Journeys Are My Diary

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Week 19 – Monday Round-up

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All weeks seem very samey at the moment so I’m sorry if these posts are a bit of a bore. Monday this week was Bank Holiday so it was a short school week and that’s always nice. The girls were with their dad on Monday and so after he picked them up, Chris and I went out for the day. We started by going to visit his Nan and then headed over to Lincoln where we were going to the cinema to see Avengers again and then on to Pizza Express for dinner. It was also May Fourth which for most means Star Wars Day, but for me it’s my dad’s birthday and since he died, its always been a day for reflection. It was nice to keep busy though and have a sort of “date day” with Chris. We ended our day with an ice cream and a walk through Lincoln, before meeting the girls and their dad to switch and go home. Once the girls were in bed we spent the evening catching up on TV like S.H.I.E.L.D., Gotham and Game of Thrones.

Tuesday was back to school and back to work for everyone, including me. Chris was on an early shift so he was out of the house early, but the girls and I headed to school as normal. After dropping them off in their classrooms, I headed to the office to help out. I stayed the whole day and even ended up covering a lunch shift in the dining room. After school the girls and I headed home, getting dinner and then getting homework done. The girls also had a bath because it was class photos at school the next day. When Chris got home, he had dinner and then we spent the evening catching up on Arrow together.

Wednesday was a nice relaxing day, spent catching up on blogging and everything around the house. Chris was at work and the girls were at school, so it was nice to have time to myself and I even started the day with a bacon butty and a cup of tea. I made curry for dinner, so it was easy when we all got home and once I’d picked up the kids from school it meant we didn’t have much to do. Again once Chris was home, we caught up on Arrow, trying to make sure we’re up to date by the finale!

On Thursday Chris was on a later shift and so once I took the girls to school, he was still here when I got back. He did have a driving lesson though so he wasn’t around for long. Once he was gone, I settled down to watch all my TV shows. I kept meaning to go and vote but ended up procrastinating the day away. In the end I collected the girls from school and then went to vote instead.

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It was actually pretty interesting going with the girls as it sparked some conversation between us, making it really good fun. We came home and had dinner, before tidying up the girls room – putting away all their clothes and giving the room a hoover. Nat came round in the evening and we spent the evening catching up and having a gossip.

Friday came really quick and once I’d dropped off the kids at school, I came home to spend time with Chris before he went to work. I then made some jewellery orders and tidied up the house. Finally I went out to PC World to do a Mystery Shopper visit and then on to the girls at school to collect them. On the way home we stopped at Aldi and it was there we met Amy and Olivia who were visiting for the weekend. We all went back to our house and hung out, Olivia going to bed first, followed later by the girls. Amy and I ordered Indian takeaway and spent the evening chatting, then when Chris got home we looked for the most awful thing we could watch on TV.

In the morning we all got up and got ready, heading out to Nottingham where we would see Disney on Ice. Chris didn’t come as he had work but the rest of us went to Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, for the show at 11am. Everyone really enjoyed it and I got some lovely pictures. I even posted about it over on Twice the Mum. The show took us up till about 1pm and we’d already decided we’d go to Five Guys for lunch and then on to the Disney Store in Victoria Shopping Centre after that. It was about a ten minute walk for lunch and then another ten minute wait in the queue. It definitely wasn’t as nice as in America but it was still good. After lunch we all headed to the shopping centre but to be honest there wasn’t an awful lot we wanted (I just placed a Disney Store order last week) so we just picked up a couple of Tsum Tsums and then headed back to the car. On the way home we decided we fancied Starbucks so swung via Lincoln. We stopped to get drinks and by that time it was 5pm so we knew it would be almost bedtime for the girls by the time we got back and settled. Olivia had some toast before heading to bed and the girls waited a bit longer to make sure she was asleep. Amy and I ordered a pizza to share and then sat chatting and watching rubbish TV again for the evening.

On Sunday morning, I managed a bit of a lie-in but mostly I was awake and just too lazy to get out of bed. However I did get up and made everyone a cup of tea/coffee and then we all sat relaxed. At midday, Megan and I took Amy and Olivia to the station. Lily stayed at home with Chris. After dropping them off, Megan and I went to Aldi and did the week shop, making sure we got stuff for a roast dinner that day too. The afternoon was spent just hanging out together as a family, relaxing and not doing much. Eventually though Megan and I got up to make dinner and then we all sat together and ate. Afterwards we had waffle with ice cream and chocolate sauce, along with a glass of wine for Chris and I. It was really a perfect evening. The girls headed to bed and Chris went for a bath so I went on my computer for a while. After that we watched Dredd and then S.H.I.E.L.D. before heading to bed.

Another nice week that seemed dull at the time but always seems fuller when I write about it. No idea what this week will bring but I’ve got a feeling it will be a busy one.

Week 17 – Monday Round-up

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As you’ll have seen, my blog was all scheduled and planned while I was away on holiday, and when I got back – it all went dead! I really wasn’t expecting to be as tired as I was when we got home, then of course Lily was poorly last week and now I’ve ended up a bit under the weather myself. As such, this week’s round up should be pretty brief and I’m really looking forward to getting it out of the way and moving on to holiday updates.

Anyway! Monday was back to school for the girls but Chris was off work. It was nice to have the day without them and alone with Chris as we hadn’t had much time by ourselves. We didn’t really do an awful lot, just hung out and watched some TV. Afterwards we went to pick the girls up from school and then we all came home and chilled out some more. During the night, Lily woke up poorly and this was the start of the rest of the week off. Megan went to school as normal though, all except Thursday when she was feeling a little under the weather too.

Tuesday Chris was off work but because Lily was home sick, we couldn’t really catch up on our TV. Instead Lily and I watched TV all day and waited for Megan to be brought home by her dad. On Wednesday Lily actually felt sick and I didn’t want to drag her out so mum came to pick Megan up for school and in the end drove her home as well. Lily and I spent the day watching movies and it was actually really nice. As I mentioned Megan was off school on Thursday so that lead to a really lazy day when we didn’t even have to leave the house. I wasn’t feeling the best myself either, so I took a nap which is so unheard of these days! Mum came around in the evening as it was her birthday and we had soup with fresh rolls, followed by Tiramisu cupcakes.

Finally it was Friday and Megan went back to school but Lily was still off. I dropped Lily at my mum’s as Nat and I had already arranged to go to the cinema and we saw Avengers: Age of Ultron. The showing was at 10.30am but it took majority of the day as I picked Nat up and dropped her off. I was back at mum’s for about 2.30pm and then stayed for a cuppa before heading off with Lily to pick up Megan. We went home, had takeaway for dinner and just chilled out. Saturday was a lazy day as well (no surprise, right?) and the girls didn’t even get dressed. Megan decided she wanted to make a cheesecake though and I needed a present for Morgan so I popped out shopping briefly and then gave Megan a hand making the cake.

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No doubt I’ll post the recipe here soon but it was really good cheesecake. It’s actually all gone already. Anyway that was basically our Saturday. Then Sunday was the only day with plans but even then they weren’t till afternoon. We had a lazy morning but Megan got her homework done and then after lunch we headed out. We drove to Scunthorpe to meet my brother and his family and go bowling. It was actually a really nice afternoon – just the kids bowled and we all stood around chatting. Afterwards the kids had food and all in all it was very pleasant. We headed off around 5pm and came home. Chris ordered me and him some chinese takeaway and though I spent some of the evening with the girls before they went to bed, I then spent the evening with Chris watching TV.

It’s been such a quiet and easy week but at the same time I’ve really got nothing done. This week promises to be more interesting, especially as I start a new job tomorrow.

Movie Review: Avengers – Age of Ultron

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Before I start to tell you about my Florida holiday, I want to tell you all about the latest movie I saw – Avengers: Age of Ultron (it’s Marvel/Disney though so it’s okay). On Friday, Nat and I went to the cinema – as we often do – to see the newest Avengers movie and both of us really enjoyed it!

As with all my reviews, no spoilers. However that always makes it difficult to tell you very much. What I can tell you is that it’s long!!! It’s not a complaint, but definitely a warning. Nat and I both went to the toilet before it began but only half way through, needed it again (TMI??) We did take a drink in with us (which we probably shouldn’t havbe) but yeah… warning!

In all seriousness though, I personally loved this movie. I’m a great lover of superhero movies anyway and on Friday I actually wrote about the good and the not so good superhero movies, over at Twice the Mum (and later republished on my own blog). This new Avengers movie would definitely be around the top of my list – if not for any other reason than RDJ as Iron Man is epic (as always). I tried to avoid any trailers or reading too much about the plot, so it was really nice to go into the movie not knowing much about it. I loved the concept and idea for the movie, though at times I felt a little lost, but I also loved the new characters getting gradually pulled into the plot (and it made me realise I really need to watch X-Men: Days of Future Past!). It was nice to see Hawkeye take more of a role this time and of course its nice to see all the Avengers working as more of a cohesive team. I’ve never really liked Scarlett Johansson but actually in the Avengers movies I find her fairly tolerable. As I said before, I loved Iron Man and he has now become my clear favourite (I was torn between him and Thor before). I especially loved Iron Man’s Hulk version. The ending with Hulk was a bit frustrating but not altogether surprising, I’m glad to see there is an Avengers 3 on the cards though – even if rumour has it that RDJ will be sliding out of the franchise at that point!

For anyone who likes an action movie, especially Superhero, I’d say it’s a must-see. At the cinema it holds so much more effect too – with the load noises, big screen, dramatic effect etc. That said, I’ll be getting it on DVD to watch again when it comes out, especially as the kids will want to see it. I loved this Avengers movie though truth me told, I probably love the last one a little bit more.

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Upcoming Movies in 2015

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I love movies – I would definitely say that movie watching is one of my hobbies. Over the Christmas period, the kids and I are hoping to watch both Paddington and the new Tinker Bell movie, but what are the best picks for the upcoming year? Well first of all, I want to start off by actually seeing Mockingjay (Part 1) as I can’t believe I haven’t seen it yet. I also believe Into the Woods is due to be released soon and I’ll be first in line for that one. After those though, Big Hero 6 is definitely top of the list!

Already released in the USA, Big Hero 6 is apparently out here on 30th January. That said, there is a preview showing on 4th January and fingers crossed we might be going to that! This will probably be the first movie of 2015, that I actually made an effort to see. It is Disney, after all!

Taken 3 is also on my January list, though I’m yet to see Taken or Taken 2. More than likely, it will be a DVD job, catching up on all three at the same time. February is looking pretty bleak, with only Fifty Shades of Grey, catching my interest. I have to admit that I found the books dire and I imagine the movie with be the same, but just like Magic Mike – there is definite curiosity.

With March comes Cinderella – Disney again. I quite enjoyed the Maleficent movie, which was obviously a live action rather than an animation. While I wouldn’t say I’m expecting great things, I am interested to see what they’ll do with it.

Also in March is the second part in the Divergent trilogy – Insurgent. I’ve already read the book so I’m eager to see the movie. Sadly, April doesn’t bring much interest for me. I can’t really see anything that I’m interested in, though of course trailers nearer the time, might prove differently!

May looks like it might be a good month though. Not only is it my birthday, but Pitch Perfect 2 AND The Avengers: Age of Ultron are both being released. When looking up 2015 movies, I also saw Far From a Madding Crowd (a Thomas Hardy novel that I love) and Tomorrowland (another Disney movie). I’ve not really seen much about either, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for them.

June brings with it, Jurassic World, which in all honesty, I’m not sure about. There is also Ted 2, which if the first one was anything to go by, I’ll be giving that a miss. In July there is Terminator: Genisys, which I’ve heard nothing about. Having looked into it, Arnold Schwarzenegger is in… so god only knows what the plot is. Also in July is the Minions movie, which I feel sure we’ll see. There is also Ant-Man which I know Chris wants to see and Pan – presumably something about Peter Pan. Believe it or not, there is a Magic Mike XXL, which I can’t even bring myself to look into. I have no idea how that’s become a sequel.

In August there is a Fantastic Four reboot, called The Fantastic Four. I’m not really so sure about this, as reboots don’t always work out. I guess it can’t be much worse than the original movies, but I did like Chris Evans as the Human Torch. I suppose it goes without saying that it would require a reboot, especially when Chris Evans then became Captain America.

September has the second movie in The Maze Runner series, Scorch Trials. I really enjoyed the first movie and have since bought the books to read. I’m looking forward to seeing the second movie, hopefully after reading the full set of books. Also in September is Hotel Transylvania 2 and since the first one was pretty good, we’ll probably see that in time for Halloween.

There are a few interesting looking movies in October, but the only one that really stands out is The Jungle Book. Another live action instead of an animation and while The Jungle Book is far from my favourite, I’m always interested to see what Disney turn out. There is also a Jem and the Holograms movie… but, yeah.

November brings the third (well really fourth) installment of Hunger Games, in the form of Mockingjay (Part 2). Hopefully I will have seen Part 1 by then and will be rushing to the cinema in November to see it. I really enjoy the Hunger Games books/movies so this is one of my top picks for the year. Sadly that’s all that really interests me in November and December isn’t looking much better either. I’m sure plenty of people will be holding out for Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens, but I’m honestly not interested. I’ve said before that I’m not really a Star Wars fan, so this movie doesn’t even rank in my 2015 movies. That said, I’m sure that Chris will want to see it and since I’ve seen all the others, no doubt we’ll be heading to the movies in December to see it.

So these are my picks for the year, what are yours?
What are you looking forward to seeing this year and what will you be giving a miss to?

My First Loot Crate (July)

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I recently posted about my last Nerd Block, having tried it for 3 months. However, not liking to go too long without geekery, I had already signed up to Loot Crate. This is something Rhiannon has been getting for a while and it looked interesting. With a 10% off code and the promise of Villains, July sounded like a great month to start!

As I took everything out, in order to take pictures, I have to admit to being hugely amused by the box. I really think its great when boxes like this put that little extra effort into things.

As awesome as this box was, again it just wasn’t for me! First up there were some Deadpool socks – a villain I am not at all familiar with, despite liking Marvel Comics. These went straight to Chris as I knew he’d get some use out of them. Next came a comic, which I believe is GotG, specifically Rocket Racoon. I have no idea if Nat is into GotG but I’ll definitely be offering this comic as an addition to her growing collection! Next there were a couple of really cool Joker/Harley Quinn posters. These still aren’t really me, but I can at least appreciate their awesomeness. Again, these were gifted to Chris, though he doesn’t know it yet since I’ll be framing them and placing them in his office! The last few bits included a DVD (which sadly is Region 1, as Loot Box is US, but I’m hoping might play on the computer), a Bowser magnet (I can like AND use this), a Loot Box badge/bin and a Darth Vader keyring.

Finally, and not really that surprisingly, I love the tee that came in the box! While I’m neither a huge Joker or Loki fan, I do think they are fantastic villains. This “Joki” t-shirt is awesome and I will absolutely wear it!

Although the box contents are great, they still just aren’t me. Of course, like with the other boxes, I’m going to stick it out for a couple more, but right now I’m still searching for the box that suits me and my geekery!

Addiction – #1 T-shirts

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I’ve not been massively active on my blog this week as unfortunately I’ve been ill. However that has given me some time to think about a few posts I’ve wanted to make. This one sees a new feature, that will come up as and when I think of anything. Welcome to Addiction…

Addiction Number 1 is t-shirts.
My name is Bel Smith and I am a t-shirt addict. It’s been five minutes since my last purchase…

Just over a year ago, my brother bought me a t-shirt from a website called TeeFury. He’d mentioned the site to me a couple of times but I’d never really taken much notice, until he got me this t-shirt.

The basic concept of the site is that one t-shirt is printed every day and is only available for those 24 hours. Once its gone, its gone. Artists submit their original work, usually mashups of two tv shows, two movies, two games etc. and so they’re not t-shirts you’ll find everywhere else. That’s not to say you won’t find them elsewhere, but just not in the high street shops. The site usually features most mainstream fandoms, so if you’re a typical geek then you’ll love it. I have the site bookmarked on my browser and check it daily (see? addicted!).

Over the past 12-13 months, I have purchased all these t-shirts from TeeFury:

In this selection there are references to; How I Met Your Mother, Game of Thrones, Big Bang Theory, Dr Horrible’s Sing-along-blog, Wizard of Oz, Beatles, Iron Man, Iron Giant, Indiana Jones, Bubble Bobble, Walking Dead, Geek Symbols, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Alice in Wonderland and Dr Who. Looking at it, this covers vast majority of my fandoms.

However my addiction isn’t limited to just TeeFury. Oh no. A few months later I found another site called Qwertee. This is a UK based site (or at least Europe somewhere), whereas TeeFury is US. The prices are very similar at $11 plus $4 for TeeFury and £8 plus £2.50 for Qwertee. That said, Qwertee t-shirts do come a lot faster than TeeFury (location of course) and Qwertee’s t-shirts also come with free Haribo!

Sometimes you see duplicates across the two sites of course – artists submit to as many sites as possible I imagine – but often you also get a lot of new stuff. The advantage even to duplicates is that if you missed it on one site, you often can catch it on the other.

My Qwertee collection looks like this:

Here you have references to; Game of Thrones, Thor, Iron Man, Ghost Rider, Nightmare before Christmas, Captain America, Disney, Walking Dead, Care Bears, Avengers, Princess Bride, Harry Potter, Sherlock, Doctor Who, Supernatural, Lord of the Rings, Tea & Coffee, How I Met Your Mother, Monsters Inc. and Wikipedia.

If I’m not at work, you can just about guarantee I’m wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. At roughly £10 a t-shirt I have no problem buying these tops as and when I see ones I like. Though it may seem like a lot, if you consider that there is a t-shirt a day, over two sites, for at least the last year – I’ve done pretty well to only have about thirty five tops in total. Mind you, that’s not to say I haven’t bought other t-shirts.

These t-shirts above are ones I have bought from other places, not Qwertee or TeeFury. Not all of them are “original artwork” like the other two sites, but they’re still pretty unique. The “I am a Muggle” tee is from TruffleShuffle, while the Avengers one is from Play.com. True Story, the Toy Story and HIMYM mashup, along with the Ravenclaw Qudditch team one, are both from RedBubble (both ones I missed originally on TeeFury). Finally the GoT meets Street Fighter (or similar games) mashup is from a site I’m relatively new to called RIPT.

While these are a look at all my current owns, I have to admit that I’ve recently stumbled onto a billion more sites to keep an eye on. I probably shouldn’t be encouraging anyone else to get addicted, but if you love fandoms and t-shirts anywhere near as much as me – and if you can definitely appreciate a good mashup plus original artwork – these are the places to look at.

24 Hour Tees
TeeFury – $11 tees (plus ability to pick 1 of 3 colours), long established and offering a good rate of postage
Qwertee – £8 tees, long established, cheap postage and free sweets!
RIPT Apparel – $10 a top, also offering kids t-shirts, hoodies, iphone covers etc. good postage rate.
Shirt Punch – Pop Culture or TV – basically 2 sites but 3 designs, t-shirts, hoodies, iphone cases, posters etc. Starts a $10 and reasonable postage.
Shirt Woot (part of a whole Woot site) – $12, not sure about postage, lots of other designs also available but varying prices. Other products also available on one day Woot.
TeeVillain – a very very new site that I haven’t yet ordered anything from (opened only this week). Basically designs all featuring Villains. $11 each.

Slightly longer, but no more than 2-3 days
Epic Embrace – 48 hour tees. $11
The Yetee – 48 hours. $11 (other tees available)
OtherTees – 3 days. $11
TeeTee – 72 hours. €12
NwB – 3.5 day tees. $12 tee, $32 hoodie (other tees available)

Other sites to check out, with longer listings or more variety than one design
Pop Up Tee
Tee Turtle
Freshly Brewed Tee

However if you can’t be bothered to check all these, every day. Go here: Shirtoid

Shirtoid is basically a site that rounds up all the cool tees and puts them in one place. It features links to the one t-shirt a day sites, the every few days t-shirts and even the ones that are there longer term. It links to Redbubble artists shops, along with artist shops on other sites. Its also followable on Facebook and Twitter.

Now go, go! What are you waiting for? Go find yourself a really Legen… wait for it… dary T-shirt!!