What We're Loving Right Now! [20th May, 2013]

Photo from our Engagement Shoot by the lovely Lucie Zeka

What we're grateful for and what we're loving right now

Spending time together:
Living at home with our family, whilst we're together, we're usually in the middle of the noise and chaos of my family (Mum I mean lovely noise and chaos - but you know what I mean).

This week Jesse had the day off, so we spent the day together chilling out and enjoying time to ourselves - and we went on a bit of a shopping spree for winter clothes and accessories. 

I mean.. I needed a better option than socks on my hands ;) 

Great doctors: 
For years I went to a doctor who treated me like the boy who cried wolf. Granted, I did have dozens of medical problems - but all of those medical problems were real. 

It wasn't until I saw other doctors who took me seriously that I started getting answers. We found out I had coeliac disease, glandular fever, extreme IBS, allergies galore, chronic fatigue - the list goes on and on. 

I'm lucky that the doctor I have now takes me seriously and knows something is up. She suspected something was up with my B-vitamin levels and had full blood work done - and she was right. I didn't have a deficiency like she first thought, but I am pretty much overdosing on vitamin B6 (that 6090 is no typo, it should be between 35-110). 

I'm thankful for doctors who are excellent at what they do - and who actually take time to listen to your concerns. Gemma will answer all of my questions, look up information for me, send me home with things to read over and she knows when further testing needs to be done. She apologises for all the jabs, stabs and bruises - but I'm grateful for them. 

Tea and Fiance's who make it for you 
Cold weather means I am almost constantly clutching at a cup of tea. English breakfast, green tea, peppermint tea, roobois tea, chai tea - you name it - and I often add hot chocolates to that list too. 

Jesse has recently realised that he can make me tea (he always uses the excuse of not wanting to make me sick as the reason he doesn't get me anything haha) so he has now been fixing my tea of a night. It's the simple things like that which put you in a better mood. 

Working with fabulous companies 
Rebel Sport hooked me up with their new Super Natural Range. Whilst the clothes didn't fit me, I wanted to share the love and so I gifted it to a beautiful friend of mine.

There's nothing better than seeing a smile on a friends face and knowing you can share your blessings with the ones who bless you with their friendship. Soon I'll be sharing the blessings with you as Rebel also gave me two sets of the entire Super Natural Range to give away!!

Thumb holes!
I did keep one of the Super Natural 1/4 Zip Tops to test out as it wasn't ridiculously big (I don't like things really tight anyway) and I was happy to see it had thumb holes! Seriously - thumb holes are the greatest invention and I kinda sorta pick long sleeved workout clothes based on whether they do or do not have them. 

The top is fabulous - the fabric is so soft and comfy and whilst it's thin, it really regulates your body temperature. 

Salty, crunchy pistachios
We're pistachio lovers (just look at my Pistachio Ricotta Pasta!) but sometimes the roasted pistachios you buy in the shops just aren't good. Not salty enough on the actual nut, way too salty, not crunchy, too hard to open - but not Wonderful Pistachios. We're obsessed. 

They're always crunchy and just salty enough. You can buy them in Coles and Woolworths and they come in three flavours - Roasted and Salted, Salt and Pepper and Sweet Chilli. We like them the classic way with just salt, but they are perfect for entertaining when you want to put out a different snack. I want to try and come up with a new recipe to use them in - but I'm not sure if they'd last long enough. As soon as we buy them, Jesse demolishes the packet :P 

Family Time 
My sister is currently obsessed with Mario Kart - and Jesse and I have been known to be rather competitive. We spent a couple of hours versing eachother and laughing ourselves silly and it made me realise how lucky I am to have a fiance who fits perfectly into our family. 

I'm also lucky to have a sister who is healthy and happy (this week we found the holes in her lungs have healed - much to our and the doctors delight and surprise!).

St Ive's skincare products
Because of all of my health problems, I still struggle with my skin from time to time. I have the world's most sensitive skin so finding products that are gentle enough but still work well enough can be a challenge. 

I was sent some products from St Ive's to try and I have fallen in love. The Green Tea Cleanser is my absolute favourite - it smells amazing and whilst it's really gentle and calming, it leaves you with that fresh and clean feeling. I've also been using the Apricot Face Scrub which is just as awesome - and I love that everything is 100% natural and so gentle whilst working to clear, clean and calm your skin. I actually love it so much that I've switched to St Ive's instead of the Dermalogica I was using.

Taking time for myself
Lately I've realised that I really need to stop what I'm doing, sit down and relax - because I tend to be going non-stop from about 6am until 7pm every day. If I'm not working I'm on the phone for work/blog calls, writing blog posts, editing photos, testing recipes, cooking dinner, packing lunches, making breakfasts, cleaning the house - or just generally being busy. 

Taking just an hour out of my day to drop everything, relax and read a book is making so much difference in my mental state.

Catching up with old friends
This weekend we've had friends staying over from Adelaide. We haven't seen them in 6 years and we've missed them so much - so it was incredible to catch up once more. You know you have a great friend when you can pick up right where you left of - regardless of how long it may have been.

Kristina is also a coeliac (and the reason I've always known about gluten allergies and coeliac disease since I was little) so it was fun having someone else in the house who gets things. We had a delicious dinner with Mini Brown Rice Quiches and Cheesy Quinoa Bakes, salads and finished off with my Healthy Double Chocolate Brownies which were once again made into a cake and topped with a thin layer of Cadbury Philadelphia - it's always a winner!

So tell me, what are you loving at the moment?
anything we should be buying/watching/reading/eating?

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Kristy and Jesse received Wonderful Pistachios and St Ive's Skincare courtesy of Wonderful Pistachio Australia's and St Ive's PR Teams. There was no obligation to share these products and all opinions expressed are their own.