The New Year is finally here and I am so thankful to all of you for taking some time out of the first day of the new year to pop on here! You are a real bunch of superheroes and I am so grateful to all of you who click and read these pages! I wish you all the most incredible 2026 ever!
2025 was a tough year but it was one that made me realise my real hopes for the next year! As we approach 2026, I thought I would share with you all my dreams for 2026, which I hope to see come true over the next 12 months! Fingers crossed that they all come true! Or well at least some of them aha!
2025 may have delivered some excellent films and TV shows but 2026 looks set to bring even bigger ones! From the new Avengers to old friends returning, these eight releases are the ones that I can’t wait to watch over the next 12 months! Get those devices ready to binge on these all day long lovelies, as I need you to join me!
As we get ready to say goodbye to 2025, I have been thinking back to the moments that really shaped it for me! From holidays to personal moments, there are a lot of memories which 2025 created! I don’t think I will ever forget the following five events that made the last 12 months super special! Find out all about it right here!
With 2025 now here, I didn’t want to be someone who made a list of resolutions, however, I did want to set a few goals. These are not things I have to do but aims for myself that I can reflect on at the end of the year! And hopefully I can achieve them all in time! Find out what they are here!
2024 was a year that felt like it came and went in the blink of an eye! Honestly, I can’t believe that we are already midway through January 2025, however, I have high hopes for this year! I don’t like to set resolutions, yet, at the start of 2024, I set some goals! Find out if I achieved them right here!
The new year means cleaning up after all the wild parties, decorations and overall madness of the festive season! It is a time to truly reset your mind and get ready to embrace what the next few months will bring! Thankfully, there are some amazing companies, including The Green Co, who have made all our eco cleaning dreams come true with their products!
The New Year is finally here and I am so thankful to all of you for taking some time out of the first day of the new year to pop on here! You are a real bunch of superheroes and I am so grateful to all of you who click and read these pages! I wish you all the most incredible 2025 ever!
New Year’s Eve is nearly here and if you are hosting a party you are probably looking for food to make! Forget the pastry trees, it is time to break out these festive twirls that will bring out your fruity side! Using only three ingredients, this recipe is super easy and can be done in minutes! Prepare to tuck in this New Year’s!
2024 is a year I truly wish to forget! However, there was some really high moments within it that I am thankful for. Many of them showed me the beauty of life again and I am going to take them into 2025 with me for sure! To celebrate them, I thought it would be nice to do a little bit of a reflection! I hope you don’t mind!
Good Morning Lovelies,
And a very very happy new year to you all! I wanted to come on early and wish you all a fantastic 2024, which I hope is full of happiness, kindness and joy!
2023 is a year that is now gone. We will never live through it again! So, it is time to make a new start and refresh everything. Do what is right and good for you lovelies. Be happy and embrace all that this year has to offer. Head out on life’s adventures. Smile more. Laugh loud. Feel loved. Know that I am always here for you all!
Thank you so much for all your support last year! I hope I wasn’t too boring aha! I hope that 2024 will be an even bigger year on the blog, with so much to share. For now though, I want you to go and have fun on this wonderful start to the year whatever you may be doing. It’s time to start 2024 off! Oh, bring it on!
Happy New Year Lovelies!
Joey X
Good Morning Lovelies,
New Year’s Eve is upon us! The day that marks the end of the year and the time to start anew. I must admit that I am really, truly ready to say goodbye to 2023. Not because it was a bad year, but because it has been one hell of a mad one. Let's make 2024 more fun. Let's be free and embrace life. That is my goal.
However, before that, we must say goodbye to the last year in the right way. The quiet way. I know this may sound boring, but I love to spend NYE reflecting and embracing a less party-based evening. Many times, I spend it with my mum snuggled up watching TV. This year, I will be doing the same thing!
Spending the night in doesn’t make you boring. In fact, it can be a lot of fun and means you can relax a bit more. Here are a few reasons why staying in on New Year’s Eve is the best:
You Don’t Have to Get Dressed Up: Spending NYE in means that you can wear whatever you want. I have worn workout leggings, PJs, my everyday clothes and even put on my fancy frocks as well. My favourite thing is to wear my comfy nightwear because I feel cosiest in it. I couldn’t suggest slippers over heels more.
You Save Money: Most firework displays now charge people to attend them, which I think is quite sad, considering that so many of them used to be free. However, with the option to stay in, you can create your own display or simply watch the ones on the TV free of charge. You don’t have to pay to travel or for tickets into places either.
You Don’t Have To Deal With The Crowds: When it comes to going out, it often comes with the worry of beating the crowds or being amongst some people that you may not like or want to start the new year with. Beating the crowds and staying in with those you love will stop any worries in their tracks. I love a quiet night with my mum and a few other family members best. I can’t deal with the pushing and shoving in crowds aha!
Stream and Strive: Instead of listening to songs you may not like or watching something that isn’t what you would normally, starting the new year with your choice of shows or films is epic. Pop on a streaming service, pick what you want and chill out. Starting 2024 in a peaceful and happy way will hopefully continue for the rest of it.
Pick and Mix Your Own Snacks and Drinks: Going to a party means that you don’t often get to choose the food or drinks on offer. This can lead to a big disappointment when you get to the buffet. With a quiet night in, you can order a takeaway, get in what you want from the shops or simply have a meal of your choice. No worries needed. The same can happen with the drink’s options. In our house, we often have a cup of tea and cheer the new year with our big mugs.
Sleep Is Always an Option: Once midnight has hit, you can stay up or go to bed as soon or as late as you want. No waiting around for a taxi or transport. Just a simple walk up the stairs and into the warmth and cosiness of your forever friend. Bed. The best person and place to start the new year with.
Going out or staying in, there is so much that can be done to mark the end of the year and the start of a new. However, I must admit that with all the choices above, I think I may forever be a stay at home new year’s lover.
Have a wonderful NYE lovelies and a fantastic 2023!
Joey X
Good Morning Lovelies,
Tonight marks a very special occasion for me. I don’t head to gigs that often anymore, as I find big crowds a bit overwhelming at times. However, for a long time I have wanted to go to see ABBA Voyage in London. And finally the day has arrived in which I will be!
ABBA have always been a huge part of my life. All thanks to my dad! Papa Tamburello loved them so much. I mean, watched the Mamma Mia films if they were on TV, even going to the cinema to see the second one, listening to their music all the time and even taking me to see a tribute act based on them.
In fact, it is that last moment that has inspired this post. Whilst I am at the concert, I will be wearing the Italian flag, with his name and dates on them, around my shoulders. A sign of respect but also a reverse moment in history shall we say. Here is why…
My dad’s love of ABBA caused him to book the tickets for that tribute show in my local town theatre. I had to be around four or five at the time, meaning I had never been to a concert before. Yet, my dad requested that me and my mum get dressed up and ready to dance. He told us he was taking his, ‘dancing queens’ out for the night. So, we did just that.
Jumping into the car, my dad drove us all to the event, before walking with us both hand in hand to the Hertford Theatre venue, where the concert was happening. I was so scared. I remember the feeling of panic bubbling in me. Especially when I saw my dad drinking a shandy, which I thought was beer, as I worried about him crashing the car home.
When the lights went down, my worries grew. I wasn’t a massive fan of the dark and to suddenly be placed in full flow of it, along with a screaming crowd, was terrifying. I began to cry.
Looking down at me, I can recall my dad telling me it was all going to be okay. He picked me up and placed me onto his shoulders, away from the people and those around me. We were at the back, so we caused no problems for anyone.
My mind was blown when I could then see the band on stage. The lights. The outfits. The songs I had grown up with being played out loud. Everyone singing and dancing along. I can remember my parents doing exactly that, holding onto me and each other, as we danced the night away.
The moment was unreal. It’s a core memory that I can remember every little detail of. My dad made sure we all danced until our feet hurt. When it was all over, he kept me on his shoulders and carried me, whilst holding my mum’s hand to the kebab shop along the road.
I thought he was the coolest person alive and we were an unbreakable trio. Something I still think now, even though he is no longer with us. There so, I am wearing the flag around my shoulders to dance with him in memory, like he put me on his shoulders when I was little. A guiding support no matter what.
As soon as Dancing Queen is played tonight, I know I will start crying. ABBA was so important to him that I chose the song to play at his funeral. Now, I can’t hear it without tearing up or crying. They will be tears of both joy and sadness. Forever will I be one of his dancing queens!
We will be flying the flag for you today Pops! Your two, forever yours, dancing queens!
Joey X
Well, what can I say! I’ve made it to 28! If you had asked me a few years ago if I thought I would have done than honestly I would have said no.
From personal issues to family matters, time hasn’t always been kind and the loss of my dad really hit me hard. As well as living with my conditions and spending time in hospital. However, I’m so proud of myself and the way I have dealt with it all.
27 seems to have been a year that has flown by in a whirlwind. There have been many difference experiences, good and bad, but ones that have proven that I am strong. That I am determined. That I can win hard battles.
The last few months of being 27 saw me facing a bad relapse, entering therapy again and trying to take on hard challenges. It’s also seen me fall back in love with books, sign up to a new course and battle my way through lots of house admin to help my mum. Something that has helped to clear my head as I enter being 28.
Today, I want to conquer a fear. I want to embrace the sea air that is currently around me. I want to hug my family hard and smile with them. I also want to spend the evening binging The Summer I Turned Pretty aha!
Ultimately though, I want to share a big message with you all. I want you to spend today having fun but also being gentle with yourself. I want you to feel the sun on your skin and breathe in some fresh air. Even if it is just from your front door. Spend the day in bed. Watch a film. Listen to a podcast. Embrace a little joy in life that means something to you.
People say your twenties are when everything should fall into place. But it’s not. It’s still such a young time of life and nothing is certain or even has to be. I’m nowhere near a certain stage in life. I still feel 15 not 28. And I’m okay with that!
So, as I celebrate this new year of life, I want you to enjoy yours too. However much you can! Buy a gift for yourself. Experience something that brings you joy. Be you! That is the ultimate birthday present and hopefully as I enter this next year, I will embrace that fact too!
Here’s to us!
Joey X
January is a time of the year when you see a constant stream of fitness posts and news stories. Of course, it is important to stay healthy, but please don’t do anything to hurt yourself in attempts to do so. When I was 18, I decided that I was going to have one big massive Christmas and then I was going to get fit.
I started exercising, around 30 minutes a day, and eating healthier. With the promise that I would still have my weekly Saturday night takeaway. Yet, when hearing the praise from others, seeing the changes myself and then facing a lot of challenging family matters, which added a lot of pressure, my mind took hold of this and changed it. Instead of working out in a healthy way, I became addicted and wouldn’t stop. I was having to meet a target of around 70,000+ steps a day to feel like I had done enough.
Then the meals started to become regimented, with nothing unhealthy on the plate. My anorexia began and I have faced hell ever since. I am scared to eat a lot of food. I am not allowed to work out, which my mind uses against me, as it makes me feel lazy and unworthy of the food I eat. It is a never ending blame game with my illness. Amplified with the anxiety disorder I was diagnosed with back in school.
So, when I see the adverts and stories, it makes me feel shit to be honest. I feel utter shit. My illness wants me to be working out at the gym, even when it wouldn’t probably cause my heart to stop. I don’t want to eat the nice foods that I have challenged myself to enjoy again. Even though I really do. It all becomes very hard until the colder months come around again and it seems like it is a free for all.
However, those colder months, Christmas or the words of others don’t mean nothing. Not everyone who decides to get healthier will end up like me. I know this. Yet, it can be a worry. Therefore, it is important to remember that no matter what anyone says or writes. Whatever anyone tells you to do. You have to be true to yourself and if you love yourself and are happy, why change?
I am currently going through a lot of self-hatred in regards to my body. Every day, I try to avoid the mirror, because I will end up picking apart something that I see. I want to go back in time and be happy again with it. Hopefully one day I will get there. For now though, I am taking the slow and steady race to those days. I am proud of the changes I am making. The ones making me happy. The most important element in life.
If you are happy, healthy in mind and soul, then stay as you are. Enjoy what you do. Eat what you like. Exercise or not. Just be happy. That is the real reason for life. One we should all remember instead of the words on pages or spoken by others. I am going to learn to accept this, hopefully more and more this year. For now though, I wish you all a beautiful 2023 full of love and kindness.
Joey X
Good Morning Lovelies,
Last year, I shared how I had made the purchase of my dreams. It seemed that all of you enjoyed reading about it, so I thought I would share some more tips to help you all save some money this year.
Since the start of January, I have been thinking about how I can cut back on my spending and I’ve realised that there are lots of easy ways I can do so. Many of which I wanted to share with you, in case they can help you too.
Unsubscribe To Any Magazines and Use Your Library Instead: A few years ago, I was addicted to subscribing to magazines. If I read the publication, I had to subscribe to it. Yet, they were very expensive. This year, I have decided to only buy magazines at special occasions, such as my birthday month or Christmas. In place of them, I will be using the app that my library offers, to read them instead. Completely free and more convenient to take around with me, it means I can still support my favourite magazines, but without the cost.
Regift or Recycle Presents: My mum has a whole cupboard full of gifts or items she has collected throughout the years to give away to people. However, I am someone who would always end up buying something new. This year, I am going to use the gifts or items that we have gathered. Doing this not only saves money but helps to prevent waste. Just make sure that you don’t give back the item someone gave you to them.
Take A Drink With Me: Often when me and my mum go out, we grab a drink somewhere. These can cost up to £3 or £4 each at times. I have recently stopped doing this though and started taking a drink with me. The other things I have done is downloaded apps, which give you free drinks, such as O2 Priority and got little squash squirt bottles. These squirt bottles are fabulous because I can then just ask for free hot water in a takeaway cup and flavour it to suit me. I do the same with cold water in summer.
Wear What I Already Own: I am a sucker for a piece of bargain clothing. Yet, having heard so much about how many clothes we waste, I am going to spend the next year wearing more of what I already own. I have cleared my wardrobe of items I no longer need, giving them to charity, bringing all that I own and will wear forward to easily put items together. I’ve found lots of pieces with labels still on too, which I can now enjoy. I’m not saying that I won’t buy clothes, but I will only do so if essential.
Save On Bills With A Simple Call: With rising costs of electricity, gas, broadband and even food, I am going to be looking at comparison websites a lot this year. I’m also going to be phoning and making sure I am on the best money deals for me and my mum. Cutting the costs down will help us to save a lot more, which is always good.
2023 is the year that I hope we can change our money ways in our house. I hope to be able to come up with some more ways to do so, but these are just a few I wanted to share with you. I would love to know what you are all doing to cut back and save this year lovelies, so do let me know in the comments below or on social.
Joey X
With a new year comes new ideas. I don’t really like the idea of resolutions, yet, I want to make sure that I have goals for the year ahead. It makes me work towards something. Sort of in a way of manifesting. There are a number of things I am striving towards and fingers crossed they happen.
I will be working my bum off to make the following things become a reality. Hopefully, they will be…
What are some of your goals for the new year lovelies?
Joey X
Good Morning Lovelies,
I hope you all have a lovely New Year’s Day wherever you are! I wish you all the best 2022 ever!
For many of us, 2022 was a hard, confusing, hot and weird year, but I already have a feeling that 2023 is going to be an epic one for us all! Whatever you have chosen to do as your New Year’s resolution or as a goal for the year, just remember to spend the next 12 months laughing, loving and smiling!Hey Lovelies,
New Year’s Eve is nearly upon us! The day that marks the end of the year and the time to start anew. I must admit that I am really, truly ready to say goodbye to 2022. Not because it was a bad year, but because it has been one hell of a confusing, sad and mad one. Let's make 2023 more fun. Let's be free and embrace life. That is my goal.