Share Our Lives: Binge worthy shows!

It's that time of the month again to share some of my life and join in with the other Share Our Lives bloggers. This month the prompt is: Binge Worthy Shows!

Binge worthy shows are the main reason my armchair has permanent imprints in the shape of my backside. lol There’s something so comforting about getting lost in a series, ignoring the world outside and telling yourself you’ll just watch one more episode which somehow turns into an entire season. I could write a list of the best TV shows to binge watch and I know I have mentioned plenty in the past but I am going to go with something different and share what makes a TV show binge worthy to me!

Getting hooked from the start!

If the first episode doesn’t grab me within the first half hour the chances of me turning off are high. Life is too short to watch TV shows which don't have me hooked from the beginning! I need to be invested from the opening scene, whether it’s a mystery that immediately has me questioning things, a dramatic twist that makes me gasp or a character that I instantly love or love to hate! Some of my best binge watching memories are from shows that had me completely hooked in the first episode. I remember the first time I watched Breaking Bad, I was glued to the screen within minutes trying to figure out what would happen next.

Characters I actually care about!

A show can have the most stunning scenes or the cleverest plot twists but if the characters don’t make me feel something, I’m done. I need to feel love, hate, pity, amusement, just something! If I don’t care whether they live or die, I’m not sticking around for six seasons. Take Gilmore Girls. I can rewatch episodes over and over because the characters feel like real people. You grow with them, cheer them on, get frustrated with them and by the end of a show you feel like you know them!

Cliffhangers that torment me!

I have a love hate relationship with cliffhangers. I love them because they make it impossible to stop watching but I hate them because they can ruin a good night’s sleep. Nothing makes me press next episode faster than an "Oh no they didn’t" moment at the end of an episode. Season 6 of The Walking Dead had a huge cliffhanger which had me shouting at the TV and I was so annoyed that I had to wait for months to see who lived and died.

Pacing that makes me forget time exists!

Some shows drag and make every episode feel like a chore but binge worthy shows know how to pace themselves. I remember watching Stranger Things for the first time. Each episode felt like it was packed with energy, mystery and just enough going on to keep me interested. By the end of the first season, I realised I hadn’t done anything else that entire weekend but I didn’t even mind. That’s the magic of good pacing: time disappears and all that matters is the story unfolding in front of you.

A world I want to live in!

Sometimes it’s about escapism. It could be the glamour of Manhattan in Sex and the City, the fantasy world of Game of Thrones or the comforting charm of a small town cafe in Gilmore Girls. I want a place I can get lost in, if only for a few hours. It's not just entertainment, it’s a little escape from real life. I can laugh, cry, gasp and cheer without leaving my sofa.

What makes a show binge worthy to you?

I am linking up with:

Adrienne from Mom Life with Adrienne.

Dara from Not In Jersey.

Jen from Show me & Sweet tea.

Joanne from Slices of Life.

Our weekly meal plan! 9th - 15th February!! #MealPlanningMonday

Monday again! They do seem to come around quickly! After last week being a bit meh, I’ve decided this one is going to be better. It's nothing to worry about, I think I was just hit with a touch of the winter blues. It's a new week and a fresh start.

Last week's meal plan went really well. We ate almost everything on the day I had planned! The only day we changed things was on Friday. We got tea delivered from the local chip shop and I feel zero guilt about it. It was grim outside, raining sideways and my mood had taken a proper nosedive. It was the best decision of the week. I managed to get an absolute bargain. Four large battered sausages, two large portions of chips, a massive tub of gravy and a big tub of baked beans for £12! That fed all of us and would normally have cost double! I hope the chip shop keeps that deal going a while!

I say I don't have much on this week but I do want to get a few things done as next week Stu is off work and Ellie is off college for her half-term break. I want to do a couple of decluttering jobs, a bit of baking and maybe start another craft set.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Corned beef crisp bakes with chips and baked beans.

We’re starting the week with something easy and familiar. These corned beef crisp bakes are one of those things that just work. Corned beef, potato and onion, all wrapped up in a breadcrumb coating. I’ll make homemade chips and baked beans to go with them.

Tuesday - Gousto meal - Smoky BBQ Chicken With Pepper & Corn Salad!

Tuesday is a Gousto night and we've had this meal before but it's a good one. Fried chicken in a sticky tomato paste sauce with Henderson’s relish and smoked paprika, plus crispy potatoes and a pepper and corn salad on the side.

Wednesday - Asian Style Udon Noodles with Pork and Mushrooms!

A super quick and incredibly easy udon noodle dish with pork, mushrooms and sriracha sauce. Ready in 20 minutes, Midweek calls for something quick, and this one ticks all the boxes.

Thursday - Gousto meal - Beef Chuck Stew With Homemade Thyme Dumplings!

Thursday’s Gousto is a proper comfort meal. Slow-cooked beef, carrots in a rich tomato sauce, herby dumplings and mash on the side. This is exactly the sort of thing I want when the week is dragging and I’m counting down to Friday.

Friday - Pizza!

Homemade or just frozen ones out of the freezer, I am not too sure yet.

Saturday - A Valentines Day meal!

Stu and I are treating ourselves to a meal from M&S. Three courses plus a drink for £25. The poor kids are going to have to fend for themselves. lol

Sunday - A help yourself day!

Sunday is a free-for-all. Everyone can fend for themselves, eat leftovers, make toast, have cereal for tea, whatever works.

What are you eating this week?

A photo every day for a year! 1st - 7th February Week 6 of #Project365

Happy Sunday! I hope your weekend has been a good one so far. Mine’s been fine. Not amazing, not awful, just plodding along nicely. The only real issue has been the weather which is doing my head in. I know I bang on about it every year but I am so fed up of rain. I always say I could happily stay at home forever, barely leaving the house and being a hermit but it turns out that when I actually stay home for days on end I start to feel restless and a bit unsettled, like I need a change of scenery. I keep reminding myself that brighter days are coming. You can already tell, it’s staying lighter for longer on an evening now and it's not properly dark until almost 5pm which I am loving.

You can also tell when I’ve had a slow week because my Project 365 photos are always food and the TV! If there’s not much going on the camera ends up pointing at plates and screens.

Now for a photo every day!

32/365 1st February

Toad in the Hole, mashed potato and baked beans. A proper Sunday tea! I did take the photo before I drowned it in gravy. I always forget that some of my readers don’t know what Toad in the Hole actually is. Every time I mention it in a meal plan, someone asks. There are no actual toads involved, its sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding batter and it’s proper British comfort food!

33/365 2nd February

Ham and crisp sandwiches. If I have this for lunch, it’s a dead giveaway that Stu is at home. I never make these for myself because he does it better. Some things just taste nicer when someone else makes them! It has to be white bread, loads of butter, proper ham slices, and a mix of prawn cocktail and chicken crisps. The crisp combination is important. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

34/365 3rd February

Becky was home all day and didn’t move far from this spot. It was really nice to just be around each other without doing much and no, she didn’t get dressed properly. It was PJ bottoms and a snuddie all day. Some days are just made for comfy clothes.

35/365 4th February

The latest book that I am listening to and I am really enjoying it. Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they're crazy, but it's the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy's at work in the day and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.

36/365 5th February

Double chocolate and cherry hot cross buns. I had high hopes for these. They were nice but not as nice as I was expecting. There wasn’t enough cherry in them, which was a real let down. I of course still ate them. I didn't want them going to waste.

37/365 6th February

The Winter Olympics started and despite telling myself I wasn’t that bothered, I ended up watching the curling and getting right into it. I don’t even fully understand the rules but I was sat there like I knew exactly what was going on.

38/365 7th February

New pans! Well new to us. I keep saying we need new pans but the price always puts me off. There’s always something more important or more fun to spend money on. A few days ago, my dad asked if I wanted any pans and of course I said yes. I assumed he’d bought himself new ones and was passing his old set on which I would have been perfectly happy with but no. He turned up with these. A full set of matching pans. It’s been years since we’ve had a full set that looks like it belongs together. I am so happy with them! I can’t wait to try them all out properly.

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This week my Word of the Week is: Lukewarm!! #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

My week has been Lukewarm! Not scorching hot with excitement, not freezing cold with disaster, just lukewarm. The kind of week in the middle of everything where nothing amazing happened but nothing awful happened either. My mood has been a bit meh! I can’t even put my finger on why I’ve felt this way. In January I was full of motivation and everything seemed doable but now I feel like I am just coasting along. The weather hasn’t really helped either but it has been better than last week. A few more sunny spells and less rain.

It hasn’t been all doom and gloom. I did try a couple of new recipes. The Chicken Thigh Soup was a winner. Nothing beats a big, steaming bowl of soup on a chilly evening and on top of that, I started a new audiobook, The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary. I was only just Googling the author to double-check her name when I realised it had been a Channel 5 TV show a few years ago. Now I get to do one of those clever things that readers do, compare the book to the TV show and judge which was better and speaking of TV, I’ve really been getting into crime, thriller and mystery shows lately. Harlan Coben has a bunch of limited series on Netflix to keep me going for the foreseeable future. Although I did get a little confused when James Nesbitt popped up in two different series, playing two completely different characters. One was a father, the other a detective and for a split second I forgot what I was watching and thought I had missed something major.

Ellie had a little adventure this week. She tried something new, going to an open mic night. She wasn’t planning on performing herself, just going to support a friend but it turned into a bigger night out than expected. She told me they started inviting others to join while they were grabbing some food and next thing you know, it’s an evening full of surprises and lots of laughs. She came home after having an amazing time and I had a moment of being an old lady thinking rather her than me. I'd rather be home, PJs on and feet up. Becky is going to a concert soon and she’s just chilling with no rush and no panic about booking hotels or train tickets. I love that she is so calm but I can’t help thinking about how stressed I would be in her shoes. I’d have spreadsheets, plans and everything booked weeks ago!

This time next week Stu starts a week’s holiday from work and Ellie has half-term off college. We have absolutely no plans. Apart from Stu painting the dining room, which I know in my heart is going to turn into a let me take over because you’re being way too careful scenario. It's good that he takes his time but I will watch him and think I can do it quicker. I also know I’ll get frustrated because we’re spending precious free time doing a boring job instead of actually enjoying ourselves. I know the dining room needs painting but can’t it just wait a few more days while we do something fun.

So, that’s been my week. Lukewarm, a little bit of good, a little bit of meh and nice bits sprinkled in here and there. How has your week been? I hope you have had a good one! I am of course linking up with Anne who blogs at Raisie Bay to join in with her Word of the Week linky!