The Gallery 93 - Friends

This week's Gallery Prompt at from the lovely Tara over at Sticky Fingers is  Friends.

I thought I would show a picture of my friend Donna's wedding in 2008. I have known for around 17 years and I was honoured to be one of her bridesmaids, and the other bridesmaid is my friend Lee-ann, who is in the middle and I went to high school with Lee-ann. They have both been two of my of my closest friends for many years.

Childrens Book Review - Sir Scallywag and the Golden Underpants

SIR SCALLYWAG and the GOLDEN UNDERPANTS by GILES ANDREAE & KORKY PAUL

Description:- When King Colin's golden pants go missing, he calls for Sir Scallywag, the bravest knight in the land. But… Sir Scallywag is only 6 years old and with an evil giant to pursue, it's nearly mission impossible! Luckily, it's a story of David and Goliath. With his trusted steed Doofus at his side, Sir Scallywag proves that even the unlikeliest hero can be the bravest knight of all.

Packed with pants and laugh out-loud silliness, this comic adventure will make your little ones laugh and smile.

Competition Winners Are .....

I used Random.org to pick a winner for the Follower Love Giveaway Hop and the winner is ..

Jenni, Congratulations you win the Stefan Diaries books 1-4. I will send you an email. If you can get back to me asap I will get this sent out to you. If I do not hear back within 7 days I will redraw.

I used Random.org to pick a winner for the A Witch In Winter Competition and the winner is ..

Claire, Congratulations you win a copy of A Witch In Winter. I will send you an email. If you can get back to me asap I will get this sent out to you. If I do not hear back within 7 days I will redraw.

Thank you to everyone who has entered. Sorry you can't all win.

#silentsunday

Little Dish - The Quest For Tiny Tasters

Does your little one know his penne from his farfalle? Does she know her mind when it comes to what tastes delicious – and what doesn’t? Little Dish is looking for six kids with discerning palates to join their team of recipe testers.

Funny Things My Child Says....

I was asking the boys the other day where certain types of food comes from that was in the fridge:-

Me:- "Where do eggs come from?"

Lucas:- "Chickens." (thanks Ben and Holly)

Me:- "Where does chicken that you are eating come from?"

Lucas:- "The Supermarket."

Me:- "Ok, fair enough but it comes from a chicken first." 

Me:- "Where does Pepperoni come from?"

The Boys:- "Pizza Hut."

I couldn't help but laugh. I need to teach my children more about the origins of food clearly. 

Tyler was jumping about yesterday morning straight from his bed and wasn't sitting at peace, for a second:-

Me:- "Tyler, do you have ants in your pants?"

Tyler:- Looks at my puzzled, "No mum, I don't have any pants on."

How can you say anything to that.

Children really do say the funniest of things. 

Author Interview - Kerrianne Coombes

Today on my blog I have a very lovely friend of mine, Kerrianne Coombes. Her debut novel was published yesterday called Running Home. She kindly agreed to do an interview for me. Over to Kerrianne:-

The Gallery 92 - Landscapes

This week's Gallery Prompt at from the lovely Tara over at Sticky Fingers is  Landscapes.

I had many pictures I could have used for this, but the one I chose to use was this one. This is the landscape from the edge of the beach at Whitely Bay. This was our last family holiday last year taken in August. Lucas had the chicken pox, so we didn't get out as much as we would have liked. However, the beach and the lighthouse was one of our favourite places to visit.

One Boy And His Love Of Pigs

Anyone who follows me on twitter will know how much my youngest Tyler, who turned 3 last month, is obsessed with pigs. He loves them, soft ones, toys, clothes, in books, the television, you name it he loves it. I have no idea where this obsession came from as his favourite toy from when he was a baby was a stuffed penguin he got at Edinburgh zoo. He still has it and it still goes to bed with him, but he is surrounded by his piggy entrouage. 

We tried to take him to Tollcross Farm which is quite close to us for his birthday as we were told they had some pigs. We went and they weren't out. He wasn't too upset but kept saying piggy over and over again. I felt so guilty and that I'd ruined his birthday, but explained we would go again soon. So on Saturday we decided to make the trip to see if the pigs were out. I made sure I pre-warned him that they might not be out as there was a lot of hail and some snow. He was ok with that but you could see his little face light up when we told him where we were going. 

I asked him what he would like to wear. Big mistake. He promptly went to the wardrobe and pulled out his piggy outfit. "Mummy I want to wear this to see the piggies." Ok, how can I argue with the cutness of this outfit.  His dad on the other hand didn't think we could leave the house with said dressing up outfit on. But was amazed when no one seemd to bat an eyelid at it. 

Blog Tour For Carlyle Labuschagne

I would like to welcome the lovely Carlyle Labuschange to my blog today as part of her The Broken Destiny Revealed Tour. She as agreed to do an interview for us today.

#silentsunday

A Witch In Winter - Review, Interview And Giveaway

Description (Amazon):- Anna Winterson doesn't know she's a witch and would probably mock you for believing in magic, but after moving to the small town of Winter with her father, she learns more than she ever wanted to about power. When Anna meets Seth, she is smitten, but when she enchants him to love her, she unwittingly amplifies a deadly conflict between two witch clans and splits her own heart in two. She wants to love Seth, to let him love her - but if it is her magic that's controlling his passion, then she is as monstrous as the witch clan who are trying to use her amazing powers for their own gain.

When love is tangled up in magic, how can you be sure what's real? 

I have an interview with the author Ruth Warburton, my review on the book and a copy to giveaway to one lucky reader.

Fish Is The Dish - Youngs Frozen Fish

Just before Christmas the nice people at Young's Seafood and the lovely people from Fish Is The Dish sent us through some frozen fish fillets, fish cakes, fish fingers, fish pie, and easy cook fish pieces to pop in our freezer. Perfect for this time of year when the shops are busy and time is tight. 

We always have fish in our freezer but its normally some salmon fillets, muscles and prawns. The problem I find with those however is they need defrosted in advance, which means remembering to take them out. The Young's range does not need to be it can be cooked from frozen. Perfect for a busy mum when time is tight and you still want a healthy meal for your family. 

I have never had fish curry before, so we thought we would make that one Sunday evening, when we had been out all day with the boys. We didn't make the curry sauce from scratch, we normally do but as I said we'd been out all day.

The Gallery 91 - Embarrassing Outfits

This week's Gallery Prompt at from the lovely Tara over at Sticky Fingers is Embarrassing Outfits.

I don't really have many pictures of myself when I was younger, this one actually belongs to a friend of mine, who's mother took the photo. I was playing at my friends house at the time. I know it's the 80's, shhhh, but what was my mother thinking?

Review - Gumtree Daily Deals

At the beginning of the year I was asked to try out Gumtree Deals. I had never heard of them before, I thought Gumtree was the place to sell unwanted goods. I was wrong, it is also a great site for buying items at fantastic prices.

I had a look at the deals and decided on a pair of gorgeous shoes which originally cost £44.99 from Little Miss Rubab for a jaw dropping £12. A perfect bargain I think. Ordering was so easy, I got a voucher code emailed to me and instructions on how to use the code on the Little Miss Rubab site. The shoes were delivered within two weeks which isn't bad for shoes. The only thing I have to say is that they weren't packaged very well, but that is Little Miss Rubab rather than Gumtree, whom I cannot fault.

#silentsunday

Cybher Meet and Greet

I am so excited to be going to Cybher the fabulous new conference for women who blog. The gorgeous and lovely Sian has set up a ‘Meet and Greet’ over at Geek is the New Chic, so here's mine....

Name: Susan

Blogs: SusanKMann

Twitter ID: @susankmann

Height: 5'4" and a half, yes that half makes a difference.

Hair: Brown, long, straight, very straight.

Five things you should know about me: 

1. I have a thick Scottish accent. 
2. I have two boys aged 3 and 5. 
3. I like to hug, but I'm quite shy. 
4. My eye sight is very bad and wear glasses. 
5. I try to see the best in everyone. 

Are you going to CybHer12? Do say hello and add your Meet and Greet to the linky.

Book Review - Divergent by Veronica Roth

Description:- In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series--dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Baking Mad - A Valentine's Gingerbread House

In January of this year I was chatting to the lovely Jessie's Crazy Kitchen on twitter about Gingerbread houses. I had never made one before and really wanted to. It is even on my list of things to do before I turned 40. So we challenged each other to make one for each special occasion this year. First up being Valentine's Day. 

When I was picked as 1 of the 15 lucky bloggers for the Baking Mad Valentine's Blogger Competition and was sent this box of lovely goodies, I had to put them to good use on my Gingerbread house. 

The Gallery 90 - A Family Story

This week's Gallery Prompt at from the lovely Tara over at Sticky Fingers is A Family Story.

This photo was taken in the February of 2003. This was the first time my dad, who is second from the right, and his brothers had been all together for ten years. They had seen each other individually, etc but never all together. My dad and his younger brother lived in Scotland, but his youngest in England and his oldest lives in California. Making it a bit difficult to get together all that often. 

Follower Love Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Follower Love Giveaway Hop on my blog, this Hop is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not a Writer and Rachael Renee Anderson's site.

There are over 300 blogs participating in this hop, so don't forget to check them out. The hop runs from the 7th February until midnight of the 14th February.

I am giving away a set of the Stefan Diaries books 1-4.

All you have to do to enter is follow my blog via one of the methods on the right hand side, either email, Networked Blogs, GFC or Facebook leave a comment saying which one and a way to contact you if you win. This is an International giveaway.

And The Winner Of The Young Adult Giveaway Hop Is...

I used Random.org to pick a winner for the Young Adult Giveaway Hop and the winner is ..

Cindy Macbeth, Congratulations. I will send you an email. If you can get back to me asap I will get this sent out to you. If I do not hear back within 7 days I will redraw.

Thank you to everyone who has entered. Sorry you can't all win.

Writing Workshop - Second

This is my entry for the lovely Josie's Writing Workshop over at Sleep is for the Weak.

This week the prompt is "Second". Here is my poem for that prompt.

Book Review - Fracture by Megan Miranda

Description (Goodreads):- Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine-despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.

#silentsunday

My List of Things To Do Before I'm 40

I was tagged by the lovely theboyandme, in her post my list of things to do before I'm 40. I am still 6 years away from this target but it is creeping up there. 

Here are the things I'd like to achieve by the time I reach the big 40, not 100% sure I will do them but here goes.

1. Go to New York
2. Go to California
3. Go to Canada
4. Have my own novel published
5. Win a short story competition
6. Get the loft converted
7. Beat depression once and for all

Fish Is The Dish - Smoked Paprika Cod & Pea Mash

I was sent through some Wild Cod Fillets Fillets from the wonderful John Milne at Delish Fish. Now these are some awesome fillets, look how good they look.

The lovely Fish is the Dish people sent me through a recipe for Cod Bobotie, which includes a lot of eggs. It looks amazing, but making it and eating it wasn't something I could make and eat so I made something a little different with the awesome cod fillets, but why not have a go yourself.

Our Best Family Holiday... So Far

I thought I'd tell you all about our favourite family holiday, for a chance to win a summer holiday with the fantastic Thomson Al Fresco and Tots 100.

In May of 2008 we went on our first family holiday abroad . We went to Elenite in Bulgaria. We hadn't been before and it was not long opened so we thought we'd give it a go. Lucas was only 1 year and 5 months, so just toddling about and getting into everything. 

It was 3 hour flight, late at night so we put the little guy in his pj's at the air point and he was as good as gold on the plane. 

Elenite, is a complex which is inclusive, it has a main restaurant in the hotel section but also a few other restaurants throughout the complex, including a hot dog stand which became a popular lunch time stop. The food I have to say wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. I had quite a bit of morning sickness as I has just found out I was pregnant with Tyler, so that might have put me off a little. It was buffet style which was great for giving Lucas a wide variety. 

100 Word Count Challenge - Week 29

I missed last week's prompt, I really am swamped with everything just now, need to get back to it. But I'm back for now and long may it continue!! Here is the twenty-eighth post of the 100 WC for Grown ups. It is a weekly challenge for all those writers who want to extend their audience to get feedback on their work.

This is this week's prompt is "Wednesday" and to be done in 100 words.

Here is my take on the prompt:-

"What day is it?"

"Wednesday." 

"Shoot." I said, dashing through to the living room. I pulled out my casting equipment. 

I created my circle using chalk and walking deosil around the floor. Next, I chalked the symbols for earth, air, fire and waters at the compass. 

I lit the candles using my powers. Having only been a witch for 2 years, this still amazes me. 

I sat down in the middle of the circle. Nate walked in, "What are you twitching your nose for this time?" 

Rolling my eyes, I replied; "its Amaya’s surgery, I hope I’m not too late.”

The Gallery 89 - Me Right Now

This week's Gallery Prompt at from the lovely Tara over at Sticky Fingers is Me Right Now. 


I took these pictures on Sunday when I spent the day with the boys and their scalextric they got for their Christmas. I was a track building and a member, or should that be the only member of the pit crew.