Sunday, 13 March 2016

Sunday Snippets - 13th March 2016


I am fast approaching the end of term (Yay!!) but that means that there’s lots of work that needs to be done. I’ve got two deadlines next week – my portfolio has to be submitted by Monday and my essay is due on Friday, so I’ve been putting every spare minute into getting those written. I can happily say that my portfolio is done, but unfortunately I still need to write my essay. I’m hoping I can make a good start on it this afternoon and ideally I would like to get it finished by tomorrow evening, but that might be a bit optimistic. Apart from having lots of work, it’s actually been quite a nice week, without too many medical things, which makes a change!

My Mum and I

Last Sunday was Mother’s Day, which was both happy and sad in equal measures. It was our first Mother’s Day without my lovely Gran, which was pretty difficult. But my Mum wrote a pretty little card and we bought some beautiful pink and white carnations, which we put next to a photo of my Gran and Grandad – it was a nice way to remember her. In the morning I went to church with my Mum and Dad, which was nice but I found it a bit overwhelming, as there were so many people there. All the ladies received a bunch of daffodils though, which really made me smile, as they always make me feel like spring is here. I came home, changed into a different outfit and did my make-up, as I needed some more photos taking for my Uni project (and blog). My Dad kindly offered to take some photos for me, and I was really happy with how they turned out. It was absolutely freezing though, so I just had to try and imagine that it was a warm spring day! I then spent a few hours editing the photos and doing some blogging. In the evening we had a family dinner with my Grandma, and my brother and his fiancĂ© came over too. I gave my Mum a gorgeous blue scarf from Joules, alongside some flowers, which I think went down well.

My University planner

On Monday I had a lovely chilled out morning, which started with a bit of a lie-in (always a bonus!) I did some tidying in my room, then had a very relaxing reflexology session. I must admit, before I started having reflexology I was quite sceptical about the whole thing, but now I’m definitely converted! It’s one of the few times I am completely able to relax, and it seems to help my anxiety a bit too. I always cover myself with a cosy blanket for my sessions, as when you’re relaxed your body temperature drops. After my therapist had gone, I decided to snuggle up under my blanket for half an hour in the recliner chair next to our French doors. The sun was shining and I just felt really relaxed (until a little dog bounded over and jumped on me!) I spent the afternoon working on my Uni portfolio, and actually managed to make quite a bit of progress. I also finished editing my video and got that uploaded to YouTube. If you fancy giving it a watch, it’s a collective haul (including Primark, Gap and Paperchase) and you can find by clicking here.

Veronica Dearly print
Tuesday was another fairly quiet day, which was nice although I’m finding it hard to relax at the moment (unless I’m having reflexology or a massage!) I didn’t do much in the morning – took some photos for my blog and did some bits and bobs around the house. My Mum and I then went round to my friend’s for some pampering. I did some Uni work while my Mum had her nails done. Then I had my eyebrows done and had a full body massage. I seriously wish I could have a massage every day – it seems to help the pain I’m getting in my neck a little, but I wish that relief lasted a bit longer. I spent the rest of the afternoon doing work, but all I really felt like doing was sleeping. This print from Veronica Dearly definitely summed up how I was feeling!



On Wednesday I had a pretty quiet morning doing some tidying in my bedroom. It seems that as fast as I tidy it gets messier! I’m hoping when I finish Uni for Easter I can really crack on with getting my room just how I want it. My bereavement counsellor then came to see me and we had a long chat about my Gran and my Grandad, which was helpful. I had planned to get straight on with some work, but ended up falling asleep and didn’t wake up until mid-afternoon, so that plan was out of the window! I did get the work done that I needed to though, so that was good. I also finally got a date through for my operation, for the end of March. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may remember that I was meant to have an operation last August, but ended up having a seizure so they couldn’t do it. It’s been a long wait, and part of me feels happy to finally have a date, but I’m also feeling really anxious about having another general anaesthetic (I don’t seem to react well to them) and also what will happen afterwards with regard to my catheter.



Thursday was incredibly busy – I woke up feeling pretty rubbish, but pushed myself to go into Uni because we’ve got deadlines so close and lots of work to do. We’re making a newspaper in our Thursday sessions and are working as a whole group, so I didn’t want to let the rest of the group down either. We just spent the day working on the newspaper, which is starting to get a bit stressful. At lunch I went to Starbucks with a few friends, which gave us a much-needed break. They’re doing a new Honey Blossom macchiato, but although I love coffee, it can make me feel quite unwell, so I asked for some honey on a coconut milk hot chocolate and it was delicious! In the afternoon we started trying to put together our words and images into a newspaper layout. I’m doing a fashion spread with one of the other girls, which means it’s got a lot of images, and it’s a lot harder than we imagined trying to arrange them in a way that looks appealing. Although it was fun working together on the newspaper, I was so glad to get home and rest.



On Friday I woke up a lot later than I planned, so getting ready was slightly manic! I also must have slept badly on my neck, as it was really painful and I couldn’t turn or tilt my head to the right. My Dad took me over to Uni and I met up with my mentor. We chatted through what work I still have left to do and the order I should do it in, which was really helpful and made me feel a little more organised. I then had a lecture, and was given a bit more feedback on my essay plan, which I’m hoping will be useful. We finished a bit early, which was a blessing as the pain was making it incredibly difficult to concentrate. When I got home I just curled up on the sofa and opened my March Glitterati box from Crown and Glory. How cute are the fox ears?!



Yesterday was incredibly boring, so there’s not a huge amount for me to say about it. I had a nice lie-in, although I woke up with absolutely no clue about what day it was, which sent me into a panic as I was convinced I was late for something! I spent the morning just relaxing and playing with the dogs (i.e. procrastinating and finding every excuse possible not to do my work!) However, I did manage to finally get my portfolio finished, printed and ready to submit on Monday, so that was a massive weight off my shoulders. I then started working on my essay, doing a bit of last minute planning using the feedback I was given. I did pop out to Waitrose with my Mum to look at muesli, as this new diet I’m meant to be on says I can eat raw oats. I managed to find one to try, but the majority of them contain added sugar, wheat etc, so I’m thinking of making my own instead. I also opened this month’s My Little Box, which is such a pretty design! I will try and do a blog post on this box and my Glitterati box as soon as I can, so you can get a better idea what’s inside.

If you haven’t read my blog before, I just wanted to let you know that I have a second blog, which mainly focuses on my health in more depth than I talk about it here. It’s largely for friends and family to follow and keep up with what’s going on, but if it’s something you would be interested in reading as well, you are more than welcome to follow me over there. I’ve actually changed the name from Unicorns and Floral Crowns to ‘Zebra Crossing’ and you can find it by clicking here. I’ve also finally managed to update it, so there’s actually something for you to read now! And I’m hoping to keep updating it more regularly from now on. I’m also trying to post on Snapchat a bit more, so if you fancy following me, my username is Jennycole44.

What have you been up to this week? I always enjoy hearing about your news and adventures!


Sunday, 6 March 2016

Sunday Snippets - 6th March 2016


The last week seems to have flown by, and I’m not quite sure how I’m already writing another Sunday Snippets. I’ve only got a couple of weeks left at Uni before Easter, so things are getting pretty manic with deadlines all approaching. At the moment I feel a bit like I’m trying to spin a whole host of plates – when I feel like I’m getting on top of one thing, I suddenly realise there’s something else that needs to be done too. But I’m getting there slowly (I hope!) I’ve been having a lot of problems with severe nausea again this week, which isn’t much fun. It’s something I have suffered with for years, but sometimes it’s bearable and other times (like now!) it’s just incredibly overwhelming. So that’s been making things a bit more of a challenge, but I keep plodding on.



Last Sunday was quite a nice day – in the morning I got to catch up with one of my closest friends, Sarah. We first met at preschool, and then her family moved in across the road from me. From day one we were pretty much inseparable, spending every spare minute together doing all sorts of things including marathon sessions on her Nintendo 64 and various arts and crafts. I was a bridesmaid at her wedding and although she has now moved to live with her husband in West Sussex, we still chat via text most days. So it was lovely when she told me she was coming back to see her parents at the weekend, and we arranged to get together on Sunday morning. We had a big catch-up and it was so nice to just be able to chat face-to-face. When I came home I spent some time working on my blog. I then curled up on the sofa to watch Finding Nemo (is anyone else ridiculously excited about Finding Dory coming out in July?!) and filled in the forms I was sent to reapply for my driving license. We actually got some post as well, which is very unusual, but I was happy because it was my new heat pack. I’m having a lot of problems with my neck – ever since my seizure it has been a lot more painful, so I’m hoping this will provide some relief.



On Monday morning I went to have my hair cut, which I always enjoy, but I could barely keep my eyes open and kept having dizzy spells, so that spoilt it a bit. Afterwards, I popped to the newsagent next door to get a passport photo for my driving license forms. These photos must be the most unflattering photos in existence! I came home and spent a few hours working on my Uni essay, which I’m slowly making progress on. In the afternoon I had an appointment with my GP. My iron levels have gone up a tiny bit, but they’re still very low so I’m back on the iron tablets at a higher dose in the hope it will help. She said it’s likely I will have to take them on a long-term basis, so that’s another medication to add to my ever-growing list! We also chatted about a few other things and she started me on another new medication as well. I then had an appointment for an ECG, as the last one didn’t work. They couldn’t get a reading again, so called my GP in, but she didn’t understand why it was only giving half a reading. It had been working fine all day and both the nurse and my GP said they’d never seen a reading like it! So I was sent away again and told I would get a phone call once my GP had spoken to the other doctors in the practice. I was writing some birthday cards during this afternoon and found this pretty ‘happy times’ lettering on the back of one of them, which I thought fitted in quite well with my happy photo theme.



I had an early start on Tuesday with another physio appointment. This time he showed me how to use a TENS machine, as they’re lending me one to try out for a few weeks. I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but the setting he used on me felt OK so I’m hoping it might give me a bit of a relief from the pain. I then spent a couple of hours working on my essay for Uni, and finally managed to get the plan finished and submitted. My Mum then took me to the hospital to see my mental health care co-ordinator. We ended up chatting for nearly an hour and a half, but I just feel that nothing I say is taken very seriously any more. I just get the feeling that because I’ve been unwell for so long, they start to lose interest a bit and think I should be able to cope by now, but that’s really not the case. If anything, it seems to get harder the longer it goes on. I did get a little bit irritated by something she said, which is a shame because up until now she seems to have been quite understanding. I told her how much I was struggling with eating disorder related things, and her response was “but you’re not losing weight are you?” It just upset me because how are we meant to get the general public to understand that eating disorders aren’t all about being underweight when even professionals don’t get it? Anyway, after that I had a long chat with my Mum on the way home, which helped a bit. I spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on Gogglebox and checking my blog emails. Alfie was fast asleep on the other sofa and looked so cute and peaceful.



On Wednesday I had a completely free day, which is pretty rare and so was very nice and much needed! I had a bit of a lie-in and woke up to torrential rain and wind, which put my plans for the day out of the window. I had planned to take some outfit photos outside for a Uni project and my blog, but it wasn’t going to happen. But I really needed to get at least one photo for Uni, so I did my make-up (I need to master doing my eyebrows, as it’s something I don’t currently do but I think it would make a difference) and my Dad took some snaps of me inside. I wasn’t that happy with them, but I had to work with what I had. I then filmed a doggy themed video for my YouTube channel (twice, because I forgot to switch the microphone on the first time!), before collapsing on the sofa and falling asleep. I really wanted to film a second video and get some editing done, but had completely run out of energy. So in the end I curled up on the sofa and wrote a few penpal letters.




Thursday is my full day at Uni, so quite a contrast to my chilled out Wednesday. In the morning I spent quite a long time working on an article about the EU referendum for the newspaper we are all putting together. At lunch, I went to Costa (not Starbucks this time!) with a few friends, which was a nice break from being in the classroom and we all had a good chat. Then in the afternoon we worked on the layout of the newspaper and tried to start working out a page order. I drew this very rough little plan for the fashion spread I’m doing with my friend, Nina. As you can probably tell, I’m not an artist! It was really good to get home, as I was completely shattered by the end of the day. I fell asleep on the sofa for a while and then just spent the evening chilling out and watching YouTube videos.



I managed to have quite a relaxed day on Friday, which was lovely after my busy Thursday. I had a pretty quiet morning, which was nice, and then late morning my Dad drove me over to Uni so I could meet up with my learning mentor. We went through all the work I still have left to do, and talked through anything I was worried about, which is always really helpful. I didn’t have an afternoon lecture like I usually do, so while we were over that way my Dad and I went to the disability equipment shop, as I’d had a phone call to say the electric wheelchair had come in. I had a bit of a play with it and it seems pretty good. The only problem is it’s really heavy to lift, even if they separate it into smaller parts, which means it’s unlikely I will be able to go out on my own in my car and use the chair. So we’re going to do a bit more research to see if there’s anything else out there that might be easier for me to lift. We then headed over to my brother, David’s, flat on our way home, had a peek at his new sofa and then he came home with us. In the afternoon I managed to get a blog post up and almost finished editing a video for my YouTube. I then had another appointment at the doctors for an ECG, and this time we just about managed to get a reading – third time lucky! I know my photos are a bit dog heavy this week, but I couldn’t resist taking a picture of Alfie cuddled up with his teddy!




Yesterday was really lovely, as for once, I decided to try and put thoughts of Uni work out of my head. I had a nice lie-in and leisurely breakfast, which I think is what weekends should be all about. I chilled out with the dogs for a bit and chatted to my Mum, and she then took me down to Waitrose so I could pick up some crusty bread for lunch. After chilling out a bit more in front of The Simpsons, my friend Becky arrived. I introduced her to the dogs, and we played with them for a while. After a yummy lunch, we settled down on the sofa to watch ‘In her shoes’ – an afternoon of chick flicks is always good! We also chatted away and treated ourselves to a Mini Eggs cake, which was yummy. Unfortunately, after Becky left I felt really unwell, probably because I’d tried to eat things I shouldn’t, so that wasn’t much fun. It’s difficult because there are so many things I’ve been told not to eat, but even if I just eat what I’m meant to, I still feel unwell, so sometimes I just lose my motivation to follow the strict diet I’ve been advised to stick to. Plus the fact I just want to have a life and enjoy food like everyone else does. Trying to recover from an eating disorder and having gastroparesis is proving rather difficult to say the least. I had a quiet evening enjoying a soak in the bath and curling up on the sofa with some YouTube videos.

If you haven’t read my blog before, I just wanted to let you know that I have a second blog, which mainly focuses on my health in more depth than I talk about it here. It’s largely for friends and family to follow and keep up with what’s going on, but if it’s something you would be interested in reading as well, you are more than welcome to follow me over there. I’ve actually changed the name from Unicorns and Floral Crowns to ‘Zebra Crossing’ and you can find it by clicking here. I’ve also finally managed to update it, so there’s actually something for you to read now! And I’m hoping to keep updating it more regularly from now on. I’m also trying to post on Snapchat a bit more, so if you fancy following me, my username is Jennycole44.



What have you been up to this week? I always enjoy hearing about your news and adventures!


Friday, 4 March 2016

NIVEA Micellar Water range*

I’m a big fan of Micellar Water, having now tried quite a few different brands, so I’m always excited when I find one I haven’t used before. When I received an email from the people at NIVEA telling me about their new range of Micellar Waters, I was desperate to give them a go, and when they offered to send me a couple to test and tell you about I jumped at the chance! NIVEA is a brand I’ve been using for more years than I can remember, and their products have always been kind to my sensitive skin. It was great to see that with this new range comes a selection of three products, to make sure there is something to suit every skin type.


For anyone that hasn’t heard of Micellar Water or has never really understood how it works, Micelles are microscopic, gathered molecules that are both “water-loving” (hydrophilic) and “fat-loving” (lipophilic). Together, this combination removes water-soluble and water-insoluble impurities like dirt and make-up while caring for the skin’s natural barrier. This new NIVEA Micellar Water range effectively cleanses skin while caring for it too.
  


One of the great things about these cleansers is that they are fragrance-free, and are suitable for use around the delicate eye area too. For me, this is a massive bonus, as I really struggle to find products that don’t irritate my eyes. You apply them morning and evening by gently massaging into the skin with a cotton pad, with no need to rub or rinse. I’ve been using the ones I was sent for a few weeks now and really love just how gentle yet effective they are. They are fantastic at removing make-up but they haven’t irritated my skin at all, and leave my face feeling fresh and clean, ready for the rest of my skincare routine.

As I mentioned earlier, there are three different products to choose from:




This is the one to choose if you have sensitive skin. It effectively cleanses whilst also reducing the three main signs of sensitive skin: redness, dryness and tightness. The formula contains Dexpanthenol (pro-vitamin B5) and Grape Seed Oil, which helps the skin retain moisture, promotes normal skin cell regeneration and reduces tightness and dryness. I have found that quite a few cleansers and Micellar Waters leave my face feeling tight, which I really hate, so I’m really happy to have found a product that doesn’t do that.




Pick this one if you have dry skin – it’s perfect for dehydration-prone skin. The formula is enriched with Natural Almond Oil, which effectively protects, nourishes and soothes dry skin. It leaves your skin feeling smooth and soft, but still effectively removes make-up and cleanses the skin’s surface. I don’t have particularly dry skin, but this still left my face feeling nourished and glowing.


If you have normal skin, then this is the one for you! It contains Vitamin E – a known antioxidant and something that I religiously use on my skin. The formula acts as a natural barrier against the elements and removes all traces of make-up. I haven’t been able to try this one yet, but based on the other two I have high hopes.

Overall I am really impressed with these new products from NIVEA, and really appreciate being given the opportunity to try them out. If you like the sound of them or just want to give them a try, you can currently find them at Boots for roughly half-price (£1.84) – just click on the one you want to try and it will take you straight to the website!

Do you use a Micellar Water as part of your skincare routine? Do these new NIVEA products appeal to you, or can you recommend something else I can try?



Sunday, 28 February 2016

Sunday Snippets - 28th February 2016


It’s crazy that we’re at the end of February already – I feel like a broken record writing this, but where has the time gone?! Both of my brothers are getting married this summer, and all of a sudden it really feels like the dates are creeping up on us, which is both exciting and scary! I’m busy planning one of the Hen Do’s and having fun thinking of activities we can all do together. It’s also only a few weeks until I break up from Uni for Easter, which is just crazy. We don’t have any scheduled lectures after our break, and the majority of our work has to be handed in before we break up, so I will have basically finished my first year in less than a month. How did that happen?!



Last Sunday I had a really quiet day because I wasn’t feeling particularly well. I spent the morning doing some blogging, which I always enjoy but I’m getting quite frustrated at the moment. I’ve got so many ideas of posts I would like to do (and videos I want to upload to my YouTube channel) but I just can’t find the time and energy to do them. I kind of feel like my blog has hit a bit of a wall at the moment, and I really want to make it better, so I think I’m going to have to sit down with my planner and really try and plan my time a bit better. I obviously can’t plan how my health will be, but I’m hoping if I try and plan my time a bit better then it might help. After a bit of rest, I snuggled on the sofa to write some letters and caught up with Death in Paradise. I bought these tulips for my bedroom earlier in the week, and they started to open up on Sunday. How beautiful are they!



Monday started with a trip to the Doctors for a blood test. It took them two attempts to get any blood, which is fairly good for me as my veins are an absolute nightmare! But it left the biggest bruise I think I’ve ever had! I came home and spent the morning doing some work on my Uni essay, although I think I fell asleep for a while – oops! After lunch my bereavement counsellor came to see me and we had a good chat about my Gran and how I’m doing. It’s really nice to have a space where I can talk about her, so I’m very grateful that the hospice offered my Mum and I this support. I then watched an episode of Silent Witness (such an awesome series!!) and wrote some penpal letters. Alfie was in a very cute mood, and after playing with his toys for a while he snuggled up next to this ball.



My Tuesday was mainly taken up with Uni related work. In the morning a lady came to do my last session of training for my DSA equipment, so technically I should now be a whizz on the software I’ve been given! I had planned to spend the afternoon working on my essay, but I felt so rubbish I just kept falling asleep. I managed to get a bit of planning done and watched another episode of Silent Witness. This pretty pink Leuchtturm notebook arrived in the post – I’ve decided to give bullet journaling a go, as I think it might help me to keep on top of my to-do lists. I’ll let you know how I get on, and if it works for me I’ll try and do a blog post about it. Unfortunately, my evening wasn’t great, and I ended up crying myself to sleep.



On Wednesday I had a relatively quiet day, which is always nice. I had a quiet morning, as I was feeling pretty rough after a bad night. But I decided to spend some time doing my make-up, which always makes me feel a bit better. My Dad then took me over to Uni for a course meeting (I’m a course rep), which didn’t last as long as we expected it would. So we decided to pop into the Disability Equipment shop on the way home to get some ideas about the electric wheelchairs they have available. Unfortunately I’m not eligible for one on the NHS, which means I need to work out what make and model will suit my needs. They recommended a chair that they thought would be good for me, but didn’t have it in stock so will phone me when one comes in. I’m excited to get one and gain a bit more independence, but I’m really not looking forward to having to spend well over £1000 to get one! I was going to do some Uni work when I got home, but ended up falling asleep again, and felt really rough when I woke up. So I watched yet another episode of Silent Witness and wrote some letters, but Freddie decided he wanted to sit on my knee, which made it rather interesting! I then spent the evening watching The Brit Awards.




Thursday I had Uni all day, so by the time I got home I was wiped out. I spent the morning reading magazines and scrolling through the Vogue website, as I needed to do some research on Spring/Summer 2016 fashion trends. My friend and I are doing a fashion spread for a newspaper we’re working on, and are putting together some high street looks, which is quite exciting. I went to Starbucks at lunchtime with a couple of friends, which was really nice. Then, in the afternoon, we did some more work with InDesign. When I got home I crashed out on the sofa with a cup of Bluebird Tea and some popcorn. I’m finding it very difficult to cope with my mental health problems at the moment, especially in the evenings. I’m getting quite stressed out about getting all my Uni work finished on time because I’m really struggling to concentrate while I’m feeling so unwell. It’s really frustrating, much like with my blog/YouTube – I know exactly what I want to get done, have to-do lists with dates of when everything’s due, but my body just seems to have other ideas.



Friday ended up being quite a quiet day. I had a fairly boring morning not really doing anything, and then my Dad drove me over to Uni. I met up with my mentor, which was helpful as she helped me get my head around what work I need to get done. I then headed to my lecture room, but the lecturer wasn’t there. We’d been told there would be a guest speaker, but assumed the lecturer would also be there, so we were already a bit confused. The guest speaker turned up and asked who we were, so we told him we were journalism students, to which he looked rather puzzled. He told us he wasn’t expecting us there and that he had been told he was giving a lecture to students on a different course. He said we were welcome to sit and listen if we wanted to, but that his whole lecture was based on an exhibition the other course had been to earlier in the week, so wouldn’t mean much to us. In the end I decided it would be better to use my energy working on my essay, so I headed over to the library and rang my Dad, who had to drive all the way back again to pick me up. I watched Death in Paradise when I got home, then spent a couple of hours working on my essay. I also received a bright pink parcel in the post, and had no idea what it could be. So I was excited when I opened it and found this new POREfessional product from the lovely ladies at Benefit. I’m excited to give it a try and get a post up for you all to read more about it.




Yesterday I woke up with another awful headache – they’re becoming an all too regular occurrence at the moment. However, I really needed to pop into town to do a bit of shopping for this fashion spread in the newspaper, and my Mum had very kindly offered to take me. My little sister, Bekkah, came along too, and we spent a while browsing round Primark picking out pieces to try on. I actually ended up with a bag full of bits and pieces, which will hopefully mean I can take some photos for my blog as well. Now I just need to style some outfits and take photos before Thursday, which is going to be fun as the weather looks pretty rubbish the next few days. I also popped into Boots, as I needed to get a new make-up brush. I came home feeling shattered, so snuggled on the sofa with Freddie. Bekkah came downstairs to find me, and presented me with this Real Techniques brush cleansing palette, which was so sweet of her. I’m really excited to give it a try, as I hate cleaning my brushes with my fingers! In the afternoon I watched another episode of Silent Witness (can you tell how much I love that programme!) and wrote some letters.

If you haven’t read my blog before, I just wanted to let you know that I have a second blog, which mainly focuses on my health in more depth than I talk about it here. It’s largely for friends and family to follow and keep up with what’s going on, but if it’s something you would be interested in reading as well, you are more than welcome to follow me over there. I’ve actually changed the name from Unicorns and Floral Crowns to ‘Zebra Crossing’ and you can find it by clicking here. I’ve also finally managed to update it, so there’s actually something for you to read now! And I’m hoping to keep updating it more regularly from now on. I’m also trying to post on Snapchat a bit more, so if you fancy following me, my username is Jennycole44.

What have you been up to this week? I always enjoy hearing about your news and adventures!