Rocking My World Friday...

Hello everybody.  It's that time of the week again. Already. If ever you were deciding about whether to play along with this weekly get together, please take the time to read Virginia's post today. Her number one positive this week explains exactly why it's worth doing each week. Go on, I'll wait while you go look, just remember to return and read my waffle ;)

Back? So what do you reckon - play along? Hope so. 

This week has shot by again. The weather has made a change for the sunnier - thank you for all the queries about whether I'm dealing with it well. In short - no! Haha! I'm not a sun worshipper anyway, never have handled it well and I think it's probably one of the main reasons I've never ventured to all those foreign climes I'd love to see in real life - I don't think I'd stand the heat.  So I've been wilting, quite literally. BUT the positive I take out of this is... ice-poles. Once I've done that school run walk at the end of the day, released my melting feet from my squelchy shoes, I recline on the sofa whilst someone, I don't care who, they just have to make it quick, fetches me ice-poles from the freezer. Then I sit crunching them. Bliss.

Interesting thing is I usually have sensitive teeth but while pregnant with Ruby I'd crunch through pint glasses of ice cubes. That was my craving. No pain at all. Seems to be the same with the ice-poles. No pain... so I wonder if it'll develop into something similar - so far I haven't craved anything really.

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We've managed three days without using the car this week. Good stuff, not had to top up on petrol. It'll go out the window tomorrow as we're having a family day out but we're doing well!

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Happy mail. I've ordered some books with the pennies I raised from selling some last week. Three arrived today! Woohoo. Especially happy as I got that Mixed media one quite cheaply in the Amazon Marketplace.

Just waiting for one more to arrive - this one. It was hard to narrow down which ones to get and I'm still itching to order more but I'll have to wait till I save some more pennies. What's left at the moment is set aside for Craig's birthday present. *grumble, grumble* (How do I compete with him making me a room for goodness sakes?)

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Having tea and chat with two of my sisters this morning. Three of the six us live quite close but due to time and being busy we rarely all get together. My other sister had just come off night shift so we'll forgive her not making it but it was lovely to just sit and natter and catch up with the other two.

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My big belly getting bigger. I can no longer say I haven't put on weight but I don't care. Movements are getting stronger - hopefully soon the rest of the family will be able to feel too but for now it's just me and bubba. Most of the time I wish they could all feel but sometimes it's nice having those secret little movements all to myself.

Baby shopping. Only a tiny bit. We bought a cute little baby-gro... in gender neutral pale brown/yellow and covered in teddy bears. And a furry brown coat with knitted hoody that reminded me of a bear :P Not much but fun! :) 

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This months Artists & Illustrators magazine arrived which I love to read in the bath. So you know what? I'm going to leave it there because a cool soak and a read sounds Heaven right now.

Thanks for stopping by - how has your week been?

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Dark Inside By Jeyn Roberts

The book says:

Earthquakes have rocked the world and a murderous rage has been unleashed.

Now friends turn on friends, girlfriends on boyfriends, brothers on sisters - nobody can be trusted.

Michael, Aries, Mason and Clementine must battle to stay alive in a world determined to kill them.

All they have is one another... but can they even be sure of that?

AN APOCALYPTIC SAGA OF RAGE, HOPE AND SURVIVAL.

I say:

Another Young Adult book, yes I know I said I was going to swear off them because there was to much sappy romance overtaking the monsters... this one is different. 

So there are earthquakes the world over, at the same time people are overtaken by "the dark inside" and start killing each other. The unfortunate people that are not affected by The Dark are hunted down, pulled from their houses, schools are bombed, people are tortured and killed. Nowhere and no-one is safe.

There are four main characters and a fifth "Nothing". The story telling is told from the point of view of these people, each chapter named after one of them. They all start out in separate places but, like you know is going to happen, they are drawn together eventually. "Nothing" is being overcome by The Dark. This person knows this and can have moments of lucidity where they remember the atrocities they have committed. You also know that "Nothing" is one of the group of people that our four end up in - so it could be one of our main characters or one of their friends - everything they say could be any one of them.

I wouldn't call this a zombie novel, some of the overcome people are nothing more than mindless savages whereas others still retain their intelligence, know what they are doing but have embraced The Dark. The gist I got from this is that Mother Nature is righting herself as has happened in civilisation after civilisation throughout history. Whether this is right or whether more will be explained in the next book,  who knows...

Overall, I did enjoy this book and I look forward to the sequel coming out later this year. I did find the amount of main characters telling the story confusing. Especially towards the end where it's getting to the climax and I kind of lost sight over who was who and what their story was for a minute there. But it was good, I liked the spin on what was happening and why. There were hints at romances forming - but fear not. Sappiness was not in abundance. People are thrown together and don't trust anyone, in fact most people are not safe anyway so that love interest may or may not make it to the next page. All good stuff!

A nice, murderous, quick read that kept me turning the pages.

Many thanks to Macmillan Children's Books for sending my copy.

Jeyn Roberts

www.panmacmillan.com

Thank you for stopping by :)

Rocking My World Friday...

Hello everyone, it's that time of the week again. Get a shovel and dig through the crap to find the gold nuggets. Have to say this week has been pretty good. Not hard at all to find some positives. So here we go...

Craig. Has to be. I am still so, so tired. Like, drained. By lunchtime I am literally falling asleep on the sofa and not even knowing it's going to happen.  Whenever he can he is letting me just nap. When work allows he drops off/picks  the girls up from school and is just being the most patient bloke in the World. I know how hard it is for him and I do feel guilty. Anyone who is self-employed knows that it's not a 9-5 job. He never stops working. Ever. Yet he still does all this stuff to make it easier for me. I don't remember being this tired before - maybe it's because I'm older this time, maybe it's because it's possibly a boy and I'm used to carrying girls. I don't know. I just can't wait for that promised energy burst so I can pull my (quite sizable now) weight some more! Shout out to Devvie also, for taking on dinner making a couple of times a week. 

Craig has also helped me get my messy space out in the workshop usable again. I have been uncreative for so long. It's not that I don't want to be, the ideas are still brimming over. The desk just got so junked up and I was so tired it just seemed like to much of an effort to go out and clear it. I don't generally paint indoors because, well, I've mentioned Craig's Monica-isms before haven't I? ;) 

He put together some plastic shelving and we got that up on my desk to try and give me more room, then I completely cleaned it all. Decluttered out there and thought, might as well do it properly and de-stashed all my paper and embellies indoors as well. (You can see what it looks like now in the post below) The look of horror when he came in and saw it all spread out over the table and floor. He did an about face and went back to his office to work. Haha. But it's much better now and all done in one evening mainly. Whatever I hadn't looked at in months I let the girls pick over and the rest was recycled. 

So yes. Craig. Top bloke of mine.

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Money, money, money! For books, books, books! Managed to sell some books on eBay this week. Has the double positive that not only do I get some shelf space for my overspill but I can buy... MORE BOOKS! Also, I've discovered Amazon Trade In. Have you? It seems to be more cost worthy to trade in text books rather than fiction (which they are offering laughable prices for, I'd rather give them away!) but I had some art & craft books on my shelves that I just wasn't going to read again. Either I'd bought them on a whim and just didn't follow through on that crafty branch or they just didn't appeal and had been sitting on my shelf a while. Of course I checked eBay first to see how much I could sell them for but they probably wouldn't have sold so I took the Amazon trade-in price. So now I have some pennies sitting in my Amazon account and some pennies in my Paypal. I have about a tenner waiting to be credited to my surveys account (which is paid out in Amazon vouchers) and then I'll be able to go on a book/stash spree! Huzzah! Have to buy Craig's birthday present first - mustn't forget that in my glee! But am already thinking what to buy, which to choose. So many books to choose from. Must pick wisely! Am slobbering at the thought.

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I'm back to Craig again. Amazon recommended me the Sim City 4 Deluxe game... Amazon you are a curse to me! I love sim type games but somehow I've never got round to trying any of the Sim City games. So I went to check prices on eBay and they were going quite cheap. Only thing was I never had any money in my Paypal at the time. So my beloved let me use his account and I got the game in nearly mint condition for only a few quid. It arrived today. Annoyingly for Craig, the very next day after the auction ended, my books all sold! Hardy ha!

So if I go missing for a while, you know where I am and what I'm playing ;)

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There hasn't been to much rain this week. What there has been has been just showers. Ruby has a new Peppa Pig umbrella so was quite happy to walk to school. Meaning we have hardly used the car at all this week. Hurrah! We're on a petrol saving drive, the new car guzzles it something silly on short journeys!

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Tesco nipple cream works brilliant on acne! Ah the things you find out when pregnant ;)

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The Walking Dead season 2 finally hit 'normal' telly! Hurrah! That kid of theirs annoys me something stupid. Does he creep anyone else out? Looks like his head should start spinning or he should have 666 tattooed on his head or something. Great first episode though. Now we just need the most recent True Blood - I see Sky is already getting trailers for the NEXT season! Pfft!

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The two eldest monsters. Both going through various exams at the moment. Pheebs with her SATS and Devvie with some GCSE stuff. Both kind of keeping their cool, though I do think they are stressing a bit, just hiding it quite well. Was chuffed to bits when Devvie came home and said the bits I'd gone over with her the night before in her Science revision had popped up in her exam. She hadn't known the answer the night before so it just goes to show that revision right up till the last minute does help! We were also pleased to discover some audio revison files on the Bite Size website so she's downloading those to listen to when she's in bed. Might help. Can't hurt.

Ruby monster has received her prospectus through for big school! She starts in September - no more half days at nursery. Ooer! Can't believe it - she's growing up so fast!

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Boot fairs. OK, by the time Ruby has finished shaking us down for money to go on the bouncy castle, ice-cream and a drink... we aren't actually saving much but hey, it's nice to be out in the fresh air and kid ourselves we are finding some bargains.

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That's about me for this week. How has your week been? I'm going to link up with Virginia - follow me over if you fancy joining in.

Thanks for stopping by :)

WOYWW

Ssssh. Let's pretend it's still Wednesday. Happy WOYWW people :)

Thank you for all your visits last week. I managed to get around a fair amount of the list and did return all the visits to people that commented but was unable to return comment on some. Don't know if it was Blogger or my PC but some blogs it wouldn't even let me start typing in the comment box. Boo!

This is outside in the workshop, my tiny space, my messy desk! It's tidy! Huzzah! No dust! Double huzzah! No clutter! Triple Huzzah! Still no creativity but I've spent this week tidying, thoroughly decluttering and de-stashing both out there and my shelves in the living room. Anything I haven't looked at in months is finding a new home or being recycled. The plastic shelving at the back was Craig's brainwave to give me more space. I'm surprised at how well it's worked. 

I'm actually raring to get out there now and make it all messy! In a good way rather than a dusty unloved way. 

Some of you asked what was in the blue tote last week. My acrylic paints. Yes, it does hold oodles and oodles of stuff. It's like a Tardis inside! I love it because it isn't PINK! My lovely Craig got it for me from his suppliers. (He sells tools) If anyone in the UK wants to know prices, feel free to email me.

Next we head inside to my tidy area in the house...

These next two are for you Jo :) Excuse the sun glaring off the screen, I sit right beside the back door.

 

 

Craig was so pleased with all your comments last week that he wanted to play along again. Here he is hand feeding one of his babies. He's a bit worried Mum isn't feeding this one, hence why it's looking a bit sorry for itself and why he's doing it. This is also why I find my thinnest paintbrushes going walkies!

 

 

In answer to some questions last week, I'm told that the different colours of the babies don't signify different sex or breed. They're just literally different colours. The only way to tell their sex is to, ahem, gently blow the feathers away from their bum area and look for a protrusion. Nice.

He said some birds you can tell because the male is differently coloured to the female (or cock and hen as he keeps correcting me) But not these.

Thanks for stopping by and if you wonder why I'm foisting my work areas upon you... just mosey on over to Julia's where you'll find a whole heap more desk, floor, studio, creative space just begging to be rummaged through :)

Rocking My World Friday...

 

Has it really been a week already? Where is the time going? 

So what's been happening this week. Hmm.

Well, I went to see the consultant... not exactly sure why I had to. It was one of those occasions where I was in the waiting room longer than in the actual appointment. Then, just to be told, we'll keep you under the midwife unless your back plays up... okaaaay. So, same as usual then. And am I sure I don't want a home birth? Um... that would be a big fat YES! Where are all the drugs and doctors and midwives and the delicious Heaven on Earth toast and tea after the birth? In H.O.S.P.I.T.A.L! I mean, I don't have all the drugs. Gas and air makes me throw up so I just have a pethidine jab so I can rest in between all the pain but hey, should something go wrong I know where I'd rather be. Our hospital gets a lot of stick and bad press but let me tell you, having had 2 of my babies there, the baby part of it cannot be praised highly enough in my opinion. 

But anyway - the good part about seeing Mr Consultant was that I got another scan. Very unexpected! I didn't even know our little local one had the facilities. Mr Consultant agreed with the scanner lady from before - he said he wasn't 100% but thought he could definitely see 'something'... and of course as soon as he said it, little rascal in my tum crossed his/her legs. Suffice to say we are now thinking of more boy names than girls but are still not going to say it for definite ;)

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Silver Crow has been spotted again. Very close, Devvie caught him on camera this time. This was taken from our back door so he definitely likes our area.

I do feel sorry for all the birds in this wet weather we've been having. Doesn't he look bedraggled? Am so pleased he's sticking local though :) He's got so big as well.

Talking of wet weather... we've had some sun for two days in a row! *Gasp* It said on the news last night that we've officially had the wettest April on record. Good news is that most of England has now been released from the drought warning. Everywhere that is except... the South East! Typical, not that we need to use hose pipes or anything at the moment... Not that I have a garden that even needs a hosepipe. It just made me chuckle.

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I've started doing the survey sites again. Stopped before Christmas because you just seem to sit there for aaaages and a lot of them are so repetitive or screen you out after you've sat there for 20 minutes filling in the damn thing.  It also seems to take an age for any points you earn to be credited to your account. BUT when they finally do get credited, I reckon I've done a tenners worth this week which means at some point in my life (hopefully soon!)  I'll be claiming a £10 Amazon voucher. And if you read my post last week, we all know what I'll be buying don't we.

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Have been tidying up my messy desk and it's starting to look good out there. Hopefully you'll start to see more creativity posted here. I have all these ideas brimming over in my head but that's about as far as they get. I have procrastination-itis. It really is just a case of being tired and achy. (I wont go into that! You really don't want me to.) The ideas are there but it would involve actually moving my posterior.  And yet I really miss getting messy and having a play. I'm supposed to be in the stage of pregnancy where I get loads of energy - have to say I am yet to feel it. Have had to go lay down for a nap a couple of times in the afternoons this week... cannot wait to get that energy burst! But anyway - least my messy desk will be ready for me ;)

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Baby bunnies running around the fields we pass on our way to school. We saw a pure white baby bunny on the side of the road (very much alive and scoffing grass) on our last drive home from Hastings! Never seen a white one in the wild before, I wondered if someone had released a house bunny and it had mated in the wild, who knows. Just love seeing the baby bunnies.

Saw a baby robin today. Thought at first it was a sparrow because it didn't have a red breast but no, it was a robin. Craig was most chuffed when I pointed it out to him, said you don't see one of those very often.

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Do you know, I'm sitting here, beside my back door at 7pm at night. The door is open, the sun is streaming onto my back and warming it up lovely. All I can hear is birds singing. It's fabulous. After so much grey and rain. Just wonderful.

While I'm thinking about nature and colour. Rape fields. I know they play havoc with people who have hay fever but I love them. There's loads this year and as soon as you walk out the door you can smell that distinctive scent heavy in the air, as you walk you can see the yellow fields peeping through the gaps in the houses. Just love it. Much better than the smell of car fumes.

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I think that's about me done apart from the usual nod to Craig and the girls for putting up with me, letting me nap, cooking dinner occasionally and doing the dishes, making me copious amounts of tea etc. (I can drink tea again! Yay!) Top bunch.

Going to pop on over to Virginia's and link up now. Why don't you follow me over and play along yourself?

Thanks for stopping by :)

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday

Morning all. Hope you are all having a good WOYWW so far.

Here's my messy desk outside in the workshop. I'm in the process of tidying it so that I can reclaim my space and start using it again. Progress in that I can actually reach it now.

 

Look at the dust! Disgraceful! It will be back to a working desk this week. Have got my shiny new desk easel to put out there and some recently returned Mojo to tickle so, hopefully it will be a desk in use next week.

 

Inside at my tidy desk. Well. You can see why not much is going on here. It's been hijacked. Worse part of Craig's day is waiting for deliveries - he's now done all he can admin and packing wise so has come in from his office to nick my desk while he waits! Warmer in here. And nearer the kettle! Cheek!

But he would like to show you what's on his workdesk in his bird room...

 

Bubby canaries! Aww.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Rocking My World Friday...

On Monday again!

Click the picture to link up and play along :)

How've you been this week? Good, I hope? I nearly never came on to do my Rocking post - no reason in particular. Just been feeling weary and bone tired which brought on a bad case of the procrastinations this week. But I don't think feeling positive should get caught up in all that, do you? No, and I agree :)

So lets begin. Hmmm...

Watching a 15 year old and her 4 year old sister playing zumba on the wii. Hilarious and cute at the same time. The same two are now snuggled up on the sofa watching cBeebies :)

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Ever increasingly obvious butterfly tickles in my tummy. Usually when I've eaten or drank something cold. Hello little one! I love Ruby asking me every night if she can kiss her baby goodnight and then asking if I will be going pop or plop anytime soon. She is not quite sure which way her new brother or sister will be arriving. She also has this image that when I eat, baby is sitting in my tummy with his/her mouth open so the food can drop in. Must start writing this all down for when she's older!

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Amazon wishlist. When I've felt like doing booger all, it's a great way to window shop without actually moving much more than my finger. Loads of books to save for, funny though how just reading the titles and descriptions can inspire you too. Or is that just me? I think I am deep in the throes of an Amazon Recommends addiction and can spend literally hours on and off just browsing. 

One of the books I discovered this week has given me some great ideas without actually reading it. I've been thinking for ages about getting a dolls house to sit on our fireplace and then getting the girls to help me decorate it. Nothing strict like perfectly to scale or anything, blimey can you imagine me trying that? Nah - disaster waiting to happen. I just thought it would be  a fun thing to do together. Haven't mentioned it to the girls yet as can't afford to go out and buy a dolls house at the moment. But then, I saw Mixed-Media Dollhouses pop up in my recommendations. What a great idea. Already I'm getting fizzes of inspiration. So that's one I'll definitely be getting at some point.

So yes. Amazon Recommends and Wishlist, my not so secret affair at the moment. Craig just looks over my shoulder, sighs and walks away lately. 

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Facebook groups and the friends in them that just make me laugh and laugh!I was really thinking about coming off of there, just so much negativity lately. Plus I seem to upset people left right and centre,  without knowing how but these girls, they make it worth staying.

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I have a consultants appointment this week for my back! This will be my 4th baby and the first time I will have been referred to a consultant! I find it highly amusing. It might have something to do with the fact that I told the midwife, during my booking appointment, that I didn't know I was in labour last time. See, with my back problem I get all my contractions in my back. Not a single one in my tummy. Same during that time of the month, all cramps are in my back. And they all feel the same as the usual pain I get on and off anyway in varying degrees. So when I went in to be induced last time, got all hooked up to the machines, midwife turns to me and says "can't you feel that?" "Feel what?"  I say. she turns the machine towards me to show the graph with spikes all over it... "oh that!" I says. "That's just my back giving me a bit of gyp!" "No." She replies, "that's you in labour!" Oops. So yes, 4th baby, 1st consultant referral. Doubt it will help much but hey, it's worth hearing what he has to say eh? Even though I've mentioned my problem each and every time and it's been in my notes each and every time... not knowing you are having contractions is apparently the clincher that seals the deal :D

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Think that's me this week, doesn't seem like much but I literally have been lazing about doing nothing... oh wait. I better list Craig hadn't I? For putting up with me lazing about, having no energy and generally acting like the Queen of Sheba to everyone. Yeah - he's pretty amazing.

Off to link up with Virginia now and catch up with the other Friday Rockers. You really should come play you know. Thanks for stopping by :)

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 152

Greetings WOYWWers and general snoopers alike.

Bit of a boring one today, not much change from last week. The wet weather has kept me from getting outside and clearing access to  my messy desk so that remains the same.

This is my tidy desk - still quite tidy. 

Please excuse the breakfast bits, literally just finished my warm bran flakes and dried fruit. Well, it wouldn't be a no holds barred look if I tidied away would it?

Also on my desk: my Artists & Illustrators magazine, open at a technique I want to try. A packet of pea seeds that was bought home from school yesterday and dumped on my desk, some paint, sketchbooks...um, art & craft books waiting to be reviewed or just been reviewed... oh and my poor zombie doll up top there still waiting to be finished.

Need to go brush hair and teeth, in that order, then I'll fetch myself another cuppa and start visiting.

Fancy playing along? Wondering what all this is? Stop by Julia's to link up or snoop through a multitude of warts and all workdesks, floors, kitchen counters, studio's etc. of very creative and talented peeps. (Obviously my boring one is a blip but y'know...)

Thanks for stopping by :)