I know we did a lot, December sees the end of the school year here so the kids are exhausted but we still push them along to get everything done; school assemblies, class parties, swimming lessons etc etc.
The dancing year ends with a huge concert over 2 nights. This year I was lucky enough to strike an agreement with another mum where we each took a night to dress both kids so the other could watch the show in it's entirety. It was amazing! I had tears in my eyes watching Miss 8 dance her heart out.
Now while all the craziness of school and dancing is going on as well as having to show up at work... nothing else gets done! No Christmas shopping or cooking, no cleaning above the basics... the tree was lucky to be put up early(ish) this year, it's frustrating but there are only so many hours in the day!
Then a week before Christmas, my parents arrived from interstate for 2 and a half weeks. It was exciting because I haven't spent Christmas Day with them in 15 years. I think they enjoyed themselves here, they didn't do all the touristy things as they've been there, done that on previous trips. The heat got to them, our Christmas Day was 38 degrees Celsius followed by a 40 degree week long heatwave so much of their visit was spent sitting under our air con watching the tennis (Hopman Cup) and the cricket and playing with the kids.
New Years Eve was a fun time, we spent it with the family and some close friends, Hubby made us Mojitos (modified ones for my friend who can't drink Bacardi, we called them Modkas... the alternative was Vajitas hehe). I had a little *ahem* hangover... nothing a panadol and big cooked brekkie the next morning didn't fix.
During this month, there wasn't a lot of me time. I managed to read at night, sometimes until very late but I really needed that wind down time. I got very frustrated at not being able to sit and write in peace, storylines kept popping into my head and it sent me a bit nuts. I managed to scribble things down as I thought of them so I wouldn't forget.
There was very little movie and tv time so I'll only list the books I read. Most were short stories and novellas...
Wish List by Sylvia Day
a short and sweet holiday romance, I love how she can create a world with wonderful detail in such a short space of time / pages.
A Dark Kiss of Rapture (#0.5 Renegade Angels series) by Sylvia Day
I liked this story but would have loved it if it had been longer... it was just a snapshot into a very interesting paranormal world. I'm hoping the rest of the series expands on the concepts and characters.
Big Girls Do It Better (#1 in series) by Jasinder Wilder
this was ok, just a bit of fluff to read. The characters were likeable and I would have liked a nice conclusion for them but the book ended quite abruptly on a cliffhanger. It made me feel a little cheated, I might go back to the series later but I'm not rushing.
Her Master's Kiss by Vivien Sparx
a sub/dom erotic story with very little actual sex in it. It did have an ok romantic storyline but then as an additional thing at the back of the book, it had a fictional interview with the characters and they both seemed very different to how they were in the book, in fact I didn't like them . Don't think I'd bother with the follow up originally titled Her Master's Kiss 2 unless it turns up on Amazon for free and I have absolutely nothing else to read.
Covet (Vampire Erotic Theatre #1) by Felicity E Heaton
I really liked the paranormal ideas in this story, they were different to the usual vampire "rules". It is well written (vastly improved to what I've read of her work previously) and kept me interested.
Crave (Vampire Erotic Theatre #2) by Felicity E Heaton
This follow up in the series was just as good a the first. It follows a different character's story as well as continues an ongoing story. You get enough tidbits about other characters to keep you interested in following the series.
The Boat Builder's Bed by Kris Pearson
| an easy read. nice to have a story set somewhere different... in this case New Zealand though all the spelling was in US English which kind of irked me a little. The story is told through both female and male lead characters and though the story was short there was enough character development to get to know and like them. I would have liked a little more drama to their conflict, much of it was told as inner monologue fears. Would definitely recommend this for anyone looking for an entertaining quickie romance read. And that's about it for me... Happy New Year! Hope 2013 brings you success and happiness x o x o |
