htlcy

Old El Paso Tacos*

February 6, 2015February 13, 2015 htlcy3 Comments

Hi there! Today I have another recipe/food review for you all. Another lovely thing from the Hull Bloggers meet was the Old El Paso meal kits. I LOVE the fajita one, and find myself eating it maybe once a week. It’s a really easy meal, and I find it’s fairly balanced, having lean protein, fresh salad and vegetables and a helping of carbohydrates in one quick, easy meal. I usually skip sour cream, too, but if I am feeling like something creamy on my fajitas I’ll opt for low fat natural/greek style yogurt.

These tacos offered something a little bit different. I received the spice sachet from the meet, but bought the taco shells from a supermarket. As expected they were really easy to make, and my boyfriend and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

The packet called for 500g of minced beef to serve 3-4, so because there’s only two of us we opted to use 250g and add a good handful of roughly chopped mushrooms and half a chopped red pepper. We also prepared plenty of chopped spring onions, cherry tomatoes and grated mature cheddar to top the tacos with.

All we had to do was to brown off the minced beef in a fairly hot (but not smoking) frying pan, along with the chopped peppers and mushrooms. You then add the entire sachet of the spicy beef taco seasoning, stirring to combine the seasoning with all the ingredients.

When nicely browned, add 100ml of water and turn down the heat. Allow to simmer and reduce to a thick, rich filling.

And that’s it! All we had to do was assemble our tacos. We had three each, and found this more than enough. We used crisp green lettuce, taco filling, grated cheese and finally sprinkled a liberal helping of fresh tomatoes and spring onions on top.

These were really lovely; spicy, but not overwhelmingly so by any measure. Just enough heat but with a full-flavoured, mexican style spice. I would repurchase, and think they’d make a great meal to gather everyone together around a dinner table. Perfect for sharing with your friends!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this review, and let me know what you think of them if you get to try them!

Happy cooking,

Heather

Degusta box goodies*

February 2, 2015February 13, 2015 htlcyLeave a comment

As some of you may have been reading, December was a really exciting month as I had the opportunity to attend a bloggers meet in Hull. As I’m fairly new to the world of blogging it was a really amazing opportunity to meet with other bloggers, make friends, and explore new blogs. I did extremely well in the raffle, coming away with some gorgeous the Balm goodies, Ohh Deer notebooks AND a big box of Degusta goodies. It’s been a long time coming, but today I’m going to share my thoughts on some of the treats that turned up inside the December box!

Firstly, I’ll discuss the Kettle chips. I love Kettle chips; they’re always a favourite treat of mine and have some truly irresistable flavours. These were no exception! I received the Salsa & Mesquite flavour, which was a smoky, tomato flavour. They were deliciously crunchy and were enjoyed by my family around the Christmas tree!

Next up are the Lindt Lindor My Melting Moment chocolates. Anyone who knows me will know just how much I love chocolate. It’s definitely one of my favourite things and I often find it hard to resist! Lindt chocolate is particularly delicious, and since I love the melting middle chocolates, I was pretty certain I’d enjoy these! As expected they were extremely delicious, with a smooth, melting middle encased in thick Lindt milk chocolate. Really superb. Plus, the snowflake design made them a really special Christmas treat.

As a student I find fajitas to be a great way to have a really balanced meal (as long as you go easy on the sour cream or skip it altogether!) so when I found the fajita Stir In Flavour Shots in the box I was really excited to use them. Usually I use Old El Paso’s fajita mix, which I also received on the day. As you can imagine there’s been lots of fajita meals since, and I’m certainly not complaining! Unlike the Old El Paso Mix, the flavour shots are liquid. They are fairly thick, but they melt in the pan amongst the meat and vegetables. There are four in a packet, and you use one per meal (which serves 2-4 people). Overall I was really impressed with these. If you like Old El Paso’s, you’ll probably enjoy these as they have a similar, smoky flavour. I have yet to try the Old El Paso Spicy Taco Mix, but the Potato Wedges Seasoning was a big hit and I’d definitely repurchase it. You simply sprinkle it over your potato wedges and give them a good mix. Then you simply pop them in the oven! A really easy yet different way to use potatoes. These went well with the fajitas!

Here is one of the beverages in the box; the Montano Cider. I’m a fan of ciders in general, and I usually prefer mine on the dry side. Luckily, this cider was somewhere in the middle of sweet and dry, and was extremely fruity. I throughly enjoyed it. With a golden colour and light sparkle, it was an extremely refreshing drink and I wouldn’t hesistate to repurchase it. My whole family enjoyed it!

I’m not usually a huge fan of pickles and chutneys, but Branston’s Mediterranean chutney was a little different. With a rich, sweet, tomato taste, I found this went well on burgers. I tried it on a chicken burger in place of ketchup, and it was really very lovely. The texture isn’t what I’d consider chunky, but it definitely isn’t smooth. I think it would be good on a cheese toastie. I’m not sure I’d repurchase this, but as I say chutneys aren’t really to my taste. Worth a try if you’re into this kind of thing, though.

Lastly we have the Cool Dawn recovery drink. I received two cans of this and they’re recommended for a hangover. Unfortunately I don’t really drink an awful lot, so I can’t say much about the hangover-reducing effects. The drink contains a mixture of herbs and juices, but do not contain any stimulants like caffeine. They have quite an unusual, almost medicinal taste, but they’re certainly not unpleasant, and they’re not sparkling; they’re a completely still drink. They are quite refreshing, and they’re a really interesting addition to any drinks cupboard. Not sure if I’d repurchase, but I did enjoy trying them out!

These are all the products I’ve tried out so far, and it’s been a really interesting experience! I LOVE the idea of Degusta boxes; you get so much in one box and it’s great to try out new things from brands you love and brands you’ve perhaps never heard of before. I’d definitely think about subscribing to the box. It’s a great way to try things you perhaps might not do usually, and I can imagine it being a really exciting day when your big box arrives! Many thanks for reading and I hope Monday has treated you well.

All the best,

Heather

A Quick Update

January 25, 2015 htlcyLeave a comment

As I write this it’s nearly 23.45 on a Sunday night, and whilst I’m having a break from essay writing I’d thought I’d provide a brief update. The past few weeks have been really, really hectic. I’m in my final year of undergraduate study at university, and though I do not think the work has necessarily become harder, I feel that there’s far more of it, resulting in later nights and earlier mornings. By the end of the next week I’ll have written close to 12,000 words, so I can’t wait to have a little break before resuming semester two. Studying with a chronic, long-term condition can be really very stressful, so I can’t wait to have a breather, take some analgesia and hopefully feel like myself again.

There’s LOADS of things I’d like to share on here, too. I’ve been lucky enough to have some great products that have really helped during this time. My dad knows how painful I find essay writing, and so he was kind enough to buy me a RelaxWell Dreamland throw which has become a new favourite of mine! I’ll let you know how I’ve been getting on with it.

I’ve also been slowly (yet surely) ploughing through my box of DeGusta goodies, and I’ll be able to update you on my progress with it. Food is definitely something I look forward to during an intensive assessment period, so it’s always wonderful to have a break, eat some really delicious food, and then have the energy to resume working. It almost makes the work bearable!

It is with regret I must finish this post and resume reading. I hope to update you all really soon, and look after yourselves until then.

Best wishes,

Heather

Banana American pancakes

January 7, 2015January 7, 2015 htlcyLeave a comment

Hi there! It’s so good to be back blogging in 2015! Christmas and New Year was a great time to relax, see friends and family and just generally have an enjoyable time. I hope Christmas was a peaceful and relaxing period for yourself. I got some really lovely, thoughtful gifts, and it was lovely giving something special to those who have done so much for me this past year.

However, now it’s January, it’s back to work and the hustle and bustle of university life! I did say in an earlier post that I adore cooking and I love tweaking new recipes to make something really tasty. So, in light of this, I thought I’d share with you a really easy breakfast recipe to really set your day off to a great start. Something to keep you going until lunchtime…perfect for busy, work-filled days!

To make measuring easy, I use a cup. This isn’t strictly the American cup measurement system, however, if you use the same cup/mug to measure out your ingredients in, it works just the same and it’s far easier than getting your weighing scales out!

Serves 2 (makes 2 good-sized fluffy pancakes each)
You will need:

3/4 cup of self-raising flour
A pinch of salt
A pinch of baking powder
Half a teaspoon of white granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of melted butter, cooled
Just over 1/2 cup of milk (whichever you like: I used whole milk)
1 large egg, beaten
Splash of vanilla extract (if you can get hold of some)
Butter and a splash of vegetable oil, for frying
1 banana, sliced (optional)
Runny honey (optional)
Toasted almonds (optional)
Greek yogurt (optional)

I find it’s far easier to make the batter mix in a jug. You can then pour out the mixture into a saucepan rather than using a ladle or something similar. Put all of the dry ingredients into the jug. Whilst stirring, add your wet ingredients until combined. Try to knock out some of the lumps, but don’t expect your batter to be completely smooth. It’s best not to overwork the batter so that it stays lovely and fluffy whilst cooking. I also cook my pancakes separately so that I don’t overcrowd the pan. I then just pop the pancakes in a low oven to keep warm whilst I’m cooking the rest, so pop the oven on a low heat (50 degrees centigrade or lower will suffice).

When the batter is combined, pour the batter into the buttered pan, on a medium heat. If you add a splash of oil to the butter in the pan, it will prevent the butter burning and becoming dark brown. That’s not the aim here: we want lovely golden pancakes, not burnt ones! I like my American pancakes to be fairly large, but not so big that they won’t fit onto a side plate.

Once you’ve poured the batter into the pan, place slices of the chopped banana (if using) into the wet batter of the top of the pancake. Cook the pancake until the top of the batter (the side you’ve put the banana on) is beginning to bubble. Turn the pancake over when it’s golden brown. The side with the bananas on will only take a couple of minutes (if that) to cook. Place in the oven to warm whilst you cook the rest.

When you have cooked your lovely pancakes, stack onto a plate and top with whatever you fancy! I had honey, toasted flaked almonds and Greek yogurt which I thoroughly recommend. Chocolate spread, peanut butter and other fruits would also make lovely toppings. If you don’t like banana, you can substitute it for a handful of blueberries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries. Delicious!

Let me know how you get on with them. Happy cooking!
Heather

The Importance of Relaxation

December 20, 2014December 20, 2014 htlcyLeave a comment

I have to admit I’ve always been a stressed out, anxious person. It’s in my nature to worry about everything, and sometimes this worry is completely overwhelming and all-consuming. Coupled with chronic pain, my anxiety can spiral out of control. Being in pain almost constantly is physically exhausting, and can really affect you mentally. When I was younger I acted as if my cerebral palsy and Scheuermann’s didn’t exist. I think this was my ‘coping strategy’, but of course I wasn’t really coping with anything at all, I was just denying the existence of my medical conditions. Since moving to university I’ve recognised this, and during the past year or so I decided I needed to really work out a way of coping with the pain and stress that comes along with chronic medical conditions.

I cannot emphasise how extremely important it is to have rest days and to relax your body and mind if you’re dealing with a health condition such as cerebral palsy. Even if you’re not living with a chronic medical condition, you still need to give yourself time out to truly relax and to forget the worries in your life. When I was younger I thought it was perfectly fine to be completely wiped out from exhaustion after a day shopping, or to be in agonising pain after sitting to eat a meal in a restaurant. Yes, it’s normal for me to be in pain, but my body needs time to recuperate and get back to its normal self. There’s a few ways I do this, and I thought it would be a useful thing to share with you all.

Heat therapy is so relaxing. From a bubbly hot bath, to a hot water bottle and my trusty heat pad, heat therapy is soothing and relaxing for my body. I particularly like the homedics range and I own the shiatsu back massager, shiatsu neck massager and hand held massager with interchangable massaging heads. Below is a link to their products through boots: http://www.boots.com/en/Homedics/

I also love the heat packs that you heat in the microwave. I own a particularly cute one in the shape of a cuddly rabbit! These are relatively cheap compared to the homedics range, and can really help on sore days.

Having hot baths with some pamper goodies can really help me out, too. The Body Shop stock some gorgeous products and you can always find lots of voucher and discount codes online if you type in ‘body shop codes’ into your search engine. Using high quality pamper goodies doesn’t always have to break the bank, so stock up if there’s a particularly good offer on. Recently my boyfriend purchased £40 worth of products for £20, which is an absolute bargain!

I also love candles. When I’m needing a rest day, I’ll get some reading together and spend the whole day in bed, taking painkillers as and when I need to. Putting a few candles on can really create a lovely soothing atmosphere. I also love my mooncandles, which are flameless and battery operated. You can change the colours of the ‘candles’ using the remote they come with, and they’re really very pretty. I purchased mine from Tesco. You can also purchase them online. I apologise for the picture, but it’s very difficult to capture just how pretty they are on camera!

Having de-caffeinated drinks is a must when I’m feeling anxious or in a lot of pain. Though I thoroughly enjoy coffee and tea, I find herbal teas are particularly soothing on a stressful, painful day. I love Twinings Camomile and Honey, or the Twinings Peppermint Infusion. I was also introduced to Peanut Hottie at the Hull bloggers meet, and this is becoming a firm favourite. If you’re a fan of peanut butter, I suggest you give it a go!

For my 21st birthday, I was spoilt rotten by all my wonderful family and friends. My boyfriend did make me a desk top zen garden as one of my gifts, and I’ve found it a really lovely way to relax. I wouldn’t say I’m particularly into the concept of zen or Buddhism, but raking the sand whilst stressed is a great way to relax yourself. Plus, it makes for a very unique object and you can create lovely works of ‘art’ in the sand with a mini rake. Zen gardens are available to purchase ready made online, however my boyfriend made this out of a photo frame. He glued the glass into the frame and turned the frame over. All he had to do then was buy the sand and objects to go into the zen garden, and he let me assemble it myself. It’s such a thoughtful gift, and it’s a true pleasure to own it. For secret Santa, my housemate thoughtfully bought me an oil burner with a selection of essential oils. This is such a fantastic gift for me and the essential oils create a soothing atmosphere in my room. Alongside my zen garden, it creates my very own relaxing space, and it’s really great!

Buying a bouquet of flowers or a plant for my room instantly brightens up the place and so makes me feel more relaxed. I loved these gorgeous yellow roses. I arranged them in my marmite tea pot, and I thought they looked really lovely.

I hope I’ve given you some inspiration. Hopefully in no time you’ll have a relaxing place of your very own!

All the best for the rest of the weekend,
Heather

the Balm goodies*

December 15, 2014February 13, 2015 htlcy4 Comments

This is a slight departure from my ‘usual’ posts, but when I went to the Hull Bloggers meet I came away with some really amazing goodies and I’d love to share them with you all. I was truly lucky to win an AMAZING bundle of the Balm cosmetics on our raffle, the proceeds of which went to the fabulous Look Good feel Better charity who you can see here: http://www.lookgoodfeelbetter.co.uk/ .

I’ve been using the Balm products for a little over a week now, and having never owned any of the Balm’s products before I’m completely new to them. I have to admit make up serves a few purposes for me. Of course, I love experimenting with new products and styles, but make up is the one thing that can make or break a day for me, especially if I’m struggling and am in a lot of pain. I often find making myself look good helps me to feel my best, and gives me more confidence to face the day regardless of how my body is feeling. I was absolutely shocked to win this prize, and I have been having a lot of fun trying everything out.

First, I’m going to talk about the two eyeshadow palettes I received. I received Balmsai and the Meet Matt(e) Nude. One thing that really stands out about the Balm’s products is their quirky and unique packaging. It’s something I’ve never seen in any other product range and it really brings a smile to your face whilst getting ready in the morning.

Balmsai is a multi-functional palette, with a mixture of matte and shimmery nude and coloured shades. Each of the shadows are grouped together for ease of use. The mixture of matte and shimmery shades makes for a really versatile palette, and I’ve been finding I’m loving the shimmery shades for the festive season. I haven’t found fault in any of the colours as they’re all highly pigmented and somewhat creamy in consistency, so I don’t have to worry about fall-out all over my cheeks! The addition of the eyeliner and brow stencils means it’s easier to achieve lined eyes and neat eyebrows. This is something that’s quite difficult for me as my hemi hand doesn’t work as well as my other one, so having a stencil enables me to create looks I usually struggle with.

Particular favourites so far are Surfari and Stoked. Theyre perfect for adding a pop of colour into an otherwise natural make up look. As my eyes are greeny/brown, the purple shades seem to complement my eyes really well and I love the sparkle and iridescence in the coloured shades.

Meet Matt(e) Nude is, as you’ve guessed, packed full with gorgeous nude shades that are perfect for an every day look. I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a really good nude palette for ages and I’m so glad I have this as it’s everything I’d hoped it would be (and more!)

I also think some of these shades would be suitable for brushing through eyebrows with an angled brush for a bit of definition. Of course all these shades are matte, and like the Balmsai palette, the shadows are somewhat creamy in consistency so don’t tend to fall out after application. I’ve been using my EcoTools brushes to apply these shades and blend them out with my Nanshy blending brush, also a great product from the Hull Bloggers meet.

Next is the selection of blushers and bronzers. The bronzer is Bahama Mama, and it a matte, deep brown shade. It has no shimmer and is great for contouring.

Next is the blusher Instain, in Houndstooth. This blusher has far more staying power than my usual blushers (Bourjois, Sleek) and is a matte, dark pink. This is great for adding a natural glow to the cheeks and is highly pigmented. I’ve had to be careful whilst applying this as the staying power means you need to make sure you’ve placed it in exactly the right place before blending in.

Hot Mama is a shimmery, peachy/pink blusher with gold undertones. It can be used as both a shadow and a blush and adds a lovely glowy, dewy look to the cheeks.

Below you can see all three side by side. I am particularly enjoying Bahama Mama as a contouring bronzer, and though it looks really dark in the pan, it’s really good even on my fair skin and doesn’t look at all harsh when blended in well.

Next is the Mary-Lou Manizer, which is a gorgeous, super shimmery highlighter. Again, the Balm’s packaging is so cute, and is really well designed.

To compare I’m using my Philosophy Divine Illumination highlighter in light.

The Mary Lou Manizer is far more shimmery than the Philosophy highlighter, and is great for lightly highlighting the top of your cheek bones and the inner corner of your eyes.

Next is the Body Builder What’s Your Type? mascara. The volumizing brush grips every lash. The formula is somewhere in the middle of runny and dry, and so coats every lash in just one coat. It’s great to build volume so you can acheieve either a more natural or more dramatic look depending on your mood.

Schwing is a liquid eyeliner and is great for creating a retro look. The formula is quick drying and very dark, enabling you to create great definition. The liner itself is very thin, and is fairly easy to use.

Finally I’m going to talk to you about the lip products in the bundle. I absolutely love lipstick and lip gloss, so these products were right up my street! The Balm Girls is a cute play on The Bond Girls, and is in the colour Mai Billsbepaid. It is a dark nude colour and very wearable. The bullet of the lipstick is really sleek and pearlescent, and makes the product itself an absolute joy to apply. The lipstick itself is matte in appearance and has great staying power. It stayed on my lips for about 7 hours during the day and only needed the odd touch up.

The lip gloss is the Pretty Smart lipgloss in ZAAP! It has a white shimmer in a hot pink base.

Though initially it seems really bright, it’s actually very wearable and gives a gorgeous sheen to the lips. It isn’t at all sticky, and has a fruity scent that disappears quickly on application. The doe foot applicator ensures even coverage on the lips. It doesn’t last for ages but I don’t expect lipglosses to have much staying power usually. My lips do feel hydrated after use, which is great in this cold weather!

All in all I’m extremely impressed with all the products you’ve seen. As I’ve said above, wearing make up can really enhance my day and I’m so grateful to have some truly wonderful products to use. The Balm has really made my make up bag so much more exciting, and I can’t wait to show you all some looks I’ve created.

I hope you’re having a great Monday!

Heather

The Past Week

December 14, 2014December 14, 2014 htlcyLeave a comment

I just thought I would give you an update from the past week or so as things have been really hectic and it always feels great to write about everything. It’s definitely cathartic discussing things that have been an issue, and so this is probably going to take on a more personal tone.

It’s been a busy yet wonderful 7 days. Exactly a week ago, I found myself in a room packed full of wonderful blogging folk. We ate cakes, sipped tea, got to try out some brilliant new products and had a generally all round fantastic day. It was really fantastic to meet some new people, and though I’d class myself as a born-again newbie blogger, it was nice to feel somewhat integrated into a community of bloggers. I struck it lucky on the raffles and came home laden with goodies and treats; all of which are jotted down into my blogging schedule to appear over the course of the next seven days. I admit I’ve been somewhat hampered; I cannot seem to access my photos from my SD card, yet on my camera itself it is displaying all the pictures I’ve taken. This is really frustrating, as I had some great things to show you on there. Hopefully I’ll be able to work it out soon, or alternatively I’ll just take some more pictures on a different device and hope for the best! Either way, it’ll buy me a bit more time to really get great use out of the products and hopefully I can provide you with a really useful review of the day itself and the products.

Since it’s the run up to Christmas, there’s been some great events on. I’ve had lovely little nights in with friends, cosied up with a bottle of wine and some festive treats, chatting the night away. I’ve also consumed the obligatory festive mince pie and mulled wine, watched a fair few Christmas films snuggled up in bed with only the light of a candle, and everyday I’ve been eagerly opening each little window of my advent calendar with a small piece of chocolate as a reward for my efforts. This is such a wonderful time of the year and I’m really grateful to all the generous people who are sharing it with me.

University work is beginning to pile up, and this is starting to take it’s toll on me both physically and mentally. I thought I was getting over the last ‘bad pain’ phase, but I fear it’s only just beginning. The most frustrating thing about living with chronic pain isn’t necessarily the pain itself, but the things that come along with it. I am so, so tired recently. All I want to do is sleep and this is becoming a real issue for me. When there’s so much to do (volunteering, studying, essay writing) sleeping for 10-12 hours every night takes a massive chunk out of the day. Yes, I could take painkillers, but these make me sleep anyway, and without them there’s a chance I might feel well enough to power through. I am so excited to get home and to try and have as much of a break as possible. Admittedly this won’t be easy considering I have 11000 words worth of essays due in for January, but at least my family can look after me a little bit and take some of the stress away. Cooking is becoming a real chore, and this is really sad. Cooking is a great stress reliever for me, but feeling this exhausted means I don’t always enjoy it as it completely drains me of any energy. However, I’m hoping that over Christmas I’ll be able to get back into the swing of things. In doing so, I’m aiming to start posts including my favourite recipes and food products. I absolutely LOVE food, and I’d love to share any inspiration with you all as I know how tricky it can sometimes be to come up with something exciting and different whilst working/having a busy day. I love quick, easy to prepare meals, as they’re much easier for me to create when I’m having a bad day, so expect some of these in the near future!

This semester has made me realise I need to stop expecting so much from myself. I definitely need a good break and to look after myself a lot more. Sometimes you need things to go a bit haywire to put things into perspective, and I’m definitely looking at things through different eyes.

I hope you’re enjoying the run up to Christmas whatever you may be doing.

Heather

Scheuermann’s Kyphosis: the basics

December 8, 2014December 8, 2014 htlcyLeave a comment

This is going to be a relatively short post as I have work to be doing and I’ve already been avoiding it all day so I need to get back to it as soon as I can! I think I’ve mentioned Scheuermann’s kyphosis briefly before, so I thought it’s probably time to quickly introduce it. When I was thirteen, I was diganosed with Scheuermann’s kyphosis. Scheuermann’s goes by many names, and sometimes it’s simply referred to as Scheuermann’s, sometimes kyphosis (or Scheuermann’s kyphosis) and often people also call it Scheuermann’s disease, but I prefer to avoid this if I can because a ‘disease’ implies that it is contagious, and this not at all the case! So, I’ll refer to it as Scheuermann’s, kyphosis, or if I’m feeling really fancy, I’ll use both words together.

I was told by my doctor that, in really basic terms, Scheuermann’s is where the vertebrae (the bones in my spine) developed differently. As a result, when the bones are ‘stacked’ on top of each other, they form a curvature in my upper spine. If you look at me sideways on, my back looks like an ‘S’. Now, I was always told that it was probably bad luck to have Scheuermann’s because no one actually knows what causes it. All I can tell you for certain is it’s not at all pleasant. It’s extremely painful, as my muscles around my spine (so the clever ones holding you upright) have to work really hard around my curvy spine. So, as they’re working really hard, they can get very painful and ‘angry’ (perhaps I have a similiar reaction to hard work!) and thus I live with chronic back pain.

This year, I found out that spinal curvatures and cerebral palsy are linked, and so I think that my Scheuermann’s is due to having cerebral palsy. I can’t say for certain, but it seems rather likely. As well as pain in the thoracic (upper) part of my spine, my lumbar (lower spine curves inwards to compensate, and my cervical (neck) spine also curves to compensate. So as you can probably gather, I’m dealing with a lot of angry bones and muscles!

There’s no cure for Scheuermann’s, and my curve measures 70 degrees (or at least it did when I last had it measured). To put that into perspective, a healthy thoracic spine should measure between 25 and 40 degrees. So you could say I’m pretty ‘curvy’.

I did use a spinal brace at the age of 14, but I will be sure to blog about that experience separately. It was an experience to say the least. For now I manage my pain with various methods, including heat therapy, acupuncture, analgesia and gentle exercises. I do have ‘good’ days, and I do have ‘bad’ days, but that’s to be expected with a condition like this. Chronic pain is a really complex subject, and I don’t want to write about it here, but it’s something I live with everyday. For a brief glimpse into chronic pain, check out my earlier post here: https://nosuperhero.wordpress.com/2014/11/13/life-can-be-a-pain-sometimes/

So, that’s it! A speedy summary on Scheuermann’s kyphosis. I’m sure it’ll feature again shortly. For now though, I’m going to attempt to get back to my reading. Today Im reading When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro. I haven’t quite finished it yet, but I’m enjoying it!

Until next time,

Heather

One Lovely Blog award

December 6, 2014December 6, 2014 htlcyLeave a comment

Firstly I’d like to say a big thank you to Jenny over at http://curiousaliceloves.wordpress.com for my nomination. Here is my post for the Lovely Blog Award…it’s been a long time coming but I’m glad to be back!

RULES

– You must thank the person who nominated you and include a link to their blog.
– You must list the rules and display the award.
– You must add 7 facts about yourself
– You must nominate 10 other bloggers and let them know they’ve been nominated
– You must display the award logo and be following the blogger who nominated you

7 Facts About Me:

1. I am a twin. My twin brother is called William.
2. Like Jenny, I haven’t taken my driving test. In fact, I haven’t even started driving lessons yet! I’ll have to wait until I have more money.
3. I study English Literature at university so I’m always reading!
4. Sometimes I use a walking stick when I’m having a particularly bad day. It’s taken a long time to get used to and accept, but I know that if it helps, it’s the best thing for me.
5. I have an obsession for the Sims 2. I’d say I’m ashamed, but I’m absolutely not and I don’t regret admitting to it!
6. I HAVE to have a coffee in the morning, otherwise my day doesn’t ‘go’ as well as I’d like to. I’m aware it’s not the best habit, but it’s a difficult one to break!
7. Despite having to have a coffee fix every morning, I’m definitely a tea girl. I love tea! I love green tea especially, however I do have a strange habit of drinking it through a straw. Apparently green tea is the worst beverage for your teeth and can seriously discolour them. So my dentist recommended I drink it through a straw. He told me this about 4 years ago and I haven’t looked back since! Also, my teeth are still white so it must be working.

I’m a born-again blogger using a different site, (I used to be at htlcy.wordpress.com as Ramblings of a Teenage Tea Drinker) but I got very disillusioned with my blogging so I decided to start afresh, with a shiny new page and blog name. I hope you enjoy reading my posts!

Here are my blogger nominees:

Tiff: BeautyAbility
http://beautyability.com/blog/
Carrie Ann: Disability³
http://www.disabilitypride.com
Faithrivada: Great Dame
http://greatdame.wordpress.com
Amy: She Cooks, She Eats

Home Page

The folks at: Scran on the Tyne

Terribly civilised and terribly cool – a morning with Tyneside Bar Café Head Chef Tom Adlam

Hannah: Doodleheart Illustration
http://doodleheartillustration.blogspot.co.uk
Saci and Kinga: Chocolate Fashion Coffee
http://chocolatefashioncoffee.blogspot.com/
Lynette: Lynette Noni
Welcome
Sara: Sara C Roethle
http://saracroethle.com
Jennie: The Book Journal
http://www.thebookjournal.com

Happy nominating and I hope you’re having a lovely weekend!
Heather

Feeling Human Again

December 6, 2014December 6, 2014 htlcyLeave a comment

It’s been an extremely busy few weeks and I’ve really struggled to make time for myself, but I’m glad to say I’ve managed to get through it. I’m in third year at university, and whilst I won’t say that I think the content of my course necessarily gets harder, the workload has definitely increased and so I’m spending more and more time trying to get everything done! I had two essays due in this week, one for the Monday and one for the Thursday, so as you can probably guess, I’ve been doing nothing but staring blankly at my computer screen, so blogging was completely out of the question! However, these essays formed the last two assessed pieces of work for this semester, so I’ll be able to gradually get back into a routine in no time.

There are a few posts I’m looking at publishing over the next week or so, and some are a slight departure of what I’ve written previously. Firstly, I was nominated for a Lovely Blog Award a while back, so I’m going to crack on with getting that sorted, which should be great! I’m also going to be involved in a fantastic opportunity tomorrow (and I’m extremely excited about it) because I’m heading to my first ever bloggers meet! It’s going to be a fantastic day, but it don’t want to give away too much so I’m going to post all about it after having met all the lovely, wonderful people who have made it possible and I’ll share with you what we did over the course of the day. It will be such a fabulous end to a hectic week! You can check out what were all tweeting by using #HullBloggers . There’s also a great blogging opportunity at the minute called the ’30 Day Book Challenge’, and since I study English Literature you can probably gather that I really enjoy reading. I’m going to look at starting this over the next week, too, as I think it’s a really great way to see what other people enjoy reading and it may give you some inspiration. Finally, I’m hoping to share with you my tips and techniques to help with keeping stress at bay, either during assessment time, or particularly stressful periods at work and/or home. Because I have to always take into account my cerebral palsy and my back problem during my studies and everyday life, I can end up in a serious amount of pain during busy, stressful periods, so I need to make sure I have the techniques in place to deal with my stresses and worries (which are further magnified by my pain). With greater stress comes greater pain, so I hope I can shed some light on my own de-stressing techniques which you may (or may not, of course) find useful.

So until then, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and take care of yourselves in this chilly weather!

Heather