52 Books in 52 weeks – September

So sorry this is running so late everyone. I know, I know, naughty me, but I have been somewhat distracted for the last while so I haven’t got around to this.

Here is the list 🙂

Number	Title	Author
36 – Sep 1-7	Unhinged	Howard, A.G.
37 – Sep 8-14	Royal Exile – Valisar Trilogy	McIntosh, Fiona
38 – Sep 15-21	A Tyrant’s Blood – Valisar Trilogy	McIntosh, Fiona
39 – Sep 22-28	King’s Wrath – Valisar Trilogy	McIntosh, Fiona

I had the BEST month of reading!!!

Unhinged – A.G. Howard

Does the author sound familiar? Perhaps that is because I read Howard’s first title in this series “Splintered” last month, yup turns out that this is a series. The second book I enjoyed not quite as much as the first, this time most of the book is set in the real world. The storyline is well worked out and written and once again I adored the character or Morpheus. However where with the first book you could have easily read it and then not have to go on to the second, that is not possible with the second as it has a massive cliff-hanger… dammit!

Valisar Trilogy – Fiona McIntosh

Okay I suppose I should preface this review by saying that I am a huge fan of Fiona McIntosh’s work (except that Myrren’s Gift series, I just cannot get into that series – have tried 3 times now haha). For years her Trinity series were my favourite books, I adored the Percheron series and now this series… well…

The characters were great, I think the development and depth to Loethar was my favourite. I have to say though that across all three books there was quite a bit of “consuming” in general. For the most part it was vital to the plot though so I could overlook it, I guess you could say it was needfully bloodthirsty 🙂 Very well done though, strangely the only time it really grossed me out was when they were “consuming” hair and nails – please don’t ask me to explain why I find this grosser than general human eating because I do not have any kind of reasonable response to that.

Some of the plot lines I got, but not all of them – I always love when that happens. There were a couple of nice twists in the final book. To have to understand the development etc. with Leo I think I would have to read it again because I am unsure as to what happened here honestly – which I am aware is a vague critique, but I am trying to avoid spoilers 🙂 I really liked the character Kilt Faris (who was pretty much Robin Hood right?) until right towards the end of the final book, I guess the whole love at first sight thing is plausible and all, but I just didn’t really buy it and the whole “consuming” thing… oh just not going there.

Let’s go back to my short and sweet reviews shall we… Love Fiona McIntosh. Loved this trilogy even though there were some things I would pick on from it 🙂 If you love good fantasy then give this a whirl! Please note that this is definitely a book aimed at adults. Although to be honest if your tween got through the Hunger Games they should be fine, read it yourself first 🙂

And so we go into October (well technically we are almost done with October, but shhh)… so many books… so little time.

Upcycle – Birdcage succulent planter

One day I came across a beautiful vintage look birdcage that was a bit worse for wear and so had been cast onto the corner for garbage pick up. I loved the style of it and thought it would be a terrible waste to send it to the dump so I grabbed it and took it home. I have always loved the idea of upcycling and I decided I was going to figure out a way to make this into a beautiful planter.

Here is what I was starting with. Meanwhile check out the little photobomber I just discovered haha.

I have no idea what this horrid, tacky, stubborn, pink, sticky crap was, but it was everywhere and a pain in the butt to remove!!! I resorted to an old toothbrush, boiling water and detergent, followed up with some alcohol wipes.

Evil pink stuff

So once it was all clean and pretty it was time to decide what I was going to do with it. I had a vision of creating a succulent planter. The idea being that in time the succulents will grow and poke out through/overhang the bars. So I went shopping…

My haul 🙂

Then it was time to find out if what was in my head would translate well to real life [I should note that I know others have done this successfully, but I was doing it without any instructions from any of those people 🙂 ]. I lined the base with Coconut fibre to stop the soil from falling straight through the bottom of the cage.

Make sure you compress it well. I tried to make mine a bit like a nest with the edges raised.

Then I added in the succulent planting mix and my succulents. Here are some photos of the finished product 🙂

 

I chose succulents that would spread, grow and hang out between the bars nicely as well as flower in different colours.

 

 

I am very proud of my first upcycle attempt. Especially considering there were no instructions… I am happy to report that there were no pieces leftover post construction 🙂

The Metformin Effect

I want to talk side effects. Not to be confused with special effects which are which are commonly attributed to huge explosions or amazing action sequences in films directed by the likes of Joss Whedon, Michael Bay or James Cameron who I still haven’t forgiven for Avatar – all you did was give Pocahontas and her people Argyria and have them do questionable things with their tails. Thank you for Dark Angel though, that was awesome!

I digress (although not entirely because technically Argyria is a side effect of being exposed to chemical compounds *oh man I have my nerdy Librarian glasses on today bigtime hahaha*), back to side effects.

You can purchase this from etsy https://www.etsy.com/listing/120624654/nerdy-girl-glasses-locket-reads-reading?ref=shop_home_active

So I have been happily taking my Metformin for several weeks now and I have noticed some side effects. Some of which have been quite good, others not so good and after chatting to a friend who as it turns out has the exact same diagnosis as I do and the same meds I discovered more side effects that I hadn’t yet linked to the Metformin.:

 

What is your favourite colour jelly bean?

I hope this is helpful to those of you dealing with these side effects.

200+ Followers & Liebster Award

Hello my friends! I have amazing news, I have just cracked 200 followers woohoo! That was one of my blogging goals for the year and I did it hooray!

What I wanted to do today was thank some awesome people who have nominated me for the Liebster Award, thanks to Joel from Chesapeake films and Elfypie. I know it took me time to get to this and I am very sorry, I certainly feel slack, but I am doing it 🙂 Watch me go 🙂

Here are my answers to Joel’s questions:

1. Why Blogging?

Because I love to write, I love to tell stories and share experiences and if I don’t write for a long period of time I feel fidgety and weird. It is part of who I am and I felt blogging was a good way to go. I love that people read my blog and get something out of it, it makes me strive to be regular with posting and I am getting so much out of it.

I have met so many amazing people through blogging, I have made connections with others based on writing, sense of humour, similar pursuits etc. and it has been wonderful. One of my favourite things is guest blogging for others, I don’t know why, but I just love doing it!

(Also number seven from the next lot of questions 🙂 )

2. Twitter or FB?

FB – I cannot be limited to 140 characters haha.

3. Has there ever been a book that made you cry?

I can’t really think of one off the top of my head, but I am sure I have. Possibly (SPOILER ALERT) when Beth dies in Little Women, that part gets me every time.

4. What was the last meal you prepared from scratch?

Pancakes on Saturday om nom nom nom they was sooo good!

5. If you could go back in time, would you change anything?

I would have done my Librarian degree earlier and started trying for babies as soon as I met my Husband 🙂

6. Do you believe in “the road less travelled?

I prefer “The Road Not Taken” by Frost.

7. Robin Williams…go!

I am positive Joel wrote this question with me in mind. This man is magnificence personified. His genius has so many layers, it is just endless. I cannot even think of an all-encompassing word to describe him anywhere near accurately. Dead Poets Society made me fall in love with poetry, Aladdin made me believe in magic, What Dreams May Come made me believe in the power of love. He has been one of my heroes from a very young age. Due to his passing I am having a hard time with number 9 now 🙂

8. What was your worst experience while travelling?

When I was 14 I was in Fiji on holiday with my family and whilst my parents were at the pool and my brothers were at a coconut tree climbing class a man tried to force his way into my room.

9. What are the top three things on your bucket list?

* Having a coffee with Robin Williams

* Singing with Bette Midler

* Write a story and publish it (e or hardback) – I am actually working on this currently

She’s just divine!

10. Is it the journey or the destination?

The journey and more importantly who you take it with.

11. What do you do to unwind/to get rid of the toxins from the day, to vent out your frustrations/to clear your head?

Sing, sing, sing.

Here are my answers to Elfypie:

1. Favourite book?

Of all time? Oh man, this is such a hard question! Okay, I am going to choose two, that is probably against the rules, but you all know I am such a rebel 😛

So my TWO favourite books (of all time) are Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice.

Little Women I fall in love with the story every time I read it! Interview with the Vampire for pretty much the same reason, I adore Anne Rice’s writing, she has this amazing way of depicting people and places which makes the story come alive in your head.

2. Who inspires you?

My Mum is my biggest inspiration, all my life I have looked up to her and wanted to be as good a person as she is. She is so successful in so many aspects of life that it is impossible not to be inspired by her. She is a massive part of the reason I wanted to become a Librarian, to follow in her footsteps and without her my marks at Uni would not have been as good – great editor.

3. Music taste?

I am very eclectic, don’t ask me who my favourite band or singer is because it changes. At the moment I am loving Imagine Dragons, Pentatonix, Pink! (always loving Pink!) and Carrie Underwood – told you my taste was eclectic 🙂 I am also listening to a lot of Queen, ACDC, Adam Lambert and the song Titanium (working on a slow, kind of country version of it).

Queen ft Adam Lambert @ the Sydney concert. Best. Night. Ever.

4. What is your main ambition in life?

Man these are hard questions. My main ambition(s) (had to add the “s” sorry) are to be happy, to make others happy, to constantly work towards helping others become information literate and making them lifelong learners and to love my family with everything I have. I guess as part of this you could now add my goal to become a Mum, some people might not think much of that goal, but I don’t think much of those people 🙂

5. Dogs or cats?

I love both, but adore my 2 rescue puppies, they are such sweet and beautiful souls. I still can’t believe anyone abused and abandoned them! I don’t care that one of them is almost 10… they are still my puppies 🙂

6. Did you believe that the moon was made out of cheese when you were a kid?

No, but I did believe a man lived up there. Also… since he was in the sky and I thought heaven was in the clouds I kinda had this idea that he was in charge of looking after the people in heaven.

7. Why did you start blogging?

Because I love to write, I love to tell stories and share experiences and if I don’t write for a long period of time I feel fidgety and weird. It is part of who I am and I felt blogging was a good way to go. I love that people read my blog and get something out of it, it makes me strive to be regular with posting and I am getting so much out of it.

I have met so many amazing people through blogging, I have made connections with others based on writing, sense of humour, similar pursuits etc. and it has been wonderful. One of my favourite things is guest blogging for others, I don’t know why, but I just love doing it!

8. What are your top 3 qualities you look for in a person?

• Good heart
• Straight talk
• A giver not a taker

9. What is your favourite place?

Before my Grandparents passed away they owned a house on a beach, every holiday we would go and spend time at my Grandparent’s house. Some of my best memories are there; it is my biggest wish that I could one day buy that house back. It is the most beautiful place in the world.

10. Who is your favourite Disney character?

The Genie from Aladdin!

11. Why is the sky blue?

Because if it were purple people would never stop looking at its awesomeness and nothing would ever get done 🙂

Annnd nothing was done this day

Here are the rules for this award!

– You have to link back to the person that nominated you.

– You must answer all 11 questions given to you by the person who nominated you.

– After completing these questions you must nominate 11 bloggers under 200 followers and give them 11 questions of your choice.

– You must not nominate the person who nominated you.

I’m not great with rules (as I am sure you have noticed) and a lot of the people I find awesome have over 200 followers because other people have also recognised their awesome J So here is what I am going to do, I am nominating people whose blogs I love, if they are under 200 awesome, if not then you should definitely check them out and follow them.

Here are my questions:

1. What is your go to song at Karaoke?
2. What was your favourite book growing up?
3. What is your Starbucks order?
4. Favourite dessert?
5. The best poem ever is….?
6. What is your favourite movie of all time?
7. In one sentence please explain why Firefly should not have been cancelled.
8. What is your best “ain’t nobody got time for that moment”?
9. What is your “I cannot even be bothered” dinner? – something you make not buy
10. How much do you love Tim Tams?
11. What one thing would you change about your life in this moment?

And here are my peoples:

The Cat Bed

The Dimwhit

LauGraEva – you have to check out her handiworks!

The Gone –  This is a novel written online, pretty awesome. I am a little addicted… check it out!

Cutie Cameras – Love this blog and its author. Such a fresh, fun and colourful blog.

Storytime with John – John in hilarious! You have to check him out!

Cellulite Looks Better Tan – finding this blog was like finding a kindred spirit. I love how this lady writes!

Plus+ Beauty

A Red Lip and a Nude Shoe

I could list ALL day, but I am going to stop now 🙂 Like I said I know that some of these people have more than 200 followers, but I don’t think being successful should stop me from showing my appreciation of their blogs.

Telling stories on yonder blog

Recently I was fortunate enough to be invited to submit a piece to the Chesapeake Films blog series “What do stories mean to you?” This is definitely my kind of topic and I had quite a few ideas on what I wanted to say. I sat down planning to write a stellar piece on stories and how they contribute to development, information literacy and creative thinking – seriously it was going to be amazeballs and not to ring my own bell or anything, but I probably would have won some kind of award!

But that didn’t happen, when I put my fingers to the keyboard a totally different story poured out of me. One that to be honest hadn’t even crossed my mind until I was telling it. Reading it back over I realised how important this story was to me, how personal and raw it was and honestly I considered not sending it over to Joel. But that is not the kind of writer I am, I am honest and this story obviously needed to come out. So I sent it (with very little editing – sorry about that Joel 🙂 – because I thought I would chicken out if I spent too much time with it).

What do you know… he really liked it. I hope you check it out and like it also. Please head on over to the Chesapeake Films blog and while you are there check out some of the other amazing tales in the series!

What cured your PCOS?!?!

Since I have been diagnosed I have been doing a lot of research on the areas of PCOS and Insulin Resistance, particularly in relation to diet and lifestyle and I have come to realise that there is not a huge amount of really reliable information out there. Wikipedia gives you some general information and there is a lot of non-specific information. I was incredibly frustrated by this, if you know what to look for you can find some really good stuff, but there is a much larger proliferation of ridiculous information than reliable. Let me break it down for you, if you come across an article titled, “Juice diet cured my polycystic ovaries” (yes this is a real article) you can be pretty sure it is not a reliable resource.

I often felt like I was going round and round in circles, one day I swore at the computer and exclaimed, “all I want to know is if I can have All Bran and banana for breakfast!” Several times recently I have looked at what it takes to become a nutritionist, at this point I am seriously considering looking at becoming a nutritionist that specialises in PCOS, Insulin resistance and diabetes.

Since I have yet to decide on whether I am going to go ahead with that career change and the fact that if I do it will be some time before I am qualified I thought I would start small. My blog has always been made up of me writing what I was passionate about; Libraries, books, funny life stories, things that inspired me to the point where I was moved to write and share it. At the moment dealing with PCOS, Insulin resistance and infertility is an enormous part of my life. So it is safe to say that moving forward there are going to be a few posts about it on here. Part of the reason for that is that I have an amazing online community here. Through WordPress I have connected with some truly beautiful people from all corners of the world and all walks of life and that is amazing. Recently I have used WordPress to try and connect with people who suffer the same afflictions as I do and I have found some great ladies.

Here is what I want to promise…

I promise that I will continue to provide posts on a wide variety of topics that include my usual level of irreverence and sarcasm 🙂

I promise to keep going with my 52 Books in 52 Weeks (I know I am late for September’s posting, but it is coming I swear).

And I promise to post honest information about my experiences with these illnesses. For example my next post will be discussing the side effects of Metformin and what I do to work around them. I will look for authentic and useful information to share with you. I might not be a qualified nutritionist, but I am a qualified Information Professional/Librarian who is specialised in the area of Health and Science – I literally help people become nutritionists and I assist academics with their research so I feel I am qualified to separate fact from crap 🙂

Originally from http://www.outblush.com/ I added text

I am always interested in new topics so please if you have any questions or topics you want me to look at let me know and I will do my best for you.

In your face PCOS & Insulin Resistance

Today I am feeling pretty good, it is definitely a good day 🙂

I have tried not to be too hopeful about weightloss on metformin and this low GI lifestyle that I am still rather imperfect at, mainly because it has been so heartbreakingly disappointing in the past. I have noticed that my clothes have been roomier lately so yesterday morning I decided to bite the bullet and jump on those scales…

They say the scales don’t lie and in this case I am really hoping that is true because according to the scales I have lost 3.8kgs since I began taking Metformin and eating low GI (for the most part)

So all yesterday I was like this (make sure you watch until she gets in the elevator :))

Then this morning at work I was wearing my favourite tunic that now fits the way I wish it had when I bought it and fitted jeans which thanks to the lack of bloating I think I am going to need to get a belt for and a lady at work stops me and says, “oh my gosh you have lost a lot of weight, you are looking great”. Pretty sure I need to buy her a present now 🙂

So here is todays theme song: