Saturday 27 October 2012

happiness

I don't know what's wrong with me but today I am HAPPY! I work up in a super duper mood and had a great day and I'm buzzing :)

I ha a fab night last night; Chris played a gig in a town near where we live for charity. It was to raise money for Cornish Hospice Care and wow it was a great night! Chris' band headlined and did not disappoint, I've seen them loads of times and last night was the best ever! And my day was made when my dad turned up even though he is poorly and lives 40 minutes away! I was so touched that he came to see us, I love him so much. He was really impressed with Chris too :)
I've always been really proud of what Chris does; drumming is his passion and he has an incredible talent but last night I was watching him grinning, literally the whole time! I was so overwhelmed with feelings of pride for my beautiful fiancé. I boogied all night with the mother-in-law and just loved it!

Chris came off stage a sweaty mess but to me he looked so hot. How did I blag myself a man like him?! Isn't he gorgeous? I truly love him with all my heart and I'm bursting with happiness today so had to tell everyone ;)

Things are going well, the family is good, we're off on a London mini-break next week, still not smoking and work has been ok. So happy days!

Cornish Beauty.

Friday 26 October 2012

cornwall | Gwithian beach

Gwithian is located in south Cornwall in the lovely sea-side village of Hayle. Boasting miles and miles of golden sands, Gwithian is a gem in the winter when all the tourists are gone and you're left by yourself on the beach with a few surfers for company.

This is exactly where me, Chris & Phoenix went last Monday and it was really nice. Phoenix has never been so knackered after a run before, he had pretty much the whole beach to himself and even had a little swim!

It was great to he some fresh air and I noticed a difference with my lungs and cheat since I've given up smoking!

Cornish Beauty.

stoptober! #5

So, today marks the three week stage of my mission to give up and am I still smoke free? HELL YESSSSSS! (The picture shows 20 days but by this it means I've completed 20 days, therefore I'm now on day 21!)

I can't quite believe it-quite incredible but I am starting to feel a bit 'bummed' the excitement of giving up has left me and because I know for a face I am eating more due to quitting, I'm feeling pretty depressed! All the way along I said to myself I wouldn't stress out if I out on a little bit of weight as its worth it and I can loose it once I've conquered giving up (not that I can really afford to out on any weight at all!) but now I'm here and all I want to do is eat....it sucks. Also, I've never been so tired in my while life! I'm completely exhausted all the time even though I'm getting plenty of sleep. So all-in-all not great, but I have to keep remembering that I've gone three weeks without a cigarette.

I'm still on Champix, although for the past few nights I've been forgetting to take my second tablet-a good sign? And I've got my 3rd stop smoking appointment this evening so will let you know how that goes, not sure if I will get another prescription or not-ill see what Georgie says! It has also been 12 days since I've used the e-cigarette which I'm really pleased with!

If anyone else has any stories about giving up smoking please share I'd love to hear them and gain some extra inspiration and tips!

Cornish Beauty.

Monday 22 October 2012

domestic goddess?

In my aim to give up smoking I've been thinking of things I can take up to keep my mind of those horrible cigarettes, a new hobby if you like!

I've always wanted to bake, and after going to our local village market on Saturday I was quite inspired when I saw all the yummy baked goodies.

So, it was my weekend of and I dragged Chris to Sainsburys in a bid to buy loads of baking stuff. Their household section wasn't great so just stuck to ingredients then went in a mission to Wilkinsons which wasn't great either but managed to get the stuff I needed!

First up, was carrot cake. A BBC Food recipe I found online. Nothing fancy, just a basic carrot cake and it came out pretty good, apart from one thing. I put too much cream cheese in the frosting so it ended up tasting a bit cheesy but other than that it was good. A lovely moist sponge rich in a citrusy carrot flavour, and has been a popular cake with the family!

But, the crem de la crem was my first attempt making scones. And might I just add, I am quite embarrassed at how easy it was! Why haven't I made them before?!?! I love scones, a bit if butter and Cornish clotted cream-Delish! They came out lovely and within a day the 11 that I made had been eaten by me & family so I think ill make some more later :-)

Finally, out weekend finished with a snuggly Sunday evening watching X-Factor and eating home-made sweet potato and chilli soup. I love making our own soup:easy, satisfying & healthy. Ill out our recipe up on here soon.

Now I'm saving up for a KitchenAid (I wish-I want one) and on the hunt for other things I can try baking. My Nigella 'Kitchen' book is getting better use than any!

Cornish Beauty.

Sunday 21 October 2012

a few Cornish days #2

This weekend has been lovely. Very rarely do me & Chris have a weekend off together where we don't have anything to do and no work or gigs. So we've been really looking forward to it. I would describe this weekend in three words;
FOOD
COSY
AUTUMN
Saturday began with an epic lie-in, a trip out shopping, buying some baking goodies, going to a Cornish market buying goodies, baking a cake and walking the dog. It's felt really wintery this weekend and LOVE it! Autumn & winter is my fave time of year :)
Sunday was another lie-in, mowing the garden, baking, family, home made soup & good TV.

Its really been a lovely couple of days but now even more depressed about going back to work :(

I need to win the lottery!!!

Cornish Beauty.

Wednesday 17 October 2012

cornwall | par beach

Par isn't the nicest place in the world but its got a massive beach which is open for dogs all year round-win!

It drives me insane that there are hundreds of beautiful beaches all around me but I can walk Phoenix there cause they ban dogs for half the year :(

Whilst parking up at the beach, I saw a council person giving 5 cars parking tickets! Whoops ;) so after paying 60p for my ticket-we were off!
It was the most windy day EVER! And the sand was blowing in Phoenix's eyes bless him so he was sneezing all over the shop! We had a lovely long walk through the sea rivers ad met some other cute pups! Then finished it off with a naughty hot chocolate from Costa!

Cornish Beauty.

Tuesday 16 October 2012

a few Cornish days.

I bought a new scarf from Next, it's rather lovely! Super long and snuggly!

Loving the cooler weather. Autumn is the bestest season, time for boots, scarf, gloves and funky hats!

The wood burner is back in business ;)

I found some delightful toilet roll. Yeah it may only be to wipe your bum but this purchase from Marks & Spencer made me very happy!

I drove the new car for the first time-Beamers are faaaaast!

It's been gorgeous weather the past few days, blue sky everywhere :)

The most loveliest pub lunch on Saturday; burger/sweet potato chips & onion rings. YUM.

A little road tip down the coast to visit my grandparents.

Finally, a bad end to an even worse few days at work-Phoenix escaped from the house! DON'T ask me how but some lovely lady rescued him from nearly getting run over! Oh my gosh talk about stressful!

There is a few snippets from my last few days in Kernow.

Cornish Beauty.

stoptober! #4

I can't quite believe it-10 days! Or 240 hours or 14,400 minutes! I haven't smoked or this long and I am now allowing a bit of pride to sneak in.

I've gotten over my tantrum about the e-cigarette and have stopped using it. It's been about 34 hours without it which is good so I can definitely be without it. Today is the last day of my 1st pack of Champix-I start week 2-4 tomorrow which is two weeks solid of 1mg twice daily.

I have to admit, I am finding this so much easier than I imagined! I mean, it's not EASY as such, there are so many times when I could murder someone for just one cigarette but then I remember how gross I will feel, how awful it will taste and how disappointed I will be. Also, the most important thing to do is take a few deep breaths and think about all the reasons you have stopped smoking in the first place.

If anyone is actually ready this who smokes and really want to stop, then you CAN do it. I was a heavy smoker, loved smoking and have zero willpower. And I'm on day 10!

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Cornish Beauty.

PS-can you believe I've saved £60 so far? It's crazy. I'm in desperate new of a pair of winter boots and now won't feel bad about buying them!

Friday 12 October 2012

stoptober #3 | pissed right off.

So, I've just come back from my follow-up stop smoking appointment and I feel like a complete let down!!!

I'm so upset and I feel like a cheat! Haha basically, I went in there like a little ray of sunshine, all happy and proud, only to be told that basically I'm cheating as I've been using an e-cigarette alongside Champix. So, technically, I'm still smoking (sort of). The nurse did not tell me this but this is how I felt and I could see in her eyes that I wasn't doing as well as I though I was. So here was me thinking I've given up smoking for a WHOLE WEEK when in actual fact, I haven't. I mean, don't get me wrong, smoking the e-cigarette is a million times better than an actual cigarette BUT I'm still getting nicotine so I'm not fighting the urge to smoke if you know what I mean. So I feel completely downhearted today. And on top of feeling poorly & other stresses going on today; this was certainly not the news I was hoping for :(

BUT, I'm not going to quit quitting. It's day 10 of Champix, I've got another prescription to start next week (£7.65 for a frigging prescription-Christ!) and I've decided on an e-cigarette quit date: 19th October. So I've got a week left with my baby. Oh well, I though it was too easy to be true! What a DIVVY.

I'm going back to bed now in fear that if I do anything or go anywhere this day will just get worse and worse and push me to lighting up a fag.
This is me......goodnight!

Cornish Beauty.

Thursday 11 October 2012

stoptober! #2

***Stoptober! Is a campaign running for people around the UK by the NHS. it's to encourage and support people to give up smoking for 28 days during October (and hopefully longer)


So, I'll explain to you how it came about that I've given up smoking. A couple of weeks ago it suddenly came into my head that I've got to stop smoking. I started going to the gym a couple of months ago but have had to stop for the moment due to health problems and the fact that i was finishing a brutal workout & worked so hard then having a cigarette was just ridiculous. And at £7.40 a pack, per day, smoking just WASN'T an option anymore.
It was a complete whim, but I picked up my phone, dialed my GP's number and booked a stop smoking appointment. A week later, I was in the waiting room and the nurse called me through. Georgie was lovely, very empathetic and encouraging. I explained the reasons why it was so important for me to stop smoking, she weighed me (eeeeeek) and took me through the options. I knew that I wasn't going to go for NRT (nicotine replacement therapy) as such but wanted medication. In a matter of minutes I had a shiny new prescription for Champix. A new medication routine designed to assist you stop smoking. So I paid for my new drugs and went on my merry way with a follow up appointment booked with Georgie in a weeks time!

The initial prescription for Champix is a two week course (see picture below) you choose a day to start taking the tablets and off you go! You start off with one 0.5mg tablet per day, usually in the morning. After three days, you start taking two a day; one am and one pm. Then on day 8 you start the week of 1mg tablets, twice a day. Also before this point you should have decided on an actual quit date. You smoke as normal on these tablets until your quit date. The day you choose to stop is recommended to be between day 8 and 14.

I stopped on day 4! I had run out of cigarettes and just thought 'fuck it' ill try and see how long I can without one. It actually ended up being quite a stressful day but still I resisted the urge to have a fag, also all day I was around smokers! I just took each hour as it came.

I must also add that I've been using an e-cigarette now and again to stop those nicotine cravings. I'm now on day 9 of Champix and day 6 of no smoking! I was a heavy smokers bad loved my fags, so I just can't believe I've actually quit for this long. I'm determined to do this now. I've got my follow up appointment tomorrow and I bet my nurse will be amazed, everyone is really proud of me and I've got really good support around me which is great. The NHS SmokeFree and Stoptober! App & twitter has been really useful and it's great keeping track of how much money you're saving (I feel a shopping spree coming on!)

To anyone hoping to give up; it IS possible, you CAN do it.

Ill keep you posted, but for now I'm enjoying a healthier lifestyle, a more filled wallet & calling myself a 'non-smoker!!!!!'

Cornish Beauty.

photo editing.

Recently, I've been a bit obsessed with photo editing apps for my iPhone. I'm forever snapping away anyway and I love slightly changing and/or improving pictures intake. Obviously I use Instagram (doesn't everyone?!) (my username is cornishbeauty) and I also love Instagenious, which is great for doing simple collages. Vintique is one of my faves and allows you to shabby-chic your photos instantly. Finally my new app, Bokehful is great! It adds hearts and starts to you pictures and just looks rather lovely! Have a play with some photo apps its sooo addictive!

Cornish Beauty.

take the time to relax.

Life is tough. We all know this, and the older I get the more I realise it! It's really tough and I think it's so important, that as an adult I do everything in my power to relax and take time out for myself. This then gives me the emotional & physical strength to cope with whatever life is throwing in my direction.

There are a few things I do to relax at home but at work, I'm lucky enough to spend time in sensory rooms with people I support. Sensory rooms are especially designed for people who need more sensory input ie people with Autism. Sensory rooms are meant to relax and stimulate. However for me, it's like the best chill out sesh ever!

Colored lights everywhere, padded areas to sit or lie down, chill out music, bubbles. The list is endless! For me, it's stimulation deprived! Which is what I want, no distractions; no TV, no computer, no chatter: nothing.

I think everyone should enjoy the experience of being in a sensory room. And I think this could be especially beneficial to children too. When I win the lottery I will deffo be building a monster sensory room in my house!

Cornish Beauty.

Monday 8 October 2012

stoptober! | my smoking cessation story #1

I've mentioned in a previous post that I would like to give up smoking in the near future.

Well, I've got some exciting news! (For me anyway) all thanks to the NHS & VIP e-cig.

Will sit down and let you know what's happened so far in the next couple of days! But for now, if you want some advice/support with giving up smoking then google 'stoptober' Where thousands of people and quitting for 28 days (and hopefully longer) during October. And it's not too late to start! There is also a great app to download!

Cornish Beauty.

Wednesday 3 October 2012

three days off.

I'm in the third of three days off right now, an occurrence that doesn't happen that often! Even when I do get days off I usually have so much to do that I end up more exhausted than I was to start off with.

So, I made a promise to myself that I will RELAX, something which I tend to do less and less a I get older but really miss. I hate not having time to just be at home and totter around with not loads of stuff you have to do! What's more, poor old Chris is poorly and been signed off work (which I'm secretly happy about as I get to have home here!)

also, on monday (1st Oct) it was our anniversary! me & Chris have been together 3 years :) and i recieved the most beautiful bunch of a dozen red roses-such a sweetie. I've done and few different bits; bought Phoenix a new bed as we are testing life without the dog crate which drives me insane so ill update you on that! I've also been for a nurses appointment at my GP's re: quitting smoking. Will do a blog post on that. I've also had a major tidy up of the house which makes me very happy. Oh! And I've picked out my wedding dress! Eeeeeeek how exciting! We've not even set a date yet but im pretty sure I have found THE dress.

Anyhoo I'm off to walk the puppy dog now (what a drag...it's raining! :() just a quicky to let you know what I've been up to!

Cornish Beauty.