5 Reasons I'm Grateful For My Sister

In my opinion, family is the most important thing there is. They're the ones that shape you into who you're going to be, they help structure your morals and your outlook on life. Family are the people that look out for you and support you when you need it most. Sometimes, the people that you consider family aren't blood related, they're just the people that love you unconditionally.
I consider myself very lucky to have the family that I do. Even though we've grown apart over the years we're still fairly close-knit. I'm also fortunate enough to have a fantastic relationship with my parents, we talk often, for hours and about everything that you can think of. My parents are some of the first to find out exciting things about my life and also some of the first that I ask for advice. I regularly talk to most of my first cousins and I'm confident that if I ever need help in anything, my family will be there for me.
But the one person I probably have the strongest relationship with is my older sister. She's been with me my whole life and we've managed to remain close after 20 years! Through all of our ups and downs, these are some of the things I'm most grateful for.

#5. We can laugh together.
It makes a lot of sense that we have a lot of history together, we've been together my whole life. We have so many stories from our history together that we could probably write an entire book of anecdotes. Some of my favourite memories involve my sister. Every now and then, a memory will randomly pop into my head and I'll burst out laughing, those are the best kind. 
We also have a certain number of memories that we will laugh about every single time. We even laugh when remembering a time that we laughed at memories! Remember that time, sister in the car with the look the guy gave us when we were talking about dad and the wall, and Peter and the tomato?
Even better are the memories we share that only people of a similar frame of mind will find funny. Stories that normal people would find morbid or disgusting that we find both fascinating and hilarious. Like that time I used a fox as a puppet, or the heart that was... Well I'll leave the details of those stories for a better time and save you all from deciding you hate us :P
I am so incredibly grateful to have someone that I can count on being silly with me whenever we see each other. I love being able to share a lifetime of memories with someone that is filled with laughter.

#4. We can cry together.
We've had our share of misfortune in our family, divorces, deaths and other assorted sadness. When we were young our parents split up and eventually got divorced. My sister was someone that I could complain to and express my concerns and fears without being in some way biased towards the situation. She was, after all, going through the same thing. I can remember crying together when our first dog was put down, although I vaguely remember not fully understanding at the time. When our second dog got really sick and was facing being put down, I cried to her completely judgement free. When we've had family die we've cried together and comforted each other.
I can still remember one time when I was in high school and I'd just broken up with a boyfriend and, naturally, was feeling rather upset. I sent my sister a text message telling her what had happened and she came into my room to chat. It turned out that she'd also broken up with her boyfriend about a week before so we cried together again! And then we ended up laughing after saying how terrible boys were and that we were clearly just too awesome to handle.
I'm grateful to have someone that I know will always be there for me. No matter who dies, no matter how many relationships start or end, no matter what the issue is, she will always be there. As she's also older than me, there's a good chance she's been there too! My sister is one of a handful of people that I'm comfortable crying in front of and I'm truly thankful for that.

#3. We can criticise each other.
Chances are, someone that's known you your whole life knows you fairly well. Siblings have seen most of both the smart and the dumb things you've done in your life. They've watched you deal with simple problems and more difficult ones. They've seen you at your happiest and your saddest. They've probably also guided you through all of those things. So when you're being a dickhead or on a dangerous path they have the ability to recognise what you're doing and confront you about it. If I ever go to my sister with a problem she'll tell me exactly what she thinks I should do. If that means telling me that what I'm doing is only making things worse then that's what she'll tell me. Sure, that means that we've had our fair share of fights and arguments throughout our time but we've turned out pretty well so it's really all for the best.
I'm grateful to have someone who will confront me on an issue, even if she's half way across the world. I'm also grateful that I can tell her exactly what I think and even if she hates me at the time she'll always get over it sooner or later.

#2. We can trust and support each other.
Every female needs someone to talk to at one time or another. It could just to be feel like someone is there for her. It could be that something has happened and she needs reassuring that she's not going to die. It could be about every day life or it might be something incredibly personal that she can't seek advice from the general public about. My sister is someone that I can tell all my personal problems to without ever fearing being mocked or judged. I can tell her everything from the one thing that annoyed me that particular day to the detailed horrific ways that my body has decided to fail me this week. I can trust her with personal details about my life without worrying that she'll tell anyone.
When I go to my sister with a problem, I can trust the advice that she gives me. If she tells me what she would do if she were in the same place, I know that that's the honest truth. I am truly grateful that she is one of the handful of people that I can go to about anything, no matter what and no matter when.

#1. We love each other unconditionally.
My sister and I have, at times, had a very rocky relationship. But no matter how many times we've hated, hurt, lied to, insulted, left out, teased, mocked or otherwise been generally horrible to each other we will always be sisters and we will always love each other. I'm confident that if we ever go years without talking (Ha! Like that'll ever happen!) when we see each other again we'll start right where we left off. There's not a lot that I wouldn't do to protect my sister. I would happily take all her pains on myself so that she could live a day free of and stresses or pains. I'd even help her set her ex boyfriend on fire if she ever asked :P
I'm confident that I could call my sister any time of night or day and she would be there for me. I know that she will put aside her own problems to help me with mine, even if they seem pathetic in relation to her own. I know that if I ask something of her and it is in her power to help me, she will. I'm grateful that my sister will judge me for all of the things that I've done and especially the things that I tell her but love me anyway. I can only hope that she knows and thinks the same for me. :)
Love you sis, stay awesome <3

5 Annoying Groups of Customers

Anyone that works in any job involving human interaction will have certain things that annoy them about customers. Be it individuals, personalities, specific behaviours or any number of things, I'm sure any of you that have worked in these types of positions can easily think of something that gets to you.
I work at a store called Dan Murphy's. For those of you that don't know, it's basically a liquor warehouse. My store is huge and has hundreds of spirits, wines, beers, pre mixed drinks and a number of other things to choose from. We consider it a moderate to high risk environment and it's not all that hard to break bottles and result in injury from glass shards. We also tend to be fairly fast paced. It's not about rushing to get people out the door, rather to avoid people holding 7-20kg cartons waiting in line forever.
We pride ourselves on excellent customer service, going well out of our way to be kind, helpful and polite. It's for these reasons we hold our tongues when annoying customers reveal themselves. People that disrupt the store environment both for customers and staff.
People that...

Use phrases you've already heard a hundred times and still think they're hilarious.

I'm putting this first because it's rather subjective. I'm sure there are people who forget they've already heard it a dozen times the last hour, and genuinely believe it's funny.
I am not one of those people.
There are only so many times I can ask someone if they would like their receipt and hear "No, you can't get tax back on alcohol!" or "No, just my change," or even "No thanks, save a tree!"before I want to start facepalm. The most common one is possibly "No thanks, I won't be bringing it back!" Yet we have to smile and laugh like it's the first time it's ever been said.
I have a red headed cousin who worked at Red Rooster where their uniforms, unsurprisingly, are red. She consistently would get comments of "Did you know your hair matches your shirt?" As if this was the biggest news in the world.
Another one that we hear constantly is when PayPass doesn't work for someone and they have to insert their card's chip. "Oh, well I guess I have to do it the old fashioned way." I'm twenty and I can remember when chips first came out on cards. It's really not old fashioned at all!

Don't know how to use EFTPOS machines.

This one applies to young and old alike. It's not people with cards that won't read properly that are the issue. It's people that don't know which way to swipe or insert their card. It's people that don't wait for the machines to be ready to read their cards and then wonder why they don't work. PayPass was supposed to make life easier, you could just tap and it would be done. But it doesn't always read the first time and people will stand there for five minutes trying to tap it before attempting to insert their card's chip. I should mention this is five minutes after you first suggested it.
Then there are those that don't know how to use either the touchscreen half or the pinpad and get grumpy when it doesn't work.

There is a little picture on most EFTPOS machines that show you how to hold the card. It also helps to know which account your money needs to come out of and know which PIN belongs to which care. If this is still too much trouble, take someone else with you that DOES know!

Make absolutely no effort to communicate with you/flat out ignore you.

I know, some of you might think "Maybe they just didn't hear you?" Almost everyone in my store has an indoor voice the same volume as most people's outdoor voices. We almost shout at everyone that comes within out visual range. 

These are the people that will hear you, look at you and then say nothing. When a person approaches the register there are a series of questions that we ask. These include the basics such as whether or not they would like a receipt. or a bag, or a box, or even just asking how their day has been. Some customers just can't talk enough yet others refuse to say a word.

I have legitimately served deaf people that have made more of an effort to communicate than some perfectly capable of talking and hearing. How do I know this? They often come into the store talking on the phone. Which brings me to another group...

Won't hang up the phone.

Some phone calls are important, some have to be answered. Others, really don't. I don't really want to listen to you talking to your friend about what you plan to do on the weekend, or how annoying your boyfriend is being. If I then have to ask you something, I'm the one who's seen as rude!

It becomes slightly less annoying when people apologise for being on the phone, or for having to answer it. Part of my job involves human interaction, in fact, it's a rather important part. We're told right from the word go to be polite and enthusiastic, it's very hard to do that when it seems like you are actively avoiding talking to us. 

People on the phone will also hold up lines as they are more distracted and take longer paying, sorting their things out and then taking their purchases away from the registers.

One amusing thing that comes out of people on the phone is how often the person waiting behind them will start to complain about how rude or inconsiderate the talkers are. Just shows, it's not just the people that work there!

Bring in young or misbehaved children.

This is not only annoying, but dangerous. In liquor stores there is the added risk of children knocking off bottles onto themselves or stepping on broken glass. Thankfully, that's not happened while I've been working, so far at least. I have, however, had children get their finger stuck in trolleys, seen them smacked in the face by the automatic closing gates, had them trip and fall or slide along the floor and fall. There have been children that throw or fling things, get run over by trolleys and all manner of other injuries. 

Then there are those that just yell. So their parents are yelling back trying to get them to stop and holding up other customers. These children disrupt the atmosphere for both customers and staff and make it more challenging to assist customers over the din.

We frequently have children coming in that climb over things and run around all over the place. Not only do they hurt themselves but they run into other customers. The day that a child runs into an elderly customer and knocks them over in our store will definitely not be a surprising one.

To those parents that bring in well behaved, lovely mannered children into stores, we all sincerely thank you.

Corset Review: Corsets-UK

About the company

Corsets-UK (C-UK) is part of a parent company that also runs Corset-Story, the US site, Corsets-AU, the Australian site and Corsets-FR, the French site, to name but a few.

C-UK has a huge variety of corsets in many different colours and styles. They are an innovative company who constantly bring out new styles, often themed for different seasons with Halloween and Christmas being the most common. They have an excellent range of sizes with fashion corsets running from a small (UK dress size 8) up to a 6X (UK dress size 24) and steel boned corsets from 18" through to 48". Along with their variety of lengths and necklines, C-UK also offer a number of different skirts, fake eyelashes, fascinators, suspenders, stockings and gloves.

All in all this a great source for beginner corset wearers. While, personally, I don't consider a lot of the prices they charge for their steel boned to be justified, the Corset Of The Day deal that they frequently offer and their sale corsets put them to a price that is highly affordable and reflects the quality and wearability of the garments.

Fashion Corsets

So let's start with the cheapest and most basic of their products. These are single layer, often polyester, some with acrylic boning and a variety of busk types. Some have basic plastic hook and eye clips, others use zippers and others still are the steel look busks that are common amongst most steel boned corsets. In this category also comes basques and they have a few dresses however they are not suitable for anyone with a cup size over a C. Most of this range comes in at around $30-40.

Acrylic boning is not capable of changing your body shape and is mostly there to keep the shape of the garment. If you were to try and tighten the laces enough to change your shape you would very easily damage the corset and start pulling the fabric away from the bones.

For this reason it's best to treat them as a shirt rather than a corset. You could also potentially wear them over a steel boned corset to get the corsetted shape as well as the huge range of designs. Fashion corsets are probably C-UK's largest range and they're great for going out shirts or incorporating into a costume.

I, personally, HATE fashion corsets. They're too fragile, they tend not to breathe very well and wearing them next to your skin soon gets hot and sweaty. Acrylic boning will also very easily bend out of shape and not bend back meaning you'll have boning poking into you whenever you sit or twist which gets very uncomfortable very quickly.

Fashion corsets are great for those who love the style and want a huge range to choose from, whether it be to add a little extra colour into their wardrobe or to finish off a costume with that little something extra.

Authentic Steel Boned Corsets

This category applies to everything that doesn't come under "Waist Training" or "Fashion corsets" in their range.These are made using flat steel boning and are designed to take in your waist by 4-5". To determine your corset size you simply measure your waist at its smallest point, usually above your belly button and you might find you have a natural fold like where your waist is, in inches and then simply subtract 4-5 from that number. So if your waist measures 28" you want a 24" corset. If your waist measurement is 31" then you want a 26" corset. This range sits at around $100 at full price but often come down to around $50 when part of a deal.

These are the corsets you want to buy to get that corseted silhouette. They give a very smooth curve that is not particularly dramatic and are great for bringing in the waist a little. The long length corsets tend to have an even less dramatic curve and many women will find the length uncomfortable. To give you an idea of the shape you can expect to achieve, here is a photo of me in one of the first corsets I got from this company.

This is the most curve that I can get from their overbust corsets. It's not really that much curvy than my natural figure, perhaps even a little less so. And their underbusts are even less dramatic.

This is significantly less curvy than my natural figure. You can change the lacing, readjust anything you like but you will not get more of a curve. These corsets also have the annoying habit of sticking out at both the bottom and the top and causing a rather unattractive bulge at the bottom where they push your stomach out. I was never comfortable wearing these corsets without a top underneath for fear of nip slips because the only way you can get them to sit flat at the bust was to lace them way too tightly at the top which just made the rest of the fit awkward. The only way I found to make the underbusts have more curve was to physically bend the bones where the waist sits. I was also lucky enough to be a person that is too tall for the normal length corsets to fit comfortably and too short for the long length corsets.

I took one of these overbusts apart one day and was surprised to find that the bones running over each of the breasts was spiral steel. It's not particularly good spiral steel otherwise I wouldn't have spend so long thinking that it was flimsy enough to be acrylic The idea behind this is to make the corset more able to bend over the bust and sit flatter but the design of the corset really just makes it worse.

Waist Training Corsets

These are made with double spiral steel meaning that at each of the boning channels there are two spiral steel bones rather than one flat steel bone as with the other styles. These corsets are much thicker and heavier and also more expensive. They tend to sit a little flatter over the bust but still not perfectly. These sit around $120-130 and can come down to $60-70 when part of a deal.

C-UK market these corsets for waist training but I would really not recommend it. Anyone that wants to waist train would be better off finding a company that can make high quality custom measured corsets. These will fit against your body perfectly and be miles more comfortable as well as specifically designed to gently decrease your waist. These waist training corsets simply do not have a shape sufficient for waist training. 

While not all off the rack corsets are entirely unsuitable for waist training, these ones really are. After a few hours any of these steel boned corsets become very uncomfortable, if not painful, to wear for most people. And don't be fooled into thinking that this company can make decent made to measure corsets. I have a group of friends who received made to measure corsets and the fit was terrible, one of them was in a great deal of pain at the one 'designed' for her.

Overview

I honestly think that these corsets are great for anyone who wants to make a low cost buy to see if corsets are for them. C-UK is one of the companies that I recommend to people that probably won't wear them often or are looking just for something new to try. I'll also recommend them to people who want to incorporate a corset into cosplay as there is a huge range available at relatively low prices for corsets that generally aren't terrible.

For anyone that wants to wear corsets for any reasonable length of time, these are probably not for you. They're much more annoying to lace up than other companies I have corsets from. They also seem to be designed for people that are already a natural hourglass shape which means for most women they will fit somewhat awkwardly and uncomfortably. 

I've also have too many bad experiences with having corsets lost in the mail and have refunds lost in the internet and I will never buy from this company again or buy any corsets made from the parent company. Lucky for me I've found another company that provides much better quality corsets in a similar price range. But that's a topic for another time ;)

Had any experiences with this company or one of its sisters? Got any questions or comments? 

Good or bad let me know!

Product Review: Urban Rituelle Flourish Organics Vanilla Perfume

About the item.

 

Image from Urban Rituelle

This is a 12mL bottle, 1.5cm wide and 15cm long. It is a beautifully decorated frosted glass bottle boasting "A comforting, sensual blend of vanilla, lavender & geranium." It is available through here at $14.95 for a 20mL bottle.

Field Test.

Not a day has gone by since receiving this perfume that I have not used it. While it boasts vanilla, the strongest scent for me in this perfume is the beautiful musk of the geranium. The vanilla adds a certain sweetness but the musky geranium is definitely the most dominant scent. Because of how much I love this perfume I apply enough that it takes a long time for the scent to diminish and even if it does I'm quick to use more!

I have had some issues with the atomiser on this bottle though. When it first came the cap was loose and since then it has occasionally been stiff and very difficult to spray. I doubt this is the case for all of the items though!

Verdict.

This is without a doubt my new favourite perfume. I have never had anything else that I love the smell of quite so much and being made from all organic or naturally derived products just makes me love this more! I'm willing to overlook the annoying atomiser because I'm so in love. I've also used this perfume as a nice addition to the smell of my bedroom ;) 

I have a tendency to get rashes on my neck and chest due to contact dermatitis of my silver necklace and I'm happy to say that this perfume has no adverse effects or irritation to that area of my skin. Once I've finished this bottle I fully intend to buy another one!

Corsets? Here's the thing...

Corsets have increasingly come back into style as an outer garment leading plenty of companies to jump on and produce everything from plastic corsets, cheap imitations right up to some incredibly high quality works of art. I'll probably write quite a bit about corsets and we'll get to what best suits you later on. For now I'm going to introduce you to why I wear corsets and do a quick FAQ about things I'm commonly hearing from those with less corset wearing experience.

I started off the same as many others, marvelling at how lovely and smooth corsets make everything look. While the positive comments I received from many different people encouraged me, what I found most favourable was that it made my back pain much easier to handle. I went from needing to bend or sit down constantly to try and ease the discomfort to spending hours on end without a worry in the world. I wear them to uni to try and help my posture and stop me from slouching in chairs. I wear them to work where I have to stand for upwards for four hours at a time or shift boxes up to about 20kg. They give me the support to do tasks that other people wouldn't even think about. 

And they feel great.

Now onto my FAQ!

Q. Don't they hurt?

When I first started wearing corsets I got into the trap of trying for too much too soon. Wearing a corset too tightly and lacing them unevenly can cause a great amount of pain and discomfort. If this ever happens either unlace the corset, wriggle around a bit and then try again or take it off completely. I have also come to realise that a lot of discomfort I experienced in the early days was from my body not agreeing with the cheaper quality and construction of the corsets I was wearing compared to the ones I have now. Remember that a properly laced corset should feel like a firm cuddle :)

Q. How do you breathe?

Quite easily! I wear underbusts for ease of movement while doing more active tasks which frees up most of my lungs for the task of breathing and I generally have no issues with breathing at all, certainly no more than when my asthma plays up and I'm corset free. Overbusts can be a little more challenging at times as they restrict a larger area of your upper chest and thus more of your lungs. If breathing ever becomes an issue, try loosening the laces a little across your chest.

Q. What about eating/drinking?

While I have heard many stories about people suffering indigestion worse when wearing corsets, this has never affected me.  Eating in a corset has taught me to eat more slowly and chew more thoroughly as it can be harder to swallow everything as they do somewhat restrict stomach capacity. I can, however, eat and drink the same amount in one sitting both with and without a corset but it is most comfortable to eat about 80% of a normal meal size.

Q. Isn't moving uncomfortable?

It does take a bit to get used to. There are plenty of things that might take me longer or require more effort to do while laced up but you quickly learn to adapt. The best advice I can give on this one is to always remember to put your shoes on before you lace up your corset!

Q. Should I worry about muscle atrophy?

For mos people this is absolutely not a concern. In order for this to happen you'd have to wear your corset upwards of 20/7. I never wear my corsets to bed and usually only wear them for 8 hours at a time. The longest I've ever worn a corset was about 12 hours and I rarely wear them more than four days a week. If you want to get into tightlacing/waist training this can become a genuine concern, but otherwise there's very little risk.

Q. Should I wear a bra with a corset?

 This mostly comes down to personal preference. I recommend against wearing underwired bras with corsets, especially underbust corsets, as my experience has them damaging the foam, pushing the wires out and into armpits and skin and causing quite a bit of pain and discomfort. I wear a bra with underbust corsets but not overbusts for comfort reasons but my bras are totally wire free :)

Q. Should I be scared about deforming my organs and ribs?

Absolutely not. From what I am aware there is no real evidence to support corsets deforming and damaging organs. Know what else has a very similar effect of organs? Pregnancy! The main difference being that corsets shift everything down and pregnancy shifts everything up, but bodies are very resilient and can take quite a lot of stress. Yes, stomach capacity is reduced, lung capacity may be also, but my best answer to the organ deforming question is that several hundred years ago when we were still learning about different bodies, morticians and doctors saw naturally shaped organs which maybe didn't look quite the same as others and just went "Meh, must be corsets!" I can say the same thing about ribs. The lower ribs around the waist, where most corset compression and shape change occurs, are very flexible and mostly held on my cartilage rather than bone. For this reason they are often dubbed "floating ribs." They're naturally springy and will flex back into shape once the corset is removed. So, again, unless you're wearing a corset at least 20/7 you have nothing to worry about.

Q. Why not just lose weight?

Well, as I mentioned before, my main reason for wearing corsets is as a pain management tool. I started wearing corsets before I gained weight and continue to wear them now. I'm quite happy with my natural shape and any thoughts about my weight are based more on health concerns than aesthetics. While it is possible to use corsets for weight loss, that's a topic for another time!

Q. How do I lace my corset by myself?

The simplest answer here is practice. Some people I've spoken to found that using a mirror to help them see what they were doing was useful. The trick I've always used is lacing a corset like a 'ladder.' I am referring to middle lacing corsets, here, there are plenty of different ways to lace corsets but I'm going to talk about the traditional, criss crossing, loops at the waist of the corset. Start by gently pulling tension from the 'bunny ears.' Start at the very top of the corset and pull the laces out at each step of the ladder towards the middle, pulling all of the remaining loose lace through the bunny ears. Do the same thing starting from the bottom up to the top.

Q. Are off the rack corsets ok or should I always get made to measure?

Rule of thumb, made to measure (MTM) will always be better than off the rack (OTR). In saying that, OTR corsets may be better for you as they tend to be cheaper. However, they don't always fit quite right and may not be comfortable. If you are able to it's always a good idea to try a corset on first to get an idea of the fit of that particular style. In saying that, there are companies that produce OTR corsets of very high quality, such as What Katie Did, although these tend to be more expensive.

Q. How tight is too tight?

You should just feel cuddled by your corsets :) If your corset restricts your breathing too much or causes any pain or discomfort then it's too tight and you need to take it off and re lace it.

Q. How and when should I wash my corset?

Any steel boned corset can only be dry cleaned to prevent damage to the steel. You should always wear a shirt, liner or tank top underneath the corset to prevent sweat getting on the corset and damaging or staining the fabric. If you do this then they don't really need to be washed all that often. If you leave the corset laying open for a while after you take it off this will also prevent them from getting smelly. You can wipe stains off with a damp cloth as well.

Q. Can my corset irritate my skin?

Yes. This is another reason you should always wear something underneath your corset and never lace it too tightly. Based on personal experience, I find that wearing corset with jeans is more likely to cause irritation as denim is a rough material. Wearing light cotton underneath your corset will help to create a barrier prevent rubbing.

Well that'll do for now! Any other questions you may have I'm happy to answer and I hope this helps with anything you might have wondered. Next time we'll talk about different kinds of corsets and when and why you might want them :)

Juice and then a smoothie!

Saturday is market day in my area. A great time to get fresh produce, organic oils and nuts and really just about anything you can think of. There was one store with about 50 different types of tea, I just about died.

I bought a kilo of strawberries, a big bag of juicing apples and my housemate, Susan, and I decided to make ourselves some fresh juice. And it was a fantastic idea. Six small apples, twelve large strawberries and an orange later and we had a glass each of juice that we didn't want to finish! In the spirit of not wasting we then froze the pulp into ice cubes to use in smoothies the next day.

While telling one of my good friends Becca about our plan she made the incredibly enlightened suggestion of adding some of my delicious raw honey into the mix!Which we ended up forgetting to do - but it would have been fantastic.

The entire contents of our smoothie was the frozen pulp from the juice with two bananas and four fresh strawberries with about a cup and a half of almond milk. The result was thick, beautifully coloured, great tasting and insanely healthy.

 

This is all natural and packed with fibre. Next time, however, for texture reasons I'll add less fruit pulp and more almond milk. The pulp lended some flavour but not enough to be overpowering and would work great with other fruits as well.

Being so fibre-packed this was an incredibly filling smoothie as well! I had one of those cups in the picture about four hours ago and I'm only just starting to feel hungry again!

Got any great recipes or things you think I should try? Let me know in the comments ;)

What I do to feel (more) fantastic

So I'm a very lucky person that gets to spend every day in some amount of pain. Sometimes it's barely there, others I can't do much but spend all day drugged up in bed, but most of the time it's just plain exhausting. Some people say that exercise helps, some people say changing your sleeping pattern helps, others still say change your diet. Now while I've invoked the power of natural therapies centred around essential oils and aromatherapies, I'd like to share with you something that has helped me to improve my mood and get through the days with a little less frustration.

It all comes down to a lemon.

I'm not a morning person. I don't like to get up early and I don't like to eat early. So I've been mixing in the juice of a lemon (I'll get into the benefits shortly) with a generous spoon of raw honey (I'll go over this too) with lukewarm water to make it up to fill my 750ml water bottle. This is also a great, more natural, healthier alternative to lemon cordial for any health conscious out there :)

So a few weeks ago I spent two weeks mustering cattle. They were 6 or 7am starts and 14-16 hour days. After the two weeks I was still feeling exhausted, I was even having three square meals a day plus morning and afternoon tea so not getting enough energy from food wasn't really an excuse for it either.

I got an email one day about lemon water. While I already knew that lemons were high in vitamin C and great for digestion, I did a bit more reading and found a bounty of benefits from this oft under looked fruit. Not only is it great for the immune system with its high vitamin C content (vit C also helps the body use iron), it's quite high in potassium (more even than apples or grapes) and also contains B vitamins, calcium, iron and magnesium. Lemon juice is also a fantastic way to fight off viruses and sore throats, aids digestion, gives a great energy boost and can be used to replace your morning coffee without the dreadful caffeine 'down.' It contains antioxidants which reportedly can help to reduce skin blemishes and wrinkles as it helps to clean toxins from your blood. Lemons surprisingly have an alkalising effect on the body and can help remove uric acid from joints, a common cause of joint pain and inflammation. To add to the list, lemon juice can stimulate enzyme function in your liver and contains a type of fibre called 'pectin' which can help to control hunger and craving.

So that's lemons, now onto raw honey. What does it mean to be raw? It means that the honey is not pasteurised, heated above 70 degrees Celsius. Honey in stores is pasteurised to improve the colour, prevent crystallisation making it smoother and to kill any yeast that may be present to prevent fermentation on the shelf. Fermented honey is not harmful and widely consumed throughout the world, you may know it better as mead. Unfortunately, pasteurising honey destroys all the enzymes in honey which give it its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties as well as amylase which is responsible for digesting starchy carbohydrates like bread and pasta. Raw honey has all of these properties as well as being a very easily digestible form of energy. After pasteurisation honey is simply a refined sugar and not good for much else.

I get my honey from a fellow at the farmers market held across the road from my house every Saturday. Okay, it crystallises a little after a week or so but after it's dissolved you can't even tell, after it's spread on bread or crackers it's not an issue. The different flavours you can get from different plants that the bees collect from are just a whole new way to enjoy honey. I prefer red gum honey, it's not as sweet as, say banksia honey, but still has a great flavour.

After about two weeks of my lemon and honey water breakfast I've noticed myself getting through the days a little easier, being and staying happier for longer. I feel like my pain is not as bad and I haven't even felt a little bit sniffly. Not to mention that I LOVE the taste! I've even made some lemon and honey chicken and it is to DIE for ;) 

Whether you love the sour of lemon or the sweet of honey, this is a quick, easy, low-cost habit that is definitely worth  a try for anyone wanting a breakfast alternative :)

I'd love to hear from any one who has tried this, let me know how you went!

Product Review: Urban Rituelle Island Citrus Summer Scents

About The Company.

Urban Rituelle is an Australian company, based in Sydney. Established in 1999 by Leanne Haining and Scott Kelly, Urban Rituelle has prided themselves in creating high quality products under the tag line "Bath, Body, Beauty."

Product info.

 

Image from Urban Rituelle.
This perfume is the smaller, purse size 20ml bottle, approx. 2cm in diameter and 15cm long. It fits perfectly in the hand and releases a fine, widespread mist. Valued at $14.95 this scent boasts "A delightfully refreshing fragrance bursting with crisp citrus notes of orange, lime & grapefruit, layered with the soft scent of bergamot & rose."

Field test.
So I decided to try this one out during a hectic, five hour Friday night shift. One quick burst of this perfume delivered the promise of crisp, sweet orange and grapefruit with a hint of lime. After about an hour most of the citrus scent had transformed into the beautifully sweet scent of rose with the light undertones of bergamot. It took me about three hours later before I no longer noticed the smell of the perfume. By the time my shift had finished I couldn't detect it at all. While no one commented on the perfume, I'm not one to walk around with a cloud of smell behind me, but I'm sure that this could be achieved, if desired, simply by applying more. 

Verdict.

Overall I'm very happy with this perfume and would highly recommend it to any citrus fans. This is a beautiful perfume which is not over powering and become sweeter in time. The great travel size and highly affordable price makes this a must have for any occasion. It's great for short dates but it's easy enough to take in a handbag and reapply every three or four hours for a long lasting effect.

Welcome!

So I'm going to start a blog! In this blog expect to find posts about gardening, animals, everyday life, things about corsets, product reviews, rants, things that make me laugh and many other incredibly opinionated things.

Please be warned that while I will encourage debate, any name calling, derogatory comments or insults will be deleted.

I'll get into more detailed stuff later but first, a little bit about myself. On this day next month I will turn 20. I live with my most gorgeous partner of 3 and a half ish years along with some other friends and my one year old rex rabbit Felix!

I'm currently studying Animal Science and eventually want to work in the live export industry. I'm also gradually learning about healthier alternatives to things that we eat so I'll probably share some of that stuff as well, whether weird or wonderful :)

Anyway that's all for now because I have to leave for work in half an hour so have a lovely life and I'll see you next time!

- Kat xx