365 Days Of Gratitude. In April I was grateful for..

April flew over! Seriously, where did it go? I am blaming the fact that Stu had a week off work and Ellie 2 weeks off college and the whole month has felt like a blur. We have had lots of family time and fun. It was a good month!

I have seen many people on social media list something every day that they are grateful for and thought I would join in and have on my private Facebook account every day and I thought I would share here too. I did this for the whole of last year couple of years and it has really made me realise that even on the bad day's I have something to be grateful for.

Day 92 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for lighter nights! All day was grey and damp but it turned into such a lovely bright evening!

Day 93 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a fun night at the pubs quiz !

Day 94 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that Asda sell washing lines. I have forgot to order one for over a week but have one coming tomorrow with the food shop!

Day 95 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that Stu got some DIY jobs done around the house.

Day 96 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that the rain stopped this morning and we could have a nice day out! I didn't even have to wear a coat!!

Day 97 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a long soak in the bath after digging in the garden.

Day 98 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a lazy afternoon catching up with last nights Wrestlemania!

Day 99 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that I got to watch the 2nd part of Wrestlemania! I was not expecting to cry at the end. What a moment!

Day 100 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that I figured out what was wrong with the washer thanks to Google, I thought it was broken. Turns out the child lock had been put on!

Day 101 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for the tumble dryer, all this rain is very annoying!

Day 102 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that the food shop arrived before my delivery slot! I hate waiting around for it.

Day 103 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a nice day with my girls.

Day 104 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for the Grand National. Stu joined in with the sweepstake at work and his horse won! Hooray!

Day 105 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a free drink from the pub! I do love their loyalty card, it's such a good idea.

Day 106 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that we got a few bargains in Primark! Me a couple of dresses for the summer, Ellie some jeans, Becky a Shrek jumper and Stu some t-shirts! Most of the things were on sale!

Day 107 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for the heating! It has been so chilly today!

Day 108 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a new colour on my nails.

Day 109 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that I managed to get a grocery delivery slot for tomorrow. I forgot all about it until a few hours ago.

Day 110 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for my dad making mine and Ellie's lunch.

Day 111 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a night in front of the TV. I am glad Britain's Got Talent is back.

Day 112 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a lovely lunch out!

Had prawn cocktail to start, honey glazed gammon and veg and then cheesecake for dessert!

Day 113 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that Stu cooked our tea. I love a night off the cooking on a Monday when he's off work.

Day 114 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that I had the sense to check outside the backdoor for my Gousto box. Yodel just dropped it there. They didn't bother knocking. Ugh! They're hopeless!

Day 115 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a fun night at the pub's bingo. It was a cheap evening with us all winning!

Day 116 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a lazy afternoon. I caught up on all the soaps, well mostly. I still have a few episodes of Eastenders to watch. I don't think I'll ever catch up with that. lol

Day 117 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that Stu has finished his run of doing overtime at work. I am looking forward to him getting home at his normal time for the next month or so.

Day 118 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that my brother had a spare fridge to give us when ours stopped working properly! He is the man to know when you need things like that.

Day 119 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a Sunday at home. The rain kept us in but it was nice not to get dressed and do much.

Day 120 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful that I could help my dad out with a few things on the computer, well Stu did mostly but I was there for moral support. 

Day 121 of #365DaysOfGratitude

Today I am grateful for a day spent outside. Today was the perfect weather for me. Warm but not too hot, with a bit of a breeze.

What were you grateful for in April?

Air Fryer Sausage Rolls - Recipe!

Sausage rolls are something that are always in my fridge. Either full size one's or mini one's. They are great to snack on, my girls call them thinking food. They stand looking in the fridge eating a sausage roll thinking about what they are going to eat for a proper meal. The simple sausage roll is a great thing! Perfect for eating on the go, the ultimate party food, great as part of an afternoon tea and they are so easy to make!!

These Air Fryer Sausage Rolls can be made in the air fryer or oven with just 7 ingredients including pork sausages (which can be switched out for vegetarian sausages) encased in a quick shortcrust pastry.

Makes 12 portions 

Prep time: 15 minutes and Cook time 20 to25 minutes.

Ingredients

200g of plain flour.

100g of unsalted butter.

2 tablespoons of cold water.

6 sausages (any variety and vegetarian one's work too)

1 egg.

Sesame seeds (optional).

Flaky sea salt.

Equipment

A large mixing bowl.

An Air fryer.

A rolling pin.

A knife.

Method

Preheat your air fryer or oven to 200°C.

In the large mixing bowl rub the plain flour and unsalted butter together between your fingertips until a crumb consistency is achieved. 

Add in the cold water and mix everything together to form a smooth ball of dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a large rectangle with a 5mm thickness. Trim the edges so that they are straight.

Beat the egg in a small dish or mug and set to one side.

Place one of the sausages onto the pastry, at the edge and at the bottom. Cut the pastry so that it is the same width as the sausage. Roll the sausage up in the pastry, allowing a little overlap, trimming and brushing a with little egg wash to seal it.

Cut the sausage roll in half lengthways, score the top lightly and put to one side. Repeat with the remaining sausages so that you end up with 12 sausage rolls.

To bake immediately brush the sausage rolls all over with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds and flaky salt if using. 

Place the sausage rolls in the air fryer and cook for 20 minutes. They should be golden brown on top and the sausage cooked through.

If baking in the oven, preheat to 200c/180c fan and place all the sausage rolls on a baking tray lined with baking paper and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until cooked through. Allow the sausage rolls to cool slightly before serving.

Cooking Tips 

If you want to freeze the sausage rolls to bake as and when, pop them all into an airtight sandwich bag or Tupperware and pop in the freezer.

If cooking from frozen, do not preheat the air fryer. Place the sausage roll(s) straight in the basket and turn on to 200°c for 30 minutes. Again checking that the sausage is cooked through before serving.

This recipe from the Easy Peasy Baking campaign, launched by UK Flour Millers, making baking simple. You can find more Easy Peasy Baking recipes and information on the campaign over on the Fab Flour website.

The joys of having older children.

My girls are 21 and 16 years old although if you were to ask their age they would say nearly 22 and 17. lol They always like to think they are older than they are. Parenting them has been a journey and it's never going to be over but I feel like we have all levelled up and entered a new stage of life.

I am really loving the age my girls are at the moment. There is a good balance of them needing me but being more independent at the same time. I have found so many joys while having older children. These are some of them.

There is no more rushing around on a morning for me. Becky works night shifts and is usually just getting into the house as I am getting out of bed at about 8am. Ellie gets herself up up now for college and wakes me up for a chat just before she leaves to get the bus. It's so nice not having that rush on a morning. Years ago it felt like I would never have mornings like this again but here we are.

The girls have realised that money doesn't grows on trees and has to be earned. Becky has stopped wasting money and is on a saving spree and even Ellie knows that if she wants money she has to help around the house. It is good that they now know about money, I remember years ago when Ellie had a tantrum about not being able to have a toy from a shop because it was overpriced for what it was. She now knows what things are worth, mostly and that is a good thing. There is also the perk of now that they have their own money they treat me to a chocolate bar or drink while we are out and gifts for special occasions. 

I don't like sharing my worries with my girls but they do pick up on things and are a great support. They have a different perspective and offer some fantastic advice, sometimes. Sometimes their advice is not so good like when they tell me just to go and shout at our neighbour when she's being a bit silly. 

I feel like I could leave my girls home alone for a weekend (I wouldn't) and they would be able to feed themselves, not just snacks and junk food but real meals. Becky is an expert at pasta dishes and Ellie can make quite a few chicken dishes. The perks of this is that they sometime make me food and it is brilliant. I still cook our evening meal each night but sometimes my girls make my lunch and what is even more of a treat is getting a cup of tea made for me. Cuppas always taste better when someone else makes them.

Ellie is my beauty guru! She loves make up and all beauty related things and has introduced me to loads of new products and if I fancy a change from my make up I root around her make up drawers and bags and find something new to try. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't use primer or setting spray and I would still be using a rubbish mascara. 

Often I see drama on the Facebook group for our local area and of course it's only half the story but having girls who know a lot of people locally has it's advantages. I always find out the gossip. hehehe Or they will find out half a story, tell me and my dad or brother who are good for gossip fill in the blanks. hehehe

I am not the I.T expert in our house anymore, especially when it comes to things like social media, streaming music and TV. My girls are quite clever and have pointed me in the right direction many times. If I want to know anything about TikTok, they are the one's I turn to.

As my girls get older they have become not just my offspring but also my friend. We share hobbies, interests, and experiences on a more equal footing. We can chat for hours about what's going on in the world, TV shows and music and have so many laughs together which I couldn't imagine years ago.

Parenting older children is not what I expected, it's much more fun and still full of heart warming moments. I am sure in a few years things will change again but for now I am really enjoying this part of my parenting journey.

What is your favourite thing about having older children?

Our weekly meal plan! 29th April - 5th May. #MealPlanningMonday

We have been having fridge issues. The bottom half of our fridge was been freezing everything. It was 11 years on Saturday since our last fridge broke and just over 11 years since we got this one so it did well. I was looking at buying a new one and I don't understand how just a fridge costs more than a fridge/freezer. We don't really use the freezer part of our fridge freezer, it just stores ice, ice cream and stuff when I overbuy for out big freezer so I was thinking of just buying a fridge but the tall one's cost about £400 and a fridge/freezer with 80% fridge and 20% freezer costs just over £200. It just doesn't make sense to me. lol I thought with a fridge/freezing needing more parts it would cost more. Anyway, we ended up getting a fridge/freezer given to us so we didn't have to buy one. I am so grateful and it's saved us some money, well until we have to buy another one.

Anyway, last weeks meal plan went well. Our favourite meal was the Stuffing Crusted Chicken With Buttery Veg And Onion Gravy from Gousto. Who'd have thought that putting stuffing on the chicken breast and then cooking it would make the chicken taste so different.

I have to show you the stew and dumplings that I had in a giant Yorkshire pudding from the pub on Wednesday evening. It was amazing!! The steak in it was just breaking apart, the mash was so creamy and the roast parsnips were such a surprise. I have said when I have it again I will share with someone else as there was just too much. I could have asked for a doggy bag with the stew that was left and there would have been enough to make a small pie. lol This cost £9.95 which I think is a bargain for what I got!

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - We have the leftover veg and some meat from the roast dinner that we had yesterday so I am going to make a pie which we will have with peas.

Tuesday - Gousto meal - Pork & Beef Lasagne Tacos With Balsamic Salad.

Wednesday - Gousto meal - Indian-Style Spiced Chicken Schnitzel With Spicy Potatoes.

Thursday - Gousto meal - Bacon Frijoles Charros With Soured Cream & Rice. I had no idea what this was but it looked nice. It's a classic bean stew named after Mexican cowboys

Friday - Gousto meal - Sticky Beef Satay Wraps.

Saturday - Pizza.

Sunday - Sunday lunch out!

What are you eating this week?