Madamluxe*

Bzzagent Chromecast Review

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Sun, 16 Nov 2014 11:50:00 +0000

This is something I'm new to, but has been very worthwhile so far.
I joined Bzzagent a few months ago, as recommended by a friend, to see if I could get involved in some interesting campaigns.

My first challenge has been to try out Google Chromecast and feedback any conversations I've had about it, good or bad.

Chromecast is an easy plug-in device, which slots into your HD tvs HDMI and USB slots and allows you to click a 'cast' button on your ipad/iPhone/laptop whilst using apps such as Netflix, Blinkbox, Youtube and BBC iPlayer. This then casts the video to your tv and can be controlled from that device.

Some of the apps can be a bit glitchy if you're not right next to your wifi but in general it streams well and has been an absolute godsend over the last 11 days of illness in our house (and horrendous noise problems in the lounge from a problematic neighbour).

We have migrated from the lounge to the bedroom with the big tv with a bit of peace from the noise and a nice rest while coughing/vomiting/crying children writhe around!
In fact, it's been so good that we have borrowed a second HD tv from our neighbours so we can keep it going through here and put the big TV back. It gives us a hideaway when the techno music from downstairs starts up!

Nobody else I know seems to have it, so my conversations have basically been me talking about my lovely freebie and people giving their opinions about what they might use it for, then feeding this back in my reports, showing some videos of me casting and sending the odd tweet about how I'm getting on. I also get some bonus Tesco Clubcard points for doing this.

I'm keen to get involved with some new campaigns and will update the resurrected blog as I go along!

Xxx

The Abbotsford Living Room #lifeneedsagreatvenue

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 16:37:00 +0000

Growing up in a bed and breakfast is a wonderful thing for an only child.
You have in-house playmates at all times and adults slipping you 50p pieces and toys every time they visit!

I grew up in a Morningside B&B run by my parents in the 1980's.

Oh, is that the time? I must leave before you take more awkward photos of me!

Leaving it was a terribly sad day at the age of 11 and I have to say, pretty much the end of my idyllic childhood, but that's another story....

We housed firstly students, then lodgers, then regular quests from all over the world although we always had someone from Caithness staying because our house was considered 'little Wick' for those visiting from the Highlands. My mum was from Wick and our huge flat provided a home from home to those coming all the way down for hospital appointments, shopping trips, weddings or the Queens Garden party.

Christmases were often spent with no guests and the rooms instead filled with family from Caithness and Aberdeenshire.

Our lovely Korean lodger stayed one year. Look at the shellsuit on me....

What I want to write about today though is our lounge and my memories of enjoying music there.

The lounge sat on the corner over looking Morningside Road and Abbotsford park with a view to the Pentlands that was always stunning in the snow.
I would stand in the window drawing on the steamed up glass panes waiting for my dad to come home from work, watching parades down the street, throwing soggy toilet paper onto cars.....
My cousins, friends and I would put on 'shows', make radio station broadcasts and dance around.

I'm in the orange and have satsumas for boobs. My cousin Laura is 'a man'.

The most multi-sensory memories in my mind though are those of impromptu ceilidhs. Multi-sensory as in musical, beer-breathy, soft blankety and comfortable.

Perhaps those occasions where I can remember being aged 2-11, dancing to my dad playing 'The Hens March in The Midden' and '4 Poster Bed'where just so impulsive and 'of the moment' that no-one thought to take a photo. Anyway, I can't find one but there are plenty of other pics.

My parents had eventually stripped back all of the glossed wood to expose beautiful beams and shutters and the windows were decorated with stained glass panels which I have in my windows now (and have apparently appeared in episodes of Rebus!)
The room was spacious and light whith plenty of room for lots of people perched on chairs, sofas and the floor.

Some wee musical guests play dads instruments while mum sings

This is him playing fiddle, have a click and listen while you read:

Rattlin Roarin Willie, Hens March to The Midden & Four Poster Bed (I loved this particular set when I was wee!)

The Kielder Hunt

The Highlanders Lament

Cam Ye Oer Fae France

Guests would congregate in the lounge before going out, or following on from the night before, expecting another fiddle recital. Quite often they were musicians performers themselves and a proper jam session would get going.

A birthday party with 'BusCarWillie' (Ewen Bremners dad!)

I would fall asleep to him playing guitar while my mum sung Carole King, Judy Collins and other 1970's American Folk.

Now I play those songs on the same guitar to my babies and have learned a love of Scottish and American folk, hoping that I'll continue to leave similar memories with them, especially now that my parents are gone.

The memory that I am trying to describe is a muddled general memory of sitting on the sofa, on someones lap or on my upturned seagrass woven stool being part of this wonderful music.
I would display a mix of joy, pride and embarrassment depending on my mood or age.

Now I wish I could remember it better, wish it had been photographed, video'd whatever. You always want more of your memories, especially once the people in them are gone.

I'll post this where people who might have been there one night can see it and maybe be transported back for a while.

Kxxx

My Love of Boden

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Tue, 24 Sep 2013 09:32:00 +0000

I can never afford to buy Boden clothes full price for my kids, even with quidco cashback and 2 voucher codes cleverly used together!

However I think I'm onto a winner! I've been picking up pieces for the baby and boy in charity shops and on Ebay and they are such great quality that even when they've been well worn they can take a good battering and still look great.

Here's some of the stuff I've been buying for just a few pounds.

All of the bright designey stuff goes for pretty much what you pay full price but duller colours just don't seem to inspire bits and that's where I win!

Ebaying the kids old clothes puts a wee purse of money into paypal that I can then use to buy new stuff or second hand for them and if I buy Boden (or POP/Jojo) I know I'll be able to sell on again and make a bit more cash to put towards the next lot.

I'm currently coveting the dress above. Anything farmyard is cool.

Kxxx

Resurrection!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Mon, 27 May 2013 11:14:00 +0000

It's been a long time since my last post. Mainly due to having another baby who is now 9 months old!

Here's Neve - a bit out of focus.

Anyway, I plan to start blogging again since I'm still doing night feeds and all of those blogger competitions out there will give us little projects to do.

Wish me luck!

Kxxx

Happy Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:34:00 +0000

We've been going for it chez luxe" and here are the results.

Like my Kahlo tache?!

I carved a pumpkin for the first time in my life!

Oooh spooky!

Hairy Fun

I hope that you have a lovely Halloween too.

Kxxx

Queen of Chat?

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:36:00 +0000

Well, guess who's been shortlisted to become the First Cape Cafe Collection Queen of Chat? Me!

I entered First Cape Wine's competition early on with the intention of getting my hands of some free wine (first 10 videos would win this). At no point did I think that my vid would make the final cut as I did it in 1 take without practicing or thinking about what I was going to say and just had a bit of a ramble on camera.

Shockingly, I received a call last week saying that Alesha Dickson (lol - brand ambassador) had chosen me and 9 others as the final 10. Unfortunately this means harassing friends and family for votes........oh no.

Now, I hate voting competitions and try not to get sucked into the seedy world of cheating, vote buying, backbiting and so on. It's just not in the spirit and is generally a waste of time.
However, when a grand prize of 2k cash is up for grabs (woah!) and a meet and greet with Alesha Dixon it's time to really go for it isn't it?

If any of you kind friends and followers would like to assist me on my quest for riches (it would pay for an aromatherapy course which is my newly discovered wonderful path in life alongside competition hobbying, photography and film) then PLEASE do click here and vote for me!

Many kisses from your embarrassing friend.

Go The F**k to Sleep

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:20:00 +0000

Long time no blog. Life seems to have gotten in the way of blogging!
This evening Christopher decided to go to sleep at 9.58.
Evenings have been a bit of a nightmare with lots of rolling around making noises, escaping from the bedroom, crying, laughing (me included) and general restlesness.
Please let it be a phase.

I do a bit of baby massage after his bath, then a story in bed and sleep but it's not working!
Has anyone got any sleepy time tips?

Help.
Kx

The Joy of Quidco!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:41:00 +0000

In a 1970's hairy, sweaty, 'love to love you baby!', sexy way....I love the joy that is Quidco.
Seriously. For those of you (ie. all of you) who shop online regularly this is the way to go.

Since joining it in May I've had nearly £150 in cashback for just getting on with my normal shopping!

With very little effort you can earn an average of 4% cashback on many of your purchases, including hotels, holidays, ebay auctions, takeaways, betting, groupon deals, all types of insurance, clothes and lots lots more!

With the new Quidco widget (found to download on your homepage) you can be instantly alerted whenever you come across a site that they offer cashback on. This is still a little glitchy but I find that using it has gotten me into the habit of remembering to check if my chosen website is registered with them, even if the widget doesn't remember to alert me.

You can also register your credit or debit card and automatically earn cashback when you shop in Debenhams, Sports Direct, NCP, Halfords, Cineworld, Blockbuster, Little Chef, Austin Reed, Direct Golf, Feather & Black, Country Casuals and Viyella.

And...I've discovered their phone app. Very much like vouchercloud, it uses GPS to detect your location and alert you of nearby offers. Genius.

If you sign friends up and they make £5 cashback, you get £2.50 in turn.
You can sign up through me by clicking the banner at the bottom of the page, or here, then spread the love to all of your friends!

and here's the regular link that doesn't give me presents!

Happy Bargaining Sexy Shoppers.
x

Benjoy Review

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 22:34:00 +0000

I'm currently on the look-out for healthy snacks that my lactose intolerant toddler can enjoy and sometimes share with his wheat/gluten/oat intolerant mother.
I'd read about Benjoy on another blog and contacted them to see if they might be up for letting me do a review too.
And they agreed....

Benjoy make a range of healthy Munchcups that are designed to be a nutritious and delicious, take-anywhere snacks for kids.
As my little boy is lactose intolerant I often struggle to find different snacks for him to eat, and share with me as I'm gluten and sugar intolerant - what fun!

The flavours we tried were:- Vegetable Mini Crisps, Crunchy Strawberry Slices, Crunchy Grape Slices, Multigrain Munchers.

The snacks themselves are of a fantastic quality and Christopher liked them all, especially the strawberries, aside from the root veg, which I loved. I tasted everything but the Multigrain Munchers and particularly enjoyed the grape slices, a great change from shriveled up raisins!
They contain no artificial ingredients, no hydrogenated fat, no sulphites and no palm oil - hurrah! Tasty and healthy.

We put our Munchcups through the ultimate snacking trial, a long journey to Liverpool by train.
This is where the Munchcups really came into their own.
The foil lid is peeled back to reveal a clear film that has criss-crossed slits across it, joined in the centre.
You push this in with you finger to break the middle and create a snack trapping barrier and can easily grab snacks out without losing them when the cup is tipped, turned upside down or thrown about. (all of these activities were experimented with on the train!)

A bit out of focus but you get the idea!

Normally we leave a scattering of snack destruction in our wake at the table but this time disembarked without embarrassment!
The pots were great for visiting gran without destroying her sofa too.

I think I'd probably choose to use these for travelling and other anti-mess situations rather than everyday as they involve using a bit more packaging than I'd prefer, although most of it is recyclable.

The new packaging (one was more modern and up to date looking) has a great activity section printed inside, ideal for slightly older kids than my toddler.

There are fun tips & ideas for re-using the pots inside

Benjoy can be purchased from Ocado, Waitrose, Morrisons, naturallygoodfood.co.uk and naturebotts.co.uk. And...on my regular Poundland visit this week I spotted the strawberry and apple multigrain bites. I'm assuming that they're on a 2 or 3 for £1 offer but couldn't see an offer sticker.

I love a bargain and if you can find these on offer and stock up for journeys and clean freak home visits then I'd highly recommend you to go for it!

Nakd Review

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 13:21:00 +0000

As I'm on a strict diet for my endometriosis I thought I'd blog my search for interesting and tasty snacks and cooking ingredients. this is my first review!
Earlier this month I contacted the people at Natural Balance Foods about their Nakd bars. They very kindly sent me a selection of bars to try.

Nakd avoid the refined, additive packed ingredients found in most cereal bars by making them with raw fruit, nuts and other natural ingredients.
They are wheat, dairy and gluten free and best of all....count as one of your 1 a day!

I struggle finding any on-the-go snacks that suit my dairy, gluten, sugar, oat and wheat free diet because there is always at least one of those ingredients, normally glucose syrup, that stops me enjoying the closest options I have to a healthy snack.
Ok, I'm not supposed to have cocoa but come on! It's the lesser of all the other evils and in the Nakd bars there's only 6%.

I love Nakd's packaging. I'm sure that my opinion of the brand would be different if the font wasn't modern, the colours weren't fresh and the wording wasn't so up-to-date. A hip, not hippy, wholefood company?
Yes! There are more and more companies like this appearing but it's taken a long time for this kind of brand to be considered cool and it'll take a while for it to catch on.

I spoke to my husband about the packaging and said that it makes a big difference for me. I didn't expand and he went on to say that he just doesn't see the point of it coming in packaging like this when, to him, these bars taste so similar to other cereal bars.
I explained to him that I think the packaging is crucial. People in my position, with very limited manufactured treat options, really need something like this that can be pulled out while enjoying a take-away tea or coffee out and about, as an afternoon snack, maybe heated with icecream as a pudding (more on that later) and generally carried around.
It's about having the sweetie experience. It hits the childish part of me that enjoys unwrapping something pretty and taking some time out to enjoy it. Not some poo resembling bar sweating up against it's packaging window, all bent and sweaty looking, framed by an illustration of a squirrel holding an acorn just to remind you that what you're eating resembles rodent food!

Since contacting Nakd I've started to see the bars appearing in Tesco, Holland and Barrett and other local shops. It's a bit hit and miss finding them actually in stock but that's a good sign isn't it?
I've seen a 3 for 2's, bogofs and discounts too and will be keeping my eyes open in order to bulk buy in future.

Here's what we thought (along with website descriptions and ingredients):

Pecan Pie - Dates (52%), Pecans (28%) Almonds (20%)
“I’m old school simplicity with a mellow nuttiness all my own.”
A tasty bar that is similar to the Cashew Cookie, just a little warmer tasting with the addition of pecan. My son enjoyed this one too.

Berry Delight - Dates 49%, Cashews 31%, Raisins 17%, Raspberry 3%, natural raspberry flavour
“I’m sweet and fruity, with a smooth raspberry mojo.”
I very much enjoyed this one and would be interested to see more fruit flavours. The cashew is smooth and sweet which went well with the raspberry in the way that white chocolate does. A welcome change from the nut and cocoa domination.

Cashew Cookie - Cashews (51%), Dates (49%)
“I’m simple and satisfying with a subtle wholesome earthiness.”
Very simple. I liked it, my husband hated it. He didn't see the point of something so simple that you could effectively make yourself, and that is so bland, being packaged up. I didn't find it bland and, again, the packaging is great and keeps it fresh. I don't see myself getting up each day to make fresh hand blended cashew and date before wrapping it in clingfilm to let it get squashed in my bag!
Popular with the toddler.

Ginger Bread - Dates (48%), Almonds (32%), Pecans (18%), Ginger, Cloves & Cinnamon
“I’m subtle and surprising with a hint of holiday cheer.”
Lovely. One of my favourites. My toddler and I shared this and I didn't get much! I'd really like to see more combinations like this with spices added in. Maybe a christmas edition?

Cocoa Delight - Dates 48%, Cashews 29%, Raisins 17%, Cocoa 6%, natural chocolate flavour
“Gorgeous, moist fudgie brownie. Mmmm, baby.”
Very good. The three cocoa based bars have raisins in them, which adds and almost boozy element of richness to the bars.
I got a bit experimental here and blasted it in the microwave for 8 seconds. Yum! It' go nicely with Booja Booja dairy & sugar free ice cream (top tip).

Cocoa Mint - Dates 48%, Cashews 29%, Raisins 17%, Cocoa 6%, Natural mint oil, natural flavour
“I’m like a rich, moist fudgie brownie with a hint of mint. Shockingly yummy.”
My least favourite. My husband described it as 'rank'. I just didn't like the raisin flavour wit the mint but others might disagree. The mint taste did last in my mouth and I really liked that. Maybe a good apres- exercise snack to help cool down? Do not microwave...bleurgh.

Cocoa Orange- Dates (40%), Cashews (40%), Raisins (14%), Cocoa (5%), A hint of natural flavour.
“I’m like a rich, moist fudgie brownie with a hint of orange. Simply glorious.”
Yes I agree. Tried microwaving this one and had a similar result to the Cocoa Delight.

To conclude. I like them A LOT.
They work out at 77p each if you buy them direct from the website in a pack of 18.
They're 75p each in tesco though! Better that the 95p Holland and Barrett price, but not if you get them on bogof or buy-one-get-one-for-1p, which was on last week.
I like having something nicely packaged in my bag that I can eat without guilt. Simple.

Kx

Hotels.TV Competition - Southside and Old Town Edinburgh

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Last week I made a very last minute entry to Hotels.TV's facebook competition.

They're giving away £500 to the person chosen as winner. I'd love to win so that we can double our car fund since Steve's just passed his test. Road trip!

I made this on my own in and around my local area using just a camera tripod and mini HD video camera.
This was a fairly embarrassing task but I really enjoyed doing it, even though the local 'characters' were edging closer and closer and the same pair of mums kept passing me time and time again with their prams, shaking their heads. I do have a natural cheesy side which is best shown off with me doing thumbs up signs on my own in the street.....

Here it is on Youtube

If you'd like to give me a thumbs up to give me a boost then please click here and VOTE. You need to like the Hotels.TV facebook page in the process of doing this. Worth doing as they have great offers. I had a look around the website in order to write this post and their prices are very competitive.

You can click VOTE once daily up until the 9th sept. Judges are choosing the winner but I'm sure that they'll appreciate people bringing in more fans!

Read below about 'My Edinburgh'.

I am passionate about Edinburgh and my area. Especially since it was the heart of this year's fringe with George Square being chosen as the epicentre of all of the action.
Any of the places mentioned in my video and listed below are perfectly appointed for Hogmanay and Fringe visitors and tourists.

View Larger Map

Here are the 2 hotels I pointed out in the video:-

Ten Hill Place - Brilliant, well hidden, boutique hotel with lovely staff and a very nice restaurant.
Holiday Inn Express - A well known chain. Clean and in a great location. Not great for disabled visitors though unless you have a car since it's at the bottom of several small hills.

Also nearby:-
Novotel Edinburgh Centre - Great reports here. Nice clean rooms with good facilities and great access for disabled visitors. Bar has a good atmoshere with friendly staff.
Hotel Du Vin - where I had my wedding reception in their private dining rooms for 8-20. Small but lovely rooms and a great restaurant. Overpriced a la carte dinner but a great cellar. Lunch & set meal dinners are great value.

The highlights
Our Underground City
Mosque Kitchen
Beirut Lebanese restaurant
Nile Valley East African restaurant
Mother India's Cafe
Spoon Cafe (where Harry Potter was written way more than in The Elephant House)
Black Bo's Bar & Restaurant

Other stuff I'd recommend:
Free walking tours
Mary King's Close
The wonderful museum
Greyfriars Bobby
Edinburghs Parks especially the nearby Meadows and Arthur's Seat
Bonsai Sushi
Scottish Storytelling Centre - a great wee cafe with lots of space foor kids to run around
Kalpna - vegetarian Indian restaurant with an excellent value buffet
David Bann - another great Vegatarian restaurant
Victor Hugo Deli & cafe
Newington Traditional Fish Bar (gluten free fish and chips every wednesday!)

Please feel free to contact me on the right (leaving your email address!) or below with any questions about Edinburgh, where to stay, eating out and what to do.

Kx

Endometriosis & Nutrition

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 09:05:00 +0000

I have stage 4 endometriosis. It's a shitty, painful condition that is invisible to strangers and generally involves lots of surgeries and crazy hormonal treatments in order to, just, keep on top of the symptoms.

If I try to explain it in my own words it'll just come out as quite a lot of swearing, so here's the official NHS line:-

Endometriosis is a common condition in which small pieces of the womb lining (the endometrium) are found outside the womb. This could be in the fallopian tubes, ovaries, bladder, bowel, vagina or rectum.

Endometriosis commonly causes pain in the lower abdomen (tummy), pelvis or lower back. It may also lead to fertility problems (see Symptoms of endometriosis for more information). However, some women have few or no symptoms.

The cause of endometriosis is uncertain, but there are several theories.

Endometriosis affects around 2 million women in the UK. Most of them are diagnosed between the ages of 25 and 40.

There is no known cure for endometriosis. It is a chronic (long-term) condition that can cause pain, lack of energy, depression and fertility problems. However, symptoms can be managed and fertility improved with pain medication, hormone treatment or surgery, so that the condition does not interfere with your daily life.

After years of laparoscopies, being put through an early menopause for 3 months, pills & disciplinaries for absence from work I was told it was hysterectomy time or try to get pregnant, if I could, which was doubtful.

What do you know? I got pregnant very quickly and was given nearly 3 years of respite from pain until I stopped breastfeeding and the dreaded hormones kicked in again.

I've since discovered that my adhesions are so widespread that a hysterectomy would not bring me full relief of symptoms anyway. Stage 4 is the final stage and a lot of women have it much much worse than me.

This time round it's back in my life but I'm not going down the NHS route until it's totally necessary.

Back last year when I had a brief relapse during a lull in breastfeeding I discovered this website by Caroline Levett.

The ideas on this webpage, combined with research on nutrition I've read by Dian Shepperson Mills, create my view on endometriosis....and what to do to help yourself live with it.

Endometriosis is a modern disease.

It's due to an imbalance of hormones, which are upset by various foods and other toxins.

We no longer spend most of our lives as women in a constant state of pregnancy or breastfeeding, firing babies out constantly like in olden times. We menstruate hundreds of times more in a lifetime than we normally would have.

We eat foods that our evolved bodies can no longer cope with, such as meats and dairy produce, and modern foods that are man-made soy, fast food, margarine etc.

We're surrounded by toxins that are highly estronic (full of estrogen - bad!) in air fresheners, household cleaners, make-up, shampoos, cooking with plastics.

So... what to do to help yourself?

Food

Avoid:-

wheat, sugar, caffiene (the worst 3 for me), gluten, processed foods, trans fats, alcohol, refined foods, additives, butter, red meat (unless occasional organic lamb), processed soy products (tamari, miso & tofu are ok) & fried foods.

Use to your benefit foods that:-

are organic wherever possible

relax and relieve (linseed, oily fish, pumpkin seeds, shellfish & walnuts etc)

support the immune system (garlic, ginger, carrots, green decaf tea, onons & live yogurt etc)

reduce inflammation (garlic, onions & pineapple etc)

lower estrogen (broccoli, cabbage and turnips etc)

help the body fight its own reaction to estrogen using phytoestrogen (apples, beans, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chickpeas, fennel, garlic, lentils, nuts, parsley, peas, red berries, sage & seeds)

Stop heating things in tupperware and place a plate on top of a glass or ceramic bowl instead of clingfilm.

There are lots more, just check out Caroline's page and buy the book and recipes if you like.

I also have a word document I made that I keep on the fridge & am happy to email it to you if you contact me on the right hand side, leaving your email address.

Exercise

Pretty straightforward. Walking is always a start. Yoga, pilates and swimming are relaxing, reviving and help make you supple, stretching out the adhesions.

Supplements (extrememely helpful)

Best to see a nutritionist before you mess about with this.

I take acidophilus, omega 3 oils & a good high magnesium multivitamin.

Now that I don't breastfeed I can add in evening primrose, agnus castus.

See what Dian says here (bottom of the page)

Alternative Therapies

If it's at all affordable try deep tissue massage, acupuncture is meant to be very effective.

I use a blend of 100ml base oil 2 drops clary sage, 2 drops rose, 1 drop rose, 2 drops bergamot & 2 drops geranium as a massage blend morning and night that can also be added to the bath.

By following the steps above I managed to cut out pain entirely within 2 weeks and wasn't a mental nutcase anymore. Granted, I was breastfeeding, so that would have done half of the work for me but it showed me how much I could do for myself by making some effort.

There's much more to it and I'll be adding more posts in about this as the weeks go on.

The main thing is to give it a proper go. I found eating this way expensive and hard-going at first, especially since cake is part of my social life!

Things that help make it easier

Cook in bulk and freeze

Don't just stick to gluten free cookbooks etc boring! (look through your current cookbooks for inspiration)

Drink plenty of water, juices and herbal teas - you won't dehydrate and feel hungry all the time

Carry around unsulphured dried fruits, chilli seeds, whatever keeps you going

Get on a forum for support

Get an organic box East Coast Organics in Edinburgh are mine and it's better and cheaper than a supermarket.

Find snacks you like (I will be reviewing as many of these as possible!)

Try honey (inflammatory so not too much but better than sugar), maple syrup & my fave...Agave Nectar

Get treats made - I had an everything (apart from chocolate) free wedding cake made with fresh chocolate truffle and scottish raspberries. Better to have one big good quality treat than speed eating 3 mars bars during a sugar craving.

Buy some doves farm plain gluten free flour to add to your usual recipes.

Genius bread is....genius!

Cheating is ok every so often. We're off to a Michelin Star restaurant tomorrow and they'll be excluding wheat, gluten and oats for me but there's NO WAY I'm not having a pudding that special.

Affiliate links:
Endometriosis: A Key to Healing And Fertility Through Nutrition

Reclaim Your Life - Your Guide to Aid Healing of Endometriosis

Recipes for the Endometriosis Diet

I'll add to this post as I think of more so it will grow......

xxx

Elevenses With Kirstie Allsopp

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:18:00 +0000

The week before last I was wrangling my toddler into the pram outside the supermarket when I received a call from a lovely girl at Persil informing me I'd won a years worth of Persil Small and Mighty and was being shortlisted to win a £1000 family holiday for 4 and could I manage down for a meet and greet with Kirstie Allsopp.

A nightmarish pose...but don't I look happy? bless.

5 mums across Britain were being chosen to win this treat for performing mini miracles every day. Some wee nominated by family and somehad entered themselves. From what I remember I'd written about how I like to have a project. That when we go out for the day to the museum, park etc we use it as a theme back home, doing drawings, making things & singing songs.

I was so shocked, and distracted by Christopher, that I didn't have much of a chance to take it in but said yes, that would be no problem.
All weekend I couldn't relax , telling myself not to be stupid, of course I wasn't going to win.

Well, I didn't hear anything and got on with my week. This time I was trying to coax Christopher down from the top of a slide where he was refusing to move, hitting all other children who came near away!
The call came and I was told I'd won and could I come down just a few days later.

Every time they called from then onwards I was either creeping out of his room while he slept, was in the middle of dealing with a tantrum or lost my signal. I must have come across as such a flake!

I spent the weekend preparing the boys with a vat of soup was feeling a bit less harrassed by the time tuesday came. After a slightly bumpy flight, which required me to drink a mini bottle of prosecco at 11am (don't judge!), I was safely at the hotel.

The pr girls would be a few hours and I had no idea who the other mums were, so had 5 hours to spare on my own before dinner at 7.30pm.

I napped, read, watched Jeremy Kyle and went for a walk on the beautiful Woodbury Common. I'd only managed 3 hours on my own and had no idea what to do next.

where I was

wild berries

self portrait with Woodbury Common

gorse & heather

local fun

self portrait with log

I turned on the tv and there was Kirstie!

What a saddo!

A few hours of being crap at doing nothing and it was time for tea.

I had no reason to be nervous at all because all of the women, and their families, were lovely.
We soon got to know each other, enjoying a few bottles of wine over dinner and even made the party last longer by taking some rose back to my room!

The next morning I arose feeling a little fuzzy but soon fixed that with some red bush tea (a la Mme Ramotswe) and a cooked breakfast.
Then we were off in the taxi to Kirstie's house.
We had a very lovely taxi driver who was an ex-chef with a very arty wife so we had some great chat on the way. We shared some conserve making tips and discussed ideas for making christmas hampers with lace topped jams and home-made sweets and our own limoncello recipes.

Once we arrived we were greeted by the remaining Persil team, Kirstie, her dog Foxy and her lovely little boys.
The house is colossal. A proper stately home set back off a little lane with a long drive, big pond, sheep, a walled kitchen garden, arty hedges, crunchy gravel, I'm not sure how many bedrooms...8/10/12? And a lot of bathrooms.

In the hallway as you walk in there is a little kids bus (1.5m long and you can sit inside it!) a massive suspended mirrorball and a huge mirrored sideboard. The hallway leads onto a grand wood lined stairwell, guarded by a stuffed lion. There are doors off this hallway leading to large public rooms, then narrow passages to even more rooms and so on upwards, past the second floor into the attic space, complete with an old bell system in the run-down servants quarters.

Tea was made in the massive kitchen in front of an AGA the length of my entire kitchen. Of course the cups were vintage mismatched Coronation celebration ones (I will be blatantly copying most of her ideas across to my home)
We carried our cups of tea as we began the tour.
The house was bought by her husband some years ago before she moved in and had kids there herself so it very much had his style stamped all over it and they have sensibly assigned certain rooms to be ruled over by each other in order to not lose that individuality. It makes for a lovely mix of masculine and feminine with recurring favourite items scattered all over in the form of taxidermy, lace, vintage quilts, opulent coloured chandeliers, photos, silverware and pottery, little collections of items like toy planes/butterflies/buttons in Victorian display cases, old biscuit tins, hats & tin toys.

paper sculptures, silk scarf cushions and modern & antique chairs

love logs

I particularly loved the personal touches such as the model airplane in the kitchen with streamers hung from the wings inscribed with the kids names, a clipping about Kirstie framed in her husband's bathroom, the childrens play room door painted red and scatttered with stickers decorated by the boys and Kirstie's lovely boudoir cushions monogrammed in blue.

vintage

The house is in no way 'finished' looking with little cracks, stains, mouse holes here and there, balanced by beautiful cornicing, original panelling etc

The mood changes from room to room. Some are vast, some are cozy. Mainly it's just a home....a really really massive, hard to keep home.

It's a very exciting space with no end of restoration being required and possibilities for new projects and makeovers.

Once the tour was over we went back into the kitchen and had more photos taken as a group and alone with Kirstie. I wish that someone would have told me that I was bending my neck like a freak, mutating my face to look like the mother alien from Alien...hello photographer!

After photos we sat down to a good old decoupage sesh.... like something from the WRI.

I loved every minute. It's about time I got back to doing more crafts. I was lovely to just sit there pasting bits of paper onto a papier mache dinosaur with not a care in the world, chatting away about motherhood, upcoming craft episodes & life in general.

Kirstie asked us several times if there wasn't something else we'd like to ask her and that usually people wanted to know all about Phil. Perhaps we weren't the usual superfan sort.

She's just a lovely girl and we all got on. I think that everyone was a bit of a fan, having at least seen the homemade christmas show and we were delighted to to see some cute little hand embroidered Christmas tree napkins made by the embroiderers guild (I think!).

A beautiful lunch of sandwiches and fresh fruit was laid out for us in the dining room.

They had even made sure I had gluten free bread and cakes. I was gutted to have eaten so much as breakfast as I could only manage one french fancy!

wow!

For the gluten lovers there were some delicious looking cheese scones, served with salsa and soured cream, a great savoury cream tea alternative.

Everything was made by Toast in Honiton and was decorated with seasonal flowers.

After lunch some of the taxis arrived. We asked them to wait a further 10 mins while we had another cup of tea in the kitchen.
Our lovely taxi driver arrived with his wifes copy of Kirstie's Homemade Home to be signed. He'd clearly requested to be put on the return journey for this specific reason.

We were each given a floral Cath Kidston Bag, a little blue flower pot plant and our decoupage project with some extra materials, and glue, to complete our work at home.

Mwah mwahs at the door and we were off!

I had a really lovely day and would like to thank Kirstie, Persil, the girls at Golin Harris and the other lovely ladies I sent the day with. It was great!

Garofalo Pasta Challenge!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 09:50:00 +0000

Garofalo Pasta have launched a lovely range of kids pastas and a culinary challenge on facebook to go along with this.

We emailed to have some sent to us and were delighted when it arrived because we got the classic Pazzielli (scoobidoo!) consisting of dogs faces, little vans and spooky ghosts.

Christopher enjoyed his pasta, particularly the pesto!

Christopher's birthday falls around Halloween and is the day after mine so from now on until I'm too embarrassing we're having a big joint birthday party each year.

Last year we did Mexican food but I fancy a change this year and have been looking for something affordable and tasty to make instead of chilli, especially so that the kiddies can eat it too.

I was struck by inspiration and decided to separate the 3 shapes out and make an Italian Tricolore Pasta that can be mixed together on a kids plate with colours and flavours that compliment each other.

These are all my own recipes, ones that we eat often in our house. they are all optionally lactose free. I used lactofree milk to make the bechamel.

Here it is! Vlog style....nice and intimate.

Goats Cheese Bechamel Bianco (white pasta)

Ingredients:

1/2 pint milk

25g unsalted butter

1 tbsp plain flour

40g hard goats cheese

a pinch of nutmeg

Method: (12 mins)

melt butter in a pan and add flour

cook slightly

slowly add milk

add cheese and nutmeg and melt

Avocado Almond Pesto Verde (green pasta)

Ingredients:

2 handfuls of basil

1/4 avocado

2tbsp oilve oil

1/2 clove of garlic

1 tbsp ground almonds

1/2 tsp salt

Method: (5 mins)

chop garlic and add to salt in mortar and pestle - bash!

add in chopped basil and add 1 tbsp olive oil

add in almonds and add final tbsp olive oil

mash and add in avocado

give one more squish - done!

Rosso Picante Tomato Sauce (red pasta)

Ingredients:

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 clove of garlic

1 tbsp balsalmic vinegar

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp olive oil

Method: (25 mins)

heat oil in a pan and add crushed garlic clove for 1 minute

Add tomatoes, balsalmic vinegar and sugar and cook with lid on for 20 mins

Serve up separately and mix together in kids bowls to make a tasty tricolore blend of flavours.

We loved making it and I was very impressed with Christopher's focus on the task. Normally we're baking cakes and he'll do a little token stirring, then the spoon goes in his mouth and there's not much interest in whatever we need to do next! He really enjoyed all of the textures and colours, and being allowed to do things all by himself.

From now on he's making tea every night!

(I would have gotten away with eating some sauce for my gluten free pasta if it wasn't for that pesky kid...waves fist)

Photos Of The New Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 07:39:00 +0000

I LOVE our National Museum of Scotland!

Anyone that's thinking of visiting Edinburgh, with or without kids, must visit.

Here are a few pics of the opening ceremony.

Here's what the Grand Hall looked like in the Victorian Age.

Then

In the 1980's as a kid I was there most days. Like most Edinburgh people of my generation the lasting memory was of the 2 large pools of water they had installed in the huge hall, containing terrified goldfish and catfish. Everyone touched them, threw in coins and sometimes paddled.

You'd never get away with that nowadays would you - a health and safety nightmare!

Now

OK, the place is heaving with people but you can see that there aren't rows and rows of stuff crammed into the main hall. Even in the 80's and 90's it was mainly just the fish ponds with the sides of the main hall sometimes filled with objects and exhibition.

Now the idea is that the main hall is an open and bright meeting place. The galleries that lead off the sides are there the action is at, aside from a lovely cafe placed on the main balcony of the grand hall.

Large flat wall installations reaching 4 floors have replaced cluttered victorian display cases.

The grand hall is a great place to stop for a snack.

Moooo!

The wonderful Millenium Clock drew huge crowds on the first day

Shooting off from the Grand Hall there are several smaller galleries in the same balcony format.

The most impressive is the animal kingdom section. Sea mammals, birds and fish are suspended in the air, tiered so that they can be enjoyed at every level. Projection screens are suspended along with them at angles and informative projections are streamed as watery backgrounds, really adding to the atmosphere.

Other galleries show costumes, relics, guest exhibitions, technology and more.

We really struggled to get in past the crowds so spent most of our time in the wonderful multi-sensory kids section, just off the learning centre.

A Chinese Dragon is suspended in the neon ceiling

The chill out reading corner

A little hidden beanbag corner

Mini exhibition cases for mini people

Gorgeous multi-cultural tales

Now that the Edinburgh school kids are back to school it's our time to discover....

Every day up until the 26th of August there's free fringe music at 12.45pm for 45 mins.

We go every year and I'd highly recommend it.

The museum can be found on Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF 0300 123 6789 and it's open 10-5 daily.

The New Museum of Scotland opening

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:12:00 +0000

Tomorrow is a day I've been waiting for for over 4 years.
At 9.15pm, Chambers Street in Edinburgh will host a Tenko Drumming, abseiling, animatronic T-rex fest with Chinese firecrackers signalling the opening of our wonderful victorian museum after it's £47 million pound makeover.

I think I'm going to cry. Seriously.

My mum took me there most days when I was wee and it's just a wonderful, inspiring, exciting and elegant place.

Kxxx

My Entry to the Redtedart Blog competition with Thomas Cook Kids Club

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:08:00 +0000

I regularly check out http://www.redtedart.com for art ideas and was delighted when I came across this great competition.

With my full intention of making an entry I let the month slide, as well as my blog and forgot about it until a rainy day came up again, today, and I realised this was the perfect opportunity to get crafy, entertain my wee boy and maybe win a lovely prize!

We had tried this great playdough recipe last week, forgetting about the cream of tartar and colouring with turmeric, using gluten free flour. It worked out very well and is still chilling in the fridge, ready for a bored moment later this afternoon.

Moving onto the competition...
Red Ted Art is running this great giveaway alongside Thomas Cook Kids Club to win a brilliant Trunki, camera, headphones and more!

The Kids Club site provides great tips for flying and holidaying with plenty of stories, craft ideas, colouring sheets, language learning and games to keep the little ones entertained. Although most activities seem to be aimed at kids from 3 upwards I think that they could be adapted easily for littler ones so that everyone can get involved.

The legend based stories are print-off-able (as are all of the activities) and provide a limitless source of inspiration to keep the kids distracted.

We decided to go for the legend of the Ghost Island and made a beach scene, complete with potato print sea and sand, anchor, palm tree (i'll admit to doing those 2 all by myself as I got a bit carried away!) and a brilliant treasure chest full of rubies, coins and a necklace.

Christopher is only 22 months but with crafty parents just loves painting, printing, drawing and sticking so managed to do most bits all by himself apart from construction and cutting out.

Treasure Chest

Tatties

Potato Printing in Progress

Filling the chest with rubies and colouring the coins

The final result - tropical!

Needless to say, he has not yet learned the vain sense of pride in his work that older children possess and has now shredded the whole scene up, scattering it all over the house. Double the value in fun, time consumption and creativity I say!

We had a great afternoon in our dark dingy house making the place look tropical with colour and singing songs as we went along. Daddy even played guitar.

So why not have a project day yourself? Pick a theme, any theme, or look at RedTed Art for some inspiration.

Time to go and play with our playdough now...

Kx

(P.S - I hereby swear to blog weekly at least and be a proper blogger from now onwards. So there.)

Adele's Cafe Afternoon Tea Win

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:33:00 +0000

Last week we went to Adele's to enjoy the Gluten Free Afternoon Tea for 2 I'd won by submitting a gluten recipe.

Here's what we had:
Rustic Brown Bread sandwiches (also homemade) with ham, mustard mayo and salad
Sundried Tomato Bread sandwiches (homemade and so fluffy) with fresh mozzarella and pesto
Lemon & Lime cupcakes
Rhubarb and Apple Tart
Chocolate Orange Truffle tart
Carrot cake
...and some fresh tea, which was topped up regularly.

Adele's is not big but the interior is well arranged so that it easily fits a 2 tables of 4, 1 table for 2, sandwich counter, till, coffee machine, welsh dresser and small table for displaying things for sale.
There were a variety of people who came and went during our visit. Workmen demolishing the old McEwans brewery opposite, ladies who lunch, neighbours and executives.
Chatting to Kerrie, who runs Adeles (named after her daughter), revealed a lot about her idea behind the cafe. A sign outside says 'we love coeliacs' but also boasts special offers for cheap lunches.
Kerrie didn't want to make the place exclusively gluten free as it was so niche and might put people off.
Right enough, there were people we got chatting to who were on a strict diet and so happy to have found somewhere they could eat normally, another chap came in for his egg roll and tea to take away back to the site, lunchtime workers ordered sandwiches on gluten free and regular bread and locals sat for over an hour snacking and drinking tea as people they knew came and went.

The standard of the food was just brilliant. Kerrie makes the sandwiches but, with a young family, buys in the cakes from a few bakers as she just hasn't the time to do everything.
All the things that we sampled were delicious, moist, light and not too sweet.
The standard is fantastic and it was a pleasure to while the time away there.

Why not visit?
Adele's Cafe

Adele's Cafe

162 Fountainbridge

Edinburgh
EH3 9RX

Mon-Fri: 07:30-15:00Sat: 10:00-16:00

Show Us Your Shoes!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 20:28:00 +0000

Well, this is me, becoming a proper blogger by taking part in my first Meme!!!!
I have been tagged by SuperLuckyDi, along with InsideTheWendyHouse to show you our shoes.

Now, normally I'm a converse girl. That, or my denim Nike Hi-Tops. But as today is such a special occasion I'm showing you my all time favourite, longest lasting, cheapest ever bargain shoes.

They are so comfy and are retro, sexy and best of all...black. So they go with everything.

Not only are they a budget brand - George at Asda, but I bought them in the Salvation Army for £1. Get in!

They are the perfect addition to a pencil skirt/twinset outfit with stockings a la 1950's Vivienne Westwood chic and also go beautifully with jeans and a shirt or top for an easy option going-out look.

I do have a bunion like a proper old lady and years of walking in trainers has destroyed my 'walking sensibly in heels' stamina so it takes a little lady petrol (wine to those who don't know) to get me walking less like a tranny in them. But I feel like a real woman and that's all that matters.

Now.....to think of someone to tag.....I love Mellow Mummy and her brilliant 'Prizes For Parents' weekly roundup and am so enjoying Kelly's lovely updates on wee Piran and Kate (don't know if she'll find time for this with a new baby!)

Kxxx

Zipper Act

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 10:07:00 +0000

I've entered this brilliant competition over at North Face Glasgow to win £175 of North Face products.
With only one other entrant I stand a great chance but they're in the lead with 27 votes....

Photo and video competitions give you a great edge when it comes to being able to win on merit, but not so easy when it's down to votes, which this one is.

If you'd like to enter yourself or vote for me (xxx) then click here http://apps.facebook.com/zipperactglasgow/media/397/all

Kx

Cheese Couture

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 16:48:00 +0000

Cheesy Royal Wedding Tiara

'What's that on your head?' I hear you say. Why it's a tiara hand carved from cheese of course!
The geniuses over at Pilgrim's Choice have set up a fabulous competition, ending 5pm on Monday the 6th, to win £250 shopping vouchers or 2 runners up cheese hampers if you submit a winning fashion accessory made from cheese.....and here's my attempt. There was many a LOL in the photographing process.
Why not have a go?

Adele's Cafe Win

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 16:32:00 +0000

The other evening I received a very lovely surprise text from Kerrie at Adele's Cafe in Fountainbridge in Edinburgh, informing me that I've won a Gluten Free Afternoon Tea for 2! Imagine my delight.

It's so boring being on a gluten free diet with very few places that you can go to and not have to ask loads of questions and explain what does and doesn't contain certain things.
I'd heard rumours of Adele's and quickly googled them, instantly coming across this competition http://www.edinburghshogmany.org/venues/restaurants/adelescafe, which was closing a few days later.

Because it was Coeliac Awareness in the uk there were actually loads of great giveaways, competitions and promotions going on but I'd missed this one as it wasn't heavily publicised and was quite specific being local.
The challenge was to submit your own gluten free recipe so I quickly made up mine for mini victoria sponges with a dairy and sugar free option too, and some little drawings and mini-tips along the sides.
I hoped that this would give me a winning edge and clearly did!

I can't wait to go along and enjoy my lovely prize soon.

Adele's Cafe

162 Fountainbridge

Edinburgh
EH3 9RX

Mon-Fri: 07:30-15:00
Sat: 10:00-16:00

Hello!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathryn MacKinnon) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 21:35:00 +0000

First post, like a blank sheet of paper on the first day back at college.
Lets just get it over and done with and move on. The next post will be far more interesting I assure you!
Here are some rather attractive lightshades to look at.