This week has been a very interesting week. There is so much going on behind the scenes that I can not wait to see how it all unfolds. There is no doubt that there is going to be loads of change, opportunities galore and much to learn. I am praying that it turns out exactly how it should.
Anyway, here is a snapshot from my week.
- Who can resist I love you chocolate!
- A delicious new fruit tea that makes me happy on in the inside and outside.
- Saturday evening we had a family dinner at Tobey's Carvery. It was delicious and I was able to make healthy choices leading to a five pound weight loss this week.
- Sunday afternoon I curled up on the sofa and spent a few hours watching Puss in Boots. Loved it!
- This week I have been completely myself, warts and all if you like. While there are certainly things that I would love to improve on, there is a lot about myself that I like.
I would love to hear how your week has been, feel free to leave comment.
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It's not often that I get the chance to make a pudding, so when my mom invited me round for dinner last Saturday evening I thought it was the perfect opportunity to give this recipe a go.
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Fridge Time: 2 hours
Syns per serving: 3.5
Ingredients
50g milk chocolate broken into small pieces
3 large eggs, separated
3 tbsp sweetener
A few drops of peppermint extract
4 tsp chocolate sprinkles
Optional - Fat free natural Fromage Frais (or low fat cream for additional syns)
Method
1. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Remove from the heat once melted and allow to cool a little.
2. Meanwhile, in a large glass bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric beater. They should stand up in stiff but not dry peaks when the blades are lifted.
3. In another large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sweetener and peppermint extract until pale and thick. Fold in the melted chocolate, then fold in the egg whites using a metal spoon.
I was pleasantly surprise with how these turned out. Even though they are slimming world, both my dad and brother really enjoyed them and didn't miss the full fat taste of normal desserts.
If you decide to make this, let me know how it turns out.
Today is a day off work which makes this week an awesome week for me. Here are some highlights from my week.
1. I painted Valentines nails and enjoyed knotted pigtails for myself one evening.
2. This is my new wall paper on my Iphone. I love this quote and I am using it to remind myself of what I want for my body.
3. I wrote a letter to my gran this week - Love the cowboy paper and hope she does too!
4. This week involved more studying.....which by the way is set to continue for the next eight months
5. My new Iphone cover - how cute is this little thing!
How has your week been?
Life is busy, no matter who you are or what phase of life you find yourself in. When you have a dream that you want to follow, it can be really difficult to find the time that you need to dedicate to that dream when you have work, chores, to-do lists and life going on.
This is where I found myself....needing to do well in my course so that I can follow my dream, but working 10 hour days and being responsible for running a household means that by evening time I am exhausted. Trying to study that late at night was not working out so well for me so I knew that changes needed to be made.
The only change that I could figure out was to shift my study sessions from evening to morning. Leaving for work at seven in the morning means that in order to get a decent amount of study time in before, I need to get up at five. I have been doing this for a week now and so far so good.
If this is something that you are considering then take a look at my Top 5 tips.
1. Make a decision the night before that no matter what you are getting up early - When your in two minds about getting up so early, chances are the warm, cozy bed will win out against the early morning rise.
2. Have a plan - There is nothing worse than waking up early only to find yourself wasting that time. Have a plan in mind as to what you want to achieve during that extra time.
3. Go to bed earlier - I am an eight hours of sleep a night girl. If I have less than that the following day is normally a bad day for me. I make poor food choices, I find myself grumpy and by the time evening rolls around I waste that time in front of the television as I just don't have the energy to do anything else.
4. Don't hit the snooze button - This is the single biggest action that kills my early morning intentions. I constantly have to remind myself that the snooze button doesn't give my body or mind any more rest - it just wastes time.
5. Prepare the night before - If your getting up for something specific, then make sure that the routine morning chores are done the night before. You don't want to wake up early only to find yourself spending that time make the days lunches, washing the floors or doing a quick tidy up when your early morning intention was to achieve something completely different.
If you are an early morning riser - what tips do you use?
You can only become truly accomplished at something you love.
Don't make money your goal.
Instead, pursue the things you love doing,
and then do them so well that people can't take their eyes off of you.
( Maya Angelou )
Wow, February is here already. How was your January?
Before I have a look back at my January intentions and then set my February ones, I wanted to take a moment to quickly recap my overall 2013 priorities and goals.
These are the five priorities I set for this year:
- Take care of myself emotionally & physically - including focusing on living my personal boundaries
- Focus my energy on doing well at Uni and at work
- Nourish and my relationships with friends & family
- Be open to opportunity and possibility
- Have more fun, try new things and be happy in who I am
REVIEW : : January intentions.
- Spend time in God's word each day - I didn't do this every day, but I have done it more than I did previously and that my friends is progress.
- Blog twice a week - Completed.
- Create a study planner and include some rest time - Study planner has been updated and I have found that what works best for me is a study planner done only a week at a time. That way I ensure that I am up to date and if things do fall behind, then I won't feel the added pressure of having do redo my planner. I didn't do that well on the rest front though - I will need to build that into my routine a little bit better.
- Maintain focus on my health journey - 8 lbs lost in January! A job well done indeed.
- Find a new job - My intention stated that I knew I wouldn't be working at my new job by the end of the month but that my intention was to at least have started applying for new roles and I am pleased to say that I have.
SET : : February intentions.
- Spend time with friends - Spending time with friends is one of the ways in which I am hoping to help reduce my current stress levels.
- Write a letter to Granny - Maintaining relationships is not easy, especially when the other person is halfway across the world. But, this relationship is so important to me and so I will do my best to keep it meaningful.
- Submit TMA01 and continue to stick to my weekly planned study sessions - Getting good grades for my first assignment is very important so a lot of focus is going onto it. While I am doing that I also plan to stick to my sessions so I don't fall behind.
- Maintain focus on my health journey - I plan to ensure that no matter what happens this month that I will be going to each and every weigh in. I also want to remember the importance of celebrating success along the way.
- Find a new job - If it turns out that the jobs I have applied for don't come through, then I intend to keep trying. If it turns out that I am successful, then I will do my very best to get it.
CELEBRATE : : I'm looking forward to...
- Time spent with friends - I have a few visits with friends booked I am so looking forward to these days.
- Me Time - Me time at the hairdressers this month. It has been too long since I had a trim.
What are your attentions for this month?
Currently…
Obsessing over: The three episodes of Flash Point that I have not yet sat down to watch.
Working on: My very first assignment for my Cognitive Psychology course.
Thinking about: The fact that the week ahead is only a four day working week!
Anticipating: The snow fall that we are predicted to have this week.
Listening to: Glee
Drinking: Nothing at the moment but I have had several cups of tea this morning already.
Wishing: I had already chopped up the butternut squash. Love eating it, hate preparing it.
This week has been a really tough one, although describing it as tough feels somewhat like an understatement if I'm honest. There has been many times when I have felt like things were too heavy even to pray. I didn't have the words. I didn't have the strength. I didn't feel able. But it's Friday and I am going to look back on this week and see what positives where in it.
1. Mom and I had a girls even - face mask, manicure and a facial.
2. This gorgeous couch was in the window of a local charity shop - just gorgeous!
3. My first ever Lush bath bomb - well worth the £3.20 I spent on it.
4. A beautiful piece of art with a great quote.
5. A reminder that God is aware of my struggles - even if they are plentiful.
How was your week? Better than mine I hope.
1. I love it when a magazine recipe turns out fabulous.
2. Seriously, how much packaging do you need for a very small bottle?
3. I lost 0.5 lbs this week. Not my best week but a loss still the same.
4. I found a photo of a younger me at my parents place this week - so cute even if I do say so myself.
5. Another letter from granny - made it from South Africa to the UK in 3 days flat! Amazing!
How has your week been?
