Flower delivery from Flowerworld UK

Everyone knows how much I love flowers so imagine my absolute delight when I found out I had won a competition with Flowerworld to win (wait for it)..... a bouquet every fortnight for a whole year!!

Whaaaat?!! I actually couldn't believe it. I screamed!

Everyone loves flowers but I find that with being stuck in a lot because of my illness, having fresh flowers around the house makes me smile. It makes me feel happy.

After I found out I had won (and freaked out a bit/a lot) I waited for the site to launch and made my first order. I am so impressed with the whole service that I decided to blog about it. They have not asked me to or anything but I just want to share as it's so good!

You never know with online flower delivery places how good the quality will be. I have seen so many expectation V reality photos from very well known companies and they have sometimes not looked anything like advertised.

I chose a bouquet called the Summer Meadow which was stunning and it looked like this online

It was really easy to order and did amuse me writing a message for myself on the card! I waited with anticipation the following day and I got giddy when I saw a delivery van pull up and the lady knocked on the door with a huge box. Eeeek...

I'm not sure what I was expecting but they were arranged beautifully and wrapped in lovely cellophane.

I couldn't believe how gorgeous they were and not only did they look exactly as they did online, dare I say they looked even nicer! Three huge sunflowers with roses, lilies, stocks and a few others with a lovely bow amongst them. Simply stunning.

I couldn't stop looking at them and felt incredibly lucky to have won.

Another thing about Flowerworld that made me smile is that their tagline is 'send happiness'. Everyone who knows me knows how much I love a Random Act of Kindness and I often send stuff to people to make then smile :-) I am allowed to send the flowers to other people too so perhaps you will get a surprise at some point over the next year...

It's now just over a week since I got the flowers and they are looking as amazing as they did when they arrived. The lilies have just started opening and I think they will last a good while yet. They make me happy every time I see them. Instant happiness!

When I was browsing the site I noticed that they have 20% off first orders with the code FIRSTORDER20% so if you are looking to send someone (or yourself!) some flowers then I would definitely recommend them. The prices are pretty reasonable too for what you get.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Flowerworld for picking me as one of their winners. I really do feel very grateful and I can't wait to keep my house full of pretty blooms for the next year!

They have an animated journey on their website showing how the flowers go from being picked to being delivered which I found really interesting!

Let me know if you order and which bouquet you go for :-)


Ali 
xx

Don't be a bully!

Everyone knows I'm all about positivity so it makes me sad that I've seen so much nastiness recently. Is there really any need for it? Of course it's unrealistic expecting the world to be full of rainbows and unicorns and equally nice things all the time, but surely people don't have to be horrible for no reason?

Bullying is a very strong word but I have seen so much of it. Whether people realise it or not, that's what it is. Social media is a brilliant thing, yet it is also a place where some people feel that they can say whatever they like no matter how hurtful it is.

Look at all the celebrities or people in the public eye who receive hate messages on a daily basis. Keyboard warriors are disgusting yet they do it constantly. The YouTuber Em Ford, whose channel is My Pale Skin Blog, made a powerful video called You Look Disgusting  which has been viewed millions of times. It's about the vile comments she receives and the impact it has. It shouldn't happen but it does.

What is also horrible is people we actually know who do it too. It may be indirect and without naming names but it still equates to the same thing. It falls under the same umbrella. A few seconds of typing and pressing 'send' means your words are there for all to see. Be it blatant nastiness, sly digs or pretend sarcasm, it is the same thing.

Whatever happened to "if you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all"?!

Think before you speak. Throw kindness around like confetti.

If you see hate, don't encourage it. There's enough rubbish happening in the world already.

I have very strong feelings towards bullying for a few personal reasons and I believe it shouldn't be tolerated. It affects people and not just at the time it happens, yet it goes on all the time.

If you need some inspiration of how to be more kind, have a read of my previous post  which is what it should all be about!

Be a lover not a hater :-)

Ali
xx

Say yes more!! Inspired by Danny Wallace

I started most of this post a week or so back and between then and now it's been a pretty horrendous week. The mass killings in Orlando and then the horrific murder of Jo Cox 2 days ago in the town where I used to live. It's made a lot of people question what the world is coming to and a general feeling of sadness has been apparent everywhere. I am however determined to keep smiling and try and focus on the stuff I've written about below.

***********************

During my fundraising (see previous post) someone asked me if I had ever read any of Danny Wallace's books. I hadn't but I was intrigued. I bought the ones I had been recommended, Yes Man and Random Acts of Kindness.

I haven't read a book properly in ages but as soon as I started reading Yes Man I couldn't put it down. I have also been trying to establish a bit of a better night time routine to try and help with my sleep. Not watching stuff before bed is one of the things I need to stop, so I thought some reading might help relax me.

I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it and may want to, but the general message from the book is to say yes more. Say yes to opportunities. Say yes to having fun. Say yes to living life. Say yes to being positive! Obviously having chronic illness, saying yes is very difficult in a lot of situations but I am all for positivity and this book certainly gives you a kick up the backside!! Danny is a comedian and I laughed a lot whilst reading which is also good. Laughter is the best medicine isn't it...

I have now started reading Random Acts of Kindness which is basically a long list of things you could do to spread happiness to other people. 365 ways to make the world a nicer place. Some of the suggestions make me laugh but if everyone did at least one nice thing for someone else, can you imagine how much happier the world would be?

One of the suggestions was to write a note in a book which you are returning to the library. I have actually done that before in a book I read which was really inspiring (One Million Lovely Letters by Jodi Ann Bickley) and I love the thought of the next person reading it and smiling. I wrote something like "never forget you are amazing". I also did the same thing  in the same book I sent my friend and she cried when she found it!

The book is rather old and the idea of 'rewinding a video tape before returning it to the video shop' clearly shows how old!! Nice gesture though all the same.

The one that says 'if someone cuts you up in traffic, instead of flicking them a finger, smile at them and wave at them like a lunatic' did make me laugh.

There are loads of simple things you could do which would make a real difference to someone's day. I love random acts of kindness so much and am always sending little things to people. Try it, it makes you feel good and you make someone smile. What's not to like about that??!

I also think people don't smile enough at other people so why not try smiling at the next person who you walk past? Seeing someone smile back at you is lovely.

Or do something like buy a friend a cupcake. Send someone a card in the post. Offer to buy someone a cup of coffee! So many simple things that are actually big things when you see how much they make people feel good.

In a world where there is so much nastiness (& this week has proven just that) people really should try to make it a nicer place. Even if you can't do something for someone then just be kind. Kindness costs nothing. I've seen some really nasty behaviour too recently. Totally unnecessary and just really pathetic. Perhaps acting like that makes people feel good but I would rather feel good for doing nice things!

Let me know in the comments if you've ever done any random acts of kindness or whether you plan on doing!

Lots of sparkle


Ali 
xx

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

Gratitude

Do you ever look around at all the things you have or the things you can do and feel truly grateful or do you not give it a second thought? Perhaps once you are faced with a situation you have no control over, when you have the things you always took for granted taken away, then you realise how lucky you are. Or were.

Having a chronic illness changed me in some ways. I don't think I realised how lucky I was before I got poorly. All the little things that you take for granted. Every day things. Stuff that you would never give a second thought to until you can no longer do it. Getting up in the morning and feeling ready to face the day after a splash of water on your face. Popping out to the shop for a chocolate bar. Running for a bus (as annoying as it was at the time). Just having the ability to do those things is pretty huge.

Along with all the little things, there are some pretty big things too which I would never in a million years have imagined I wouldn't be able to do. Being able to walk was something I would have never thought would be taken away from me. I was so independent & suddenly I couldn't do it without suffering severe pain or feeling as though I would collapse. There are lots of things I am unable to do anymore but it's made me super grateful for the things I can do or that I have.

Little things become big things when you're ill. I have talked about this before but it's so true. Your world gets smaller & everyone else just carries on living while you are stuck in a ball of existence. Your days are long. Your pain and fatigue is persistent. So little things really do make a huge difference.

Fresh flowers, sunshine, laughter.

Getting a nice message from someone or a card in the post can literally make your day. Knowing someone has thought of you is something to be very grateful for. I have a scrapbook which my friend Sian got me for Christmas & it is full of little things that have made me smile. Letters, cards, notes and just "stuff". I sometimes look through it when I need to smile. It works!

I am so grateful, possibly more than anything, for my gorgeous girl. She makes me smile every day and I would be pretty lost without her. She gives me purpose. She gives amazing cuddles. She sings me songs. She draws me pictures. She reads to me when I'm not well enough to. She makes me feel lucky for being her mum.

I am grateful that I have comfortable places to rest. For my electric heatpad, which is never off me! For having food when I need it. I bought some stuff for the local Foodbank this week & I wish more people would do it as there are people who can't even afford a pint of milk. In this day and age it's shocking.

So look around you and think of all the stuff you have. The stuff you can do. Feel truly grateful for it. So many people don't have those things. Health and happiness should be something everybody has but they don't. Life can be so cruel & it's very unfair. Hug those close to you, spare a thought for others less fortunate than you and just appreciate :-)



Ali
xx

People!

That old saying "there's nowt as queer as folk" is so true. People can be funny old creatures can't they.. there is good and bad in everything but recently I've been thinking a lot about people in general.

Some people are the most amazing, kind & thoughtful beings. They are your rocks & you know you couldn't get through without them. People who put you before they put themselves and who despite having their own problems, are always there for you no matter what. They make you laugh. They make you cry (happy tears are ok!). They do little things that make a huge difference to your day. They are completely selfless & genuinely care. You can't ever imagine those people not being in your life. You don't want them to ever not be.

Other people unfortunately aren't so fabulous. They probably think they are though. Some people can be very selfish but then that's life I suppose. Then you get the ones who don't really care. They might make out they do when in actual fact they don't really. As hard as it is, c'est la vie!

Then you get people who are pretty much strangers yet they show so much kindness towards you. How does that even work? People you don't really know can sometimes be a thousand times more thoughtful than those you do. Another one of life's mysteries!

Throughout childhood, school, college & university if you go, in the workplace, socially and right through to adulthood, you will come across so many different people. Some of those people will be a part of your life forever. Some will impact on you massively but they won't always be around. Some you hope to always be there but for whatever reason it doesn't always happen. Some may be around but won't always make you feel happy. Some will make you happy just by you knowing they are in your life somehow.

Even though my daughter is such a little person, I see how much people influence her. Other children have a huge impact on her & we all know how funny kids are but they can also be mean. It breaks my heart seeing her upset sometimes but it's all a learning curve for what life will throw at you. People can be mean whatever age you are!

I suppose I'm just very grateful for the people in my life who make me smile, who think of me & who care. The people who are just there. Whether I've known them for 1 day or 30 years it doesn't matter. For every not so fabulous person there are a whole load of amazing ones.

If you're reading this & you know you're one of my rocks then thank you & I love you.

Image source verybestquotes.com 

Ali
xx

So long 2015

Here we are again.  Another year done. Can you actually believe it?

I'd love to say how much better I was but the truth is I'm not. M.E is a permanent fixture in my life & isn't going anywhere soon. It took me a lot of years to accept that & every New Year's Eve for a long time I would be full of hope that the following year would be the one when I'd get better. Full of hope for getting my life back. Full of hope full stop.

But now instead of dwelling on the things I haven't done or can't do, I am focusing on the things I have & I can. When you're chronically ill, you can feel as though your life passes you by & that you spend the majority of the time resting or generally feeling poorly, but there are lots of things we DO achieve & should be proud of. And there are many happy memories made in the process.

It's nearly time to open my memory box again - see last year's post about it here - & I will be doing it again next year. It's something nice to look back on at the end of the year & smile at the happy stuff that happened. Things that non-poorly people would likely take for granted & not consider a big deal are a big deal to us. A lot of the stuff in my box is to do with my little girl so I can't wait to read them with her. At her request we are having a party tonight (which according to her means she can eat lots of sweets & chocolate!!) so we will open it then.

2015 has been full of ups and downs but there have been lots of things that make me realise I am lucky. Yes things could be better, but I've also managed to do some fab stuff for which I am very grateful. I've picked out some of the memorable ones & they all make me smile but there are lots more too. Pictures are amazing for creating memories too & probably the reason I take so many! So in 2015...

I went to my first vintage fair & loved it

We went to Harewood House where we have membership but I don't often get there so it's extra special when I do

My girlie turned 6

I met up with Sian, one of my fab spoonie friends & we pretended to drink cocktails

I spent lots of sunny days in the garden

I had a lovely birthday & was very spoilt

I got a new camera

We had another successful M.E Princess fundraiser

I changed my hair colour

We baked

We had a lovely holiday in Majorca

We had a fun trip to Sheffield to stay with friends we met on holiday

We had fun with Autumn leaves

We went to Stockeld Park & I ice-skated on my wheels

I had a lovely spa day with my sister for her birthday

I turned the house festive

I am staying positive & am looking forward to doing more happy stuff in 2016. I've already booked to go & see my bestie in Essex and I have one of my oldest friend's wedding in October. My close friend is having a baby in March & I'm so excited! There are people I want to see more of & other spoonie friends I've met online who I want to meet for the first time so we shall see what the year brings in terms of fun! I have also decided I am going to use one of my new diaries to write something positive every day. So again I can look back & realise there are good things in each day even though it doesn't often feel like it.

Finally before I go, I want to do a quick shoutout to everyone who has been there for me this year. Whether it's to be there when I've been down or to make me belly laugh just because. And despite me having my illness, friends & family who have included me in stuff or asked me to do things even if I've not been able, I really appreciate it. I love you all!

Happy new year!

Love Ali 
xx

Support independent businesses!

The festive season is well and truly upon us. Again. How did that happen?!

I am very much in support of small, independent businesses & tend to buy most of my gifts (& treats for myself also!) from them. There are so many lovely places out there & they often make more unique stuff too so I just prefer to buy from them. I feel it is important to support them as without us they wouldn't be able to continue trading.  All the people I have dealt with are so hardworking & always really lovely. Their businesses are their babies and so much care & passion goes into the stuff they make or sell.

So without further ado, here are some of the ones I have bought from & definitely recommend. I have added a picture as an example of the stuff each one does but I suggest looking on their sites (which I have linked in the name) for more ideas. If you follow them on social media too they sometimes have offers or discount codes. So in no particular order here we go...

Polkadots & Petticoats  - Jackie sells various decorative home items including candles, plaques & photo frames. The style is mainly shabby chic & when you receive a parcel from her it is always wrapped beautifully in cellophane & I never want to open it despite it all usually being for gifts!

Punkypins - Lyndsay is really lovely & has a brilliant range of jewellery. I may or may not have quite a few pieces in my collection! She does a lot of quirky stuff as well as statement pieces but is also renowned for her laser cut name necklaces which are just gorgeous.

Veronica Dearly - Most of my friends will have received a card by Veronica at some point from me by now! Her stuff is very cool & really funny. As well as cards she also makes mugs, keyrings, wall planners & various other stationary items.

Jilly Jilly - Jilly & David make the cutest illustrated stuff including notebooks, mugs & earrings. I have had various things from them before for gifts as well as for myself & the packaging is always stunning too.

The Sliver Birdcage - Heather makes handstamped cutlery & I've had quite a few things from her as gifts. You can also personalise stuff if you don't want anything already in the shop. They come wrapped really pretty too.

Ladybird Likes - Zoe loves all things vintage & her shop reflects that. She mainly makes jewellery & has a lot of wooden items as well as sparkly ones! She also has some homeware & sometimes mystery packs are available.

Cherry Diva - Rach & Jay have an array of stunning jewellery on their website as well as various accessories including bags & watches. It is really reasonably priced too & I often find myself browsing!!

Pocket Perfect Designs - Kayleigh makes the funniest badges I've ever seen. Some of them are rather risqué so perhaps don't look if you don't like swear words or are easily offended!! She personalises them to the customer's requirements so you can have anything your heart desires put on them.

Ems Jewellery - Em makes the most gorgeous hand stamped stainless steel & sterling silver jewellery. I have a few personalised things myself & the quality is beautiful. I have recently bought some gifts from her & everyone loved them.

Crown & Glory - Last but certainly not least! I don't think anyone who reads my blog will be surprised to see this one. Sophie & Gareth make a huge range of hair accessories. From floral to glittery, bobby pins to huge flower crowns, there is pretty much everything you can think of and more. There are some lovely Christmas gifts avaliable at the moment including mystery crackers full of goodies.

These are just some of my favourites & I can't recommend them enough. I hope it's given you a few ideas and I'd love to hear if you go ahead & buy anything from any of them. 

Happy shopping! 

Ali

xx

A funny old week and the Tooth Fairy!

What a week it has been. I am writing this on Saturday afternoon & the same time last week was a very different story. I must have caught a sickness bug as I was up from 4am throwing up and it carried on through until almost midnight on & off.  I can't remember the last time I was so poorly. Of course once the sickness eventually stopped, it totally wiped me out.  Normal sickness on top of M.E is bad. Very bad! However a week later & I am feeling back to my "normal" so I'm just glad to have seen the back of it.

On Wednesday something exciting happened. My little girl lost her first tooth! It had been wobbly for around 5 weeks but the last few days it had got a lot more so. She was eating lots of apples to try to get it out but to no avail so off she went to school. She went to play at her friend's house after & I sent my friend a message jokingly asking if the tooth was still there, expecting her to to say yes, but she said no!!! It had come out at school... oh the excitement!

When I collected her she was very keen to show me the tooth & the gap! This photo cracks me up....

When we got home she wrote a letter to the Tooth Fairy, who's arrival had been very much anticipated for a while! She was so excited about it & couldn't wait to find out her name. I still have some of my Tooth Fairy letters from when I lost my first teeth so she wanted to see if hers would be the same or not!

When she woke up the next day she was super giddy.  The fairy had been & left not only a letter & a £2 coin under her pillow, but she had left a fairy door on the wall!! My girlie had been telling me earlier in the week about a tree at her cousin's school that has fairy doors attached & it means the fairies live there so she was very happy about having one in her bedroom!

She looks so cute with her little gap & the tooth next to it is a bit wobbly too now so that will be next...

She has moved up to the next group in her swimming lessons & I've not been for ages so I went today.  I couldn't believe how well she could swim, totally puts me to shame! Afterwards we decided to pop to a place nearby called Harewood House as we have membership so can quickly go there without having to pay crazy amounts on the door!

There are loads of trees there & they look gorgeous at this time of year.  It's not ideal with the wheelchair but we collected some conkers & the fresh air did me good after being cooped up poorly for a week.  We didn't stay long but it was nice spending some time with my girl.

I do love Autumn so hopefully will get more chance to be out admiring the pretty leaves & spending a bit more time with my girlie. Today has been a good day (despite being shattered now but I'll take it!).

Ali
xx