Spookly Dookly - HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Hi!!!

As I am sure you all know today is Halloween.

To me, Halloween doesn't mean scary, horrible things but rather fun, friends and fancy dress. If you're interested to know what I'm dressed as today click HERE. I don't do scary stuff - I'm a wimp, I didn't watch Scooby Doo till I was around 10... - but I do enjoy dressing up and mucking about looking cool/weird, depending on how my costume pans out. I think that at Halloween people should dress up as unicorns and pixies but you know, what does my opinion count for?

If you are someone who does get involved in Halloween, I hope you have a lovely time, that your costume goes to plan, that you get adorable trick-or-treaters and that you stay safe. Also, I hope that those tricky little pumpkins are nice to you.

 

If you are someone who really struggles with pumpkin carving, try painting your pumpkins, or using other craft materials like THIS, or THIS. Alternatively, you could just use oranges and do something like THIS. All original links are on the pages linked here.

If you are not someone who tends to get involved, have a nice day anyway.

I hope your day is spook-tacular!

GingerSnaps xxx

Oh My Life! - Tales of My Life and Times - Intense Retail Therapy, Cute Animated Films and Special K.

Hi!!!

I thought I'd fill you in on what I've been up to since we last spoke. My Mom and I are staying at my Auntie's house at the moment and it's filled to the brim- good job it's a big house, eh?

While we've been here, I've done some serious shopping at Lush - I flipping love Lush, OK, and I'm trying to get Loz (blog HERE) addicted too - as well as buying some bits and bobs at Marks and Spencer's, TKMaxx. I also tried a really nice new "punch" type thing from Costa. You'll know it when you see it, so try it, it's good stuff. I also went a bit spending mad at Primark, and was so pleased with everything I bought - they have some really nice stuff in at the moment. Plus, I watched Wreck It Ralph with all the kids in my family and we all loved it. Would highly recommend it to everyone - great film.

I began my day with Special K cereal which I hadn't had in a while and so I'd forgotten how nice it was. I saw an advert this morning for Special K porridge, unless that was a dream, and so I might just try that so long as I didn't make it up. My youngest cousins are staying at the moment too, along with their Dad and so we went along with them to the cinema to go and see Despicable Me 2, which for some reason, said cinema are still showing in the mornings. It was really great and I enjoyed it muchly (even if we did arrive 15 minutes late because of the awful traffic)! Then it was over to the shopping centre for some food at the "Golden Arches". Whilst we were there I popped into John Lewis to begin my Christmas shopping - I know its really early but every single weekend from November to December is pretty much booked up with exciting shiz, so I had to start somewhere. I picked up some decorations, some wrapping paper and tags and a gift for someone...
I've just done bath time and bed time with the little ones and I'm pooped.

I hope you enjoyed that insight into my life lately. Let me know in the comments what you've been getting up to and I'll be sure to get back to you.

I hope that you're day is very, very cool.

 

GingerSnaps xxx

 

 

On Your Marks, Get Set, Go! - Fitness - Running.

Hi!!!

OK, so today, I wanted to write a post about something different. Something new.

Running.

That's right, this post is about running. But its not me ranting about people running or anything like that...

I've taken up running. Stop sniggering please. Thank you.

I'm being serious.

I know that, if you know me, you'll find this rather unbelievable. I've never exactly been "Sporty Spice", by any means. I enjoy watching sport on telly like the football, and the really "sporty" sports like the Olympics, or the smaller versions of that. But I've never really felt the urge to take it up. I've always known and seen the benefits because of other people, but I've never been the type of person to become interested in something for the purpose of shedding a few pounds and toning my backside.
 

In fact, the real reasons I decided to take it up are probably a lot more simple than you'd think. I'll never be an Olympian - nor would I want to be, in truth - but it wouldn't hurt me to be a bit fitter and healthier. Whenever I have to run for something (i.e. the Tube, the bus, that really important piece of paper blowing down the road), I end up more out of breath than I probably should. I don't want health issues, at any point in my life, so I want to keep on top of it.
Also, I was inspired by fitness/running related blog posts all over the interwebs (would you like me to do a separate post on these? If so, tell me in the comments!) which was a bit of a friendly slap on the back to say "Look what you could achieve. Not everyone is sporty, but you can still make a positive change in your life".

 

Last Saturday, I went for my first run, and I enjoyed it. Yep, I know, shock horror! I enjoyed sport (again, if you know me, try not to faint!). I know I may not have gotten very far, and I did get out of breath fairly quickly but that for a "first time" runner, is OK. I think I enjoyed it because I got to control how much I did, when I did it and where I did it. When people do Sports at school, they tend not to enjoy it because they are being told what to do, how much to do, when to do it and where to do it. That's one of the reasons I'm not typically sporty. P.E at school, over time, gave me a pretty bad attitude to sports on the whole. Now though, I think I could really get into this whole running thing, and that in itself is an achievement for me.

 

I'm going for another few runs over this week. I'm trying to phase myself into it, and so far, I'm finding that working well, because then I look forward to my runs.

What I think this post was really about, was not me taking up running but rather telling you that you can make positive changes in your life with the right motivation. It doesn't have to be a "big deal" to anyone else, and it doesn't have to be about Health and Fitness. Anything at all, that you want to do, you can. I promise.

Have a simply brilliant day.

 

 

GingerSnaps xxx

I've Been Thinking... - It's The Little Things.

Hi!!!

Today's post is just a quick one.

Yesterday, I was sat in the car park of the supermarket, waiting for someone to come back with dinner to have after watching a film (Shall We Dance) and before Strictly (just in case you were wondering; Thai Fishcakes and Potatoes Au Gratin - nom...) and it started to rain. And I mean rain. It was lashing it down. Opposite the car park, there is a lovely church and their were pretty amber lights and candles, illuminating the windows and the street lights were glowing. The rain put everything in a blur, and it just looked so beautiful. That's correct, I did just call a Sainsbury's car park "beautiful". I think one of the best things being a blogger has taught me is to really look at and appreciate the small things in life. I think I was quite good at that before, but since becoming a blogger, I've been clinging onto those more. This is probably because, as bloggers, we want the universe to look at our lives and think, "that's cool", and so we notice more in order to build up to these things.

 

"One day, when we reflect on our lives, we'll notice that the little things, were indeed big things,"

That's all for today then folks, I hope that this was enjoyable for you, although it does seem a bit random...

I hope your day is filled with the most wonderful little things...

 

GingerSnaps xxx

I've Been Thinking... - Why I Love Bridget Jones.

Hi!!!

I absolutely love Bridget Jones. I have seen the films a million and one times over and me and Elf Girl - I've mentioned her in loads of posts, but here is one main one (HERE) - absolutely love them but sadly I haven't read the books - YET!

There's one on now in the background and I thought I'd make a list of some of reasons I love Bridget Jones (in the films).

1. She's as clumsy as I am - if not worse, which is very, very difficult...
2. She's hilariously funny, "without even trying".
3. She's not super skinny - she's of a normal size, if slightly chunky - very rare in film characters but much more relatable.
4. She ran down the street in her knickers and a cardigan... Legend.
5. She thinks in more or less the same way everyone *really* does, but won't admit...
6. She has really hilarious friends.
7. She has a habit of putting her foot in it...
8. She's seen smothered in a duvet eating two tubs of Ben and Jerry's in one go - my kinda person.
9. She's the reason Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) and Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) fight like girls all the time - which is always super hilarious.
10. SHE'S JUST BRILLIANT, OK?

 

Tis all for today. It's just a quick post but I hope it made you smile. There are plenty more reasons, but I didn't have time and didn't want to bore you! If you'd like the rest, do tell me. I'd be happy to oblige. Oh, and before I go, I just wanted to add that I've heard rumours about the next story line for Bridget and I'm not happy about it, K?

 

 

Have a brilliant day (you'll probably spend most of it comparing yourself to Little Miss Jones).

 

 

GingerSnaps xxx

 



It's Showtime!!! - Theatre Review - Wicked! the Musical.

Hi!!!

Today I'm going to review the last in the block of shows I went to see way back when in August. Now, I know, that's probably made you think that this won't be reliable because I will have forgotten things but fear not; I started this post ages ago and also made notes after the show itself all that time ago. So, now that issue is solved, lets crack on.

Before I begin, I just want to say that it might seem like I think every show is brilliant and worth a viewing. However, this isn't the case. I would never tell you to go and see something that I didn't think was worth your time or hard earned cash. There will be times when I tell you not to go and see something, as well as times when I say you *have* to go and see something (like today). These reviews contain my 100% honest opinion and just because something isn't my thing, doesn't mean it won't be yours, these reviews are for advice only.

This was the final show of the week. I have wanted to go and see Wicked! for years now and so was delighted when I got the tickets for my birthday this year. We had an awesome day and I based my makeup on the show; green winged out smokey eyes with red lips (green from Sleek Ultra Mattes Dark palate; lipstick MAC Ladybug). I had green shadow on all day but topped it up and added the lippy in the toilets of Wetherspoons - it was Curry Night, we had to go in.

Wicked! the Musical is on at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, on Wilton Road in London. It's a bit further out than people would tend to go normally to see a production in London, but is totally worth it. I walked to the theatre from my hotel (Travel-Lodge in Covent Garden) and I really enjoyed the walk because we had to go past Buck House (Buckingham Palace to you) and see a part of London which I don't tend to go to very often. However if walking isn't your thing it is literally one minute away from a mainline and tube station.
 I mentioned above that I went to Wetherspoons. Wetherspoons is next door to the theatre (like if the theatre were number 26 on a street, Wetherspoons would be 28) - convenient and cheap!

I've rambled on enough, me thinks.

So,

What's it about?

 

Everybody remembers the film The Wizard of Oz from when they were a child - right? Remember when Dorothy wins her battle with Wicked Witch of the West? We only ever heard one side of the story.

And to every story, there are two sides.

Wicked tells the untold story of an unlikely friendship between two girls who first meet as sorcery students at Shiz University: the very popular, very pretty Glinda, and a misunderstood girl named  Elphaba, who was born green.

  After an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the girl's reach a crossroads and their lives take very different paths, which strains their friendship. Glinda's desire for popularity sees her seduced by power and influence in the Land of Oz. But Elphaba is determined to stay true to herself, and to the people that are around her, in every sense. This will have unexpected consequences for her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will result in the two fulfilling their destinies and becoming "Glinda The Good" and the "Wicked Witch of the West".

 

You soon won't believe all you were once told about the Land of Oz, all those years ago.

 

 

What did I think?

 

I had been waiting to go and see this performance for so long. Normally, expectation exceeds reality. But Wicked! did not let me down. It was such an amazing show, I felt so much a part of it and connected so much with it that I was laughing, crying and every other overly clichéd emotion all in the space of 2 hours 45 minutes. I also mimed the words to Defiying Gravity - two reasons; a) I've been preparing for that moment for ages, b) I'm a Gleek.

 

I loved every second of this performance.

 

The set(s) were amazing! Honestly, everything from the curtain (with a map of Oz and sparkly surprise), to the sets used for the big, major scenes and the little scenes. Flawless design, and construction.

 

The costumes, hair and makeup were brilliant. They gave so much energy to the performance. Every single detail was there when it came to costumes, they were brilliant. Makeup and hair were amazing and there was little fault to be found there either, it was all of a very high standard.

 

Music and lyrics were spot on as was the orchestration.

 

The staging, choreography, sound and lighting were also very good.

 

The Cast and Company did an excellent job.

The company were very together and performed brilliantly.

Louise Dearman did a brilliant job as Elphaba. She was faultless, gave a believable performance, hit all the right notes and was just brilliant. Also, Dearman somehow manages to look good when her face and hands etc are green... Top class performance.

When we went to see Wicked!, the understudy for Glinda was performing. Understudies don't get the credit they deserve and Lucy van Gasse really did a great job. Her overall performance was top drawer.

 Ben Freeman played Fiyero and gave a strong and convincing performance. He had a real influence on the performance.
Harriet Thorpe and Keith Bartlett made for an excellent duo as Madame Morrible and The Wizard. They were strong in their roles and confident in their characters. Good performances from both.
Playing Boq and Nessarose were Sam Lupton and Katie Rowley Jones. Both of them sustained their characters throughout and portrayed their change of emotion and thought very well.
The role of Doctor Dillamond was taken on by Christopher Howell. I enjoyed his performance and he caused me to question things throughout and I felt very connected with the character.
 

 What did other people think?

 

Everyone seemed to love it. The Apollo Victoria is huge, and was packed with all sorts of people. Obvioulsy, there were quite a few families with kids, and they all loved it. Also, I loved it and other people around my age enjoyed it tons. Even the grandparents that had been roped in to go enjoyed it all. Everyone was captivated and the audience became connected to each other through the performance. This show was made for everyone. It's a people kind of show. It's not to childish, nor is it too complex and everyone in the room seemed to adore it.

 

Would I recommend it?

 

100% yes. I would recommend this show to anyone and everyone and I am almost certain that you'll enjoy it. It might not seem like your scene but it's more than just a musical and everything just fits into place. It won't let you down.

 

When can you go and see it?

 

Wicked! the Musical is on at the Apollo Victoria Theatre on Wilton Road in London. It is a long runner and so you'll be able to see it in London from now until... who knows? Forever, probably. It is also touring the UK and Ireland at the moment, so if that's of interest, be sure to check it out. The website with a link for all information of the London show and Tour is HERE.

 

Final notes...

 

• Make the effort when it comes to what you wear. Smart casual if possible and if you dare show up in a tracksuit I will set all the dogs on my road on you.
• Try and get the best seats you can so you can pick up on every fine detail - it's worth it. We were second row back - lucky us!
• A little story that goes with the time I went to see Wicked!. There was an mom and her son next to us and Oh My Glob, they were annoying! Seriously, they were faffing and talking and I got quite annoyed that they were ruining the experience for everyone. Eventually, after me giving them evils throughout the time they were faffing/talking and me being, in hindsight, quite rude and not standing up to let them get off the row (even though they were sat on the end of the row anyway - some people!), they shut up. Please do not be like these people (or the aforementioned dogs will get you!) !!!
• You'll have to walk or take the tube because, to quote the show, "We Can't All Travel By Bubble, You Know!"
• Enjoy yourself. It's a great show. Honestly, just have a good time.

 

So that's it for today then, I suppose. I really enjoy writing theatre reviews, because I'm a passionate theatre-goer and I hope that rubs off on you. If you've been to see this, leave your feedback on the show below. Do you agree with me? If you haven't gone to see this, do you want to? Thanks for reading this review, you lovely human.

 

Have a Wicked! day (see what I did there?)...

 

GingerSnaps xxx

               

Oh My Life! - Tales of My Life and Times - Phsyco Horses, Playgrounds, Chunky Knits and Bob the Builder.

Hi!!!

So, how are we all? I hope we are all well. I wanted to do a bit more of a life-y type of a post today because they are probably my favourite kind of blog posts to read on the blogs I love (for more on those, see my Blogger Profile). For me, reading about what someone's been up to, where they've gone on a day out and so on is really relaxing and inspiring. It makes me think of all the wonderful things that I could do very easily and that I don't appreciate.

From Friday night to Sunday evening a couple of weeks ago, I looked after some of the little people in my family - 3 and 5 years old - whilst one of the "big" people in my family and his wife went on a weekend break. I was more than happy to look after them and spend some quality time with them because I loves them muchly.

Saturday was a nice day, the morning was a bit busy, but some other little family people - 8 and 10 - came over in the late afternoon/evening with their mom and their (slightly crazy) dog, Rosie. We all pulled wellies and mismatched coats and jumpers on to go out picking blackberries. It was a bit of a walk, with Rosie running rings round us. Me and the eldest children's mom helped the youngest over the wooden fence and we went over to the huge blackberry bush in a mixture of toddling (the youngest), running (the oldest), walking (the "grown-ups") and jumping (the dog). We managed to pick loads and loads of blackberries, thankfully, without many thorn related injuries.

 

Then we came across a huge apple tree and so while the little ones climbed a different tree, I picked apples with the other "grown-up", and the 8 year old boy helped, going all Spiderman on us to reach apples. Then some horses came into the field, and although they were calm, we got the children back out of the field with the dog - who was going mental - out, back into the house and into the kitchen. We put the two full tubs of blackberries away. Then the 10 year old girl came up with the idea of grabbing some more blackberries from a different field (Oh My Glob, you guys, this is confusing!) 

 

We've headed back out but to a different field to avoid the horses. Everything was going fine - we put the bag of apples on a post by the gate and got to blackberry picking. And then I spotted the horses coming back into the field. They weren't calm anymore. They recognised us as "the people with food" and so started to started to chase us. "Don't run, cos horses are like dogs, they'll only get excited", I said whilst running faster than I ever have!  So, the ten year old girl's gone back to her mom - who was calm... somehow - and the other small person ran behind me. I didn't know this. I've thrown myself over the fence and face-planted the floor and I've heard, "Help!" and I thought "He's gonna die!". So, I tried to get up and help, just as he's flung himself over the gate and landed on his feet. I swear to you, he is really Spiderman!

After avoiding *that* potential catastrophe, and making jokes about how I thought I'd pulled a lung - is that possible? - we went into the living room for games and cuddles and really bad jokes with the little people.

It was like a really awful feature in a really awful country living magazine.

Sunday was a day of free reign and no pre-arranged things. I threw on a really nice chunky knit cardigan from BHS, my Boxer Boots and a really nice Skull print scarf from Primark (as well as a top and jeans - obvs). I decided that we should have a super fun day, and so I took the little ones to the park down the road, which was brilliant. They absolutely loved it, and so did I. We went on the See-Saw, the swings, the slide, the zip-wire, and some other weird contraptions which I don't believe have names. We had a blast. Then it was onto the flower festival at the local church where the children put roses in a display and "made a wish". They had a favourite display (the one with little butterflies and squirrels and the like). From there it was onto MacDonald's for Fish Finger Happy Meals with Smurf toys for them and Chicken Nuggets for me (not in Happy Meal form).

After that jam packed part of the day, we headed back home. It was a rather chilly day, and so we sat in the living room smothered in blankets watching a Bob the Builder DVD followed by a Mike the Knight DVD.

 

Then their Mom and Dad came to pick them up, and I cleared up...

 

Fun times.

 

I hope you've enjoyed this post and that you like more life-y posts as well as my reviews. If you have any questions or nice words, then please do leave me a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

 

Have a beautiful day!

 

GingerSnaps xxx



Spookly Dookly - Halloween Preperation 2013

Hi!!!

So, as I'm sure you're all aware, we've now arrived at October (where is this year going?). Now, the stand out for October tends to be Halloween for most people (unless you have a birthday/anniversary and such like this month, in which case, congratulations!). Love it or loathe it, Halloween only comes round once a year and so I like to make it special. Halloween isn't my favourite holiday, but I always have a lot of fun. That's what it's about for me - fun. Nothing bad, or scary. Just fun...

In recent years, I've gone as a black cat - I like to call those my lazy years - and last year as a cool, punk rock witch. Last year was a pretty cool one. I spend Halloween at Elf Girl's (blog HERE) house. We answer trick-or-treaters, get dressed up - including hot pink eyebrows - usually end up doing really stupid games - last year, crime scene obstacle course - and watching a fun (non-scary - we're wimps) Halloween film.

I've been thinking this year about what I could go as and I think I've struck gold. I wanted to use the handmade green and purple tutu complete with black cats and cauldrons from 2012, but I wanted to give the outfit a refresh. I'm a huuuuugggeee fan of N.C.I.S on TV - I don't watch it on Channel 5, it's (UK) FOX or nothing. I love everyone in it, but Abby is pretty cool. So this year, I'm going as Abby from NCIS, dressed up for Halloween. I AM LEGEND.

 

Just in case you aren't obsessed with NCIS like I am, HERE is a link to an image of the character Abby Sciuto (played by the lovely Pauley Perrette)...

Wait for the link to load fully, it will bring up an image for you... Your welcome.
 

So, I'll be using the makeup for inspiration, then doing my hair in pigtails and leaving my fringe down but will be adding to it by some supreme backcombing and a tonne of hairspray... Then my outfit will be wearing two necklaces - a choker and a massive black and silver crucifix - a black tee shirt, the tutu of destiny mentioned above, a black parasol, black nail polish and some calf high black boots that have laces from top to bottom. Ta Dah.

 

Oh yeah, and I'm borrowing a toy hippo from one of my friends. It won't fart, but it will still be Bert the Hippo - OK?

 

I'll share the pictures with you on the big day.



Right then everyone, I hope that's given you some inspiration, that this has been an interesting post and that you may now be interested in watching NCIS. If you know who/what you're going as for Halloween this year, do let me know in the comments, and if you have any questions then leave those below too, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Also, let me know if you'd like more Halloween posts/ideas etc..

I hope you're day is amazeballs!

 

 

GingerSnaps xxx