It's All About You !

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Monday 21 December 2009

Share A Bargain



If you discover a bargain on your travels or whilst out shopping, why not share them with us.
No matter what the product , if you think its a bargain, let us know what it is, where you purchased it and the cost at the time.

(il add my own bargains when i get a chance to get back out in the world as im still running back and forward to the hospital every day at the moment ).

Friday 18 December 2009

My Paranormal World


I Have had a personal interest in the paranormal for many years, prompting me to run groups on both aol and yahoo in the past.
Almost 3 years ago, i created my first website on the paranormal , i named it "Paranormal Insights".
It is still a very dear passion of mine even though due to circumstances beyond my control, i cant spend as much time on it as id like, but Ray and the other moderators are keeping her going nicely in my absence, thanks guys :).

If you would like to check out my personal experiences, and any other information for that matter, you can take a look and hopefully subscribe here
http://paranormalinsights.com.
We pride ourselves on running a friendly family enviroment and anyone is welcome.

This forum was created to bring like minded people together in a friendly enviroment with the intention of giving you a voice, a place to share your views, opinions and experiences on the many different aspects the paranormal has to offer.

Everyone is welcome , yes that means skeptics too, we are all entitled to share our views, so if this sounds like the place for you, why not drop in and see what we have to offer .

I hope you enjoy your visit and will return again soon.
All members must be 16 or over
Thankyou.

Thursday 17 December 2009

Tooth Whitening Challenge


after- first 5 minute session


the treatment


Original

Im going to be shareing before, during and after pictures with you, so if your squeemish, skip this post lol.Il be doing this over a month so that we can see if theres any real difference and then we can rate it out of ten and il let you know where i purchased it and how much i paid for it.

Have you ever tried any of these new fangled tooth whiteners ?
if so why not share your stories and experiences of the products you have tried, and tell us how successful you thought they were.
Marks out of 10 would be great, just mention the product name, how much you paid for it and how well you think it did , so others can decide for themselves if they would like to try any of them.

Ever tried to quit smokeing ?



I was a seasoned smoker for around 28 yrs, before i finally managed to quit i was smokeing 50 ciggerettes a day.

I had made several attempts over the last ten yrs to quit by purchaseing the stop smoking patches from the chemist, i mean come on, buying the patches was cheaper than buying the ciggerettes so it was definately worth a try.

On my first attempt i thought i did pretty well, i managed to stay off the ciggies for 12 weeks, a whole 3 months was brilliant i thought, until my husband drove me insane taunting me because he was trying to do it without anything.
I snapped and told him to go get ciggies before i killed him and that my friend was that.

My second attempt, i managed 8 weeks, my son went into hospital and the pressure simply became too much , my ciggies had become my dummy, so back i went to them again.

My third and final attempt with the patches was a few years ago,i had gone to bed with a pain in my side and had woke up feeling as if i couldnt breathe, like a cheasty cold had come on me during the night.
I asked my hubby to make me an appointment to get some antibiotics, only to discover when i got there that my lung had deflated.

Now if that wasnt reason to pack in smokeing for good, id eat my hat, so this time i made an appointment with the nurse and decided to use the patches but with her monitoring my progress.
Id already gone a week in the hospital without ciggies or the patches, but i wasnt sure my will power would hold up so off to the nurse i went.

She was a great support, gave me extra lozengers when things got tough in party situations ect, but alas it was again only to last 8 weeks, when bang, my son ended up in hospital again.

At that moment i really gave up on the idea of ever being able to quit smokeing, lordy if a burst lung couldnt force me to quit, nothing would.
Unfortunatetly, i noticed after each failed attempt, i actually smoked more than i had before, and up until 7 months ago i was smokeing 50 ciggerettes a day.

Well around june time this yr, our circumstances changed drastically finacially, as my disabbled son was now going to be claimimg his money in his own right, so our money was being slashed by half.
Very begrudgingly, around april , my hubby and i agreed that we needed to quit smokeing, simply because we couldnt afford to keep it up, it was going to be real tough as it was a stressful time but we had to try.

I was telling a dear friend whom i hadnt seen in a couple of months about our circumstances and i was amazed to hear that both her and her hubby had been non smokers for about 6 weeks at the time.

She told me that she had gone to an N.H.S stop smokieing program and had been useing a tablet called CHAMPIX to help them quit.
I was so excited for her, i wanted to know the ins and outs of this wonderful drug that had made her smoke free for 6 weeks, so i could rush back and tell my hubby bill.

Let me explain to those who might be interested in trying this product, how it works.

You go to the clinic every week, they take your details because you need to be monitered and the prescriptions are written up by your doctor.
So no show, no tablets, simple as that.

Im not sure if this is a good thing or not, but you actually get to still smoke for up to two weeks whilst taking your first pack of tablets, you pick a quit date and try your best to stick with it.

You get your first pack of tablets and inside they have the days of the week on, much like a pill packet would, now the first colum of tablets are only a sml dosage, only one tabletto be taken a day so that your body doesnt go into too much shock from the changes.
The second and final week of your still smoking, the tabblet dosage goes up by taking one tabblet in the morning and one at night.
Trust me, these things work, in my first week on the low doasge, i dropped from 50 ciggerettes a day to 30, then two days later i was on 18, i was estatic, the need for nicotine was getting less and less.

The great thing is ,that you actually start to dicipline yourself right away, if i can only smoke this today, wel try that tommorow, and it works.
I was doing really well on my 18 a day for a couple of days when i started my second lot of tablets at the higher dose, i got overly cocky and had my friends round for a drink, i was so excited that i actually ended up smokeing 30 ciggerettes that night, and only two days away from my quit date.

I was absaloutely broken hearted and dissapointed in myself that i cried, i had two choices right there and then, carry on smokeing, or quit, right here and right now.
I have never touched another ciggerette from that day.

You continue to take the tablets for up to 12 weeks, so they actually numb the receptors in the brain that crave the nicotine,infact you will find rather quickly that the taste of a ciggerette becomes awful and the smell of a lit ciggerette can make you feel sick.

As far as side effects go, it may be different for everyone, but my husbband went through a bout of bad mood swings that lasted about two weeks, two weeks into the course, it was monitored and if it hadnt let up they were going to take the tablets off him, lucky for him it passed, it was just anxiety.

For me, i struggled to take the two tabblets every day as they were starting to make me feel sick, so on my own head i cut it down to one a day in the evening and that worked just as well for me.In the first two weeks i suffered some head aches but it was just my body adjusting and i would certainly reccommend this treatment for even the hardened smokers.
Other than that, we have had no problems.

My hubby and i worried that come the end of the course that we might crave the tablets or the need for nicotine might return, neither is true, your last box of tablets is similar to your first, only it goes high dose, followed by low dose, then gone, 3 months smoke free :)

You are never on your own as far as support goes, they give you support numbers to call if needed and they can change your drop in centre if you cant make a certain day or time, also you recieve letters after 6 months to see how your doing and again after a year. The support is on going for as long as you need it.

The way i conqoured my anxiety was to take the money i was spending on the smokes and buy paint for every room in the house, my hubby and i spent the whole summer redecorating every room in the house to get rid of the smell, we re-washed all of our clothing, curtains, bedding, rugs, you name it, we cleaned it, it was amazeing.

Now we have a beautiful, clean ,healthy enviroment that we call home, and we have had some real hard knocks in the past 6 months that would have definately made me return to smoking had i tried another route other than champix.
My son has had two operations and is in hospital for the forth week running with an illness they cant put there finger on as i write this, so i thank god for the N.H.S smokeing helpline and for champix, long may i remain a non smoker :) xxx

Wednesday 16 December 2009

Xmas Gift Ideas For Him



Buying for the men in your life doesnt have to be a chore, i often here my kids say, "oh what can i get my dad, hes so hard to buy for".

Well firstly id reccommend considering what if any hobbies they have,
for example ...

Is he into sports ?
if so what type of sports and what can you get him that may bennefit his favourite hobby or sport.

Is he an armchair sportsman ?,
does he like games consoles and games, if so its still not too late to compare prices on line for both consoles and games, and if your pushed for cash, there are always places like ebay and your second hand shops, so theres no need to be stuck for putting a smile on his face.

Clothing
Dont be fooled ladies, men can be just as vain as us, most men love new clothes, but try matching their taste with your dress sense lol.

A new jacket never comes in wrong,
That famous xmas jumper that they all laugh about, they love that kinda thing lol, its a great conversation piece, and if you cant afford to buy one, take up a new hobby next year and learn how to kit him one :).

As men mature, some will like the disdinguished look, so a nice scarf and glove set is ideal, our younger mem enjoy these too as they are classed as a fashion statement so you cant go wrong with these items.

If your man works, consider his job and how you might be able to help him out with his day to day running of things.

You may want to consider a new brief case, a filofax, some stationairy and any other bits and pieces you feel might be of use to him.

If he is a labourer and works with his hands, why not consider some new tools of his trade.
If you cant afford power tools, then think sml but useful, hammers, levels, screw drivers, plumlines, tape measures ect ect, the list can go on and on.
Dont forget the lunch box and flask and any new gadgets they have to help assist him in his daily routine at work.

Men love Gadgets,
they are like big kids and love to tinker and conquer something new, so you cant go wrong with gadgets.

Back to him and toilletries,
A new shaver or razor,
cleansing and cooling balms for before and after shaveing are becoming popular with most men these days,
a nice manicure set never goes a miss and his favourite after shave and smellies sets are always a big hit.

Tuesday 15 December 2009

Xmas Gift Ideas For Her



Whether you are feeling flush or you have a tight budget to spend on xmas presents for the wonderful ladies in your life this year, i hope this list might help you with some last minute ideas.

A new coat,
to make her feel dressy and classy, or perhaps a shawl or poncho, those are handy for people like me who hate to shop in a big heavy coat.

Hat, Gloves and Scarf set

A pretty silk scarf or a funky scarf to help dress up and add life to an old coat never comes in wrong,
and if your lady is a little more mature, how about a broach or pretty scarf pin.

New shoes or boots to match that special outfit shes bought for the new year celebrations will add a touch of style and a smile to her face, and if you are really flush, why not add a bag to those shoes too :).

Underwear is always a special but very personal touch, if you are going to get this type of gift, be sure to find out her correct size so that you dont offend lol.

You cant go wrong with night ware, most people wear it every day in some form or fashion, so pajama's, a nice chemise or teddy, a nightie and dressing gown or wrap would work well and if you can manage it, throw in some slippers too.
Makeing sure your items are pretty or serve a purpose, shows you have made an effort whenchoosing your gifts which always impresses.

Accessories of any description never come in wrong, be it jewellry, bags and shoes, make up ect ect.
If you are a little concerned about making a good choice to suit her taste, ask her girlfriends, they will have the best ideas on her style, likes and dislikes.

When chooseing jewellery, play it safe by either chooseing something you know shes had her eye on, or get something that will compliment her favourite dress or outfit, she guarenteed to wear it just to get another new look and feel out of her favourite clothes.The same applies to hair accessories, although you can afford to be a little flamboyant with hair pins, clips and bobbles, they are bound to match something.

Electricals,
now here you need to be very careful because your beloved may take offense at certain items like a hoover, or an iron ect unless she has specifically asked for such items, so try to play it safe and think girlie first, then think needs.

Hair Products
a new hair dryer would be a welcome gift, there are so many to choose from now and many have added accessories which is always a bonus and can make it apear more of an expensive gift.

The same applies to straightners, curling brushes, tongs and the like, these are always welcome new gifts, but try to take notice of what the women in your life uses on a daily basis for her hair care so you dont end up with unwanted or unused gift items.

If your sweet heart, friend , sister or mother is a diva in the kitchen, its ok to go to those electicals that will help her whisk up a storm, if she can impress her friends and family with it, itl be a hit, guarenteed.

Your ideal xmas gift



If you had a choice ,what would be your ideal xmas gift this year ?

For me i guess it would be to have all my family at home with me, happy and healthy and to remind ourselves to be greatful for small mercies.

If i had to choose a favourite gift in the form of a present, hmmm let me see,
a new vanity mirror that lights up i think.

Please feel free to share your ideal gift wishes with us, you never know, your idea's may just help someone out of a last minute gift idea rutt :).

My Personal Interests And Hobbies


I have been a big fan of all things paranormal for many yrs now, and have tried my hand at running groups over on aol and yahoo in the past, leaving the topic for maybe a year to try other things, but its in my blood and it has never left me.

I am the proud founder of Paranormal Insights, my paranormal piece of the web, the site will reach its third year in march 2010, thats quite an achievement i think.

you can check it out here
http://paranormalinsights.com

Apart from the paranormal i have always had a love for what i call dark art, anything mysterious, fantasy and sometimes even a bit gory grabs my attention, i call it "my dark side".

I realised my love for dark art several years ago when i first got into paintshop pro, i saw some fantastic creations come through the varies groups and lists i joined to discover what p.s.p was all about.

well il be honest with you, i dont have much patience when it comes to tutorials, even now, so i simply went at the program like a bull in a china shop and practically taught myself how to create tags and graphics, but il admit to bugging a few folks for answers to some of the more tricky stuff :).

I still love to create when time allows and my ultimate things to create are dark and fantasy graphics which i still use on my web site.

I have a flickr account that houses most of my creations, only i need to upgrade again once things get back to normal at home.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thewoomachine/

However you can see a preview of them on this blog, and i also have a free site that houses free graphics for people to use and share called Beelzebub, you do not need to join to use the graphics.

http://beelzebub.forumotion.com/index.htm

I will add more to this list as time allows and interests grow .

Life can be a real bitch sometimes



My family and i have been going through a month of living hell with my son being in and out of hospital 3 times in the past 4-5 weeks.

Anyone who knows my son knows that he eminates life, love and just pure cheeky chapy personality that you cant help but fall in love with.

Mark has been through so much in his 20 years of life, hes had several major operations, some where we wernt sure hed come out of the other end, but by some miracle, no matter how intense the operation he was back to his cheeky cheery self inside a week, theres just no getting him down, that is until now.

He has the doctors baffled, theyve admitted that, they have invited other specialists in to visit him to see if they can get to the bottom of this but so far theres no change.

Whatever this is seems to have a pattern, he eats and picks up for two or 3 days, then he start screaming in pain, being sick, seizing and having wet hot sweats, that can go on for 4 or 5 days and then it slows down, hes forced to empty his bowel, things calm down for a couple of days and away we go again.

Frustrating isnt the word for it, ive watched my lil man bounce back from the brink and yet whatever this is has floored him compleately for a month.

Weve been through and are still going through every kind of emotion there is, sad, worried, frustrated, angry, relieved, then your too scared to be excited if things pick up so your stomache takes the hammer whilst you try to cope with your emotions.

Everyone keeps wishing and praying that hel be home for xmas, thats the most wonderful thought, but i know if he is it will just be tempory, until they can get a handle on what this is.

Please keep mark in your thoughts and prayers guys,
thankyou xxx

Monday 14 December 2009

People Whom I Admire



I have always had a lot to be greatful for in my life, despite not having the easiest of times as those of you who know me will be aware, but id like to take the time to let those people that have touched my heart and inspired me know just how special they really are.

First on my special list right now has to be my son mark, mark is disabled, hes been through hell and back all his life and yet never complains and always finds a smile.
Hes had a really tough time of things lately, infact hes in hospital as i write this, hes been in hospital three times in the past 5 weeks, noone knows whats causing his troubles so his treatment is on going.

Mark is my little tin man , my soldier or warrior, an inspiration to everyone, his charector leaves people laughing and smileing for days,i believe he was sent not to test me, but to enlighten me and those around him to show just how special the disabled really are and that they are indeed humans with needs and wants like you and i.
god love you babes, im so proud of you :)

Next up has to be my eldest daughter, she has been my brick for the past few years, if i ever faulterd she simply stepped into my shoes and took over, allowing me time to get myself together.
But for her fiery temper, she is almost saintly when it comes to putting others needs first.
i love you dearly babes, thankyou.

Next in line is my youngest daughter, the kindest soul you could ever hope to meet, a more gentle soul i have yet to meet.
She inspires so many people and is treat with the utmost respect from all of her friends.
im a very proud mam, thankyou babes.

Next up has to be my husband , hes put up with some stick over the years lol, but hes still around and we have just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary, so yes, i admire you too hun, thankyou .

My parents and my brothers family have always been close to my heart and we remain close even today, im very greatful for that.

My best friend stevie, an angel sent from god, its true he works in mysterious ways as this angel is 6ft 4 and not the petitist of fellows :).
He has however come into not only my life but my families and made a place here in our hearts just when i needed him most.

Stevie has been fighting his own battle with cancer this past year, but hes holding up and staying strong, our love and hearts are with him through this tough time, god bless you my friend.

Many people have touched my life, id love to mention each and everyone and why but there wouldnt be enough room for that so il just mention a few names to make me happy.

VAL, LIZ, STEVEN, ANN, VIVI, MISSY, MAX, BILL ,RAY , god bless you all xxx

Where And How My journey Began



I dont know for sure what it was that clicked in me, what got the ball rolling for my new out look on life, but i do recall sitting in front of utube one night watching my dear friend vivi's make up channel and thinking wow, she's incredible.


This beautiful and incredible young woman is the mother of twins under a year old, and here she was making time to share her knowledge with others.
Theres something about her spirit that just inspires me, shes down to earth, doesnt live beyond her means and thanks god every day for her blessings.

That night i realised that not everyone has to be a make up artist or model to make these video's and secretly wished i had the courage myself, but what did i know about make up ? very little as i was soon to discover.

Here i am in my early forties learning how to apply make up for the best effects, soaking up new tips and even creating cleaners and concocting make up of my own :).
For someone who only wore make up on a night out or special occasion, this was quite a discovery, ive decided its never too late to learn something new with make up and you are definately never too old if you know how .

Well this certainly opened the flood gates for me , i now had to gather as many new make up items as i could to sample and try out, i couldnt afford the big brand names so i turned to Ebay.
OMG,i think i just about have shares in the place now lol, im addicted big time, i get upset if something doesnt come through the post at least every other day lol.

As if the make up wasnt enough, i decided i was going to be one of those smart middle aged women now, hair done, make up on, that only left clothes, so i hit the internet and found a wonderful site for us larger ladies called "yours clothing", i died and went to heaven right there lol.

Suddenly i felt like the the beautiful swan emerging from the uckly duckling story, this butterfly had finally found her wings :).
I dont have any dillusions folks, im well aware im over weight and i may be a little too late to rediscover my youth, but the fact is, whilst it feels this good, im past careing what anyone thinks.

I would just like to thank vivi for being such an inspiration, and my family for encouraging me and everyone who has noticed the difference in me xxx

Being Creative



As much as i have always loved watching people or programes on people being creative, i never really saw myself as the creative type, however when i look back i guess i can say ive had my moments.

When the kids were sml and money was tight (nowt new there then lol )i loved to go to the pound shop and buy their ornaments and bits and pieces and literally transform nothing into something.
My favourite weapon was spray paint, it came in all colours, textures, sparkles,plastic coating, ect ect.

I spray painted everything lol, ornaments, shelves, seat box in the window, even my microwave and that was 8 yrs ago and the paint job still going strong. (my microwave is actually 19 yrs old, we bought it for our first wedding anniversary ).

I spent one summer making the kids new clothes on the sewing machine, im no expert, just learned in school many moons ago now.
That xmas i made my girls some beautiful pram sets and buggy liners for their new prams off santy, which encouraged me to make some on a life size scale for friends and relations, i was quite proud of myself :).

From there i actually made some lovely fluffy dog pajama cases and sold them. i couldnt believe the orders i got for those, i must have made a hundred that xmas time.

My husband and i went through the knitting stage too, no my husbands not weird , hes a jack of all trades and wont be beat type of guy so booties and mitts it was lol.

No doubt there will be other things that spring to mind and il list those as time allows, but i may do a section on each individually in the new year where we can share our projects and ideas.

Ready for a new start


As we look forward to the holidays, it always gives me cause to reflect on times gone by, the people who have come and gone and just how far my family has come in the past year or so.

This years end has been a time of re-discovery for myself, after spending several years locked inside my own personal prison i finally feel like i can spread my wings and fly.

As a way of keeping myself motivated on my journey of re-discovery i decided to create this blog, in the hopes that not only can i achieve all i set out to do, but that i can share it with you, good or bad and hopefully gain some new friends, ideas and inspiration along the way.

I am hopeing to touch on all kinds of projects, big and small, shareing my ideas, tips and personal views with you, and if something grabs your attention and you would like to comment or share your thoughts with me, then please feel free to do so.

Im wanting to create a personal calender of things to do and achieve, so hopefully those projects will keep you entertained month by month.
I will list what i hope to achieve before i start a project and i will document and where applicable add pictures for you to see.

If you like to join me on my journey, feel free to jump on for the ride, id be glad to have you for company :)