Stopping Smoking with 'CHAMPIX'

I decided it was time for me to stop smoking.....20 a day for 27 years has taken its toll not only on my health but also my pocket......Thats enough!   Time to kick the habit......

So I have started taking Champix....

THIS  will be my reward.......a Louis Vuitton Firebird!  OMG  I love this bag!

I picked my Champix up today.......1st March 2013......wish me luck! 

Kicking my 20 a day habit!    

• DAY ONE........01/03/13..........Took 1 0.5mg tablet.  I had a headache, dizzyness and cold symptoms later that night but dont know if it IS a cold, or the Champix side effects......time will tell. At the end of the day I counted, and I had smoked 14 cigarettes today.  When I had my Carbon Monoxide reading at the Phoenix centre today,  I had a reading of 11.     I want to get this down to Zero.

• DAY TWO........02/03/13........ Got up with a really bad cough  and headache......smoked very little as it hurt my throat.  Took 2 paracetamol and headache subsided,  and then after lunch I took my 2nd Champix.....and so far no ill effects.   Smoked a total of  14 cigarettes today. 

• DAY THREE.........03/03/13.....I got up this morning feeling much better than yesterday,  no cold or flu symptoms, no headache,  so I dont think it IS a cold I have, it must have been the Champix......but today I am fine. I smoked my first cigarette at 7.30am,  and didnt even think about another one until 9am......ok thats no great shakes,  but it is for me.....I would usually have had around 3 by that time,  but I never even really thought about it.  If this is what Champix does....makes you forget....then bring it on!  Today is my last day of the 0.5mg, tomorrow I go to 2 a day....doubling my dose........I took my 3rd and final 0.5mg Champix after lunch.........Today I smoked a total of   14    cigarettes.....I seem to be stuck on 14......  

• DAY FOUR.......04/3/13.......Last night I had a terrible night sleep, tossed and turned for hours on end. Got up at 2am for a glass of water.  Usually I would have had a cigarette before going back to bed but I didnt.  For the first 3 days on Champix you only take one 0.5mg tablet in the morning. from day 4 to day 7 you double this does ....and spread it out over 2....0.5mg in the morning and the same again at night....I think this will see a further change in my side effects,,,,  I will keep you posted.  Had not too bad a day at work considering I was absolutely shattered from having had only 3 hours sleep.  Took a Champix after lunch and intend to take my 2nd dose before bed. Feeling fuzzy headed and have terrible flu symptoms.  This is also a know side effect of Champix. I have an upset stomach,  and a metallic taste in my mouth,  but that goes away when I suck a sweet......but the stomach is a bit more difficult to shift.  Its as if I really need to go to the loo.....but I cant.   I messed up my medication for today by taking my 1st one at 1pm,  because it meant I couldnt take my 2nd one until 1am......and that would then have to be EVERY day,  and I certainly am not staying up until 1am every night to take a pill,  So I will begin again tomorrow and ensure I take my 1st pill early.....so that I can give it the needed 12 hour break before taking my 2nd pill.   Disappointed myself tonight by smoking 16 cigarettes.  :(    ah well tomorrow is another new day.... 

• DAY FIVE........05/03/13......Had a good nights sleep last night, and coping with a full day at work is much easier on a full nights sleep.  In fact I overslept.......I went in to work an hour later than I usually do. I feel great today....very positive.  I took my 1st pill at 9.30 with food......just a yogurt and a banana.......most people take their first one with breakfast,  but I cant face food when I just get up,  I can eat 1-2 hours later,  so that will have to do......it just means I needed to take my 2nd pill at 9.30......which was  fine with just a piece of toast, and the good thing is that not long after that,  I went to bed anyway......So any nasty side effects would be overnight. On the plus side.....today I only smoked 11 cigarettes!  

• DAY SIX..........06/03/13........Had another good nights sleep, and although I have doubled my Champix dose, I dont feel any different.  I know that may change.  I still have this head-cold feeling and really not sure if its the Champix or if it is indeed a real cold.......

Stay Tuned for my reviews on CHAMPIX!   

My 'Designer' bag collection...

I love designer bags,  but like most people,  I don't have the funds to buy the real ones,  so I seek out  good quality replicas.....here is a few of my finds......

and I will be doing a review of them later on...

My Red 'Louis Vuitton' Alma.

I know the real Alma has an embossed design, but I actually

prefer the smooth finish.

My White 'Birkin'

My Multi-Coloured  'Birkin'

My Brown 'Kelly'

My Red 'Zara'

My Black & White 'Celine' Medium Tote

My Tri-Colour 'Celine' Mini

This Dark Blue one is I think 'Tiffany'  but not 100% sure, all 

I know is,  its my favourite..I have 2 of these, one is in sky Blue.  

   My Black 'Birkin'....

My brown & Pink Louis Vuitton Speedy..

(I KNOW the real LV does not have a pink strap but I really like the pink)

I also use a bag organiser like this inside them all,  I just have 

the one,  and transfer it from bag to bag,  to make a 

quick and easy switch, and it organises my things so that 

I can find everything instead of losing it in the bottom of the bag.

I have ordered this to keep my bag collection off 

the floor and tidy.

I did actually think of this idea myself and not copy any

one elses ideas, but then I looked on google images and saw its a popular 

thing to do. It doesnt take up much floor space and the bags look nice as well as being tidy. 

Heres what it will look like if you cant imagine it...

And here is mine.......

                                                                                  

Our Honeymoon in Las Vegas...14-26 August 2012

LAS VEGAS HONEYMOON

Our Hotel

Cooking my Favourite things...Banana Cake

I hate waste,  so when after Christmas when I was sorting out the things that can be thrown away,  I came across a few Bananas in the bowl that was a bit soft.....I didnt want to throw them out if I could make use of them.......So I made a Banana Cake

RECIPE

• 125g butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 190g self raising flour
• 60ml milk

Method

1.

Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin. Melt butter, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan over a medium heat.

2.

Remove from heat and add the mashed bananas, mix well.

3.

Add the egg, mix well.

4.

Stir in the flour and the milk.

5.

Pour into the prepared tin, sprinkle with a tablespoon of demerara sugar to give a crunch topping if liked.

6.

Bake at 150 C fan oven (or 170 C regular, Gas mark 3) for 45- mins, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool and enjoy!

I doubled my quantities and made 2.....

The original recipe I found said to cook for 35 minutes but I didnt find that long enough so I left it in for another 10-15 minutes and it was perfect.....

Cooking my Favourite things....Raspberry Vinegar

I just love Raspberry Vinegar.......its great on salads,  but if made with sugar,  it tastes wonderful on pancakes!  
But for this recipe I am just making the salad variety......

RECIPE

Fresh or Frozen raspberries
White Wine Vinegar

I got a small jar, and added 2-3 oz  of frozen raspberries....
I added enough White Wine Vinegar  to cover.......
Put it away for 2 weeks in a dark cool place........

After two weeks remove the raspberries from the vinegar  and boil up the juice.....
(this is when you could add the sugar if you wish for a sweet dessert sauce)

leave to boil for 5 minutes  and when cooled, return to the jar.

Ready to use straight away......



I also made some wonderful Raspberry Vinagarette  for salad,  and this can be used as soon as it is made...

RECIPE

2-3 oz Fresh or Frozen raspberries....( I used Frozen)
1 Tbs Dijon Mustard
Quarter cup of White Wine Vinegar...(or Cider Vinegar)
Quarter cup of Balsamic Vinegar
Pinch of Salt...
Pinch of your favourite herb if desired....( I added a pinch of oregano)

I used my Mini Food Processor , and it is a wonderful little tool.......(£6 From Asda)   because although I have a full sized one,  I dont want to mess the big one up when I have tiny amounts to do.....
So I added all the ingredients all at once then just mixed it up......
I used it straight away,  but there was quite a bit of it,  so the rest of it is in my fridge waiting for my next salad!

Cooking my Favourite things........Vanilla Panna Cotta

Today I wanted to use up some almost out of date double cream.......

I decided to make a Vanilla Panna Cotta...

RECIPE

Vanilla Pannacotta
9 fl oz Full cream milk

9 fl oz Double Cream

1 oz Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla Paste...(equiv 1 Vanilla Pod) *

3 sheets of Gelatin

Passionfruit Coulis
3 passionfruits
1 Tbsp Icing Sugar


1. Put the gelatin leaves in a bowl of cold water .....in 5 minutes it will be pliable enough to add to the mixture..

2. Put milk and cream into a saucepan and gently heat....DO NOT BOIL......when it begins to simmer around the edges of the pan,  remove the pan from the heat.....

3.Add the sugar, Vanilla paste  and gelatin into the heated cream mixture...

4. Pour into 4 ramekins or dariole moulds.....I did a mixture of the 2.....

5. Place immediately into the fridge to set.....

6. They can take up to 5 hours to set properly so if you need them for a dessert.....please make them well ahead of time, just in case they take the whole 5 hours.....I have known them to be ready in 2 hours but chances are if you rely on that.....they will take longer!  

7. When you are ready to serve them, just have a bowl of hot water nearby  and gently dip the bottom of the  mould into the water,  this should make turning it out onto a plate much easier.

8. For the Coulis I used 3 Passionfruits, scraped out the flesh into a dish,  then added 1 tablespoon of icing sugar......mix it up and its ready....of course if you wish to not have the pips,  then strain the coulis ......

I prefer my Panna cotta to be served standing up by itself this way, maybe with a fruit coulis or fresh Raspberries.......but it is up to the individual....maybe you would prefer to serve it in a really pretty dessert glass......by which case they stay in there the whole time and no need for turning them out onto a plate.....

Vanilla Pannacotta with Passionfruit Coulis......

served with fresh strawberries and edible gold leaf....

                                        

* I am in no way affilliated with Ebay or any of the sellers on there,  but have you ever bought a Vanilla pod from the supermarket?    dry old thing , one in a bottle costing around £2.00?   Well I searched on Ebay for some and have bought 25 Madagascan Vanilla pods for £3.50!    I intend to make my own Vanilla extract using Vodka.....and then storing the rest of the pods in a jar of sugar.......

I am including the link to the seller......in case anyone is interested....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/madagascan**vanilla**/m.html?item=390505686788&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

Our Wedding