Harry Potter Fix - Week 18

This always intrigues me, so I'll be trying to link up when I can Ladies...



1. If you could be any Harry Potter character who would you be and why? 
Hermoine Granger would be my first choice. She's brave, bold and a little bit feisty. A lot like me in some ways.

Secondly I'd love to be Minerva McGonagall. She's a strong and powerful character. Also being an Animangus intrugues me. I'd love to be able to transform into an animal or something non-human.

Thirdly - Rita Skeeter. The journalist. I love digging up dirt and anything to do with journalism, so she would be an ideal character for me.

2. Favourite single chapter in a Harry Potter Book. For me this would have to be this one:

Chapter 17: Cat, Rat and DogEdit

Sirius Black: "Going to kill me, Harry?"

Harry Potter: "You killed my parents."

Sirius Black: "I don’t deny it... But if you knew the whole story."

— In the Shrieking Shack.

Ron being dragged by the black dog into the Whomping Willow

Shortly afterwards, Scabbers escapes from Ron's grasp. Harry, Ron and Hermione run after him, where they see the black dog and Crookshanks. After Ron catches Scabbers, the dog grabs him by the arm (breaking his leg in the process of trying to holding onto a tree root with that leg to avoid being dragged off) and pulls him in a passage under theWhomping Willow. Harry, Hermione, and Crookshanks follow after them. The passage leads them to the Shrieking Shack, where they find Ron, Scabbers, and Sirius Black, who was the dog that dragged Ron to the Shrieking Shack. Harry manages to overpower and subdue Black, who admits that he was responsible for the death of his parents. Lupin then arrives, and is accused by Hermione of being Black's accomplice, and a werewolf, revealing that she found out following Snape's lesson on werewolves, as well as a number of other signs: he was always absent on nights of the full moon which is also his Boggart. Lupin admits that he is a werewolf, but denies the charge of helping Black. He explains that he found out where Harry, Ron and Hermione went through the Marauder's Map , being one of the four writers of it and knowing the three would visit Hagrid that night due to Buckbeak's execution. He also adds that he saw a supposedly dead person on the map with the trio; Peter Pettigrew , in the form of Scabbers.

3. What would your ideal class schedule look like at Hogwarts? 

I think I would enjoy Transfiguration, Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions and Charms. I'd also like Muggle Studies as well. 

Looking forward to next weeks Harry Potter Fix now.

First Things First

I've decided to join in with this link up this week, because it looks like so much fun. 

And now moving on to our regularly scheduled post -- this week, we're talking about:

First thing I do when I wake up in the morning

First heart break

First prom or school dance

1) First thing I do when I wake up in the morning.  I usually wake up before my alarm goes off at 7.30am. If I'm feeling sleepy I might lie in until 7.45. It's very rare I do this though. Once I'm awake I may check Facebook and twitter. Not every morning though.  Then I will apply Liz Earle - Eyebright to my eyes to refresh them. Sometimes I'm straight out of bed and getting ready for work.

2) First heart break. Well seeing I have been with Kevin for nearly 6 and a half years now, the only real heart break I remember was back in 2006, the same year I got with Kevin. It was the night Kevin and I met at a friends engagement/25 Wedding Anniversary/Welcome Home Party (Yes I know! All rolled into one night). I had been seeing my friend's dad's mate with whom he was in a band. Alex was the drummer. We dated previously for about 2 months but remained friends. He was at the same party and let's just say he got really rather drunk and tried it on with me, I was having non of it and told him I would take him back to my friend's house as I had decided not to drink, so I was driving.  We got into my car and left for home, Al decided he wanted something to eat so we went to stop for a kebab.  I was unaware that there was a police car following us, we pulled up next to the kebab house and got out of the car, that's when the police officer stopped me. He decided to give me a Breathalyzer and told me that I was over the limit. I couldn't have been as I was not drinking. So I was taken down to the police station for the night and put in a cell. It later came out that Al had tried to spike my drink.

3) First Prom or School Dance.  I don't think I really qualify to be able to answer this one because unlike the High Schools in the USA, we didn't have a Prom night or high school dance. They do now but unfortunately I never had one. 

Five for 5

Well it's Monday again, so that can only mean Five for 5. I haven't done very well this week. I admit I have been a bit lazy. 

Anyway last weeks goals were: 
1. Read a new book whether hard/paper back or on the kindle. This ones red this week because I didn't complete it in any way, shape or form.
2. Cut out the the diet soda for a week. This has to be red because I was doing so well up until Wednesday and didn't have any diet soda, but on Wednesday afternoon, I decided to have a diet soda when I went out for the afternoon with my mam.
3. Have porridge and get up at 7.30 every morning during the week, Be positive. This ones Orange because I did get up at 7.30 every morning but didn't have porridge. I still tried to be positive though.
4. Keep My Diary up to date. Red because I didn't complete this at all.
5. Put some new music on my iPhone. Green because I downloaded "The Lumineers" and a couple of other songs from the 80's and 90's that I used to like. 

So now on to this weeks goals.
1. Read a new book. Following on from last week. I am going to try and get this one done at some point.
2. Re-submit my Unit 2 Assessment for my Business Admin course. Complete the assessment and start unit Three. 
3. Complete and Submit Unit 3 by Monday 18 February.
4. Have at least 2 green teas every day and drink plenty of water. 
5. Prepare for Thursday's Meeting at Work. 

20 Questions

Were you named after anyone?  Yes. Esther after my Grandma. 

Do you like your own handwriting?  No. Sometimes I can't read it.

What would your superpower be if you could choose one?  Invisibility.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist?  Optimist all the way. 

What do you collect?  I used to collect Beermats.

What movie would your friends be surprised that you like? Twilight. 

What are your favorite smells?  Perfume.  Fresh Linen/Clean Cotton. 

What is the best thing you've ever eaten? Where?  I honestly can't recall the best thing I have ever eaten. I just can't decide. 

Mac or PC?  PC although I would like a Mac.

What are you listening to right now?  I am not listening to anything right now, music wise. 

What career would you like?  I would LOVE to work in PR or be a PA for a big company director.

What sounds do you love?  Laughter. 

What sounds do you hate?  Snoring. 

Mountains or beach?  Beach.

Cooking or Baking?  Both.

Do you go to restaurants or movies alone?  Not usually no.

What is your favorite fairy tale/childhood story?  I used to Love reading "The Magic Faraway Tree" and "The Enchanted Wood" by Enid Blyton. I also liked "The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe" by CS Lewis.

What would you tell your 13-year old self? Don't let yourself get as overweight as you are now.

What is your first memory? When I was about 18 months old we went skiing to Caspoggio in Italy with my god-parents and their friends. I couldn't get any ski-boots to fit me so had to wear my Paddington bear's yellow wellingtons. As we were going up the ski-lift one of them came off and I remember Uncle Fred (He wasn't actually my uncle, but I called him Uncle) jumping off the ski-lift behind us and ski-ing down the slope to get it for me. 

At what age did you become an adult? I think it was around my 21st birthday. That's when I really grew up.

Happy Monday. 5 for Five.

I can't believe it's Monday again so soon! Seriously whee does the time go? Anyway on to this weeks 5 for Five post. I actually did quite well with last week's goals, so am pretty chuffed with myself.
Here goes....

1. Drink More Green Tea. This one's gone green this week, because I did actually drink more green tea. Particularly on Monday, because when I went to Slimming World (as I try to do every week), I hopped on the scales and had lost 2 1/2 Lb's. Only another 5 1/2 to get my stone award!!!

2. Buy an E-co Cig like Kevin's. This one is definitely green because I got soaked through last Monday when I went to the store that sells these. I got a Pink one. Well pink is more girly. I am still getting used to it right now, so I can't really say that it is working. But I have kinda managed to cut down.

3. Drink More Water. Again this one was a huge success. I had at least 1 and a half bottles every day. I will say that I feel a lot better for drinking so much water.

4. Get More Active. This one's got to be Orange because I walked three times out of the five days. Monday when I got soaked wet through going to the E-Cig shop after parking on Tesco's car park. Tuesday walked round Bury with my mom for a couple of hours. Wednesday was a lazyish day whereas Thursday I took my gran shopping and walked a fair bit. Friday was a little more relaxed but I still did a fair bit of walking up and down at work.

5. Eat more spinach and greens. I've had to give this green because I did actually eat quite a lot of spinach and they say spinach contains Iron. I really need more Iron in my diet so this helped.

So on to this weeks Goals.

1. Read a New Book. Whether on the Kindle or in Paperback form.
2. Cut out the diet soda for a whole week.
3. Get up and have some porridge for breakfast at 7.30am M-F. Be Positive for the week.
4. Keep my diary up to date.
5. Download some new songs and artists to put on my iPhone.

I am hoping that I'll get to do most of these this week. I am feeling positive about this week so I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Tuesday's 3 Things.

Three Thing's Tuesday is here again! here's mine for this week.

1. 3 Favourite Holidays.
Salou (every time.) Australia and Padstow/Haryln Bay. 
2. 3 Favourite drinks.
Stella 4% - I love this now. It goes down really easily. Skinny Gingerbread Latte. Bacardi & Diet Coke.
3. 3 Favourite Books.
Play Dead - Harlan Coben. Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy - EL James. This 30 Something Life. 
4. 3 Famous People I'd Like to meet. 
Hmmm this is a tough one, I'd have to say Karl Pilkington (of an Idiot Abroad fame. This is a TV show where Karl is sent around the world completing things off his bucket list.)  Prince Harry - I just think he's so much cooler than Wills and Any of the Dragon's from Dragon's Den.
5. 3 Favourite Websites/Blogs.
This ones tough because there's so many. But I'll say 3 favourite blogs that I read almost daily.  Oh Mishka.
Party of One. Faith & Serendipity ( I'd like to give honourable mentions to Tales of a Twenty Something, Fantasically Average and Crystal Jigsaw.)
Websites are easy - Facebook, everything iCafe and of course blogger.
6. 3 people on your speed dial you call regularly. 
This ones easy as well. Mum (mobile and home), Kevin (my fiance) and Jonathan (my brother). 

Five For 5 - Week 4

OMG! I can't Believe it's Monday again so soon. Where on earth are the days going? Anyway Last Week was a total disaster as far as goals went. Although I did manage to keep to one of them!

Here's how I went on last week with my goals....

1. Make a Meal Plan. - Fail. This one's a fail because I just think it's a bit pointless for me right now.
2. Do something Active. - Fail. I've failed this one because even though I had to walk a fair bit last week because of the snow, I don't think I did nearly enough activity.
3. Dedicate some time to this blog. - Almost there. I'm giving this an almost there because I did manage to blog a bit more last week.
4. Get to bed before 11pm Monday to Friday - Yeah! This one was definitely a pass, even if It was 22.55!

So here's next weeks goals.

1 Drink more Green Tea, eat more spinach and what Slimming World calls Speed foods and Super Speed Foods. This is a definite must because it's got loads of antioxidants and is said to detox the body, therefore making you toilet a lot more. I definitely need to eat more super speed and speed foods, purely because I need that Stone to come off!!!!

2. Buy a Tornado Tank e-cig like Kevin's. I need to either cut down or stop smoking and this will come in useful for when I feel like one but can't have one.

3. Drink more water - whether it be bottled mineral water (still though. It has to be Still!!!) or water straight from the tap. I need to drink more of this and cleanse my system from these bad toxins.

4. Get active!!! Walk somewhere or get on the wii! - I know I keep saying I'm going to do this and this week I WILL make it a green for next week!

5. Push myself to find a full time job within Admin/Secretarial. - This is something I think I am good at and my Business & Administration course is helping me to discover new things about my role and how I can apply them to my work.

Tuesday's Three Things

Tuesday Three Things will I am hoping become a regular post on my blog. I often find myself suffering from writer's block (or should that be blogger's block?) and sometimes don't post anything for weeks. So anyway here we go with this week's Tuesday Three Things....

1. Top Three Kinds of Food.
Salmon Fillet. I don't mind how it's cooked as long as it's not smothered in sauce or fried in too much oil.
Mexican Food, such as Chilli Con Carne (which has to be hot and I mean HOT!!) Guacamole and Re-fried Beans along with some Salsa. I also like Italian food such as a simple Spaghetti Bolognese or Cannelloni. 
Chicken Breast. This has got to be the one food I can eat and eat and eat and not get bored of it. 

2. First Three things you do in a morning. 
Get up and visit the bathroom. Cleanse my tired eyes with Liz Earle's Bright Eyes. Get dressed.

3. Last Three things you do at night.
Visit the bathroom, brush my teeth, check social media (email, Facebook  twitter) have a game of words with friends with my mom.

4. 3 TV shows you never miss.
This one is a toughie because I admit I'm not really into watching television right now. I prefer to read a book. But if I honestly had to choose three programmes...first would be "The Hotel". "Dancing On Ice" and "Home and Away". 

5. 3 Places you want to Visit.
New York, Barbados and Canada.

6. 3 People you can always count on.
Firstly my parents, they've always been there for both me and my brother. My Brother. My Fiance.

Random Questions

1. What is your favorite brand of frozen pizza?

If I had to choose, it would probably be goodfellas. 

2. What is your favorite item at McDonald’s?

Their Chocolate Milkshake.

3. Have you ever been to Disney Land or World?

Only to Disneyland. Twice back in the 80's and 90's when we were visiting my Aunt and Uncle in California.

4. Favorite display in your local zoo.

I couldn't say as it's that long since I have actually been to the zoo.

5. Tastiest beer.

Probably Corona or Stella 4% tickles my fancy right about now.

6. What is your favorite thing to blog about?

I'll blog about anything really. Usually I like to blog about my life, but if I see something that a fellow blogger has posted (Like this I saw on Dawn's blog.)

7. Favorite Beatles song?

I don't like the Beatles. I wasn't around to experience their music so I have never been a fan of it.

8. What’s better, original 3 Star Wars movies, or newest 3?

I can't stand Star Wars or anything with a Science Fiction theme to it. But if I had to choose, I'd say the Original 3.

9. What was your favorite pet?

I have only ever had Hamsters and Rabbits. Daisy my rabbit was my favourite, but she wasn't the friendliest of rabbits. She often had a tendency to bite if she had enough of being petted.

10. Tic Tacs, breath mint or candy?

Neither. I'll have some gum nowadays or a piece of fruit.

11. Tic Tacs, favorite flavor?

The original Lime and orange, closely followed by the Mint.

Five for 5

 

Last Weeks Five for 5 didn't actually go according to plan.

I didn't manage to get on the Wii for 1/2 hour every other night. 

I did however get round to drinking 2 bottles of water each day.

I didn't get to blog about 4 different things.

Well It's Monday again, and that means it's time for Five for 5. So here's this weeks.

1. Complete unit 2  Assessment of Business and Administration course by ten pm on Monday (tonight). 
This is at the top of the list because it takes priority over everything else this week.

2. Try to do something active everyday - even if it means just a half hour on the Wii. 
I need to get this stone off and last week was a disappointing result, so even doing just a little activity will surely make this weight drop off.

3. Drink less caffeine and more water. Limit myself to around 4 cups of tea during the day. 
I need to start drinking more water as it's  great for detoxification.  

4. Try not to have give in to temptation and have any bread products - this includes crackers and anything else that contains wheat. 
Bread seems to bloat me now and I often feel like I want to eat less. I hate the bloated feeling that I get so it's time to cut out the bread.

5. Dedicate some time to this blog, if not daily then every other day. 
Find new things to blog about and try and gain some new followers would be a great incentive.

Fifty Books Part 1 (There's a load more I wanna read)

Getting round to sitting down, in my fleecy pj's and my onesie isn't something I get to do a lot recently though. What with my old man being ill and me being ill as well but still having to run and hold the fort together. When I say fort I mean my dad's business. It's not often he gets sick, so last week was quite tiring. I'd be up and out of the house most mornings for 8am and wouldn't get home until going up to 5pm. having caught my dad's flu didn't help either. Most nights I would be in bed for 7pm, lost my appetite as well and that's not really like me. 

I'm going to try and read as much as I possibly can this year. Kevin(My utterly superb Fiance) bought me a Kindle Fire HD and I've already downloaded a few books to it. 

Here's the list of books I'm currently reading and want to get round to reading.

1. Fifty Sheds of Grey - CT Grey. This is not what you think it is.
2. Thursdays in the park - Hilary Boyd. A tale about a woman who finds love later in life.
3. Yours Truly - Kirsty Greenwood
4. Chelsea Wives - Anna-Lou Weatherley
5. The Life of Pi -Yann Martel
6. Discovery at Rosehill - Kathryn Brown (this is a paranormal book by a fellow blogger - you can visit her blog here.) 
7. Sanctum - Sara Fine
8. You had me at Hello - MHairi McFarlane
9. Watch Over me - Daniella Sacerdoti
10. The Fast Diet - Dr Michael Mosley & Mimi Spencer
11. Me before you - Jojo Moyes
12. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
13. The Hobbit - J R Tolkien
14. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
15. The Hunger Games - Mocking jay - Suzanne Collins
16. The Hunger Games -Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
17. Glass Tiger - Joe Gores
18. The School Run - Sophie King
19. This thirty something life - Jon Rance
20. Jack Reacher - One Shot-Lee Child
21. Bright Young Things - Scarlett Thomas
22. Raven Black - Ann Cleaves
23. The bad boyfriends bootcamp - Poppy Dolan
24. Just this Once - Rosalind James
25. A Week in Winter - Maeve Binchy
26. The Island - Michael Stark
27. Mistletoe in Manhattan - Talli Roland
28. The Girl with the dragon tattoo - Steig Larsson
29. The girl who kicked the hornet's nest - Steig Larsson
30. The girl who played with fire - Steig Larsson
31. Picture Perfect - Jodi Picoult
32. My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult
33. The Casual Vacancy - J K Rowling
34. Three Letters - Josephine Cox
35. Twilight - Stephanie Meyer  ( I am just going to read this one to find out what all the hype is about. I'm not a big fan of Vampires and all things supernatural so if this goes down well I might be adding the rest of the Twilight books to this list and taking a couple out.) 
36. Highland Fling - Emily Harvale
37. NYPD Red - James Patterson & Marshall Karp
38. Croissants & Jam - Lynda Renham
39. Rumours - Freya North
40. I Heart New York - Lindsay Kelly
41. Chances - Freya North
42. The Rose Petal Beach - Dorothy Koomson
43. The Woman he Loved Before - Dorothy Koomson
44. About Last Night - Adlele Parks
45. Before I met you - Lisa Jewell
46. The Making of Us - Lisa Jewell
47. The Beach House - Jane Green
48. The Patchwork Marriage - Jane Green
49. Blog, Inc - Joy Deangdeelert-Cho
50.  

my current read is taking me through venice. 

there are gondolas.

where are you?  it's your turn to share.

i'd love to see your list.

5 for Five

5 4 5

Hey Peeps. Thanks to Allie for sharing this. One of the things I want to achieve this year is to attract more followers and these link ups are perfect for this.

So here we go with my contribution to {5 for Five} for this week.

1. Aim to do at least 10 hours of study for my Business & Administration Course.

This is something that I need to try and do every week up until the end of March. It's helping me to be able to achieve success in obtaining a new job.

2. Exercise for at least 20 minutes every other day.

I'm determined to lose a stone before the end of January. Kev (My fella) has promised to try and take me away for a weekend and I want to look nice. I'm hoping to lose at least 2 stones by April because my brother is getting married on the 27. I'm currently a member of Slimming World.

3. Drink at least 3 bottles of water each day.

I don't drink enough water and part of my new fitness regime is to achieve this. Often I will reach for a can of Diet Soda - usually Coke and it's unhealthy.

4. Update the blog layout.

I think my blog needs a new layout and a bit of an update, it's been the same for a while. I think a splash of colour will brighten it up.

5.  Have soup for lunch.

I must admit that I do tend to reach for a sandwich most days, when I go home for my lunch. Most of the time I get home from work and eat crap. I'll have that sandwich (on brown bread of course!) and then during the course of the afternoon, I'll start feeling hungry. Soups are very filling and the thicker I can make them the fuller I'll feel - Hopefully!



Next weeks goals are already being planned and I look forward to sharing them with you.

Sunday Social (Monday Social!)

 
I know this is a day late, but I was so busy yesterday with my Business & Administration Course that I didn't have the time to blog this. 
1. What is the name of your blog? How long have you been blogging?

My blog is called Thirty Something Ramblings. It did used to be called Pink Banana Smoothie, I decided to change it because I thought it sounded a bit too baby like with a name like that. I've been blogging on and off for about two years. 

2. Why do you blog?

I love reading short stories and novels, I also love writing short stories and hopefully want to write a novel. Blogging enables me to improve my writing skills.

3. What is the first blog you ever followed?

I think that would be "Oh Mishka" or" Novelista Barista". 

4. What is your favorite post you wrote in 2012?
That would have to be my post about Slimming World - Time to lend a hand. 

5. What are your blogging goals for 2013?

I'd like to see my blog attain more followers. Hopefully blog a lot more and find some new and interesting blogs to follow.

6. Name your top 3 favorite blogs.

Allie @ Tales of a Twenty Something.  I just love reading Allie's blog. It's so easy on the eyes and I love her layout! 

Dawn @ daybreak1012 

 

Michelle @ ohmishka. This is one of the first blogs I followed and I still love reading it. 

A few of my favourite Avon Products

Hope you're all ok and have all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

Well onto the post in question. Around October time I began a part time adventure selling Avon to family and friends. It was going quite well but with the hassle if Christmas and having to complete my Business Admin assessment I let it slip a little. Once my course is completed ill probably try and get back into it. I saw a review of a few of their products on www.flutterabdsparkle.com and knew as an Avon lady I should share mine with you. So here's a couple of my favourite eye products.
First up are my favourite mascara's.
1 is Super Drama in black. I use this as my going out mascara as it goes on easily and doesn't smudge plus it makes my lashes look longer!

2. Super extend in brown black. This is my everyday mascara. It's great for the office.


3. Next are the glimmer stick eyeliners. I just love how these glide on. You can easily get them off and they come off with a facial wipe too. I have the twighlight sparkle and golden diamond.

Have you tried any of these products from Avon? What do you think? I'll review some of my other favourites when I get back into doing it.  

Snapshot for December 2012

1) Candle scents this month:
Spiced Pumpkin. Sparkling Cinnamon. Vanilla Bean Noel (Bath and Body Works, unlike everything else I burn!). Harvest. Vineyard. Pumpkin Pie. Napa Valley Harvest. Orchard Pear. Autumn Fruits. Harvest Welcome. White Christmas. Christmas Cookie. North Pole. Red Berry and Cedar. Christmas Cupcake. Welcome Christmas. Holiday Bayberry. Mistletoe.

2) What I am reading this month:

The Life of PI, Chelsea Wives and anything I downloaded to my fabulous new kindle fire HD. 

3) Three things on my mind:

1. What's going to happen with Kevin at work. He's not exactly Mr. Popular right now. But I won't go into detail.

2. Starting and completing unit 2 of my Business & Administration course.

3. Closing my bank account.

4) Movies I saw:

Elf, Paranormal Activity 4. Part of Toy Story.Bambi. Didn't really watch many movies. 

5) Calendar image for the month: 

Happy New Year! 

6) New recipe tried this month OR Something yummy I made:
Mushroom filo pastry samosas made by Elizabeth from slimming World. 

7) Restaurants where I ate:

I haven't eaten out over the course of December. Ok, maybe once I think we went to Banny's fish and Chips oh and Bannister's.

8) Five things I am loving this month:

1. The glow of the Christmas Tree's lights and all the houses looking festive.

2. Being able to sleep in most of the week whilst off for the Holiday's.

3. Looking forward to sharing fun and laughter with my family and friends.

4. Wearing my new dresses that I bought for the party season.

5. Going out with Kevin.

9) A goal I had for this month:

To complete and submit Unit 1 of my Business & Administration Course. 

10) This month I looked forward to:

Opening some wonderful pressies on Christmas Day and seeing my beautiful cousin who was over from Chicago to visit her parents and brother. 

11) Something I want to be thankful for this month:

Trying new traditions at Christmas. Having the time to chill and relax.

12) A photo I took this month:

Grandad, Dad and Brother. 3 generations. 

New Year's Eve with my sexy man

Me Kev and Mark

Me Kevin and John

My favourite photo of me and Kevin from over the Festive Period.