What I’m Loving Now – September 2017

First of all, I just want to say huge ‘thank you’ for all the love towards my recent blog post about my true feelings around my multiple sclerosis.  Can I just say that I feel 100x better for writing that post, I wrote it in super quick time and basically just let my brain splurge everything out onto the blog.

The fact that so many people sent me kind messages after reading my post made me realise just how much help and support I get from the blog-reading and social media communities, so I just want to say thank you so, so much.  I’ve definitely found something that I didn’t realise was missing before I started blogging and I can’t imagine ever going back to not being able to ‘talk ’about my feelings through blogging. A bonus is that I have made a group of chronic illness/multiple sclerosis ‘friends’ who I know I can talk to openly and honestly.

I’ve had a busy few weeks with my return to work, which I will write about an upcoming post. Let’s just say I am pleased to be back, but I am finding the challenge of working a full 3 days taking its toll on my health and home life once again.  However, in between work (and sleep), I’ve had the opportunity to add to my little list of ‘favourites’, so I thought it was high time that I shared these with you.

1) Rediscovering favourite recipes

I recently shared my recipe for ‘Rawnola’ , which I first made last year courtesy of a recipe by Laura at at A Sunshine Mission . It is so easy and perfect for when you fancy a fruity, yogurty breakfast. I’ve had it several times this month and even used some extra as ‘crumble’ topping on top some spiced plums that I whacked in the oven. It was a win-win recipe according to both the adults and the kids.

Another old favourite that I made was home-made Nutella, I used the recipe by Fab Lunch. It is literally just roasted hazelnuts, maple syrup, cocoa powder and water. So simple and easy and delicious! Not to say that I had a lot of it though – my children managed to eat practically the whole batch.  However, I did manage to get a couple of spoonfuls in and I justified them as part of my #easyselfcare – chocolate spread is always bound to cheer up the grumpiest person.

These two recipes are sweet, delicious and plant – based; I like the fact that the children are also getting ‘treats’ that have no refined sugar in them.

2) The gift of scent 

I’ve been lucky enough to receive some lovely gifts from friends and family over the past year, including gorgeous candles and pulse point oil. I received this candle from The White Company last Christmas and, because of it’s spicy, warm scent with cinnamon, clove and orange, I stopped using it over the summer. I definitely feel that it is a ‘winter’candle and, ok, it isn’t quite winter yet, but the crisper autumn days call for me to light this up. I love this candle as the smell fills the whole room, which many candles don’t manage to do.

I have also received a couple of ‘Remedies to Roll’ from Neal’s Yard – the ‘Relaxation’ and ‘Energy’ blends, to be precise. The ‘Relaxation’ blend has lavender, geranium and bergamot in it and was perfect for my flight to Florida last March (I am not the best flyer) and it is nice to wind down at night. The ‘Energy’ blend contains rosemary, grapefruit and lavender and I have found it useful as a ‘pick-me-up’ when I am feeling run down at work or needing to get through the night time routine with the kids. It is amazing how much scent seems to really impact on my mood and I’m finding that taking the time to really enjoy them really helps to keep me ‘centred’ and calm.

3) Upcycling and kitchen planning!

When I have the energy, I love the chance to be able to take an old piece of furniture and give it a new lease of life. So far this year, I have upcycled our ikea bedside tables with new knobs and paint and, more recently, I have removed old, peeling, lead paint from a heavy metal garden set and repainted it in a soft cream.

 

My next challenge is planning a kitchen on a budget! Unfortunately, our hands have been a bit forced to do this at a time we were not expecting to, as we basically can’t fix our tap without taking out the whole base and top of the kitchen units out (don’t ask!)

I am loving this one from Howden’s Kitchens and our thoughts are around getting this down one wall and then using free standing furniture down the other to cut down on costs. The more I look, the more I want though! I have this perfect dream of a ‘Pinteresty’ kitchen, but I may have to reign myself in!

4) Yoga – deep stretch

I’m a fan of yoga and have extolled the virtues of Yoga with Adriene before; I have been especially loving this deep stretch routine over the past week.  It is super deep so quite difficult at times, but I can really feel it helping my MS-tight legs.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLy2rYHwUqY&w=560&h=315]

5) Weekend Breaks

Only a few weeks back into work and I already feel like I could do with a long weekend.  Luckily, my parents have very kindly offered to take the kiddies away for the weekend, so my husband and I are using the time to have a proper chill out at Centre Parcs at Elveden Forest.  I can’t wait for a weekend of lie ins and reading and the chance to sit out having long lunches.  I’d love to say that I will treat myself to a massage, but I my wallet can’t quite stretch that far!  We have booked an accessible apartment, I am taking my scooter and the weather is set to be not too cold at all, so fingers crossed we’ll have a great time.

So, that is what I am loving at the minute – is there anything that you are particularly enjoying?  I am always up for any recommendations 🙂