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.

November Snapshot 2012.

A photo of me:


1) Candle scents this month:

Any of the Yankee Candle Scents for the Holidays.

2) What I am reading this month:

I have just started an NVQ Level 2 Business Administration Course, So am at present doing some reading for that.

3) Top three songs I was drawn to:

Olly Murs - Troublemaker. David Guetta - Titanium. Bauer - Starting Again.

4) Movies I saw:

I haven't seen any movies this month as I have been too busy with work and my NVQ.

5) Favorite tv moments of the month:

Rylan Clarke finally getting booted out out X-Factor. Seriously the guy couldn't sing and was as camp as a row of tents but people kept voting for him. Charlie Brook winning "I'm a Celebrity - get me out of here and Helen Flanagan finally getting stuck in and doing a bush tucker trial!

6) New recipe tried this month:
I haven't tried it yet but I plan to make Roasted Peppers with Potatoes and Fried Egg. Pure comfort food.

7) Restaurants where I ate:

Banny's Fish & Chips - Colne.

8) Five things I am loving this month:

1. Snuggling up with a hot water bottle and my blanket. 

2. A good book.

3. The crisp Autumn Air, although it's now almost winter.

4. All the Christmassy decorations that are in the shops.

5. Preparing to put up my Tree.

9) A goal I had for this month:

To complete the first stage of my Assessment for my NVQ course. 

10) This month I looked forward to:

Not had something to look forward to this month to be honest - but I'd probably say starting my NVQ.

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

My family and fiance. 

12) A photo I took this month:

My Top 10 Holiday Movies.

Here are my Top 10 Favourite Christmas Movies. Hopefully there are a few on there that you will like too.

The Holiday - I love this film purely because Cameron Diaz and Jude Law are two of my favourite actors.

Love Actually. It's my favourite film and hopefully it will be on at some point over the Festive Period.

 

Another of My Festive Favourites. Of course I don't always end up like Bridget, hungover and feeling sorry for myself on New Year's Day. Love the ending when Bridget finally gets her man!

 

Now I first saw this wonderful Movie last year when I had to stay home because of the snow and couldn't get over to Kevin's. Let's just say that if this happens again this year then this will be on my list of movie's to watch again.

 No Festive season is Complete without ELF!

 

This is such a sweet and emotional film. I'm going to have to get this seeing Becky (one of Kev's work colleagues) was so kind as to lend it us last year.

Then of course who can forget Kevin McCallister being left Home Alone over the Holiday's. The way in which he outsmarts those two crooks is just genius. 

I love Gremlins. Gizmo is so cute. "Bright Light. Bright Light!"

 

For some reason I have always liked this film. Don't know why. 

And finally, for me. No Christmas is perfect without the Griswald Family. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Makes me laugh every time I see this.

So there you have it. My Top 10 Christmas Movies. What are your favourite Christmas Movies?

Today I'm Thankful for....

Seeing everyone has been posting what they're Thankful for this month, I thought I should share mine.

So....

Today I'm Thankful For....

1. Fluffy blankets and throws 
2. Rainy days cosy fleecy pyjamas
3. Kevin
4. Kevin being home all week
5. Kevin not going to Ireland for work
6. Spending the weekend after this one with him whilst my folks are away
7. Autumn candle scents
8. My Emu boots
9. Leather gloves
10. Snuggly scarves
11. New book recommendations
12. My sweatpants
13. Mint chocolate Smelling Scents.
14. Avon Anew AF-33 Wrinkle Cream.

What things are you thankful for today? 

Blog Identity - Flirty Thirty Something

Tuesday Topics: Blog Identity

Tuesday Topics is here! Can't wait to read all about your blogs!

Here are my answers:

What is your blog about?

My blog is about little things in lie that I enjoy, such as spending time with my wonderful Fiance, my life and sharing photos and snippets from my short stories.

Why did you start blogging?

I guess I decided to start blogging because everyone else was doing it and I wanted to be in with the crowd. But now the more I do it, the more I enjoy sharing things. 

What's something your readers know about you?

I wouldn't know because I only have 4 people who follow me. :-( 

What can't you live without? 

Kevin, family, friends, my laptop, my iPhone and my camera.

What inspires your blog posts? 

My life and things that I see and just feel a connection to.

What do you do when you feel uncreative? 

I try to read a book or look through old photographs to find inspiration. But if I'm feeling like I need to get out, I try to go for a walk and take my camera with me.

How has blogging changed you?

I don't think blogging has changed me, Kevin doesn't read my blog so I can't really say that I have changed. I have tried to be much more creative and try to write or blog everyday. But doing my hectic job it's not always easy to find the time to blog.

What advice do you have for new bloggers?

I'd have to agree with the author of the blog I copied this from - Lauren and say just be yourself and live your life.

Don't let your blog take over your life. Try to aim to post at least 2-3 posts a week. 

Last but not least! What blogs inspire you? 

This is going to be hard. I have so many that I want to include, but as there are so many I will encourage you to follow me and have a look. 

Quote from the Desk Calendar

"All Marriages are Happy. It's trying to live together afterwards that causes all the problems."

- This was so funny, I had to share it.

Stories By Me - Page update

http://flirty30somethingramblings.blogspot.co.uk/p/stories-by-me.html

Good Things Beauty Products

Hello my Lovelies.

I haven't been around for a while as I've not really had much time to post due to trying to juggle three jobs and deliver my Avon products. But when I was in my local Sainsbury's the other day I came across these little beauties on special offer at half their RRP. Here's what I came home with.

Five minute Facial Mask. This has a gorgeous smell to it and left my skin feeling soft and smooth, not dry like it normally feels. I used it after the product below.

Deep Clean Blackhead Exfoliator. This is amazing! It's got a really nice licorice smell and it's not too strong of a smell. It's very grainy but as soon as you apply it you can actually feel it working.

Next I got the bright eyes eye treatment.

This is just as good as any other brightening cream for the eyes. It got rid of my tired looking eyes from Saturday night in a jiffy yesterday morning.
I want to try the whole range now!!!

Have you tried any Good Things products?

NaNoWriMo - The 30 Day Challenge

NaNoWriMo

I'm finally going to do this. As many of you know, I do like to write short stories, but this is much more of a challenge. 50.000 words in 30 days. I will of course post my story once it's finished.

I'll tell you this - It's called "A Forgotten Love".

Me, Myself and I

What is your favourite season and why?
I like Autumn (Fall) but also like Summer. Autumn is cool (sometimes cold but not too cold) and crisp, just warm enough so that you can still wear a cardi and not a thick coat. Summer because I can look forward to my holiday in the sun and not have to worry about work for a week or two. 

Talk about a moment that changed your life.
A moment that changed my life would be finally meeting the man, I know I want to spend the rest of my life with. Kevin.

If you could be any Crayola crayon, what would you be and why?
Purple. Just because it's my ALL time favourite colour.

Describe yourself as a superhero.
I don't relate to ANY superhero's to be honest. But if I had to, Wonderwoman. I like to try and fulfill my life with all the things that I can.

If you had all the money in the world and could only shop and 3 stores, where would you shop?
Oooh let's see. Apple Store, because then I could buy myself a new Apple iMac. A Macbook Air. An iPad and a new iPhone 5. Next I'd say John Lewis as well because of ALL their lovely products and pulling a John Lewis carrier bag from the boot of your car instead of a Tesco bag just makes me feel a bit special. I'd probably treat myself to Waitrose's nosh. 

Sunday Social - Reading Time

If you've been reading my blog posts for any amount of time, you've probably seen me say that I LOVE to read. So, I was very excited when I saw this week's Sunday Social questions.

1. Favorite childhood book:
My favourite books as a child was anything by Enid Blyton. I loved these books and always imagined I was a fairy and lived in the Magic Faraway Tree. 

2 . Favorite Book lately:
Fifty Shades Trilogy. It took me a while to get into the first book, but once I'd started it, I couldn't put it down. I have already read all three books and plan to read them all again before the year is out. I also loved Harlan Coben's Play Dead. That was another book I couldn't put down until I had finished it. 

3. Book you wish you could live in:
Can I have two? 
Harry Potter. Do I even need to explain? Awesome characters. Awesome places. Magical powers.
Chelsea Wives. The glitz, the glamour, the money and the lovers. Enough said.

4. If you could be any character from a book who would it be and why?
I'm not too sure, I'd probably like to be one of the Chelsea Wives from Anna Lou Weatherley's book. Imogen Forbes. She's the strong character in the book who finally ends up in the arms of the man she thought she had lost forever. I love a happy ending.

 

5. Favorite Book turned Movie?
I'm not really sure on this one, I will have to get back to you....

6. Favorite Magazines:
I love more magazine and cosmopolitan. I'll often buy a certain magazine if it has any freebies that I want in it. Like this month's copy of Cosmopolitan which had some L'Occitane hand cream...

 

30 Day Fall/Autumn photo challenge

Thinking of doing this - It sounds rather good fun and so interesting for Autumn.
 

I might not do all of them but I'll definitely try and do most of them.

Time to Lend a Hand

Will you Lend A Hand? 

Any of my fellow bloggers across the pond who have been struggling with weight loss or just want to get into shape why not give this a look? 

TimeToLendAHand

About

204 million Americans suffer because of their weight... yet they've never heard of Slimming World USA. Help us spread the word through October and win a holiday to New York - details at www.slimmingworld.com

 

or on Lifeline Online for members.

Description

In the USA, some 204 million adults and 12 million children suffer because of their weight. By 2048, it is predicted that unless something is done everyone in the USA will be overweight or obese. If Slimming World could help the people of America to reduce their BMI by an average of just 1% it would avoid 2.4 million cases of diabetes, 1.7 million cases of cardiovascular disease and 127,000 cases

of cancer. That’s why we want to make sure everyone is aware of the amazing world-beating support available from www.slimmingworldusa.com

Slimming World USA

Slimming World's Time to Lend a Hand campaign will run for the month of October. If you have friends or family in the USA please get involved in the campaign and help us spread the word. If you get someone to join slimmingworldusa.com using the online referral system on Lifeline Online or slimmingworld.com they can take advantage of the special offer of $40 for four months and you'll be in with a chance of winning a fabulous holiday for two in New York!

If you want to lose weight and would love the support of a friendly group of people then pop across to the following website

slimmingworldusa

and join in the fun. If you're still not convinced then check out my other blog

saraslimmingworldjourney Oh and you can also have a look at our lifeline online feature...

http://group.slimmingworld.com/useful-features/lend-a-hand-feature.aspx

Stoptober 2012

Will you Manage to do it?

http://smokefree.nhs.uk/stoptober/

What is Stoptober you might ask? Well every year for one month a year, thousands of people across the UK will stop smoking for one month. Many will cave in after a couple of days, some will after a week, but for those who manage to last the whole month it is a very rewarding feeling.

During October, thousands of people across England are taking part in Stoptober - a new, exciting 28 day challenge to stop smoking.

There's lots of free support to help you along the way - and the great news is that by stopping smoking for 28 days, you are five times more likely to stay smokefree!

One of the ladies at Slimming World (Yes you read right...visit your own slimmingworldusa site now) said that because she didn't smoke, she was going to give up bread for a month.

What would you give up if you didn't smoke or chose not to participate?
I have decided to give up BREAD as well. Or maybe Cheese!

Top 100 Beach Read.

Audience Picks: 100 Best Beach Books Ever

Published: July 29, 2009
People talk a lot about the wisdom of crowds, but the truth is that large packs of people are better at judging some things than others.

Almost 16,000 of you cast some 136,000 votes in our Best Beach Books Ever poll. Whether such a vote can determine literary quality, who can say? But there's one thing a multitude of book-loving NPR types can most definitely do, and that's pick a list of books that will appeal to... book-loving NPR types.

Which means, if you're reading this, you stand an excellent chance of finding the book that will make your summer vacation among the 100 audience favorites below. Happy travels!

1. The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling
2.To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.
3.The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
4. Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding
5. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
6. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, by Rebecca Wells
7. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
8. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
9. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, by Fannie Flagg
10. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
11. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
12. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
13. The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan
14. The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien
15. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
16. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
17. Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett
18. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
19. Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides
20. Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
21. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
22. The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver
23. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith
24. The World According to Garp, by John Irving
25. Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
26. The Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy
27. Like Water for Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel
28. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
29. The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler
30. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
31. A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole
32. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
33. The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant
34. Beach Music, by Pat Conroy
35. One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
36. Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier
37. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
38. Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry
39. The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough
40. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, by Michael Chabon
41. Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
42. Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy
43. Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice
44. Cold Mountain, by Charles Frazier
45. Empire Falls, by Richard Russo
46. Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes
47. The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas
48. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, by Tom Robbins
49. I Know This Much Is True, by Wally Lamb
50. Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie
51. Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
52. The Stand, by Stephen King
53. She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb
54. Dune, by Frank Herbert
55. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
56. Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
57. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
58. Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov
59. The Godfather, by Mario Puzo
60. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith
61. Animal Dreams, by Barbara Kingsolver
62. Jaws, by Peter Benchley
63. Good in Bed, by Jennifer Weiner
64. Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner
65. Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson
66. The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway
67. The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand
68. Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut
69. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
70. The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler
71. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway
72. The Hunt for Red October, by Tom Clancy
73. Cold Sassy Tree, by Olive Ann Burns
74. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
75. Bonfire of the Vanities, by Tom Wolfe
76. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte
77. Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon
78. The Shell Seekers, by Rosamunde Pilcher
79. Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver
80. Eye of the Needle, by Ken Follett
81. Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck
81. The Pilot's Wife, by Anita Shreve [tie]
83. All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy
84. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
85. The Little Prince, by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
86. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
87. One for the Money, by Janet Evanovich
88. Shogun, by James Clavell
89. Dracula, by Bram Stoker
90. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera
91. Presumed Innocent, by Scott Turow
92. Franny and Zooey, by J.D. Salinger
93. The Secret History, by Donna Tartt
94. Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris
95. Summer Sisters, by Judy Blume
96. The Shining, by Stephen King
97. How Stella Got Her Groove Back, by Terry McMillan
98. Lamb, by Christopher Moore
99. Sick Puppy, by Carl Hiaasen
100. Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson

How many of these have you read? Are any of them of your list. Which books do you think should be added to this list? I don't think I have read any of these. Maybe Catch 22 By Joseph Heller. Oh and The Harry Potter Series.

Cute Jewellery

We have a jewellery sale on at work..www.store21.co.uk and well with so much gorgeous jewellery I just had to treat myself to these items. I adore these chunky bracelets and have to say the brown is already my fav! As for the earrings I thought I would show you how they look when they are in....very rarely you will see a photo of me in here!!!!

Man Candy Round-Up of the Week.

I haven't done one of these for a while, so I'll share a few of My Hot Totty with you today. 

First up is Chris Fountain, who plays the role of Tommy Duckworth in Coronation Street. I wasn't really a big fan of him until he appeared in Corrie. 

Chris Fountain- Aka Tommy Duckworth

Secondly is Jesse Metcalfe - Christopher Ewing in the New Dallas. I've always liked him since he played the part of Gabby's toyboy in Desperate Housewives.

Jesse Metcalfe - Aka Christopher Ewing

Then comes Josh Henderson. He plays John Ross Ewing in Dallas. He's not really my type but he's still hot, especially with that stetson. 

Josh Henderson - Aka John Ross

Next up is Ryan Thomas. He's been playing the part of hot builder Jason Grimshaw in Corrie for a good number of years now.

 

Ryan Thomas - Aka Jason Grimshaw. 

Finally is Liam Neeson. Ok So he's getting on a bit. I loved him in "Love Actually" and that sexy Irish Accent. Well. 

Liam Neeson.

So there's my weekly totty round up. Who's on your list ? 

Sunday Social

1. What is something you have wanted to do but are afraid of?

Move away from here.

2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Hopefully Happily married to My Kevin with a lil Sprog. 

3. What are you looking forward to before the end of 2012?

Going down to London to visit our friend Danielle. If we don't get to go before the years out then I'm afraid we wont be going at all. I was really looking forward to it when we originally planned to go and something came up, Kev got called into work. He had specifically  booked the day off and yet he still went in. I've still not forgiven him.

4. What are your hopes for your blog?

I'd like a few more followers than I have now.

5. Do you always see yourself living in your current town/city?
Kev doesn't want to move away from here, I'm happy here but wouldn't mind being somewhere warmer and less miserable during September - April. In fact I'd love to be somewhere warmer all year round seeing British Summertime is rubbish too.

6. What is your morning routine

Wake up and think *Why do I have to get up now?*

Get washed and changed then have a quick bowl of cereal.

Head off to work, call at the shop for a bottle of fruit juice or a smoothie (Depends on my mood).

Arrive at work and apply some make-up.

Have a cup of tea before attempting to do any work whatsoever.