The Wednesday Hodgepodge #59

I hope you are all having a good week. It's Wednesday, which means it's time to join in with the Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce who blogs at From This Side of the Pond! Each week there are 6 questions, we answer and then link up. Simple!

1. How would you define 'the good life'?

I found this really hard to answer because it’s one of those phrases that can mean a million different things to different people. I think for me the good life isn’t about having loads of money, fancy things or everything running perfectly all the time. That would all be nice but to me that is unrealistic. It’s much more about the real, everyday stuff. My family being happy and healthy is the main thing. If they are good, everything else in life feels easier to deal with. It’s about not having things stressing me out all the time and being able to sleep without spending the night tossing and turning. I feel at the moment we are living the good life. We have enough money to live comfortably, we all have good friends and people we can turn to for support and just enough of everything that we need. I think the good life isn’t anything big, it’s just feeling steady and happy with the life you’re living right now.

2. What's the most used app on your phone (and are you proud of that)?

TikTok is definitely the most used app on my phone. I wouldn’t say I’m proud of it but I’m not mortified about it either. I have learned so much from TikTok, found recipes, kept up with the news and have been introduced to a lot of new songs. I average about an hour a day, mainly at night before I go to sleep. I know it's not a good habit and I should stop but it's just one of those things. Most of the time, I still prefer using my laptop for anything online and according to my girls, that makes me old. They could live their lives just using their phones for everything but I like a bigger screen and a proper keyboard. TikTok and Instagram are the only apps I really use on my phone.

3. 'Every rose has it's thorn', 'everything's coming up roses', 'looking through rose-colored glasses', 'it's no bed of roses' or 'stop and smell the roses'...which rose idiom best relates to something in your life currently. Explain.

I’d probably say it’s a mix of "everything’s coming up roses" and "stop and smell the roses." Life feels good at the moment. My eldest is house hunting and getting ready to move out when the right place comes along and my youngest only has just over two weeks left at college. Things are moving in the right direction and there is a lot to feel positive about. My girls are making me proud, are growing up and I feel like I want to just press pause on life and enjoy this part of it for a little bit longer. In a few months our lives could be so different. Why do they have to grow up so fast?

4. How do you feel about floral flavorings in food or drink (rose, hibiscus, elderflower, lavender)?

No thank you! Floral flavourings in food and drinks are just wrong and are not for me. They feel a bit like someone’s made a drink and then accidentally added some of the garden to it. Elderflower is probably the only one I can almost enjoy but even then it depends on how strong it is, anything too perfumey and I find myself gagging. My girls love Parma Violets sweets which smell just like flowers and I refuse to have them in the house because just the smell makes me feel sick. Food and drinks should not taste like they’ve been wandering through a flower bed.

5. Over the course of your life what have you probably spent more time pondering than anything else?

Probably the things I’ve spent the most time overthinking are the tiny everyday decisions that somehow feel massive at the time, like what to eat, what to wear, whether I’ve replied to someone in the right tone or if I’ve left it too long and now it looks weird. That kind of stuff. It’s never anything dramatic but things that take up way more brain space than they should. As my girls would say, it's not that deep. lol

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I’ve just checked the weather forecast and it’s not exactly cheering me up. Over the next 12 days, we’ve got rain showing for about 10 of them. Ugh! I know, I know, in a couple of months we’ll probably be wishing for a bit of rain when everything turns dry and crispy but right now it just feels a bit unfair, especially after that week not so long ago with proper sunshine and blue skies. It’s like we got a tiny taste of nice weather and then it was straight back to grey skies and wet pavements.

Share our Lives - Emojis used most often!

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: Emojis used most often!

I am pretty simple when it comes to emojis. I’m not here using all those strange symbols or whatever the kids are doing this week. I’ve found my emoji comfort zone and I am sticking with it. I know there are hundreds of emojis, thousands probably. Little people, foods, flags, facial expressions I can't even explain but I stick to my favourites.

My girls, of course, have opinions. The way I use emojis is in such a mam way. I get told off for being blunt, for being dramatic and the big one is I get told off for reacting instead of replying properly. Emojis are efficient. Why type a full sentence when a tiny yellow face can do the job!

So here they are, my ten favourite emojis!

Beaming Face With Smiling Eyes!

This one is my default if I don’t know what to say but I want you to know I’m being friendly. It’s cheerful, safe and me saying yes, that’s fine, that sounds nice or smiling politely even if I’m not fully sure what’s going on. I use it when I’m being supportive but don’t have the energy for a paragraph, when I’m replying quickly or use it when I don’t want to come across as grumpy. The girls say it makes me look like I’m trying too hard to be cheerful. I say it makes me look approachable.

Thumbs Up!

This is the emoji that causes drama in my house. To me, a thumbs up means OK but to my girls a thumbs up means I’m annoyed but don’t want to argue or can't be bothered to reply! They say I am being passive aggressive when I am actually just busy, tired, cooking or watching something good on telly. hehehe

Face With Tears of Joy!

If something actually makes me laugh, properly laugh this is what you’re getting. This one gets used a lot. I like this one because it feels loud, it’s not a polite chuckle. I also use it to soften messages. You know when you’re gently taking the mick but don’t want it taken the wrong way? This steps in to save the day!

Smiling Face With Heart Eyes!

This emoji comes out when I’m feeling soft. Cute kids, cute dogs, good food, a nice outfit, a pretty sunset or someone doing something thoughtful. It’s affection in emoji form. I don’t use it lightly, so if you get one of these from me, it means I really like what I’m seeing. The girls say it’s embarrassing when I comment on their photos with it but I say it’s my job as their mam to be mildly embarrassing at all times.

Face Savouring Food!

I use this a lot! If there’s a nice meal involved, this emoji is not far behind! It says that it looks good without needing a full review. It’s also what I send when I’m hungry and trying to hint that food should appear soon.

Face With Rolling Eyes!

I am always rolling my eyes in real life. I don’t even have to explain myself when I use this one. People just know, I have two young adults, so I am always thinking it. When I read a ridiculous comment I am always tempted to use it but I always remind myself that you can't argue with stupid. This covers it all.

Enraged Face!

Everyone in my family knows this one means business. I don’t use it often, which is why it works. If the enraged face appears in a message, something or someone has pushed me past mild irritation. It’s the emoji version of that calm but angry voice that means trouble.

Red Heart!

This one is simple: love, care, comfort, support. I use it when I don’t know what to say but want someone to know I’m there. I use it with my girls. I use it with friends. I use it when words feel like too much. Sometimes a heart says more than any message can.

Loudly Crying Face!

Despite what you might think, I don’t use this one that much. I save it for the big stuff. Proper sadness, overwhelming moments when I see something that makes me feel sad. When this one appears, it means feelings are happening.

Woman Facepalming!

If you were to sum me up with one emoji this would be it. Forgetting things, losing things, doing something daft, watching someone else do something daft, realising I’ve just said the wrong thing, this covers it all.

I know I could branch out. I know there are newer, trendier emojis out there but these work for me. They say what I need them to say and get my point across without me having to overthink it.

What are your most used emojis?

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! 8th - 14th June!! #MealPlanningMonday

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a good weekend. Ours was a quiet one. I spent most of it watching sport which I didn't think I would be doing. I had forgotten all about the F1 Monaco Grand Prix until my youngest reminded me on Saturday about the qualifiers and then we watched some of the International football friendly matches. It's all getting a bit exciting with the World Cup starting later this week but I am not impressed with the pitches, they are lumpy and bumpy and the goals are like something I'd have in the back garden. I hope they were just temporary ones.

Last week's meal plan went really well. We ate everything and the help yourself evening yesterday ended up being chicken casserole, dumplings and mashed potato, so that felt like a bonus meal. Becky ended up with sausages and mash as she had to be at work early to practice a fire drill. I can't imagine trying to get all the residents of the care home outside quickly! Eek! 

This week we are back using the Gousto recipe boxes and we have a couple of our favourite meals from them and a couple of new ones to try. I don't have much planned for this week, I think it's going to be a nice quiet one with not much going on which I am happy about.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Gousto meal - Hot Honey Bacon & Fried Egg Pancakes!

Breakfast for dinner always goes down well here and this is one of our favourites. The Abra-ca-Debora Buttermilk pancakes that come in the Gousto box are the best and they get served with crispy bacon, a fried egg and hot honey butter.

Tuesday - Gousto meal - One Pot Spicy Gumbo-Inspired Sausage Stew With Rice!

I’m quite excited to see what this one is all about as it's brand new to us. My family always love anything with sausage, so I think they will like it. It’s a one-pot meal with smoky sausage, peppers and loads of veg all simmered together in a rich tomato sauce with a bit of spice running through it. The best part is that everything cooks in the same pot, so there shouldn't be much washing up afterwards.

Wednesday - Gousto meal - Sesame Pork & Mushroom Udon Noodle Stir-Fry!

This is one of our favourite meals from Gousto and the meal that got Ellie to eat mushrooms a couple of years ago. She loves Udon noodles that much she ignored that the mushrooms were there and since then she has been obsessed with eating mushrooms in everything! This is pork mince, mushrooms and udon noodles coated in a tasty sesame sauce which is delicious!

Thursday - Loaded waffle fries!

We haven't had this in such a long time. It is everything we love in one tray! Crispy waffle fries topped with pizza sauce, onions, mushrooms, pepperoni and cheese and pepperoni, then baked until everything goes all gooey and golden. I follow this recipe but I add extra toppings.

Friday - A takeaway of some sort!

Friday night is an easy night for me. I don't cook and we order takeaway. Last week we ended up getting chip shop. Becky and I had a chip butty and Ellie had a Doner Kebab wrap. Who knows what we will have this week?

Saturday - Gousto meal - Sloppy Joe Loaded Fries With Smoky Ranch Dressing!

Crispy fries loaded with a rich beef topping and a smoky ranch-style dressing. This is a new one for us and I'm hoping it will be a good one! The only reason I was drawn to it was for the ranch dressing! We are a bit obsessed with it here now.

Sunday - A help yourself evening!

I have no plan for today and everyone can just help themselves to whatever they fancy. Last week we had the leftover pizza for lunch and as it was a grey and gloomy day, I made chicken casserole with dumplings and mash.

What are you eating this week?

A photo every day for a year! 31st May - 6th June Week 23 of #Project365

Happy Sunday!! I hope you've all had a lovely week and are enjoying your weekend! Last week was hot, busy and I felt like I was constantly on the go and this week couldn't have been more different if it tried. The weather has cooled right down, we've had plenty of rain and life has slowed down a little. I'm not complaining though. After a busy week, it has actually been quite nice to have a quieter one. We did nothing exciting yesterday and we have no plans for today apart from watching the F1 Monaco Grand Prix.

Now for a photo every day!

151/365 31st May

Sunday was a quiet day at home and we had nothing at all planned apart from doing a bit of housework. That was all done by lunchtime, so I decided it was time to play The Sims. It has been quite a while since I had last played and when I loaded it up I decided I wasn't really into the family I had been playing with before, so I scrapped them and started fresh. I know some people find The Sims boring but I could happily spend hours playing it and did on Sunday afternoon.

152/365 1st June

If I had to sum up this week in one photo, this would be it. Grey skies, rain and more grey skies! The cooler weather has been nice though. Sleeping has been much easier and I haven't been a sweaty mess but if the weather could be less grey and a little brighter that would be good.

153/365 2nd June

Just me. I came home and got changed into my comfy clothes. I hate being in the house in the clothes I wear when I am out. It was too early for pjs, so it was leggings and an oversized T-shirt.

154/365 3rd June

I had planned on having a sandwich for lunch but there was no bread left and I didn't fancy going to the shop to get more as I knew the shopping was being delivered the next day, so I made do with a Pot Noodle and some sweet treats.

155/365 4th June

Walkers have released some new flavours of crisps for the World Cup and I was looking forward to trying the English Bangers & Mash but they are a bit meh! They were nice enough, tasted like sausage but they were nothing special. I also bought the Hot Honey flavour and they are good. They are a good mix of sweet and spicy. I'd definitely buy those again!

156/365 5th June

Whenever I go to my dad's house, I don't really need to ask where he is, I just listen and then I follow whatever machinery is making the most noise. I found him in one of the fields on a ride on mower cutting the grass!

157/365 6th June

The garden is slowly starting to come together. Some of my plants are in the ground and, so far they seem pretty happy about it, especially the peppers! I've never had much luck with them before but this time around they are growing well.

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