And Just Like That She Was Back - Life Lately Featuring Christmas, The Dreaded Lurgy And A New Arrival*

I think this is probably one of the longest blogging breaks that I've ever had since I started this blog way back in 2007, and I'd be lying if I hadn't thought about making my break permanent. The longer I left it the harder it felt to come back and even attempt to pick up where I left off.

I have been posting on my other social media channels here and there but even then I've had to take a break every now and then for my own sanity, social media can be so toxic and it really made me wonder if I wanted to be part of it even in the smallest way. 

My blog though has always been my safe place and somewhere to share my life and loves, and the good and bad things in my life, and whilst some would argue that in the world of Tik Tok and Reels, the blog has lost it's way, I don't really care, I love writing even if it's only for myself, and that's why I'm sitting here listening to the radio, enjoying the warm spring day, and typing words onto a screen.

So where have I been? Well December started off well, I started the Christmas prep, did lots of shopping, and spent a lovely evening at a local cinema with one of my besties watching It's A Wonderful Life, I was so busy that I didn't even manage to introduce you all to this little guy!

Losing both Charlie and Tallulah last year really knocked me and my mum for six, and to be honest we weren't even thinking about getting another cat but Max just seemed so sad, he became very clingy, he would run round the house at night crying, and he just seemed so sad. So we talked about it and decided to look into getting him a friend. Again we went through Consett Cat Rescue, and when I saw this little one's face, I knew we had to go and meet him.

He was born feral, but he and his siblings have been in foster care, socialising them and getting them used to people and houses, and whilst he was a little standoffish till the food and laser pointer came out, we fell in love on sight.

Since we had no huge family plans over Christmas on the Thursday before the big day, Jamie came to live with us, he was a little skittish for a few days but then he really came out of his shell. 

He loves food more than anything, if you're eating he had to be there as you can see from the picture above where he decided that my mams lap tray was the perfect place to sit.

He really has turned into a cuddlebug, he loves a cuddle, doesn't mind been picked up and he loves nuzzles and head butts, he's not a fan of strangers, and his carrier but bring out some treats and he's yours for life.

Whilst his relationship with Max hasn't always been plain sailing the progress they've made has been amazing, there were never any growls or hisses just lots of chasing. I'm still not sure whether Max is entirely convinced and I definitely think that Jamie loves him more than he love him, but they'll happily lie near each other -  I just hope that one day Jamie gets his wish and Max lets him snuggle up properly.

So that was the Thursday before Christmas, and to put it simply that was probably the last normal day till well into the new year. I spent a bit of the night on the sofa keeping an eye on Jamie,  I felt a bit congested but I didn't think much more about it, but then as the days progressed I felt worse and worse.

My face and head ached, I couldn't breathe, and I started coughing - I managed a quick trip to Aldi on the Sunday which on reflection was a terrible idea, on Monday we made the hard decision to let my Godmother know that I wasn't well enough for us to host Christmas. I was utterly heart broken but she's 94 and I couldn't risk infecting her with whatever evil virus I had.

Christmas was therefore very scaled back, a lot of things didn't get done or made, Mummy Lou was an absolute angel, and made a yummy Christmas dinner for the two of us, which we ate on lap trays in front of the TV with the soundtrack of me hacking my lungs up in between bites of Quorn roast

As per usual I was super spoilt, I got some money, (which i still haven't spent), some bits and pieces, and this medium Longchamp Le Pliage in navy blue. I'd wanted one these for ages and I'm so so pleased with it I love all of the leather bags that I have but I just don't have the arm strength at the moment to carry a bag that's heavy before you even put anything else in it. The sizes is perfect for my everyday stuff but I'm really fancying one in the larger size maybe in black for when I travel or I need to carry a bit more stuff hmmm.

So that was my Christmas and my New Year, Happy New Year by the way ;) full of some cold, flu, non covid virus which seemed to stick around well into January, and it's still left me feeling mehhh, I've been out of the house less than half a dozen times since Christmas and after every outing I've ended up feeling as though the life has been sucked out of my me - bleurgh!

I'm not going to lie the start of 2025 has been a proper struggle health wise for me, and my mam as well, but I'm sick of feeling sorry for myself and thinking I'm useless, so instead of looking at the things that I can't do I've been trying to focus on small wins, like on Tuesday I made pancakes, on Thursday I changed a lightbulb and yesterday I went to Home Bargains. It sounds daft but keeping focused on every positive is helping me keep at least some of those negative thoughts at bay.

So I'm back, will I be posting every day, no I won't but hopefully I will be posting a little bit more regularly,  I've got a nail post prepped and ready to write and I'm also going to be posting an empties update posts in a desperate attempt to start afresh and start as I mean to go on.

*This Post Contains Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links 

Charlie 2011 - 2024

I can hardly believe that I'm writing this post, but just over a week ago now, our beloved Charlie bear passed away peacefully at home, curled up in his favourite cat bed.

He hadn't been himself for a little while but he was still eating and drinking, using his litter tray, and running away from Max, so we just thought it was down to his age, but as the days and hours went on we realised that he was nearing the end, we had an appointment made at the vets, but he didn't make it and crossed rainbow bridge, at home, safe with me, my mam and Max close by.

Since we only lost Tallulah in February and with the sad loss of my Aunt earlier this year, this one has hit extra hard. He was stubborn, aloof at times, and a complete cuddlebug when he felt like it, I'll miss his one of a kind personality, his loud rattly purr and his fabulous floofy tail. 

Out of all of the cats that we've had he was probably my biggest confidant, the amount of stuff I told this cat, I should be lucky that he couldn't talk or that we can't translate cat! When I was having having one of my regular spells of insomnia, he would lie on the bed, asleep and snoring usually but always there to provide some comfort and companionship.

So Max is now on his own - For the first few days he wandered around the house looking for him, running every time he heard a noise, now he seems more accepting, we let him see him when he'd gone which I think helped, but now he's in his clingy phase, always wanting to with us, and sleeping at night curled up next to me or my mam. He's never been an only cat in his life so we will more than likely end up getting him a friend, when everything feels less raw and painful.

Whilst I have been posting here and there on social media perhaps understandably I haven't really felt in the mood to blog and post about happier things but I'm going to try and regain some sort of normality starting next week and resume some sort of normal posting schedule, so thanks again for bearing with me and for all of your kind words elsewhere on social media x 

Tallulah 2009 - 2024

I've had this post on the back burner for a little while, and I hoped and prayed that it would be an eternity before I had to post it, but it wasn't to be, my beautiful girl passed away at home this morning.

When she came to live with us she was about the size of old fashioned powder puff, but despite her diminutive size, she was fierce, she spent most of the first 24 hours hiding, and hissing at us and our other cats at the time, Jasper and Jake, who was petrified of her.

The next day she was a different cat, still a touch wary and prone to hiding but she became a cuddlebug, a tiny ball of fluff that demanded attention and her own way, and whilst she increased slightly in size her personality never changed - she was noisy, stubborn, and probably the most jealous cat that I've ever met but she was mine and I loved her, her quirky ways and her silky black fur. beyond words. 

Tallulah

2009 - 2024

Autumn Nails With Sensationail Gel Polish In Macchiato And Some Easy Nail Art *

Hey Everyone - Happy Thursday! I hope you're all having another good week. As I said in my last post I seem to lurch from mini crisis to minis crisis, and this week has been no different! Being 'clinically vulnerable' I had both of my booster jabs on Tuesday and as a result I've felt pretty bleugh, and then my Internet went down for two days, which resulted in an Open Reach visit! Great fun I'm sure you'll agree but I'm back now with a little nails of the day post.

I haven't posted many pictures of my nails for what seems like an age now but that doesn't mean that I haven't been wearing polish. My nails haven't been great for a long time, so I didn't really feel like sharing but rightly or wrongly lately I've predominantly been using gel polish.

I got the Sensationail Deluxe Gel Starter Kit a few Christmas's ago now and I've added a few of their polishes, and a few from other brands to my collection, and I have to say I'm a bit of a convert.

Yes, it's a bit of a pain to remove (I would recommend this stuff though) and my nails are in slightly drier and flakier than they were, but they're growing, and gel polish last way longer on my nails then just every other normal polish and top coat that I've tried.

This shade Macchiato was one of the two shades that came in my starter kit. It's a real basic colour, and one that every person should have in their nail polish collection. It's just that perfect neutral, nude beige mannequin hands colour.

Like most of the gel polishes that I've used the coverage was fantastic. After my primer and dehydrator, I just applied one thin coat of base coat, then two thin coats of polish, followed by a thin coat of top coat and voila super shiny nails.

My nails aren't that amazing by hand model standards, my cuticles are a bit dry and flakey, and I do have a habit of of applying a bit too much polish, and flooding my cuticles, but I hope you can see just what a real staple a colour like this is. You can wear it to the office, on a night out or on the school run and your nails will just look perfect and polished. As nice as it is though, dare I say some people might argue that it's just a touch boring! The good thing about shades like this though are that they make great base colours for a bit of nail art.

Although I am practising, I'm not that arty so a lot of my nail art attempts leave a bit to be desired, something that takes very little practise or skill to use though are nail stickers. Just peel them carefully off the sheet, apply them to dry, or 'cured' nails, gently press them down, apply a top coat and you're done.

These Autumnal themed sticker are from Shein, and whilst I think i could have played with the placement and the application, and obviously the base colour, these nails took minutes to do, and I think they've really added an extra dimension to an all be it quite basic, and simple polish.

They may not be perfect but I love playing with nail bits, and that's what it should be all about having fun with nails and make up, and I am pretty pleased with how they turned out. There are definitely a few application flaws out there, and if you look carefully you may spot the odd cat hair or three, because this little one decided that he wanted to get in on the action - cats who would have them?

This particular bottle of Macchiato is the mini size that came in my starter kit bu the full 7.39ml size is available from both eBay and Nail Polish Direct for around £10. If you want to try the Sensationail system for yourself then there are various starter kits on the market, which contain an LED lamp, and all the things that you need to do your own at home gel manicure. The starter kits are available in several configurations at several different price points from various retailers including eBay and Amazon, and as I say my nail stickers are from Shein, where they were around £1 for 2 sheets. You can also get a wide range of similar fall / Autumn themed nail stickers from eBay.

Are you a fan of nail art or gel nail polishes? If you are then I would love your recommendations for gel nails polish brands, particularly if you can recommend a top and base coat, so please leave me a comment and let me know you favourites.

*This Post Contains Automatic Affiliate, Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

Post Contains Press Sample* - Christmas Gifts Under £25 For The Cat Lover In Your Life **

So, there are less than two weeks to go to the big day - so you have less than two weeks to tick off everybody on your list and to get all of your shopping done. There is always somebody though that you struggle with, so what I tend to do is look at the hobbies and interests, what do they do for fun, and what do they like. Me? well I love cats, so cat based gifts are always appreciated, and if you know a cat lover I've curated a little list of some of the best pressies out there for those cat people in your life, and even better still everything that I've chosen is under £25

1. Cat & Dog Slogan Mugs - £1.99 Each - B&M / 2. Set Of 2 Disney Glasses - £6 - B&M / 3. Metal Flask - Cats - £4 - B&M / 4. Cat Mug & Cosy Socks Set - £14 - Paperchase / 5. Orla Kiely Cat Mug - Pink - 300ml - £10.50 - John Lewis

1. Vintage Floral Cat Doorstep By Riva Home - £14 - NEXT / 2. Set Of 4 Ceramic Cat Coasters By Hannah Turner - £21.99 - Paper Tiger / 3. Pack Of 8 Wooden Cat Magnets - £3 - Paperchase / 4. Mini Cat's Whiskers Planter - £4.50 - Sass & Belle / 5. Cat Doormat - £8.00 - Matalan / 6. Multicolour Magnets Shaped Like Cat Butts - £18.98 - Trouva

Kikkerland Cat Yoga Magnets - £12.50 - Paper Tiger*

I know I'm not alone in this one, but I love useful presents, and something that I can always find a use for is a magnet. We use them on the fridge and on the freezer, and I've even got a magnet board, in my craft room / office, both to cheer the place up a bit and to hold notes, pictures and to do lists. I've some pretty boring ones on there and I've got some super cute ones including these more recent additions from Kikkerland.

I was kindly sent these by a PR company and I have to say I absolutely love them. Back in the day I used to be a bit of a yoga bunny, I went to a class every week, I practised at home, and I think I was pretty decent. Alas my body isn't anywhere near as flexible as it was but at least I my yoga dreams can live on through these Cat Yoga Magnets.

In each pack you get 5 different coloured cats, partaking in 5 different yoga positions. They are made of a solid resin / plastic, and are beautifully detailed with clear faces, facial expressions and paws. 

They aren't the biggest magnets, and the small circular magnet on the back of each cat isn't that big either but it is pretty strong, so they will hold all of you photos and notes securely in place.

I think that these magnets would make a great fun but useful gift for either a yoga fan or a cat lover. Kikkerland products are available from a wider variety of retailers but these particular magnets retail at £12.50 from Paper Tiger.

1. Mog The Forgetful Cat Plush Soft Tea - £12.99 - John Lewis / 2. Wild & Woofy Mug & Pet Bowl Set - £18 - John Lewis / 3. White Cat String LED Lights - £4.99 - New Look / 4. Cardboard Whack-A-Mouse For Cats - £5 - Home Essentials / Simply Be / 5. Kids Kitten Unicorn Donut Money Box - £5 - Matalan

1. Cream Coffee Cuddles & Cats Socks - £2.49 - New Look / 2. Cotton Cat Short Sleeve Pyjama Set - £15 - Marks & Spencer / 3. Brakeburn Cats Classic Scarf - £19 - NEXT / 4. White Cat And Dog Christmas Tote Bag - £4 - George At Asda / 5. Pretty Animalz Cat Sheet Mask - £4 ASOS / 6. Tangle Teezer X Skinny Dip Compact Styler Detangling Brush - Relaxed Cat - £14 - NEXT / ASOS

Woof And Whiskers Collection Cat Shopper - £3 - B&M

Now look carefully at some of the gifts that I've shared and you'll notice that there are quite a few from B&M. B&M is probably one of my favourite shops at the moment, they literally sell everything, and they have a really good range of Christmas gifts, including a whole range of Woof And Whiskers pet themed pressies ranging from mugs to cushions, to tote bags.

I'd been on the look out for a foldable shopping bag, that I could stick in my handbag and this one was only £3.  It looks just like a purse with a 100% polyurethane, leather feeling grey cat design outer, but undo the zip, and fold it out and you have a fabulous pink and white stripe 100% polyester shopping bag. Foldable bags can often be pretty small but this one isn't a bad size, and it despite feeling fairly lightweight, it seems pretty strong.

Again it's something that is super useful, only this time at a really affordable price. I think that this bag would make a great stocking filler, or little pressie, and at just £3 you definitely wouldn't feel guilty for buying one for yourself as well.

If you know somebody that's crazy about cats I hope that you've seen something here that they might like x Don't forget of course that there are also a lot of both national and local animal charities out there that are desperately seeking help at this time of year, so don't forget to check them out for gift ideas and of course to make a donation x Have you seen any good cat gift ideas out there this year? Let me know in the comments x

*Press Sample

** This Post Contains Added Non Affiliate, And Automatic Affiliate Links

Nails Of The Day - Nails Inc - Poolside Paradise

 

Although it's a little bit cloudy today, here in Co Durham, apparently we have a mini heatwave on the way at the beginning of next week, so in celebration of all of that potential sunshine, I thought I'd share a little nails of the day with you, from a couple of weeks ago.

Nails Inc are without a doubt one of my favourite nail polish brands, and I get a lot of my Nails Inc polishes from QVC UK. They do a lot of limited edition shades and great value bundles, and this particular shade, Poolside Paradise came in a set called Saved By The Beach which was a Today's Special Value from July 2019.

Poolside Paradise is a gorgeous summery, creamy coral shade, but it's one of those shades that just doesn't work that well on camera. These pictures are a pretty close representation of the colour but in real life it's probably a touch more orange toned and maybe a little bit darker but again it all depends on the lighting.

As per usual with Nails Inc, this polish features, a pull off lid, and a textured cap. The brush itself is quite wide which makes nail painting super easy on the majority of nails. I have chunky fingers and skinny nails though so I need to be a little bit careful with wide brushes to avoid overspill but otherwise this polish was a dream to apply. 

The coverage was so good that I probably could have got away with one coat, but I went with two for a deeper, shinier, full coverage finish. It dried really quickly and it wore incredibly well even without a top coat. I did notice a bit of tip wear after about 3 days and a lot of typing, but it was still going strong when I finally removed it a week later.

There is a reason why I buy so many Nails Inc polishes and this polish sums it up perfectly, they're usually really easy to apply, the finish is usually spot on and they wear well. I think that this particular shade was either a limited edition or a QVC UK exclusive, so it will probably be pretty hard to find now, but it's definitely still out there I actually saw it on the TK Maxx website a few weeks ago, so maybe the discount and secondary market is the place to look. If you can't find this particular polish though and you love the colour, don't worry, I am sure that are plenty of similar coral colours out there. Are you still embracing summery polish colours? Let me know in the comments x

Unboxing Papergang - Box No. 44 - October 2019 Edition - Papergang x blurt *

Right after a couple of rubbish weeks,  I've actually had a busy but productive week - on Tuesday we celebrated my Godmothers birthday,  I managed my first trip to the Metro Centre in months and had a meal with Mummy Lou, and I've also managed to do quite a bit of blog prep. I've got a haul post, a super rare outfit post, a kitchen review, and a high end beauty review to come but first I'm going to play catch up and get on with my October unboxing's, minus the furry photo bomber ;)

As well as their usual involvement with Tree Add, Octobers Papergang box was produced in association with The Blurt Foundation. Although charity is a really personal thing, The Blurt Foundation is a charity that's quite close to my heart. I've suffered from depression and anxiety for many years now, and The Blurt Foundation is a charity that's dedicated to spreading awareness and understanding about depression and mental health, and £1 from every October box sold was donated to The Blurt Foundation, you can find out more about the charity and their work here.

The theme of October's box is happiness, and that's reflected in the very Max friendly, colour palette, and the cheerful, brightly coloured, almost doodle style design of the outer box sleeve.

Underneath the jazzy, sleeve you find the usual brown cardboard box, and the contents inside the box is wrapped in a sheet of bright orange tissue paper.

The first item in the box as per usual, is the information booklet. October's booklet focused on the work of The Blurt Foundation, and the work they do in drawing attention to mental health issues, and as per usual it also included a designer profile, of the creator of October's box Melanie Johnsson.

Competition Colouring Poster

Now, normally the outer sleeve of the Papergang box contains either something to cut out and make or something to cut out and use, October's box though, didn't. In this crazy world, that we live, it's really important that we all take some time out, to chill out, to relax and to regroup, and one of the biggest trends in the last few years has been colour or colouring therapy. Adult colouring books are huge at the moment, and a lot of people find it a good way to regain focus.  So instead of the cut outs, October's box contained a poster, that you can colour in and decorate in any way that you wish. 

Not only that but if you share your finished creation with Papergang, either via email, or via social media before 28th November 2019, then one lucky winner, will receive a 6 month subscription to Papergang.

I haven't started mine yet but I've got a few ideas what I'm going to do, i just need to make some time to do it.

Happiness Planner 

Next a gorgeous, fabric backed book featuring the same eye catching doodle style, squiggles, crowns and stars, as the outer box sleeve, only on a off white coloured background, and with the words "HAPPINESS PLANNER" embossed on the front in a metallic, copper orange.

Featuring a ribbon page marker, and a sheet of coordinating stickers, it's a sort of organiser / planner but instead of being a conventional diary it contains space to write down happy things, and to highlight the positives in each day. It also contains pages with motivational / positive statements and phrases.

I know things like this aren't for everybody, but I'm a firm believer in trying to find the positives in life. Last year I did the 365 days of happiness tag on Instagram (I'm @LouLou699 if you fancy a follow), where every day for a whole year I posted a picture of something that made me happy, or of something good that had happened that day. I know it doesn't always seem that way but I do think that there is something good in each, no matter how small, it's just that sometimes it takes a bit of finding, and hopefully writing things down in a planner like this might help us put things into perspective, and help us find the positives. As per usual with Papergang the quality is excellent, it's a well made nice thick book and it contains STICKERS!! Unfortunately I can't find anything similar on Ohh Deer so I can't give a price comparison.

Scratch & Reveal Postcards

The next item is actually 6 items in one, it's a set of 6 scratch and reveal postcards. Using the same colour palette, and doodle style design, they aren't just plain postcards, every one has a scratch off section, like a lottery scratch card, that features a motivational quote or a phrase. The postcards include quotes and phrases on Live, Trust, Dream, Do, Nurture and Listen.

I've only scratched off one, all be it a little too vigorously, but I love the whole concept, either to reinforce self belief, or to let someone else know that you are there for them.

These particular postcards are exclusive to this kit, but plain, non scratch postcards, retail at around 75p each on Ohh Deer.

Dual Tip Art Pens 

Next up a set of pens. Now although you only get 4 pens, they are actually double ended so you actually get 8. You can a yellow, and an almost neon orange, blue, and pink. As I say each pen is double ended, one end is a fine liner pen that's ideal for handwriting, the other end is almost a brush marker style, felt tip.

The colours are lovely, and so cheerful. The pens have a nice angular feel, which makes them easy to hold, and they almost seem to taper slightly towards the fine liner end, which it makes the pen easier to control, and to write with. Again the pens are exclusive to this box, and there is nothing similar on the Ohh Deer website. 

Universal Calendar Card

Finally the ever present Universal Calendar Card, which coordinates perfectly with the rest of the box, and features the same crown, triangle, swirl, and splat type design, only with a slightly blurry finish and in much brighter almost neon tones. 

Although I've had Papergang boxes with more items in them, I still really liked this box, and the whole self care theme, and I can't wait to start filling in my happiness planner, and colouring in my poster. If you fancy trying Papergang for yourself, you've still get time to get your hands on November's winter, Hygge, themed box, so please click my link to find out more x 

*This Post Contains Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links