RHUBARB COMPLEX : TWENTY FIRST CENTURY HERBS REVIEW

It's no secret that many of us rely far too heavily on modern medicine. I'm not saying it's bad, but personally, I have been leaning towards more natural remedies for minor ailments where I can.

I discovered Twenty First Century Herbs from an advert on Facebook and I was tantalized by the idea that they have blended natural herbs into capsule form to help with everyday health. You have to remember our ancestors relied solely on herbs for medicine.

Initially I ordered a sample pack of the Rhubarb Complex. The company offer a trial pack of 10 capsules for just the price of postage which is great if you want to try them out.

The capsules contain a natural blend of Rhubarb, Cayenne, Ginger and Aloe powder and you simply take 1-2 capsules just before your evening meal. They are meant to relieve the symptoms of IBS, increase energy and regulate bowel movements.

I do find capsules quite hard to take as they are quite large so initially I poured the powder into a smoothie to see if I could drink it that way. However, silly Lorin hadn't read there was Cayenne in there, cue a very puzzled me telling Tom the ginger in my smoothie seemed extremely spicy today.

After that I tried swallowing the capsules. Not ideal but I managed. After a few days of these I noticed my bloating after food had reduced and without getting graphic I was going regularly and had more energy. I soon ordered another 30 capsules as I feel like these are great for me.

I have now also ordered the Turmeric Complex which is a great natural anti inflammatory and helps relieve joint pain. At the moment I have palletellar tendinitis in my knee so I am hoping this will work well. I also have a sample pack of the Sleepy Head Complex as with my wedding coming up, I am finding my insomnia is terrible. They contain ingredients such as Valerian and Wild Lettuce, Valerian being a natural cure for insomnia and Wild Lettuce a mild natural sedative. I can't wait to give these a go!

*disclaimer - I have not been paid or gifted to talk about these products, these are genuinely products I have ordered and tried for myself.*

TRAVEL DIARIES : LONDON

This week I travelled down to London with a colleague for some training and naturally I had to take in the sights a little bit. I haven't visited London in so long, I had almost forgotten how busy and bustling it is!

I think because I'm used to my tiny hometown it always seems crazy to me. We stayed in Hammersmith which is an area of London I'd never been to but I enjoyed the area, there was plenty of shops, bars, restaurants and the likes.

Naturally we wandered the shops on oxford street and then headed down to Carnaby Street for some dinner in the diner there. OMG...it's so good. I chose to have the corn dogs and cheese fries washed down with some homemade still lemonade and after the humidity London has going on at the moment I was so glad of it!

After Dinner we headed towards Liberty London, mainly to admire the prettiness. They have the most gorgeous displays of flowers just outside! Now I know how all those London instagrammers get such bloody lovely pictures.

Of course while we were there we decided to take in a show one night. We decided on Aladdin as we are both huge Disney fans.

The show was absolutely incredible. There were extra songs, dynamic dance routines and the Genie was a fantastic mix of Rue Paul and Will Smith all rolled into one. He certainly knew how to work the room and the crowd loved him.

I adored the costumes and set. The only thing I could complain about is the other theatre goers! (I had a girl next to me who kept elbowing me and putting her feet on other peoples chairs...bleugh!)

As I write this I am sat in Kings Cross station waiting for my train home. I've had a blast and enjoyed my training but I think I'm ready to get back to the quiet life.

SETTING MYSELF SOME GOALS

New Years Resolutions are stupid.

There I said it. You make em, break em and then resort to your bad habits for the rest of the year. I myself have fallen into that trap so many times only to shame spiral when I inevitably can't deliver on the huge pressure I put on myself to change. Well no more! I have a new way of doing things.

It's nearly the end of April now which means we are nearly a third of the way through the year. I'm going to take the first third as my "who am I" section of the year. It gives me time to figure out whats going on this year, my goals, whats changed since last year and why.

Then I'm setting myself a list of small achievable goals for me to try and incorporate into my life in the final two thirds of the year. My thinking is thus...if those goals become habit in the rest of the year it's something I know I can continue with. If not, I'll reassess in the start of next year.

So...having had a think about what I would like to get out of this year here we are:

1. Learn to make Macarons. Because...well...they're so blimmin tasty and so bloomin expensive.
   
2. Enjoy my wedding day. Don't get bogged down in drama.
   
3. Make more time for friends.
   
4. Enjoy being young. Go out more, drink a few too many, have some fun. Sometimes I take myself so seriously.
   
5. Drink less fizzy pop and try to drink more water.
   
6. Have vegetables every day.
   
7. Learn to say no. Sometimes I'm such a pushover.
   
8. Take plenty of photos.
   
9. Get a dog!
   
10. Gym more.
    
11. Get that daring hairstyle. Why not?

So, that is my mini list of goals! Lets see in a year how I get on. Wish me luck!

WEDDING DIARIES : STATIONARY AND INVITES

"Why are you stressing out so much over the invites?" Tom asks

For a moment I consider the question. Why does the prospect of sending out a little care stress me out so much?

For me, the invite is the first touch point between you and your guests. It's the thing that gives the briefest of glimpses into the style and concept of the day and what your guests can expect from your wedding. To me that's a lot of pressure!

I've known friends that have had a rustic teepee wedding and had some beautiful handmade invites. I've been to weddings where the invites have been very traditional and simple. They all seem to invoke a sense of what's to come.

Four our invites, I wanted something classy and elegant but also with a nod to the botanical feel of the venue and the earthy feel of the day. I originally did the whole shebang of tootling off to various wedding fairs and pouring over the lovely invites on offer from sellers. However at £2-3 a pop with over 100 guests that seemed like a huge waste of money. Money better spent in other areas.

I've always been artistic and so I waited for a voucher code to come up on Vistaprint (keep an eye out they always have offers on!) and designed them up myself. I found it extremely easy as there is a whole section for invites, RSVP's and save the dates.

I went with a botanical design with rounded corners and added some geometric lines in rose gold as a nod to our cake. I then chose a lovely scripted font.

Our venue offers our guests a choice of food for the day so we had to include the menu. Instead of increasing cost and wasting paper we added the menu onto the back of the invite for a small fee.

I think in total the stationary cost £100 for the invites, menus, save the dates, evening invites, monogrammed stickers and I even designed a small business card sized insert asking people to not give us wedding gifts (after all we've lived together five years, we really don't need any more plates!). They even came with free envelopes.

I was thrilled when they arrived. The only issue now is getting them back in from people!

HONEST REVIEW : BOOMBOD

Disclaimer: I have been in no way paid or sponsored for this post. I tried this out of genuine curiosity. 

So, with my wedding coming up I decided I would try and get my butt into shape and actually ensure that I look and more importantly feel my best for the big day. There's so many "diet" crazes out there and I hated the idea of using meal replacements or shakes.

Enter Boombod.

Unless you've been living under a social media rock you will have undoubtedly seen or heard of this product. Endorsed by countless celebs and social media stars it claims to reduce hunger, help you lose weight and reduce bloating. The main ingredient Glucomamman, will help you feel fuller as it is a natural fiber.

Am I convinced? Not entirely. However as Holland and Barrett had the 7 day pack for half price at £14.99 I thought now would be the time to give it a go.

Initial Thoughts

Ok, so the package is cute and comes with 7 of each of the morning, afternoon and evening shots. There's an altogether blackcurranty smell as you open the pack and a set of clear instructions on top. You will need a pair of scissors or extremely strong teeth as I didn't find the sachets easy to open at all.

Taking the Shots 

So, the instructions state to empty the powder into a dry cup, add cold water whilst stirring till it's a quarter full and then down it. You do this three times a day, 30 minutes before you eat.

So, with the very first one I made up the shot and swigged it back. The taste is not at all to my liking. Although not unmanageable, the synthetic blackcurrant taste reminds me of the Blackcurrant Lemsips.

There's also a very grainy texture that is somewhat offputting. I find that drinking with a straw is the easiest way to get the liquid down my neck without gagging. You then chase the shot with a glass of water.

Results

Did I feel that I lost a dramatic amount of weight on Boombod?

No.

Despite what celebs tell you I don't believe a week of these magic shots will allow you to magically shed a huge amount of weight.

I have lost around half an inch off my stomach as I do feel it has reduced my bloating due to not feeling as hungry and eating as much. Overall, the vitamins in the shots do make me feel more energized and I haven't reached for an energy drink all week. Part of me wonders if this is more due to the 3 large glasses of water I've been drinking each day as I am notoriously terrible at keeping hydrated. I have potentially lost one or two pounds but my weight fluctuates so much it may just be the norm for me.

For me, at £30 for the usual price it's not worth the money. You can buy Glucomamman tablets for less than half the price. However, if you do happen to find it on offer then give it a go as I do think it's a nice little pick me up and if you know your bad with reaching for snacks it does break the cycle for at least a week.

RECIPE: HAM AND COUNTRY VEGETABLE SOUP

In my humble opinion, there's nothing more comforting than a hearty bowl of homemade soup. This recipe is also known as "leftover" soup in my house because it utilizes half a left over roast gammon which we have usually eaten with salad or veg earlier in the week. 

Of course you can buy a small gammon and roast it specifically for this recipe but it's much more cost effective to use leftovers. 

All the ingredients were purchased from Aldi and I've estimated the cost for making this great big pot of soup is around £4. It will serve roughly 6 people (although it is super filling) which makes it about 70p a portion! 

Ingredients:

Roughly 250g of left over roasted gammon (I use the Aldi smoked variety!) 

1 Butternut Squash diced 

2 Potatoes peeled and diced 

2 large leeks diced 

3 Carrots chopped

1 white onion chopped

3 cloves Garlic 

2 Chicken Stock Cubes

Salt and Pepper 

The method is really super easy. Add all your ingredients except the seasoning into the pan, fill with water so the veg is just covered and bring to the boil making sure to stir to break down the stock cubes. 

Once boiling bring to a simmer and cook for around 10-15 minutes until all the veg is soft. Meanwhile I heated the oven and popped in some of this gorgeous part baked seeded bread which takes around 6-8 minutes. 

Blend away with a hand blender until smooth and season to taste. Tom loves pepper so I always have to add extra to his! make sure to taste though as the Gammon does naturally add it's own saltiness to the flavour. If the soup is too thick just add a little water and blend again. 

Then it is just a case of serving up and enjoying!

WEDDING DIARIES : CHOOSING YOUR VENUE

"I hope my Wedding is as good as the one I've planned on Pinterest."

Ok so...I'm not going to lie and say that when Tom popped the question, the millions of photos I have pinned to my Dream wedding Pinterest Board didn't go hurdling it's way into my little elated brain. My wedding is something I have always dreamed of and being such a hopeless romantic it's something I feel is an extension of us as a couple. 

So when Tom asked me where I wanted to get married, after initially fantasizing about Sleeping Beauties Castle in Disneyland I finally decided to look for a barn type location. Something chilled and natural and above all PRETTY. 

I have been to plenty of hotel weddings and whilst they were all lovely I never really felt the "wow" factor with any of the decor. Being a photographer in my spare time I knew I wanted something that I would look at in years to come on photos and think....yep....that was my venue. 

I initially looked at the Wedding Barn in Gilling West which was I have to say STU-NNING however way way out of our price range. I don't believe in taking out extra loans to pay for the wedding so I reluctantly walked away from that one and scoured local blogs and wedding mags to find something new. 

That's where I came upon the South Causey Inn at Stanley, County Durham. I remember seeing an article on a wedding website and I just thought....yep...that's the one. So I booked an appointment. 

It's a hotel however they have built a whole separate wedding venue at the back, including the most delightful pagan looking chapel. With the beams, the stone floor and the quirky floral touches I was instantly sold. 

Price wise, it fitted. The venue takes care of centerpieces, food, canapes, drinks, table dressing, the DJ, cake table and so much more. All we had to get was an outfit, cake, flowers and our table plan! 

I literally can't wait to get married here. I feel like every time I visit I get more and more excited about the big day. It may have a little something to do with the fact that every time we go up we have tea in the restaurant and the food is divine. Proper home cooked comfort food! 

If anyone is engaged, I strongly recommend checking out this place. 

H E L L O A G A I N

"And suddenly you just know it's time to start something new, and trust the magic of beginnings..."

Hello. Again. 

I say again because Curiously Lorin has been around for years and years however at the tender age of 28 I decided to wipe the slate clean and start afresh. I must admit, the idea of pressing delete on quite a few years of my life was initially terrifying but then there was that flood of relief and optimism. 

There's something quite cathartic and almost invigorating about starting something new, disregarding the old baggage and  having a totally blank page in front of you. I also feel like I should be giving myself points for how many "new beginnings" cliches I can fit into one blog post!

So here we are today. A brand new blog. 

I suppose I should (re)introduce myself. My name is Lorin, I am a 28 year old marketing executive from a tiny town in the North East of England. I am engaged to Tom, who owns his own detailing business and we are getting married in August this year. 

In all honesty, I'm not sure what this blog may turn into. I enjoy lifestyle, fashion, caring for animals and food so I expect it will be a culmination of all of the above. However, less "Goop" more...realistic. As I edge away from my 20's I feel like I really am beginning to understand myself as a person and more importantly begin to accept that. I still have a long way to go but that's OK. 

That's what your thirties are for right?