The Brutal Truth is a Beautiful Thing Interview with Christy

I have started a little interview process called  "Brutal Truth is a Beautiful Thing."

I'm doing this because I love to get to know the "real" people behind their blogs. I think so many of us are afraid to tell the truth whatever it may be. We want others to like us. We want others to read our blog. We don't want to scare anyone away.

                                                                   Me included!! 


You can read my itnterview anytime {HERE}  For the first year I never really shared a lot of personal information because I didn't think people wanted to hear it.I posted my recipes and a few cute pics of the kids and that's it. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. Yes, people still want all the fabulous recipes and cute photos but they want to know me. I have gotten the biggest responses from my "on my heart" posts. People want to know you, what makes you you, the person you are. They want to know how you live your life. They don't want a bunch of  nonsense about how fancy your car is and perfect your life is. I think we all want to be able to relate to each other and NONE of us are perfect!!!
  Today's Interview: Christy Lee

What's your greatest Weakness?I am incredibly impulsive. When I get a thought or a desire in my head I just run with it. Many times not thinking it all the way through. Luckily this doesn't apply to anything that would be considered life changing but it is a hindrance for me.

What's your greatest strength?

 A positive attitude. Things don't generally get me down and if 

they do I move on quickly. I see the good in people and in the 

world. I am a happy person.

What has emotionally crippled you in your lifetime?

Hmmm. My greatest blessing would be being adopted but it has left me with some intense abandonment issues. Those have been crippling for me. It has taken me a lot of time to realize where they steamed from and learn to cope with them. 

What has elated you with joy in your lifetime? 

Watching my children experience joy. Nothing makes my heart warmer then seeing their soft happy faces. Witnessing them discover something for the first time or seeing their eyes when they accomplish something on their own. It brings me more joy then words.

 Have much have you evolved since your teenage years? Are you a similar person? 

 I would say I am no where near the same person. I still have the same heart but I have grown so much. My goals and desires have completely changed as well as the things that I hold sacred to me.

What's something you don't want to tell us about? 

I have extreme anxiety. I take medication daily for it. I don't think people should be ashamed when they need help like that. A lot of people think you should just "deal" with things on your own and sometimes that just isn't enough. It is not something I can control or something that I am ashamed of. It simply is what it is.

 When the world is crashing down on you, where do you go?

To my husband. I tell him everything. He knows me better than 

anyone. My entire world can change and be better just by talking 

to him or being in his arms.

 

Do you have any goals? What are they? 

First to raise confident and moral children. To have a strong 

family unit and marriage. One small goal or dream of mine would 

be to go to culinary school once my kids are all in school 

themselves.

Can you honestly say you love what you do?

I do! I am a mother and it is what I always knew was my purpose in this life. Nothing is better then being home with my children everyday and soaking in each moment with them.

  Who has been the single most influential person in your lifetime thus far? 

So many. First would be Jesus, he lived and died for me. He has blessed me with everything I have and enjoy in my life. Second my dad. He is the best man I know. He has loved me through so many challenges and has taught me so much. Really, I would not be where I am in life if it was not for him. He has taught me and been such a great example of unconditional love to me. Of course my husband is one. He has helped me create the life that we both have now with our family. He honestly is my best friend in the world. I could not live or breathe with out him. 

Honestly, we are all striving for something, what is your greatest goal in life? 

To live my life as my beliefs teach me. To treat others the way 

I would like to be treated. To have people know that my word

means something. To have a forgiving heart. I want to always 

strive to make myself a better person. 

What has been your most defining moment?

 The births of  my children. Feeling their spirits and knowing 

them instantly when I see them. Each time it has changed me and 

made me a softer, sweeter and more gentle person. I realized 

when I became a mother what was needed of me to raise these 

children. I strive for that and it has defined me and changed me 

as a person.

Are there people in your past that you wish you could make amends with? 

 Honestly? No

 What memory will be forever burned in your mind to the point where you can smell the room and feel the energy?

When I was young I walked across a freshly paved road. So fresh that the trucks were still rolling away. To this day when I smell tar it makes my stomach turn.

 What movie and or book speaks to you? 

 I like books that when you begin reading them you can't put 

them down. I loved The Twilight Series, The Hunger Games, The 

Host, books like that.

What is your greatest wish right here and now? 

To be able to continue to do the things I love. To stay home 

with my children and raise them. To have my blog and have 

success with it by reaching other women and learning through 

each other. Sharing our joy, our struggles and our mommy 

moments.

A H*U*G*E thank you to Christy for opening up and sharing her truth with us today!!!! Christy and I met in the blogosphere a month or so ago and have become fast friends. We have so much in common and she is truly a beautiful person.

Her family is gorgeous and she is so down to earth and relate able. I just love her and I know you will too. Please hop on her to her blog and say hi.

You May read the entire series of "Brutal Truth" Interviews {HERE}

Triple Chocolate Left Over Truffles

These truffles came flying out of my brain like some kind of mad scientist and they are A*M*A*Z*I*N*G!!!!!! 

I made Double Chocolate Mousse last week and I had a little chocolate cake and a little mousse left over and this is what I made!!!!! 

This recipe will make 12-24 giant truffles depending on the size of your silicone molds.

Ingredients Cake: 

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chops or chopped chocolate

1/4 cup cocoa powder

3/4 cup boiling water

3/4 cup cake flour

1.2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp kosher salt

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 stick unsalted butter at room temp

2 large eggs

1/4 cup butter milk or coconut milk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 Recipe for cake:

1.preheat over to 325. 

2.coat 8X8 pan with cooking spray. 

3. put chocolate and cocoa in a medium bowl and add boiling water, whisk until smooth

4.IN a small bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt, wick

5. beat butter and sugar until fluffy, add eggs and beat, add vanilla and beat

6. now add the chocolate and flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat well. 

Bake for about 30 min at 325 or until knife comes out clean.

Ingredients for Mousse:

1 cup semi sweet semi sweet chocolate 

7 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large eggs, separated

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

pinch salt

Recipe for Chocolate Mousse:

1.melt the butter and chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments, stirring in between, set aside once smooth

2. whip egg whites for 3 minuets, add sugar and whip 3 more minuets or until stiff peaks.

3. in another bowl whip heavy cream, set aside

4. in yet another bowl whisk vanilla and egg yolks

5. now fold everything together gently and carefully with a runner spatula. 

Ingredients For Ganache:

3/4 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup of cream

3 tablespoons butter

pinch of salt

Recipe for Ganache:

In a small saucepan heat cream until piping hot but not a boil, add the chocolate and butter and whisk until smooth.  Set aside to cool for about 20-30 minuets. You may speed this up by putting in the refrigerator.

Other Ingredients and tools:

Silicone domes or muffin pan

1 bag of white chocolate chips

2 tablespoons of canola oil

1 cup of dark chocolate chips

ASSEMBLY DIRECTIONS:

1. scoop about 3 tablespoons of mousse into each silicone mold

2. when ganache is warm not hot you may fill each mold with 2 tablespoons of ganache. 

3.Now with a round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut the cake to the size of the silicone mold and place a cake circle over the ganache filling. 

4.Once oyu have done this to all truffles, place them in the freezer overnight.

5. Now peel the mousse truffles out of the silicone molds folding the silicone back to release and place on a wire cooling wrack. 

6. Melt the white chocolate and canola oil until smooth and pour over top of each truffle. 

7. finally melt the dark chocolate and place in a plastic bag, cut the tip off and pipe to decorate!!! 

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My Life: My Fight

My friends,
I find myself completely and totally overwhelmed. My father's death coupled with  many other situations have left me an emotional wreck. 
This was a photo he kept of me in his room. I am so grateful to have it as I only have one other since the loss of our home in hurricane Katrina.

I find myself going in and out of the grieving stages  every other minuet. One minuet I'm angry, the next crying and the next totally in denial bouncing through my day like nothing is happening. I am trying to cope but I fear not doing a very good job.

My father died a month ago. My parents divorced when I was 4. We never lived with him after that. We did spend holidays and summer's with him only.     His death is affecting me in a much more profound way than I had expected.  Death always has profound effects on families. Unfortunately my sister and I had a huge fight the week my father died and haven't spoken since.  My heart hurts. I am sad. I cry. My brother died 4 years ago. She is my only sibling left.

I find myself riddled with anger at the loss of my husband's job.  I don't mind working overtime to support us but I see what it has done to my husband's pride and it makes me ANGRY!  The way in which he was let go from his job was not respectable. I do not believe they are admirable people. The owner's of the business took advantage of him, took money out of our pockets, fired him 3 weeks before Christmas, sided with a liar and a cheat and they call themselves good Christians. As you can tell.....I'm FUMING!!!!   I can't seem to let it go. I can't let go of what they have done to my family. I need to.

We are facing declaring bankruptcy.
 Am I ashamed? Am I afraid? Of course I am. 
That's why I want to talk about it.We will meet with a lawyer in the next couple weeks so I will probably feel a lot better after that but I am terrified we are going to loose our home. I just want to be a good mother and example for my children. I feel like I have let them down.

 This year my relationship with God has completely changed.
Growing up I was not baptized and my parents did not practice religion. I had probably only been in a church a few times in my life until I met my husband and began to go with him and his family sometimes on special occasions. 
My entire adult life my relationship with God was lost. 
I didn't even know it existed until I found myself on my knees begging for mercy! 
About 4 or 5 years ago that started to change.  I started to feel God's presence in my life and realized I could interact with him. 
I am so happy that this year my relationship with God has grown leaps and bounds. I find that now a little piece of my God lives within me and I feel warm and protected always. My God is all my own and will never let me down.
I do not consider myself a Christian, a Catholic or a Buddhist but all I know is,  I have grown into a profound relationship with MY GOD and I am so grateful.

In my heart I am full of love, joy, inspiration, fire, motivation and contentment but I have to fight everyday with all my might to let that shine! 
I am a fighter; always have been; always will be.I will continue to fight!!! I will continue to LOVE with my whole heart.I will continue to walk with my doors wide open.I will continue to be grateful every single day.I will continue to keep my chin up. I will continue to find the good in any situation.I will overcome this: I will endure this. I will come out on the other side of this.


I am up to running 10  miles on my long runs and have officially registered for my first 1/2 marathon on March 4th in New Orleans. 
New Orleans, we're coming home and I know your arms will be open.I can't wait to run heart first into them!!! 

THANKS FOR LISTENING!!!!!!
I NEEDED IT!

Cardigan: Target

Button down shirt: J Crew

Jeans: J Brand

Boots: Anthropologie

Leg Warmers: Delirium Kredens

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Love is Free

I just love these gorgeous little T-shirts with wonderful sayings on them. This one was made by my friend Haley from Purusha People. I also interviewd her about her and her gorgeous shop which you can read about {HERE}

Hand dyed and screened T-shirt: Purusha People

Jeans: J Brand

Hand Knit Marino Wool Leg Warmers: Delirium Kredens

Hand Knit Neck Warmer: JIll Lauren

Boots: Anthropologie

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Brutal Truth is a Beautiful Thing Interview with Megan

I have started a little interview process called  "Brutal Truth is a Beautiful Thing."

I'm doing this because I love to get to know the "real" people behind their blogs. I think so many of us are afraid to tell the truth whatever it may be. We want others to like us. We want others to read our blog. We don't want to scare anyone away.

Me included!! 

You can read my interview anytime {HERE}  
Today I am interviewing Megan from What Wegan Did Next.  We are going to do the format slightly differently today because I thought a little back round on this particular blogger might be very interesting.  I am fairly familiar with the gay and lesbian community but was completely naive to the idea of "lipstick lesbians" so I asked Megan to elaborate a little for us. I am so pleased with her brutally honest interview and biography. Thank you Megan!!

Hello! It’s Megan from What Wegan Did Next here. 

We are very pleased to be guest blogging for the lovely Hanna and so pleased she asked us to tell you all a little about ourselves + answering some brutally honest questions.

Our blog details the life of ‘Wegan’, AKA Megan and Whitney. We are a lipstick lesbian couple that have been doing long distance for over 3 years! The majority of our relationship has been spent with Whitney living in Hawaii, and Megan in the UK. Megan is British and 24 years old, and Whitney is American and 23 years old. So I bet you’re wondering how Wegan came about! This is a very fast run through so hold on tight...

We first met online for a few years (thank you Myspace & Facebook) and met in person when Whitney came over to the UK to study abroad in September 2008. We had never admitted to liking each other online, but two weeks later on 5th October 2008 we were officially girlfriend & girlfriend.

 For the next few months we saw each other in Cardiff & London (with a trip to Paris as well) until it was time for Whit to sadly move back to Hawaii to finish her degree. We have been doing LONG distance ever since.

Video of our younger days:

We both visited each other’s countries many times over the years. (How lucky??) Megan moved out to Hawaii in March 2011 until Whitney graduated in May 2011.

Megan went down on one knee and proposed to Whitney on their favourite beach in Hawaii (click here to read all). They had planned to return to the UK together, however Whitney's visa was sadly unsuccessful. Whitney is now in South Carolina and we are in the process of appealing the decision and moving onto Plan B- so watch this space!

Megan just got back from spending two months visiting Whitney in South Carolina.

2012 will FINALLY be the year for Wegan when we will hopefully get Whitney over to the UK and truly begin our lives.

So now that you know a bit about our relationship, we thought we’d explain to those of you who may not know what on earth we’re on about when we call ourselves ‘lipstick lesbians’. This refers to feminine lesbians, another term is ‘femmes’, i.e Whitney & I evidently don’t look like the stereotypical lesbian and we love all things girlie- make up, clothes, shoes etc. Though of course, looking LIKE a lesbian is fine, nothing against that if that's who you are. (Typically short hair, no make up, baggy jeans and a tshirt blah blah). You can spot them straight away. Of course there’s also those who are a mix of femme & dykey, so slightly easier to spot. Both of us just prefer the feminine traits to women. & we’ve always known we’re gay fyi.

The problem with being femme is that we suffer from ‘femme invisibility’. We mainly slip under the radar, from both straight & gay people. I used to go out gay clubbing twice a week whilst at University. The majority of my friends were gay males. It was very hard for me to ever find a lady when out because 1) I was most likely assumed to be straight/ fag hag 2) I assumed the majority of pretty ladies in the club were straight/ fag hags. Also there tends to be the coupling of femmes with butch lesbians, so it’s more rare to see femme/femmes. Looking femme has its disadvantages, not only in making it hard to finding a girlfriend (especially if you like fellow femmes). However, you also get looked at by lesbians like you shouldn't be there, and then straights don't believe that you are gay (especially guys of course). So you're left wondering, where exactly do I belong and where can I find others like me. It does have its advantages, you can more easily escape homophobia and any form of hate crime by not being able to be singled out as a gay.

But the question remains, how do we tackle femme invisibility? Earlier this year we launched a campaign entitled 'Real Life Lesbians' (http://whatwegandidnext.blogspot.com/p/real-life-lesbians.html) to try and tackle general lack of visibility and lesbian role models.

Then we decided to try raise the visibility of feminine lesbians by laughing ‘Femme Visibility’ (http://whatwegandidnext.blogspot.com/p/femme-visibility.html) 

 Celebrity wise there aren’t many feminine lesbians- we have Portia De Rossi, Chely Wright and Amber Heard.  But that’s about it. (Lindsay Lohan doesn't really count does she? & Megan Fox?)

Chely Wright & wife

 Amber Heard

 Portia De Rossi with wife Ellen 

We hope that by introducing you to us and our lives, we have helped raise the visibility of lipstick lesbians and that we live our lives and love like anybody else. 

We hope that you stop by our blog and say hello!








Brutal Truth is a Beautiful Thing Interview

Today's Interview: Megan of Wegan
(Megan is the one in the glasses)

What's your greatest Weakness?

It would have to be my lack of confidence and self belief. I clearly don’t come across like that in pictures, or in person, but I guess I fear people seeing through my confident persona.

What's your greatest strength?

I find this hard to answer as I’m never very good at talking about myself/ bigging myself up (see above answer haha). I guess I’m very strong willed and it’s get me through a lot. I can be rather logical and love finding solutions to problems.

What has emotionally crippled you in your lifetime?

The most major impact upon me emotionally (mentally & physically) is my disability to my left hand. It’s not something I was born with, and coming to terms with it plus the fact it’s a result of medical negligence is very hard still. To read all about it, click here 

What has elated you with joy in your lifetime? 

Meeting Whitney, getting to experience Paris (twice) and Hawaii (five times) with her. We’ve truly had the most amazing experiences and some that many couples won’t even experience in their life time. Also the day that we got engaged in Hawaii.

Have much have you evolved since your teenage years? Are you a similar person?

Ooh I’ve changed a lot, I know I’m still quite young at 24 but definitely come a long way from my teenage years. I was a lot more outgoing when younger but also, of course, more immature. I feel that I’m coming into my own as a woman.

What's something you don't want to tell us about?

It would be my disability, it’s not something I ever really talk about and I have only ever mentioned it once on my blog. I hide it in all of my photos and do well at hiding it in person. It takes a long time for people to realise it, and not many people know the true effects it has on me.

When the world is crashing down on you, where do you go?

Firstly to my fiancé, we are best friends and share everything. I tell my sister quite a lot too. I have always found the internet as a place to go from a young age. Though I don’t use our blog to talk about a lot of things as find it hard to put those sides of me/us out there. As I’m sure a lot of us don’t.

Do you have any goals? What are they?

Career wise I’m currently a bit confused. I have a degree in Sociology and Criminology, and a Masters in Equality & Diversity. I hope to make a change to equality in my life time, particularly gay rights. I love research and social media, so we’ll see where I end up.

My other goals involve getting Whitney to the UK, having our own place, getting married & having children. I cannot wait for our life to properly begin.

Can you honestly say you love what you do?

Well at the moment all I’m doing is either visiting Whitney (have spent half a year in the USA this year), searching for jobs and blogging. So yes I guess haha. Though of course I’d rather have a job already!!

Who has been the single most influential person in your lifetime thus far?

Whitney- she’s opened up my eyes, heart and mind in many ways through her unconditional love, travelling and American ways haha. She influences me to be a better person, and believes in me more than I do.

Honestly, we are all striving for something, what is your greatest goal in life? I'm not talking about money!

Again it would be my life with Whitney and knowing I made some change in the world, no matter how big or small it is.

Name your most defining moment!!!

This moment would have to be getting down on one knee and proposing to Whitney. I’m very good at writing the way I feel, but saying it is a lot harder. Whitney most likely never thought I’d be able to utter such words, but I sure did on 17th May 2011. I’ll never forget the way that she cried from happiness.

What is your greatest wish right here and now?

That Whitney & I were together already. I hate how hard it is to get Whitney to the UK. People can’t believe how long it takes and how much you have to do for immigration.We are great when we are together 24/7 and never get sick of one another. We’ve been doing long distance for over three years, and let me tell you. It’s hard. We had hoped it would be over earlier this year, so have to keep struggling with the miles between us quite frankly- sucks! We know that 2012 will be the year for us to be finally living together. Can it hurry up please? Also we don’t get to celebrate Christmas or New Years together this year which makes us sad. We can’t wait to fully celebrate in the festivities in the years to come. 

I want thank Megan and Whitney from the bottom of my heart for sharing their love story on my blog. I have MANY friends and family members in the gay and lesbian community. 


I also STRONGLY believe in rights and equality for all beings on this planet. Fear is the number one reason for prejudice and I promise you there is NOTHING to be afraid of. I have so many gay Friends who would give an arm and a leg in a second if I needed it. Please give them a chance. You might just surprise yourself! 


If you do not agree with their lifestyle please keep it to yourself and do not leave a nasty comment. People are entitled to live their lives any way they choose. Any negative comments will be deleted immediately. 


I think Megan and Whitney are gorgeous, and adorable and have a beautiful story!!!! 
Please go check out their blog {HERE}