Must Have Gift Set Anniversary Flowers From Debenhams Flowers

The I was ectastic when last week Debenhams contacted me and asked would I like to review some flowers from their luxury anniversary flowers range, I said "yes, i would be delighted to. This was excellent timing as last week was my actual anniversary and I celebrated 17 years of being married 17 years I can't believe it. And my house looks very much like a florist with all the flowers that are about. I eagerly awaited my flower delivery from Debenhams 

I like being treated and when flowers come with an additional gift of a spa set then it allows the specialness of the occasion to continue on. I selected the  bouquet 'Must Have Gift Set'  and to my utter delight this arrived promptly on Saturday 25th October. 

A beautiful display which came via the postman in a special box, the flowers were adequately secured and were wrapped with one of those damp wraps around the stems instead of an aqua bag filled with water which I would have preferred to see. I had to revive the roses using the boiling water method but this was no hard ship as cut flowers are prone to this and i can look to a beautiful elegant display for many days to come. I would have like to seen the round bowl on offer that you see in the picture , the flowers you see in the picture on the website are the extra large size , the size I received was the standard.

Debenhams flowers have kindly allowed me to offer you my dedicated readers a discount code which is:

 DFBLOG25 

This entitles your readers to 25% off a luxury bouquet. The only bouquets exempt from the discount is the Flowers By Post range. However, this is only a small range. Debenhams are 100% happy for this discount code to be published on social media and my blog post. 

  

My cat Jack doesn't like to feel left out so he helped be unpack the roses and is utterly delighted with his gift of the cardboard box and doesn't he look fetching with the addition of the ribbon, the must have accessory for cats this season.

Product - Must Have Gift Set - http://www.debenhamsflowers.com/occasions/flowers-by-occasion/anniversary-flowers/must-have-gift-set these flowers are £39.99

Disclosure I was sent these flowers in exchange for a review :My review is honest and all opinions are my own , I wasn't told what to write.

I have been asked to add this by Jack the cat


"Many thanks to the humans of Debenhams for my cardboard box to sit/sleep in, the box was  sturdy and it was top notch and purple is very much on trend. And to include ribbon for me to play with as well stroke of marketing genius "

The cat is also unbiased in his opinion : his word is the law  paw.

Gin And Marmalade Cake

This is not a cake that the children can eat , we will leave the little angels to to their fairy cakes which are lovingly iced.

Ingredients


110g/4oz unsalted butter, softened
110g/4oz caster Sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp baking powder
175g/6oz plain flour
30ml of a good quality gin
4 tbsp of marmalade ( one that doesn't set your teeth or edge.Adjust quantities to suit.


Method 


Preheat the oven to 160c or gas mark 4 . You can either grease and line a 2lb cake tin with baking parchment or as I did use cake release from Lakeland.

First mix the sugar and butter together till fluffy .

Add the plain flour , gin and marmalade  and baking powder, 

Next mix in the eggs.

Pour the mixture into your prepared loaf tin .

The bake in the oven for around 35 -40 minutes adjust your cooking time if you have a fan assisted oven.

Turn out the loaf , leave to cool.

Then decorate as you wish .

The Mind Forgets The Heart Skips

I am recovering from depression whether I ever get over it is another story I would like to but we will see , I will strive to do my best in the endeavour I truly will. I have a resolve to no longer please other s I do not need the acceptance of all. I struggle day to day on occasion with my memory and I am not talking about forgetting to buy milk I am talking about naming objects.

Depression it is depression .


Compassion yes I would like you to have compassion but that is ok if you don't I am dealing with that now, if you can message me and tell me that I have a good soul then I know that you are my friend, fat beyond the swirling social media hamster run.


Depression needs to pick me up.

Depression needs me to pick you up.


At the end of the day I am a person with a beating heart, I am a wife and a mother and my family make me proud.

I am proud of what I have achieved in social media , how have I done it I have no idea , no I have not won awards ~ not sure I ever will but none of that matter compared to knowing you and you and you. When I hear my friends have my back then I know they mean it and I won't ever let them done.

Depression but you have depression.

Well it's not like I have to ring a bell shouting " hear ye hear ye I have depression"


I write lists not * bullet journals and I have my friends to thank for that.


I want to be confidant, I don't want my anxieties to hamper him and this is why I  push out of my comfort zone like going to London for a blogging event . they say do one thing a day that scares you and I do from washing up  to going to London.

Never do I want my son to experience what I did at school from me being bullied and polls being done to see who liked me.

Adventure starts here will reading my blog be the one thing that scares you today ?


To my true friends I salute you as captains of my soul.

Relax With Hallmark

There are just times when you have to just pull the curtains shut , lock the door, take the phone off the hook and relax the world is a pretty busy place and we all need a time out. There is nothting better than baking some chocolate cupcakes with melty mashmellows in them combined with a cup of tea.

And when you decorate the cupcakes you'll feel all the more special , the range is perfect also if you want to hold a special tea party or a birthday tea perhaps. Make sure you have your cup of tea in this fine bone china mug by Lucy Cromwell ~ that you can use in the microwave as well! Why not make a cake  in a mug in it by using the cup in the microwave! Go on treat yourself.

This beautiful mug is £8.00

So pop over and have a look at the Hallmark site you are bound to find something you can squirrel away for Christmas or treat yourself : go on you know you are worth it.

Disclosure : I was kindly sent these items by Hallmark and I wasn't told what to write and all opinions are my own.

Malmaison Birmingham The Mailbox Special

Ever the travel blogger I am reporting to you live from the scene, I am staying very near to this to amazing place that is going under a transformation. I am in the Malmaison Birmingham, I think this is an amazing hotel chain that panders to the inner architecture and historian than lies within me.

I feel like Stuart Little crossed with crocodile Dundee but instead of the knife scene mine would be :

"Call that a light , nah this is a light "

The times I have to come to Birmingham are on the increase due to one factor or another , gone or going are the gritty building front once blighted by the industrial age., we are now seeing Birmingham as our forefathers saw this wondrous city. Birmingham is going under more than just a transformation from the cleaning process , there is regeneration going on , shops being built. So much so that I hardly recognise the place when I come, though once I see the iconic Bullring then all is settled.

The modern city metropolis of Birmingham is altruistic in its state, the Mailbox though is being done up still delivers stylish shopping dining and lifestyle, and lifestyle doesn't mean you have to spend money though the shop keepers and restaurent owners would rather you do that. The lifestyle you can have is just to be of the moment and despite many of the posh shops that will inhabit the mailbox , everyone yes everyone is equal.

I find it so very hard to shop for myself and let my family do it themselves and even when face with the free run of a shop like Harvey Nichols I can not bring myself to get some gloves for £65 I work in a school so I need to be practical. Earlier this year a fox managed to run off with one of my Mark Todd leather gloves and I don't even rides horse I am highly allergic to horses and not Mark Todd , I have met him and he is a gentleman.

I did manage to get some Benefit makeup to which the makeup lady did state.

"Madam it takes a lot to stay beautiful" ~ right 

Mr T got a watch it tells the time and links to his iPhone and all sorts of other stuff , Mr T has a watch problem and is addicted to watches. Don't ask me why but we also managed to get a bottle of Vodka for when my son is old enough it has gold leaf floating in it and has a glass sculpture of a dragon inside.

Indulgence does us good , but what I am essentially getting at is indulgence doesn't have to cost the earth and this is what you can have at the mailbox. The surrounding are stunning particularly of a clear evening when the lights are glimmering on the canal, a city doesn't metropolis that doesn't make me want to bolt on this occasion and this is coming from a rural person.