My Muji And Liz Earle Eye Combo

Do you ever buy something and then think to yourself "why the hell did I buy that??"

Totally. All the time.

A few years ago I picked up these eye patches from Muji. I LOVE Muji, I have bits and bobs from their store everywhere in my house. Acrylic drawers for my makeup, tall storage units with wheels in my bathroom and under the stairs and their little vanity unit containers in my bed side drawer. And to top it off I LOVE their gel pens too. I'm a sucker for a good old pen. What is awesome about Muji is the prices. You're buying top quality items for a really good price that won't make you shudder at the tills when you hand over your debit card. I urge you to check them out if you haven't done so already - they have a lot of stuff and some may float your boat.

Anyway, lets get back to the eye patches.

I thought they'd be kind of cool to use at home to keep me looking younger and youthful and at only £1.50 for 20 patches I weren't going to be breaking the bank. However roll on a few years, I never got round of using them and they sat in my beside drawer gathering dust. I was decluttering one day and thought it was time to say good bye. Then it hit me, a lightening bulb moment and I saw my Liz Earle Eye Bright Soothing Eye Lotion in the drawer. Ta-dah! I now had a use for my patches.

I take two patches and soak them in the solution and pop them under my eyes for 5 to 10 minutes. Hey presto refreshed under eyes here I come. Unlike conventional cotton wool pads, the patches are really thin and absorbent - they almost resemble a second layer of skin. You can lay back with these on and chill or you can do the washing up as they stay stuck to your under eyes. Whereas cotton wool patches would fall off if you stood up.

Don't I look glam? Fingers crossed these will give me my youthful looks back!

Angela x

One Year Today

Wow. It is one whole year today since I found I was carrying a small cluster of cells in my body that in 9 months time would become my beautiful baby girl.

That day will never leave my memory, because it was such a shock. We'd be trying since January 2015 to have a baby, I'd just turned 31 on the December 2014 and it felt like the right time to become a family of three (four if you include the cat). Months rolled by and I'd peed on countless ovulation and pregnancy tests and still no joy. Trying for a baby can be such a sad journey when you're not getting the result you desire oh so much.

On this day in 2016 I woke up like any other day but with added period cramps as I was due in a few days time. I always had a few tell tale cramps a few days leading up to Aunt Flo coming to town. What instantly ran through my head was 'Oh no well this month will be a no no again'. And a flood of disappointment ran through me like all the other months previously. I generally had this habit of doing a cheap dip stick pregnancy test on the days leading up to my due dates, so I could 100% rule out that I weren't pregnant. This month I did a test like always and just popped it on the window sill and walked away - so hygienic. I didn't even stick around to see the result as I weren't pregnant was I - It was ground hog day. About half hour later I went back to the test on the sill and saw a faint line.

I gasped. 'OH MY GOD' was what immediately ran threw my head 'it must be an evaporated line'. 'It cannot be real?' I then tried to squeeze out the smallest wee and I grabbed a super doper test (I had a whole collection in the bathroom drawer). I popped the First Response test into the tiniest amount of wee and before I even had the chance to throw the test wrapper in the bin two lines we appearing. It had happened. After all the waiting, I was carrying a life. My baby. I was going to be a Mum.

After that, I then rushed down stairs and grabbed my hubby and pulled him into the bathroom to show him the test. Once he realised what I was so emotional about (he thought the cat had died) he said 'Oh Baby' and hugged me so tight whilst I literally cried 'OH MY GOD... OH MY GOD' into his chest.

Roll on a year from that day we have a healthy beautiful baby girl who is 15 weeks old this Sunday and I feel blessed beyond anything in this world. I never thought the miracle of having a baby would ever happen. It's like that scene from Friends when Rachel finds out she is pregnant with Emma and Phoebe tricks her in to thinking she's not pregnant when she really is (clip HERE if you've never seen it). That morning I peed on a stick I thought it's going to be a negative and I was so upset inside. Another part of me had died again. Then my dream came true.

Back in 2014 I wrote a hand on your heart a post asking How Do You Know You're Ready? I always thought in my twenties that being a mum would change my life and I dreaded it and basically put it off. I thought my life would end and it scared the shit out of me. The wiser me now will say I was completely wrong and if I could I would go back in time and give my younger self a serious talking to I would. Yes my life has changed, but for completely ten million percent the better. I would NEVER change my life now, well only perhaps a smaller waist line! Lol. All those worries from my past seem so stupid and I regret not getting started with a family sooner. However they do say good things come to those who wait. We never gave up on our dream and I guess what I'm trying to say is you shouldn't either. No matter how long it takes.

Night night and god bless.

Angela x

Christmas With UncommonGoods

Christmas this year is certainly going to be a different Christmas to all the others in my life time. I now have a feisty baby to watch over for the next 20 years and with the festive season lurking around the corner I am kind of not looking forward to it! The reason being, I often find Christmas shopping quite stressful when it comes to buying gifts - I always find people like my Dad for instance frustrating to buy for. Men are just difficult aren't they?

Going to the shops Christmas shopping with a two month old is pretty much a no go and I will do much of it all online. So what better timing than to collaborate with UncommonGoods for this post.

UncommonGoods is a US based company which offer a creative array of gifts at affordable prices. There is an unbelievable amount on offer and I don't think there is anything they don't have - something for everybody.

When I read about UncommonGoods mission it had me smiling and nodding my head at so many points. You almost want to fist bump them and say good on you. It is not very often you hear about companies who actually care about so many things.

They don't sell any goods that may cause harm to animals like leather and feathers for example. As someone who opts for cruelty free products, knowing that their mission is to protect animals had me touched. They also give back with their Better To Give Program where they donate $1 to your chosen no-profit organisation. You just select the who you want the money donated to at the checkout when your make your purchase. How cool is that?! I don't think there are many companies out there who care so much - I kind of wish I worked for them.

Now since out little one came along, I'm quite into personalised items with her name on. I was really taken by the cushions where you can get your babies details added to it. Such a personal touch and would also make a great gift be it a Christmas or a Christening. You can see so many options HERE for personalised gifts.

Our family are quite big fan of opening stockings on Christmas Eve. Lots of little presents, some of the fun and silly and some of them actually useful. If you need some ideas of what to pop into someones Christmas stocking this year - for instance a nice pair of earrings - there is a vast amount of options HERE up for grabs.

Every year I always find it difficult buying for my secret Santa at work. If you're clueless at what to get your secret Santa this year, you can take your pick at tonnes of gift ideas for under £20 - like this popcorn maker. There are lots of Christmas gift ideas right HERE for him and her - you'll won't know what to pick as there is so many choices!

I'm really glad I have been introduced to UncommonGoods and I'm really tempted to give them a whirl. Will you pop along and give them a look? I guarantee you'll find something for your loved ones! Oh just an FYI... as they are based in NYC, I would if you're planning to buy anything - get in there early. We all know what Christmas mail can be like lol!

Angela x

* This post is a paid collaboration with UncommonGoods. All opinions are my own as always!!