My 2015: Year in Review

At the beginning of this year I decided not to make resolutions but rather, to set myself aims instead. With this being New Year's Eve it strikes me as the perfect time to review them. 

As you can see, my first aim was to work on my physical fitness and hopefully start an adult ballet class. My second, to find a paid, part time job and third, begin an accounting qualification. Unfortunately, these have ended up not being possible due to the worsening of my health conditions. That said, during the latter part of this year I have been working on trying to think of  alternative income sources that will work around my illnesses and I'm hoping to continue to develop on those during 2016. I always try not to be beaten and I'm aiming to publicise that I'll be offering a cat sitting service soon, allowing me to earn a small income that's flexible to the needs of my health and my family. Plus I'll get to stroke kitties, purrfect! 

Of course there's a disappointment during reflection, this time last year I was hopeful my health was on the up finally but there's also been a sense of freedom and acceptance in knowing that the ailments I've been plagued by since my teens are now undergoing full investigation and in my eyes this can only be a good thing, after all, it's easier to fight with eyes open :-). 

My fourth aim was to move in with my boyfriend which I'm super happy to say I accomplished at the end of August. I love our home together and I've also thoroughly enjoyed the excuse to shop for homewares, a lot of my favourite bits having come from Sass & Belle, including a good few of their gorgeous cushions! 

My final aim was to embrace and accept any support offered to me for my mental health and I'm very proud of myself in being able to say I have wholeheartedly achieved this final resolution. I am feeling more stable and mentally well than I ever have in my adult lifetime, due to a combined effort of having attended weekly sessions and taking the time out to indulge in a little self care when necessary. I've become a connoisseur of lush bath bombs over the last year, haha. I'm confident that I can carry the principles I've learned over into next year and continue to improve my happiness and wellbeing. 

To finish off, I thought I'd also take a little peak at my 2015 best nine over on Instagram. I have to say I was amazed to learn I'd received over 11,000 likes to my photos in the last year! More importantly though, it becomes clear that a lot of the photos are selfies or focus mainly on my body as the object of the image. While this may seem conceited or vain, to me it's actually an enormously positive achievement. Having previously suffered from an eating disorder, this year was finally the year I learned to accept my body, to love it and nurture it, rather than destroy it. To put myself out there and be confident enough in who I am to stand proud and show myself to the world. There's also a pretty hefty amount of Black Milk clothing featured and in a strange way, that's probably one of my biggest things I've accomplished this year.  The online community I've met thanks to these awesome clothes has led to me forming friendships with some fantastic people and I hope to continue these long into 2016 and beyond! 

I've been reflecting on what I'd like to achieve next year and have decided to make a second post, a part two if you will, to avoid making this one too lengthy!

Katy x 

Review: Meat and Shake Ealing

Due to my health issues I find myself eating out fairly often, mainly as I'm physically unable to chop ingredients or stand to cook a proper meal. As such, I thought I'd add a recent culinary experience for you guys to read :)

A couple of weeks ago, the boyfriend and I decided to head up to the relatively new branch of Meat and Shake in Ealing Broadway. We're both suckers for a good burger and can't get enough of American barbecue style food right now! It's also a fairly safe bet for my ridiculous digestive system if I stick to mostly plainer meats and fries (alas, not so good for the waistline but definitely preferable to starving). I'd checked out their menu online and spotted the delicious sounding truffle fries, which I knew I HAD to try!

We arrived fairly late, around 10 pm and were seated quickly as it was pretty quiet. I had a gorgeous cherry flavoured drink to get me going, which came in a handled mason jar, something I love and have been meaning to purchase for our home for months. Anything served in a jar just seems to instantly taste a little more special. 

I ordered the plain Jane cheeseburger with no salad (I can't digest it, makes me violently ill, no fun). Alas, the waitress got confused as it's fairly rare to be unable to digest lettuce, so my burger came with salad and without cheese! I was too embarrassed to correct her so plonked the greenery to one side and tucked in. Burger was amazing! Definitely on a par with the best burgers I've ever sampled. It was super tender and juicy. 

Due to my suspected gastroparesis I'm only able to eat tiny portions at a time. Taking this into account we decided to share a side of the truffle fries and pit beans. Both were out of this world, quite honestly. The truffle balsamic glaze and Stilton Mayo complimented one another perfectly, giving a strong but in no way overpowering taste that I couldn't get enough of. I played it safe with the beans as they're high in fibre (aka danger food) but I couldn't resist a forkful. They were hands down the best I've eaten, rich bbq spices followed by a gorgeous, almost treacle like, flavour. I'd have devoured the lot had I been able to properly digest them! 

To make up for the sadness of missing out on the beans I decided to go ahead and treat myself to dessert. As a true chocoholic I often plump for the most chocolatey item on any dessert menu and the Mississippi mud pie did not disappoint. It was rich and creamy without being overly sickly, with a delightfully chewy base. As the kitchen was quiet I was also offered a choice of flavours for the accompanying ice cream scoop, though I stuck with vanilla. Despite having a rep for being boring, a properly vanilla ice cream is delicious and when I order dessert I prefer not to complicate things with too many flavours! 

All in all, I loved the experience and the interior decor had been really well done, staff were attentive without being overbearing and the food was delicious. I think we'll definitely end up visiting again in the not too distant future! I'd highly recommend you check them out if you can, they currently have branches in Tooting, Ealing and Watford. 

Katy x

Crazy Cat Lady does Cat Cafe

This fine day has been something I've been excited about since I first heard of the opening of the Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium over in east London. I finally got to visit, having booked the £6 entry tickets around three months ago. The entry gave us a one and a half hour slot in the cafe. 

I'm not sure if anyone's guessed but I love cats. Like really love cats. A lot. I suppose the fact I have five in our three bedroom house may have been a slight giveaway, wink wink. I'm also pretty fond of coffee. A cat cafe is essentially my idea of heaven, were such a place to exist. As such, my expectations were high and I dressed to the occasion! 

I forgot to take any photos of the exterior (I was too eager to get inside) but it was lovely, with a cat basket and little blanket filled hidey hole in the window, meaning that it's often possible to catch a glimpse of a furry, purry bundle of fluff before you even get inside! Once in we were welcomed immediately and taken to an entrance area to wash our hands and become familiar with the house rules, all very simple and focused on not disturbing the cats when they were sleeping, eating or grooming. 

The menu offers an extensive selection of hot and cold drinks, as well as sandwiches, cakes and I believe also limited hot food. My boyfriend and I went for a house special coffee each, which are named after the cats. I selected "The Biscuit" an Irish Cream flavoured latte and he "The Mue", a cinnamon flat white. 

We nibbled on the seasonal cheeseboard to share, which was really reasonably priced and they rushed to get us more biscuits when we requested.  We also shared a salted caramel brownie, which unlike many of the trendy salted caramel offerings around, was simply divine! 

The cats themselves were all beautiful, unfortunately, for the majority of our visit they were all sleeping up high. I'd read a couple of posts online from previous visitors bemoaning the fact the cats aren't always interactive with the guests and personally, I found it a little ridiculous. Anyone familiar with cats will tell you that they A) sleep a lot and B) do whatever the heck they want, you try making a cat do anything. 

I really loved the interior decor, the cosy furniture really complimented the plentiful cat toys, scratching box chaise longues and mountainous cat trees. As a somewhat fanatical cat owner I was overjoyed with the kitty playground these fur babies had access to and not for one moment did I sense they were at all unhappy. There were toys and food bowls everywhere and by the time we left a few of the cheekier fluffy friends were wandering around seeking out attention and affection. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my trip (and if I were able bodied enough would be applying to be the cats' staff pronto)! If you fancy a visit yourself, check out ladydinahs.com where you can make a booking. 

Katy x 

Christmas Eve Boxes

This year is the first I became aware of Christmas Eve boxes being a thing, for which I thank Pinterest! Never one to pass up a Pinterest project, or an excuse to buy even more presents, I decided to place my feet firmly on the bandwagon and have spent a couple of weeks picking up bits and bobs to create three boxes. 

All of the boxes have a few items in common. Firstly, one of my favourite things...pyjamas! I decided to go for the cheesiest possible approach for our Christmas morning photos, so have bought matching(ish) pyjamas for the whole family. I absolutely love love LOVE a nice tartan pyjama, something about it makes me feel so festive. My stepdaughter doesn't like long pyjamas, so I bought her a gorgeous tartan nightshirt in the same colours! Kinda wish I'd kept it for myself if I'm honest! 

Another of my quirks is that I drink far too many hot beverages and as a result, I collect mugs. I relished the excuse to buy three new Christmas mugs to pop in their boxes, complete with a nice hot chocolate sachet, candy cane and some marshmallows, all ready to make up before bed on Christmas Eve. 

To make sure we're all squeaky clean and smelling fresh for Santa, I've popped a bath bomb in each of the kids' boxes. Nothing could be more seasonal than a dashing Santa or luxury lush pud to hopefully calm the little and not so little ones to sleep. I also added a hair mask & facemask for my stepdaughter! 

Lastly, I've grabbed some entertainment and snacks. A couple of our family favourite Christmas movies, a colouring book and each of their preferred sweets and chocolates finished them off nicely! 

What do you think of the Christmas Eve box trend that seems to have caught on this year? Let me know in the comments :-) I have to say these were very well received! 

Merry Christmas Eve!

Katy x 

Love it or Hate it? Marmite!

Every year I start buying early to spread the expense, get over excited and have all my gifts bought by the end of November. Every single year, without fail, I have a slight moment a few days before the big event where I both panic I haven't bought enough while simultaneously becoming envious of everyone else out doing their shopping. As such, I ALWAYS end up buying double the amount of gifts for everyone than I can realistically afford. Sigh. Maybe one year I'll learn, however, 2015 is not that year! :-)

Today I made the predictable, last minute dash to Westfield Shepherd's Bush to grab a few extra Christmas gifts, whereupon I stumbled across a fantastic pop up store! Personalised marmite jars, with any text of your choosing. My little one assured me his Daddy is a big marmite fan, so in we popped to get him his own snazzy jar!

As you walk in to the store, the wall is painted with clear and pretty instructions on how the process works! Grab a form and fill it in with your choice of wording, then decide whether your recipient has been naughty or nice (alternatively, you can stick with the classic design). Take it to the till, part with four hundred and ninety nine of your finest British pennies and voila, a lovely person dressed in a marmite inspired elf costume will prepare your very own jar!

This definitely makes a fantastically unique and fun gift for a really reasonable price and the store has lots of quirky photo opportunities!

The Marmite Pop Up can be found on the first floor of Westfield, near to Hotel Chocolat. It's only open until Christmas Eve so hurry along if you want to gift one of these in time for Christmas, it's perfect for the marmite lover in your life!

Who would you personalise a jar for?

Katy x

The Cat's Pyjamas

There are very few females I know who don't love to chill in a pair of cute, comfy pyjamas or an oversized t-shirt and pants. Due to the nature of my illnesses, I spend a LOT of my time either in bed or reclining on the sofa. As a result, I'm seem to be building a rather extensive sleepwear collection and it's one of the few areas of my wardrobe in which I feel I can never have too many!

Pyjamas are just so nice to wear. They make me feel happy inside. There's nothing better than the moment at the end of a day when the bra's whipped off, tossed aside and soft cosiness takes it's place! Winter is my favourite season for snuggling down in the warm with a hot chocolate, the lovely scent of a Yankee Candle in the background (to which I am somewhat addicted) and at least three kitties. I'm currently loving wearing, or wishing I owned, the following fabulous sets!

These amazing Disney Beauty and The Beast pyjamas from Topshop are my current favourites. The slouchy style of the t-shirt top is beyond comfortable and the snowy design is perfect for Christmas time. Beauty and the Beast is my all time favourite Disney film and wearing these makes me smile. I also love the print on the bottom, partially as chip reminds me of my own son, they're both cheeky little scamps who dislike bedtime! Beauty and the Beast merch is pretty hard to come by as many stores often focus on other princesses, so both these and the short version I received for my birthday in July rock my socks :-)

This Asda set is beyond adorable in my opinion! It has cats, snuggling and stars. It's also a steal at only £10. I'm fairly certain I'm likely to buy these soon.

Technically not a pyjama set but still beautiful sleepwear, this chemise is a little more sexy with it's black lace detail and crossover straps. I'd love this or something similar to slip into when I'm making a little effort for the boyfriend, if you catch my drift!

I'm a huge Harry Potter fan and have been for over a decade. One of my absolute favourite quotes from within the book series will always be "I solemnly swear I am up to no good". I'm toying with having it tattooed on the back of my thigh but for now I'll just carry on rocking these marauder's map PJs whenever I feel a little mischievous.

Katy x

Hey, Hi, Hello!

I'm not the best at writing introductions but I suppose people will want to know who's behind the screen. The easiest way to outline what I want to post about is likely by breaking down the name I've decided to use.

I'm Katy, a chronically ill yet chronically fabulous 26 year old living in Ealing, West London :-) I share my home with my boyfriend, my very nearly 6 year old son and 5 pussycats (Yes, I'm one of those cat people, sorry not sorry)! Being located in zone three means plenty of green parks and community activities, right alongside having every world cuisine right on the doorstep and central London at most 30 minutes away. I can't imagine living anywhere else!

I want to use this blog to share what I get up to, with an inevitable spoonie influence as I'm currently awaiting many hospital appointments to confirm Ehler's-Danlos Syndrome, ME, Gastroparesis and suffer from confirmed Vasodepressor Type Autonomically Mediated Syncope - don't worry, I don't know what that means either, I just pass out quite often and can't stand still long or I end up on my arse! The term spoonie was originally coined by Christine Miserandino and can be found in it's full glory here but for those that aren't familiar and don't have time to read, it's a metaphor to help healthy people understand that life can be a little tougher for those of us with chronic illness. In it's most basic form, it outlines that the daily tasks many take for granted such as showering and dressing, working, even eating all take up "spoons" and different tasks require a different amount of spoons to be spent. In a healthy person, the number of spoons is not limited and a good nights sleep will leave them feeling replenished. In folks like me, our daily spoons are severely limited, meaning I have to carefully prioritise what I do each day and often can't do things at all. I'm too disabled to work, for example, often use a walking stick and occasionally require a wheelchair. 

That said, this blog ISN'T going to be an illness blog; I'm hoping it's going to be a shiny, sparkly lifestyle blog featuring food, fashion and everything else fabulous. I just thought I'd mention the other stuff as it somewhat limits the amount of awesome I can get up to. That said, life often seems to hold it's own plans for me, so I'm happy to see where the writing takes me! 

Watch out for some Christmas related posts coming soon, I'm super excited!

Katy x