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

Celebrating the small things :)

Hi all,

So, I literally just signed up to this new blog hop called celebrating the small things.

It is nearly the end of Friday as I write this, so I am really just snagging this on to the end of the day here.

But it was such a good idea that I just couldn't resist having a go.

So my little things to celebrate this week are as follows.

• Good friends. It can be so hard to find true friends these days and I am so blessed in that I have one friend who is truly the most amazing friend ever. They have supported me through so much, are there everyday listening to my every worry, thought, desire and need. They make me feel like I matter, that I am important and we all need that in our lives sometimes. So yay, to all the awesome friends out there, especially mine :)
• My son. I am so blessed to have such an amazing son. Who surprises me on a daily basis. Having last week watched him struggling just for breath, with never a single complaint, something most adults couldn't do, me included, has just reminded me all over again how amazing he is. He is just so upbeat and positive. Loving and kind. I don't know how I managed to raise such an amazing little boy but I am so proud of him and so grateful to have him in my life. He is and always will be something to celebrate.
• My pets. Who frequently make me smile, sometimes make me frown, but are always there for me. With there unique and wonderful personalities.
• The sneaky chocolate bar, that gave me a brief break from this otherwise tedious and boring diet I am on. Lol
• My big fluffy dressing gown that made me feel all snug and warm today, when nipple freeze threatened. Gotta hate that nipple freeze.
• The blog post I read, that said just what I needed to hear, right when I needed to hear it, and of course also the person that wrote it.
• And last but not least my new faviourt TV show that kept me entertained.

Ok so some of these weren't small things but this is my first time at this so they just had to be said :)

love and hugs all

Joss xx

if you would like to celebrate the small things too. Then you can sign up here http://viklit.blogspot.co.uk/ and also take a look at what others are celebrating this week :) 

Friday catch up

So it's time for my Friday catch up.

See how good I'm getting, because this is the second one in a row. woop woop!! Ok, so it's only the second Friday since I started this, but for me, not missing it even once is amazing.

So what have I been up to. Well I have been working hard studying for my degree in English Language and Literature. It's definitely a challenge and I still haven't quite come to terms with the fact, that I actually past the grammar part of the course, but I am actually enjoying it. I'm also nearly half way through the course woop woop! So, YAY ME!!! ( be sure to note all my bad use of grammar, sorry with grammar it's just in one ear and out the other. Just makes no sense to me, but it's ok cause I am just gonna blame my dyslexia. Bad dyslexia shame on you.

I have as well, been taking the time to blog very regularly. Which I have really impressed myself with. As well as really putting time and effort into coming up with interesting and I hope a little bit thought provoking pieces, for your entertainment.

Be sure to have a look if you have time and I'd really appreciate some comments. Although the emails I've received on my blog posts, have been lovely also. :) I am a little tired of looking like little miss unpopular lol.

My lovely Kye Kye, is better and back at school which is a major yay! It's never fun when your child is really sick after all. Especially to the point that hospitalization is becoming a serious possibility bless him. However, he is now very much his boisterous, mischievous, refusing to stop growing self. Where did my little cute, snuggled in my arms baby go?

What else. Hum, well I have been minecrafting as well. Build a pretty swirly lighthouse, that actually works. Again!! Yay me!!! but it lagged the server somewhat. As well as learned to copy my builds from one area to my current building area. Which means all my fav builds are together now. Grampie, (you know him best as my editor, even though he never edits this blog lol.) is working on an awesome project at the moment, in the form of warehouse 13. I will get some pics up for you of both my builds and his build soon.

I also had a bit of surprise yesterday and a good one but I am keeping that to myself for now. Hehe!!! I know I am an evil temptress.

I also have my hubby's bday coming up this Sunday. Thankfully he doesn't do reading and has certainly never even bothered to visit my blog :( so I can tell you that I got him an awesome stig from top gear cake lol.

I opted for candles that spell out happy birthday through, as the thought of counting out 33 candles was to much for me to bare.

Although given that he stuck 30 on my cake instead of 29 because he knew how unhappy I was that this was the last birthday of my twenties. I should have just gone all out and spelled out you old git on the top of his cake. Hmmm I wonder how many candles that would take.

And of course yes my bday, was last Saturday and I have yet to tell you how it went. Well the aforementioned old git, went all out with champagne and a surprise visitor, and we had a very entertaining night.
The gifts were all lovely, including my new lappy, which I love, love, love. Compliments of the old git. (I know he isn't seeming all that gittish at the moment, but trust me moments like this are rare. Normally he loves being a git lol.

Also in the gift department, was an awesome massage chair thingy majig, (I dunno what you call it) compliments of Grampie, that is pretty pleasant as long as you don't switch it to auto. Honestly, never ever, switch it to auto. I swear, if you do you'll be black and blue and feel like you did five rounds with Mike Tison. (I think I spelt that wrong but oh well)

It even has heat. OOOOoooooooooo Heat. Gotta love heat.

This was seriously a very thoughtful gift, except for the auto function and I'm hoping as I am sure Grampie was when he purchased it, that the heat function will ease my back ache just as well as the heated seats in our new car hehe.

OMG!!!! I love that car.

Anywho, I won't bore you going through all my gifts, but felt those two deserved a special mention, I even have some more to come still. EXCITED!!!!

So all in all it has been a pretty relaxed but pleasant week.

The weeks fails include:

Turning off my laptop mouse, so I didn't keep hitting it by accident and then forgetting constantly that I did so. I've lost count of how many time's I've tried to use the thing now.

Forgetting to put the furnace out on my ironmongery build on minecraft, before moving it from no fire spread zone, to zone where fire could spread. Ya Huh. Some extensive rebuilding was needed.

Taking out a whole load of blocks because I thought I couldn't lay tracks on them, in minecraft, only to discover that the reason I couldn't place the track, was because I was trying to lay ladder flat, not tracks. (I know, shakes head)

losing track of time and then screaming omg I'm late at a bewildered Grampie while I bolted for the door. Hay, I still beat the bus. JUST!!!

and last but definitely far from least. Spending twenty minutes looking for my lost phone, when my friend finally asked what are you looking for. Only to point out that my current method of contact with her, was via the said lost phone, that was and had been for the whole twenty minutes pressed against my ear. GRRRRRR!!!

just please tell me I am not the only person to do this, because this is far from the first time that I have.

Well love and hugs all and wishing you an awesome weekend.

Joss xx

p.s please note that my Friday catch up post do no justice to my normal blog posting style and are always just a bit random and rambling. hehe. 

The extreme and, at times, somewhat bizarre weddings

So what pops into your mind when you think wedding?

Is it all romance and love? Pretty flowers and stunning locations? Or do you think, "I know! I'll get married while hanging in the air, from hooks that are embedded into my flesh?"

Come on admit it, it's the last one isn't it. No! Really? Well okay then.

Personally the thought of having hooks embedded in my back at any time seems less than appealing, but this is actually what one couple choose for their wedding day.

I'm never keen to share pictures any more for fear of copyright, but here's a link to a page that does have an image of the happy, and I'm sure, somewhat sore couple. Check out the brides hair too.

http://www.oddee.com/contrib_10319.aspx

So what is it with this new craze for the extreme when it comes to weddings.

Because it seems as if there is no limit to what you can do.

For example:

Are you worried you're going to feel all fat and frumpy on your wedding day. Well theirs a wedding for that. Yep a zero gravity one.

For just $18,000. You can go on a spew inducing zero gravity ride and get wed at the same time. What more could you want on your wedding day, than to feel lighter than air while you float around in your guest vomit. Nice!

http://www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/zero-gravity-wedding

If you prefer a little free falling on your wedding day. You might want to try bungee jumping or skydiving. Just make sure you say your I do's quick, because if you take to long, it might be the best day and the worst day all rolled into one. But no worries, chances are you won't live long enough to regret it all that much.

What do you do however, if you are not a fan of free falling, piecing hooks, or spew inducing zero gravity rides?

Do you just settle for the plain old norm? No! God forbid, why oh why would anyone want normal. When you can say your vowels under water. You might have to wait until you surface, for that first marital kiss though.

Not wild enough, well you could spice it up, by being in a shark infested tank, protected of course by an always romantic metal cage.

Perhaps you're worried about your bridal attire? Why bother? Who needs clothes anyway. Yep, that's right, you can even get married in the nude. Just don't expect everyone to show up for your big day, if your planning on making the whole affair a no clothes zone. I certainly won't be there.

Ok, so I get that people want there wedding days to be different. I get that maybe you want people to remember your day over all the other weddings they might get invited too.

But do we seriously need to go to such extremes for that to be the case.

Am I alone in not understanding the fascination with these rather bizarre wedding day choices?

It just seems to me as if there is nothing people won't do on their wedding day any more.

While researching for this blog post. I saw all kind of strange and unusual things. Like a bride who decided she just had to break the world record for the longest dress. A groom who spent a years salary buying 999,999 red roses, which he then decorated a whole fleet of cars with and a woman who married a copse. Yes you heard me a copse. Actually that one was a pretty sweet story, believe it or not.

You see she and her sadly dead lover, were engaged to be married, when he was cruelly beaten to death by a pack of thugs. This man was apparently a great dad and partner and a really nice guy, which I suppose is made clear by the fact that even though he was no longer able to actually say I do, his misses wanted to marry him anyway.

Although I am slightly confused by how this exactly worked, I think her devotion is sweet, none the less.

So weddings have had a tendency to be, for some, a chance to show off and stand out for a long time. But is this taking it all a bit far? Or are these people, in reality just being true to themselves?

I don't know for sure, but I know that personally, I'd choose something a little less dramatic were I to wed again and that's not to say I am not open to some less than traditional ideas. In fact the idea of a Vegas drive through wedding. (yes you heard me) is not without it's appeal. I mean just think about it. It's won't cost you the price of a family home, you don't even have to get our of your car, and you're all set and ready for your reception. Cause you know, you should continue the whole drive through theme and head for the nearest Mc D's.

Check it out here. (the drive through wedding, not Mc D's.

http://www.theweddingtravelcompany.com/invegas/wedding/drive-through-wedding-las-vegas.html

Now come on, you gotta admit that does look like fun.

Whatever you wedding choice, just try to remember the most important thing. Love! Because ultimately isn't that what a wedding is supposed to be about.

I worry that sometimes, people forget that, in the chaos that comes with trying to plan your own, personal idea of a perfect wedding.

So whether you opt for something crazy, some fancy dress, or a specific theme. I hear star wars is quite popular.

Just try to remember that it's love, not one-up-manship on your friends. That's meant to be the focus of the day.

Love and hugs Joss xx

P.s. I'd love to hear your idea's and thoughts for an extreme wedding, or perhaps a not so extreme wedding.

And also, what's the best and worst wedding choices, you've ever seen.

Take care all.  

When little boys, become big boys.

How are we as mothers supposed to cope, when our little boys, turn into big boys?

The answer for me at any rate, is not very well.

I frequently find my mind wandering back to the days when my little boy, was just a tiny baby in my arms. So innocent and sweet and unaffected by the world around him.

Now, that he's six years old, at school and in contact with all kinds of people in his everyday life. He is growing and changing at an alarming rate, which at times can be very hard to watch.

Just the other day he uttered words that made me want to weep and left me feeling pretty angry too.

They were not words we had taught him, not words I even knew were in his vocabulary and yet out they popped. (frigging hell) in it's much less polite form.

My husband and I both froze with shock, not sure if we had even heard right, but Kye's hand flying to his mouth said it all.

I am not stupid enough to think that there aren't kids out there or people out there who swear, I guess I had just hoped that at six, the kids in my sons class, wouldn't have reached that point just yet.

What do you do in this situation?

But it isn't just swearing or bad behaviours that comes with our children growing up. It's simple changes, changes that you know will happen and yet somehow, just can't seem to fully prepare yourself for.

Like the moment you stop being mummy and become mum, or when hugs and kisses become too embarrassing.

My son has reached both of these stages in his development and I'm really not enjoying either.

So I wondered, what stages in your child’s development did you find particularly hard and why.

Was it there first day of school, when you knew that they were starting a new chapter of their life without you?

Perhaps, their first trip outside to play, unsupervised?

Or maybe, for those of you with older children, it was the day they left home?

Either way I would love to hear your thoughts and how you coped with these changes.

Love and hugs

Joss xx