Live for the (long weekend)

The best thing about the impending Royal Nuptials? The two day work week! Wahey...Tuesdays are my day off, so I only have to be in Wednesday and Thursday. Unfortunately we have a new system launch on Thursday, which is also my birthday and we're going to be working flat out to provide our usual standard of service, so there won't be much celebrating going on (8am start, 6/7pm finish, no thanks!)...however, the next day being "that" day means I have have belated celebrations with the people that matter most; and maybe crash a few street parties!

Anyhow, I'm getting ahead of myself. First we need to finish this long weekend, and it will be done in chilled out lazy style.
Yesterday I barely moved off my ass, which was hugely satisfying. Today I predict more of the same, perhaps interjected with a trip to Tesco for essentials; girl cannot live on Easter goods alone (as much as she'd like to try)

Easter Haul!



Sadly that bag did not hold the Prestat egg of my dreams, but it did contain sweets and eggs of the miniature variety!



For the first time in years I was willing and able to take part in some Easter eating



(little steps Laura, little steps)

And cover my blisters in truly epic plasters



I'll be 24 going on 4.

Today I've ditched the floral dresses for my "jazzy trousers"







For all you Haviana fangirls out there, I'm A CONVERT. My feet are so grateful



((I hate feet))

I leave you with cuteness



And wishes for an awesome extra day off

xxx

P.S. vote vote vote.

The Best Things

This has been a good weekend. Fact. Today has barely started but I can just tell it's gonna be a good 'un.

Yesterday involved:

- sunshine (mainly)

- a picnic in Castle Park with one of my best friends who amazes me more and more each time I see her.

- realising how much I LOVE life.

- getting an early birthday present, and it being exactly what I NEED/had been wanting to buy.



(thank you again Becca!)

- Barry M crackle polishes on two for £5 in Boots. Well, it'd be rude not to



- Laughing like a maniac on the bus home because of a flurry of text messages involving a very random in joke.

- Having to go back out to hold Mum's hand as she took her car to the car wash. The fact she's scared of it really makes me smile!

- The return of Britains Got Talent!

Today involves:

- More sunshine!

- Spending time with Trudi who I don't see enough of any more

- Also seeing my grandparents, with Trudi, because she is family.

- Granny shorts







Vintage Laura Ashley random ebay purchase. Thankfully verrry cheap!

- People! All of you people who make me laugh, entertain me on twitter, leave gorgeous comments and take my BBM virginity!

What has made your weekend great?

xxx

The Random Sunday Post

Wow, has it not been an utterly gorgeous weekend so far? Yesterday was pretty good, Mum and I popped in to work for training that wasn't to be
(oh yes, our super new computer system that launches on my birthday apparently doesn't work at weekends...which is fine, ya know, we all need time off BUT we run a Saturday surgery!) Fail.

Beside that, it did mean Mum and I had longer in town. I feel a bit sorry for Mum, she had to deal with my PMS-y irritability and my "oh my god, crowds, heat, I might pass out" tendencies (Becca, I'm hoping this passes by next weekend, I wouldn't inflict that on you darling!). Despite my...quirks, we had an ace time. It wasn't toooo busy anywhere except Primark, and really, we should have known better!

I managed to score a dress in River Island that I'd wanted to buy via ASOS at £39.99 in the sale for £20...one left. My size. Thanks. I also grabbed a dress and a few random bits in Primark...but I think mainly I bought non clothes things!



A duvet, £8 in Primark! I've never bought myself a duvet before (haa) so this was a novel experience for me. Oh and Paperchase, how I love that store. Dinky cup, snacky box and pen...I needed none of them, but could not leave without.

Other highlights this week;



Suprise post from Matalan! who also sent along a copy of their swimwear look book. I don't *do* swimwear but still found plenty so hanker after. Ohh and penpal letters. I <3 my penpals.



My favourite piece.





The weather...the glorious weather. It's making me hyper. I just love it.







Cath Kidston Uniqlo tee. This delights me. Mum treated us to one each on payday. I want them all! The length and fit is perfect.


Thankfully the downsides this week have been few and far between. I am laying the blame for anything negative on hormones. Next time round I'm coming back as a man.

How has your week been?

xxx

Are you a flip flop snob?

I could actually date the origins of this post back to last Summer, where I was once again bemoaning the demise of my £1 Primark flip flops after only a couple of days.
Previously I had never thought of flip flops as something worth investing in...I mean surely foam and plastic were one and the same no matter what the price?

I got mixed responses, some people, like me simply replaced the cheap pair with another cheap pair (I easily spent £20 doing this, and the rest!)
The others swore by Havianas, lasting them all Summer and beyond making them worth the price tag.

Enthused by this news I ordered two (pink and black, because I couldn't decide) of Havianas, although I am yet to wear them because face it...it's hardly flip flop weather outside right now...and by this point it was the end of last Summer and time to move on to more covered shoes.
I'm looking forward to breaking in these pillows of heaven (if hype is to be believed) and apparently saving myself time and money in not constantly having to replace...
but is this true?
Have I been suckered in, or are these really superior footwear? I don't give harsh wear to my flip flops...a quick trip to the shops, or pottering around the house and garden is about my limit, so I'll admit my hopes are high.
What is your experience?

Here are some styles catching my eye right now!

My classic black pair, still sat pristine inside the box waiting for warmer days (blue feet are SO last season)

I really like the FIT style, they look like a comfier alternative to gladiator type sandals that kill my feet, and yet I still insist on wearing!

Silver...because everyone's feet need a bit of bling (except mine which fail to turn even the slightest bit golden in the Summer and therefore metallic make them look like corpse feet)

This is the other pair I have. I'm a girly girl who loves pink, and when I find the perfect slouchy jeans I plan to wear these with pride.

SO,
opinions wanted! Have I wasted my money,
will I be left sobbing on my way to Primark to hand over my last £1 for some emergency replacements
or am I right in thinking it's ok to become a bit of a flip flop snob?

I'd also like to know where you get your old faithfuls from.

xxx

In Brief

This weekend....

Wearing; FLORALS because I am a walking Spring cliche







Jon Richard ring available here!


Sunshine; The weather has bought out the best in me, I am definitely a S.A.D. person. The emergence of Spring, warmer days and bright, beautiful sunshine has turned me in to a chirpier, more confident version of me.
I celebrated by purchasing these oh so adorable sweets!



Thanking; Witch skincare for coming up with this primer! My saviour!



Geeking; Geeking out over new drug rep pens at work (Becca, if your reading this...the obsession continues!) and these ones are PINK! I will forever be envious of my Mum's leopard print one.



Hi, my name is Laura and I hoard pens.

Wanting; SO MUCH! It's always the week before pay day that I find infinite things I want and need in my life, only to have lost interest or not be able to find them when the time arrives! Currently top of my list is this dress from River Island



I have new found love for this shade of blue!

How about you?
xxx

Kreativ (apparently I am)

Ok, shame on me because apart from Sophie and Beth I have lost track of who else passed me this award...please shout if you did and I will add you on!
Thank you all so much, I love reading other people's answers and feel honoured to be nominated myself

*Oscar worthy speech over*

The rules are:

1) link 10 blogs;

2) tell these bloggers about the award;

3) write 10 facts about yourself;

Ok, so lets crack on.

Ten things about me…

1. Please don't judge but I typically wash my hair once a week, twice at a push. I find it really doesn't need more than that, and behaves better this way. Lucky, or plain lazy? I don't care! Thank goodness for Bastiste to keep it smelling fresh!

2. I am a complete child at heart. Matey bubble bath, kids TV, polly pocket, jelly tots...the list goes on.

3. I also like to think I can save the world, anyone having a hard time and I feel gutted I can't fix it for them, but I will always, ALWAYS offer support. It's my little way of paying back the support my family and friends (including you, dear blog readers) have given me.

4. Once upon a time many moons ago my favourite activities were Judo, Kayaking and general outdoor sport madness. I have fond memories of white water rafting on a body board in Austria one summer.

5. I am a foodie. I always have been and always will be I think. I kept it quiet for a while, due to having been ill and people assuming my interest in food stemmed from that. Truth is, I've always loved the stuff. Give me Good Food magazine over Vogue any day.

6. I love fashion, really I do, but for me it's not about the runways and haute couture. Highstreets and real people inspire me more; seeing clothes on real people and knowing that price wise, they are more within my grasp is much more endearing. Saying that, I will happily drool over runway images and editorials..but purely for dreaming purposes, I never aspire to own the latest from Chanel in the way I do the new arrivals in Topshop or New Look.

7. I drink stupid amounts of coffee in a day...8 plus cups. I must be immune to the caffiene though as it doesn't boost my energy or give me sleeping trouble.

8. My heart belongs to American candy. And their snack foods in general. The UK cannot compare...especially cereal bar wise.

9. I go through phases of only eating, or liking certain things. Greek yoghurt, smarties, certain TV programmes, certain teas, certain clothes. And then BAM, I want nothing to do with them anymore. The exception to this being my addictions to both tights and greek yoghurt.

10. I will be 24 next month and still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. Do I care? Not.one.bit. Right now I am happier and healthier than I have been in 9 years and I plan to live in the moment and embrace every second of it!

Now,

I cannot possibly pick just a few bloggers to pass this on to,

so I pick you ALL!

Gratuitous cat paparazzi picture for your time!

Happy Saturday xoxox

This one is for YOU

(photo from weheartit)

This week I have noticed more than ever a lot of people having a really tough time of things. This makes me sad...I want to reach out and fix everything for everyone, but I am only one person and I still have to work on fixing myself.

What I'd like to say is don't give up hope. No matter how bad/sad/utterly shite things are right now...brighter days are ahead. I wish I could promise when, and how it'll happen, but I can't...just trust me that those days ARE coming.

I was once a person so consumed in negativity that I couldn't imagine anything good happening to me at all,
and if it did...did I deserve it? I felt like I didn't...catch 22 circle of more negative thoughts.
Last year I dared to hope. Sure it took a long hard fight, but you know what? Every barrier broken...every glimmer of things changing for the better made me fight that bit harder. I remember being SO happy when I came home on my first day leave and I was able to walk up and down our stairs,
to most people that would be insignificant, but to me it meant the world.
Focus on the small things...as Tesco would say, every little helps and you need to learn to walk before you can run.

(also from weheartit)

Some of you probably want to punch me right now, or think I'm just one big walking cliche,
but please...
do dare to hope and have dreams. The pay off is amazing. Once you start to believe things can and will get better, I think it becomes easier to make the steps needed.

Here are a few items on my Hit List and Shit List this week;

Hit:
- Work
- My brother being home for the weekend and meeting his girlfriend (who is lovely, really lovely)
- SUNSHINE! These brighter days are making me act like a child
- Immature giggling fits, usually bought about by Sarah
- Amazing online friends, such as Char and Jodie who sent me this incredible parcel

- Interpol, they were bloody brilliant!
- Sparkly Jewellery (some seen yesterday and another awesome batch to be revealed this week!)

Shit:
- Violent drunk guy at Interpol. This guy truly scared me. He was horrendously drunk and grabbed one girls hair, stomped on many feet and started several fights.
- Anxiety and Insecurity about how I look and needing constant reassurance (sorry tweety peeps you get the brunt of this)



(thank you for making me feel beautiful)

- Crappy support acts. The main talent was his arrogance and ego.
- Not having enough time to see everyone I was to see...Kez, Trudi and co...I MISS YOU

So there we have my jumbled up post for today.

What have you been up to this weekend?

How do you deal with the tough times?

xxx

My Bestest Joined Up Handwriting

...or not.

The ever gorgeous and wonderful Char has not only provided me with Fruitella and a Red Nose this week, but also tagged me for this handwriting post.

I am a handwriting geek, I love looking at how other people write. This possibly wasn't the best day for me to choose to do this...I ended up handwriting over 100 envelopes for work after some printer fail but hey-ho...It's pretty neat considering!

((please note my paper is not as snazzy as Char's lego stuff...thanks med reps for the awesome stationary though))

These were the rules

1. name and blog name

2. url

3. write 'a quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog'

4. favourite quote

5. favourite song

6. favourite band(s), artist(s)

7. anything else you wish to say..



I would like to tag EVERYONE because as I mentioned above, I love seeing other people's writing.

I hate how little I handwrite these days, I am penpals with a couple of bloggers but would happily accept more *hint*

Happy Friday loves

and thank you once more for the incredible feedback on this week's posts. I can feel my confidence growing because of it.

xxx

Sunday

Laziest post ever today, sharing some random photos etc from my Week!



Balloon from Aussie, LOVE! Balloons + me = instant happy.



I caved in and bought the cupcake partner to my cookie book! I can't wait to get experimenting (all I need now is some time!)



TEA. Holland and Barrett are running a promotion on selected items at the moment where you buy one and get one for a penny. Two boxes of my favourite tea for £1.20...yeah.
I would have bought stacks more if I hadn't have had my hands full and a bus to catch.



Someone found this week exceptionally hard.





So hard, right Flash?





No week would be complete without an utterly random purchase (and yes, I do often have two drinks on the go at once...and neither usually get finished!)





Sunday outfit...though I think I'll be changing soon, those trousers are not as comfortable as I remember...damn you ever expanding waist.

What does your weekend look like?

Have you made any utterly random purchases lately?

xxx

P.S. BIG HELLO to the lovely girl who stopped to say hi in H&M, I was so shocked that I forgot to ask your name...but thank you for making my day even better!