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THE VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD – 1ST AND 2ND NOMINATION

I am so delighted to have been nominated for ‘The Versatile Blogger Award’—about 3 months after starting my blog. I was amazed! Words can’t even describe how much I appreciate the nominations. I was nominated by Mommy’s Business 101 and Out of Office Blonde.

Mommy’s Business101 is one of my favourite bloggers as she has given me something to look forward to — a busy working mum who does it all. She posts motivational quotes on to her Instagram and always has a smile on her face. Have a look for yourself.

Out of Office Blonde is another one of my favourites as her blog is full of life; she pours her heart into it. Her photography has inspired me to ‘up my game’, literally. She takes stylish and fashionable photos of herself on holiday – if only I was this brave to post mine. Check her out!

Thank you for the nomination, guys!

What is The Versatile Blogger?

The Versatile Blogger Award was created to celebrate blogs who have unique content, strong writing, and beautiful photographs.

Rules

Thank the person who gave you the award.

Include a link to their blog.

Select 7 bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly.

Nominate those bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award.

Finally, tell the readers 7 things about yourself.

7 facts about myself

1.       Spirituality

I am a spiritual person cares about people, animals and the planet; I strive to be a kind-hearted person. I know my purpose in life and I am doing my best to stay on the right path; also, I try to be as peaceful as possible as having a clear and free mind is priceless.

I have several spiritual practices that I follow:

I pray

meditate

give back

live healthy

focus on myself

2.       Highly organised

This is going to sound strange, but I have a problem… When it comes to my wardrobe I go all out. Meaning, all of my work, house, and casual clothes and so on are grouped together. But, I have taken it a step further as I have put everything in length and colour order. Why have I done this? I guess I had a lot of free time. Hehe! All of my shoes are in storage boxes as I want to keep them for as long as I can. And no, I am not a hoarder. I’m just… me.

3.       Dressmaker

I absolutely love making my own clothes for the summer holidays; traveling and wearing items that no one has is a good feeling. Most of the time I see people staring at my clothes. My ultimate goal is to make everything that I wear as the clothes in the shop don’t quite fit me properly and the cost is unrealistic – especially when your salary stays the same.

4.       Clean freak

Cleaning is my favourite hobby. Yes, I said hobby. Hehe! Cleaning is very soothing and it allows my mind to escape from reality. I could clean all day every day if I had the time. My friends often compliment me for how clean my house is as I could literally wipe my finger across the counter, table, and floor and nothing will be on it.

5.       Boring

I am indeed boring. Yes, this is really a fact. I love staying indoors; I love my own company; I love me. I would rather go to dinner or for a long walk on my own. Why? Because, I am boring. Haha! The sound of other people chatting in to my ear is slightly irritating. My friends found it odd at first but, they have accepted me with open arms. However, if I need to go to an event or hang out with them, I will be there.

6.       Photography

You would have realised by now that I barely post photos of myself on Instagram or on my blog, it’s because I love taking photos of objects and scenery instead. Once in a while I will put myself up on my insta story but, in all honesty I don’t know how to photograph myself like a pro.

My diet prevents me from drinking this … but, I couldn’t help snap a photo of it.

7.       Honesty

I’m an honest person and I struggle to lie. So, when my friends ask for advice… It’s very difficult for me to beat around the bush; however, they do say “I already know your answer but I wanted to ask you anyway”. They really do make me laugh. My nominees for ‘The Versatile Blogger Award’ go to:

Faith n’ Turtles

Everything about Chrysty

Antoria Lynch | Mental Health Writer

I nominated them because they are the sweetest, nicest and down to earth ladies that I have ever come across on the blogging platform. I love reading their tweets and seeing what they get up to on a daily basis. Stay blessed ladies! X

Vanessa xo

[vanessa--latu-blog]

Fibroids? Who me?

One night, I woke up in agony as I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned for hours until it was daylight.

I decided to go to the doctors and ask for an opinion on my ongoing pain. She asked me a few questions, “when was your last period? Where is the pain exactly? How long have you been feeling this pain for?”

She asked me to lay on to the bed; she used her hand to put pressure on my lower abdominal. The doctor said, “OK, here’s what we’re going to do, I’m going to refer you to the hospital, so that you can have an ultrasound done. Once we get the results, we will call you to book an appointment and then discuss it.” I was anxious.

On the day of my appointment, I was restless as I didn’t have enough sleep. I was greeted at the reception desk and then was told to wait in the lounge. My name was called and I slowly walked inside the examination room. I followed the nurse’s instructions as she proceeded to do her job.

She made a few faces and kept saying, “hmm.” I immediately asked, “what’s wrong?” My eyes widened waiting for her to response. Then she turned and looked at me and said, “I think it’s best your doctor tells you the results.” My heart sank.

Over the next couple of weeks, I eagerly awaited the results.

Finally, they’ve arrived!

I booked an appointment and my doctor turned and said, “you have fibroids.”

*Fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the womb (uterus). The growths are made up of muscle and fibrous tissue, and vary in size.

My doctor explained the size of them; yes, I said them. There are 2 fibroids. *sigh* Currently, one is 2.5cm and the other is 1.5cm. She said to follow up with a scan in 1 years time to check on the growth.

I left the doctor’s office feeling deflated as she didn’t tell me what I could do to get rid of them or even to stop the growth. So, I decided to take this into my own hands.

I spoke to a nutritionist based in Jamaica. Yes, you heard right and he stated that I need to change my lifestyle immediately; he recommended daily exercise, and a new diet. I exercise frequently, so a daily routine is doable… I think…

Now on to my new diet. He explained that I need to stop eating the following:

Red meat

Chicken (unless I raise them myself)

White rice

White pasta

White flour

White potatoes

Read more here.

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Drinks like this I loved but, I can’t drink them any more. 

Health ... https://wp.me/paefub-3u

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Yesterday, I saw this cute elephant made out of flowers. Sometimes you have to stop and observe in life.

[vanessa--latu-blog]

Turmeric has a multi-purpose use: seasoning for meat, natural medicine, face mask and many more. Using turmeric face mask is a good home remedy to help lift dark circles, scares, and even moisturise your skin.

Even though there are plenty of ways to make a turmeric mask, I chose a simple recipe as it only takes 2 minutes. You heard me correctly, 2 minutes!

Ingredients

1/2 tablespoon of turmeric powder

1/2 tablespoon of oat/gram/rice flour

5ml lemon juice (water – if you have sensitive skin)

1/3 tablespoon of honey (optional)

Instructions

Mix all of the ingredients together to form a smooth paste (see above). If the mask looks too dry, add a little more lemon or water to get the right consistency.

Use a brush or a spatula to apply the mask to your face, avoiding your eyebrows and hair. You could use your fingers to apply the mask, but your nails will turn yellow as turmeric stains.

Leave the mask on for 10 minutes maximum (any longer and you’ll go yellow, trust me).

Wash your face thoroughly with warm water to remove the mask. I prefer doing it in the shower with a face rag, so I don’t have to worry about getting it on to any of my clothes.

If you’ve mixed too much, put it in an air-tight container into the fridge (1 week maximum). If it starts to dry out, add a little more lemon or water.

Read more here.

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So, where do I start? I travelled to Rome with my good friend Enee as she felt that we needed a quick getaway. Nothing too crazy; 5 nights was perfect. My day job got the best of me; I quickly agreed and met up with her to book our tickets.

We landed safe and sound in Italy, took a taxi from the airport and arrived at the Morgana Hotel which is located near the Termini Central Station. The room came with a full English breakfast and the customer service was outstanding. If you haven’t been to Italy before, please note there are room taxes on the hotels. We paid 6 Euros per person, per night.

We bought a day ticket to use the metro and headed to see The Trevi Fountain (I have a box full of wishes, ssh tell no one). Unfortunately, it was under construction at the time, so I took a snapshot of the top half of the building. I walked up to the fountain, took a deep breath and made a wish. Since I have a few wishes, I only wished for one thing. I can’t be greedy, can I? And no, I can’t tell you my wish.

Read more here.

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Where do I begin? Storytime is about my past, journey, and future.

My mentor advised me that I should open up about my experiences as it’s a great way to get things of my chest. One thing that I’ve learned so far is to be yourself and truly love who you are because you are only there for yourself.

A little about me

I am a natural curly head; I absolutely love my naturally curly hair. To be honest, I am a lazy natural. I prefer to create quick hairstyles on the go as I love to express myself differently on a daily basis. 😊 My favourite natural product is – olive oil. Yes, you heard right. Just oil.

Read more here.

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Good evening lovely people. I hope you treat yourself this Valentines Day. I couldn't help but pick up a gorgeous bouquet for myself.

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When I saw #IAMLOVE on Eventbrite, I was curious. I was going through a rough patch in my life and I needed to be rejuvenated. Instead of seeing a therapist, to help me deal with my emotions, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and purchased a ticket.

I read through the description once again and a few things captured my attention:

Self-love is about being good to yourself. But, what does being good to yourself mean?

Putting yourself first.

Doing things that bring you joy.

Accepting the good, bad and not so pretty things about yourself.

Dreaming big.

Listening to your intuition.

Resting.

Refusing to seek approval from others, as the only approval that matters is your own.

The words highlighted stood out to me as I needed to be myself again. Having a fresh start was a must for me. It had to be done. To be honest, I was nervous. I was not sure about what I was going to hear, let alone what I was going to say…. I thought to myself, am I too broken for this event? I need to move on, sure. But, can I be positive? 

Read more here.

[vanessa--latu-blog]

Hey guys, I’m Vanessa. New blogger here :-) I blog about my journey, experiences and anything else that comes to mind. I will try to post often and keep it short and sweet… So, a little about me… I love long-haul travelling (Miami – of course), long walks in Rome and borrowing the odd shower gel from a hotel in Barcelona… Aside from that, I enjoy writing. My aim is to inspire all of my readers as I will be writing about real-life events. Vanessa xo

www.lifeandtheunexpected.com