What My Friends Got Me For Christmas | Blogmas Day 14

Yesterday I showed you guys what I got my friends Steffi and Lisa for Christmas. Today, I am going to show you what they got me for Christmas! They both picked great presents and I love everything they picked. They have certainly spoiled me but I am so grateful!

There seems to be quite the Harry Potter theme going on with my presents this year and I love it! I got two more Harry pop funko's to add to my collection: Harry with the Marauders Map from Steffi and Harry dressed in his Hogwarts cloak and scarf, holding Hedwig from Lisa. At this rate I'm going to need an entire shelf just for my Harry funko's! Steffi also got me th Gryfindor make-up bag and the Harry Potter make-up brushes. The brushes are shaped like wands: Harry's, Ron's, Hermione's, Dumbledor's and Vodlemort's. I love them! I also got a little Harry Potter charm bracelet from Steffi that is a very similar style to the leather Pandora bracelets and a little Gryfindor charm. The bracelet isn't in the picture because I have been wearing it since I opened it and I completely forgot to take it off! The last thing that Steffi got for me was on of my favourite Lush bubblebars called Mr Brightside. It is bright orange and smells so fresh and I cannot wait to use it!

Lisa was very sneaky and clever with the rest of her gifts! I had mentioned months and months ago that I loved playing battleships as a child but hadn't played since and didn't actually own the game anymore so she went out and bought me it! I can't wait to play and feel the nostalgia! Lisa had also heard my mum mention my Team Ginge mug had been broken one day when she was over at my house so she went online to find me a new one! as I said, very sneaky!

The next thing Lisa got for me was a Walking Dead t-shirt. I love the show even though it is becoming incredibly stale but I still appreciate the zombies and the killing very much so. I could totally survive a zombie apocalyse and I have some how managed to survive the show for 8 years so the t-shirt is perfect.

Sharks are a weird obsession that Lisa and I both have, even when we were younger. We will cage dive with sharks one day and we will also swim with sharks one day. Heck, we are even getting shark tattoo's. The obsession is real. Getting me a small fluffly shark was a genius idea because she knew I would love it but it wasn't something I was expecting at all. He is so soft anf fluffy as well! I love him.

Now, you can't have a present without some joke presents and even with them, Lisa did well. She picked up a little wooden bracelet set because I used to make jewellery and she thought it would be funny for us all to make them for each other and she got me a glittery and furry model of an ice skate because all we do is work at an ice rink and because I used to skate! It is very cute!

I absolutely love all the presents my friends picked out for me and they have more than proved how well they know me! I am very grateful for my presents and for my friends, they couldn't have done better. Well done pals 👍. I couldn't possibly pick a favourite present because they are all so great! I cannot wait to use my make-up brushes and to add my pop funko's to my ever growing collection and I will force my brother to play battleships with me at some point too! I will make it happen. I am really excited for Christmas so having a mini Christmas before the actual day was amazing and has made me even more excited for the actual day!

Merry Blogmas!

What I Got My Friends For Christmas | Blogmas Day 13

I've been looking forward to writing and sharing this post for the longest time but I definitely could not trust my pals not to sneak a peak at their presents. Especially since I've been teasing them for months.

I am currently at my pal Steffi's with Lisa for a couple of days for a sleepover because of a uni trip. It just so happens to be Steffi's birthday whilst we stay, so we decided to do our Christmas gift exchange tonight. I have been so excited to give Lisa and Steffi their gifts because I knew they would love them and I couldn't wait to see the smile on their faces! 

Firstly, I got Steffi mini villain pop funko's. Steffi is obsessed with villains and has everything you could think of to do with villains: books, pop funko's, pyjamas, Vans and bags. Her favourite villains are Ursula, Maleficent and The Evil Queen from Snow White and she has the full size pop funky figures of them so I thought it would be perfect to get her the miniature ones too! That way she would have baby villains too! It took a little while for me to track them down but once I got my hands on them it was so worth it.

The next thing I got Steffi was a Chip mug. Steffi loves anything Disney and I knew she didn't have a Chip mug so it was a no brainer. He was just so cute and I couldn't resist!

Along with Disney, unicorns and glitter is the next thing that comes to mind when I think of Steffi. I definitely wanted to get Steffi something unicorn for Christmas and then I seen the unicorn pen. It was perfect. Steffi has a thing for stationary, pens in particular and weird pens at that. She has one of the queen, an astronaut and even a giraffe one so the unicorn would fit right in.

Now onto Lisa's presents. Since I got Steffi pop funko's, I had to get Lisa one too and I noticed she was missing a certain character from her Star Trek collection so I went ahead and ordered Captain Kirk for her. She loved him and now she has her favorites from the show.

Lisa and I like to read and we like to read the same genre of books: abuse memoirs. I had a few books in mind that I wanted to get her but getting books for Lisa is a risky game because she orders so many at a time that you can never be too sure if she already owns or has ordered a certain one. I was certain she didn't have these ones though but I knew she would love them. 

Lisa and I love ice hockey if you hadn't noticed from other post so it was an absolute must to get her something, or a few things hockey related. Her favourite team is the Vancouver Canucks but she does like the look of jerseys from other teams too. I was originally trying to get my hands on a Canucks jersey for her but I couldn't find one no matter how hard I looked. So I settled on a Chicago Blackhawks t-shirt instead. She loved it all the same and it gives her something a little different. I also couldn't resist throwing in a little joke present of a Lego Duplo ice hockey player who you can actually make shoot pucks towards the net. She laughed at it but I know fine well she'll be sitting playing with it a fair amount! The last hockey related item I managed to get my hands on for her required use of my contacts. Her favorite Braehead Clan hockey player is Brendan Brooks. A few weeks ago she managed to get a picture with him and a signature from him and the rest of the team on a group photo like I did. I managed to get a his solo picture signed for her. Her face was a picture when opening that present last. It was so worth it! ❤

The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of Lisa's favourite films and when I seen this t-shirt I knew I had to get it for her. It was just too perfect to resist! Add is kinder eggs, milky stars and galaxy caramel and that's her Christmas sorted!

I loved everything I got for my friends and their reactions completely made my day! I loved everything they got me too but you'll need to wait until tomorrow to see that post!

Merry Blogmas!

More Christmas Items! | Blogmas Day 12

Christmas is my favourite holiday. I love the music, movies, cosy evenings, snow, frost, decorations and of course, all the Christmas clothing! I am partial to a Christmas jumpers, leggings, socks, dresses and onesies. I literally spend most of December in something Christmas themed and I absolutely love it! Recently, I picked up a few more clothing items to add to my growing collection.

The first thing I picked up was some new Christmas bedding! Last year my bedding was red and faded in the washing so it was time for a new set. I looked in Tesco, Asda and in Primark but I didn't really like any of the bedding sets on offer. I found this set on Amazon for £9 and I love it! It is reversible too, with the other side being red and covered in white snowflakes. I definitely prefer the white side with the sleigh and reindeer's though. The bedding also happened to match perfectly with my fawn pillow from M&S last year and a few of my other red Christmas pillow's I still need to find. I will not be surprised if I keep this bedding on well into January, it's just too cute!

The next things I picked up are all clothing! The first thing is a pair of Christmas pyjamas. Each year I get a new pair of Christmas pyjamas and each year they seem to get cuter and cuter. This year it is gingerbread men and they say squad goals on them. It makes it even better than my pal has a pair too! I got these pyjamas for £10 from Primark and I love them. If you hadn't noticed from my previous blogs, I really like gingerbread men. We are having a squad sleepover this week and I can't wait to wear the pyjamas! 

I also picked up an elf onesie. I had one last year but I wore it so much that the zip broke so it was time for a new one and I gotta say, this one is way better! It's so fluffy, cosy and has a hood! I bought it from Primark and it was only £15. Now, some may think this is a bit pricey for Primark but the quality of this onesie makes it well worth it in my opinion. My dad even bought me elf shoe slippers with jingle bells to match! I definitely look the part with those on. They also drive my mum crazy which is a bonus.

I probably own around six Christmas jumpers and that's with me throwing some away last year. I love jumpers and I love Christmas so the combination is perfect and I live in them throughout December. I didn't plan on picking up any more Christmas jumpers this year but I just couldn't resist these two. I got the elf style one from Tesco for £12 and I wasn't going to buy it but then I seen there was only one left in my size. I had to, it was clearly meant to be. Plus, I don't have a Christmas jumper like this. The other Christmas jumper I got was actually from Depop. I have never seen a Christmas jumper with ice skates on it and as I used to figure skate, this was perfect. Both jumpers are so warm and cosy and if I could, I would wear them all year round!

The other item I tend to pick up each year is a pair of Christmas leggings. I usually go to Primark for this but I haven't really liked any of their styles since I bought the two pairs I have two years ago. The snowmen and reindeer ones I already own have lasted so well and are the cosiest things to wear, they are super thick and they definitely keep me warm. This year, I picked up some Christmas trackies instead. Everybody loves the film Elf, me included. I just don't like the majority of the over exaggerated t-shirts, pyjamas and socks offered in shops like Primark. These trackies were found in b&m and were only £8. I tell you, b&m have some hidden gems, you just need to look for them! I also picked up a pair of red trackies covered in white Christmas trees from Tesco but they are in the washing just now because I have worn them so much. They still have them in store though and I highly recommend!

Surprisingly, that is all the Christmas clothing I have picked up this year. I genuinely thought it would be a lot more! I was going to tell you which items are my favourite but I seriously cannot pick a favourite, I love them all and can't wait to wear nothing else this December!

Merry Blogmas!

What I've Got My Family For Christmas | Blogmas Day 11

As I've mentioned in a previous blog, I love buying presents for people. Whether it's for Christmas or for a birthday, I love it. There is just something about knowing exactly what to to buy for somebody and making them smile. I have actually had my Christmas shopping finished before the beginning of November! Yes, I am one of those types of people. I just get to excited and start as soon as I can. Now, even though I was super organised, I am still waiting on a couple of gifts to arrive but I thought I would share with you what I've bought my family for Christmas anyways.

Mum

This year, my mum has been 100% spoiled! Originally, my brother and I were chipping in together and getting her a Thomas Sabo necklace with my nana's birthstone in it. I bought my nana's birthstone on a charm to add to my necklace that I wear all the time and mum decided she wanted something similar. It was a perfect idea! My brother also upgraded her Samsung Galaxy tablet for her since she uses that constantly and I also got her a cuddly toy Dumbo because she loves Disney but doesn't like the massive cuddly toys and wanted a smaller one this year since last year I bought her a huge cuddly toy of Lady from Lady and the Tramp. I also managed to get my hands on tickets for her and I to see The Sound of Music in the theatre at the end of January! I even bought a couple of DVD's she wanted that when I wrap up I am going to pretend are actually from our dogs since they are dog films! 

My dad has outshone himself this year! He has never came up with a present for my mum on his own, he is just not good at presents at all. But this year, that has changed. He finished his Christmas shopping a few weeks ago and has bought presents for my brother and I and my mum! I was shocked when he told me. He has a picked a silver locket with a gold rose on the front for my mum and a new watch for her too. He has even organised and paid for a picture of my nana to be put inside the locket for my mum. I couldn't believe it! The man done well! This is the most thoughtful gift my dad has ever came up with and I cannot wait until my mum sees it. 

She will absolutely love every single one of these presents and she will be totally shocked at how spoiled she is this year!

Dad

Every single year I get my dad a book, some turkish delight (his favourite) and something daft and every year on Christmas day he sits in his chair happily reading his new book which he almost always has finished by boxing day! It's almost become a Christmas tradition for us. It's just good timing that the comedians he likes tend to release books nearer Christmas time. However, this year I haven't gotten him a book by a comedian. The book I bought for him this year is Endurance: A year in space, a lifetime of discovery and I will definitely be reading this after him! It is written by astronaut Scott Kelly and is all about the time he has spent up in Space. My dad and I both love space and always have done so this book is perfect for him. No doubt this Christmas he will be sat on his chair reading away most of this day, content as ever.

Stuart

Now that my brother Stuart is nearly twenty and doesn't really care about anything accept his games consoles, he has become a little tricky to buy for. Nevertheless, he has one present waiting to be wrapped and two other presents still to arrive! I was refusing to buy him a game for one of his consoles because a) They are all very expensive and b) He does not need any more of them, he has plenty as it is! The first thing I got him is a black t-shirt with the Beverly Hills Cop logo on it in red. Stuart loves this film and basically lives in t-shirts so I knew this would be perfect and it will be something he definitely isn't expecting. 

The other two presents still to arrive are Pop Funko's that I pre-ordered in October. One of them is Conor McGregor (my brothers one and only true man crush) and the newer version of Pennywise. If my brother could marry Conor and Pennywise in real life, he would. He is completely and utterly obsessed with both them! He watches every single fight, interview and film that Conor is in. Stuart even bought and read his book and I don't think Stuart has read a book since he was about thirteen! He also bought the It book and it making his way through that too! I genuinely thought he was ill when he came home with it! He even has a poster of Pennywise above his bed which his girlfriend does not appreciate. Oh well, at least I know the little weirdo will love his presents.

I don't actually have that many people to buy for in my family. My cousin's tend to get a shower gel gift set if they are older and money if they are younger and then some form of chocolate or sweets. I don't have a big family so their isn't too many people to buy for. I actually prefer it that way because then I can get really meaningful gifts for my mum, dad and brother. I cannot wait to wrap all these presents and for Christmas morning when I will get to see their faces when opening their presents because none of them have any idea what they are getting! It's going to be great!

Merry Blogmas!

New Christmas Decorations! | Blogmas Day 10

Everybody loves decorating their house for Christmas. It creates such a friendly, cosy and happy atmosphere. I think decorating for Christmas take us all back to happy and exciting childhood Christmas memories. Each year I buy a couple of new decorations to add to my collection and this year was no different! I am quite traditional when it comes to Christmas decorations. I like my reds, golds, silvers and greens, not your vibrant blues, purples or pinks so it can actually be hard to find decorations I like when the ones I don't like are so popular at the moment! Nevertheless, I managed to find a few that I absolutely love and with me having a big Christmas tree in my room this year, I definitely needed some more decorations.

Believe it or not, most of these decorations come from Tesco! The only decoration that isn't from Tesco is the adorable gingerbread men bunting. That came from Primark and was only £1! I love gingerbread men, I think they are very cute. So when I seen the bunting in Primark, I definitely had to pick it up, especially at such a bargain price.

The first item's I picked up from Tesco were the ballerina, ice skates and the Santa decorations. Each year Tesco brings out a ballerina decoration, each one has been slightly different and each one I have purchased. I love ballet, I like watching ballet and I like participating in ballet because of how stunning and elegant it looks. I actually keep the ballerina decoration in my room all year round! They just look so stunning and they aren't necessarily just for Christmas. The ice skates are a decoration I haven't seen before and I was over the moon when I seen them! I used to figure skate and I loved it. Unfortunately, it is a very expensive sport that isn't incredibly popular in the UK so I gave it up. I still love skating and would love to pick it back up again for some fun but for now, cute decorations will do! Lastly, the Santa decoration. The Santa actually has a toggle between his legs that make his arms and legs move when you pull it. It is a very traditional decoration and I thought he was cute and would look perfect on my tree or around my bedroom door handle. Either way, he was coming home with me. These decorations were all on a 3 for 2 deal at Tesco and there are definitely so many more to pick from! 

Even though there are only two gingerbread men in the picture, I did actually pick up three as part of the 3 for 2 deal too. I had little gingerbread men decorations last year but since converting our loft, a few decorations have gone missing, including my old gingerbread men decorations. So out with the old and in with the new it is!

The next thing I picked up was the star shaped wreath. I have always wanted to put a wreath on the outside of our front door but my mum was never keen and we tend to get quite windy weather here so we have never had one. This year I decided I was going to have one on the outside of bedroom door. A little hint to the Santa's Grotto that will be hidden inside. There were so many pretty wreaths in b&m and Tesco that I found it hard to pick just one! In the end I went for the star shaped wreath from Tesco that was only £5! Sticking with the star theme, I also picked up a packed of five glittery, golden stars for £2 in Tesco and I think they are going to look great on my Christmas tree!

The last couple of decorations I purchased were only £1.50 each and I think they are stunning. I'm not entirely sure what to call these decorations but they are essentially bits of a pine tree with robins, presents, berries, acorns or pine cones on them. I used to have them on my little Christmas tree and I thought they looked great. Now that I am going to have a bigger Christmas tree in my room, I needed to get a couple more.

There are still a few decorations I have been eyeing up in Tesco because they have such a wide variety this year but the only thing I really need to get is some more tinsel. I definitely don't need anymore tree or room decorations! I cannot wait to share pictures of my decorated room when I am finished, my goal is to have a mini Santa's grotto!

Merry Blogmas!

Current Favourite Youtubers | Blogmas Day 9

It has been a while since I spoke about Youtube on here or gave you a little update on who I'm watching these days so i thought I would do that for you guys today!

GowithFlick

This is Felicity Jackson, she is eighteen, from Australia and is a booktuber/vlogger. The fact that she is Australian makes me love her instantly! I could listen to her talk all day with that accent of hers. I have only recently came across her YouTube channel but by god am I glad I did! I have watched pretty much all of her videos, vlogs from her second channel and all her main channel videos and I love them all. She is such a down to earth, happy go lucky type of person and I love it. I could watch her all day and never get bored. Felicity also does the "12 days of Flickmas" and I cannot wait for that to begin!! Her mum also appears in some video's and seems like the sweetest person! They have a great relationship and it makes watching Felicity's videos even more enjoyable. I would 100% recommend having a look at her YouTube channel, you definitely wont regret it!

FabulousHannah

Hannah was in my last favourite YouTubers post and nothing has changed! I still absolutely love her! Her sarcasm, sense of humour, down to earth attitude and her lovely personality in general are just such a winner for me. Her boyfriend Tom is very sweet and funny too when he appears in videos. I love each and every video Hannah uploads, whether it is a vlog or a main channel video, In fact, I wish she was doing vlogmas this year, I would love to watch daily video's of Hannah. There would be nothing better than a video from FabHan every day in my opinion. If for some reason you haven't heard of or come across Hannah then first of all HOW? Secondly, get checking her YouTube channel out ASAP! You will definitely not regret it!

SprinkleofGlitter

Now I am pretty sure Louise was in my last favourite YouTubers post as well but I just bloody love her. Louise has an amazing sense of humour, a sarcastic attitude, an adorable daughter, some hilarious but incredibly lovely friends and a new baby daughter on the way! What's not to love?! My love for her only increases, especially during her weekly vlogs which are most definitely one of my favourite video's to watch. I cannot wait until the end of each week to watch them! I do wish Louise was doing vlogmas this year but with a baby due very very soon it is understandable why she opted out this year! Louise has always been one of my favourite YouTubers to watch and I was lucky enough to have met her a few years ago. She is the same lovely, sarcastic and funny woman that she is in her videos! There is just nothing not to like about her so if you haven't already, definitely go and watch all of her videos, especially her weekly vlogs, they are always the best!

Brummymummyof2

Emma is another YouTuber I have only recently discovered and boy am I glad I did! She is like another Louise Pentland! She is lovely and sarcastic and hilarious and has two very adorable children. I actually came across Emma's YouTube channel through a video she collaborated with Louise on and it was hilarious! Emma and Louise together in a video is a comedy match made in heaven. Throw a Christmas theme into that video and you have the perfect video combination! Emma loves Christmas, her kids, Disney and vlogging so what is not to love about her and her family! I love watching her video's and they always make me laugh! She is definitely a YouTuber who deserves so much more recognition!

SacconeJoly's

What a surprise to find the SacconeJoly family in my YouTube favourites, yet again! I don't think these guys will ever not be a favourite of mine! Emilia, Eduardo and little Alessia are just so sweet, funny, adorable and always put a smile on your face and Anna and Jonathan are funny, down to earth and such amazing people and parents! The SacconeJoly's are a daily vlogging family who live just outside of London and their video's have the power to make anybody smile no matter how rubbish a day you might be having. I look forward to 6pm each day for their latest vlog and it always makes me smile! Anna and Jonathan are such amazing parents, there is no debate about it even with the hateful comments they receive. They are raising three wonderful kids, they have both been through tough times with eating disorders, bereavement, miscarriage and sexual assault and yet they will talk about it with quite a degree of openness despite how hard that must be and it is because they know it will help others and set a positive example to their kids! I have so much respect and admiration for these guys and I am still over the moon and in awe that I got to meet them last month! They work so hard and deserve so many more viewers and subscribers than they have so get clicking onto their channel if you haven't already!

These guys are definitely not the only YouTubers I watch. I watch so many more but these guys are just my current go to's to watch. They could upload absolutely anything and I would happily watch, no matter the content. With three YouTubers the same as the last YouTuber favourites I did, it may seem that I'm not very adventurous with who I watch but I promise I watch so many new people. They just don't compare to these guys! I just love them and you will too! Definitely check them out and let me know who you are loving and watching at the moment!

Merry Blogmas!

Holiday Planning & Hockey | Blogmas Day 8

Travelling is one of the top things I want to do in life. My nana did a lot of travelling throughout her life and she loved it! She has been to Austria, Russia, Germany and Poland to name a few places. I went to Austria for a skiing holiday about seven years ago and it was incredible! The views of the mountains were to die for and I would love to go back I have a list of places I would love to travel to and Austria is on there even though I have already been. I would also love to go to Germany, Poland, Canada, Mexico, Iceland and so many more places! 

My friends also want to travel to all these places so we are going to make our way (very slowly) through the list we have. We are 100% going to travel somewhere after we finish our masters degree and right now, that place is likely to be Canada! We have done a fair amount of research and we are definitely favouring Banff and Yellowknife. There are the most beautiful views of the mountains, forests and lakes in Banff and Yellowknife is one of the best places to see the Northern Lights. We have looked at flights, hotels, transport and things to do there and right now we are pretty certain we would be going for two weeks! We are going to holiday plan a lot more next week but for now Banff and Yellowknife are definitely at the top of the list. Who wouldn't want to go here?!

We would definitely be going to a hockey game whilst in Canada. Hockey here is great but hockey in Canada would be amazing. The atmosphere would be incredible and you can't go to Canada and not go to a hockey game! It just so happens that one of my pals' favourite teams are Canadian so we might get lucky and time it around one of their games! For now, hockey here will keep me going. Especially when I get to meet my favourite player of the Braehead Clan at the end of my shift! Last week I was lucky enough to meet the entire team, chat to some of the players and get a poster signed by them all. This week I got to chat to my favourite player and get him to sign a poster again but this time I managed to get a picture with him! I could not have been happier! It was just typical that the night one of our favourite players does a signing is the night that Lisa isn't working. Oh well, she got a picture with her favourite player last week. Plus, since I am a top pal, I got her a signed poster too! My favourite player is our goal tender Ryan Nie and my god he pulls off some bloody good saves. If I got to play hockey, I would definitely be a goaltender. Nie is also Canadian and has a very cute family, including a newborn and he will still do the signings and will take pictures with fans. He has definitely improved the start of the very long working weekend ahead of me.

Merry Blogmas!

💕 | Blogmas Day 7

Every family has that one person who is just a little bit more special than the rest. You're not supposed to have favourites but let's be honest, everybody has them, I know you do. In my family, my favourite was most definitely my nana. She was the head of our family, the glue that kept us all together, she was one of a kind.

Nana was such a selfless person, always doing as much as she could for others. She's built houses for underdeveloped communities in less developed countries more than once, interpreted and became a befriender for the deaf and volunteered as a first aider as well! Now I know who I get my eagerness to help others from. The last time she flew to a different country to build houses and community halls was when she was 60! Nothing was stopping her, I was just frustrated that I was to young to go with her that last time! Like me, my nana had epilepsy but she used her experiences and knowledge to help others by volunteering for Epilepsy Scotland for over thirty years. She helped newly diagnosed individuals to accept and understand the diagnosis, raised money for the organisation and helped to organise events. She truly was an amazing person.

As I have mentioned, nana has built houses and community buildings in less developed countries. Well, the last time she did this she somehow managed to throw her false teeth in a public bin. Now can you imagine a woman searching frantically through a public bin? You would automatically think she had dropped something valuable like a ring or something. That is exactly what the three Romanian men who stopped to help her search through the bin thought. Well, until she finally found her teeth and they realised. I would have paid to see this whole scene unfold. It is just so typically nana. She was always doing daft things like this and as her grandchildren, it was our obligation to never let her forget these clumsy moments.

I have never been a mummy's girl or a daddy's girl but I have always been a nana's girl. Each Saturday we would all go to Morrison's for lunch and to get my nana's weekly food shop. Before we left the house, I would secretly pack pyjamas, clean knickers and my teddy into a tiny backpack. After we'd finished lunch and the shopping I would always ask nana if I could stay over with her. She always said yes as long as my mum agreed and the only issue my mum ever had was going home to get my things. Little did she know, I already had it packed and with me nearly every single time! Saturday's had always been my favourite. Lunch at Morrisons, back to nana's to help her make dinner for us both, eating together whilst watching 1 vs 100, snuggling up to watch Casualty and then countless episodes of CSI (no I was definitely not old enough to watch CSI but I loved it) and then nana would tuck me into bed and put a video on for me to fall asleep to. It was always either a non-disney cartoon of Beauty and the Beast or a True Movie (again, I definitely wasn't old enough to watch). Then, the next day, I would go to church with her. It was the best, I loved staying with my nana nearly every weekend.

I treasure memories like this.

Trips to the zoo, holidays in the cottage in St Andrew's, even the simple things like nana picking me up from school and getting the bus home. I love them all.

I remember one of the trips to the zoo with my youngest cousin Adam in particular. We spent the whole bus journey murdering songs with nana telling us how good we sounded. It was just us two and nana that day and it was great. Half way through the day, nana had given us a pound each to have a shot on the helter skelter slide. We were thrilled. Now, Adam being a typical, competitive little boy decided he wanted to race to the bottom but then cheated so he would win. The joke was on him though because he ended up breaking his arm, twice. Once when he landed at the bottom of the slide at an awkward angle and then once when I came down the slide and slid over his already broken arm. Adam then did what any little boy would do at this stage...he went and hid up a tree. I will never get the image of my nana attempting to climb this tree to get Adam down out of my memory. It was brilliant. He eventually came down and we took him to hospital. He was so chuffed to be getting a cast on his arm so that people could sign it. Nana was the first to sign it though, naturally. Even now Adam claims I broke his arm that day and it's been nearly 10 years! I don't think either of us will forget how good that day was though, despite the broken bones.

As I mentioned before, my nana had epilepsy. She was diagnosed at the age of twelve and my god did she get herself into some sticky situations because of it. She managed to break both of her legs whilst having a seizure one time. Not only that, she managed to do so whilst in a hospital anyways. She also somehow managed to end up having a seizure on live train tracks with an oncoming train swiflty approaching. God knows what was going through the minds of the men who jumped onto the track to lift her up to safety. My nana truly was something else. I literally have no words to describe her.

Recently, we lost my nana so these memories really are only memories now. I have hundreds of stories and memories about my nana I could share. In fact, I could probably write an entire book! I treasure each and every one of these memories. The good, the bad, the happy, the sad and the moments you couldn't make up if you tried.

This will be our first Christmas without my nana, it will be hard but I will not let the sadness get in the way of the celebration. Nana loved Christmas and so do I and I will enjoy the day as much as I can, for myself and for her. These are two of my favourite pictures, the first is from Christmas last year and is probably one of the last pictures I had taken with my nana. The second is one of the last times she was able to leave the house, go to Morrison's for lunch and do her shopping. Every time I look at these photo's, they make me smile, she makes me smile.

This is not a sad post, it is a happy one. We all lose someone special to us at some point in our lives, it's just the way life goes but it's the memories that keep us all going and that is why I decided to share some of my favourite memories of my nana today.

Merry Blogmas!

Vegan Q&A | Blogmas Day 6

I have been vegan for an entire year! I am proud of myself so I thought I would do a little impromptu Q&A on being vegan with the questions I get asked all the time!

Why did you decide to go vegan?

I had been thinking about veganism for a while before I decided to take the plunge. To be honest, I had never really been a big meat or dairy eater to begin with. The only meat I really consumed was chicken and even then it was on a very rare occasion and I have never liked fish or beef. I also have a slight intolerance to dairy anyway so I have always tended to avoid it. It just made sense for me to try being vegan since on most days, I was probably already accidentally eating vegan.

The other reasons that prompted me to become vegan were the health benefits: your internal body benefits so much from a vegan diet and so does your skin, the environmental benefits: you are not consuming any animal products or contributing to any of the processes involved in the preparation of the animal products that are incredibly damaging to the environment and lastly I just don't believe we should be taking what is not ours to take or hurting animals for our own unnecessary pleasure. Cows milk is for calves, chicken's eggs are created to become chicks and animals are born to live, not to die for us to have five minutes of pleasure.

Were your friends and family supportive of your decision to become vegan?

My friends have always been very supportive. They don't necessarily share my beliefs but they support my decision and are always conscious and considerate when we go out to eat. My family, on the other hand, do not understand veganism in the slightest. They think it's pointless and do not share or attempt understand any of my beliefs. They are all hoping I will just "grow out of it". Unfortunately for them, I am 22 years of age and I am most definitely not going to grow out of veganism. My mum is getting better and is at least attempting to check whether foods are vegan before she buys them so that's an improvement!

What's the hardest thing about being vegan?

I have definitely got to say that eating out it probably the hardest thing about being vegan. There are vegan options in 90% of places nowadays but there doesn't tend to be much variety unless you are going to an actual vegan restaurant. Most places will have a vegan curry on the menu and fast food places have a vegetarian burger that is vegan as long as you as for the mayonnaise to be removed! I don't actually think it is that hard to eat out as a vegan, it is more frustrating because of the lack of options available but it is definitely possible! As for cooking and eating in general, a lot of foods and snacks are accidentally vegan and there are thousands of recipes out there for breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks so you will never be stuck for an idea!

Do you miss any foods you can no longer eat, like cheese or chocolate?

There are a lot of vegan alternatives to most foods. I am actually allergic to chocolate and I was never a big cheese lover beforehand but there are some really good smoked and cream cheeses that are vegan and perfect to have with crackers and there are is a good selection of dairy free chocolates and dark chocolate out there! Every day there are more and more vegan options popping up so there is never anything that I could eat before that I miss now. There is a lot of accidentally vegan food out there, a lot of it being junk food. You are probably eating a lot more vegan foods than you realise! 

Is it expensive to be vegan?

If you shop at a health food store or buy fresh and organic everything then yes, it can be expensive but if you are fine with dry herbs and spices and willing to go to more than one supermarket then it can be quite cheap! 

Some tips and tricks are frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are cheaper than fresh, rice and pasta are a necessity, branded products don't always mean they are better, plan ahead as much as you can and always look out for deals! I recently came across a deal on vegan sausages and I definitely stocked up!

Are you lacking in any essential vitamins?

Nope! All my vitamin, iron and calcium levels are absolutely normal and I don't actually take any supplements for deficiencies. Fingers crossed it stays that way!

Do you think you will always be vegan?

Yes! I love being vegan and I really wouldn't have it any other way! I just wish there wasn't a stereotype attached to being vegan. I definitely do not plan on changing my vegan lifestyle anytime soon.

I hope this cleared up any misconceptions surrounding veganism! I will be posting vegan recipes on my blog every now and then so keep an eye out for them if you are interested!

Merry Blogmas!