tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48714971164693859582024-02-22T00:58:25.912+10:30Our Life to LiveAlannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13833804167803430480noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4871497116469385958.post-81098302525324255522016-09-29T18:45:00.000+09:302016-09-29T18:47:16.776+09:30Invisible Illness WeekHi everyone,<br />
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September 26 - October 2 is Invisible Illness Week. And I'm a little late to the party but I wanted to share a little bit about my personal battle with an invisible, chronic illness.<br />
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<b>The illness I live with is:</b><br />
Rheumatoid Arthritis<br />
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<b>I was diagnosed with it in:</b><br />
June 2006. I was halfway through Year 12.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>The biggest adjustment I've had to make is:</b><br />
<b> </b>Learning to live with pain, but not let it control what I chose to do.<br />
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<b>Most people assume:</b><br />
That I'm too young for arthritis.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>The hardest part about mornings are:</b><br />
Waking up with something different hurting. And then getting out of bed and stumbling to the shower.<br />
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<b>My favourite medical TV show is:</b><br />
Grey's Anatomy. 13th season and still going... I kind of got to the point where I just have to keep watching it now.<br />
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<b>A gadget I couldn't live without:</b><br />
Laptop. Essential for my study. I can't handwrite for long, but I can type for hours (usually).<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>The hardest part about nights are:</b><br />
Trying to wind down and shut off my mind.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Medications I take:</b><br />
Plaquenil, twice a day. Adalimumab (humira) injections once a fortnight. Variety of supplements. Pain medications<b> - </b>anything from over the counter to opioids. I generally have a fairly well stocked personal pharmacy in my handbag at all times.<br />
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<b>Regarding alternative treatments I:</b><br />
Am relatively open minded. As long as it doesn't include the word "cure". I have an autoimmune condition. You can't cure it. I'm currently interested in how diet can influence autoimmune conditions by way of the gut and am researching <i>The Autoimmune Protocol. </i>I intend to do another post about this shortly as I know it will raise a lot of questions if/when I decide to commence the elimination phase.<br />
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<b>If I had to choose between an invisible illness and a visible I would choose:</b><br />
Visible. But my answer may chance depending on the day. It just seems that would eliminate the feeling of needing to justify and explain yourself all the time.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Regarding working and career:</b><br />
I'm lucky enough that I am well enough to perform my chosen career. I'm a nurse, and a midwife, and an ongoing student (currently undertaking a Graduate Certificate and a Masters). My decision to work in a day surgery unit (although I do love it!) was initially bought on by my knowledge I would not be able to handle a heavy medical ward. I have a strong focus for education and aim to teach at a tertiary level one day. Again, this has been influenced by the knowledge that I won't be able to work clinically forever. I also don't work full time. Shift work is tedious enough, but throw in an autoimmune condition and it really can cause havoc.<br />
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<b>The hardest thing to accept is:</b><br />
Hmm, this is a tough one. One thing that does spring to mind though is that I have been told my numerous orthopaedic doctors that I need shoulder replacements. But I am too young. So I just have to deal with it until I hit some magic age where they will do it.<br />
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<b>Something that I never thought I could do with my illness that I did was:</b><br />
In general: travel.<br />
More specifically: climb Mt Kosciuscko, in well under the estimated time frame.<br />
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That may have sprung to mind so quickly because I've been looking at photos from our trip in 2014.<br />
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<b>Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is:</b><br />
Exercising without fear. When I was diagnosed, I was doing and coaching gymnastics as well as playing water polo. I was never a huge sports fanatic but I did move. Immediately after I was diagnosed, the fear was put into me by a less than amazing rheumatologist and I basically stopped everything. Down the track, I realised how important exercising and staying moving actually is but it is hard to start back up again when you've stopped. I walk, I swim sometimes, do body weight exercises, yoga, pilates etc. But nothing too intense. We hike up hills sometimes but I am always cautious and worried that every bit of pain might be joint related and cause me grief later, when actually, it's probably just good old muscle pain.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>It was really hard to have to give up:</b><br />
At the time, coaching gymnastics. I absolutely loved coaching and teaching the little ones especially. And the friendships I'd made while coaching the teens/young adults have faded over the years (as they likely would have anyway - that happens!). But when it became near impossible for me to even do a tuck jump or a forward roll, I knew I'd reached my limit, so I let it go.<br />
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<b>My illness has taught me:</b><br />
To be patient. And not take anything for granted.<br />
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<b>One thing people say that gets under my skin is:</b><br />
Do you take glucosamine?<br />
<b> </b><br />
I understand people are trying to be helpful and that rheumatoid arthritis is not a condition everyone knows about. People hear the word "arthritis" and relate it to what their grandmother has, or what they get in their little finger sometimes. Glucosamine is used as a supplement in people with osteoarthritis to help build joint cartilage. Osteoarthritis is a condition where there is a deficit in cartilage, so this helps. RA is an autoimmune condition. My immune system attacks my joint cartilage. Glucosamine would help develop more cartilage, which my immune system would then react to and attack. Thereby causing a "flare". Fish oil and turmeric on the other hand, are beneficial supplements and I do take those.<br />
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<b>But I love it when people:</b><br />
Understand. Or even just try to understand. Coffee instead of a walk because I can't handle it on the day. A sympathetic text after I called in sick for a shift. Those kind of things.<br />
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<b>Best piece of advice for someone newly diagnosed:</b><br />
Take your medications. For sure, research alternative therapies. But take your meds in the meantime. You can always wean off them if the alternative therapies are helping. I was diagnosed when I was 17 and after an extreme allergic reaction to my first medication, and a bout of weight loss and decreased appetite with my second, I became a little rebellious. And I assure you, that is what has caused such bad damage to my joints, especially my shoulders.<br />
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Thanks for taking the time to read this. If anyone has any questions or topics they would like more info on, please feel free to let me know by leaving a comment. <br />
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<b> </b>Alannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13833804167803430480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4871497116469385958.post-54316745084641627942016-09-17T15:02:00.000+09:302016-09-17T15:02:08.495+09:30100 Days Project (Days 16-23)Almost a quarter of the way there! This week, I pulled out the Blae and Ivy collection from July 2011. Just like the last collection, I have a fair bit left but I was starting to get a bit "over it".<br />
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I teamed this collection with Bluebell, Moss and Smoke coloured Kaiser cardstock. And a touch of Kaiser cream lace on a couple. The background stamp used on the birthday card is by My Sentiments Exactly (word blocks) and the sympathy stamp is from Hero Arts (remember).<br />
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Thanks for stopping by!Alannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13833804167803430480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4871497116469385958.post-67392500781396977842016-09-09T10:02:00.000+09:302016-09-09T10:02:10.622+09:30100 Days Project (Days 9-15)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello all!<br />
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The next collection I decided to play with was inspired by the fact it was Father's Day last weekend and I needed a couple of cards! I chose Velvet Ensemble which was from 5 years ago... May/June 2011 I believe. I have SO MUCH of this collection left. I've made seven cards and decided to move on to another collection but I will definitely be revisiting it before it goes in the donate/bin pile. Other than the Father's Day ones, these are all sentiment free. They'll likely become male birthday cards when I need them.<br />
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Again, I've just used the collection and some Kaisercraft cardstock (licorice, burgundy and duck egg I believe). I wasn't a fan of the Duck Egg so I only made one with that. I'm trying to use up some of my colours, I tend to stick to very neutral cardstock when I am making cards. The sentiment stamp was the Kaisercraft Mini Stamp: Occasions. <br />
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Thanks for stopping by!Alannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13833804167803430480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4871497116469385958.post-17121034800858351292016-09-06T11:57:00.000+09:302016-09-06T12:01:32.237+09:30100 Days Project (Days 1-8)Hello everyone!<br />
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As I said in <a href="http://itisourlifetolive.blogspot.com.au/2016/08/long-time.html" target="_blank">my last post</a>, I am undertaking the 100 Days Project this year. You can see my daily updates on the website <a href="http://100daysproject.co.nz/projects/100-days-2016/alanna-654" target="_blank">here</a>, but I will warn you I'm not uploading every day. In the matter of being truthful, I'm not necessarily creating one every day either. But I will have 100 at the end. I play catch up on my days off if I've missed one or two during the week.<br />
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A little while back, I decided to put all my "older" Kaiser collections in a separate organiser to the rest. The way I divided them was basically, 6" paper pads were old, 6.5" paper pads were newer. The idea of that box was that I would use it up in the first instance before moving onto newer things. I cut all the 12" paper down to 6" squares, put all the co-ordinating embellishments etc in zip lock bags, and stored them away.<br />
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And have barely touched it since.<br />
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So that is one of the outcomes I hope to achieve from this challenge. I want to use up my stash, and build up my card stash. The aim is to make as many cards as I can from each collection, or until I lose motivation for that collection, before I move onto the next. Then, the remainder will either be binned (tiny scraps) or donated. I have a couple of friends with toddlers, and another who works in a kindy, so I intend to share the love.<br />
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The first collection I dived into was Kaisercraft's Candy Lane collection. This collection was released in October 2012. This range shouts "birthday" and "girl" so I stuck fairly closely to that theme. I have the occasional card with no sentiment yet, and I have done that so they are more versatile for when I need them (as I explained in my previous post).<br />
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I'm not spending much time worrying about the photo quality of these cards. For now, it's just about snapping a pic and uploading it. Most are taken with my phone. I try and wait until the sun is shinning so they are a bit better. If I decided to upload these cards to my facebook page for sale, I will take better photos at that time.<br />
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I'm also not going to bother much about explaining the products used etc as they are likely all ancient! Primarily though, these cards will just be the relevant collection, coordinating Kaisercraft cardstock, minimal embellishments and a sentiment stamp. Feel free to leave a comment if you want to know the exact details of anything.<br />
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Thanks for stopping by!Alannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13833804167803430480noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4871497116469385958.post-84986807212989037382016-08-24T18:59:00.001+09:302016-09-06T12:01:21.297+09:30Long Time...Well hello there blogging world! It's been a while... I could list the excuses but I won't bore you, I'm just going to jump straight back into sharing my creations.<br />
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A couple of weeks ago, I heard of this project called the <a href="http://100daysproject.co.nz/" target="_blank">100 Days Project</a>. The whole aim is to pick one creative thing, and do it for 100 days straight. Between work, study and life, I haven't had much chance to get creative lately (there's those excuses!) and I've been feeling like the only time I step into my craft space is to make a quick card as we're rushing out the door to a birthday, wedding etc etc.<br />
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I also have a ridiculous amount of stash built up and I'm determined to clear it out. I have a large CTMH organiser taking up a whole cube in my expedit and it's full of "old" paper pads. I think I listed them all about two years ago and said I'd aim to make as many cards as I could from them, and then either ditch or donate the leftovers if they were worth it. In fact, I think I've promised them to a friend who runs a kindergarten.<br />
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My 100 Days Project is to make a card each day for 100 days. It starts today (August 24th) and goes through to December 1st. I'm planning on using the first 60 or so days to use up my stash, and then the last month I'll dedicate it to making Christmas cards so I'm not making last minute ones on Christmas Eve (or not giving cards at all - last year's problem!). You can <a href="http://100daysproject.co.nz/projects/100-days-2016/alanna-654" target="_blank">follow along with my progress</a> each day (hopefully!) on the website, and then I will aim to update my blog once a week with a montage.<br />
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Most of my cards will be sentiment free as that was another idea I had. I seem to have a huge stash of "thinking of you" cards but no "birthday" cards. And if it wasn't for the sentiment, the card would be perfect for either occasion. So I've decided to build up my stash with sentiment free cards, and just leave a piece of paper to stamp a sentiment on at the last minute when the card is needed.<br />
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To get you started, and to prove I still know how to create, here's today's card...<br />
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<i>Materials Used: Kaisercraft Candy Lane Collection: 6" Paper Pad and chipboard embellishments; Kaisercraft Cardstock (Bubblegum), rectangle card base, black sharpie.</i><br />
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I've also been getting back into the pocket page scrapbooking. It's a bit sad really, but I haven't documented any of the last 2 years - our engagement, wedding, new house, honeymoon, married life etc etc. My last page is April 2014. I guess when we got engaged in June 2014, the wedding planning and house hunting took over and the crafting fell to the wayside. But I am trying to get back into it and thought I'd start with our honeymoon to Hawaii in August 2015.<br />
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I've set myself a bit of a plan and am slowly working through it. I ummed and ahhed for a while about what size to do (6" x 8", 6" x 12", 12" x 12"...). I decided the 6x8 seemed too small, especially for memorabilia, and the 6x12 seemed to inaccessible here in Australia. So I've gone with a 12x12. For now, I think I'm going to stick them in the back of the (not yet made) engagement and wedding album, but one day, I might move them to a travel album. Who cares really, as long as it's done and documented somewhere!<br />
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I've sorted through all the memorabilia and now I'm in the process of planning out the albums in a rough sense. I want to get an idea of which photos I'll print at 4x6 and 3x4, and if I'm going to crop any smaller or make collages etc. So that's where I'm at now.<br />
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I've also begun learning how to use my fuse tool and am having fun making little pockets for pamphlets etc with that.<br />
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And I'm being such a risk taker, cutting up memorabilia to fit into various pocket pages...<br />
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So that's where I'm at right now with my crafting. As I said before, I'll try and check in each week and update you on my 100 Days Project, and I look forward to sharing a bit more of my Hawaii album when I start getting photos in there.<br />
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<br />Alannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13833804167803430480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4871497116469385958.post-57936536035413104722015-07-20T12:18:00.001+09:302016-09-06T12:00:56.422+09:30Currently 20.07.15<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">TIME</span>:</b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">12</span>:<span style="font-family: inherit;">14p</span>m</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">PLACE</span>:</b> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">our couch, under a blanket</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">FEELING</span>:</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">sick</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">WEARING<span style="font-family: inherit;">: </span></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">pyjamas</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">HATING</span></span>:</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> sick days!</span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<b>READING:</b> quite a bit... spent all weekend curled up on the couch. Just finished <i>Still at Birth</i> by Caroline Sugden and highly recommend it to all my midwife friends (not the pregnant ones though!)<br />
<b>DRINKING:</b> honey and lemon tea<br />
<b>EATING:</b> soup mostly<br />
<b>LISTENING TO:</b> pandora<br />
<b>PLANNING:</b> wedding thank you cards<br />
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<b>LOOKING FORWARD TO: </b>Hawaii! 19 days to go!<br />
<b>ENJOYING: </b>looking at our professional wedding photos - just got them back last week<br />
<br />
<b>MAIN GOAL: </b>to get better before tomorrow's shift!<br />
<br />
What are you currently doing?Alannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13833804167803430480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4871497116469385958.post-25513868098209953892015-07-10T06:00:00.000+09:302016-09-06T12:00:50.197+09:30Apple and Rhubarb Crumble<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm not going to lie, I've always been a bit of a fan of apple crumble. Especially the crumble part! I'm still working on various ways to make the crumble, but I made this one recently and I was quite happy with how it turned out. <br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>3 apples - I use the green ones if I have them</li>
<li>4 stalks rhubarb</li>
<li>1 teaspoon cinnamon</li>
<li> 100g butter, diced but kept chilled</li>
<li>1/2 cup GF plain flour</li>
<li>1/2 cup almond meal</li>
<li>1/2 cup brown sugar</li>
</ul>
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<b>Method:</b><br />
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1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celcius.<br />
2. Roughly chop the apples and rhubarb. I don't peel the apples, but you can if you like. You can also do the apples in slices if you prefer. I like the messy look!<br />
3. Place in baking dish and sprinkle with cinnamon. <br />
4. Place chilled butter in a bowl, and rub together with the flour and almond meal. This can take a bit of work but it's worth it in the end. I add the brown sugar last and then just rub it together a bit more.<br />
5. Sprinkle crumble over apples and rhubarb.<br />
6. Bake uncovered in over for 15-20 minutes or until crumble appears crunchy and apples are soft.<br />
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<br />Alannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13833804167803430480noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4871497116469385958.post-68008785443361712432015-07-01T17:10:00.000+09:302016-09-06T12:00:41.665+09:30Wordless Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Alannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13833804167803430480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4871497116469385958.post-12436118968711160612015-06-30T09:16:00.000+09:302016-09-06T12:00:32.384+09:30Currently 30.06.15<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">TIME</span>:</b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">08:58am</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">PLACE</span>:</b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">our dining room tab<span style="font-family: inherit;">le</span></span></span></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">FEELING</span>:</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">a b<span style="font-family: inherit;">it sleepy and needing this coffee!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">WEARING<span style="font-family: inherit;">: </span></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">pyjamas and a warm jumper</span></span></span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">LOVING</span>: </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">quiet mornings at home alone before<span style="font-family: inherit;"> a la<span style="font-family: inherit;">te shift</span></span></span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<b>READING:</b> not much unfortunately, but I did borrow a bunch from the library so will hopefully find time to pick one up soon!<br />
<b>DRINKING:</b> the aforementioned coffee ;)<br />
<b>EATING:</b> apple and rhubarb crumble, made last night<br />
<b>LISTENING TO:</b> the heater<br />
<b>PLANNING:</b> our honeymoon!<br />
<b>BUYING: </b>my first nutrimetics order - I just signed up as a consultant <br />
<b>LOOKING FORWARD TO: </b>our honeymoon!! ;)<br />
<b>CREATING: </b>also not much, but am settling in to my new space (post to come!) <br />
<b>NEEDING TO FINISH: </b>my work appraisal<br />
<b>MAIN GOAL: </b>booking a holiday and getting back into the craft space!<br />
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What are you currently doing?<br />
<br />Alannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13833804167803430480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4871497116469385958.post-78485555327830791542015-06-26T06:00:00.000+09:302016-09-06T12:00:24.245+09:30Gluten Free Brownies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjdR5Bu-nMZjSwCDt0e6eeKyu8RN0DkDXap5rzeUSt0_SNkaqpRDQtCqJ0TPp_8KevFfJA8BFTjrMtnk5C1dChJ2Ee7aDQr4Bfsf_LR3yXl37DnXw5_n33FfGW2t-sNZAZZID1jmXVVWO/s1600/IMG_94542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRjdR5Bu-nMZjSwCDt0e6eeKyu8RN0DkDXap5rzeUSt0_SNkaqpRDQtCqJ0TPp_8KevFfJA8BFTjrMtnk5C1dChJ2Ee7aDQr4Bfsf_LR3yXl37DnXw5_n33FfGW2t-sNZAZZID1jmXVVWO/s320/IMG_94542.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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I have recently decided to avoid gluten in my diet to see if it helps alleviate some autoimmune and inflammatory problems I have. I've always enjoyed baking, and am really liking discovering new recipes to bake so I can still get my dose of "treats". These particular brownies, I've made a couple of times now. The recipe is so simple and I've been experimenting with combinations. This week - raspberry and white chocolate.<br />
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The base of this recipe is gluten and dairy free so perfect for those with intolerances. This recipe is a bit of an adaptation from <a href="http://ditchthewheat.com/indulge/" target="_blank">Carol Lovett's book </a><i><a href="http://ditchthewheat.com/indulge/" target="_blank">Indulge</a>.</i><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>4 eggs</li>
<li>2 teaspoons vanilla extract</li>
<li>Approx 75ml coconut oil (1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon)</li>
<li>1 cup cacao/cocoa powder</li>
<li>1/2 - 1 cup of coconut sugar (more or less depending on how sweet you like it) </li>
<li>Pinch of salt</li>
<li>Approx 1 - 1 1/2 cups of additional ingredients: ie. choc chips, nuts, berries</li>
</ul>
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<b>Method:</b><br />
<br />
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celcius. <br />
2. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla extract and coconut oil together.<br />
3. In a large bowl, mix cacao powder, coconut sugar and salt. <br />
<ul>
</ul>
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4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients slowly, while stirring to combine.<br />
5. Once combined and smooth, add in any additional ingredients you like.<br />
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6. Pour into lined slice tin (mine is 11" x 7").<br />
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes - the brownies will still be soft and bouncy in the middle with a bit of a jiggle but they'll continue to set in the coming hours.<br />
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8. Let cool for 5 hours (or overnight if you can!) or place in the fridge to speed up the process before cutting into pieces. I cut mine into about 20 pieces. <br />
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Enjoy! I would love to hear what your favourite brownie combinations are in the comments below.<br />
<br />Alannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13833804167803430480noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4871497116469385958.post-26299839923747519552015-06-24T11:35:00.002+09:302015-06-24T14:40:43.538+09:30New Start<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hello everyone! <span style="font-family: inherit;">I imagine some of you have followed me over from <a href="http://scrapping-and-life.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">my previous blog</a> and hopefully <span style="font-family: inherit;">there a<span style="font-family: inherit;">re some new <span style="font-family: inherit;">f</span>aces as well. As you may have noticed, I've falled a bit off the blogger wagon the last ye<span style="font-family: inherit;">ar or so<span style="font-family: inherit;">, with my last post being May 2014. <span style="font-family: inherit;">A lot <span style="font-family: inherit;">has cha<span style="font-family: inherit;">nged since then, and for those who have stayed in touched on f<span style="font-family: inherit;">acebook, or <span style="font-family: inherit;">on my business page, you'll know the story.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My<span style="font-family: inherit;"> now husband prop<span style="font-family: inherit;">osed in<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Ju<span style="font-family: inherit;">ne 2014 after almost six year<span style="font-family: inherit;">s tog<span style="font-family: inherit;">ether. It was a cold wintery nigh<span style="font-family: inherit;">t, but that didn't stop us enjoying a private yacht <span style="font-family: inherit;">trip around Sydney Harbour and him getting down on one knee.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<br />
We set the date for early 2015 and got to planning the wedding, as well as an engagement party with our family and friends. <br />
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Life started to get a little bit busy, as you can likely imagine. I
was finishing off my final year of my midwifery degree and trying to
plan a wedding in less than 10 months. For those who know me, you'd know
I'm a little bit of an independent sort and not one to ask for help -
I'd much rather do things myself. I enjoyed every minute of our wedding
planning and we had everything we wanted for our day. In January, we
finally organised an engagement photoshoot with our wedding
photographer...<br />
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Somewhere in between the weddding planning, work and study (not to
mention life in general) we found a house. After spending numerous
weekends scouring the real estate guides and websites, and traipsing
around the majority of North Eastern suburbs, we settled on what we
think is a great first home. We moved in a week after I started my new
job as a midwife in one of the main maternity hospitals here.<br />
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And then, on April 11 2015, the wedding day arrived. The weather was perfect, and the whole day was a dream. Everything went to plan, and we had the best day of our lives.<br />
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So that's how our lives have changed in the last year. We've now been married for 2.5 months and we're settling into our newlywed lives quite nicely. We're honeymooning in August when I have some time off from work so we're looking forward to a well deserved getaway.<br />
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With all the life changes, and my absence from the blogging world, I thought it a good time to start afresh with a new blog and a new focus. There will always be a strong focus on my crafts (card making, off the page and Project Life) but I will also incorporate our every day lives into this blog and share recipes, home ideas etc as well. It'll be a mixed bag but I'm looking forward to it.<br />
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I've also had a bit of a break from my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Penguin-Parade/188454534551140" target="_blank">handmade business</a> and the market scene but intend to pick that back up again this year and will no doubt share that here as well.Alannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13833804167803430480noreply@blogger.com0