Birthday Celebrations

It was my birthday last week and I had such a great time! I can't believe the love and effort my friends and family put into the celebrations they held for me and the gifts and cards they gave me. 

On my actual birthday morning I woke up and went downstairs to find the breakfast-bar in the kitchen covered in pink heart post-it notes with wonderful words written on them. Everyone had written what they loved about me or a little memory they had of me - it was such a surprise and I've kept them all as keepsakes!

Andy had got me my favourite ever chocolate cake from a little local farm that I constantly obsess over and dream about. He somehow convinced the owner to give him the cake even though it was only supposed to be sold per slice in the farm's cafe.

I had really wanted to go for waffles for my birthday breakfast, but after weeks of researching, my Mum and Sister couldn't find anywhere decent nearby that did any. My mum bought a waffle maker and I woke up to fresh, homemade waffles with little bowls of fruit and chocolate toppings - heaven!

Once we'd finished breakfast and I'd opened my insanely generous gifts, my Mum took my Sister and I into town to get our nails done. I got some cute baby pink acrylics as I'd bitten off all of my nails the week before due to stress. The lady in the nail bar thought I was 16!! I definitely don't think I look as young as 16, but I guess when I'm older I might appreciate that youthful look a bit more!

After a yummy Chicken Caesar Salad and glass of Prosecco at Prezzo's, we drove back home so that I could quickly pack an overnight bag. My Uncle and I share a birthday; he lives in Texas and was here in the UK so we were able to spend our first birthday together in 24 years. My cousins live in Surrey and my Uncle had gone to stay with them. They had arranged a party for us for that night and we had booked ourselves into a nearby hotel. It took us longer than normal to drive up to the hotel, but once we arrived I was able to get ready for the evening's festivities in peace.

At the family birthday bash we drank lots of champagne and indulged in some chocolate and banoffee cupcakes. I think everyone had a fun time and it was so good for the whole family to get together as we are rarely even in the same country at the same time!

The Saturday after my birthday I had arranged for a few friends to come over for a barbecue. Quite a few friends were busy and said they couldn't make it, so when all these faces that I wasn't expecting turned up, I was shocked!! 

My Sister made cute '25' letters for the party and put flowers from the garden in a few glasses. My Dad hung these cute lanterns from the house to give it a country-summer feel (they are from Ikea in case you wondered).

We made copious amounts of Pimms which we filled this cute keg-like decanter with. We had to top it up several times as people were loving the traditional British beverage!

Once we'd all eaten, my Sister had bought a hilarious unicorn piñata which she'd filled with sweeties and hung from a tree. We all thought we were a bit too "grown-up" to play such a childish game, but once we started to play everyone seemed to have a fabulous time!

My third and final birthday cake (yes, third!) was this amazing creation my family had had made for the BBQ. The chihuahuas on top are supposed to be my boys, Bambi and Rio. I thought the cake was absolutely adorable and I think all my guests did too!

Looking back on the pictures, I feel so lucky to have been so spoilt this birthday. Everyone really tried hard to make it the best birthday ever, and it really was. I won't forget this birthday ever!


Love and Kisses,

Vicki xoxo

Maybelline 'Fast & Fashion Look' Travel Set

How cute is this little Maybelline make-up travel set? It has products in it which I will actually use on a daily basis - which isn't always the case when you get a set of products sold together. My Mum picked it up for me from the airport - she's forever surprising me with little presents which I am so grateful for. She actually got me another one of these Maybelline travel sets the week before which is full of other stuff which I'll also put up very soon.

Inside this travel set there is:

- 1 x Rocket Volum' Express Mascara

- 1 x Dream Fresh 8-in-1 BB Cream

- 1 x Superstay 14hr Lipstick

- 1 x Mini Make-Up Remover

I've tried all of them, except for the make-up remover so far, and I'm impressed. The lip colour is really flattering and I can imagine it being a good shade for all skin tones. I'd never tried the BB Cream before so I think I'll use it a few more times and perhaps write a review for it once I've given it a good testing!

 

 

Do you use any of these products? What do you think?

Love & Kisses,

Vicki xoxo

Easter Weekend

It's been a few days now that we're all back to work after the long Easter Bank Holiday Weekend, and I thought I'd share a glimpse of what my weekend looked like.

Cute Lindt Chocolates {Easter Day - 2015}

Easter Treats!

Friday wasn't too eventful for me; I went to the gym and had my hair trimmed by my trustworthy hairdresser. 

By contrast, Saturday and Sunday were long and busy days. After gymming again (had to pre-burn some Easter chocolate calories!) on Saturday, Andy and I went shopping for a few last minute ingredients and to stock up on soft drinks and alcohol for the next day's festivities. The afternoon consisted of peeling, chopping, slicing, dicing and mixing. We had driven to Andy's parent's house to help his Mum prepare some of the dishes for Easter Day. It was nice to give her a hand, but I was definitely pleased to see the knives and peelers go into the dishwasher at the end of the day! With tired eyes we painted a few boiled eggs and then made our way back home to go and watch some Netflix in bed.

Andy, Bambi and I {Easter Day - 2015}

Andy, Bambi and I {Easter Day - 2015}

My Sister and I {Easter Day - 2015}

Lindt Chocolates {Easter Day - 2015}

Bubbles {Easter Day - 2015}

Late Sunday morning we headed to my Mum's for an Easter brunch with my family. It was relaxed and easy-going - with lots of chocolate, of course! Towards the evening we drove back to Andy's parent's house with my family in tow. We had a 4-course European Easter Feast with family and friends of many nationalities - Lithuanian, Russian, German, Italian, Irish, Ukrainian and Latvian! We played a few games with the hard-boiled eggs, as we do every year with Andy's family. The evening was busy, loud and joyful. Everyone seemed to have a really wonderful time and we all left with our bellies full and big smiles on our faces.

Easter Nests {Easter Day - 2015}

Amazing cake that my Mum made {Easter Day - 2015}

Cakes! {Easter Day - 2015}

Bank Holiday Monday was another chilled-out day for me. I went on a walk with my Dad and did some gardening, but mainly relaxed.

What did you get up to over Easter? I hope you all had a lovely time!


Love & Kisses,

Vicki xoxo

Primark Pineapple Bedding

I rarely get to go to Primark, so when I went last Saturday I was pretty happy with the little purchases I made there! I got this super cute reversable pineapple-print bedding and some grey palm tree pillow cases. I love how summery they make my bedroom feel - I'm definitely a summer girl! 

I picked up some cheap make-up remover wipes at the till and I bought a spare eye pencil sharpener as I've lost mine. I'm usually a total eyelash-snob, but I also bought a couple of Primark's eyelashes to try so we'll have to see how I like them! Of course I had to purchase a few pairs of comfy pants for lazy days too, haha!

Here are some pictures of my summery bedding:

Have you bought any nice bedding from Primark before? What did you think about the print and quality? Even though it's cheap, I like to get new bedding every now and again to give my room a mini makeover. 

Love & Kisses,

Vicki xoxo

What to expect at your first Cervical Smear Test

This is a pretty strange thing for me to write about and – don’t worry – I won’t go into any graphic detail. The reason why I wanted to write about Smear Tests is because for the last year or so I knew my first one was looming. Obviously it’s good to know you are cancer-free in your cervix, but I also was dreading the day my invitation for the test would hit my doormat.

No one really talks about what happens at a Smear Test, and those who have told me little snippets of their experiences have taken great pleasure in telling me how awful it was. So, about a week ago, I had my first Smear Test and I thought I’d just share MY experience in the hope that it might settle the minds of those still waiting for theirs.

Before the appointment, I worried whether I should trim / shave “down there” for the woman doing the swab or whether that would be weird. I contemplated this for a good two weeks. Would she think I was trying too hard? Would she think I was strange? I discussed my thoughts to my boyfriend who just rolled his eyes and thought I was over-thinking things. The day before, I decided I would just leave the hair “down there” is whatever state it was at the time. The nurse will have seen it all before, I told myself. There’s no point worrying about it.

My appointment was at 11:20, but it just so happened that I had a blood test at 10:40 at the surgery too. I was done by 10:45 and had 35 minutes to wait. That time went by SO slowly. Jiggling my legs and fiddling with my hands, I stared at the clock watching every minute go past. I was so nervous. I mean no one has ever inspected “down there” before. Especially a stranger!

The nurse called me in and was all smiles. She knew from my file that this was my first Smear, but I had already planned to tell her just in case so she knew that I didn't know what to expect. There was no relaxed chit-chat, this nurse was a busy lady and had other people to see. Drawing the curtain around the reclined chair she asked me to “pop my bottoms off”, to lie down on the chair and if I wanted, I could use a paper sheet for “extra modesty”.

Once I told her that I was ready, she opened the curtain and turned on this bright spot light by my feet. Whilst putting on her gloves she asked me to pull my feet right up to my bottom and then drop both of my knees to either side. The nurse explained she would be using a small clamp device to gain access to my cervix and this would probably be the most uncomfortable part. It was. It wasn't painful, but most definitely uncomfortable. The nurse then explained that she was going to take a swab from my cervix and that I may or may not feel a scratching sensation. I actually didn't feel her take the swab and within less than 60 seconds, start to finish, my smear test was over.

As I got dressed the nurse warned me that I may experience spotting or a little bit of blood in my knickers later that day. Fortunately this didn't happen, but apparently it’s very normal so don’t worry if this does happen to you. My results would be sent to me in the post within six weeks, and no further action would need to be taken unless there was any issue with the Smear results.

For about 3-4 hours after the smear test, I did feel uncomfortable down below. It didn't feel normal, but it also didn't hurt. I felt a little violated and embarrassed that someone had seen my hoo-haa, but honestly I don’t think she even looked. I'm glad my Smear Test is over and done with, and I'm glad I finally had my first one. No more wondering what will happen and what it will be like.

Here are some of my personal tips for a quick and embarrassment-free Smear Test:

• Wash your intimate area before you go to your appointment!!
• Wear something that’s easy to put on and off, or like me, wear a dress or skirt so you don’t have to take off much at all.
• If it’s your first time, tell the nurse this and she’ll explain everything she’s doing and will be sympathetic.
• Remember, she’s seen hoo-haa’s of all shapes and sizes, colours and ages. Don’t be embarrassed – seriously, she doesn't care.
• And finally – RELAX! It sounds silly and it might be hard at the time, but the more you relax, the less the test will hurt.

I hope this has helped at least one person with an impending first Smear Test! Let me know if there’s anything you think I should add to the list of tips.

Love & Kisses,

Vicki xoxo