Wednesday 29 January 2014

50 books 2014 - January

This is my round up of books that I've managed to get through in the month of January. Usually by this time of the year I would have probably just started getting into a book, so I'm very pleased that I've spent more time reading and less time watching a load of rubbish on TV (although I am still watching quite a lot of rubbish on TV, just not as much!)


What stays in Vegas - This is the story of Tessa a Secretary dreaming of being an artist and also dreaming about her co-worker who happens to be a married man. Will transferring to the Las Vegas branch of the office be the opportunity of a new life or just more problems?

This book was a nice, fun, easy read. Loved the characters, especially Tessa's new boss Kendra!


The Hunger Games - I'm sure most people are familiar with The Hunger Games trilogy, if not, you should be! I loved the first book and read it within a couple of days and I am currently reading the second part.

In brief the story is set in the future where North America has become a country called Panem, it is split into 12 districts and a capitol. Each year 2 boys and 2 girls from each district are chosen to fight to the death in a live TV show called The hunger games, for the amusement of the capitol.
When Katniss takes the place of her little sister she sees it as a death sentence but will she have the strength to survive?



Street child - Whenever my kids are given certain books to read at school I like to read them as well, this is so I can check that they are actually reading but also its nice to be able to discuss the stories with them. My year 4 class (and also my youngest son who is in year 4) are currently studying Victorian Britain and the contrast between the rich and poor children of that era. 

Street child is based on the true story of an Orphan child who inspired Dr Barnardo to set up his homes for young boys. Jim Jarvis is left homeless and motherless and has no option but to go to the workhouse but this proves too much for him and he would rather face life on the streets. This book is very emotional but a great read for any age! 


Any red-blooded girl - This is the story of Flora Fontain a 15 going on 16 year old who has to spend her summer camping with her parents and brother but its not all as bad as it seems when she instantly falls in love with Mick and he feels the same about her. But will it all be happily ever after...unlikely!

I found this book rather weird and it moved at such a fast pace that I couldn't keep up and I didn't know what was about to happen next, although that can be quite a good thing in a book as nobody likes predictability!


Saturday 25 January 2014

Glossybox January


This months Glossybox arrived on Thursday and I eagerly awaited the for the girl to arrive from school as I promised I wouldn't open it without her.

I think they must know that the daughter and I are sharing the box as there were 2 little tubes of cream and 2 sets of eye bag patches in the packet. 



The Yu-Be moisturising cream was very smooth and hydrating but it does have a slightly medicated scent which I didn't find very pleasant.
I haven't tried the eye patches yet but having dark circles under my eyes, I'm intrigued to see if these will make a difference to the appearance.





The CC cream which I think is quite similar to BB cream (Don't quote me on that, I'm no expert) was too light for my daughter and closer to my complexion on a pale day... I have a few of those! So I guess I will be keeping that :)

The tweezers are very pretty and do their job, although watch this space as next month I'm going to get threaded!! I'm sure I will still need these for the touch ups.

I haven't as yet tried the bodywash as I have so many in my bathroom left from Christmas, I'm not sure any of them are 'super toning' though!

Do you subscribe to glossybox, if so what did you think of this months goodies?



Monday 20 January 2014

Mealplan Monday 20/01/14


I done pretty well with my meal plan last week. I didn't make the macaroni cheese as I didn't have enough cheese and I decided to have a stew on Sunday instead of a roast, so to my surprise when I got home from work today the man had made roast beef for dinner :)

Monday - Roast beef, potatoes and veg

Tuesday - Lasagne and salad

Wednesday - Pie and mash with gravy

Thursday - Cheese and onion bake

Friday - Spaghetti bolognese

Saturday - Pizza and chips

Sunday - Curried prawns with rice and peas

Saturday 18 January 2014

Candy crushed

I don't know how long ago I started playing or at what stage I got completely hooked but a couple of days ago I finally did it... I cracked Candy Crush!!

When I started playing Candy Crush there were around 300 levels and this has been extended throughout that time to what is now 515 levels. I'm sure this will increase over time to even further levels, but my goal was just to get to the end!

I am now going to tick this off my bucketlist as I've gone the furthest I could go at this time and I have even completed that extra bit (the one with the owl) as well.


I am the furthest out of all my fb friends and there are a lot of people I know that keep asking me how to get past certain levels, my only advice is to just keep playing. Using the power-ups are helpful although I wouldn't waste any money paying for them, it is possible to get all the way through without spending a penny! There were many levels that I got stuck on for weeks (level 147 comes to mind) and I often got fed up and thought I'm never playing again but as soon as I managed to pass those ones I was addicted again!

Now I have to find something else to pass my time, something a bit more productive may be helpful!!

Do you waste your time play Candy Crush or any other fb games? (Don't get me started on Bejewelled blitz)





Wednesday 15 January 2014

A Wicked night

A couple of years ago my brother told my two girls he was going to take them to the theatre, well you know kids, they don't forget a thing and they make sure they remind him everytime they see him that he hasn't taken them yet!

So 2 weeks ago, out of the blue I get a message from him to say I better be free on the 14th because he has booked tickets for us to see Wicked - Ooh, I do love an unexpected gift!

We had great seats in the stalls, right in the middle opposite the stage which would have been amazing had some tall lady not come and sat in the seat right opposite me, blocking my view of the stage for the whole performance!

Well I'm not one to let things bother me, I just had to keep manouvering my head to see the actors doing their thing and hope that I wasn't in turn blocking the view of the person behind me - They really need to sort out the seating in theatres!!

I didn't know what to expect from the show I just knew it was about a witch and had something to do with The Wizard of Oz. I wasn't far off, it was about a girl who was born green who turns into a witch and... Well I don't want to spoil it for you in case you would like to see it yourself!

There were a few funny bits and the singing was amazing, like being at the X factor finals live, only better! A great show for all the family so I would recommend, only ask if you can have a seat behind a short person when booking your tickets!




This is my view of the stage before the tall lady came and ruined it for me!
I would have loved to take some photos of the actual show but sadly you are not allowed and I wasnt brave enough to risk it.


Our London Link Party

Monday 13 January 2014

Mealplan Monday 13/01/14


The man has been on a juicing diet the last week and is doing really well! In the last 6 days he has only cheated 3 times, twice he had a salad and another time he had a weight watchers yoghurt. He has managed to lose 9lb so far and wants to continue doing it for this week too. I wish I had his willpower but I don't so instead I'm thinking of all the delicious meals I'm going to make this week.

Monday - Pizza, onion rings and potato salad

Tuesday - Eating out/Theatre trip

Wednesday - BBQ ribs with vegetable rice

Thursday - Macaroni cheese

Friday - Pie and mash with veg and gravy

Saturday - Thai green curry

Sunday - Roast

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Bucketlist update


Another year has passed all too quickly and makes me wonder where the time is going and how much has happened in that time. Well personally, I don't think much is happening and I think its about time that changed!

Some people don't like the idea of bucketlists, maybe they think its morbid and you should just live each day as it comes, but sometimes those days turn into weeks, the weeks into months and those into years and you find yourself in the same predicaments, just plodding along. Yeah that happens to us all, its called life! But isn't it nice to have something to look forward to, something you want to achieve... something to dream about!

I love the idea of challenging myself and there is nothing more satisfying than getting things done and being able to tick something off. You know the saying 'Dont put of for tomorrow, the things you can do today' (or something like that) well I think it was made for me because I'm constantly putting things off but then tomorrow never comes!!

I think its time to be proactive, I'm not going to wait for somebody to kick me up the bum. I've added quite a few things to my list and I'm determined to do them (if I don't tick off at least 5 this year then feel free to kick me up the bum!)

Here are a few things I have added:

Meet up with my first best friend- The reason I put this is because when I was at primary school I only had 1 good friend, we kind of only had each other! We were like the loners, you know the kids that were always picked last for PE. We both ended up going into care at age 11 and never saw each other again until FB was invented. It was nice to catch up and reminisce via messages and although we keep saying we will meet, it just never happens.

Get a degree- I kind of gave up the idea of ever going to university because it seems like its part of a process - school, college, university, job. And I just felt that I skipped that bit out! But when looking for college courses and the end of last year, it dawned on me that you are never to old to learn. We are constantly learning everyday so if I decide I want to get a degree in a few years or even when I'm 50 what is there to stop me?

Donate eggs- Last year I became reeeeally broody. I was due to have my implanon taken out of my arm as it had expired and I was really contemplating whether to have it replaced or to try for another baby. There were many reasons why I decided it would be best to have the implant replaced but it got me thinking about what it must be like to feel that way and not have the option of choosing if you want a baby or not. To feel that urge to become a mother and not be able to must be heartbreaking, so if I am able to, I would like to donate my eggs to somebody who cannot have children.

Here is what else is on my Bucketlist


Saturday 4 January 2014

Kitchen makeover

A couple of months ago I was lucky enough to be contacted by my council to say they will be carrying out work in my house as part of a refurbishment project across the borough. This meant they would be fitting a new kitchen, bathroom and toilet!

It was a very quick process which saw plumbers, plasterers, electricians and the like, in and out the house like a conveyor belt. The work took around 10 working days to complete but because we were practically living out of the front room, so as to not get in their way, and cooking on a little electric hob it actually seemed like they were here for at least a month.

The units and tiles were all pretty basic but we were given an option of colours. They were also providing flooring but as we already had ceramic tiles that were not too shabby I decided to stick with those.

I do love a before and after photo so i thought I would put a few up.





Its funny that even though I have gone from white cabinets to a dark wood, the kitchen actually feels much lighter!

I love the new green colour! I need to add some more decorative touches here and there, like shelves and pictures to make it more homely but I'm very pleased with the outcome and the work that was done!

I am going to put new curtains and blinds but this month the workman are meant to be back to put in all new windows and doors... much needed as I have really old windows and you can actually feel the breeze coming through when you stand next to them. Just hoping it doesn't make a lot of mess throughout the house in the process.


Wednesday 1 January 2014

2014 resolutions

 
2013 wasn't too bad, it had its highs and it had its lows, the way I see it is that for everything good that happens there is always something bad happening somewhere else, its just about learning how to deal with the negatives and appreciate the positives.

I don't have any resolutions as such but my mantra for 2014 is More...

I want to read more, drink more water, spend more time with my friends, blog more, eat more fruit, do more fun things with my kids, be more organised, take more photos and to give me more energy to do all those things, take more iron/multi vitamins!

I also have my bucket list that I will be updating and working my way through, and hopefully be ticking a few more things off!!

So here is to 2014, hope it is a healthy and happy one for you all xx


 
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