The Scribbles of GirltaristHan

So this post is a bit like verbal puke. There are posts out there where people have felt the need to get on their soapbox and speak out about who they are and what their blog is about. I was going to link to them to try and explain what I mean but I can only find one and it seems mean to single that one out.

Normally on a Friday I adopt the prompts from The Little Things We Do and join in with Fill In The Blanks Friday. I normally love this post and I haven’t stopped loving it but I think I’ve got stuck in a rut – I always post the same things on the same days and schedule my posts around that but actually some days it just needs to happen.

At the end of last year I think I decided that posting every day would get me more readers or more commentors or something like that. It might have worked but clearly I don’t have the knack. Over the last two weeks or so I’ve been asking myself if I should give up blogging – I’ve been doing it about 5 or 6 years – maybe it’s time to call it quits and give up.

Then again something occurred to me today. I think I get bogged down in what everyone else is doing – I thought if I commented on lots of blogs then I’d get lots of comments back and then people would spread the word about my blog and it would be amazing. It also occurred to me that I’m so busy trying to fit in a box that my brain (and bones!) hurt. When I comment I’d also add a link to my most recent post rather than just to my general site – is this a good move or a bad move – what do you think?

I don’t wear cute outfits everyday like some bloggers, I’m not on a funky diet that turns my poo a funny colour or makes me lose lots of weight. I’m not a vegetarian or vegan although some days I do wonder if it would be a good idea. I’m a married twenty something who wants to keep writing but feels like she’s whispering in a thunderstorm some days. Maybe I’ve lost my way as a blogger – but do I want to still write – yes, am I disheartened that I’m not sure what I write is being read – yes. I’m sure I can spend hundreds of pounds on blogging tips and texts books but it’s not going to happen. So are you there? Are you listening world? I’m here and I want to get to know you not the 200 spam comments I get on a weekly basis!

Anyway, times up gtg – catch you later.

I had a horrible day yesterday – to the point that I was in tears twice. I seem to spend each week charging towards the weekend – the weekend comes and goes and then I dive head first into the next week and wonder where a whole month has gone. I wanted to take part in Moofix Chronicles competition this month but I just haven’t managed it – 3000 words isn’t alot in the grand scheme (having done NaNoWriMo) and so it is more than possible if I can managed to fit the writing in. It can be done right?)

Ruby sent me a link to this on a tweet – how is it that this girl is the other side of the world and she just knows when I need encouragement – she’s so fab!

 

1.  Something that is very near and dear to my heart is, my family they are all so super special to me.

2.  Birthdays are a good cause to celebrate .

3.  The most fun I ever had was  the time that we went to the bottle bank to recycle a bunch of bottles and jars (why is it so much fun smashing glass like that?!?) then going for a drive but the person in the passenger seat was blindfolded and had to guess where we were. I think when it was my turn I was in the back of the car which made it even more disorientating and I still managed to guess which was really strange! It sounds really freaky but it is seriously fun.

4.  True friends are the ones who call you just to chat. Or take a 10 mile detour on their way home to see you (Done this two or three times now). The ones who throw you a surprise birthday party (especially when you think life is too busy to both with a birthday party!). The ones who are there for you when you need them.

5. Something that makes me terribly happy is hanging out with Our Sidekick and when I hug my Grandma and she comments about how lovely my hugs are and clearly I’m not too old for a Grandma hug!

6. A good way to spend a sunny day is hanging out in the garden doing stuff whether it’s gardening like last weekend or just chilling and bouncing around on the trampoline.

7.  My favorite celebratory food is doughnuts or muffins – I’m not sure which though. (Why is it doughnut in the UK but donut in the US??)

Hey

So having posted about being overwhelmed I accidentally on purpose gave myself a blog holiday – part of it was being too busy to blog, part of it was not being bothered to blog and part of it was writer’s block.

Then again I’ve been brewing up a storm – I have a new idea for something and am trying to think up a name so that I can get a blog/website started to spread the word.

In the last 10 days I’ve had alsorts on including Our Sidekick’s birthday which including setting up an email account and a Facebook Account and all the other bits that come with that.

I had a second phone call/meeting about the idea which was super exciting, that same day I hung out with my Dad at The Fountain and drank hot chocolate while being taught how to play card games that I’m sure my Dad has taught me in the past but it was good to hang out and be taught them again.

I’ve then been off sick this afternoon from work. I hate having to do it but I just couldn’t get my brain through the fog to work – I managed to complete enough of my stuff that I didn’t feel too bad about leaving. I came home and took up residence on the sofa and worked my way through recorded TV. I’ll have to see how I’m doing in the morning as to whether or not I go to work in the morning. Normally I’m there trying to work through it and end up feeling worse and dragging the cold out – this time I’ve come home on the first day of properly feeling it and hopefully if I stay home tomorrow as well it will be enough to shake it rather than dragging it out – oh well let’s see how I feel in the morning.

How are you all doing?

I think the weather is sending me a bit loopy. It’s been so dark and grey that I think my brain thinks we’re heading towards Christmas quicker than we are or something.

My colleague at work was on holiday for a fortnight and I think if Chris hadn’t been working 50-60 hour weeks at The Fountain I might have felt more in a better place all week. I’ve felt frazzled and like a whole week has flown by and I’ve not achieved anything because I jump from one thing to the next.

With all the craziness that seems to be happening I feel like this…….

 

Source: iwastesomuchtime.com via Emily on Pinterest

Yup I think I am at the point that a duvet day would be amazing – I might have to kick the boys out on Monday morning to make sure I get a lie in (You hear that boys!!)

*————-*

I’d started this post at the beginning of last week when I genuinely thought my head was going to explode because there was just so much going on in it.

By Saturday I was feeling better and had thought about not posting this. I’ve been reading a bunch of posts on other blogs about being genuine and remembering that live isn’t 100% rainbows and butterflies all the time so I decided I’m going to leave this and post it anyway.

1.  My bedtime routine includes cleaning my teeth, reading and checking social networks (Twitter/FB/Instagram) and some times doing two at once – like I’ve stood with my Kindle in my left hand while I brush my teeth with my right hand.

2.   I am weary but excited at the moment. The day job and clearing up behind the boys is making me tired but I’m excited about some prospects on the horizon.

3.  I can’t stand spicy food because I am a wimp! Lol When it comes to curry I eat Korma which is like the mild-est one on the menu. I won’t even try Thai because it’s so spicy! Things like Enchiladas, Chris has to put less spice in (or none) because otherwise I can’t eat it.

4. My idea of relaxation would be raspberry ice tea, my reading book curled up in a hammock in the garden (or curled up on the sofa with my duvet)

5. If I had an extra £50, I would probably put it into my idea fund. I want to start saving money towards it. (If you want to know what the idea is you’ll need to get in touch not shouting it about right now).

6. The best thing about a bloggy friend is they are seriously fab and seriously cool. When I got excited about my idea last week it was two blog/twitter friends that I told first – the third person was someone I knew in person and then via their blog/twitter (it’s a bit complicated but it does make sense!)

7.  A recipe I’ve been dying to try is whoopies or macaroons. These things that come in the most amazing colours.

April

Books Read
Divergent by Veronica Roth
The Radleys by Matt Haig
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Heat Wave by Richard Castle

Films Watched
Avengers Assemble
50/50
Big
Mirror Mirror

Month in Bullets

• I celebrated my birthday and my friends organised a surprise party for me – it was so good!
• The Fountain Opened!!! So exciting but mega stressful!
• My colleague was on holiday for two weeks so I was covering customer service at work pretty much by myself – had some help from some of my colleagues but some said they’d help and then really didn’t. (On the other other hand some of them spent whole days sat at our “island” to help me out – rock on!)
• Got some awesome presents including a bunch of books because my Mum couldn’t get them for my kindle. My brother bought me the box set of Seasons 1 to 4 of The Big Bang Theory.
• I’ve come up with a small business idea and I’m working on fleshing out the idea. Well hopefully anyway.

At work I have a notepad for all my work notes, occasionally I end up with a page full of scribbles of blog post ideas – mainly because I can’t write at work but know that if I don’t make note of it then by the time I get home I will have completely and utterly forgotten about the random ideas.

Has our definition of celebrity changed? I sometimes get recognised before my blog which is kind of what I want but at the same time I get all embarrassed about it. The most recent time was when I was helping out at opening of The Fountain at the beginning of April and someone who regularly comments on here said hello to me while I served him and his wife (or maybe girlfriend I’m not sure) and all the girls commented on their adorable little baby.

Does social media affect “in person” friendships? I keep trying not to use “in real life” to describe friendships that started or are away from social media because it’s all in real life just sometimes there is a computer or mobile phone that facilities the friendship (if that make sense!). On the other hand, my in person friend Libs used a private Facebook Event to coordinate my surprise birthday party – so Social Media does have its uses!

BGT – Me and Our Sidekick regularly discuss would we audition for BGT or The Voice? I say The Voice every time mainly on the basis that if I was bad or got a slagging from the judges on BGT it’s not only national now – just look how viral the good acts go – what if my audition was shown as a bad one and went viral for being horrifically bad!

Are pop songs getting ruder or is it just me? I did tweet about this last week and got a few responses but I wanted to see if there were more opinions out there. In the office I work in we have BBC Radio 1on most days. When I have the choice I flick it over to Radio 2 (well most of the day apart from a particular lunchtime slot that bores us all!) and listen to that – when song were clean and you could play them to your mum without dying of embarrassment.

The ebook petition – why are paperbacks etc VAT free but eBooks aren’t? I learnt about the petition from Katie’s blog but have noticed since getting my Kindle that the price are sometimes more than their printed counterpart (Especially when the publisher creates a set price for the Kindle version – Do Nook users have this same issue with Barnes and Noble? Or similar store?)

My friend Hazel Fairy sent this video on Facebook today……

oh, great god, be small enough to hear me now
there were times when i was crying
from the dark of daniel’s den
and i have asked you once or twice
if you would part the sea again
but tonight i do not need a fiery pillar in the sky
just wanna know you’re gonna hold me if i start to cry
oh, great god, be small enough to hear me now

oh, great god, be close enough to feel you now
there have been moments when i could not
face goliath on my own
and how could i forget we’ve marched around
our share of jerichos
but i will not be setting out a fleece for you tonight
just wanna know that everything will be alright
oh great god, be close enough to feel you now

all praise and all honor be
to the god of ancient mysteries
whose every sign and wonder turn the pages of our history
but tonight my heart is heavy
and i cannot keep from whispering this prayer
“are you there?”

and i know you could leave writing on the wall
thats just for me
or send wisdom while i’m sleeping,
like in soloman’s sweet dreams
but i don’t need the strength of samson
or a chariot in the end
just want to know that you still know how many hairs
are on my head
oh great god, be small enough to hear me now

 

(Source)

N is for…

Nelly Furtado

Clearly I’m still getting the hang of this Mum thing. Each morning Our Sidekick has a list of things he has to do before school. Along the lines of:

• Shower (if needed)
• Get dressed
• Comb hair
• Have breakfast
• Put breakfast bits back in the kitchen
• Feed guinea pigs
• Change the guinea pigs water

To me this isn’t complicated – it’s pretty clear what needs to be done in the morning. Well this morning I went downstairs to see if my black work trousers were in the clean laundry pile – well they weren’t there but at the same time there was a bunch of clean washing all over the floor and had been merged with the dirty washing that had been abandoned on the floor next to it last night (instead of in the big blue Ikea bag in front of the machine – there is a different reason to why the dirty washing was in the wrong place but now it’s all merged and I’m annoyed!)

Click Image for Source

I grabbed my brown pinstripe trousers (which need the seam sewing up! Someone remind me!) and got dressed – at this point in time getting to work was more important that dealing with the mess. I went into the living room to grab my handbag and there was Our Sidekick’s breakfast bowl and plate (Clearly he had cereal and toast this morning).

I texted Chris with “I take ignoring instructions as disrespectful. Therefore at least one person in our house will be doing his own washing and cleaning until he realises it. Breakfast bowl left out again and clean washing across the floor”. It’s going to be a pain if we get to the weekend and then he needs school uniform and it hasn’t been done but at the same time it becomes his responsibility to do it on Friday when he gets in from school (just like I do when I get in from work). It’ll also be a pain if we all need the machine at the same time but having had a housemate and one washing machine I think we managed to get round it. I spend a chunk of my weekend doing chores when I’d rather be sleeping, improving my baking skills or watching movies and I do chores to make sure that Chris has uniform to wear to work and Our Sidekick has uniform to wear to school.

I don’t want to be bad cop but at the same time the house doesn’t tidy itself and both me and Chris work full time so we all have to do our share. Am I being unreasonable? Answers on a postcard please…..