Pesky Pet Problems

Hi,

I have been asked to write a post about my pets and my experiences with them, by My Pet Uk. By reading this blogpost, I'm hoping that people will be better prepared before getting a pet.

Visit their website www.mypet.guru or find them on twitter @mypetuk for news, pet product reviews and advice on all your pet problems.

'A pet is for life...not just for Christmas' 

How many times have we heard this warning before considering bringing a new pet into our homes?...a lot is the answer!!! And rightly so I might add.

My partner and I took this warning on board when we decided to purchase our first pet together. We decided to get a female kitten from our local pet centre, and keep her as an indoor cat. On the day, we excitedly went to the pet centre and chose from around 6/7 kittens, a little tabby one. We named her Lola. Here she is in the glass fronted section of the centre where we first saw her.

Cute huh? The perfect little addition to our household right? Well...sort of! We took her home, did all the necessary things to settle her in, got her a litter tray, food bowls, toys, a bed, treats etc and gave her space until she felt comfortable enough to approach us. As you can see, it worked! 

She settled in a treat at first but after a while, became very vocal and would meow all day and night (she still does this and often keeps us awake). She started to follow me around and would literally not leave me alone (also still does this..I can't even go to the toilet alone!). She scratched everything from the carpets to the bedding! She was becoming a right little handful. 

So, we had a thought. We would get her a little friend to play with...thinking that it may bring her round a bit and cure her boredom. Enter Lily! Here she is as a kitten.

She's the most gorgeous (biased I know) tortoise shell cat, with a gentle, relaxed and playful personality. Apparently tortoise shell cats are prone to being aggressive but we have never experienced this with Lily. She's the softest little thing ever! 

We bought her from a farm and the day that we brought her home, there was

carnage! Lola hated her and tried to attack her. We hadn't researched how to introduce cats to each other properly and had simply just taken Lily into Lola's territory. It was very naive of us to think that the two of them would get along instantly.

After a long while and a lot of effort (sleeping apart with a kitten each, taking a little time off work etc) the two of them finally got used to each other. 

They absolutely love each other now, and we can't imagine not having them both, however tested we have been at times.

We have had other problems with them both, including trips to the vets to treat Lily's teeth, which has cost us a lot of money! Having them both also means that we can't go on holiday without having someone to look after them. The fact they're house cats means that they aren't used to fending for themselves and can't be left alone in the house. Another thing we didn't think about! 

I'm pretty sure some people would have given up on them, but we absolutely adore them, issues or no issues, and would spend however much we had to to make sure they are both healthy and happy.

The purpose of this post is really to prepare potential animal owners for the issues that can arise once you get them home, no matter how cute they are! They do cost money, they need a lot of care and attention, and they do affect your lives. 

Also, research is key to a successful pet/ owner relationship. 

So please, remember a pet is for life, not just for Christmas or any other time of year for that matter! 

Thanks for reading,

Kirsty x

Hdbrow WOW!!!

'Never take advice from anyone with bad brows'.

I saw this quote on Instagram and instantly loved it! It's kind of true too, I would never take anyone with really bad brows seriously! Which is why I spend ages each day trying to pencil in my hideous natural brows...they are full of gaps, one is shorter than the other, and they never look neat. Until now!

Ladies...I've discovered hdbrows!!! I first heard of hdbrows on twitter, when I followed the fabulous 'Eye Brow Queen' Nilam Patel @EyebrowQueen. She had uploaded some images of eyebrow transformations and I was instantly interested. So I decided to purchase the pallet for myself and have a go!

The compact eye and brow pallet comes in 3 shades: 'bombshell' for blondes, 'foxy' for brunettes and 'vamp' for dark brunettes or black hair. Each pallet includes 4 shades to help you create your perfect smokey eye effect, brow colour and style. 

The pallet comes with a double ended brush for easy precision styling. I found that the tapered end worked best when defining the edges with a darker colour and elongating my brows, and the softer end worked best to highlight my brow bone and fill in the inner ends of my brows with the lighter colour.

I'm still getting to grips with the pallet, combining the shades differently each day to see what works best for me. The time it takes me to create the finished look is now under 5 minutes! 

Here is a before and after picture so that you can see for yourselves how the hdbrow pallet has improved the look of my brows.

The hdbrow pallet retails at £19.96 and is worth every penny. You can purchase it from the hdbrow website www.hdbrows.com ...and I highly recommend that you do!!! 

Love Kirsty 

5 things I just can't get enough of...

Hey everyone!

Hope you all had an amazing festive break and a happy new year...unfortunately I had to work the entire 2 weeks which was rubbish but I still managed to have some good times with the family which was great! 

So, this post is dedicated to 5 things that I simply cannot live without. I decided to write this so that you could get a slight insight in to my life (that's if you want to!) and so that you could perhaps begin to enjoy the things that I love! 

Number 1 on my favourites list has to be the vitamin e stick by The Body Shop RRP £4. Before this, I used to use Vaseline to relieve my chapped lips, but after deciding that it was too greasy for me, I looked for an alternative and found these little beauties! And now I cannot live without them. I have 3..one for my handbag, one for my bedside table and one for backup!!! They're amazing and leave your lips feeling super smooth. Apply before you go to sleep, and when you wake up the dry skin literally peels off your lips (gross but good). 

Number 2 on my favourites list is Special K Cracker Crisps! These have been a godsend to me through the last 4 months of my lifestyle change. I weighed 11 stone before September, and was eating loads of fatty crisps. I knew I needed to stop eating them but you could kind of say I was addicted to them! I embarked upon a healthy eating lifestyle and have managed to lose 2 stone, by limiting my intake of processed food and only treating myself at weekends, mostly to a box of cracker crisps! They are yummy :) You can get them for around £1.99 a box from Asda and Morrisons. They are gorgeous and a much healthier option to normal greasy crisps. The salt and vinegar ones are to die for.

Number 3 on my favourites list is dental floss!!!! Now I know this is really weird, but if I forget to floss my teeth before bed, I will wake up in the middle of the night and have to go and do it!!! I'm terrified of needing anymore fillings (I have quite a few) so I'm trying to do everything I can to prevent my teeth from going bad. There's nothing else I can really say about this one haha! 

Number 4 on my favourites list is my Primark pyjamas. I love pyjamas and have to wear matching sets all year round! I wear full length jammie bottoms and long sleeved tops from spring to winter! Again, this is weird I know, but I just can't sleep in tiny shorts and cami tops. I love Primark for pyjamas because they are less than £10, are really good quality and are cute! My favourite ones at the moment are ones my grandma got me for Xmas. They have little robins on the pants :) yes, I'm very easily pleased! 

And finally, number 5 on my favourites list are my two kitty cats, Lola and Lily! Lola is a grey and white tabby cat and Lily is a tortoise shell cat. We got Lola first, and then 3 months later decided we would get her a friend...this didn't go down well! Lola hated Lily, she would attack her and hiss at her! It was horrible. 4 years in however, and they love each other :) here they both are, like two peas in a pod. Crazy cat lady you might say..yep that's me!!!

Lots of love

Kirsty xxx

My first Xmas jumper

Hi guys

I said I would show you all my Xmas jumper this year..so that's what I'm doing :) although this isn't the jumper I actually wanted to show you all but the new one hasn't arrived yet, so I thought I'd show you one that I forgot I had bought!

I haven't worn an Xmas jumper before because I tend to look really small and frumpy in them, however this year I've decided to go for it!! I'm getting into the Christmas spirit.

I bought my jumper 2 years ago from River Island for around £20, and then shoved it to the back of my wardrobe and never wore it! Until now! I dug it out, gave it a dust off and put it on..and I actually love it! It's so warm and cosy and I don't think it looks too frumpy!

Here it is...

Have you got an Xmas jumper? I'd love to see them :)

Love Kirsty xxx

My Perfect Primark Purchase!!

Hi everyone,

I've been looking for the perfect faux fur coat for absolutely ages...and with the winter months setting in, I decided to take a trip to the White Rose in Leeds. I didn't have very high hopes for finding anything I liked as I'm a bit inbetween sizes at the moment (I've lost 1 stone 6lb recently) but what do you know..I found a lovely faux fur leopard print coat in PRIMARK!!!!! I never find anything other than pyjamas and socks in Primark, so to find this coat was great. 

It cost me £35...an absolute steal considering the unusual excellent quality and fit that you usually associate with Primark. The print looks so expensive, and the material is soft and durable...and it doesn't make me look remotely like Bet Lynch!!!!!! Best of all, it kept me really warm and cosy over the bitter weekend. I love love love my Primark Purchase!!!!!! 

Do you have trouble finding clothes that fit properly in Primark?

Have you recently bought anything similar? 

Let me know :) 

Love Kirsty xxx

Smear fear follow up

Hi everyone,

I am writing this post to let you all know what happened after I wrote my blogpost on smear tests. As those of you who have read it know, it was my first smear test and I was naturally nervous. The experience was nowhere near as bad as I imagined it to be, and I was quite happy waiting 2 weeks for my results to come in the post, when.....they arrived a week early.

'Oh no' was my first thought, 'why are they early' was my second, and thirdly came sheer panic. I opened the letter, and read it slowly. It explained that my results could not be obtained from the lab either because of a problem with the sample or the equipment. Great!!!! Why me!!!!! 

I didn't know what to do, so I cried! I shouldn't have got myself so worked up without ringing the doctors to discuss the letter, but it really upset me thinking that there was something wrong with me. I was upset for 2 days before my mum persuaded me to ring the doctors. I called them as soon as I woke up in the morning, and spoke to the nurse practitioner at the surgery. She explained that their copy of my results were written in more detail, and revealed that my sample was 'inadequate', meaning that not enough cells were taken during the test. 

This immediately put me at ease, knowing that it wasn't anything to do with me or my body! Phew!!! I now have to wait 3 months until I can be re-tested..because it takes this long for the cells to be replaced on the cervix. 

This whole experience was nerve wracking, and I was hoping I would be done for 3 years! Hopefully after this next test, I will be!!!

Any questions? Let me know and leave your links for me :)

Love Kirsty xxx

OOTD: what I wore to an autumn wedding

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the lack of blogging recently, I have no excuses, so I won't give any, but I'm back now with my first OOTD post! I'm not sure how these are supposed to pan out so bare with me!

It was my eldest cousin's wedding on Saturday, set in a beautiful local church, and followed by an amazing wedding breakfast and evening party at a place not far from where we all live in sunny Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire (yes that was my attempt at sarcasm...it's freezing here!!!) 

I had never been to a church wedding before, and I had certainly never had to choose a wedding guest outfit in the autumn/winter! Never the less, I decided to wear a dress, as trouser suits/jumpsuits just aren't for me. Being a tiny 5ft 1 means that most clothes swamp me, so I chose a dress that would make me look in proportion. I also wore big heels to help me gain a few inches!!! 

I already had the shoes I wanted to wear, so I simply had the task of going out and finding a dress! Ha! What a nightmare this was...I couldn't find one I liked anywhere. I tried River Island, Miss Selfridge, Next, Primark, Oasis, Dorothy Perkins, Lipsy, Monsoon, Warehouse, and finally stumbled across Topshop where usually the clothes really don't suit me. 

On this occasion however, I spotted a lovely black (yes black) tea dress, with orange flowers printed all over it, for £45. I hadn't wanted to wear black but once I tried it on, I knew I had to get it. The fit was amazing, and I felt good for the first time in ages!!! So I bought it! 

On the day, I teamed the dress with a necklace my sister made me, a ring I bought from river island last year for approx £8 and the shoes I already had from Miss selfridge that cost £39.99.

And here is the look: 

I did attempt to apply lots of fake tan but I'm useless at it and as you can see, I'm a tad on the pale side!!! But I still felt great! 

What do you think? Are you struggling to find a wedding outfit for the autumn/winter? 

Let me know!

Please share your links with me too and I'll follow :) 

Lots of love

Kirsty xxx