15 days gone already...WOW! Okay then, updating now.

I collected my fourth veg box and here it is:

 

Carrots

Potatoes

Onion, red and white

Celeriac

Leeks

Swede

Parsnip

Muzuni

Cabbage

Kale

I also buy a 1 litre bottle of apple juice

 

I decided to purchase the Christmas veg and fruit boxes and here those are:

 

Potato
Carrot
Onion
swede
parsnip
leeks
cabbage
brussel sprouts
salad bag
celeriac
parsley - flat leaf
garlic
red cabbge
chilli pepper



Apples
Clementine
Banana
Pear
Oranges
kiwi
Avocado
Lemon   1 litre Apple Juice Local honey   I am thinking of continuing ordering the veg bags/boxes in the New Year also.   I have cleaned, cleaned and CLEANED some more over these last couple of weeks and I still have a few more jobs left to do. I clean under, behind, on top of everywhere for Christmas. I like to see the New Year in in a lovely clean home!! I am going to finish off the last few jobs this weekend and I am also going to do some baking for the family. One thing I am going to make is eggnog; I have never had eggnog before so that is something I am curious to try. I am also going to have a look in my cupboard to see if I have any red wine for mulled wine...YUM!   Now that I have my oven working again I decided to move my Kenwood mixer to a different cupboard so I have easy access to it which pleases my boys because that means I bake a little bit more for them :)   I popped in on my Mother on Wednesday and as usual she gave me some goodies; biscotti and seasonal/limited edition ginger latte coffee which I am going to drink. I have to confess to not being so careful with sticking to raw over this Christmas but come the New Year it is a different story.   I still have two more Christmas presents to buy which I will probably pop out on Tuesday/Christmas Eve to buy and stock up on a few essentials.   Well that is me for today. I should be back tomorrow :)

I have just been to collect my third veg box/bag and here it is:

Potato
Carrot
Onion
white cabbage
parsnip
celeriac
kale
brussel sprouts
salad bag
leek
chilli pepper

And that is what is in this weeks veg bag/box.
Next week is my last veg bag/box except that I might order one more before Christmas which is the Christmas order and then I am thinking of continuing with my veg bag/box in the New Year.

I didn't realise until I got to the farm that my back tyre on my car is going down....oops! I'm pleased a policeman didn't notice, I passed two of them. Well, no harm done to myself or anyone else which is the main thing!


Right then, back to my Christmas thorough cleaning.

I might get back later today, I will try! :)

Over the last two nights I have had such restless sleeps. My hubby has noticed that whenever my monthly is due, whether it turns up or not, my sleeps are always bad, he noticed, not me :) My hubby must know more about me than I do sometimes.
Over the last few weeks I have noticed that I haven't been wanting to have a morning sleep, which I put down to managing to go to the loo and so not being so toxic...sorry, TMI But today I did doze off for two hours which will be because of the restless couple of nights AND I had a headache which turned into a migraine, I have had to take painkillers for it today...Ah well, it will balance itself out again in a few days.

Today I have been stitching the hem back up on one pair of my living room curtains; I HATE stitching!! Done now :) I have also done about four loads of laundry and cleaned another of my kitchen cupboards. I still have such a lot to do.
Whilst I was cleaning the kitchen cupboard I found a box of sachets for Mulled wine...YUM!!

I still haven't put the Christmas tree up yet but tomorrow is the day:) AND I am also going for it to get my kitchen sorted. The kitchen is the biggest job! I want to finish cleaning all the insides of my kitchen cupboards and that also means finishing cleaning the tops of the rest of my wall cupboards, re-organise my cupboards and polish my kitchen cupboard doors, clean inside and outside and the contents and on top of my display cabinet and fridge freezer, pull out and clean under and behind my fridge freezer, washing machine and dishwasher, clean my ovens :) clean the radiator and my kitchen door, back door and large cupboard door, clean the ceiling light fitting - Oh! And clean my kitchen window and sill and then put the blinds back up...PHEW! That little lot will probably take all day with hardly a break but it always feels good when it is done!!

Well, my appetite isn't too good today although I just know that will come back :/

That is all for today, not a lot to report actually.
Back tomorrow.

When we buy something for one of our sons we have to buy the same for the other, Oh! We actually have three sons, but for those of you who don't know, our eldest son who is 27 years old has his own home and children, whom we love SOO very much! But because we still have two sons at home, aged 18 years and 13 years (14 in a few days time) we still have to often buy the same for each of them.
So today we bought more Christmas presents for Adam and James. It is something they had both seen in Costco earlier this year and both wanted, so at the time we told them that if they still wanted it when Christmas arrives then they will get one each for Christmas, and they still did want one of these each, so we bought them today. What are they? Oh! Yes, they are a Homedics Shiatsu back massagers with heat. They also wanted office chairs each for when they are at their desks in their bedrooms which we bought a few weeks ago and these massagers will fit perfectly over their new office chairs. I want a Homedics Shiatsu massager now...looks so relaxing!

Well that is nearly all Adam and James' Christmas things in, just a few more to get for Adam and our grandchildren and our eldest son, Michael.

Apart from buying the boys massagers and a few groceries nothing else has happened today, not even the Christmas cleaning....SHOCKING! :) it will still be there tomorrow when I really must get on with it because the boys want the Christmas tree put up tomorrow. it is always nice when the tree etc is put up for when Michael and our grandchildren come along.

I would also LOVE to get some things into my dehydrator, so I will see what I can get done tomorrow :)

Back tomorrow :)

Last night I made a batch of the protein balls, but first I had to make some cashew butter and because I was only making a 1/4 C measure of cashew butter I used my little Cuisinart mini food processor and as usual it worked great. After use I washed and put it back together and pressed the button...NOTHING, ZILCH, NADA...BooHoo it isn't working and no! It doesn't have a clock on it!!....HeeHee
I bought it from Costco about 2 years ago and they are still happy to exchange or refund. I wanted an exchange but they don't have them now. I will buy another very soon.

Well, I have cranked up the Christmas music....I'm a bit of a heel like that...:) and I am cleaning the kitchen blinds. I use strong bleach water and they clean up lovely as always. I have the livingroom vertical blinds in the washing machine, I have also taken down the livingroom curtains and they will be cleaned.
I am having a break from cleaning the kitchen blinds, I am only halfway through cleaning the kitchen blinds which are huge, so I suppose I better get back to it.

*UPDATE*
It took me most of the day to get those kitchen blinds cleaned.
I asked my hubby to pop into Tesco this afternoon to buy a couple of bottles of bleach for more deep cleaning, and some sweet onions because I am wanting to make some onion rings in my dehydrator, so I have those now.

Oh! I have had to start steaming my sinuses again today because when I sat up in bed this morning the blummin dizziness was back and as you know, unless I nip it in the bud asap it can last about 7 weeks and 7 weeks of being dizzy is not my idea of fun and it HAS lasted for 7 weeks before, but most of the times it has lasted for around 5-ish weeks. It makes me feel sick and generally unwell all the time, so this morning after my shower I immediately steamed and I steamed again tonight. I will keep steaming until my sinuses are easier and the dizziness has gone/doesn't come back......until the next flare up that is :/
When I get sinus trouble it tends to ache my gums/teeth so I am going to buy some Sudafed in the morning and make an appointment at my dentists, just to make sure. The Sudafed usually stops the discomfort but dental checks are always an extra safety precaution.

I have cleaned the kitchen venetian blinds and the livingroom vertical blinds today. I also managed to do about two loads of laundry, so not a bad day. More cleaning tomorrow :)

Well that is me for today.

WooHoo.....I am so pleased that the bag in the back of my photo on yesterdays blog post is kale! I will be making organic cheesey kale chips with that...YUM!

Here is the list of goodies that were in my Organic veg bag/box this week/yesterday:

Potato
Carrot
Onion
cabbage
beetroot
swede
kale
brussel sprouts
squash
leek

I am having a little bit of difficulty typing this because when I started grated carrot I also grated my forefinger; I removed quite a chunk and it bled for quite some time and is still bleeding actually...OUCH! I know, I have several machines that grate but of course me being me thought I would just be quick and instead of pulling out a piece of electrical equipment I just quickly grabbed one of my microplane's, AND I was too lazy to use the little guard attachment...another live and learn I feel :/
Coleslaw and other things will be maybe happening tomorrow once my finger feels a little more comfortable.

A lot of extra cleaning in on my agenda this weekend and I might, just might put up the Christmas tree on Sunday :)

Back tomorrow :)

I got up at 6.00am , showered, ate a banana and caught up a tad online, and then I got to it....cleaning one of the living room blinds, windows, sill and window frame. After cleaning the living room windows and blind I then tackled the front door blind, door panes and door. I then gave my Tassimo drinks machine a good cleaning and I then started the laundry. I really feel like I have accomplished something today.
I am not feeling tired so much over these last few days...YeeHaa.
I wanted to get some cleaning done before I set out to the farm to collect my second veg bag/box. I wanted to be there for 1.00pm which is also the time from when we can collect our veg.
Here is my second veg bag/box:

 

I haven't got the list of everything that is in this weeks veg bag/box because the farm haven't updated their website yet for, 'what's in your bag this week', although, most of it is pretty obvious, but I have to say that I'm not sure if the bag at the back is kale, it looks like it.

 

I got a pumpkin in this weeks bag but I am not sure how to use it in raw...time to google, unless anyone has any idea's?

 

I am so pleased I have given some of you a giggle with my previous post, 'HAHAHAHA', oven post!! I still keep thinking how SOO pleased I am that it is working and how mad that was that it was working all the time and that I was just too dopey to even check the clock....crazy!! We live and learn and BOY! Have I learnt from this! :):)

My hubby and his work colleague's often say to my hubby that I should be a blonde, well, I am getting that way, a natural blonde....yes siree, a nice silvery, grey type of blonde :) I don't mind, I'm happy which is all that matters!!

 

Okay I am doing more cleaning tomorrow and maybe a raw sprout salad recipe. I am also wanting to make a coleslaw using the cabbage and carrots....YUM!

I will be back with photos of what I make.

This is SOOO funny!! :)
It all started an easy 12+ years ago.
I have a double oven and about 12+ years ago I went to use it one day..........nothing!.......zilch!......nada!.....zero!........no fan!.......no noise!......no light!....no nothing!.....AH! BUT WAIT!....WooHooo the bottom oven still worked.....ummmm - okay I can use the bottom oven.....AAARRGGGHHH!......IT HAD STOPPED WORKING.....A BIG FAT NOTHING!!......SCREEAAM :( Okay, until I can afford to buy a new oven or get it fixed I will use the little convection bench top oven for a while...GREAT! And saves on energy.
Over the years I have needed the bigger oven and I have been rather restricted when the family have wanted me to cook something in particular, don't get me wrong those bench top ovens are FANTASTIC! And over the last 12+ years we have used them so much that we have actually gone through about 4 now and I am currently using a round halogen bench top oven that my Dad bought for us for Christmas 2011 before he passed away in the January 2012. That was what my Dad was like, despite him being very ill and dying he would still make sure he didn't miss Christmas for anyone.

Right, after grumping at my husband over the last so many years to google as to how to test the oven to check if there is power still going to it, I finally got fed up and googled it myself this afternoon. I left the page on and asked my husband again to just take a look. He then started watching a video about the clock/timer on ovens. We both sat and watched it and then got up and went into the kitchen to....well, just check....WE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT! I turned the clock and VOILA!! My double oven works, both ovens and grill, the LOT!! IT ALL WORKS!...WOOOHOOO - after all these years and all it needed was the clock altered...can you believe it? We both just burst out laughing, how could I have been so dim over these years and never give it a thought to just check the clock/timer.
I am now going to have to make my husband his home made sweet mince pies on Christmas Eve, he hates the bought ones...I have just given myself more work :)

I have cleaned a cupboard in my kitchen today, so that is a tad more done.

I have once again had All Bran for breakfast this morning and I am happy to say that it is still doing the job...you really wanted to know that now didn't you?...*Snigger*

Well, time to make the family their evening meal, they want curry and rice and my little James has already told me that I can now bake him some scones, now that we have our ovens working again....he is just too quick that little man:)

Might get back later today but if not then I will be back tomorrow :)

The sun just isn't going to come out today, that's alright though because there is a huge amount I need to do in the house especially as I didn't get any cupboards sorted and cleaned yesterday...oops!

All Bran with Hazelnut milk this morning for breakfast, this is truly working for me! :)

I am going to start exercise next week because I really want to make a difference on the scales by Christmas.

Back later today :)  Ooops! I got lazy! Back tomorrow

I am off to collect my first organic vegetable box/bag in an hour or so, can't wait! I will pop back with photo's later to show what is in it.

I am going to get some of my kitchen cupboards sorted and cleaned today. I usually pull everything out of my cupboards every year and sort and clean them and it is amazing just how much they need a sort out by the next year, of course I sort and clean things like food cupboards a couple of times a year, that is a must!!.

I have had my All Bran this morning which is not my favourite but if it works then I'm happy!

Back later today with pics!!!!!!!!!!

*UPDATED*

My veg bag this week.

What was is in my veg bag this week?

Potato
Carrot
Onion
swede
celeriac
artichoke
brussels sprouts
leaf Beet/Swiss Chard
mizuna
mushroom   I also requested 1lt of organic apple juice, pressed at the farm and a jar of local honey.   I have NEVER had Jerusalem Artichoke (Sunchoke), Celeriac or Mizuna before so by buying these veg bags it is going to encourage me and us to try new things...BRILLIANT!! I have bought celeriac before but it has ended up being thrown away but there is NO WAY ANY of this is going to end up thrown away..NO WAY, NOT NO HOW!!

I have had to google how to use the Jerusalem Artichoke and Mizuna. I am going to try the Jerusalem Artichoke a little at a time because apparently it can give us wind....Pffft :) I don't want that!! It is apparently a cross between a potato and a jicama; we don't get jicama here in the UK. :( The Jerusalem Artichoke is nutrient dense and has prebiotic properties.
About Jerusalem Artichokes.

Feel free to give me any recipe links or idea's for using the celeriac, Jerusalem Artichoke and Mizuna etc.

We have been having thunder and lightening here this afternoon and it blackened right over...cozy :)

Back later today but if not then I will be back tomorrow :)

*UPDATED*

I sliced the organic onion and gently fried them. I roasted a sweet potato that I bought from Asda a few days ago for myself and I washed and roasted the three organic potatoes for my husband and sons. I grated one of the organic carrots and added raw cashews and cranberries and mixed those for a carrot salad. I sliced the remaining organic carrots and gently boiled them for my family.....should have steamed them...umm. I cooked up a few sausages to serve up with the veg.
I served up gently boiled sliced carrots, sausages, fried onions and the jacket potatoes for my family and I had the meal below....YUM!!

Back tomorrow people :)

Christmas...Oh my goodness, how quick is that?! So, as of tomorrow I am going to do as well as I can between now until Christmas and aim to lose 10lb or better still, my 10% goal, now that would be GREAT!!

I am unable to eat a raw breakfast for the foreseeable future because of constipation. I am completely fed up with being constipated all the time which in turn makes me feel rather unwell all the time which feeling unwell could be down to a build up of toxins in my body....I AM SICK AND FED UP WITH IT!!! So I have been having All Bran in the mornings and it is making things more regular and SOOO much more comfortable. I would much rather not have a raw breakfast and eat All Bran than rely on Senocot or some other laxative, All Bran is the lesser of two evils as far as raw food is concerned. I know I could take psyllium every day, been there, done that and it didn't make any difference. The only thing that is making the difference up to now is eating one bowl of All Bran daily. I sometimes have a sliced banana with it and one morning I poured on coconut milk.
Eating raw does help regulate things but it only seems to do that for so long and then it becomes difficult for me again but the All Bran seems to be doing the trick daily at the moment.

 

I had my lady test last week and I was telling the nurse all about the hot flashes and missing my monthly's which I missed again last month and she too told me that it is the start of the menopause. So the doctor and the nurse are telling me that I am definitely peri-menopausal. Apparently the menopause is not complete until I have missed a period for 1 year and then they call it done. She told me that if I am having trouble with it all that I can be prescribed medication for it but there are side affects, I told her that I will just persevere with it and that I would rather not be taking any more medication than I already am for other things, so on I go for the next however many years. I sort of don't mind because at least if I wanted I could still have another baby...NOT that I would but it is just nice knowing :)

I have signed up for a weekly vegetable box and tomorrow (Wednesday 20th November) is my first box...WooHoo....and all organic. I have opted to collect my box direct from the farm which will give me something to do and somewhere to go ANNND I get a £1 reduction for each veg box collected...that'll do me, thankyou! Every penny helps :)

I am starting my deep Christmas clean around the house this week, a tad earlier than last year I think, but all good!

I made a few naughty treats last week but first I had to make some raw cashew butter which I whipped up in just a few minutes using my dinky little Cuisinart mini food processor/chopper.

 

This was a recipe that Jason Wrobel AKA J-Wro made on his You Tube.

Here is J-Wro's recipe below. J-Wro is SOOO funny and he has loads of raw recipe's on his You Tube.

I used vanilla Sun Warrior protein powder and plain cereal. They tasted great! And I will make them again!

Back tomorrow! :)

How time flies eh!
Well, what has been going on with me/us over this last month! Well, We have been very busy with the conservatory which is pretty much done except for buying and laying new tiles for the floor, installing a socket and a few other internal finishing offs which we are doing ourselves. We need to give the outside a good clean also. We then need to lay new patio flag stones in front of the conservatory but all this is going to have to wait until early next year, we have Christmas to think about now.
The guy who we got to erect the conservatory has dragged out the conservatory build, something that should have taken a week or so has taken weeks ANNND we have all had to pitch in, he is the one we are paying. He is supposed to come back and do another job on the conservatory but my hubby has done it instead...not happy with the guy, we've had enough now. I was saying the build should have taken a weekend but I suppose longer because he did have to lay a whole new floor for the conservatory and to be built on.

Here are the photo's of the conservatory to date.

I found a new fruit a couple of weeks ago that I have NEVER seen in the UK before. Custard Apple.

I bought 3 packs :) yum!!

That is all for today and yep, I will get back tomorrow.

THE BEST JUICE IN THE WORLD!! I have just made THE best juice EVER!

 

I used

3 Apples

3 Carrots - large-ish

3 Clementines

1 Beetroot large-ish

 

I didn't use my Breville juicer, instead I just grabbed my basic juicer which was easier to get to but it explains the froth, but I quite like the froth anyway.

 

We have been having our new conservatory erected over the weekend but the lad had to leave earlier yesterday, he is coming back tonight. We are going to tile the conservatory floor but I am not sure if we will get that done before Christmas, but if not then January should see it done.

I will get back today with my next raw meal.

My Christmas challenge.
The number or numbers 82 is quite significant to me because I married my husband on the 28th day and in the year 82 and today is 82 days to Christmas so I have decided to start my challenge as of today.

I also want to talk about something I noticed. As you might know I started drinking lemon water in the mornings and I wasn't having my first cup of coffee until the afternoons, sometimes later in the afternoon 3pm and after. During the days of drinking the lemon water I noticed that I was getting pains in my arms, legs, neck and décolleté area's, I also started getting rather bad headaches which didn't seem to go away. After about a week I ran out of lemons and so started having coffee in the morning and throughout the day, I then immediately noticed that the pains and headache ceased pretty much straight away. This morning although I still haven't been to buy more lemons yet I decided to have a juice drink and didn't get my first cup of coffee until the afternoon and once again I am plagued with another headache and a pain in my right arm....something to do with the coffee me thinks and possibly detox, the reduction in caffeine.

Over the last few days I have been eating processed foods and I have been feeling quite down in the dumps and grumpy, but today I am back to raw for my 82 day raw Christmas challenge and by later this afternoon I started to feel SOO much better and happier!!

I prepared a few raw food about 2 days ago.

 

Kale for kale chips

Almonds for almond milk

More almonds for granola

Sunflower seeds for granola

Alfalfa seeds for sprouts.

I have been very busy preparing raw foods.

Back later with photo's

Jewellery making.

I was sampling a few jewellery making techniques and here are my results, nothing completed though.

 

A little bit of beading

 

A little bit of macramé - a mans bracelet technique

 

I am starting my own raw  Christmas challenge, yet another challenge, as of tomorrow.

 

Night, night