Hello Everyone! As usual, this week consisted of work mostly! However, uni classes are now finished for christmas so I had a little more time to myself this week! I still have 2 assignments to go before christmas so I'll need to get onto those this week! 

Here is what I've been up to this week! 

The Christmas lights in Edinburgh were switched on this week. This is my favourite place to be at Christmas. It's just so beautiful. I can't wait for a shot on those flying chairs! 

On Monday, I was suffering from pretty bad anxiety. After work my other half took me to the winter wonderland for a little mulled cider! It made me feel a little better I have to say! 

On Tuesday, my poor little fur baby had an appointment at the vet. Last weekend I found a little lump down by his tail. This combined with hair loss on his tummy made me very worried. Thankfully the vet believes the lump is a little cyst and the hair loss is being caused by anxiety. I'm trying out a feliway diffuser in his room so we'll see if that helps with his stress! Poor wee boy! I'll be keeping a very close eye on him!

This was Smudge on Saturday. He got to sleep on my lap all evening which he loves to do! 

Today, my other half was playing squash with his brother. I gave him a lift then headed down to the beach near the sports centre for a spot of fresh air! It was a lovely crisp winter morning! Afterwards we headed over to my brother in law's house where his wife was giving me a maths lesson! I'm currently applying for graduate jobs and I really struggle with maths! Hopefully her help will help me secure a job!

Today is St Andrew's day so we had haggis for dinner followed by our first mince pie of the year! I'm planning on putting my Christmas tree up tomorrow (if I have time). 

So, that's about it for this week! Hope the week ahead is great for you all! 

xxx

Christmas Wishlist #1

Hey everyone! So I've been browsing the net recently for gift ideas for Christmas and of course I've spotted numerous things I quite fancy for myself! So I've put them all together in a little wishlist post!

1- Meow PJ's- Forever 21 £12.95. I have a pair similar to these which I got in Forever 21 in New York. They are the comfiest PJ's I own so I'd love another pair!

2- Cat Nap PJ's- ASDA £10. Can you tell that cat PJ's are my favourites yet. I have so many already but you can never have too many sets right? 

3- Tartan Leggings- New Look £17.99. Being from Scotland, loving tartan clothing is a given. I don't actually own any tartan leggings so these would be a welcome addition to my wardrobe.

4- Ugg Slippers- Currently £56 in John Lewis. John Lewis are doing a price match at the moment on hundreds of items and these are included! I've had my eye on these for absolute months so hopefully I'll find them under my tree this year! 

1- Hot Toddy Shower Gel- Lush £17.95 for 500g. Of course the smaller bottles are cheaper, but as this is a limited edition showed gel, you need to stock up for the year ahead! 

2- Snow Fairy Shower Gel- Lush £13.95 for 500g. I swear the price has gone up on this this year? I can't remember how much I paid last year for my big bottle but I didn't think it was almost £14? Anyway this is my all time favourite scent so I need to get some to stock up on it! I've currently got none left so this one is a must have! 

3- Morphy Richards Soup Maker- Very.co.uk £49. If you've been reading my blog lately you'll see I've been on a bit of a health kick. However, I'm not a huge fan of vegetables. If they are in a soup though I will eat anything! So this little machine will hopefully make me eat a bit more veg! Also it makes soup in just 21 minutes! Perfect for popping on whilst getting ready for work in the morning! 

4- I heart Cats t-shirt- crazycatladyclothing.com $26.99. I don't even know how I came across this website but I just love this t-shirt! It is just so me! I need to have this. 

So there you have it, my little christmas wishlist! I'm sure there will be many more things I come across in the coming weeks so expect some more posts along these lines from me! 

I'd love to see what's on your wish lists too! Leave me a link in the comments box below! 

xx

Yankee Candle Wishlist

Hey Everyone! So anyone who knows me knows I love candles! Nothing beats coming home on a dark winter's night, chucking on your PJ's and lighting a few (or a dozen in my case) candles and watching TV on the couch! Yankee candles are my absolute favourite! A Yankee Candle store has recently opened up in the shopping centre by my house, so as you can imagine I spend a lot of time in there having a little sniff of all the different scents. Here are the top 6 Yankee Candles that I am currently wishing for! 

1- Baby Powder. This one is my all time favourite scent. Unfortunately I don't have any left! I've been hinting to the other half that I would love this one for christmas so hopefully I will find one waiting for me on Christmas morning! 

2- Snowflake Cookie- I love the colour of this one! This is another one which is on my Christmas list! 

3- Chocolate Layer Cake- Chocolate and candles! What's not to love? 

4- Christmas Eve- This one is just lovely. I'm planning on picking this one up in the next week or so, so I can burn it in the run up to Christmas to make my house smell all Christmassy! 

5- Sicilian Lemon- This one is more of a summer scent, but I just love the smell of lemons! This is another one I've ran out of, but i'll probably hold off buying this until Spring when it's more suited to the season! 

6- Salted Caramel- I haven't managed to smell this one yet but it sounds divine! I just love salted caramel! I'd imagine this one is also quite a wintery scent so hopefully I'll get my hands on it soon! 

Let me know if there are any Yankee Candle's you would recommend! 

xxx

Primark Haul

Hey Everyone! It's been a long time since I did a Primark haul on here! I popped in last week to pick up a few bits and bobs for christmas presents. Obviously I can't show you what I bought incase any prying eyes see! However it was mostly PJ's! Here are the items I picked up for myself! 

Grey Bird T-Shirt - £3

For some reason I have a thing about bird clothing and accessories! I'm always on the lookout for cute t-shirts for wearing on my day's off and I thought this was lovely. And it was on the sale rail reduced from £5! 

Black Boots - £18

For Primark these boots are quite expensive and they do feel a bit flimsy. However I think they look really nice so I treated myself! I've only had them on once so far but hopefully I'll get plenty wear out of them

Black Cardigan - £6

Everytime I go to Primark I always pick up a plain black cardigan for work! This one is a bit thicker for the winter. My desk is right at the door of the office so it gets a little draughty! This should keep me cosy (along with the heater under my desk ha ha!) I love the little shell like buttons on this too! A bit different from the usual plain black buttons you get on these cardigans!

Blouse - £5

This black chiffon blouse was on the sale rail reduced from £10. I thought it would look nice with my black pencil skirt for work! I've yet to wear it but I'm planning on wearing it soon! 

Slippers - £4

And finally, my favourite purchase! These slippers are almost identical to the Ugg slippers I've had my eye on recently! They are dead comfy and I can't wait to get home at night to get my feet in these! I've got terribly cold feet but these keep them nice and cosy! They come in a few other colours too, including black and navy so if chestnut is not your colour, don't worry!

So that's it for this time. Hope you enjoyed reading this post. Let me know what you've picked up in Primark recently! :) 

xxx

TheSundayPost

Hello Everyone! Another relatively unexciting week this week! Here is my roundup of this week in photos! 

This week I had to hand in the research proposal for my dissertation! Of course I had left it til the last minute! Copious amounts of coffee were required but I got it handed in on time! Now to await the results! 

This week I had a little trip to Primark to pick up a few things for Christmas! I've not got too much to buy now! I picked up these cosy slippers for myself since my ones are practically ruined! These are very similar to the Ugg slippers I've had my eye on but at a fraction of the price! They will keep my toes cosy until I can save up for the real ones! 

As usual, most of this week was also spent at work! This cute sainsbury's carrier bag brightened up my morning! 

                                     

All the presents I had ordered online all arrived on the same day! I had to carry these 2 boxes home from work! :( 

On Saturday, I went to visit my mum for a few hours. She's heading off to Thailand next week so I was helping her with booking travel insurance online! Smudge was also trying to help! Poor Smudge has been balding on his tummy recently so unfortunately a trip to the vets is in order this week :( 

Today we headed out to Ikea. I was only supposed to be going for a lamp for my sitting room but I couldn't resist these scented candles! They were only 95p each and burn for 25 hours! That's pretty good value for money! 

So that is about all for this week! Next week will be a little more relaxed! Uni teaching is finished for Christmas (we still have 2 essays to hand in though!) so at least we get a little lie in! 

Have a great week everyone! 

xxx

Luxury Christmas Gift Guide: For Her

Hey Lovelies! After spending many a night browsing the christmas gift sections of various websites, I've decided to put together a list of my picks of luxury gifts for her! I've purchased a few of these ideas but I won't say who for incase they see this post!

Moet & Chandon Golden Goblet Gift Set- £59.99. Selfridges.com

I love this set. I've purchased it for someone's christmas and it looks even better for real than it does in the picture! 

Edinburgh Gin Cocktail Set- £40. johnlewis.co.uk

This is currently out of stock on line but your local store might have some left! You can't beat a raspberry flavoured gin cocktail! 

Elizabeth Arden All Day Chic Set- £300 or £50 when you spend £30 on Elizabeth Arden Products at Boots. 

This is amazing value if you get it for just £50! My mum got a similar collection from my dad a few years ago and she loved it! The handy bag for storing it all in is great too! 

Ugg Scuffette Slippers- £70. johnlewis.co.uk

These are on my christmas list! How cosy do they look?! Not sure my tootsies will last without them until christmas! I may just have to gift myself them...hehe! 

Michael Kors 'Brooke' Bag- £310. Selfridges.com

Now you'd have to be feeling super generous to buy someone such an expensive bag but look how pretty it is? A black bag is a pretty safe bet for a gift too. You can never have too many! I love how the top straps are longer than usual handbag straps too! And it's got the cross body strap too depending on what mood you are! I'll need to get saving my pennies for this one! 

I'd love to know which luxury gifts you'd like to receive this christmas! Leave me a comment below :)

xxx

10 things I wish I knew 10 years ago.

1. People will forget what you did & what you said, but they won't forget how you made them feel.
2. Don't be afraid of who you are! - When I was a teenager, I used to try and fit in with all the popular girls at school. Now I know that it doesn't matter as long as you are happy inside!
3. Sit back and enjoy the ride. - Have a lazy sunday in bed if you want, eat the food you love, go to the places you love, live your life the way you want to!
4. Confidence is the key to just about everything, and it can be learned! - I was the shyest person ever up until I was about 16! Since getting a job and working with the public, I slowly came out of my shell and now I like to think I am confident and bubbly!
5. Don't make assumptions about people. You will be wrong 85% of the time! - I'm not going to lie. I made assumptions about a lot of people on my course at uni when I started. Now some of those people have become my good friends! It doesn't get you anywhere to assume things about people and you don't know their story until you get to know them!
6. Saying no is not selfish. - I have a serious problem with not saying no to people. I want to please everyone and go out of my way to do so. Sometimes it just isn't worth it, and you get left with no time for yourself!
7. Don't beat yourself up when you fail. - Practice makes perfect!
8. Don't worry about making everyone like you! - It's impossible for a start!
9. You occasionally need to remove people from your life. - Sometimes there is just no other option.
10. Life can change at any second and so can you!

My University Experience

Aloha everyone! It's that time of year where 17 and 18 year olds are getting ready to apply for university. I thought I'd share my experience of university which might be useful for anyone who is unsure about uni! 

I'm not going to lie to you, Uni is hard! You will spend many a day stuck in the library writing huge essays and suffering from writer's block! However, the benefits are worth it (apparently, I'm not finished yet!)

I am currently in my 4th year of a Law degree at Edinburgh Napier University. Yup it's dissertation year! Law was not my first choice. In fact I actually started a journalism degree but for various reasons I dropped out after 3 months and took 9 months out to consider my options. I ended up starting Law and i'd definitely say it's the right choice for me. Therefore, it is okay if you are unsure about what you want to do! I still don't know where I want to go after Uni! I'm just grateful my degree can take me in various directions! 

University will bring you a whole new group of friends. I've made lots of new friends since starting uni and I hope to stay in touch with most of them when we finish up in 6 months time! 

We have our Law ball every year, in May which is always a great night! 

And you never know, you might just meet your soulmate! When I started university in 2011, I had just gone through a break up with a long term boyfriend. Of course, I was rather upset but my dad told me I would go to Uni and find someone new. And he was right! After only 2 months at Uni, I started dating my other half after he made advances on me at a halloween party! Haha! We've been together 3 years now! 

Any degree is hard work. You have to give up a lot of your free time for studying and it gets harder each year. University is not for everyone but if your prepared to work hard to get where you want to be, I'd say go for it! You will say 'I'm quitting' more times than you can count, but then remember why you are there and get on with the 3000 word essay that's due in 5 hours! And you will make a whole bunch of great friends with whom you will have many great nights out! 

Talking of essays, my dissertation proposal is due on Friday and I currently have 0 words of 2000. I best get back to it! 

Enjoy your Monday everyone! 

xxx

TheSundayPost

Aloha! It feels like this week has been never ending! As usual, this week has been full of Uni and Work with a little bit of Christmas shopping thrown in too! (Finally getting somewhere with it woohoo!) Here is my picture round-up of the week! 

Not actually from this week, but I took this photo from the train on my way back from Aberdeen last weekend! It is the sunset over the River Forth with the famous Forth Road Bridge! I was really proud of this, especially since it was taken on a train travelling at 40mph! haha!

I had a right giggle at this picture! My research proposal for my dissertation is due in on Friday, and as usual I haven't even started it! Fourth year is really proving to be a struggle! I just want my degree now! 

On Thursday we got the first of our marks back for this semester. For one of my modules I got a first for my presentation, and I was one mark off a first for the report that goes with it! I was pretty happy with this, so I got a bar of my favourite chocolate to celebrate! I am expecting the first marks for my other modules back on Wednesday this week! Hopefully they are also good! 

On Friday, I had an afternoon off work so I finally got around to clearing out my wardrobe! I was pretty ruthless and got rid of anything I haven't worn in the last 9 months! I am pretty proud of how tidy it is looking! Now I just have to keep it looking like this...

On Saturday my other half was watching the rugby. I'm not that interested in rugby so I decided to cook a Lemon Chicken for dinner! It was pretty tasty. I'll put the recipe for it up later this week! 

After cooking dinner, I settled down with my favourite cider to watch X Factor! 

And finally, today has been a rather quiet day. We slept till really late then headed to the local shopping centre. I've been trying to get a storm trooper dressing up costume for my little cousin but it's out of stock everywhere! Obviously I had to treat myself to a hot chocolate from Costa whilst we were out! :) 

So that's pretty much it for this week! Now I'm going to sit down and get some blog posts sorted for next week as I'm sure I'm going to be rather busy with this dissertation malarky! 

Have a great week everyone! xx

FoodieFriday: The Granary, Edinburgh

Aloha Everyone. Last Thursday I visited The Granary in Leith, Edinburgh! My other half and I went there to sample their Christmas menu, and on arrival were given a tasty glass of mulled wine! We had some canapés, which were like little tasters of the Christmas menu! They were all very tasty, so tasty in fact that we decided to book a table for our Uni christmas lunch!

After we had finished our mulled wine, we headed downstairs to the main restaurant to have dinner. They had some fabulous promotions on as it was midweek, so I got a raspberry mojito for only £3.95! 

For my main meal I had mac & cheese with garlic bread. It was absolutely delicious and only £7.95! I'd even go as far as saying it was the best mac & cheese I've had! 

And of course I had to get pudding (me and my sweet tooth!) I had tablet ice cream sundae which was also delicious! Tablet is my favourite sweet so combine it with ice cream and you have got a very happy Katie! 

Overall, I would highly recommend a visit to the Granary if you are ever in Edinburgh! It is in a beautiful setting, right on the shore and is very pretty inside! It is also very reasonably priced and the food is just delicious. I will definitely be making more than a few more visits here! 

xxx

Graze Box: Healthy Snacking!

I know I'm a little late to the Graze Box Party, but last week we got our first box delivered! When you are trying to diet, you need some healthy snacks for those days where 3 meals just won't cut it! 

In our box we got:

1. Walnut & Vanilla Truffle (sunflower seeds, fudge pieces, walnuts & raisins). I quite enjoyed this one but the other half wasn't as keen. I don't really like walnuts so I picked round them. The rest was great though! 

2. My Thai (mini rice cakes and sweet chilli dip). This was my favourite one! The chilli dip was lovely and sticky and the rice cakes soooo tasty! I will definitely be getting more of this one!

3. Chilli and Lime Pistachios- I didn't really like this one but I don't like pistachios. The other half liked it so I let him eat them all! 

4. Jaffa Cake Flapjacks- mmm this one was also good! If only it was a little bit bigger haha! 

I'm sure I will be ordering more graze boxes. They are so handy for popping in your lunchbox! 

Have you tried Graze boxes? What other snacks would you recommend from their huge selection? 

xxx

Weigh-In Wednesday!

Hello Everyone!
It's weigh in Wednesday again, and once again I have maintained the same weight! It is starting to get rather frustrating that I'm not losing any weight each week so tonight I am going for a big healthy food shop! As we've been away so much lately, we've not had time to fill our fridge, which is probably contributing to me not losing weight! We keep having to grab a ready meal on our way home! 
Fingers crossed next week will be more successful!
xx

A little slice of October

October was a pretty busy month! Here is a round-up of what I got up to! Unfortunately there's not many photos!  

1- October saw me finally getting a new toy! I went for the gold iPhone 6 and so far, I love it! 

2- In the middle of the month, we saw the amazing Billy Connolly live at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. I cried with laughter from beginning to end! 

3- As usual, October was a very busy month for Uni work! Now to get working on the dissertation and December coursework! 

4- And the perfect end to a busy month! Our anniversary weekend. You can read more about that here

xxx

It's the most wonderful time of the year...The Christmas Tag!

Smudge modelling his Santa Coat!

Hello everyone! I saw this christmas tag over on MilkBubbleTea and I just had to get involved. Christmas is my favourite time of year and I look forward to it all year! Not just for the presents of course but It is the one time of year I get time off to spend with my family! 

If you want to get involved with this tag please feel free to copy this onto your page. I'd love to see your answers! 

1. What is your favourite Christmas Movie/s?

Elf is always a good choice! And The Holiday. The Snowman is one I've always watched on Christmas Eve, ever since I was a little girl. It's always been a tradition in our family.

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

Christmas morning! I won't cave from pressure to open anything until Christmas morning haha! 

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

When I was born, my dad bought my mum a magnum bottle of moet & chandon. One christmas when I was about 12, they decided to open it. They fell asleep on the sofa and I polished off the last of the bottle (mixed with orange juice of course!) It still gets laughed about every year.

4. Favourite festive food?

I love those little sausages wrapped in bacon! For some reason we never have them at any other time of year. I've been known to eat a whole tray to myself when I'm feeling a bit peckish after Christmas Dinner! 

5. Favourite Christmas gift ?

I had to think about this one! I've received so many lovely gifts over the years! Going back to my childhood, I think my favourite must be the year my parents bought me my first PC! It was a Gateway PC with windows 98! Haha! I had it for about 6 years. I used to sit up late adding all my CD's to windows media player and writing stories/playing on paint! 

6. Favourite Christmas scent?

Cinnamon scented candles! My mum has always filled the house with them at christmas!

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?

Going round our family delivering presents mostly! Then we like to sit down with some nibbles and drinks and watch the Snowman! 

8. What tops your tree?

Gaga's angel! My gran had an angel handmade for me when I was born and she's still tops the tree! She's come with me after moving out of my parent's house too. 

9. As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?

Probably a kitten! I eventually got a cat when I was 13, not for christmas though! 

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?

Everyone sitting down at the table to eat a delicious, home cooked meal! It's a time to reflect on how lucky we all are and to enjoy being in each other's company! 

I'm so excited for Christmas to come around again! It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

TheSundayPost

Aloha everyone! As I write this post I'm currently on a train heading back from Aberdeen, where I've been visiting my best friend! 

So here is what I've been up to this week: 

 A rather late anniversary present arrived for my other half on Monday. I spent ages trying to track these cigars down for him! I finally sourced a box in Poland! 

A week would not be complete without a cat photo obviously! 

Red cups are back at Starbucks! It's officially Christmas! Woohoo! 

On Thursday we went to a Christmas sampler day at a local restaurant. It was a lovely night after a rather depressing day at uni! Post to come next week about this! 

On Friday's we get free Krispy Kreme doughnuts with our stationary order! Mmm! 

As I already mentioned, I've been visiting my best friend in Aberdeen this weekend! It was so good to see her as it's been a while! We had a nice night at the amusements and TGI Fridays, then drinking lambrini in her flat! Haha! 

And now it's home to get ready for work tomorrow! Boo! 

Hope you all have all had a great week! Xxx 

Anniversary Weekend Part 2 - Loch Lomond

So yesterday I posted about my trip to Knockderry Country House Hotel for my anniversary! After we checked out on Saturday, we drove a very short distance to see Loch Lomond and have a spot of lunch! We visited a small village called Luss, where we had a bite to eat in The Village Rest cafe. My other half had Steak Pie and Chips and I had Lentil Soup and crusty bread! The food was excellent which was evident from how busy the place was!
Here are some pictures from Saturday!