Fat Mum Slim Photo a Day challenge ..

On her webpage Fat Mum Slim has started a photo a day challenge .. and I thought it was a good way to get my blogging going again .. so here is the low-down ..

How to play..

Use the list above as a guide, and as inspiration, and take a photo each day. You can take it with your point-and-shoot camera, your big, fancy-pants DSLR, your iPhone {or equivalent} or whatever photo-taking-device you own.

You can upload you photos to Instagram, Twitter, Flickr, Path, Facebook, your blog or just keep them on your desktop {and not share at all}. Whatever you want to do is totally fine. You can take the list above literally and stick to it, or take inspiration and go crazy.

So here goes … photos for the next 30 days ..lol

(there may or may not be a bit of chat with them depending on how I feel ..:-)

The 34 Signs of Menopause

Here is the list of: "The 34 Signs of Menopause:"
x 1. Hot flashes, flushes, night sweats and/or cold flashes, clammy feeling (related to increased activity in the autonomic / sympathetic nervous system). Without becoming too, technical, messages are sent to the hypothalmus because of declining estrogen production via neurons which result in vasodilation -- widening of the lumen of blood vessels (lumen being the cavity of a tubular organ, i.e., the lumen of a blood vessel,) which, in turn, causes flushing or hot flashes. Tips for treating/minimizing (and even avoiding) hot flashes: Power Surge's Menopause Survival Tips. Also, read the Power Surges (hot flashes) Forum
x 2. Bouts of rapid heartbeat (related to increased activity in the autonomic / sympathetic nervous system) Note: Along with rapid heartbeat (palpitations), women can experience skipped heartbeats, irregular heartbeats. These are generally normal vasomotor responses experienced during menopause - usually due to fluctuating hormone levels. However, if these problems continue, it's always a good idea to be checked by your health care practitioner. An echocardiogram is a common procedure to tell the doctor what he needs to know about your heart. If your health care practitioner doesn't suggest it, ASK FOR IT! Read the Palpitations, Heart Issues, Hypertension Forum
x 3. Irritability. Note: Along with irritability, a host of "anger" problems can develop during menopause. Just as a perimenopausal woman can find herself suddenly crying for no apparent reason or provocation, so can she find herself reacting to given situations in an angrier manner than she normally does. This anger can sometimes feel like "rage." Again, this is hormone-induced, but for some women, the anger can become inappropriate and a woman can feel like she's out of control. There's nothing wrong with seeking counselling to discuss these issues with a mental health professional. This is a challenging time of life and some objective outside help can be tremendously useful in helping a woman cope with all the emotions she's feeling. Remember, menopause isn't simply physical changes, but emotional and spiritual changes as well. There's an excellent forum on the Power Surge Message Board that deals with the issues of Anger / Mood Swings / Rage.
x 4. Mood swings, sudden tears. Note: Mood swings can include anything from mood shifts (happy one moment, deprssed the next) to sudden bouts of crying when nothing overt has occurred to cause the crying. Mood swings can and have been misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder because one can feel such extremes of emotions due to hormone imbalance. Anxiety, depression, panic attacks and even feelings of agoraphobia aren't uncommon during menopause. The panic attacks often can develop with the onset of hot flashes. For some women, hot flashes can be severe and quite frightening.
x 5. Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats). Note: This can develop into insomnia or just waking at 2 in the morning for an hour. Relaxation and breathing exercises can be useful at this time -- many women may log onto the Power Surge message boards and are surprised to find so many other women there in the middle of the night. More help on the Insomnia, Sleep Disorders Forum
x 6. Irregular periods: shorter, lighter or heavier periods, flooding, and phantom periods. Note: A phantom period is when you experience all the symptoms you're accustomed to having before you menstruate -- but... no period comes. This is a common experience during perimenopause before a woman's period actually stops.
x 7. Loss of libido (sex drive). Note: Not every woman loses her libido entirely during perimenopause, although some may temporarily. Many women simply have a decreased interest in sex - often it's simply because they generally don't feel well and sex is the last thing on their mind! Also, bear in mind that there are many medications that can affect one's libido, including the anti-depressants some women take to cope with the depression and anxiety associated with menopause to anti-hypertensives.
x 8. Dry vagina (results in painful intercourse) Note: Click here for an excellent article about vaginal dryness, sexuality and midlife relationships. Recommended: Sexual Issues/Libido Forum
x 9. Crashing fatigue. Note: I've never been able to determine if the "fatigue" associated with perimenopause is a symptom in and of itself, or if it's a side effect of the cumulative symptoms and general exhaustion (from them) many women experience. Take all the symptoms and "dump" them on one person -- is it any wonder perimenopausal women are so fatigued? If you can, try to find time to grab a nap. One of the things that helped my fatigue, and it's all chronicled in my personal odyssey to find remedies, is the use of considerable amounts of soy isoflavones and protein, which I found in Revival Soy. I can't say that it specifically targetted and relieved the crashing fatigue, but it helped so many other symptoms and gave me a burst of energy, that I feel comfortable in attributing the fatigue relief to Revival. There are various vitamins, such as those in the "B" family, that can help with fatigue as well. Also, increased amounts of vitamin C. The Recommendations page lists numerous vita-nutrients that can be useful in treating fatigue and other symptoms associated with perimenopause.
10. Anxiety, feeling ill at ease.Note: One of the biggest complaints during menopause. Read the Anxiety/Stress Forum
11. Feelings of dread, apprehension, and doom (includes thoughts of death, picturing one's own death). Note: It's possible that this can be a manifestation of depression associated with menopause, or possibly feelings that come from going through daily discomfort through a difficult menopause transition that can last anywhere from 3-12 years. A woman living under these circumstances can feel totally overwhelmed and frightened by the physical, psychological and spiritual changes. When there seems to be no reprieve from the suffering, for some it can leave them feeling drained wondering when and IF they'll ever feel well again. It isn't unusual for women at this time of life to have thoughts about dying. One phase of their life is coming to a close (not soon enough for many). There may be apprehension and fear about moving on to the next phase of life and wondering whether things will get better or worse. Helpful: The Panic Attacks / Disorder / Fear / Apprehension Forum
x 12. Difficulty concentrating, disorientation, & mental confusion. Note: Forgetfulness during perimenopause is often referred to lightly and humorously as "brain fog" but it's not always funny. Note: An excellent article, Menopause And The Mind. Also, visit the Memory Loss, Foggy Thinking, Forgetfulness, Verbal Slips Forum
13. Disturbing memory lapses. Note: See #12,
14. Incontinence -- especially upon sneezing, laughing: urge incontinence (reflects a general loss of smooth muscle tone).
x 15. Itchy, crawly skin (feeling of ants crawling under the skin, not just dry, itchy skin Note: the feeling of ants crawling on your skin is called "formication") Visit the Your Skin: Dryness, Itching, Vaginal Dryness, Disorders, Discomfort Forum
x 16. Aching, sore joints, muscles and tendons. (may include such problems as carpal tunnel syndrome). Note: Osteoarthritis can develop during perimenopause - and those with existing arthritic and/or rheumatic pain may find it's exacerbated during the menopausal transition. See the Joints Aches and Pains/Arthrisitis Forum
x 17. Increased tension in muscles.
x 18. Breast tenderness. Note: Breast swelling, soreness, pain.
x 19. Headache change: increase or decrease. Note: Many women develop migraine headaches during perimenopause. However, if one doesn't have a history of migraine headeaches, they're generally a short-lived experience of perimenopause. Also see the Headaches, Migraine Forum
x 20. Gastrointestinal distress, indigestion, flatulence, gas pain, nausea. Note: For nausea, try some ginger or, as I use, boiling hot water with a few teaspoons of lemon or lemon juice concentrate in it. Many women also develop acid reflux (Gerd). For some, it can be an uncomfortable feeling of severe burning sensations in the throat. If it persists, see your health care practitioner.
21. Sudden bouts of bloat. Note: Bloating, water retention are common complaints during perimenopause. Also, Acid reflux and heartburn are very common during perimenopause. Treat them as you would if you weren't going through menopause.
x 22. Depression (has a quality from other depression, the inability to cope is overwhelming, there is a feeling of a loss of self. Natural hormone therapy, ameliorates the depression dramatically). Note: There are various natural methods of treating depression. Read Power Surge's Menopause Survival Tips. Also, many women using progestins or progesterone supplementation experience "depression" as a side effect. Power Surge recommends only naturally compounded, bio-identical hormones. Naturally compounded estrogen and progesterone supplementation doses can be individually adjusted to suit each woman's needs. So, if a woman is experiencing depression from progesterone, the level of progesterone supplementation can be reduced until the compounding pharmacist comes up with the right blend. The combination of estrogen and progesterone is important in achieving the desired results. Other remedies, such as St. John's Wort can be very effective in alleviating the depression associated with menopause.
My personal experience was that my perimenopause-related depression was elliminated when I started using Revival Soy Protein Revival is excellent for mood swings, but I was astonished by the impact it had on the hormone-related "lows" I experienced before using it. Also recommended, The Depression Forum
23. Exacerbation of any existing conditions. Note: Often, conditions women had prior to entering perimenopause become exaggerated (worse) during the menopause transition.
x 24. Increase in allergies. Note: Many women who suffer from allergies develop worse allergies during the menopausal years. Many women who've never had allergy or respiratory problems may develop them for the first time. Many people don't realize that histamine levels are affected by hormone levels. Women can develop wheezing, coughing and a host of respiratory problems. This generally disappears as the hormones level out once a woman becomes menopausal.
x 25. Weight gain. (is often around the waist and thighs, resulting in "the disappearing waistline" and changes in body shape.) A good read, Weight Gain and Fitness Issues
26. Hair loss or thinning, head or whole body, increase in facial hair. Note: There is often a loss of pubic hair during menopause. Many women are more comfortable simply shaving their pubic area instead of having patches of hair.
x 27. Dizziness, light-headedness, episodes of loss of balance. Note: Although common complaints during menopause, I always recommend anyone suffering from dizziness, dysequilibrium have her blood pressure checked just to be on the safe side. However, women can experience these symptoms during perimenopause without having hypertension.
x 28. Changes in body odor. Note: I wouldn't be too concerned about this one. It can happen, but in 13 years of running Power Surge, I've heard of relatively few cases of developing body odor during menopause.
29. Electric shock sensation under the skin & in the head ("take the feeling of a rubber band snapping against the skin, multiply it (exponentially, sometimes) radiate it & put it in the layer of tissues between skin & muscle & sometimes a precursor to a hot flash.") Note: Those buzzing sensations, as though you've put your finger into a live electrical socket, can be frightening. They're all part of the hormones, nerve endings and electrical waves running through our bodies when our hormones are constantly fluctuating. Many women experience this during perimenopause, but it eventually passes.
30. Tingling in the extremities (can also be a symptom of B-12 deficiency, diabetes, or from an alteration in the flexibility of blood vessels in the extremities.)
31. Gum problems, increased bleeding.
32. Burning tongue
33. Osteoporosis (after several years)
34. Brittle fingernails, which peel & break easily.
Some additional signs from Dearest:
Dry skin / skin changes
Internal shaking / tremor-like feelings. Read the Internal Shaking Forum
x Acne and other skin eruptions
x Itching wildly and erratic rashes
x Shoulder pain / joints / arthritis development or flare up in preexisting conditions
"Heart pain" - a feeling of pain in the area of the heart (if persistent, get checked by your health care practitioner)
x Acid reflux / heartburn / difficulty digesting certain foods
21/34 .. lovely .. urgghhh!

A Jib Jab Christmas tune ..lol

Cameron has watched it goodness knows how many times ..

http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=7jm3AwerotIvZlMx&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=holidays

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

 

..and here’s the one the kids sent back ..lol

http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=YtaBPIUqKN06c2fm&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=holidays

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Movies to watch – Fatso

The Social Network

Love and Other Drugs

Movies in my queue

Title

Outrageous Fortune - Season 3

The Help

Oranges and Sunshine

Something Borrowed

Arthur

Babies

Rango

Arthur and the War of Two Worlds

Iron Man 2

Hop

Jessica: Disc 1 & 2

Earth

Fast and Furious 5

X-Men: First Class

Blue Valentine

Faster

When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story

The Spiderwick Chronicles

Adventures of a Teenage Dragonslayer

Finding Neverland

Then She Found Me

Law Abiding Citizen

The Painted Veil

Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont

Lost In Translation

Transamerica

The Girl Who Played with Fire

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Ghost Town

The Soloist

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Wild Child

The Bucket List

The Illusionist

Race To Witch Mountain

A Good Year

The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls

The Polar Express

Salt

10 Items or Less

10 'Til Noon

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

Death at a Funeral

The Ghost Writer

The Runaways

Get Low

Red Riding Hood

Supernatural - Season 1 (Disc 1)

Life On Mars - Season 1 (Disc 1)

Downton Abbey - Series 1 (Disc 1)

Supernatural - Season 2 (Disc 1)

Supernatural - Season 3 (Disc 1)

Supernatural - Season 4 (Disc 5)

Outrageous Fortune - Season 4 (Disc 1)

Outrageous Fortune - Season 5 (Disc 1)

Outrageous Fortune - Season 6 (Disc 1)

House, M.D. - Season 1 (Disc 1)

House, M.D. - Season 2 (Disc 1)

House, M.D. - Season 3 (Disc 1)

House, M.D. - Season 4 (Disc 1)

House, M.D. - Season 5 (Disc 1)

House, M.D. - Season 6 (Disc 1)

House, M.D. - Season 7 (Disc 1)

Sopranos, The - Season 1 (Disc 1)

Sopranos, The - Season 3 (Disc 4)

Sopranos, The - Season 4 (Disc 1)

Life on Mars - Series 2 (Disc 1)

Emma (Disc 1)

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (Disc 1)

The Devil's Whore (Disc 1)

Big Love - Season 3 (Disc 1)

Big Love - Season 4 (Disc 2)

Supernatural - Season 6 (Disc 1)

Oakie's Outback Adventures

Arthur Christmas

My Week with Marilyn

We Need to Talk About Kevin

We Bought a Zoo

The Vow

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

Puss In Boots

The Muppets

Zookeeper

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Happy Feet 2

LEGO - Hero Factory: Rise of the Rookies

In Time

Footloose

Downton Abbey - Series 2 (Disc 1)

Downton Abbey - Series 2 (Disc 2)

Downton Abbey - Series 2 (Disc 3)

The Rum Diary

Immortals

Friends with Benefits

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

Jane Eyre

Food, Inc.

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Movies to see in 2012

The vow

Underworld – Awakening

What to Expect when you’re expecting

The Lucky One

New Years Eve

Movies to see with the kids :-)

..or on my own without telling the kids ..lol

November: Arthur Christmas

December: Alvin and the Chipmunks – Chipwrecked

December: the Muppets

March 2012 - Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

Summer 2012 - Brave

Summer 2012 – Madagascar 3

August 2012 – ParaNorman

Reading my way through the year - 2011

Total this year: 66 of 80 

December: 6

 

Night keepers / Andersen, Jessica

Dawn keepers / Andersen, Jessica

1/2 Undead And Unfinished - MaryJanice Davidson

Friday Night Bites / Neill, Chloe

Twice Bitten / Neill, Chloe

Hard Bitten / Neill, Chloe

 

Have to read:

 

Currently Reading:

 

An echo in the bone : a novel by Gabaldon, Diana

 

Have to read:

 

E-Books

 

Drink Deep / Neill, Chloe

Undead And Unfinished - MaryJanice Davidson

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

Skykeepers / Andersen, Jessica

Demonkeepers / Andersen, Jessica

Blood Spells / Andersen, Jessica

Storm Kissed / Andersen, Jessica

 

Library

Shadow Born / Sinclair, Alison

 

Reserved:

 

Alterant / Kenyon, Sherrilyn

Born of Shadows / Kenyon, Sherrilyn

Born to be bad / Kenyon, Sherrilyn

Invincible / Kenyon, Sherrilyn

Infinity / Kenyon, Sherrilyn

Bound by blood / Ashley, Amanda

Blood law / Tabke, Tarin

Destined / Cast, P.C.

Under wraps / Jayne, Hannah

Changeling Moon / Harper, Dani

Savor me slowly / Showalter, Gena.

Seduce the Darkness / Showalter, Gena

Ecstasy in Darkness / Showalter, Gena

Dark Taste of Rapture / Showalter, Gena

Bad Attitude / Kenyon, Sherrilyn

Phantom in the Night / Kenyon, Sherrilyn

Silent Truth / Kenyon , Sherrilyn

Changleling Dream / Harper, Dani

Changeling dawn / Harper, Dani

Biting Cold / Neill, Chloe

Under Attack / Jayne, Hannah

Undead and undermined / MaryJanice Davidson

Infamous / Kenyon, Sherrilyn

Red Handed / Showalter, Gena

Blacklisted / Showalter, Gena

 

November : 4

Gypsy boy / Walsh, Mikey

Some girls bite / Neill, Chloe

Enslave me sweetly / Showalter, Gena

Retribution / Kenyon, Sherrilyn

Oct: 6
Black and white / Kessler, Jackie
Shades of night / Kessler, Jackie
Smokin' seventeen : a Stephanie Plum novel / Evanovich, Janet.
Dark predator : a Carpathian novel / Feehan, Christine.
Crack down / McDermid, Val

Awaken me darkly / Showalter, Gena.

 

September: 3

 

Wicked appetite / Evanovich, Janet.

Crack down / McDermid, Val,

Blood trinity / Kenyon, Sherrilyn,

  

August: 3

Postsecret : confessions on life, death, and God / Warren, Frank

Living with the dead / Armstrong, Kelley.

Bite club / Caine, Rachel.

 

July: 5

No humans involved / Armstrong, Kelley.

Industrial magic / Armstrong, Kelley

The gathering / Armstrong, Kelley.

Personal demon / Armstrong, Kelley.

Living with the dead / Armstrong, Kelley.

 

June: 3

Tales of the otherworld / Armstrong, Kelley.

Men of the otherworld / Armstrong, Kelley.

The Nutters Club : helping nutters from the inside out / King, Mike,

 

May: 6

 

Dime store magic - Kelley Armstrong

Born of Ice - Sherrilyn Kenyon

City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments, #4) by Cassandra Clare

City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments, #3) by Cassandra Clare - re-read

Broken - Kelley Armstrong

Haunted - Kelley Armstrong

 

April : 9

 

All Blacks Don't Cry - John Kirwan

The awakening - Kelley Armstrong

The reckoning - Kelley Armstrong

The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

Night's kiss - Amanda Ashley

Lover Unleashed - J R Ward

Kiss Of Death (The Morganville Vampires, #8) by Rachel Caine

Ghost Town (The Morganville Vampires, #8) by Rachel Caine

No Mercy (Dark-Hunter, #20) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

 

March : 8

 

The summoning - Kelley Armstrong

Night's master - Amanda Ashley

Night's pleasure - Amanda Ashley

Night's touch - Amanda Ashley

Stolen - Kelley Armstrong

Bitten - Kelley Armstrong

61 hours : a Reacher novel - Lee Child

Sins of the night - Sherrilyn Kenyon

 

February : 5

 

Carpe Corpus (The Morganville Vampires, #6) by Rachel Caine

Fade Out (The Morganville Vampires, #7) by Rachel Caine

Crave (Fallen Angels, #2) by J.R. Ward

Taken by Midnight (Midnight Breed, #8) by Lara Adrian

Awakened (House of Night, #9) by P.C. Cast

 

January : 8 & 1/2

 

1/2 Dark Peril (Carpathians, #21) by Christine Feehan

Seize the night - Sherrilyn Kenyon

Kiss of the night - Sherrilyn Kenyon

Night play - Sherrilyn Kenyon

Born of the night - Sherrilyn Kenyon

Sizzling Sixteen - Janet Evanovich

Midnight Alley (The Morganville Vampires, #3) by Rachel Caine

Feast of Fools (The Morganville Vampires, #4) by Rachel Caine

Lord of Misrule (The Morganville Vampires, #5) by Rachel Caine

..the special time of year again ..

..when I panic about my weight .. urghh lots of excuses but frankly .
.it's OUT OF CONTROL

I have 2 events I'm going to in the next few months .. one being my sisters wedding .. and I AM GOINGT TO LOSE THE WEIGHT .. or exercise or something!!!!

So start weight ???

but would like to lose 10 kg over the next 16 weeks!!!

Here goes!!

The boys 8th birthday

This year the boys decided to have .. THE SAME THEME .. they even wanted the same cakes as last year .. but I said how about having something different .. and they thought that was a good idea

Cameron’s cake

Michael’s cake

my BiPolar Personality

my BiPolar Personality.

This is such a fantastic blog post .. and so much of it rings true to how I feel .. thank you for expressing what I find so hard to put down :-)

Week 10

Da da dah dah ..

A 1kg loss .. holy heck - how did that happen ...

Well lets look back at the week ..

... Walked - 4/7 days - Tues, Wed, Fri and Sun .. averaging 1 & 1/4 or 1 & 1/2 hours each .. all up 26 points of exercise - 6/7 points each time ..

... Sat on my bottom Thurs .. time out - and chillin' after a yuck day ;-p

... Went out for dinner with the girls on Friday night .. didn't over indulge but had a delicious meal and great fun chatting away ..had a beer .. but factored it into my points .. 

Soooo ...

I'm lovin' the fact that I went out .. ate without being hungry and exercised and with this I was able to lose 1 kg ..

So I'm down to 74.1 kg ...

Yehhaaa !!

Week 9 - a maintain really ..

I lost 200g (so at 75.1kg).. which is as good as a maintain to me ..

For the next few weeks we have full on social stuff going on (what is with that !!!) .. but I'm not drinking the next 2 weeks ..lol

Miss is loving school .. and the first thought as soon as I've dropped her at class is how long/far I should walk :-)

Usually around 8km (at least) but depending on what jobs I have to do .. it is 8km in the morning and 5km in the afternoon .. and I feel fantastic ..

I've just brought the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred DVD too .. will see how keen I am doing that .. more for if it's raining .. and I have the Wii Fit/EA Sports Active as a back up also ..

All good ..

I measured myself this month and have lost 2cm off my bazookas .. and 2cm off my hips .. and my waist .. well not sure but I think 8cm ??? which I'm really not sure about ..

Must do a progress photo shortly too .. being 100g off my 2nd goal :-)

ETA: Progress shots .. .urghhh here they are ..

 

Start at 80.3 (15th Jan) .. at 77.5kgs (31st Jan) .. and now at 75.1 kgs

... and side views (hate hate hate my arms!!)

 

.. at 77.5kgs (31st Jan) .. and now at 75.1kgs

.. just looking and I think these were the same jeans .. lol

A complete reset ..

I've been thinking and I've been living to long in the shadow of my last few times losing weight .. so .. I deleted all my history on my WW online account .. and have started at the beginning of this weight loss journey .. ie as at the start of Jan
It makes me feel better not being able to see how much I had lost and then put back on due to bits and pieces .. for the past 3 years ..
Things are getting a bit more under control here for me .. as my daughter started school last week and the first thing I did coming home after dropping her off was go for my 8km walk .. and even managed a 13km walk on Thursday :-)
These two last weeks have been interesting due to a close friend's hen's party last weekend and her wedding this weekend just gone .. where (out of the ordinary for me) the alcohol intake got a little out of control .. so this week back on track .. last week I lost 300g even after the hens party .. and so will be interesting to see what the scales show tomorrow .. and if it is a gain .. well onwards I go .. as I know the reason .. (and I had a great time) .. and I know that getting back in to my walking will get it back down ..
.. my head space seems so much better now too with the walking - sort of like my own natural anti-depressant ..lol ..
So here's to a complete reset for this weight loss journey ..

Some new books to enjoy

I found a new authors to enjoy .. and have at this moment ordered a sh*tload of books from the library .. my Kobo sh*t itself last week and a replacement one is coming so it's back to the old page turning I go :-)

Kelley Armstrong

 

Otherworld Novels


Bitten
Stolen
Dime Store Magic
Industrial Magic
Haunted


Broken
No Humans Involved
Personal Demon
Living with the Dead
Frostbitten


Waking the Witch
Spell Bound

Otherworld Novellas & Anthologies


Men of the Otherworld
Tales of the Otherworld
Chaotic
Angelic


Counterfeit Magic
Becoming

Darkest Powers


The Summoning
The Awakening
The Reckoning
The Gathering

Nadia Stafford


Exit Strategy
Made to be Broken

Amanda Ashley

Series

Vampire
1. Shades of Gray (1998)
2. After Sundown (2003)
3. Desire After Dark (2006)



Night
1. Night's Kiss (2005)
2. Night's Touch (2007)
3. Night's Master (2008)
4. Night's Pleasure (2009)



Everlasting
1. Everlasting Kiss (2010)



Bound
1. Bound by Twilight (2011)
2. Bound by Night (2011)

Novels

Embrace the Night (1995)
Deeper Than the Night (1996)
A Darker Dream (1997)
The Captive (2000)
Midnight Embrace (2002)
A Whisper of Eternity (2004)
Dead Sexy (2007)
Dead Perfect (2008)
Immortal Sins (2009)
Everlasting Desire (2010)

Lina Gardiner“GRAVE ILLUSIONS” (Book 1) – Back Cover Blurb
New York City is in the grasp of a deadly, unseen enemy. At least unseen by normal society.
Lieutenant Jess Vandermire, New York City police officer, is uniquely specialized
to recognize and fight this threat. It’s her job to forge a black ops team, an assortment of men and women who wouldn’t be considered for the job under normal circumstances.
But these aren’t normal circumstances. The team has to be tough, and if need be,
they have to be expendable. Jess understands what she’s fighting and what’s at stake. For her, it’s all about retribution until ex-cop John Brittain is recruited to her team.
Suddenly, her priorities aren’t quite so easily definable. John Brittain has a chip on
his shoulder and is as tough as they come. But is he ready for the whole truth?
That combating “super” vampires whose primal need for blood and the addictive
drug “Sunshine” is only the beginning of their problems? And when Jess tells him
the truth about herself, will he stay and fight or will he turn against her and not only
threaten their lives but destroy the fragile relationship developing between them?

“BEYOND THE GRAVE” (Book 2) Back Cover Blurb:
Vampire Police Captain Jess Vandermire is hunting a serial killer vampire. The trouble is, Jess is experiencing blackouts, and every time she does, another woman turns up dead. Has she slipped over the dangerous slope into full vampirism? Is she the serial killer she’s hunting?
Lieutenant John Brittain makes it his job to find the killer and prove Jess innocent, but it’s hard to be human in a world of super-strong, super-fast vampires. His best weapon is his tough-cop intellect and he’s using it for all he’s worth. Yes, Jess is a vampire, and yes, she’s capable of killing. He knows, however, that she hasn’t committed these crimes, and he has the horrible feeling that if doesn’t catch the killer soon Jess will be the final victim.
As Jess and Britt wage war against this evil vampire, it becomes a battle for the last vestiges of Jess’s own humanity. Soon the question becomes, who will draw first blood?

GRAVE NEW DAY (Book 3)– Back Cover Blurb
Jess Vandermire, female vampire and NYC Police Black Ops Captain has to come to terms with the possibility of becoming human again and what that’ll mean to her and to others — especially since she’s up against the most deadly foe yet. She needs her vampire speed and strength, and being human just won’t cut it. Ensnared in a plan that might go terribly wrong, she has little choice. As a human she can’t fight the ancient enemy. When a mysterious stranger shows up and offers to help, she’s not sure if he’s really on her side. She finds out her whole existence has been leading up to the challenge ahead. A challenge that might be insurmountable, and if she doesn’t win, every human on the planet loses

This article previously debuted on www.paranormalityuniverse.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And I must note somewhere this website:

http://www.vampirelibrary.com/

which has a full list of vamp books .. and site links .. just huge :-)

Week 8

Well blow me down with a feather I lost 300g .. not sure where .. but just shows me as long as I do my exercise and eat properly during the week .. the odd full on weekend will not completely put me off track .. I would have been happy just to maintain ..

Have a wedding next weekend .. and are going to ENJOY myself :-)

If it's a gain I'll know why .. if not .. well all good

Missy's 5th Birthday cakes

For her playgroup morning tea

..and for her birthday party on the Saturday

 

..and for her afternoon tea with her Nana and Grandad

.. and me with my girl :-)

Getting there :-)

Updating my achievements so far ..
ULTIMATE GOALS FOR THE SCALES
* Lose 2.5 kgs (77.5 kgs) - yay!! – 31/1/2011
* BMI change to Overweight (76 kgs) - yay!! 28/2/2011
ULTIMATE FITNESS GOALS
* Complete a 5k walk again (I know I can do this!) - yay!!
* Walk 5 kms at least 4 times a week / or at least 30 mins of exercise 5 times a week – yay!!
* Complete a 7.5km walk again (I also know I can do this!) - yay!!
* Get on the bike I brought! (before Christmas and have only ridden around the house on!) - yay!!
OTHER GOALS
* Fit my Size 14 jeans comfortably - yay!!
* Fit my Size 16 jeans comfortably
* Have hubby be able to pick me up - yay!! (he wanted to without me even asking – reckoned I was looking skinnier -lol)
WEIGHT GOALS – aims for the next 6 months
* Lose 2.5 kgs (77.5 kgs) - yay!! – 31/1/2011
* Leave the BMI of Obesity – such a horrible word that ‘obese’ depicts! I don’t want it to describe me .. I don’t want it to define me and the way I feel – BMI weight change to overweight (76 kgs) - yay!! 28/2/2011
* Lose 5 kgs (75kgs)
FITNESS GOALS – in the next 3 months
* Complete a 5k walk again (I know I can do this!) - yay!!
* Walk 5 kms at least 4 times a week / or at least 30 mins of exercise 5 times a week - yay!!
* Complete a 7.5km walk again (I also know I can do this!) and keep this up. - yay!!