express yourself meme

I am afraid I will not be doing the Express Yourself meme this week, mainly because I honestly haven't got a clue what songs I would pick for either my work in progress or my life.

My life would be full of such a mixture of music that I just wouldn't know where to start and my WIP is at the very early stages, so I just don't have enough of a plot built up right now to even ponder on the kind of music that would represent it. So, as it is late here and I have to be up very early to get my son to school I am going to bow out of this one quietly and hope you all have fun.

Love and hugs,
Joss xx

Celebrate the small stuff.

So another Friday is here and another celebrate the small stuff I have quite a few small things to celebrate this week.

First off, good times:

 I have had some really fun times this week with my family. On Wednesday I went with my husband and son to the local beach at Bude. Where we enjoyed the sunshine and also sat for a while in the car park while Kye worked on getting the hang of riding his new bike and Dan played with his big petrol remote control car. It might not have been all that peaceful but it was indeed good times. Then today my husband surprised me having booked a day off work and we headed out to Boscastle for a lovely full English breakfast. Yummy!!! At the Boscastle farm shop and cafe. It was our first time going there, and it was absolutely amazing. They have all local products and beautiful views while you eat. I am just sad that we didn't go there sooner. Especially given how close it is to our home.

my second celebration is for family laughter, chaos and noise:

There are times when the chaos and noise of a loud family can get a bit much and have you begging for mercy. But the reality is that it's not a bad thing. In fact I think it is something to be celebrated. Nothing makes me smile like watching my boys messing around, laughing and having fun. Dan is such and amazing father and is always playing silly games with our son. So I am very lucky to have a house that is full of noise and fun. I couldn't imagine life without it and I'm not sure I want to :)

third celebration is for Asda home delivery.

Every Friday our food arrives at our door in the hands of a lovely asda man or women, requiring us only to unpack it. Which not only  save's us a trip to a busy supermarket but the stress that goes with it. Okay, so sometimes there are substitutes and sometimes the food that comes isn't quite up to your standards, but they are very good at refunding or redelivering troublesome items and compared to the stress of going to the supermarket, it is a a lot more of a  happy process. So I want to celebrate the easy shopping that Asda home delivery brings.

Cornwall:

I am so so lucky to live in Cornwall it is a beautifully stunning place, with so much to see and do right on our doorstep.
Everyday people fork out months of hard earned and hard saved money to come and visit Cornwall for just a week, while I get to live here on a perminant basis. Now, if that isn't something to celebrate I don't know what is.

my final Celebration for this week is boxes of smarties:

OMG! I love boxes of smarties. I don't know why but smarties always seem to taste better out of  the little boxes with the paper bags of smarties inside. Heaven and I got me some of these this week as my final treat before the dreaded diet begins on Monday.

Well that's my celebrations for the week, what's yours ??

love and hugs Joss xxx

express yourself

Another Monday another express yourself and I am currently doing this with two of my fingers strapped as I had to go and break my little finger the other day grrr.
Any who, I am still managed to touch type pretty well, other than being a little slow on the left side, but it could be worse.

So for those of you who don't know express yourself is a weekly meme (I believe that's the correct term although I've no idea exactly what it means) in which we have to answer a question put forward by co hosts Dani and Jackie. The question today is: What are some questions you get asked again and again?

Well one question that up until recently was the most common, was "Did that hurt?" Referring to my lip piecing. The answer to that if you are interested is no. You just feel a weird kind of tugging feeling. Any who the reason it is one I don't get asked any more is because I recently lost the lip ring. It was kind of a trade off with a friend. You see he hated my lip ring and I hated his napping. So he agreed to stop napping if I lost the lip ring. I figured what the heck we all have to grow up sometime right and surprisingly I'm not missing it all that much. Which I never thought I would say as I swore that thing would be attached to me for life lol.

Other questions I get asked are.

What kind of dog is that?
in Reference to my Blue Merle Border Collie, Ludo.

Is he vicious?
In Reference to this big old goof above, who is the most gentle dog you could ever hope to meet. his name Hooch.

Why? by my son. Needs no explanation I am sure.

Are you always this crazy? answer Yes lol.

Can I have some sweets? also compliments of son.

and finally, What's it like to be a published author? Still haven't quite figured out an answer to this one, other than strange lol.

Well I'm off to bed to dream away till morning.
night night all
love and hugs
Joss xxx

Friday Catch up.

Wow!!! It's already that time again. Well I have had a pretty uneventful week. Mostly it has been spent working, doing some singing with friends and playing a little minecraft.
Well when I say writing, I mean staring at the computer screen and just being completely stuck. Am in a real funk at the moment on my current novel.
I just have this one chapter that refuses to go right and it is driving me bonkers.
Do you ever have chapters or pieces of writing like that? Where you know what you want to do with it, but no matter how you lay it out on the page it just doesn't read right.
I've no plans for the weekend either, so a really uneventful week.
The weather has gone from beautifully sunny to incredibly windy and grim.
Talking of wind. My son's grandmother purchased him a trampoline last Christmas. One of those giant ones with the netting around it. My hubby wasn't best pleased when he heard about it, as he is a window fitter and has frequently had to replace glass that was smashed out when strong winds caught hold of these things.
I can't say I was overly pleased either, as you look out now and all you can see is this thing blocking the view. Well a few months back out worst nightmare happened with this thing. The wind caught it and even though we had it strapped down, threw it across out garden and it smashed into our front porch. Thankfully the way it hit, didn't break the glass, however, when I tried to get out I couldn't as one of the bars had wedged itself under the door handle.
Now. at the time I couldn't get out of the back of the house as my husband had blocked the gateway with one of his motorbikes. Being disabled there was no way I could climb through a window either. My back just wouldn't take it. So I had to ring my husband and then pray he got back before it was too late. As the trampoline was slowly being pulled free from the door and it's next stop was going to be my husbands very expensive Skyline.
My husband got her just in the nick of time grabbing hold of the trampoline just as it slipped out.
That was a close one.
Still we kept the thing strapping it down even more this time and until now we have been lucky. However, tonight, it started to go again. Thankfully being close to the fence we heard it crash against it and hubby was able to run and out and throw some extra weight on the thing.
But now we have a dilemma.
We can see the damage that could be done to our car, windows, or even a neighbours house by this thing and don't want to take chances. Given that it wasn't something we were even happy to have in the first place. We really want to get rid.
Our son has used it maybe 3 times since we had it. Which means it is pretty much a useless item, but what do we say to his Gran and Aunt if we get rid.
Should we offer it back to them first to see if they want it, or just get rid and say we have stored it away for a while?
All I know is the thing is more trouble than it is worth.
So Friday for me ends with a dilemma but hopefully one we will figure out soon.
love and hugs Joss xx
P.S. hope you have a pleasant weekend xx

Celebrate the small stuff

I was really struggling today to think what to do for this. I guess the fact that we are all happy and healthy at the moment is a really good thing to celebrate. The yummy dinner I just ate was pretty good too. haddock in a tomato and herb sauce with chucky veg and mexican rice. Good food is always a good things right :)
The week end Yay!! always something to celebrate.
But other than that I am pretty much pulling a blank today.
To many late nights catching up with me.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend.
love and hugs Joss.

Express yourself

this weeks express yourself question is...

What are the last two movies you saw?

Well the first of the last two movies that I watched was unconditional. 

I am a sucker for movie's that are based on true stories and this one is a real heart breaker in places. 

So the PLOT:

Samantha Crawford lives a dream life. She is happily married on a ranch where she keeps her beloved horse, and the stories she's told and illustrated since childhood have become published books.

When her husband Billy is tragically killed, Sam loses her faith and will to live. A death-defying encounter with two children leads to a reunion with Joe, her oldest friend. As Sam watches "Papa" Joe care for and love the kids in his under-resourced neighbourhood, she begins to realize that the love of God is always reaching out to her.

My thoughts: 

I really enjoyed this film, even though I wasn't sure how good it would be due to the number of bad reviews. Although I try never to judge by the reviews when it comes to Christian films as there are a lot of people that will simply put the film down, purely and simply because they are Christian which is really sad to see. At any rate. I enjoyed it. I thought it was a heart touching story, with a good message and I developed a bond with the characters pretty quickly. Especially Papa Joe and the adorable little girl who's name I can't quite remember right now. Really need a new memory. I also loved the innocents that is seen throughout the movie and thought there were some amazing quotes as well. Especially the little tale of the little fire bird. Which I just discovered can be brought as an actual book. So I will definitely be getting that for my son. I enjoyed this film so much that I actually plan on getting it on DVD. So I think it is really worth a watch if you are going to do so seriously and not just judge it right off the bat, because it is Christian. 

The second film of my last two watched is Hachi a dog's tale. 

This is another based on a true story one and here's the PLOT: 

In Bedridge, Professor Parker Wilson finds an abandoned dog at the train station and takes it home with the intention of returning the animal to its owner. He finds that the dog is an Akita and names it Hachiko. However, nobody claims the dog so his family decides to keep Hachi. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

A schoolboy reports on his hero: Hachiko, his grandfather's dog. In a flashback, a puppy at a Japanese monastery is crated and sent to the US. The crate's tag tears, and when the puppy pushes his way out of the crate at the train station of a small Rhode Island town, Parker Wilson, a professor of music in nearby Providence, takes the dog home for the night. His wife isn't happy about it, but after failing to find the owner, she lets the dog stay. A Japanese friend reads the dog's tag - "Hachiko" or "Eight," a lucky number. Parker can't teach the dog to fetch, but the friend explains that the dog will forge a different kind of loyalty. Tragedy tests that loyalty. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

My thoughts: 

I love dogs and this film was just amazing. Definitely a DVD I shall own one day. This film is based on a real life story that took place in Japan I believe. The story goes that a man would walk with his dog to the train station everyday ready for his commute to work and then on returning the dog would be there to greet him. But when one day the owner dies and doesn't return the dog continues for 9 years (I believe) to repeat the pattern, ever hopeful that one day his now gone owner will return. This dog so touched local peoples hearts that there is now a statue in the spot where he used to wait. 

The film brings out all kinds of emotions and was just a very heart touching story that I would recommend to everyone an absolute must see. 

So that's mine, what were the last two films you watched. 

If you want to join up and become of express yourself or read about other peoples last to films watch then head to this Link and get signed up on the linky link. 

love and hugs Joss xx 

express yourself.

So I just came across a new blogfest type thing. That is all about expressing yourself and getting to know your fellow bloggers. How it works is each week you get asked a question and you answer it. Pretty simple right.
This weeks question is: What could you eat everyday and not grow tired of it?

I'll get to my answer in a moment but first I just want to get you hooked up with where you can find the linky link, for this blogfest. You may need to scroll down a bit but you will find the linky link for it here somewhere Linky link express yourself

You would think after all this time blogging I would be much better with all this technical stuff.
So what could I eat everyday and not grow tired.
Well I know if I was smart I would say something that has lots of different flavours so I'd never get bored. I'm not smart! however, I am an addict, and addict to hot pockets. Now, I know what you are thinking, and yes there are many hot pocket flavours. But for me it's all a little bit more specific than that. For me the only good hot pocket is a cheese and ham hot pocket. oh my God, absolutely love, love, love these things.
Now time for the sad news. They no longer sale them anywhere near me. So my all time fav food is a big no no any more.
Yet still if I had the chance I could live off these tasty pastries filled with scrummy melted cheese and ham.
Heaven.
love and hugs Joss
xxxx

Internet chaos, friday catch up and celebration post all rolled into one.

After several weeks of dodgy internet connection, I am so happy to finally be back and blogging. We've had so many problems with our BT connection of late that I was feeling a little angry when I saw the new BT add in which, the guy is proclaims that it can't be his computer making the webcam judder because he has BT.
LIAR!!! is now hissed angrily under my breath every time it's on and I am filled with the sudden urge to hurl a brick at the TV. Thankfully sense has overruled frustration every time, however, and my TV is still safely in one piece.
Still touch wood for a few days now I have had no problems and I am praying that it stays that way.
One thing that has come out of this, is the realisation of just how much I rely on the internet. I ruse it for entertainment, to socialise and keep up today with my friends, for news, research and countless other things.
Once upon a time I didn't even know what the internet was and yet now, I cannot imagine life with out it and struggle to cope when it is gone.
This also made me think about all the other things I didn't have growing up, that I couldn't bare to live without now. My mobile for instance, a computer full stop. The computer is probably the most scary, because I could not imagine going back to writing all my stories by hand now, the very thought makes me want to weep.
So having missed quite a few Friday catchups since my internet hell began, I am going to include both in this one post, beginning with the celebrations.

The internet: Oh how I love thee. Thank you for putting the world at my finger tips and please don't run away from me again, I am not sure I could cope without you as my constant friend.

My phone: Yes you've been temperamental of late. With poor signal and refusal to charge until I spoiled you with a power mat and new power mat case, but I readily accept that it may be the result of my own lack of care. I did after all drop you in a bucket of water, throw you across the drive (accidently) while swinging my arms a little to excitedly on exiting the front door, and there has been the 3 or 4 possibly more times that I accidental left you in the fridge. Yet still after such bad abuse you keep me organised and in touch with everyone I love and so I celebrate you too little Iphone, and I will celebrate you little friend Iphone 5 who will be coming shortly to relieve you of your duties so you may rest in peace, in the back of my old mobile phone draw.

My collection of pc's, this lovely laptop I type on now. My adorable net book and my great hulking computer. Thank you for saving me from writers cramp, piles of scrunched up paper and hours of tantrums the result of having to write out the same page 20 times lol. As well as for connecting me with my beloved internet.

Amazon: how I have missed Amazon. With it's oodles of bargains delivered next day right to my door, including copious amounts of books, direct to my kindle.  Never leave me again.

Kindle: My faithful unwavering companion in this terrible time of internet abandonment. I love you too.

So those are the things I wish to celebrate for this week and the weeks that I have been unable to post, yay!!! all of you.

Now for Friday Catch up.
Well mostly I have been reading  and playing Sims 3, since I lost the internet. However, I did also complete my degree in English language and literature. Something I still cannot quiet believe. Me, scatterbrain little me with a diploma. It's just weird. I probably should have celebrated that above, but oh well, I'll just do a little happy dance here instead.

I also managed to score another one of my neighbours amazing chocolate cakes. OMG!!! her cakes are just like melt in the mouth heaven. They are selling there house at the mo, and the side of our house was in need of a fresh coat of paint, so to help them we have got it painted. In fact are in the process of as I speak. For hubby is out there now getting it finished off. So yay chocolate cake. Although I seriously do not want her to move, due to love of her chocolate cakes, I do feel that it may be very beneficial to my waist line if she does. So we've opted to be nice and save my waist line, verses mean and keep the heavenly chocolate cake. :(

Kye has had a few small asthma attacks but nothing to serious so that's a big bonus; however, poor hubby is suffering terribly with hay fever right now bless him. I feel so sorry for people who get that, all winter you have to contend with colds and then with the summer months when most of us catch a break, they get the sniffles and sneezing because of pollen. no fun.

We enjoy the week off from school too over half term, especially as Dan (hubby) had sneaky booked the week off so we could all be together. So it was great fun.

And we also got a new Dog!!!

ok so he is kinda plasticie but still cute lol.

This week Kye was all obsessed with the activity that was going on at the top of our road. Big lorries shifting loads and I do mean loads of skips around. We snapped this shot, for him to remember it by. ( i will show you once I stop throwing my phone across the floor. I'm such a mean iphone owner, sorry iphone)

well I think that pretty much covers everything although with my memory there are bound to be things I've missed.

Hope you are all well.
love and hugs
Joss xxx