Looking back on a great year and being appreciative of the people in my life!

I love to reflect and remember the great times throughout the year. One way I really love to do this is through photos. So for the last two years, as the end of the year approaches I always make a photo collage (or 3!!!) of my best highlights of the past year. 

Yes it's a little more time consuming than letting an app do all the work but I love looking through the photos because it reminds me to be thankful for not only all that I have experienced, but for the amazing people in my life 💕 

As a spoonie and a chronic illness sufferer it can be all too easy to feel like you're on your own. That is never ever true. Even when you are physically alone, you can guarentee someone is thinking of you or planning when they'll next see you. 

Take some time to appreciate the people on your life, whether that be through a photo collage or just reflecting. 

Here's are my 3 photo collages from this year: 

My year in art 2014: 

Love to you and thank you so much for all the support you've shown this blog in 2014. I am so appreciative I have this space to be honest and write how I feel. I can't wait to see what 2015 brings!

Much love, Beth xxx

Taking it easy every now and then... #survivingwinter

This post could be about plenty of things but today I wanted to talk about food. Right now, my priority is my health. I'm just about surviving the winter, I feel like this winter has gone a lot better than last year. Even still, I can feel how much the pain has increased and I get exhausted so easily at the moment. 

So, food. I am of course maintaining my theory of everything in moderation. However on the days I'm not feeling well, food is pretty low on my list of priorities and so I eat what I can when I can. And so I have to confess... The unhealthy food is winning right now. 

Even so, mentally I feel in a good place. I'm ready to start making a few changes one meal at a time. I'm not being hard on myself. There's no point punishing myself for the days when things are out of my control. 

I guess what I want you to take from this is its ok for things to be out of your control sometimes. But when you can, improve things where possible. 

I hope all my spoonies are surviving winter! If not feel free to a vent in the comments or use #survivingwinter on social media to share anything with me and we can wallow together :)

Much love, Beth xxx

A little Lindt rave! Dark chocolate & Cacao 🍫

Oh how I love Lindt! And as much as I love their truffles they aren't the best for my waistline! 

BUT I do lovvvveeee dark chocolate and I wanted to introduce you to two of my new Lindt dark chocolate favourites! 

The first one is the lime intense and it is uhmazing! I would totally recommend it if you love lime, I warn you - it's addictive! 

The second bar is something I got so excited about!!!! No they didn't misspell cocoa, that's meant to say cacao!! 

I've been wanting to try cacao for some time but raw cacao is really expensive! 

Cacao is chocolate in its raw form, it contains very little sugar but a higher amount of fat. I wouldn't recommend eating it straight, it's intense!!! But I cannot wait to start cooking with it. I made a hot chocolate with it today and I was gorgeous! 

Anyway, these bars are on 2 for £3 in Tesco at the moment. I will be stocking up again!!!

Much love, Beth xxx

Being determined to make this winter better than last...

It's easy to forget how hard life was in the past. Last winter was truly awful for me. I felt like my life crumbled around me. All my life felt non existent, I had no routine and I felt very unproductive. 

This year I am determined to make sure I don't retreat into a 3 month long hibernation! So here's some steps I'll be taking to make this year better:

• Be Social! 

My biggest downfall last year was allowing myself to stay in the house for most of winter. I hardly had anything organised or any events to look forward too. This year I'm trying to keep a full calendar as much as possible.

• Try to take advantage of free events

There's always plenty of free events at this time of year! Try having a nosy around all the markets :)

• Join clubs!

Clubs are usually free or reasonably priced. Try and find out what's going on locally by getting in touch with your council or local community centre. 

I've join a walking club and a swimming club this winter. Both are free and provide great motivation for me to get out of bed 3 days a week! 

• Find a new hobby!

Find something you can enjoy doing from home. I've found great fun in baking! It's something you can do from home and it doesn't have to impact your waistline, try searching for clean eating bakes on Pinterest! Mmmmmmm! 

• Be honest with people 

Letting people know you struggle in the winter will help them to look after you better. When you're having a bad day make sure you reach out to your loved ones. 

To my fellow spoonies, you can make it through this tough time of year! Just do your best and be proud of yourself every single day. 

To everyone that loves me and looks after me, thank you, your support helps so much ❤️

My beautiful supportive mum and I...

Much love, Beth xxx

Being super proud of my little business - Silly Moo Art

I don't know if I've ever really talked about my artwork on this blog, but I felt like it was time to tell you all how it happened that I became an artist.

Towards the end of high school and my A levels I was really struggling. I didn't show it, well my mum could tell, sometimes we can be good actors when it comes to our own lives.

So I didn't think I could mentally face more full time education, never mind physically. At this point I had been ill and in chronic pain for just over 2 years. 

One day I had a bit of a lightbulb moment and I decided I wanted to be an artist. Don't ask me why - I hadn't painted in 2 years! But I decided this and stuck to it. I didn't know the first thing about business! But I knew my parents wouldn't mind me having a go at it. I never felt an overwhelming pressure from them that I had to hurry up and start earning my keep, it's never been like that in my household and I'm very appreciative to my parents for that. Because it allowed me to be an entrepreneur.

The first year I earned very little money. I spent a lot of time experimenting and teaching myself new techniques. Most importantly I built my portfolio.

The second year was a little more busy. I had my own solo exhibition which was a real blast, I loved it! Much to my delight people finally started referring to me as an artist *eeeeekkkkk*.

I'm in my third year now and I'm at a point now where as one project ends another one starts. It's a nice feeling to have commissions :)

I am be social media MAD! Talking of which, here's my Instagram: http://instagram.com/bethanyrogersart

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bethirishart

Facebook pages: https://m.facebook.com/inspirebybethanyrogers

I am thankful I have work that I can adapt to my health. I have now found a very supportive group of spoonies who can relate to me and make me feel like I'm not alone. 

I guess I'm saying, thank you to anyone who supports me. You rock! 

If you want to support me then please buy some unique irish art, support art and support a Spoonie..,

Etsy shop: 

Https://www.etsy.com/shop/sillymooart

eBay shop: 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/beautifulbethy

With love, many thanks, 

Beth xxx

Joining the Quay Ramblers!

If any of you follow me on Facebook or Twitter you may have noticed me mentioning walking a lot more than usual! Well let me explain :)

About a year and a half ago I was attending physio at my local hospital, I go every now and then for reassessments but the majority of the time I'm told there's not much they can do for me except some hydrotherapy. Anyway, I was told about a referral system that could get me into a gym working with a trainer to try and build up my strength. Whether I got lost in the system or the waiting list was long, I don't know, but I had kind of forgotten all about it! 

Then a month ago I get a call from the council offering me free fitness courses starting the following week. Walking & swimming appealed to me most so that's what I opted for! 

I was a bit scared that I would 'over train' as I did this at the start of 2014. I took on a training schedule that was wayyyyy too much for me, burnt out after 3 months and found it hard to maintain much exercise at all. 

But I felt ready for this. I walk on my own a lot and I felt a bit of company and motivation couldn't do me any harm! 

We've since become the Quay Ramblers and I'm fast becoming an advocate for this great bunch of people. It's a very simple idea really. All ages, all abilities, a couple of trainers and let's go for a walk! Not only am I rediscovering parts of the city, I'm connecting with people I've never met before and really feeling like we can relate to one another.

If you're interested the Quay Ramblers meet at the guild hall cafe, 10:30am on Tuesday's & Friday's.

The swimming is going really well too. I had no idea how unfit I'd become until I did a few lengths of the pool!!! But each week I feel I'm getting stronger. It's just what I needed to rebuild my strength after my endometriosis surgery. 

For now I feel like I'm doing just enough. When you have a chronic illness there's definitely a sweet spot you have to find between doing too much and too little! 

Much love, Beth xxx

Winter appropriate dressy outfit!

My biggest problem when it comes to winter is dressing up. Yes, we can all rock those wooly jumpers and jeans. However, I still need to dress formally without freezing!!!

So here's something I've been trying. First off, go out and buy yourself some proper good thick tights! I bought mine from Marks and Spencer's, they might be a bit more expensive but mine have lasted so long and they stand up to being machine washed (which is amazing!).

Next combine with a cute dress (with a thermal vest underneath shhhh), a snood, thick socks, boots, a cardigan and a jacket/coat.

Here's an example of what I wore a few days back: 

Ignore the mess!!! 

I'm definitely going to be trying this out with a few of my other dresses too! 

I hope this gave you a bit of winter wardrobe inspiration. 

Much love, Beth xxx

Appreciate yourself without makeup...

All too often I feel pressurised into putting on makeup. Done well and naturally, I see no problem with wearing makeup for events and socialising. 

However it's not wearing makeup I wanted to address but how I feel about it. I think there's a certain degree of self esteem to be able to look yourself in the mirror with no makeup on and say 'I am beautiful'. 

With no makeup on you see all your blemishes, scars and imperfections. There are times when I want to cover that up, but accepting your 'naturalness' helps you to accept yourself as a person. 

Never tell yourself you are ugly. Don't beat yourself up. The world does that already... Don't add to it!

Here's my beautiful makeup free face this morning 💕 

Take care of yourself. 

Much love, Beth xxx

How did I make it through high school with a chronic illness?

This is still a question I ask myself everyday! Honestly I think if I went back to school now, I wouldn't make it. It's amazing how the human body & mind rises to the challenges life presents.

There are times when I'm very thankful I kept a diary throughout my high school years. I might have managed to make it through school but reading through my diary entries I was overwhelmed, stressed and what I would now describe as a permanent state of 'brain fog'.

I really enjoyed school, especially the last two years where I gained more independence. But I battled with guilt and feelings of being judged. 

Because I went from being relatively healthy to having a chronic illness I always felt like my friends and fellow students didn't quite get that I was genuinely sick. 

My school was amazing in letting me take the days off I needed too without much objection. But I felt so guilty for every single day I didn't turn up, I used to beat myself up for not being well enough. Looking back on it, I was way to tough on myself. I didn't understand that it was OK to do what I could and that would be enough.

Every time I think of school I genuinely have to stop my heart from palpitating. It was more stress than I have ever felt in my life. But I'm proud I stuck with it. I learnt some amazing lessons from being in an integrated school and being in a group 'Hands For A Bridge'.

If you are in school whilst trying to deal with a chronic illness or pain then you have my respect. Don't ever feel bad about setting out your needs and taking a day off when you need it.

Much love, Beth xxx

Spoonie post • why are showers so exhausting??

If you suffer from any sort of illness, chronic pain or blood pressure problems you will know what I mean when I say showers are hard work. 

I love it when people say, "I'll just have a quick shower". A quick shower very rarely exists for spoonies. It can be mentally exhausting and physically draining. I know that sounds stupid, 5 years ago I lived pain free and I never thought twice about showering! 

Rather than dwell on all the negative aspects, I wanted to give a few helpful hints that help make showers slightly easier...

• Plan your shower - you may not always be able to do this but I like to try and think about what days in the week I'll be showering in relation to how much I've got scheduled that day. 

• Drink water before you shower - this is definitely a good idea if you have any blood pressure issues, but drinking water can counteract the heat and tiredness that it'll bring on. 

• Allow time for rest or a nap afterwards - give your body time to recover. 

• Accept that showers ARE exhausting - We can be our own worst enemy in diminishing problems, better to acknowledge it and see what can be done than ignore it all together.

I hope these few tips help, they are all from my personal experience if you have any more tips or thoughts on the subject just leave me a comment below.

As always, much love, Beth xxx

Spoonie recipe ~ Uh-mazingly tasty & simple smoothie!

So fellow spoonies, you know those days, you've used most of your spoons just getting out of bed & getting dressed, breakfast just seems like too much of an effort! 

Well I'm on a mission to bring you healthy yet really quick, convienient recipes that take little effort.

This has to be one of the most simple yet healthy smoothies I have ever made. It tasted amazing too. 

The ingredients are:

1 banana, 

1 tbsp of nut butter, 

100ml milk

It's that simple!! 

Just blend everything and serve over ice. This recipe is awesome when you're in a rush or just having a bad day! Enjoy! 

Have a great week!

Much love, Beth xxx

My makeup look for performing at Starbucks!

So last Tuesday my brother and I performed a set in our local starbucks. 

It's been one of the first major outings since the operation. It took loads of effort and was really exhausting but it was totally worth it! 

I wanted to show you the makeup look I went for... My old friend, the smokey eye! 

I kept everything really simple to keep the focus on the eye. I started with Revlon Foundation, Hard candy blush and highlighter, MUA pressed powder and Burt's bees lip balm. 

To create the smokey eye I layered rimmel soft black pencil across the eye, then blend it out with a eye brush. I keep layering this until it creates an intense black eye. 

Here's the end result...

I had a great evening and really enjoyed getting dolled up for the first time in a few weeks! 

Much love, Beth xxx

Getting out of bad habits!

I felt like before my operation I'd got into a really good routine of having the right balance between clean food and junk food in order to maintain my weight. Honestly, I hadn't factored it in as something that would be affected by my surgery - I was wrong! 

To be honest the first two weeks after surgery I had to just let food happen! My family very lovingly looked after me, that included anything they could russle up or pick up from a shop/takeaway. Plus most of my visitors brought me sweets & chocolate. The problem is now I'm trying to find my feet again, metaphorically and physically! But what I eat isn't just 'clicking' back into place for me. Half the time I have no appetite, the rest of the time I just want pastries or chocolate which totally isn't 'me'!

I think the fact that I haven't been able to go grocery shopping yet doesn't help. Normally I have lots of clean and healthy snacks bought in. Also, I love to bake. I'm forever cooking clean cookies, oatmeal, scones etc. 

Mentally I'm struggling. All the guilt tripping negativity is coming back but as always I'll battle against it. I know it'll be fine in the long run but let thus be a little advance warning, surgery + healthy eating is hard!!! 

As always, much love, Beth xxx

What I use to edit my photos...

Recently I've discovered a few apps that have completely transformed my attitude towards photo editing. I've always used Instagrams standard filters but you know how frustrating it can be when none of them make your photo look the way you envisioned. 

       So, I was watching a vlog by Ben Brown were he showed how he edits his photos for Instagram. He mentioned Snapseed for the basic adjustments - exposure, crop, temperature, colour etc. Then another app called VSCOcam for filters, grain and fade.

      Personally I just love the feel that VSCOcam gives you. They aim to provide filters that give a vintage, film camera feel to them. Here's a few examples of unedited photos next to photos I've edited through the two apps...

I hope you have a go at using these apps! 

Much love, Beth xxx

Endometriosis - why it's not wrong to ask questions!

I feel like as we go through life we all learn lessons. I learnt one just last week! I'm hoping maybe my new found knowledge might be able to help some of you too. 

Any timid guys might want to stop reading here... The dreaded 'P' word is coming up!

Being honest, I don't think I ever would have found out I had endometriosis if it hadn't been for my mum. I've always had painful periods from the word go! Every other girl in high school seemed to float through their period without any bother and I'd be the crazy girl sitting in the corner rocking back and forth, cramped up in pain, with the P.E teacher trying to convince me I'd be in less pain if I ran around the room for the lesson... Fun!

But after numerous doctors appointments with not much feedback other than being prescribed painkillers. I genuinely believed excruciating pain was normal or at least normal for me. I knew about cysts on your ovaries but beyond that I was naïve. 

Back in December, I was in quite a lot of pain in my stomach and I went to see a GP, I ended up being admitted to hospital with suspected appendicitis. Many tests later, my appendix was fine! But a cyst had shown up in a scan of my ovaries. 

Hence why I was initially referred to a gynaecologist. At an appointment 3 months later, I kind of felt like it was going no where, after doing another scan and the doctor not being able to see a cyst this time, I was beginning to feel like it was all in my head. Fortunately my pushy, but very loving, mum wasn't leaving the appointment without some sort of explanation. It was then that a laparoscopy for endometriosis was suggested. 

Even right up to the morning of my surgery, I felt like it was a waste of their time, I genuinely thought they wouldn't find anything... How wrong I was!

So...Don't give up! Make a nuisance of yourself and always always always be honest with people about your symptoms.

When trying to do research on the surgery I found a surprisingly little amount of Information on what would happen and how long it would take to recover. So, I'll be doing another post about the operation and the after affects.

I'm a week post surgery now and doing well despite quite a lot of pain initially! 

Thank you for reading this (if any guys continued reading, wow, you have my respect).

Much love, Beth xxx

A healthier version of an Irish Scone

A few weeks back I was craving a scone but since I was at home and had the time I wanted to make something instead of buying it. I also wanted to see if I could make a healthier version of our family recipe for scones. Of course I headed to Pinterest! 

       I had a look for an Irish scone recipe and something came up for a mix between a scone and a soda bread. I wanted to give it a go, however I did make a few adaptations... I added nuts, chia seeds and flax seeds as well as exchanging the white flour for wholewheat flour. 

Here's the link to the recipe I found: http://thekitchenmccabe.com/2014/03/03/irish-fruit-and-oatmeal-scones/

      They turned out really well! I found that they were quite different to any other baked goods I'd made before but they tasted great - I even had my brother request I make them again. Just a tip, I found they don't rise much so only roll it out as thick as you want it. Enjoy! And let me know if you have a go at making them! 

I can't wait to make them again :) 

Much love, Beth xxx

Ed Sheeran at the 3 Arena, Dublin on Friday 3rd October!

I was privileged enough to get to see Ed Sheeran live! My friends and I have been fans for the longest time, so with the release of his latest album and news of his tour we knew we wanted to go see him!

I think Ireland loves Ed! There was 4 nights in Dublin, in a row, all sold out! We managed to get tickets to the first night of his concerts. We queued in the downpour of rain for just over 2 hours... I literally felt like I couldn't move when they finally let us in, my jeans had absorbed most of the rain and i felt like I was dragging my legs behind me! It was worth it!

As a spoonie, you're probably wondering how did I cope with the travelling, standing etc? To be honest, I had to accept that I was going to be in pain. In an ideal world, I wouldn't have stood around, I wouldn't have bought a standing ticket and I would have arrived just before the concert started. But would that have been fun? For me...no! 

I had an amazing time with my friends, my best friend was really considerate about people pushing against me, we couldn't exactly stop it but knowing someone had my back helped. 

As you can imagine Ed sheeran was amazing, he performed just him, his guitar and a loop pedal for the whole performance, infront of 20,000 people each night... Just amazing! I loved the sections of the concert were he just improvised and used the audience participation as inspiration!

The warm up act (I hate calling them that) were Saint Raymond. I thought I'd never heard of him but apparently I had come across a YouTube video of his in the past so I knew one of the songs. His music was really unique and definitely something I'm in to. I've been listening to Saint Raymond since the concert so I guess that speaks for itself! 

Here's a few photos from the concert...

I hope you're having a great week!

Much love, Beth xxx

Quotes that help me improve!

One of my favourite things to do is find inspirational quotes that help me improve mentally and realise that other people are going through the same situations and feeling as me. I'm always trying to become a better version of myself, here's a few quotes that have helped me recently...

What quotes have helped you recently?

Much love,, Beth xxx

Trying something new: Dutch braid!

I really love french plaits, no matter what length my hair is I always try and incorporate them into a style.  But since having my hair short I've really missed not being able to put my hair back into one big french plait, I've only really been able to the fringe.

 Recently though I learnt about doing a reverse French plait, called a Dutch braid. I thought it looked really pretty as it displayed the plait a lot more visibly. There are plenty of tutorials going around on YouTube but the basic principle is that instead of placing the pieces of your hair over one another, you place it behind. It takes a while to get a feel for it but the result really is lovely. 

I hope this inspires you to have a go!

Much love, Beth xxx

My ultimate green smoothie!

I've been wanting to make a green smoothie for quite a while now, and I was inspired by a YouTube video to finally make one!

Here's the ingredients:

-1 banana

-2 handfuls of spinach 

-30g of oats or oatmeal

-100ml water

-1 tbsp of Greek yogurt 

-couple of strawberries

-1tsp agave nectar

-ice to serve

I really loved the taste of this smoothie, it wasn't overly sweet but still tasted great. It was really filling and for me, it's an ideal breakfast!

Also something I will be trying is prepping it the night before - put all the ingredients in some sort of container, store in the fridge overnight and all you have to do is blend it in the morning.

I hope you have a go at making this!

Much love, Beth xxx 

A truly beautiful wee woman...

"Sometimes people are beautiful.
Not in looks.
Not in what they say.
Just in what they are.” 

        - Markus Zusac

I like to keep things on this blog mainly lighthearted but sometimes, we have to stop and reflect on some of the tough things we've been through.

Well over a year ago a truly beautiful friend passed away. 

Yes, she was truly stunning but I call her beautiful for what she was on the inside, for what she was in her heart.

When she talked to you, She had a way of making you feel included, important and so special. I really treasured this in her throughout high school as I struggled to fit in and find my place. 

She taught me a really valuable lesson - that you can be beautiful in your actions and in the words you say. That is what I take with me everyday.

Much love, Beth xxx

Forever living products...

I recently had the oppertunity to use some Forever living products...

I was really impressed by the quality! Forever Living are all about using natural ingredients and all their products are based on Aloe. Aloe Vera is full of vitamins and minerals and it's also a very restorative for your body.

I was really impressed by 3 products in particular. They were the aloe vera gelly, the lip balm and the Aloe heat lotion.

The aloe Vera gelly in particular felt really refreshing and soothing for my joints. It was also really helpful with any scarring on my skin, the short time in which I used it my skin became a lot smoother.

These are products that I would definitely want to purchase in the future.

To find out more information you can visit the website: https://www.foreverliving.com

Much love, Beth xxx

An honest account of chronic pain...

Many of my friends or people I meet for the first time ask me what it's like to have a chronic illness and be in pain all the time. Honestly that's one of the hardest questions to answer.

Pain is so variable and it's very hard to put into words. I have good days and bad days. Days where I can cope with the pain emotionally, days were it forces me to break down and I have no idea how I'll get through. 

But I thought it might be useful for me to try to describe a bad day to put it all into context...

Bad days are never ever planned, they just happen, usually when you really really don't want them too. They can last just one day or weeks. If you can, imagine the most tired you have ever ever felt, then add in the fact that all your muscles ache and every time you move sharp pain hits all your joints.

Most people think a day in bed is the best thing in the world! But on a bad day, even in bed you're not comfortable, you try to get back to sleep but your back and hips are in intense pain which makes it near impossible to lie down. Watching tv and films might work for a little while but nothing can truly distract you from the aching pain you feel.

On a bad day, you can't leave the house, your freedom is completely robbed from you. You physically can't find the strength and energy within yourself to stand to cook or go outside, today you just have to be content with existing. 

Many people see me on a day to day basis and are shocked that I am in pain. We learn to hide it well, but truthfully a lot of the struggle goes on behind closed doors. 

It can be very disheartening and depressing to have chronic pain. But life is beautiful, there is so much positive in the life around us and in the people we love - and that is what keeps us going.

Thank you to everyone who loves and supports me,

Beth xxx

1930s fashion & makeup look...

I have a slight love affair with the fashion from 1920s through to 1940s. Last year I had to find a dress for a party and accidentally stumbled upon this beautiful dress in a charity shop. I paid just £4 for it! Bargain!

I absolutely love this dress, when I wear it I really want to pay it justice by making an effort with my hair and makeup too. Here's my attempt at a 1930s look...

Much love, Beth xxx

Nail art design #1 fireworks

So, I'm not always the most consistent or creative with painting my nails, but my auntie and uncle bought me a nail art kit recently that made me want to have a go!

The nail art kit consisted of a few different nail varnish colours as well as two nail varnishes with small nibs to allow you to do detail on your nails.

I wanted to keep it fairly simple for the first time using the kit, here's what I got up to...

I hope you like the design! The kit was from No.7 available from Boots.

Much love, Beth xxx

I got a hair cut! Julianne Hough & Taylor swift inspired...

In August I decided it was high time I got a hair cut! For some time I'd been wanting to go a little bit shorter, I was fed up of it resting on my shoulders, so I knew it was going to be quite a change! 

Here's the photo I took in to the hairdressers Vs the hair cut I got...

I was really impressed with the cut I got. My hairdresser is Joanne Loughlin and I've been going to her for 10 years now. I've been so happy since I got the hair cut! It's really easy to maintain and create different styles with it.

I hope you're all having a great week!

Much love, Beth xxx

Appreciate what's around you...

Growing up in Ireland I know for definite that I take the beautiful views around me for granted.

Some people may be against social media but actually apps like Instagram have really helped me to stop, appreciate where I am and take in the view. In the last two weeks we've been spoilt with brilliant views and some good weather. I wanted to share with you the photos I've taken of the beautiful nature around me recently. Enjoy...

Have a great day! Much love, Beth xxx