Ten reasons to be happy

As more time passes since my diagnosis and my operation, I feel as if I should be improving a little bit every day - physically and emotionally. However, I'm definitely learning that this journey isn't that simple. Sometimes, I feel sad. Other times, I feel angry. Sometimes, it's too hard to be positive and I get fed up of pretending. And, most days, I'm EXHAUSTED.

Although I'm very good at putting pressure on myself and berating myself for not getting better quickly enough, I'm trying to remind myself that this ordeal has been a pretty big deal and there are no set timescales to follow in terms of my recovery. Easier said than done, believe me, but a lot of people have told me I need to be kind to myself and I think they're right.

In order to help me through my recovery and to try to counteract the negative emotions when they crowd me, I'm trying to focus on the little (and big) things that make me happy. I thought I'd share some of those things with you...

1. My family and friends

I blogged about the support of my family and friends last week, and these amazing people in my life are still continuing to support me every day. My support network is definitely something to be positive about! 

2. Christmas is coming

I've always been a huge fan of all things Christmas, and this year I'm even more excited than usual about the festive period. After such a horrible few months, it'll be really nice to end 2016 on a high with my favourite time of year. 

3. Florida 2017

We've booked to go back to Walt Disney World next April and I couldn't be more excited. A huge incentive to keep positive and keep improving! 

4. Hot chocolate

I've drunk a ridiculous amount of hot chocolate during the last few weeks, even by my hot-chocolate-addict standards. I'm steadily trying all the different festive drinks, one by one.

5. My car

I'm now allowed to drive again after having an enforced six weeks off after my operation. I have a new-found appreciation for my car and how much I rely on it! At the moment, I'm mostly using it to satisfy my craving for hot chocolate...

6. Cosy nights in

Our cosy nights in are currently even more welcome than usual as I'm so tired all the time. I'm spending a lot of time in my pyjamas, slippers and dressing gown in the company of our latest Yankee candle! 

7. Books

I'm making the most of my free time and reading book after book after book! Reading always makes me happy and is by far my favourite form of escapism. 

8. Food

Well this is an obvious one (for me)... sometimes, when I'm having a really bad day, the thought of having a nice evening meal or eating out in one of my favourite places makes me feel happier even it's only for a few minutes! 

9. Autumn walks

The weather has been lovely for the most part during my recovery so I've been for lots of autumnal walks. Definitely the prettiest season!

10. My iTunes

On those days when I'm busy blogging or don't feel like watching TV, I love listening to my iTunes on shuffle in the background. Who couldn't be cheered up by the likes of McFly, S Club 7 and B*Witched?

What makes you happy during difficult times? Let me know! 

Twelve posts of Christmas #4 - Christmas candles

I can't believe I'm already on my fourth Christmas post... time is flying and there are only three sleeps to go!

I'm fairly obsessed with Yankee candles and they've got some lovely Christmas specialities, so I thought I'd share some of my favourites with you as part of my Christmas series.

I had a couple of Christmas candles from Neil this time last year and I saved Christmas Treats for the beginning of December. This candle is a little sweeter than the ones I usually buy but it smells lovely - a mouth-watering mixture of vanilla frosting and shortbread. These large candles always last us well over a month, and this one made the living room look extra cosy as well as making the house smell of food. This can never be a bad thing.

On to the next featured candle... Rainwashed Berry isn't strictly a Christmas candle but I always have a jar ready for the Christmas season. It's my absolute favourite Yankee candle and it's probably the strongest smelling candle of the lot. Although it's marketed as a burst of summer berries, I think the scent is better suited to the winter as it's so warm, cosy and inviting.

And lastly for this year, we bought ourselves the amazing Savour the Season a few months ago as soon as Asda started stocking the Christmas range. I can't even explain how good this candle smells. It's Christmas in a jar! It has a strong smell of cinnamon with a bit of cookie dough thrown in... a combination of two of my favourite scents. Coincidentally, it goes perfectly with a glass of mulled wine. 

We also bought a pretty tea light holder from the Yankee Candle shop in Bath last year which is brightening up our fireplace. It looks so pretty when coupled with our large Yankee Candle of choice - candles make every dark and dreary winter night a bit brighter!

What's your favourite Christmas candle?

Things that make me happy I'm alive (52 Lists Project)

This is my second post in the 52 Lists Project series... here are some things that make me happy I'm alive!

1. The lovely people around me (family, Neil, friends etc).

2. Food. All food. 

3. All things Disney.

4. Bobby (my car). Sadly, I don't think Bobby himself will be alive for much longer. *Sad face*

5. Our new house. Blog post to follow on that very soon!

6. Pretty views

7. Holidays

8. Neil's dogs (Homer and Tara)

9. Nights in with pyjamas, hot chocolate and a Yankee candle

10. Christmas 

What ten things make you happy that you're alive?

What I bought with my Christmas money...

I received lots of Christmas money thanks to the generosity of my family and Neil's family, so I couldn't wait to hit the January sales. I don't treat myself very often as I'm obsessed with saving money, particularly at the moment as we're getting married and buying a house this year, so it was nice to have some money to spend on myself. 2014 is going to be a very expensive year so this might be my only chance to treat myself!

I needed to buy a few new dresses as a lot of my existing dresses are too big, so I decided to raid New Look. I used to absolutely love New Look in my teens and early twenties, but there was a period a few years ago when I couldn't find anything I liked in there because everything was either too expensive or too chavtastic for me. However, they've really improved in the last year or so and I now constantly have a few New Look dresses on my wish list.

I needed a new 'dressy' dress and this one was just what I had in mind. It fits perfectly, it's the exact shape I like and it's very pretty! The lace detail is beautiful. The belt came with the dress and it was in the sale, so I was really pleased with this purchase. This black dress is now sold out, but you can still buy it in burgundy. 

This daisy dress cost £10 from £22.99. It's perfect for work or for an evening out as it can be dressed up or down depending on which accessories or shoes I decide to wear, and I really love the pattern. This dress has now sold out. 

I've also had my eye on this beautiful ditzy dress from Animal for months, but it's always been too expensive for me to buy until the price was dropped in their Christmas sale. Look how pretty it is! Please ignore my pasty legs. This will be great for work and for holidays, and I'm already looking forward to wearing it on our honeymoon to Italy. I actually bought this dress from Extreme Pie's website as it was a few pounds cheaper on there. In case you hadn't already guessed, I love flowery clothing.

I've needed a new little black bag for ages and I absolutely fell in love with this black lace bag from New look as soon as I saw it. It was a bargain at £9.99! The strap can either be worn over the shoulder or tucked in and carried as a clutch bag. I also desperately need to learn to walk in heels so I couldn't resist buying these beautiful black lacy shoes. I can't actually walk in them yet... hopefully practice makes perfect. Both the bag and shoes conveniently go perfectly with the new lacy dress shown above!

I also thought I'd buy some nice patterned tops to wear to work or for other more casual occasions, and I found these two at very reasonable prices in Debenhams and New Look. I love the bird images on the first Red Herring top from Debenhams. I wouldn't usually buy white tops but I thought this one was really cute. As for the second top from New Look, I never thought peplum tops would be very flattering for my shape but I've now discovered that they actually look quite nice and they're very different to the tops I usually wear. More flowers!

I also took the opportunity to buy a new Yankee Candle as mine has nearly run out. £8 in Asda for a medium sized candle... bargain! I can't get enough of the Rainwashed Berry scent.

Lastly, I bought Ratatouille and the Bon Jovi Greatest Hits album as they've both been on my wish list for years. They happened to be very low in price on Amazon after Christmas so I snapped them up while I had the funds to do so. Ratatouille is a lovely film (all Disney films are lovely), and everyone loves listening to a bit of Bon Jovi. It's my liiiiiiiiiife!

I'm really pleased with all these bargains and feel as if I made my Christmas money stretch very far indeed. I bought lots of different things for various occasions and have now had my shopping fix for the year!

What did you buy in the January sales?

Wintery things #1

I love winter! I mostly love it because it makes me feel all Christmassy, but I also love wrapping up for the cold weather in my scarf and gloves, digging out my winter outfits, drinking a lot of hot chocolate and lighting my Yankee candles. I always find that it's so much easier to find nice winter clothes than summer clothes... does anyone else agree?

I've only been blogging regularly since January, so I haven't had a chance to blog about my love for November/December until now. I thought I'd illustrate my love for winter by sharing a few photos I've taken lately of lovely wintery things. Hopefully I'll be posting a few of these posts as I take more photos, but here are the first five wintery things I've got excited about...

Christmas tree in St David's 2

Lovely hot chocolate at the Ocho Lounge in Penarth

New mittens!

Duffy's winter jumper

Winter pyjamas!

Does anyone else love winter as much as I do? Do you have any photos to share?

Happy 2nd anniversary!

It was mine and Neil's 2nd anniversary last week. Time flies! We celebrated on the Friday evening by going to Frankie and Benny's for a scrumptious three course dinner... look out for a separate blog post on that. We also did some shopping in Penarth, McArthur Glen (Bridgend) and Cardiff over the course of the weekend, had a coffee and hot chocolate in Costa, watched a lot of Inbetweeners and ate a calzone in Bella Italia on the Saturday evening. In case you didn't already know, we share a mutual love of food. I don't think I could actually be in a relationship with someone who didn't love food. Sad but true.

I wore my new dress for the occasion! I'm so pale...

We always buy each other little gifts and cards for our anniversaries, but we don't go too over the top. It's more about spending time together (and eating out) than about buying extravagant gifts. I bought a 'man tin' for Neil and filled it with nuts, chocolate and an Elmo air freshener for his car. These gifts might seem slightly random but they were inspired by some of our 'in' jokes! I also made him some chocolate brownies, which you can read about in an earlier blog post. 

Neil drew the short straw when it came to the timing of our anniversary as he only bought me my birthday gifts a few weeks ago. However, he still managed to buy me the perfect presents and I've used them several times already. 

Disney pyjamas and a massive Yankee candle!

I can confirm that I'm currently burning the Yankee candle in my living room and it smells goooood. Happy anniversary to me!