Time sure flies by....an Update!

It is an age old cliche that the older you get the faster your life seems to go, despite time passing is, for all purposes, passing at the same rate.

It has been 16 months since my last blog entry, and you could say that a lot has happened. In September 2015 I started on my level 2 beauty therapy, and I am pleased to say that I passed with flying colours and have been a mobile beauty therapist ever since.  Then, in September 2016 I embarked on my beauty therapy level 3 qualification and it is almost at an end.  We have our mock exams starting next week!!!!  During the past 6 months it has been a fast ride of getting to grips with all kinds of machinery for electrical facials, body electrical treatments as well as learning massage routines and all about spa treatments/products.  But I have been loving it all.

What I find amazing is that by the end of the degree I will have learnt as much as a medical student in terms on anatomy and physiology, so whoever says that beauty therapy is a doddle has no idea the extent of what we have to learn.  It has been and still is a struggle to remember all the terminology, muscle groups, various systems of the body and I am not looking forward to the 3 hour paper exam that is looming up.

In other areas of my life, I am now based in a Spa at Carvynick Country Club in Summercourt.  This is a lovely little treatment room that gives me the opportunity to offer all the treatments that I am and will be qualified for.  You can have a look at all that is on offer here. This is a very recent change, adn one that I am anticipating on being busy in the coming holidays, as after all Cornwall is known for being the spa capital of England.

So lots going on, and I am now planning on blog posts regarding treatments and the rise in the male facial.  Back at the start of 2015 I predicated that men's grooming would take off, with the hot return of the beard (yay!) and more men taking care of their skin, after all facials and massage are not just a pampering experience they improve your over all heath and wellness :-)

Bam!, and it's done.....

It's no secret that losing weight is hard, in fact, it's BLOODY hard.  For me, it is really, really damn hard!!

For the past six weeks I have been dragging my sorry lardy butt down to the gym, it has not been easy, I am not a natural at motivating myself into any form of self-punishment.  But, when I think about it I have in a way.  I have allowed myself to become fat, unfit, unhealthy, frumpy and if I am honest down right miserable.  Is that not a form of self-punishment?

There has not been an excuse either, as I have access to a 24-hour gym!

But it's SO HARD!

So, yes I am rather chuffed with myself that I am now managing to workout twice a week.  And a big change is how it makes me feel about what I eat.  Now, when I look at those evil tempting Sweet Tai Chilli Crisps, I realise that it equates to 30 mins of hard slog on the exercise bike.  I can feel the pain in my thighs even thinking about it!

And cake, those who know me well know how much I flipping love cake!  So to have to cut back takes a humongous amount of willpower.

As I wait for the fizz sticks to kick in for that lift of energy to keep my legs pumping, to keep my arms pulling and pushing those weights, feeling the strain as those bingo wings fights to wobble on!

Am I feeling better, you bet I am!

Whilst I have not lost a biggest loser scale of weight, in fact, it has come off, gone back on, come off over the past six weeks.  I can now run up the stairs without keeling over.  Can wash my hair without getting arm ache (Yes I have been THAT unfit) and can even hike up to Helman Tour without getting all red in the face and heart palpitations :-) go me!

Now, I have not had a gym workout buddy so to speak of, but I have had someone motivating me and making me think twice about not going into the gym, or skiving off for a week.  Mike, who owns Mike Munds Gym has been fantastic.  We go back a long way in terms of me getting fit and healthy, back to the days of step aerobics at the squash court.  So he knows how easy I can be swayed to sit on my arse!  And I have to say the thought of now letting him down after he has made a plan and made me stick to it, is something that motivates my oversized derriere into gear!

So, as I was getting into the last 15 mins of random hell on the bike today, a thought came to me of Bam! and the workout is done! And I smiled and thought, thank goodness for that......

Bargain buys.....

So, for the past year things have been quite tight in the household due to my decision to go back into Self-Employment and return to college.  BUT, I am always one for a markdown bargain food section. It is the reason that I bought a freezer (well, my wonderful parents bought me it as a present)

So, delighted I was to last night have some bacon for just 9p :-) and also some of the loin steaks for 45p.  Now, my motto with food lately, to make a meal out of nothing is 'What would Ruth do?'  So, instead of just grilling the steaks I thought I would make them into a kind of casserole.  I had seen a post online (yup, can I nail it?) regarding breakfast casseroles, not something that I had come across before.  This recipe is kinda adapted from one of those.  Also, I had some dubious potatoes from a September markdown to use up and a manky onion.  Waste not want not.....

Here's the obligatory foodie picture....

So, in the dish:

4 sprouting potatoes peeled and cubed
1 medium sweet potato, also peeled and cubed
half a manky onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped in with the onion
1 medium sweet pepper diced
1 wilted celery stalk finely chopped
Then I found a half noodled courgette, so I chopped that up and tossed it in
2 Bacon Loin Steaks cubed
Sprinkle of Mrs Dash (bloody awesome stuff and yes it's American!)
Sprinkle of Seasoned Salt

toss all this around with 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil, or whatever equivalent you have in the store cupboard.

Willingly chuck this into your preheated oven (about 200) for about 35 mins, check it about a third of the way through to see how the spuds are cooking, and give it a regular stir.

Now for the casserole bit!

5 Large Eggs
125ml of Cream, or Milk
250g of cheese
pinch black pepper

Pour this over the potato dish and return to the oven for about 8 mins, or until the eggs are nearly set. At this point sprinkle on the cheese, when the cheese is brown and bubbling (nom a nom a nom) remove and serve.  If you are feeling artistic, you can garnish with some greenery.

So lets recap, it's basically Bacon and cheese.......and it was mightly delicious!  Not bad for out of date food, including the cream as I didn't have any milk.

Am still not sure why this mix has been referred to as a casserole, ass it is more like a frittata, so maybe that is an American thing as well

Have you had any store cupboard triumphs?

http://www.thereciperebel.com/no-dishes-grilled-breakfast-casserole/

Nailed it?

For a while now I have been seeing videos on social media of quick and easy things to cook.  And then you also get the feed of the nailed it pictures of trying out said 'this is easy' projects.  A while back I happened to have a go at one, it was for a Nutella star bread.  I have to say I was rather chuffed with how it turned out, but then I have to admit that I do like baking and happen to enjoy the sweet stuff.  So, on my list are lots of things that look simple, and tasty, that I vow to try out.

Here's the video and below is how mine turned out

Not bad and it was delicious!

So, this week I have also had a bash at the chicken and parma ham cups, and today the pineapple mini upside down cakes which have been saved in my things to do list.  However, my lad happens to not like pineapple, so we used apple instead!  Although I didn't tell him that at first, and he was most put out when he thought I was forcing him to eat pineapple!  He did report back that the apple ones were very nice :-)  and I agreed with him that they needed some clotted cream.

Not having parma ham, I used good ole bacon instead!  So in many ways, just like I find it difficult to order off menu, my cooking always seem to take a different turn than the recipe calls for!  But then at times you just have to go with the flow and use what you have got.  Which takes me back to my recent revival of wartime cookery.  As soon as the breast of lamb is in the bargain section, that will be in the menu.  I did consider doing this as a meal for my sister and brother in sin, however, they have treated me to some sumptuous dishes.  So felt it a little unfair to serve them wartime favourites. 

Will be doing the super tasty short beef rib for the celebration of uncovering my dining room table!

I do feel however, that should I attempt craft projects, it would be a different story.  Already this week I have knitted a glove that would fit no one!  Everyone has their own talents best to leave the home knits to my awesomely talented sister!

Wartime cookery!

Many many years ago I really enjoyed the Wartime Kitchen and Garden series with Ruth Mott and Harry Dodson.  A particular episode stuck in my mind where Ruth made some Breaded Lamb and a Leek Pudding.  To this day though I have never tried out that recipe, why I have no idea!  This will be rectified, and soon!

Now, whilst looking at various wartime things I stumbled across a recipe for Irish Potato Cakes.  Something that my 10 year old is a huge fan of.  Looking back of the years where I wasted mashed potato, I am delighted to have found such a simple recipe to avoid such waste in the future, mainly as I really am awful at the cooking for two amounts....

Looking through the cupboard (quite a nerve wracking job at times!) I happened across some regrowing spuds, excellent!

I set about peeling and boiling them for some mash, whilst they were cooking I clear up the kitchen and prepared the rest of the ingredients of Salt, pepper, melted butter and flour.  it did actually call for melted margarine, which is something that I never have.  So probably ended up using the entire weeks rations of butter in this one meal...ooops!  But seriously I just cannot use Marg, it's vile!  And thankfully I am not living in the 1940's

After mashing said boiled spuds, I added the other ingredients to form a stiff dough which I patted into a round about quarter inch thick and then cut into 8.

Tah Da!

Now, the 'dough' i felt was not quite stiff enough.  This I feel was due to the freshness of the mashed potato, I can see it being much better with leftover day old mash.

So, into the pan they went, with a very eager Alex who said that they smell like pancakes, and that all Irish food has that smell.  Where the hell that came from I have no idea, so I asked him how often he had been around Irish food......strange boy!

Here they are cooking away

(am sure that all food bloggers do these kind of images)

The finished articles presented lovingly on an authentic green plate!

Now, any food can look good, but how did they taste to the highly critical foodie that lives in my house and can eat me out of house and home!  Especially as his favourite are those by either Warburton's or Paul Rankin.

He ate 4, so they can't be that bad!  

Me, I preferred them to the shop bought and will definitely be making them again.

Recipe used was from this blog where there are many more that I will be trying out :-)

Stepping out of a comfort zone!

Back at the beginning of the year it was the Beauty Show 2015 at Birmingham, after getting an invite for it through the post I had looked around the website and found out about the National Make-Up Awards!  Wow, I thought, and on closer inspection they had a Student category.....  Could I push myself and enter a competition?

Being a make-up artist is a new career choice for me, it has only been little over a year that I decide to take a change of direction.  This was due to using the makeup from Arbonne, and having my interest in make-up application reignited.

In the past I have been complimented on my own personal make-up, at school I partook in Drama classes and dabbled with creative and effect style looks (I must dig those photos out as my best friend has forgotten!)  So, I spoke to college, who then offered to pay the entrance fee, and I entered into the two categories.

My good friend and fellow student Emy, agreed to be my model, which was fantastic, as had practiced on her beautiful face many times. Typically me, I left it until the night before the show to do my mood boards, I kept putting it off as I had never done face charts before, but I found it very therapeutic and was quite pleased with the outcome.

With this being my first ever competition for Make-Up, I was rather nervous, but excited :-)  And I have to say the morning just flew by.  And little did I know I was being observed by someone very special (more on that later)

First look, ws the evening glamour.  Emy was a fantastic model.  We had pre-rolled her hair and she was so supportive as I got down to work applying the glitter to her eyes.  I was chuffed to bits that most things went smoothly, apart from the initial losing of the silver glitter shadow, so I mixed one up, and then dutifully found it behind the makeup remover.  However, I felt proud of myself for adapting rather than crumbling in a heap

Apologies for the quality of the light in these images, the lighting in the arena was very poor.

The first image is the look for Cocktails and Glamour, the second I choose the brief for the flowers 'Bleeding Heart' as inspiration

Whilst we waited for the judging, I was alerted by a steward to a lady who had been standing patiently watching the competition, when I looked over I was delighted and at this point brought to tears that it was my best friend Sabina.  She had come over from Beeston especially to see me, overwhelmed is an understatement.  Together we waited for the results, and I was delighted to have come fourth, which I felt for my first ever competition wasn't half bad.  Of course having my best friends celebrate with me was priceless.

Would I do it again, oh yes!  Roll on 2016..

Goodbye sleepless nights...Hello great hair ?

This was the claim made on the packaging of the revolutionary product, a Beauty Awards 2013 winner no doubt!  So when I found them in the reduced section of my local Salon Services I snapped them up, for a mere £9.88 :-) Previously I have seen them at over £20.  Could this be the bargain of the week, or yet another item to take up space in the cupboard or even end up at the next carboot clearout??

Having time on my hands in the afternoon (due to awaiting the repair of my car) I put them in and awaited bedtime!

I really, REALLY wanted to love this product, my hair is somewhat limp and lack lustre and the thought of waking up and having bouncy curls was very appealing.  However the reality falls far short of the promise.

These are extremely uncomfortable, they do not flatten flat as advertised, the velcro is prickly against your head and the glittery cover crinkles as you move about. Being so large and not 'flattening like a sponge' your head sticks up from the pillow causing a poor sleeping position and a strain on your neck.

After a disturbed sleep I gave up at 4am and removed half of them and managed to get some deeper sleep!  But what about the side that had been left in? Bearing in mind they have been in for over 12 hours, there was 'a little' extra oomph with a curl under but it was not enough to warrant the sleepless night to get it!  I can achieve the same with my hot brush.

So often we are oversold on promises with products that fail to deliver the hype... reminds me a bit of the current political situation!

Verdict: to be given the Car-BOOT!