I love christmas, I'm a really festive person and love singing tacky christmas music and watching old and new christmas movies, curled up on my couch, usually drinking spiced imperial tea out my giant spotted teapot from whittards.
This year I will do as always, go to church/chapel/cathedral and light a candle in honour of my friend. My good friend, Lorna. We grew up across the road from each other in number 7 & 8 respectively, we went to the corner shop, got a quarter pound of sweets and tab clear, walked to school from there, chatting all the time. I can't remember what, but it was good.
We both moved away from our old area, her to somewhere nice with her mum & dad and me to somewhere less nice with my parents, but we still seen each other on christmas day, every year, come rain, snow or shine. It was a tiny Tradition for us, her christmas presents where always so much better wrapped than mine, I was always SO jealous of this. Every year I seen her though, regardless of if I hadn't spoken a single word to her throughout the year.
Then I found out she died, I can't remember who told me or when it was in the day but I remember being devastated at losing such an amazing person from my life and wondering what I could have done to change it, the answer was nothing, no one could.
I attended her funeral, payed my respects and left, christmas came and I didn't see her but I lit a candle in her honour, always as close to christmas as I can, as was our tradition, i'd do it on christmas day, but I can never find any where open to do it.
Then after years of remembering her with my candle i found out I was pregnant with My daughter, now I don't personally believe in tradition and naming children after people but I knew that if I had a daughter i'd want to again, honour my friend, I went, asked her parents if it was okay and when my daughter was born She became Rachel Lorna Murray.
Rachel grew up and wondered why her middle name was as it is, i explained and then one day she wanted to go visit Lornas parents, they gave her pictures of Lorna and we left, Rachel put them on her wall, she's just that kind of kid.
So this year again, I will go, light my candle and remember a truly magnificent person.
So yes, it will be a merry christmas because I will never forget my friend.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Chicken Satay
Apologies, once again for the big gap in my blog, work has been mental, plus a few person problems which I won't bore you with, I've also been knitting, well cursing at wool mainly, but still, I'll call it "knitting"
I decided I'd give chicken satay a go
and this was how it turned out
I forgot to take pictures as I went along as I've been marinading my chicken for 4 days....
you'll need groundnut oil for this, also known as peanut oil
So for the marinade you need
Chicken, I used about 2 breasts, as it was just for me
1 tbs clear honey (i just put a random amount in)
1 clove garlic crushed (I forgot about this woops)
and i put 2 tbs smooth peanut butter and 1tb crunchy peanut butter, not a must though but my choice
for the sauce i used
1tb crunchy peanut butter and then added another, you can use roasted peanuts if you like
3 shallots, (I used 2 as I'm not a massive onion fan)
1-2 red chillis
2 cloves garlic (crushed) I used 3, I love garlic though!
1tb lime juice (which i forgot to buy...)
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
so put 1-2 tb of groundnut oil in the pan, heat up, add the shallots, garlic and chillis, (until soft)
then add the peanuts, cook until brown, then you'll need to blend it
put it in the blender and add your lime juice, soy sauce and ginger if you like, i added soy sauce and honey and some water, as I felt the consistency was a tad too thick for my liking.
then cook your chicken under the grill, on skewers or just turn them over (my choice here) and then put the sauce in a dish at the side.
This was pretty tasty, but I'd have preffered it hotter, so i'm going to make it with more chilli next time, hopefully give it a bit of a kick.
I loved this and will be having it again, with my make do of peanut butter, tasted amazing!
hope you're all well
I decided I'd give chicken satay a go
and this was how it turned out
I forgot to take pictures as I went along as I've been marinading my chicken for 4 days....
you'll need groundnut oil for this, also known as peanut oil
So for the marinade you need
Chicken, I used about 2 breasts, as it was just for me
1 tbs clear honey (i just put a random amount in)
1 clove garlic crushed (I forgot about this woops)
and i put 2 tbs smooth peanut butter and 1tb crunchy peanut butter, not a must though but my choice
for the sauce i used
1tb crunchy peanut butter and then added another, you can use roasted peanuts if you like
3 shallots, (I used 2 as I'm not a massive onion fan)
1-2 red chillis
2 cloves garlic (crushed) I used 3, I love garlic though!
1tb lime juice (which i forgot to buy...)
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
so put 1-2 tb of groundnut oil in the pan, heat up, add the shallots, garlic and chillis, (until soft)
then add the peanuts, cook until brown, then you'll need to blend it
put it in the blender and add your lime juice, soy sauce and ginger if you like, i added soy sauce and honey and some water, as I felt the consistency was a tad too thick for my liking.
then cook your chicken under the grill, on skewers or just turn them over (my choice here) and then put the sauce in a dish at the side.
This was pretty tasty, but I'd have preffered it hotter, so i'm going to make it with more chilli next time, hopefully give it a bit of a kick.
I loved this and will be having it again, with my make do of peanut butter, tasted amazing!
hope you're all well
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Coca Cola chicken
I had heard a lot about this recipe, and thought I might as well give it a bash, you can use diet cola too, if you want to be a bit healthier and can swap the passata for tomato puree to make it fully unhealthy
It looked tasty before I demolished it
For this take one can of cola
pour into a frying pan or wok
I think I'll use my wok next time, as i found this very hard to ensure it didn't splash down me when it was boiling, not exactly ideal
next add
5 tablespoons of passata, i found this was a bit much for me, i'm going to swap for plain ole tomato puree next time and a bit less, hopefully making it a bit less sweet.
add a splash of Worcester sauce
now stir, on a high heat, until the cola reduces
I really enjoyed making this, I tend to eat the same things over and over again, I also found a good website just for chickenRecipes, which is quite handy for me because I don't really eat much red meat, if any at all.
Anyway, this sauce can be used with ribs, pork etc, apparently if you use apple tango with pork, it's amazing!
I might give it a bash, i've not eaten pork in years
It looked tasty before I demolished it
For this take one can of cola
pour into a frying pan or wok
I think I'll use my wok next time, as i found this very hard to ensure it didn't splash down me when it was boiling, not exactly ideal
next add
5 tablespoons of passata, i found this was a bit much for me, i'm going to swap for plain ole tomato puree next time and a bit less, hopefully making it a bit less sweet.
add a splash of Worcester sauce
now stir, on a high heat, until the cola reduces
I really enjoyed making this, I tend to eat the same things over and over again, I also found a good website just for chickenRecipes, which is quite handy for me because I don't really eat much red meat, if any at all.
Anyway, this sauce can be used with ribs, pork etc, apparently if you use apple tango with pork, it's amazing!
I might give it a bash, i've not eaten pork in years
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
A big thing.....
So, I've had two topics on my mind the last few nights, one about traditional relationships and expectations and this one, which is going to be about something very personal, it will also include pictures. If you're at all squeamish, i would not read it, it's going to involve details, graphic details.
If you're curious, I'm going to write about me, and my breast reduction, I am going to include a picture of my surgical scars, which will be current, so if the thought of seeing this upsets you, please don't read, I'd also appreciate it if there's no snide or "amusing" comments, It's a big decision to make to write about this, and has taken me a few days to get round too. I hope you can appreciate it.
I asked my mum for a before picture, but alas I have none, hopefully the scars will show you the after though.
I developed really early, I was relentlessly mocked for having a huge chest at both primary and high school, I didn't have a lot of friends, really. I'm not saying this to gain any sympathy but to try and paint a picture about what it was like, for me to go through this.
I went to high school with a 32 inch chest, and a D cup breast, not bad for 12, eh?
They continued to grow and at 15 I went to see about getting my breasts reduced, I'm unsure of my cup size at that time, then at 19 4 years later, I got a short notice call, my time was up, I was going to get a reduction. At 19 I was a 32HH, this, was at the time bigger than Pamela Andersons implants, that should give you, hopefully an Idea of just how large my chest was at 19.
I don't remember the surgery, I remember being very afraid and watching the green coloured liquid drain into me, before which the nurse had told me I would be asleep before the liquid had drained past a certain point, then that was it, in i went.
The surgery used to be an anchor shape like this (thank you google images)
this surgical procedure leaves scars like this (another thanks to google images)
As you can see, those are rather large scars.
When I went to get my surgery I was informed by my surgeon that they had changed the procedure and now they no longer done the anchor style surgery and would I like to try the new method, the new method was completely different.
They now cut up, and round your nipples, leaving you with less of a scar, during the surgery your nipples are removed, the excess tissue removed and then the skin is removed then your sewn back up. After surgery your woken every hour to check if your nipples are attached correctly, as you can lose then, you can also lose all sensation and generally as a rule you can't breastfeed after the surgery.
So afterwards, i got home, eventually, where I had a rather magnificent bruise on my chest, from my collarbone down to my ribs, black, blue, purple and yellow, i was a mini rainbow, it didn't hurt though....the bruise that is.
I got my first 36d bra, a nice soft sports one, as you can't have wires on your scar and now, I'm 29 and I have the scars left.
The scars don't bother me, I don't notice them and mostly anyone who is my partner doesn't, I've been told they're not noticeable and this is the point I show you my scars.
it's taken me 4 days to pluck up the courage to write this blog post, and an hour to write this post, now, all i need to do is show something about me that makes me me, something personal and intimate that most people don't get to see, I hope it's taken in the way I intend it.
So onwards
this is my scar around my nipple
my chest.
That's me folks and my scars, laid bare for all to see, something that wasn't easy to do, not easy to share with the public, not because I'm shy, or afraid, but because It's personal to me, and me alone.
I love my breasts now, I have "great jugs" and get compliments on my cleavage all the time, I'm a complete nightmare about badly fitting underwear, I don't see a reason, especially as I have been there with larger breasts than average, and had a reduction, it's good for your health your back and you to have a nice fitted bra.
if you don't know where to get measured I recommend Bravissimo or House of Fraser. La Senza aren't worth going too, their staff are not correctly trained and the majority of people who go there do not get a well fitted bra. Bravissimo are good for larger breasts and do a good service, I have personally always used House of Fraser, I've found their service to be right on the money, they're always very helpful, although it can be rather embarrassing if you're young as most of their staff are about 40, it's worth going somewhere and buying underwear, don't just pick some up.
This is for your own good, buy some good fitting underwear and embrace your boobs.
I hope you read this and didn't judge me too badly for sharing something so person to me.
Julie
If you're curious, I'm going to write about me, and my breast reduction, I am going to include a picture of my surgical scars, which will be current, so if the thought of seeing this upsets you, please don't read, I'd also appreciate it if there's no snide or "amusing" comments, It's a big decision to make to write about this, and has taken me a few days to get round too. I hope you can appreciate it.
I asked my mum for a before picture, but alas I have none, hopefully the scars will show you the after though.
I developed really early, I was relentlessly mocked for having a huge chest at both primary and high school, I didn't have a lot of friends, really. I'm not saying this to gain any sympathy but to try and paint a picture about what it was like, for me to go through this.
I went to high school with a 32 inch chest, and a D cup breast, not bad for 12, eh?
They continued to grow and at 15 I went to see about getting my breasts reduced, I'm unsure of my cup size at that time, then at 19 4 years later, I got a short notice call, my time was up, I was going to get a reduction. At 19 I was a 32HH, this, was at the time bigger than Pamela Andersons implants, that should give you, hopefully an Idea of just how large my chest was at 19.
I don't remember the surgery, I remember being very afraid and watching the green coloured liquid drain into me, before which the nurse had told me I would be asleep before the liquid had drained past a certain point, then that was it, in i went.
The surgery used to be an anchor shape like this (thank you google images)
this surgical procedure leaves scars like this (another thanks to google images)
As you can see, those are rather large scars.
When I went to get my surgery I was informed by my surgeon that they had changed the procedure and now they no longer done the anchor style surgery and would I like to try the new method, the new method was completely different.
They now cut up, and round your nipples, leaving you with less of a scar, during the surgery your nipples are removed, the excess tissue removed and then the skin is removed then your sewn back up. After surgery your woken every hour to check if your nipples are attached correctly, as you can lose then, you can also lose all sensation and generally as a rule you can't breastfeed after the surgery.
So afterwards, i got home, eventually, where I had a rather magnificent bruise on my chest, from my collarbone down to my ribs, black, blue, purple and yellow, i was a mini rainbow, it didn't hurt though....the bruise that is.
I got my first 36d bra, a nice soft sports one, as you can't have wires on your scar and now, I'm 29 and I have the scars left.
The scars don't bother me, I don't notice them and mostly anyone who is my partner doesn't, I've been told they're not noticeable and this is the point I show you my scars.
it's taken me 4 days to pluck up the courage to write this blog post, and an hour to write this post, now, all i need to do is show something about me that makes me me, something personal and intimate that most people don't get to see, I hope it's taken in the way I intend it.
So onwards
this is my scar around my nipple
my chest.
That's me folks and my scars, laid bare for all to see, something that wasn't easy to do, not easy to share with the public, not because I'm shy, or afraid, but because It's personal to me, and me alone.
I love my breasts now, I have "great jugs" and get compliments on my cleavage all the time, I'm a complete nightmare about badly fitting underwear, I don't see a reason, especially as I have been there with larger breasts than average, and had a reduction, it's good for your health your back and you to have a nice fitted bra.
if you don't know where to get measured I recommend Bravissimo or House of Fraser. La Senza aren't worth going too, their staff are not correctly trained and the majority of people who go there do not get a well fitted bra. Bravissimo are good for larger breasts and do a good service, I have personally always used House of Fraser, I've found their service to be right on the money, they're always very helpful, although it can be rather embarrassing if you're young as most of their staff are about 40, it's worth going somewhere and buying underwear, don't just pick some up.
This is for your own good, buy some good fitting underwear and embrace your boobs.
I hope you read this and didn't judge me too badly for sharing something so person to me.
Julie
Friday, August 19, 2011
Something a little more female
Warning, massive, massive warning, I'm going to write about things that MAY gross you out, that you may agree with, will be talking about womans body functions (oh oh) and using the V word.... So if any of this makes you feel uncomfortable, please feel free to not read this post.
Please don't say I didn't warn you.
I read thispost after seeing it pop up on my facebook page, before you click it's about Mooncup, a menstrual cup, so could make you feel a bit awkward, or uncomfortable.
Now, I use this, and this woman talks complete and utter nonsense, I do not in any way feel restricted in using my mooncup, where as before it was gross, disgusting and the smell of blood was nauseating, who feels sexy when changing a tampon/sanitary towel, not me that's for fricken sure.
I have to wonder if this woman has a clue how her body works, she mentions "If we think women have a long way to go to get parity in the boardroom, it's going to take even longer if they're fiddling about with a Mooncup 24/7, one week out of every month." you don't need to "fiddle" with it, I personally don't go near mine at all, it sits there, does nothing and I don't notice it, its inconspicuous.
I only touch it when I'm cleaning it out, which you don't need to be near a sink for, contrary to her ridiculous article, you wipe with a bit of toilet roll and tada, sorted, wash your hands and you're done, you rinse next time you're at a sink, usually at home.
I know most of you are like OH MY GOD, TOUCHING YOUR VAGINA??? (yes folks the V word) but you wipe it when you pee, you wipe your bum when you do *aherm* other stuff so how is this any worse?
I was grossed out too before i tried it, thought oh how minging is that (sorry a lovely Scottish word there) but still I was curious and thought I'd give it a shot, I love it, I feel like a whole new person, no longer is my life dominated by blood every month, pop my cup in and I can just continue on, don't worry about it getting on my jeans, skirt, etc etc. Having a heavy bleed was the norm for me, with back pain galore. Not now though, now I get a little ache and nothing else, it's actually an amazing product.
I have NO idea what it does that I don't get as much pain as usual, a lot of people on the Mooncup facebook page andwebsite have the exact same thought, less pain, shorter bleeds and an improved life, until something more scientific comes along I'm going to have to assume they're magic.
I bet you're still NOT quite convinced though, that mooncup is for you, i've had mine 2 years, best £20.00 I spent in my life, and no, i'm not a big raging hippy, not am I really a feminist but I still love it, it's one of the best products I have ever bought, I'm actually going to buy another one, I love it that much.
So Ms Burchill, stop being a narrow minded idiot, and judging something you clearly know nothing about, and in the independent no less, poppycock. So glad I don't ascribe to your way of thinking the world would be a lot less pleasant if most women did.
So folks, that was it, a bit about blood, periods, tampons and mooncup, you never know you might like it
Julie
Please don't say I didn't warn you.
I read thispost after seeing it pop up on my facebook page, before you click it's about Mooncup, a menstrual cup, so could make you feel a bit awkward, or uncomfortable.
Now, I use this, and this woman talks complete and utter nonsense, I do not in any way feel restricted in using my mooncup, where as before it was gross, disgusting and the smell of blood was nauseating, who feels sexy when changing a tampon/sanitary towel, not me that's for fricken sure.
I have to wonder if this woman has a clue how her body works, she mentions "If we think women have a long way to go to get parity in the boardroom, it's going to take even longer if they're fiddling about with a Mooncup 24/7, one week out of every month." you don't need to "fiddle" with it, I personally don't go near mine at all, it sits there, does nothing and I don't notice it, its inconspicuous.
I only touch it when I'm cleaning it out, which you don't need to be near a sink for, contrary to her ridiculous article, you wipe with a bit of toilet roll and tada, sorted, wash your hands and you're done, you rinse next time you're at a sink, usually at home.
I know most of you are like OH MY GOD, TOUCHING YOUR VAGINA??? (yes folks the V word) but you wipe it when you pee, you wipe your bum when you do *aherm* other stuff so how is this any worse?
I was grossed out too before i tried it, thought oh how minging is that (sorry a lovely Scottish word there) but still I was curious and thought I'd give it a shot, I love it, I feel like a whole new person, no longer is my life dominated by blood every month, pop my cup in and I can just continue on, don't worry about it getting on my jeans, skirt, etc etc. Having a heavy bleed was the norm for me, with back pain galore. Not now though, now I get a little ache and nothing else, it's actually an amazing product.
I have NO idea what it does that I don't get as much pain as usual, a lot of people on the Mooncup facebook page andwebsite have the exact same thought, less pain, shorter bleeds and an improved life, until something more scientific comes along I'm going to have to assume they're magic.
I bet you're still NOT quite convinced though, that mooncup is for you, i've had mine 2 years, best £20.00 I spent in my life, and no, i'm not a big raging hippy, not am I really a feminist but I still love it, it's one of the best products I have ever bought, I'm actually going to buy another one, I love it that much.
So Ms Burchill, stop being a narrow minded idiot, and judging something you clearly know nothing about, and in the independent no less, poppycock. So glad I don't ascribe to your way of thinking the world would be a lot less pleasant if most women did.
So folks, that was it, a bit about blood, periods, tampons and mooncup, you never know you might like it
Julie
Saturday, August 13, 2011
A change...
Well folks, been offline for a wee bit, just got myself a job, working event safety for Securigroup, I have been to T in The Park, Wickerman, Hopetoun Horse Trials, a few football games, no gigs as of yet though :(
I have decided that I fancy loosing some weight, so as of Monday I'm going to be excercising, gutting my flat and throwing away anything I don't need.
A change, will do me good, eh?
Hopefully the next blog update will have something more interesting
I have decided that I fancy loosing some weight, so as of Monday I'm going to be excercising, gutting my flat and throwing away anything I don't need.
A change, will do me good, eh?
Hopefully the next blog update will have something more interesting
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Time for tea
I came home and done this
Pretty boring for most people, but I'm happy :)
made sure my bed was ready
got my tea pot out, yes it's red
got my cup ready, yes it's got campervans, I'm a vw geek
got my lovely new tea ready,
while buying this I learned that whittards are moving, this saddens me, i hope they don't go far.
got my infuser out, yes it's a rocket ship, how awesome am i?
A spoonfull of my wonderful looking tea
infuser in pot, mmm
i added my hot water and left it for 5 minutes, and I got a beautiful purple coloured tea out of it.
it was beautiful
As you can tell I LOVE LOVE LOVE tea.
Hope I didn't bore you too much :)
Pretty boring for most people, but I'm happy :)
made sure my bed was ready
got my tea pot out, yes it's red
got my cup ready, yes it's got campervans, I'm a vw geek
got my lovely new tea ready,
while buying this I learned that whittards are moving, this saddens me, i hope they don't go far.
got my infuser out, yes it's a rocket ship, how awesome am i?
A spoonfull of my wonderful looking tea
infuser in pot, mmm
i added my hot water and left it for 5 minutes, and I got a beautiful purple coloured tea out of it.
it was beautiful
As you can tell I LOVE LOVE LOVE tea.
Hope I didn't bore you too much :)
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