Lockdown Virtual Party

I hosted a lockdown birthday party on Zoom a few days after my birthday. It turned out to be lovely, I really enjoyed myself. I invited my family, my very best friends, and some other friends, including the South Wales contingency who I haven't seen in nearly two years but who I've spoken to a few times on video chat in lockdown. I think there were over twenty of us. People came and went at different times. My aunt made us do a scavenger hunt which was fun and funny, and I did a birthday madlibs which was funny too. We ended up staying on until past 11pm. It was really lovely, and I feel very privileged to have such amazing friends and family! Cath took these screen shots of us, which I thought I'd share. 

Lockdown birthday!

I had a really nice lockdown birthday and it was partly due to some pre-planning that I did to make sure it was a good day. I have recommended these things to a friend of mine whose birthday is in a couple of weeks, because they helped the day feel special and meant I didn't get sad at not being able to do the kind of thing I would have normally done. 

So first of all I asked Lee to have the day off and he booked the Tuesday and also the Monday, so that made it a nice long weekend for us. We got loads of jobs done on the Monday which was great. Tuesday morning I was awake really early, I just couldn't sleep. I read my book and played with the kittens. Then we went to work, where I had to pick up documents and money. I do this once a fortnight and it's nice to still be able to go in, even if it is only for a few minutes. I also picked up a Scentsy wax warmer from a friend - I've never had an electric warmer before but this one has a bee on it and I really liked it. My Scentsy consultant, Angela, chose a wax for me which is pineapple, coconut and vanilla, and I really like it - it smells like a nice cocktail. 

We headed to Sandal Castle for a walk and I had presents. I got some lovely things, including a yarn tote, some storage drawers for some of my jewellery making supplies, some new slippers, some books... I was spoilt! 

Lee and I then headed to Cannon Hall Farm which isn't too far away from where we live. I had preordered afternoon tea which was £10.95 and well worth the money. I went for the vegetarian option. It had several sandwich quarters (Lee had to eat a tuna sandwich cos three of the four were cheese), quiche, Greek salad, which were all lovely. Then there were so many cakes - a scone with clotted cream and jam, a slive of Victoria sponge, a brownie and a chunky piece of shortbread. There was so much neither of us finished it, but it saved for the next day. 

After that I video chatted with my friend Lucinda for a while. She was framing some art and I was cross stitching, so that was nice. Around 5pm Lee and I made a Body Shop delivery to a friend; it was so nice to see her even if it was so brief - I really miss people. We picked up takeaway while we were out - sushi! I over ordered because I got a bit over-excited, but I knew it would save. I had mostly cold, vegetarian and vegan sushi, but we shared some fried rice and some gyoza too. Lee enjoyed his too.

After that I video chatted with Sam and Jac, which was really nice. We hadn't talked since New Year's Eve so it was lovely to catch up and a nice thing to do on my birthday. After that it was bedtime, but I had had such a nice time. 

I didn't get many photos, but here's what I did get:

Pretty tired first thing in the morning, but this is 37

Sandal Castle. I used to come here all the time when I was a kid, but I honestly don't think I've been in 25 years. Lee had never been

Afternoon tea!

Sushi!

I told you I ordered a lot

Can anyone guess where Poppy might be?

My friend Laura bought me this gorgeous bracelet made by someone she works with. It's moonstone, I love it

And finally, new slippers just before I went to bed!

Quick Popping Out Outfit

Lee had the 18th and 19th of January off work, because he had plenty of annual leave left and because it was my birthday on the 19th. It was a bit different to last year, when I was away with 9 people in a big house for a weekend of fun! But I was determined to have a nice day, and Lee being off was a good start.

But on the Monday the day before, Lee was off and we needed to go into town to do some work for me, for Lee to pick up a cake he'd ordered for me, and to go to the supermarket. We also got lunch out - Lee wanted KFC and I was hoping the one in town did the vegan burger, but it doesn't. Apparently the other store in Barnsley does so at some point we'll have to go so I can try it. I got food from Taco Bell instead, which is on the same complex. We went to the park to eat it, and then popped to Penistone where I had to drop off a Body Shop order. I'm still doing The Body Shop at Home; I enjoy it and find it quite easy. 

Anyway, I had put on my flamingo skirt. I haven't worn it in ages, as I rarely go out anymore, and I miss wearing it! I love it so much. I had on a tie dyed t-shirt, although you can't see that. Then I'd put on my wrap from Evans. I've had it absolutely forever; it must be about ten years I reckon. I didn't wear it for ages, but over the past year I've found it useful to just shrug on when I know I'll be sitting in the car. It's comfortable as it doesn't have any zips or buttons, and it keeps me warm. 

Films of the Month - December

I'm just going to write a quick post here. The completist in me doesn't want to miss a month of films, but equally, I can't be bothered downloading a bunch of pictures and writing about films, especially as for the beginning of the month I just watched a bunch of mostly forgettable Christmas films. I'm writing this on the 11th of January and a lot of stuff has left my mind! But here's what I saw:

1) Christmas With the Coopers - can't remember it at all

2) Happiest Season - I liked this and Kristen Stewart was great, but her character's girlfriend was terrible. 

3) Klaus - nope, forgotten that too. 

4) Last Christmas - I had high hopes for this but it was ultimately a bit rubbish. I worked out the twist

5) Home Alone - a classic, I always love watching it at Christmas

6) Muppets Christmas Carol - again a classic, even though I only saw it for the first time a couple of years ago. I love it, I like how straight Michael Caine plays the character of Scrooge even though there are Muppets all around

7) Jingle All the Way - this was cute

8) A New York Christmas Wedding - who doesn't like a Christmas wedding film, although I don't remember it now

9) Christmas Made to Order - don't remember this either. I'm sure it was fine. 

10) The Christmas Chronicles 2 - I had seen the first one in November so watched this one. I preferred the first one, though. And the little girl is really annoying.

11) Bad Moms Christmas - Sam and Jac and I watched this together. I love it

12) Miracle of 34th Street (the 1994 remake) - Lee and I went to the drive in cinema to see this which was great. I've never seen it, I liked it though

13) Arthur Christmas - Sam and I watched this together. She hadn't seen it before but I had; she enjoyed it. I think it's really cute

14) The Santa Clause - Lee wanted to watch this. I didn't love it, but it was okay

15) Christmas Wedding Planner - I do remember this because it is the WORST FILM and it has the WORST ENDING and if your friend acted like the main character you would STOP TALKING TO HER

16) National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - Lee wanted to see this, I've never seen it but I liked it

17) Die Hard - just before Christmas we watched this, which is also a Christmas must for me. I love it. We watched this on the 22nd, after that I was a bit depressed over the whole Covid Christmas thing so we didn't watch anything else, until....

18) Ferris Beueller's Day Off - we watched this on New Year's Eve as we had to stay in of course. We have started to make our way through a list of 100 80s films, and this was one of them. I have seen it before but not for absolutely ages. I do like it. 

New Pyjama Top

I'm sure you, like me, have been spending plenty of time in pyjamas recently. I've said before that due to chronic pain I am usually in a soft bra and comfy clothes when I'm in the house, because they don't press on my body and make it hurt. As I've been in the house for the vast majority of the time, I've worn pyjamas sooooo much. I don't change them every day, but the feeling of clean ones is always lovely! I threw out a few pyjama tops last year, because they get stained and bobbled and eventually gross enough that putting them on doesn't make me feel joyful, so at that point I decide to say goodbye to them.

I bought three cute new pyjama tops last year I think. I go through them quicker than the bottoms, which don't get stained and seem to last longer. One I bought has pandas on, and whenever I've worn it on a video chat, the person I've been talking to has gone "Ooh pandas!" so I think people like it. 

I got this top off eBay, but it's a JD Williams one so may have been for sale on Simply Be at one point. I don't think I got bottoms with it, but I can't remember. Anyway, it's got 3/4 length sleeves which is great when it's winter and cold, and it's soft, and I think it looks cute too!

Working From Home Tips from Debz

I've got a little bit of a different post today. You might know my friend Debz, who blogs as Wannabe Princess and who is a similar size to me so I always love to see what she's wearing. She also works as a Virtual Assistant, meaning she can do loads of admin tasks for businesses, leaving creatives and business owners free to do their work instead of answering emails and phones and so on. You can find out more about what she does here on her website. 

She wrote a post for me about working from home, which I've done for a long time but am not enjoying currently, and which Debz obviously does in her line of work. Here's Debz hints and tricks:

Hints & Tips for Working From Home

For lots of us, working from home has become the norm over the past few months. However, that said, I don’t think many of us would have anticipated back in March when we were asked to work from home that 8 months later we still would be. I’ve heard that some companies have already confirmed their employees can work from home throughout 2021 if they want.

As with any change to a working environment, it does take some getting used to. Working from home might seem like a dream to many – however it is very different to working in an office full of people so you probably  need to make some adjustments to make it work for you.

Create a Decent Workspace

Now that we know that working from home isn’t just something very temporary, you should work on creating a workspace that is comfortable. If you’re working full-time from home then using your laptop on your lap in front of the TV while sitting on the sofa may not be the best idea. I know that not everyone has the space for an office desk but try your best to create a comfortable workspace – a supportive chair is a must! Don’t be afraid to put up some photos and invest in some funky stationary. You’re likely to be spending lots of time here, so you want it to be somewhere you like.

Set Some Boundaries

It can be harder to switch off when you’re working from home. With your laptop and/or work phone in the same house it can be tempting to just ‘pop on and check your emails’. Mostly there is no harm in doing this a couple of times if you’re expecting something important, but if you get into the habit of doing this all the time you’ll rack up lots of unpaid hours! Keeping a good work/life balance is really important.

Work On Staying Motivated

At home there are lots more distractions than there would be at work – for starters housework might need doing and other household members might need your attention. Try to set yourself tasks and time limits so you know that you’re going to get the task at hand done. You can probably afford to be a bit more relaxed when working from home, but it is important to stay as motivated as possible and not let your work standards slip.

Be Sociable

When working on your own at home, you might find that you start to miss the hustle and bustle of working in an office. Take advantage of things like Zoom and Whatsapp groups to stay in touch with the people you work with. It might not be the same as seeing them face to face, but it does help to make keeping in touch everyone nice and easy. When you are able to, don’t be afraid to get out and about too, it’s nice to visit new places when safe to do so.

If you have any tips for working from home please share them below.

Christmas Wrap Up 2020

The 2nd of January was a nice day in my house so I thought I would write a quick post about it. It snowed! I love snow, if I don't have to go out in it. It's weird though because usually when it snows, I wake up and know it's snowed because it's so quiet outside. But since the start of the pandemic and especially since winter started, it's always quiet outside my house on the road! So that was weird. 

We just stayed in, but later on my Body Shop order arrived. I had placed a big order in the Christmas Eve sale, so two huge boxes arrived and I spent a bit of time sorting out people's orders and some goodie bags I'd done. I'm finding it quite easy - I get a steady stream of orders which is good, and while I don't make £££ from it I do make a bit of extra cash which is useful for Lee and I especially in light of the pandemic, which has seen my income fall. I'm enjoying it, which is the main thing.

It snowed more and stuck a bit, the kittens were very intriqued by it falling from the sky. 

I also took part in a couple of Secret Santas over Christmas. One of them was on the Real Houswives subreddit, which is why my gifts are Real Housewives themed. I loved this gift, it included two toys for the kittens and some Dreamies, which are lovely thoughtful presents and much appreciated. The other Secret Santa was organised by my friend Ingrid, and I know who sent to me, and much appreciated what they had gone for, including a candle which smells great. I also can't believe scrunchies are back in fashion! I haven't worn one in about 25 years, but I often have my hair in a bun if I can't be bothered washing it, so this is ideal and less damaging to my hair than some hair bobbles. 

Kittens watching the snow out of the front window. Poppy is on the right - you can just see the white on her legs and her lil white paws

Starting to come down in the yard

Secret Santa gifts from Janet. I LOVE the nail polish colour! 

My Reddit Secret Santa gifts. I love the Ashley Darby coaster, haha

Snow on the attic window

Candles! Did you know the Body Shop do candles and reed diffusers? This one smells of the forest, it's really nice

Alllll the sale goodies. That camomile cleansing balm is a top seller, everyone raves about it!