Oh wow! The first Frengellica blog post and I am soooo excited! There were times I honestly thought we'd never get here... like a journey on the District Line tube service! But here we are at last and hopefully we've been worth the wait!
WELCOME FRENGELLISTAS!!!
As some of you may know, this site started off life as a blog called Chez Mrs. D. but over time it started to feel old and tired - more old and tired than a storyline from a long running British soap opera (take your pick!) So this site took a tip from the queen of reinvention, Madonna, and er, reinvented itself! We liked a lot of things about Chez Mrs. D. but we wanted to hold on to what we had and go somewhere new. And we'd like to think we've achieved that with Frengellica.
Everyone who knows me, knows that my life has been one heck of a roller-coaster ride. There were highs and lows; twists and turns; being pulled forwards and then dragged backwards; turned upside down; suspended in mid-air - and even faced the danger of derailment!
Just off the top of my head I've:
Had major skin issues that effected my confidence and social life - and overcame them.
Encountered more than my fair share of seriously toxic folk and learned how to deal with them.
Suffered with insomnia on and off for years
Dealt with lack of confidence and self-esteem issues
Learned to cope with anxiety
Changed career more than a few times (this was very much a positive for me!)
Met Mr. Right after having to endure a few Mr. Right T**ts!
Had a very unstable relationship... with money!
Learnt to adjust to life as an ex-pat
And that's just for starters!
So then I thought well why not put all those thrilling, frustrating, exciting, excruciating, sobering, crying-in-the-corner, laugh-out-loud experiences to good use and see if anyone else could benefit from them too. So in a fun and lighthearted way (as opposed to all preachy-preachy; lecturing, and judgmental) we're spreading a positive message about better, happier, healthier living and enhancing your life in every way possible. We hope we can encourage, motivate, inspire you all and have a bloody good laugh along the way!
So what's in Frengellica this week?
QUIPS OF AN ANGEL
The first ever Quips of an Angel, a new weekly feature that sees me rabbit on about one thing or another, because when it comes to rabbiting on, Watership Down ain't got nothing on me!
POMEGRANATE ROSEBERRY SPARKLER
One summer, Marks and Sparks brought out a pomegranate and rose juice drink, and I swear for the whole season, that's all I drank. Delish doesn't even come close to describing it.
So the very first Drinks At Mine feature is for a pomegranate and rose drink - my own little creation that takes me back to that that Summer - with the addition of raspberries... and alcohol!
GYM AND SLIMLINE BY EMMA BURSTALL
How many of you out there claim to love reading but then say that you're too busy to even pick up a book, let alone read it? Well hopefully our Read For Your Supper book posts will have you with your nose in a book in no time - before heading into the kitchen!
Check out the first of our Read For Your Supper posts where we take a look at Emma Burstall's cleverly titled Gym and Slimline. I don't normally go for books which have a sporty theme - not being so sporty myself - but you'll soon see that sport is on the periphery of this novel. But I do enjoying reading books with an evident friendship theme which emanates from close-knit circles and that's exactly what you'll find in Gym and Slimline.
The recipe that accompanies this post is one that I created - for what I consider to be the perfect, healthy breakfast smoothie. I'm really not much of a breakfast person but I could have that every morning and never get bored of it.
PINKIES AT THE READY: AFTERNOON TEA ETIQUETTE
There are some fabulous things that have come out of Britain: Football, heavy metal, tikka masala (it absolutely came from Britain)... and me! And afternoon tea is another thing we've given the world that us Brits can be very proud of. As much as I'm a cappuccino and cake kind of girl, I do love a good tea party - especially if it's done properly. How you host a tea party is obviously your bi'ness but if you want to know a little more about how to host one the proper way, check out this post.
15 WAYS TO... GET MORE OF YOUR FIVE A DAY
To kick off our 15 Ways... series, we take a look at how easy to is to get five portions of fruit and veg into your daily diet. We all have good intentions when it comes to being healthy. But being busy, always on the go, and OK, a bit lazy sometimes, means we find ourselves slipping into bad habits. This post shows you how you can effortlessly incorporate some of the good stuff into your diet.
FINANCIAL DETOXING
Everyone knows how good a detox is for your physical health. If only we gave as much thought to our financial health. I admit that in the past, I was the worst when it came to looking after my finances. I never scrutinized my pay slip the way my colleagues did; never checked my balance as often as Mr. D does, and I didn't set shopping budgets. Very bad! Worse still, I've had companies and banks charging me more than they should have, and it really pisses me off when I think of the amount of money I've lost. So I decided I needed to get more cash savvy.
With the current economic climate we're in at the moment, made worse by the outbreak of Covid-19, we've all got to be very careful. I've experienced hard times before and it's something I really don't want to have to go through again. And I'm not the only one. Many other people have too, including Beth*, who has been through the mill financially but proves that things can get better. This post helps you to make a start in getting things back on track with some simple measures.
A lot of sleepless nights, caffeine, name changes, caffeine, alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, blood, sweat, and tears (OK, the blood was a slight exaggeration!) went into creating this site that is all about... better living! So we hope that all the effort has been worth it and that you really enjoy the site that is... Frengellica! A few of the same features from Chez Mrs. D. are still here plus a lot of new ones too. But best of all there is also a forum where all us Frengellistas can congregate, share stories, advice and Frenge-ship! Years ago I used to go on a forum where the camaraderie among the users was phenomenal and there was a real sense of community - something that we all need now. And I hope that the Frengellica forum gives you all a sense of belonging, friendship and community.
I hope all you Frengellistas and your families are staying safe, staying healthy, and staying as stress-free as possible as the world tries to figure out how we're going to navigate our way out of this pandemic - the worst one seen in modern times. Let's hope things will change for the better soon xxx
Images: Pixabay unless otherwise stated
Banner: Angel Noire using Pixabay images
Word cloud: Angel Noire