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!

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?

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

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)

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.