My Sleepy Weekend Highlights

Happy MIMM everyone :-D And thanks to Katie as always.

My weekend involved a lot of naps, a blanket and a laptop. I literally hibernated this weekend.

I had to leave to go to work on Saturday morning and on Sunday I left to go to the library. But that was all. I had no plans and for once I was grateful of that fact. But I woke up this morning even more tired than I went into it, so I guess I sort of lost a battle there.

Since I have a lot to get on with this morning I will just show you the photos of my Sunday.

Here's breakfast I tried my porridge with some Strawberry Jam yesterday and it was delicious. Don't get me wrong it doesn't beat Nutella in my opinion.

And then I got ready. I decided to do my hair and put on some make-up because all week I had been in sweats with matching sweaty hair and skin. I love the gym, but I hate constantly being in sweats. Though I'm kind-of-loving the excuse haha

And then this was my view for the next few hours!

I actually left earlier than intended and this was the reason for my departure. I was getting really hungry and decided to go home and make a pasta dish full of everything in my fridge - minus milk and eggs. But I am now getting sick of Pasta. I need meat and soon.

I tried this, and the verdict is - it was good but not good enough to repurchase.

And now I am sipping on this sample I got through the post, and the verdict is this is super gooood! Definitely want to repurchase this baby. When I get take-out coffee I usually have a caramel latte and this definitely hits that spot.

How was your weekend? Was it busy or sleepy like mine?

Can anyone reccommend any good autumn/winter lipsticks? I love the one I am wearing in the above picture but I want another. Because you can never have too many lipsticks right?

xoThanks for Readingxo

Let's Set Some Goals Shall We?!

I feel as though this time of year is the time of year that I am always setting goals. The Christmas season is fast approaching and I always figure trying to eat healthier and more balanced now can only be better for you once the holidays and festivities are over.

Damn that was a long sentence... but since there are no take backs, I guess I'll just have to carry on.

So like I was saying it's that time of year, and as I am currently sitting here feeling a little too bloated for my liking, now's a good enough time than any to put fingers to keyboard and type.

I haven't really planned any goals out so I am just living in the moment and writing what comes to my head. My goals for once aren't going to be number based. In regards to weight I want to lose anyways. They will be targeted at the food I am eating and the exercise I want to get in.

Enough with the babbling so here goes.

I think there should be some main goals and habits that I focus on.

One - Portion Control. This has been a hit and miss lately. Some days I am not hungry at all and I have to force myself to eat something to keep my energy levels up. But then some days I can eat for England, and it's not always like I'm wolfing down chocolate - sometimes it's fruit too.

Two - Eat Less Carbs and More Meat and Veggies for Main Meals. My main meals have been getting more carby later and I need to go food shopping to ensure this doesn't become a habit. Being uncomfortably bloated is not something I want to become a common thing.

Three - Start doing more Weight and Strength Training. This just needs to become a thing. I have become so complacent when it comes to strength training like sit-ups etc and training with weights also. My cardio exercise has improved through the gym, but my strength isn't exactly at an all time high at the moment.

I think that's a good number of goals to be getting of with for now, and maybe I'll give weekly updates etc on how I've been getting on when it comes to achieving these things. These are the main things I feel that if and when I improve on them that I'll be feeling much better. More physically than anything because I have been feeling quite lethargic recently.

Anyways, there are my goals.

Do you have any current goals?

xoThanks for Readingxo

Lately I have been writing posts and not posting. I must have started and left twelve posts by now! Some are saved as drafts and some have already been deleted - even link-up posts.

I don't like the fact that I am withholding posts for one reason or another is right, and so I am going to set myself the task of posting once a day for the next week. These posts will be about whatever springs to mind at the time of writing the post and I will publish without edits. Scary for someone who re-reads their posts and edits every time, but a goal I am willing to succeed at.

I haven't weighed in in a couple of weeks, deliberately? Yes and No.

I have been wanting to know, but I feel I am going through one of those times in life where the scale can do no good - no matter what the number back flashes!

So instead I have just being trying to work on my eating and workouts. As for me they often go hand in hand things haven't been going too badly. But there's always room for improvement in and that's what I intend to do over the next few weeks, and hopefully right up until Christmas. Small changes only.

Things like more fluids, more exercise, more fresh air, less sugar and saturated fats. The basics that everyone is always trying to change and improve. But I could do with cutting down before Christmas happens.

I love this time of year, and I like to enjoy myself. There's more treats and more alcohol etc, which means I should attempt to tackle and challenge myself now.

So that's it for me. Enjoy your Thursday night.

And

xoThanks for Readingxo

Via The Camera Roll

I thought I'd do a 'Via the camera roll' post today. I haven't really got the time to chit-chat away. Those kind of posts will now be posted on weekends, or days off. Which today is, but I need to get on with work and other necessary life things!

Anyways here's what I found when I flicked back through my phone. I went to The Times Cheltenham Literary Festival both on Saturday and Sunday last week. I enjoyed both and even managed to get one of my books signed by Helen Fielding on Saturday. It was so nice meeting her. It's a shame I haven't gone in the past to be honest. Oh well...you live and you learn.

Roll The Camera Roll

Forgot about this snap! Check out the terribly chipped nail polish.

 These mini-bars of chocolate are good to break in half and share if you want something sweet!

Home-made Apple Crumble

New Jacket.

My Face.

Great Seats Saturday Night!

The Queue to get something signed, and that's when we'd been there fifteen minutes or more!

Wasn't happy when this came through the post the other day :-(

New Outfit Alert! Loving those Shorts especially.

Naughty-Meal on Saturday. Didn't like the sauce it came with, definitely not my cup of tea!

How was your weekend? Any Events?

xoThanks for Readingxo

Recipe Testing - Birthday Wishes Edition

This week two of my housemates turn 22, and so we decided to make them cakes to celebrate and test out our baking or in this case non-baking skills. Abby was up first on the 23rd and so this is the cake/desert we decided to make for her.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Get your thickened cream at the ready.

And your Plain Chocolate Biscuits.

Weigh-Out your biccy's.

Our Set-Up.

Melt Your Chocolate (All 400 grams of Plain/Dark Chocolate).

Break-Up your biscuits and toss them in the blender. The smaller you break them up, the easier it is to blend into a crumb base.

Once your Chocolate has completely melted, remove from boiling water to reduce the temperature.

You may have to get messy for this part, and get your hands right in there. Making for a smooth base.

Pour Melted Butter into the blended biscuits and blend it up some more.

I promise you the finished base isn't as gross looking.

Pour mixture into base, and put into fridge for 30 minutes.

(Insert Image of Whisked Cream Here!)

*Sorry there isn't a photo of this part. We didn't have our electric whisk and so we had to take it in turns hand whisking the cream. Nightmare by the way and painful, we now all have one arm bigger than the other!

*Basically, put your cream into a bowl, and the recipe says whisk until soft peaks before you fold the same/similar temp chocolate into the the cream. Honestly we whisked it for over half an hour and it thickened but we didn't get as much air into the mixture as we probably should have. But when you fold the chocolate and the cream together you can get air into it that way.

*Finally once it is properly mixed together pour onto base that you have left to cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Put it in the fridge for 3 hours and then go check.

And then light the candles (, and start singing).

Then ask the birthday girl to blow them out, whilst you poorly sing happy birthday at her (NOT -ADVISED).

Oh and pick the wax off!

Cut up a slice, spoon some ice cream out and enjoy...

Ingredients

*400 grams Dark Chocolate.

*600 ml of Thickened Cream.

*179 grams Plain Chocolate Biscuits.

*85 grams of Butter (to melt).

Original Recipe.

I would like to try this recipe once again, but make it lighter and healthier (if that's even possible!). Well you get lighter chocolate mousse's in the store.

Have you got any classic birthday cake recipes you like to whip out and make for people?

xoThanks for Readingxo

A Snapshot Of My Tuesday Eats

My Tuesday eats were pretty decent, most were photographed some were not! I seriously need to start getting my head in the game on Tuesday's, especially because at the moment it's one of my days off. I can report that cooking and baking are once again going well, and that I am starting to get back in the swing of things. So, go me!

I'm just going to show you my snaps and then what I missed out, so that you get the entire picture. I'd like to say thanks to the comments I got on the last WIAW, they were full of great advice and motivation. I still need to start keeping a diary, but this week has been manic with back to school madness and a case of fresher's flu. I may have to start cooking my favourite soups in batch to ward off a potential infection!

Bananas, because you can never have enough.

Recycled Photo.

Muller Bio-Yoghurts.

These things are ace. Probiotics.

Boiled Eggs on Toast - extra black pepper!

A Favourite.

Jacket Potato, Prawn Mayo and Salad with Cheese.

I was seriously carving Prawns yesterday. I know it's a strange thing to crave, but it was oh so tasty!

Birthday Mousse Cake.

This is the Recipe I will be posting tomorrow. Disclaimer: It's not exactly healthy, actually it's super unhealthy but it's what my friend wanted us to make for her birthday and so who could deny the birthday girls wishes!

We've been hit with a minute heat wave over here, and so I am not ready for those soups yet. Though we did make a tasty leek and potato soup the other day.

Oh and the things missing are as follows; a naughty afternoon coffee from Costa, Green Grapes and Raw Carrots!

Thanks to Jenn as always for hosting, you're a star :-D

Are you ready for soups and hotter meals yet?

Is the temp where you live dropping yet? I know I have a cold but I am on fire!

xoThanks for Readingxo

Bad Belly, Snacking and a New Favourite Cereal...

Happy WIAW guys :-D

Due to the fact my stomach wasn't feeling it's best yesterday (or for the last four days now), be prepared for a lot of snackage and no real meals. I have a feeling this is how my meals may be for a while on and off until I once again find out what the hell is upsetting it. But since I had peppers in both the curry and pasta dishes I made on Sunday and Monday, my guess is that it might be something to do with that. I hope I haven't developed an intolerance for them, but when I was researching IBS the other day, for the millionth time (seriously that's how it feels), it mentioned digesting them can sometimes be hard for those with IBS. Meh...I guess I'll have to trial and error it.

Well that's the bad belly explained! Now for the evidence of my snacky meals, and a picture of the cereal I had one bowl of and decided it's an instant fave :-D

Thanks to new momma Jenn for Hosting this shindig while looking after her little chickpea!

I kid you not this is what I ate, and I am still paying for it this morning. Ok, so I realise it's not the healthiest of meals, but I didn't consume that much to feel like this. This whole semester is probably going to be about figuring out my stomach issues...again. I need to make an appointment with the doctors (I promise mom) and get hospital apps booked etc. But it will be annoying if after all the apps I am back to square one!

Anybody else have IBS/A bad stomach? What do you avoid?

Have you been feeling snacky recently?

xoThanks for Readingxo

Catching Up

Over the last few days I took a much needed break from blogging. I did write an important post that I want to share with everyone soon, but for now I am just going to be posting sporadically. I know I keep saying it, but I am still tired most days for no explained reason. But I've just been giving in and napping in the early evening to balance things out. I figured if my body wants a nap, give it what it wants and rest up!

And that's basically what I have been doing.

I arrived back in my university town on Sunday, and I have just been spending my time catching up with friends and getting settled again. It seems to have taken me forever to unpack and I still haven't finished. I guess I did bring slightly more stuff with me this time, but I think its more my laziness to get organised and accept that the first semester of my last year is beginning next week. Meh...I am looking forward to it, but I have the feeling that this will be the quickest year of education I have had so far. The year I feel is just going to whizz by, and before I know it I will be actively having to look for work. Maybe, even for jobs I don't want to take as well. There will be no more student loans and no more grants, which I find more nerve racking than anything. There's no guaranteed security, and as you probably know, I am not exactly a risk taker - instead I'd rather play it safe!

But I have this feeling, and it's telling me that my most stressful year is upon me. After 21 years of education I will finally be leaving the cocoon of learning to find my way in the "real" world. That being said it makes me want to make the most out of this year even more! And to go after opportunities and apply and attend everything I've never dreamed and also always wanted do. I have taken to call it my year of chance. Where chances are everywhere and there for me to take. Why not right? If I don't others will, and in the world of work you need to think about yourself before others.

Having a determination to not let the year slip away, if I am honest, is always how I begin each school year. But something always happens, gets in the way and then I am left asking 'Where did the year go? And how is it already examination time?'. That thing is called life, and is sometimes a huge pain in my huge behind! But I am hoping this year I manage to accomplish all of what I set out to do. 

My determination is definitely stronger this year, and I have this thing in my head like a clock ticking down as I cross off each day of my giant wall calendar. Letting me know on a daily basis that doomsday will come (my last exam) before I know it, and that it's coming whether I choose to accept that little fact or not. And you know what... maybe it's time to face it head on for what it's worth?! Instead of ignoring the fact, and hoping that time will magically slow down somehow. Be cool if that happened right? Or maybe if I borrowed the time-turner from Hermione so that I could achieve everything I wanted to do. 

Well, there I go again...dreaming. It's been a common theme for the last twenty years, and I doubt I will break it in the next few months but I can make a conscience effort to in fact embrace it. Lap it up whilst I have the chance and use it for my advantage. Dream big I say :-D

Are you studying/learning for your last year in education?

If so, how do you feel about it?

xoThanks for Readingxo

Friday Feelings, Update, New Goals...

First of all apologies, this post may be a bit of a ramble. You have been warned ha ha!

As you can probably tell by the title, my mind is all over the place at the moment. But I am just trying to deal with every day that comes, which makes making goals a little harder.

My feelings on this very bleak Friday the 13th are as follows; I am tired, my stomach is in pain (should have known better than to eat the pizza!), and I am not in the mood for much. Now this happens to everybody at the some point or other, and we all experience our highs and lows right? This just happens to be a not so good day for me. It happens. I just need to get through it as best as I can and get on with everything I need to. Maybe having an early night? I fell asleep during 'The Expendables' and woke up about 11pm yesterday. But lately I could honestly sleep for half the day and still need more sleep. I have no clue what's going on!

My best day this week was probably Monday, and that's when I involuntarily had to get up early and get stuff done! So, with that, everyday this week I woke up early after eight hours or so of sleep. But it just isn't long enough. Maybe tomorrow I should try a lie-in.

All I know is yesterday felt like a wake-up call, something telling me that I need to get everything together again and sort things out. Or I could be in trouble! So, I made a list dependant on what I need to prioritise in the clean up.

My List:

* Stop drinking Juice and other sugary drinks (they have snuck back in!)

* Limit Crisps and Sweet Treats (not to enjoyed daily - choose healthier options!)

* Smaller Portions (concentrate and stop when the signs of being full begin!)

* Stay Hydrated (mainly drink water!)

* Use walking to clear my head!


So, there we have it my feelings, update and new goals!

xoThanks for Readingxo

Time For A Change

And whilst I am writing this post I am singing 'Changes by Ozzy Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne' in my head. Catchy. Anyways like the title says, I am feeling a change coming on. Nothing too dramatic for this blog, it's just the title of the blog really that I am keen to change! I picked the title for this blog a year and a half ago now, and a lot as changed. I only really started using this blog as a writing outlet at the beginning of the year, and as I have got more and more into it things that I used to like no longer serve the purpose they had. This includes the title!

It's also time for an added change. I find myself lately wanting to write posts that wouldn't necessarily go with the theme of this blog. Yes, this blog is all about my life, but it's mainly about; Health, Food, Cooking, Baking, Fitness, Exercise and what not. And that's the category they fall into, because that's the sort of things I started off writing about and I still love to write about! But I find myself wanting to write a post about the new shoes that I brought, or the new make-up that I have been trying out, and although I guess I could integrate those kind of posts into this blog I have made a clear decision to start a second blog where I can write about all of that. Don't know when that will be up and running yet, and I have probably picked the worst time of year to make that decision (it being the beginning of the school year and everything!) But it's what I want to do and are determined to do and so there you have it.

I have also decided that I want to have a crack at making YouTube videos that will all be linked to both blogs in content. I am excited by these up and coming personal projects, and I just hope I haven't overloaded myself too much!

This blog has been a massive help to my anxiety, and my road to recovery if you will. When I started CBT at the beginning of the year, I wouldn't have guessed where the next nine months would take me and I wouldn't have guessed this is where I would be. And I definitely wouldn't have guessed that my head would be in such a good place.

Sure I still suffer from anxiety, and in particular social anxiety. Maybe that fact will never change, but the difference is that I now have a hold on the situation, and have all the tools to help manage my problems. And you guys have no idea how much this blog and your views and comments help me to overcome that. 

Here's to change. Hope you all are well!

And...

xoThanks for Readingxo

Have you ever had any type of therapy for whatever reason, and what are the things you do to cope with your problems?

How many blogs do you have? and Do you write about different things on each, or stick to one where you talk about all things?

Anyone else suffer from Social Anxiety? How do you cope?

Let me know, I would really love your feedback on the subject!