31 Day Blog Challenge Day #13

MY FAVOURITE QUOTE

DAY #13

"Do what you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life"

I absolutely love this quote because it means that if you're passionate about your job, then it's not really work.
I am so lucky with the jobs I've had. Everyday I've got up feeling so good about going to work and it's felt great!! I mean with my anxiety it's hard to get motivated and to get out of bed, but apart from that, it's always been so great to go to work because I simply loved being there.


Miss Catherine x

31 Day Blog Challenge Day #12

If I won the lottery...

DAY #12

 

If you don't think about what you'd do with lottery money, you're definitely not dreaming far enough.

When I was little, the Argos catalogue was my best friend, constantly circling things i'd buy for my mansion. I do the same to this day.

 

 

So here's how I would spend my lottery winnings. This is in order of importance.

 

 

 

1. Buy my Mum's house.

I have said I would do this so many times if I win the lottery and if I do, I will indeed buy my Mum's house and let her live there rent free.

2. Give £10,000 to Special Care Baby Unit in Kettering.

Again, I will indeed do this. I will also give money to my nurses who looked after me. They don't get the appreciation they deserve, so... that will be money well spent.

3. Give some money to three charities of my choice.

My three charities will have to be MacMillan Cancer, Mind and British Heart Foundation.

4. Buy my own house outright and move my sister in.

I would love to live with my sister, although it sometimes doesn't go to plan, but I would just love to be able to see her everyday. I love her lots and lots.

5. Clear any debts family members have.

I'd love to be able to do this for everyone, because it's a nice thing to do and it helps them.

6. Start a YouTube Channel

With the money, i'd be able to start a good stable channel which I hope to do soon anyway.

7. Buy a car.

I would just get a little thing to drive around in, also this will help my Mum out doing school runs. I would love to be able to do that and also pick them up and just go on a shopping spree.

8. Invest in properties.

I'd love to own houses and just deck them out then sell them on, like it's my dream to do this, I would just get one to start with and see where it goes.

 

Then just spend it as I choose, including go on a shopping spree for clothes, home décor... you get it. :)

 

 

 

Miss Catherine x



31 Day Blog Challenge Day #11

MOST PROUD MOMENT

DAY #11

I've had so many proud moments so here's a top 5... 

As an Auntie, I have always encourage my Nieces and Nephew to do their best and to always try hard in everything they put their minds to. 

 1. My oldest niece Ella has done so well at school. She's currently in Year 4 (age 9) and she's reached Gold on her spellings which Auntie Catherine (me) does with her. She also does her homework by herself but does ask for help when she needs it. She's such a clever clogs and she has made me so proud. 

My nephew Kian has made so much progress with his speech. He is currently in Reception class (age 5) and he starred in his first Christmas production last December. He also does his homework by himself but again he asks for help when he needs it.

My youngest niece, Kyla, is currently attending a playgroup locally and I had to look through her work folder and she's doing so well.



Miss Catherine x

31 Day Blog Challenge Day #9 and #10

PIERCINGS AND TATTOOS

DAY #9

I can't actually do this day, but thought it needed to be included because of course I have OCD I can't have a gap between the days so... just gonna leave this here...

FIRST CELEBRITY CRUSH

DAY #10

I had a massive crush on Steven Gately. I used to even pretend I had 110 boyfriends, like I remember the conversations I had with my Nan and Grandad along with my cousin who probably thought I was insane. 110 is a bit too many, I wouldn't be able to keep tabs on them all, 2 is too many too. 

Miss Catherine x

31 Day Blog Challenge Day #8

OLD PHOTO OF MYSELF

DAY #8

I'm sorry about the quality but this was the day of my Prom in 2011. 

Miss Catherine x

31 Day Blog Challenge Day #7

10 FAVOURITE FOODS

DAY #7

If I'm honest with you, looking at the future blog posts for this challenge, I'm more excited about the ones to do with food than any other one, that's weird!! 

I probably love food too much, but i'm that person most people hate because I don't put weight on when I eat loads. I can have anything and still be the same weight.

There's another theme with this one. Find out at the end for the answer! :D

Anyway...

1. My first food of choice would definitely be pizza. Like who doesn't like pizza? I've used the pizza places enough times for me to just say 'my usual' when I'm asked what I want. They know my address and that's that. :)

2. My second choice is noodles. When I lived with my Dad, there was this place in the town centre (not sure if it's still there) called the Noodle Bar and it was so nice. In Corby, there was a place called the Noodle Express and it was so cheap in there, such good value and great food too! If you still have this in your area, I am very jealous!! 

3. My third choice would be pasta. It's so easy to cook and so delicious! :) It's a dish you can experiment with too. 

4. My fourth choice would be McDonalds. Again, great value for what you get especially on the Saver menu. 

5. My fifth choice - eggs. Boiled, scrambled and fried! 

6. My sixth choice would be a bacon sandwich - especially in the morning or at lunch... I can quite happily eat bacon anytime of the day. 

7. My seventh choice would be a bowl of cereal especially Cookie Crisp or Weetos. (below is Cookie Crisp, incase anyone wondered)

8. My eighth choice would be chips. The ones from a beach town are the best. 

9. My nineth choice would be sweets. 

10. My tenth choice would be chocolate orange, 

Miss Catherine x

31 Day Blog Challenge Days #5 and 6

MY GUILTY PLEASURE

DAY #5

There's two themes in this blog post... one being the fact that the title includes two days instead of one, I do confess daily blogging is new to me and I completely forget I'm doing so, so I do apologise but I will get into it... I just thought I'm like the Joe Sugg of blogging loll!! :)

Anyway, here is my guilty pleasure. Enjoy!!

Do you recognise the theme in the pictures below?

I was born in 1994, so 90's music was definitely my favourite. I kind of go into a phase of listening to just pure 90's music to this day! I absolutely love the music from back then (yep, I feel old saying that, but it's true).

THREE PERSONALITY TRAITS I AM PROUD OF

DAY #6

I'm going to be fully honest with you on this one because I believe personality traits can be positive and some can be negative. I have a mixture and I will begin to explain here.

Let's start with a positive, as most of you know, I suffer with OCD (if you would like me to write a blog post on my OCD and my story so far with the disorder, please let me know in the comments below) and one of my personality traits kind of evolved from my OCD and that's being PRECISE. I mean, I've always been the picky type but now that I'm older, it's at a whole new level. My OCD is about even numbers and I've got to have everything on an even number or do something even amount of times... etc... you get it.

Next is i'm very ENCOURAGING. I always encourage everyone I meet to be the best they can, as this makes me feel good about myself because I am making someone else good about themselves if that makes sense (please note that it is nearly 5am in the morning and I've napped literally for an hour or so tonight but I'm in a writing mood, hence why I'm doing this).

Third personality trait I'm proud of is again, one from my mental health, which is NEUROTICISM, it basically means that I'm vulnerable and I worry alot. I know you might be thinking, why are you proud of being a worrier? Well, I mean it's good to be a little vulnerable and it's good to worry because it means you care more.

  

 Stay strong x

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!! ❤

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!! ❤

Today, it's my Daddy's birthday. He's 56 years young, which is crazy!

The reason I've put this on this blog instead of my normal Miss Catherine Ward blog is that he's been through hell and back with his health and his story may just inspire you to live everyday like it's your last.

My Daddy was a soldier in the Gulf War. 
He then continued on with his career but in the IT industry. 
A number of years in one job, my Daddy was on the road to success. 
Travelling all over (including Wales and Brussels) he gained a high profile in the industry.

2010.
He was diagnosed with throat cancer.
He told no one about it, but found it hard to not tell his wife, so I think she was the only one that knew about it. He didn't want to tell his me or my siblings because he didn't want to upset us.

A long 2 years later, he WON!!! My Daddy had beaten Cancer!!!

I remember hearing the phone ringing, and I heard the words "CJ (my nickname, stands for Catherine Joan), it's Dad for you.
I took the phone, my hands were shaking. I knew something was up.
I fell silent until I heard his voice.
He told me he had cancer and that he had beat it.
The only bit I heard was the 'i had cancer' and it was like my walls caved in. I cried my eyes out but couldn't really take the news in, I finished the call and literally balled my eyes out, I still couldn't believe what I heard. I ran in to my Mum's room and shouted 'give me Matt's number NOW!!' I was so angry at them for not telling me (I thought they knew way before). I couldn't get my brother's number and I just sat crying while hearing his voice saying 'i had cancer' in my head over and over.
4 hours later, my Nan called and said 'it's good news about Dad isn't it?' 'err... what did you just say? So Dad having cancer is good news is it?' was my reply.
Nan was sympathetic at this point and said that Dad had actually beat cancer and he was better. I felt like it was a miracle, like from believing he had cancer then and there to hearing the truth was a massive relief.
When my Nan called, she told me that she had had a phone call from Dad in January telling them what was going on. I thought, how could you keep something like that from me, but she went on to tell me that Dad didn't want us upset, which is completely understandable.
I messaged my Dad that night and told him what Nan said, he explained that he had actually been fighting cancer for two years. I went on to tell him that he could have told me, I'm his little girl, why wouldn't he tell me these things. His reply was simple. He didn't want to upset his kids.
His parents (my Gran and Granddad) didn't even know.

2013.
My Brother came round my house, without anyone really knowing he was coming round...
And I remember hearing his voice at the bottom of the stairs, asking where I was and that he needed to talk to me.
Again, I knew something was up and somehow I instantly thought that it was about Dad.
I was right.
My brother walked into my room and I kind of looked at him as if to say, it's Dad isn't it?
He told me to sit down, I knew.
I looked down to my hands as he told me. At that point, I realised Nan was there too (she normally tells us when she's coming round as well)
The words 'Dad's had a stroke' ate away at my insides and I just looked up at my brother and said (with a giggle) that I didn't believe him and I knew what he said but just didn't want to believe it and to this day I honestly don't know what the rest of the conversation was about. It was killing me. 15 months prior to that, he was starting Chemotherapy. I thought that my Dad wouldn't get that unlucky.
Also, I remember phoning him that day and leaving a voicemail to say good luck for his operation, this was to check if the cancer had returned.

As I am typing this, I'm really trying to remember what else happened that day, I honestly can't remember the rest of that day.  I think I was so numb to the world around me.

A couple of weeks later, I had a phone call from my brother to say my Dad's been moved to Kings College in London via police escort and that we nearly lost him on route.

A few months passed and I couldn't stop thinking about him, I was messaging him and my step-mum along with my brothers nearly everyday. I even phoned the hospital because I wasn't really getting any answers from anyone else.
The nurse who answered didn't give any information either, I was heartbroken.
It really hurt me to know that as his little girl, I had no authority to get any information, I was asking how he was not what his whole medical history was.

Fast forward to December 2014, I got a call from my brother and he was visiting my Dad and step-mum for Christmas.
My Dad came on the phone to tell me that he's gonna see me when I go to Matt's in the new year, I was so excited!!!

When I saw Dad for new year, it was crazy to see how cancer and a stroke can affect someone so much. Dad didn't look like himself at all.
We went out for lunch and went back to my brothers flat.

I am so proud and happy to call him my Daddy because he's beaten cancer and survived a stroke, just shows how life can throw anything at you at anytime.



Stay strong and live everyday like it's your last! :D x

31 Day Blog Challenge Day #4

EARLIEST CHILDHOOD MEMORY

DAY #4

The earliest memory I have is when I was rushed in to hospital because of my convulsions and I just remember the windows flying past me and seeing my Dad running up beside me to give me my tiger teddy (which I have unfortunately lost!). 

This really is my earliest memory and I was probably 5/6 years old, I'm not too sure.

 Stay strong x

31 Day Blog Challenge Days #1, #2 and #3

As you may or may not know I'm part of many groups on Facebook that provide support and guidance to those who need it. There are a variety of page and group to be part of by just simply searching using a key word, I used a variety including "mental health" "BPD" "ocd" and many others to find a wide range of groups I've been part of for a long time now.

These pages can be a very good starting place because you get to interact with people who are going through the same things as you.

On one of the mental health groups I come across this 31 day blog challenge. And I thought it would help me bring more traffic to this blog if I was more active on it and this is a good thing to start with.

INTRODUCTION

DAY #1

My name is Catherine, I'm 21 years old and I currently live in Corby, Northamptonshire. I have two brothers and one sister, two nieces and two nephews. I have suffered with mental health since the age of 9 years old. I didn't speak up about my struggles though and so I suffered in silence until 21st November 2012 when I spoke to my safeguarding officer. You can read more about this using this link where I explain it in more detail. Please note that it is extremely triggering so please don't read it if you are easily triggered.

20 FACTS ABOUT ME

DAY #2

1. I became an auntie at age 12
2. I currently live in a shared house.
3. I only just scraped the criteria to pass my childcare course.
4. My middle name is definitely one I hate... Joan... sounds too posh for me.
5. I can literally wake up and be out the door in 5 minutes if needed.
6. My Mum is my best friend and I can tell her anything.
7. I am obsessed with Nathan Carter (and kind of want to marry him)
8. My Mum's side of the family is Irish.
8. My Dad's side of the family is Welsh.
9. I was born premature.
10. I went on to have 25 convulsions.
11. I have a missing chromosome.
12. I sleep to cope with my OCD and EUPD.
13. I have hypersomnia and insomnia.
14. I love singing (I can't to save my life)
15. I am a recovering alcoholic and 1.5 years sober.
16. My sister and I are like Ronnie and Roxy Mitchell. (I'm Ronnie)
17. I was put down a year by my Dad when I moved to his house in 2009.
18. I was once admitted to a psychiatric nhospital and got discharged 12 hours later.
19. I am obsessed with clothes and food shopping.
20. My OCD is about even numbers.

REASON FOR MY BUSINES/BLOG NAME?

DAY #3

It's a fact. Recovery is possible even if its takes forever, recovery is always achieved. That's all. And also my URL matches my other blogs and is just my name.

Stay Strong!! 👍


Miss Catherine x