38 things about me for my 38th birthday!

Yes it really is true, I am turning 38 at the beginning of May. However much I try to deny it, it is happening. Booo!

People who don't know my age usually guess at late 20's and that will do me just fine! I certainly don't feel (or act!!) my age. I did a previous blog post where I mentioned it here.

So as it's nearly my 38th birthday I thought why not tell you 38 random things about me which you may or may not already know. In no particular order let's go.....

1. I was a lawyer before M.E struck and I had to stop working

2. I have 2 middle names

3. Hardly anyone calls me by my full name and I usually get Ali or Al. Or Sparkle!

4. I used to be really really shy when I was little and people never believe me when I tell them

5. Peanut butter with jam is one of my favourite things to have on toast

6. I prefer savoury to sweet food

7. When I was little my sister pushed me into a lake and I had to walk round the rest of the place in just a Fat Willys Surf Shack t-shirt because my jeans were soaked. I  have never forgiven her

8. I love marmite

9. Glitter makes me smile lots (like you didn't already know that!)

10. I don't like boats or bridges

11. I love the sun and would like to live abroad

12. People always think I am Spanish or Italian, especially when I have a tan

13. I used to bite my nails really badly and only grew them when I was about 24

14. The sound of rain relaxes me

15. The sound of cutlery scraping on a plate makes me cringe

16. Having no fringe doesn't suit me!

17. I was a huge New Kids on the Block fan and went to 3 of their concerts. My mum came to one once and was the only one who wasn't screaming! It was at an ice rink too so was freezing. Sorry mum!

18. I had my tonsils out when I was 21

19. I don't think there is any such thing as having too much jewellery

20. Keith Lemon is my idol (not really but I'm a huge fan as you probably know already). I was lucky enough to meet him privately before one of his book signings due to not being able to queue for long because of my health. We chatted about glittery jackets and took a selfie!

21. I hate spiders

22. I have to use a wheelchair because of my M.E but I blinged it up and it looks super cool

23. One of my favourite sounds is my little girl's laugh

24. I was meant to be in a TV advert when I was about 5 but I was the only child who wouldn't stop crying so they had to pull me out

25. I did some modelling for a series of childrens' books about ballet called Scrambled Legs. I was mortified about having to wear a leotard

26. I didn't get another job after the leotard one!!

27. People who make me laugh are my favourite kind

28. I love my friends and family to bits and would be a bit lost without them

29. It makes me sad not being able to do lots of things because of my health but I'm doing well at looking at the positive rather than the negative

30. Acting silly with my daughter makes me happy. She says she likes that I'm not a boring mummy!

31. Cheese and onion Walkers crisps are my absolute favourite flavour

32. I prefer drinking from plastic cups (adorned with unicorns and such things) rather than drinking from glasses

33. I sometimes daydream about going on an American roadtrip on an old blue vintage scooter

34. I always have really vivid dreams and I sleeptalk

35. I love watching people do streetdance.

36. I'm short sighted and have astigmatism so everything is a bit blurry without my glasses

37. I love doing random acts of kindness.

38. I am fundraising for a charity called Smile for ME as part of my annual M.E fundraiser and you can donate via this link (cheeky plug!). If you fancy buying me a virtual drink for my birthday you could donate a few pounds instead and I'd be mega grateful. My previous blog post has all the information.

Thank you for making it to the end :-) Hope you enjoyed it and if anyone wants to send me glitter covered cheese and onion Walkers I'd be ever so happy!!

Ali
xx

Team Princess fundraiser 2016

The time has come again for us to become Princesses on M.E Awareness day! For those of you unfamiliar with what Team Princess is, we are a group of sufferers who become Princesses for a day to raise awareness and money for M.E charities.  We have raised over £10,000 so far for UK & Australian charities and have funded research and drug trials as well as supporting various services the charities have to offer people.

Me and my mini Princess last year 

Our founder and official Queenie Sian, who blogs over at Me, myself and M.E came up with the idea a few years ago. She wanted to raise awareness as well as fundraise but she also wanted to celebrate some of the people who display different qualities which in her eyes make them true Princesses. Being brave, strong and having courage to name a few. For being there for each other despite all suffering. Spoonie sisters we like to refer to it as.

Sian has written a very informative blog post with all the information and details of how to join Team Princess which you can find here.

This year, despite my illness and all it brings, I decided I wanted to try to be more positive. I have surprised myself with how I've managed and every night I have written something good from the day in a diary. It has made me realise that even on the worst days, for whatever reason, there is still always something good no matter how small. Which kind of leads me into the charity I have chosen to support this year...

Those of you who know me will know how much I love a Random Act of Kindness (RAOK)! I really enjoy sending people things and knowing it has made them smile is the nicest feeling.

So, I am excited to announce that the charity I am hoping to raise lots of money for is Smile for ME. It is a fantastic charity run by two lovely ladies, Alice and Gracey, who are both poorly themselves. They send personalised presents to sufferers or carers who have been nominated by someone for a smile. I have nominated friends through them previously and all I'll say is that it was emotional when they received their parcels!

M.E can be a very isolating and debilitating illness so to receive something lovely and unexpected can make a huge difference and give you a massive boost. I would love to be able to raise enough money to send lots and lots of Smile packages! If you wanted to nominate someone you can complete the nomination form.

Of course on May 12th I will be dressing as a Princess so will be sharing photos and information on my social media. However if you want to donate now, my fundraising page is HERE!

I have a Facebook page for my blog here which if you follow you will be able to keep up to date with stuff. I will also be holding an auction on or around the day and have some fab prizes which have kindly been donated by some of my favourite independent businesses. I will provide details shortly! The Team Princess Facebook page will have lots of information about the event so please give us a like to be kept in the loop. The team JustGiving page is here.

I have had a lot of amazing support in the previous two years so I am really excited about this one! Thank you in advance for donating and supporting me. This illness is really difficult to live with so if I can help make fellow sufferers smile then I'll be happy.

For more information about what M.E is and how it affects me, please see some of my previous posts What is M.E?, Diagnosis & remembering life before M.E, (In)visible, A day in the life of ME!

Thank you for getting to the end as I know it's a long one!

Ali
xx

Crown and Glory Glitterati unboxing April 2016

The latest installment of the Crown and Glory  Glitterati box was an extremely fun and colourful circus themed box. I really don't know how Sophie and Gareth come up with so many unique ideas each month!

The contents of the box (adorned with confetti because who doesn't love the stuff) were..

Polka dot bow headband

RRP  £15

Stripe wired headband 

RRP £15

Carousel horse hair clip

RRP  £10

Glitter lolly hairclip 

RRP  £5

Popcorn bobby pin pair 

RRP  £5

So much cute stuff and I'm currently using the carousel horse (which I see as a unicorn!) as decor on my wall. I sometimes do that with my Crown & Glory stuff as it's too nice to not be on show!

I also got a mention in the zine (thanks Sophie) for my annual fundraiser for M.E Awareness day on 12th May. I'm currently working on a post with all the information so watch this space..

Ali 
xx 

Big girl turns 7 and our new arrivals!

It doesn't seem two minutes since I wrote this post about my little girl turning 6 last year. Time really does go fast! Now all of a sudden she's 7 and I can't get my head around it. Although she's 7 going on 17 some days..

Asking your children what they want for their birthday it is a bit of a silly question really as they often want everything they've seen their friends with, various things they have seen advertised on the TV & anything else they can think of! However this year all little Miss wanted was an electric pencil sharpener!!! She was "bursting" for one apparently. There is also something called Action Cam which is a kids' version of a Go Pro and she had been wanting to spend her pocket money on but we told her to wait until after her birthday! Of course she was delighted. We got her some other bits too but she was most overjoyed when she saw the pencil sharpener.. "WOW IT LIGHTS UP TOO"!!

One of the qualities I love about her is that she really appreciates everything so much and sat reading all her cards word for word which was lovely. She opened our card before any of her presents and came over to hug us after saying thank you. Proud mummy moment indeed.

She got so many gorgeous things (thank you if you're reading this and you gave her something!). One lucky little 7 year old.

The other thing she had been wanting for a long time was a pet. Guinea pig/s to be precise. After a lot of research and deliberation we decided we would get some. I made some phone calls and we decided on a local pet shop that has a very good reputation with animals.  They were really helpful on the phone and didn't seem to mind my many questions!

We went along to the shop and fell for a pair of 6 month old brothers. So I am very pleased to introduce our new members of the family...

Marmalade is the gingery one and Bubble is the grey one. They are Abyssinian cross breed and absolutely adorable. They were quite shy and a bit nervous at first but we have all got used to each other now and they are just lovely. I now have someone to talk to when I am in the house on my own as oppose to talking to myself (joking!) and I seem to have officially become a crazy fur baby lady :-D

They have a big play pen for during the day and they don't do a great deal more than eat and sleep. They have their mad moments when they have bursts of energy. I was thinking how similar I am to them other than the energy part!! It is encouraging me to spend more time downstairs than in bed which has to be a good thing. Obviously getting any pet is a big commitment but I'm so pleased we did. They make me feel like we've got a new baby in the house! As someone who has a chronic illness I can safely say a pet would bring you much happiness :-)

I am currently sat listening to them purring to each other whilst planning some stuff for our annual Team Princess fundraiser. I will be announcing details of the charity I've chosen very soon.

Who knew guinea pigs even purred?!!


Ali
xx