's tricky. I've spoken before how it feels like my head is split in half, one side is stuck in the mental illness side of things - this side wants to stay in the warped comfort of my eating disorder and my anxieties that drive me up the wall daily (but also drive me... it makes sense to me). The other side of my head is the one that wants to be better, wants to live for my future and stop being stuck in this horrible cycle everyday.

Okay so what do I have to gain from keeping myself stuck in this cycle? Oh, absolutely nothing. There is nothing I can possibly gain from this, I can only lose. Lose everything, lose myself, even though I believe I've already lost myself - I have to get myself back.

Anyway, anyone who has suffered from an eating disorder may relate when I say that you're scared of losing it. Losing the strange comfort you get, it has been there when no one else has. Even though this is the thing that may have pushed others away. But it's SO STRONG that you believe sometimes it is all you need. I know I'm scared of losing it, without it what am I? Without my constant anxieties what do I have to think about?

I even said the other day out loud "I miss how I was" I couldn't quite believe I said it, I take it back. I said that because I had so much control when I was getting to my worst and my lowest point. I could wake up everyday and eat (or not eat) whatever I wanted because I was at university and no one could tell me what to do, no one was watching my every move. That has changed now, I get watched a lot and worried about a lot and that isn't fun for anyone. Nobody wants that.

I don't think there is anything to gain or anything that I long to keep with this. I need to lose it all and get back the person I lost and everyone else lost along the way.

To gain? I have everything to gain. I have confidence to gain, strength, love and a life. I have a little baby nephew on the way and I want him to grow up healthy and happy, I don't want him to see his Auntie Shannon the way others have seen me. I think about something quite a lot, when my brother was starting to go out with his girlfriend Chelsea (now fiancé) I felt like I was just always sad, always just laying on the sofa asleep because I didn't actually want to be awake and I know I was never judged but I wouldn't like to see someone like that, because it is sad. My worst nightmare is to be like that in front of this little baby that is coming into the world.

I have strength to gain, I know I've lost a lot of it. Before I got bad I would be able to go for runs and exercise for fun not for weight loss, but now I don't trust myself to do it and I don't think anyone else does either. I want to be able to do these things again for FUN. I want people to trust me to do these things to look after myself and not to ruin myself.

I have a lot of confidence to gain, I've never had it though. This has been the case forever, it's not something that has occurred with the ED - I've never been confident. I was only ever confident at university when I had drunk a bottle of wine and the world was mine. Other than that, I'm not confident in myself. I want to get there and believe I am as lovely as people tell me, one day.

I have a life I want to live with the love of my life, I won't have that if I let the eating disorder and all the other problems win. I have a home with my love, and I want a future with my love. I want to get married and have babies of our own, I want to have a successful life where we can provide a great life for our family. I think that is my biggest motivation.

See, when you're struggling you really do have to think about the bigger picture. It's hard, but just think. What DOES the future hold? What can I do to change this? Can I get help? Of course. It's hard but the help is there, there is always someone to help.

Your future needs you, your family need you and YOU need you.

Look after yourself and never give up, the future is bright but you just need to get there.

Homeware Haul Part 1!

Hello everyone, I'm on a roll! So this shall be my first of a few homeware hauls, we haven't got everything in the house yet  - I'm currently sitting on a pile of blankets and cushions while we wait for the sofas. Sleeping on a mattress on the floor while watching the telling which is also on the floor, I think it's kinda cute though. In years to come me and Ry can be like "so we spent weeks on the floor... WEEKS." 

I'm not too good at this whole living away from home thing just yet, I know I lived in London for a year but I spent most of that eating doritos hungover in a mess in a duvet burrito. Tonight I tried to boil an egg...3 times. THREE TIMES, T H R E E. Not once, not twice but three times. That's a waste of three whole eggs, don't tell Ryan he'll get the waste police on me.

ANYWAY, we picked up some really sweet little bits to make this house a home! There's still so much more to add, but here are a few of my favourite little bits that we picked up. 

Firstly let's go to the kitchen, we went for copper! We could have gone OTT with the copper but of course we were not sure what the kitchen would look like (we've been collecting things since the start of the year maybe?) - however we bought some very sweet pieces. 

We got the Tea, Coffee and Sugar pots from Next (£16.00), well my parents bought these as well as the kettle which was from Sainsburys. We then purchased the Toaster from BHS (RIP, forever in my homeware loving heart) - this was I think £23 instead of £40?! Throughout the whole search we made so many savings it was nUTS. The knife set for example which I think is like Ryans child was £36 instead of £120, I'm sweating. 

We then got these sweet little mugs with a voucher I got for my birthday from my friend Ben, because aren't they just cute. I love these little Alphabet pieces. These were £4.00 each from Next! 

Onto the living room, very incomplete as I previously said with the lack of sofas! But once everything is in I'm going to do another post - especially when I get the desk in the spare room aGH. Anyway, back onto the living room we got these beautiful effing cushions oh my GOD. They are the most beautiful things I've ever set eyes on. These are from Marks & Spencers, they were pretty steep at £15.00 each and are like the size of a pea but still wow. Cutest little things again on the whole alphabet theme so people know whose house they're in, right? 

oH MY GOD I LOVE THEM

Now the bathroom, upstairs we got some lovely lilac bath mats which are just beauts but I haven't taken a photo of them. The picture below is the beautiful toothbrush holder with a sweet little heart pattern from Sainsburys! We got a matching soap dish and toilet brush holder  - they're just so sweet. The only annoying thing is not being able to have the tiles and flooring that we would like as we rent, but we've made it all work. Here's just a little peak at the toothbrush holder! 

Moving on to the random little bits around the house, one day I purchased this cute little chalkboard from Tiger. I'm pretty sure it was about £7.00 but I honestly cannot remember it was months ago, it's so sweet though we keep writing each other little messages when the other is at work or messages for when the other gets home from work. It's quite hard to work such different times from each other, but little messages are very cute to come home to. 

These little vases from Next, no longer available though bOOOOO. But they actually inspired the colours I wanted in the accessories for the living room, I think I'll be keeping these in the living room and not in our bedroom. They were £5.00 down from £14.00 in the sale, honestly we should have our own bargain hunting TV show. 

Finally, I'm going to show you our bed cover! I'm really unsure what colours we should have in the bedroom. Until we get furniture I don't think I will be super sure but anyway we picked these super sweet bed covers up from Tesco! I'm pretty sure they were also in the sale, they look like little watercolours and you know I love me some watercolour. Ryan looks pretty wrapped up in it. 

So that is the lot for now, like I said I will do another once we get more stuff in the house and it all starts coming together. Oh, it wouldn't be right to leave this post without showing you a bit of Ryans nerd cave... 

This is in the spare room and on the other side of the room I'm going to have a desk and it's just going to be mega sweet.

I hope you've enjoyed this post, share with me your love for all things homeware in the comments! 

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What Keeps Me Happy…

Hiiii! It's been so long I am a poop, I lack motivation and Sims 4 exists… sigh.

I wanted to do a post about all the things that make me happy and that could maybe give you the chance to think about what could make you happy when times suck. I turn to these things when I'm having rough times so let me know what you do!

My happy box

My happy box (or hoarder box) is full of little memories I've collected through the years! It's full of photos, gig tickets, train tickets, random little things like confetti from gigs too! It's just a box full of things I can look at whenever I feel down and feel immediately happy, it's full of lovely memories that make me feel grateful for being alive and living the life I do.

If you wanted to make one just find an old shoe box, gift box, or anything and just fill it with tickets and anything that makes you happy! 

I want to also make a happy go to box full of a nice DVD, nice sweets, etc. That I can go to on proper poop days.

Colouring books

When I feel bored and overwhelmed with boredom I go to the colouring books, the trusty little colouring books. You can obviously get these everywhere because they're so popular right now! I don't even know why colouring is so therapeutic but it is, although I have to now buy books where the shapes aren't tiny because that stresses me THE FRICK OUT.

YouTube 

I can't help but spend hours on end on YouTube watching absolute crap, it's just something that keeps my mind going when I need it. 

Hanging out with my friends and family! 

There's nothing like it, there's nothing like having a proper laugh with your family and friends. I love going to the weekly pub quiz with my friends, it keeps me going through the week when I know I'm going to hang out with them for a few hours at the end of it! 

So even when times are rough always know your friends and family are there to help out and make you feel way good. 

Scrapbooking/Being creative 

I don't know what came over me but my creative mind seems to have truly taken over since I moved away. Maybe it's because I wanted to show that I could be creative, I don't know. But I LOVE SCRAPBOOKING, it's so calming and makes me smile so much to look back at all the amazing memories I've had throughout my life.

If you want to really make yourself feel good then do a scrapbook, it's not childish or anything it's just lovely to have somewhere to keep all of your memories that make you feel ace.

Going for walks 

I love going for walks, simple as! I love putting my headphones in and just taking everything around me in it really makes me feel good about life… 

There you go, those are a few things that keep me happy when things are a bit sucky. What do you do?! Let me know! 

I'm going to get back on this blogging thing, just have to find the motivation somewhere! 

x x x 

To be okay…

Helloooo! Today (or this evening) I wanted to talk about the recovery I'm going through at the moment and people may possibly be able to relate to the way I have felt throughout. 

My journey to health and happiness has been ongoing, as has my illness. My mental state is one that I've been open about because it's gone on since I was 10 years old. My recovery truly started in December, however I have had many forms of counselling in the past. 

What I really want to talk about is the time when I started on anti depressants in December of 2014. 10mg a day is what I started on and what I am still on, I had been reluctant beforehand to go on medication. Although the offer had never really been there because I was so young, I had never asked for it either because the thought of medication scared me but do you know what...I was so wrong. 

The first two weeks were crazy, with the medication comes quite strange side effects that the majority of people on the tablets experience so it was to be expected. I had nausea, absolutely no appetite (apart from pick n mix, ya I'm nearly 20, pick and mix RULES) I also looked high as a kite with dilated pupils, anyone would've thought I had been hot boxed I looked mad. But it all wore off and what came after was something I've never felt before - the feeling of being somewhat content. 

For years all I've ever known is a low mood, a low daily mood was all I ever felt. I'd wake up hoping for a new feeling but it just never happened as much as I wanted it and as much as I tried, the world just wasn't my friend. But these tablets started to change me and it was quite amazing. 

I hadn't felt content like that in God knows how long, it was strange. A week in January/February I sat in my room at university in London and I felt empty, not in a bad way but not in a good way either. Usually my mind would be on overdrive but it wasn't, there was nothing there and I didn't know how to feel about it. I rung my mum, cried and told her I felt weird and lost and she responded by saying something along the lines of "it's because you're not worrying, you're not sad and you're not used to it" and that was true! I never knew what it felt like to have a stress free mind, a mind which just wasn't fussed about silly little things that I was usually bothered about, it was scary to be...okay? 

I feel like many people get like that in their recovery from mental illnesses, we are so used to not being okay that we settle and once it changes and we start to feel okay it's all weird and abnormal. Really, it's the way we deserve to feel, of course. We really do deserve to be okay, to be more than okay! To feel amazing and that's where I want to end up, I'm still on that journey. 

Eventually it all becomes okay, and feeling okay is the norm. All the sad times and the bummed out feelings become a distant memory. The way I see it I've fought my mind and come out so strong (however, with a long way to go still) and I'm here to continue the fight. 

Good luck to you if you are also fighting for happiness, you rule x

Blogmas: Day Twenty Four! CHRISTMAS EVE.

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! Tomorrow is the big day, are you excited? I AM.

It's been an ace countdown, done so much festive stuff and truly feel super Christmassy and I think a lot of it was due to being away from home and doing the cute little drive home for Christmas. It was just very nice and I'm feeling good.

I spent last night with my brother and his fiancé, we had Asda pizzas and they are the best, if you've never had one like some people I've met at uni haven't then what the FRICK is going on! That is a disgrace, get down there now. I went into their bathroom and saw this…

I appreciated it more than a 19 year old should have.

Today I've been doing usual Christmas Eve stuff with my family, after going midnight grocery shopping last night I was super tired so didn't get up until it was time to go out for breakfast with my parents which was nice. We then went around all the families houses doing usual Christmas duties, dropping off presents, collecting presents (lucky us) and wishing everyone a v merry Christmas. I made pigs in blankets just now, stealing my nannies thunder oops. Then later on my brother and Chelsea are round for dinner before tomorrow, ahhhh I feel so warm and fuzzy as we're just watching The Grinch.

I can't wait to have a beauts day with my little cousin as well tomorrow! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and day 25 might have to be a bit late and come on Boxing Day depending on how busy the day is! 

Have a good one! 

x x x 

Blogmas: Day Sixteen!

Hello world!

I had a fairly productive day today (with yet another nap, my mum makes the house so warm and toasty it's hard to resist an afternoon nap.)

So I woke up this morning, opened my advent calendar and if you've been reading my blogmas posts from day 1 you'll know that the jokes inside haven't impressed me v much, but today was a different story, I was pleased. Well done, Malteasers.

I had a nice, refreshing walk into town and I thought I saw four meteors or four UFO's, I'm not sure but I was freaking the frick out guys. 

I've really missed being able to have relaxing walks, in London it's a fight. Although today I did nearly have a couple of fights - one in Burtons with an old lady with a trolley thing, she was rude and I was about to flip my lid then another in Marksies, everyone was simply getting on my tits and it was all old ladies. Now I love old people, old people rule but today they were on a rampage! 

I pretty much finished my Christmas shopping although I think I might have spent more on the wrapping paper etc. than the actual presents but who could even possibly help themselves when their creative mind wants to be set free! 

A few bits I bought for wrapping my Christmas presents today! Tissue paper and tags etc. from Paperchase and a 10m roll (woah) of brown paper from Waterstones. 

I also went to The Range and got some ink and stamps to jazz it all up, gosh I am loving Christmas this year. I think I'm going to spend Friday wrapping all my presents and making them look cute.

Tomorrow I'm going to walk to Tescos and get some bits to make gingerbread men or some shortbread, or generally anything Christmassy that I can bake so I'm going to spend the night looking for some recipes yay! 

My anxiety is through the roof but whats new, sometimes I think I should've just given in and gone to counselling but I know in my head I am strong enough to get over it but eh, sometimes you just hit a rough patch. 

Anyway, how was your day? Let me know!

Byyyeee

x 

Positive Tuesdays: Week Eight.

Hiiii!

Once again, I've not been in the best state of mind ever but I'm taking steps to make it better - working on CBT skills I once learnt and just generally looking after (or trying) myself. I'll get there eventually, I must keep that mentality up!

The past week has held some good times mind you and of course, it's Positive Tuesday I'm going to share all of those things with you!

You know, happiness is all about the little things isn't it? Well, my flat mate and I ordered our first university Dominos and it was absolutely beautiful. Things like that are truly the most wonderful moments, anything that involve pizza is wonderful of course.

I also met up with my friends Georgia and Libby and it was the first time I've seen Libby in MONTHS. So that was super nice as together we are #Shibby, get to know that. I always love seeing friends who I haven't seen in a while and the friendships where you don't see each other all the time but when you do it's like you've never been away, those are the best friendships! 

Friday came and it was World Mental Health day so I went on a super long walk which involved Starbucks, pretty trees and cute puppies… you can read about that here. Oh, but a gypsy lady tried to sell me some of those little flowery things and I swiftly said no but now I think she might have cursed me, but never mind. 

Saturday was one day I probably don't think is worthy of positivity but then again it was quite nice, I aimed to meet Ansel Elgort… you know the giant (literal giant, he's 6'3 -ultimate swoon-) dream boat from The Fault In Our Stars. Well, that totally failed but I had mozzarella sticks and spent the day with one of my favourite friends Vanessa and made a few news friends too! So that was really lovely despite  being cold for 9 hours, the lack of food and the hurt bum bone the next day. 

(As I write this I'm realising what a good week I had and all the negativity is seeming really horrible and irrelevant and I really should learn how to focus on these positive things, wow.) 

On Sunday we had a spontaneous flat dinner which consisted of Chinese and potato wedges, but I was reminded how much I hate Chinese food so no thank you chicken balls, you will not be entering my mouth any time soon. Then we all joined together in my bedroom to watch 'The House Bunny' and we've decided that Sundays are now dinner and movie flat nights, isn't that just the cutest?! 

And finally, yesterday was cool! (despite all my crappy ongoing anxieties, but nope we won't talk about that). I was meant to be going to a gig in Camden but I wasn't feeling it so I splurged out on a ticket for Ed Sheeran at the O2 and it was AMAZING. He is honestly so talented, he never fails at putting on a good show and it's literally just him up there…how does he do it, he's amazing. It was kind of cool, I had to go to an event for my university work and then write up a report (you can read that here, it's my university website, oh I'm so official now) and it was cool to watch a boy from Suffolk sing a sold out show to 20,000 people, see him live his dream while I was doing something to contribute to my dream - I was writing notes through the show for my report, what have I become. 

This post really has got me thinking about how thankful and happy I should be, oh silly mind. This has been a good week, full of positivity.

How has yours been? I would LOVE to know so leave a comment below! 

x