Saturday 30 April 2022

Week 17 of #Project365. 23rd - 30th April. A photo every day for a year!

Can you believe we're almost at the end of April? This year is flying over.

I hope you have all had a good week. Not much has been going on here, I've been doing the housework, gardening and watching TV. I am hooked on the Johnny Depp case and have been watching all week. Ellie has been cracking on with her year 10 mock exams and seems to be doing well and Becky has had training at work which means she can now do the same as what the other carers do. It's more work for her but at least she's not stood around like a spare part when it comes to lifting and moving people.

Now for a photo every day!

Growing flowers and Reese's cheesecake
New school app and a breakfast
Johnny Depp court case
Cake mix and icing and bottles

113/365 - 23rd April
I was out in the garden doing some more planting and noticed that the wildflower seeds that I planted the week before had started to grow. Hooray!

114/365 - 24th April
I didn't take a photo on Sunday, oops but we did eat this Reese's Cheesecake, we were supposed to have it on Saturday night but we're too full. It was nice but really sticky and claggy. It tasted nice but it was just not nice to eat. We won't be getting it again.

115/365 - 25th April
Ellie's school has a fancy new website to see what the kids are up to at school. It lets us parents know what lessons they're in, if they have homework and any test results. I was a little worried when Ellie was marked as absent in one lesson but then I realised she was in a mock exam.

116/365 - 26th April
Breakfast! Yum, yum! I couldn't eat it all, there was far too much but it was good.

117/365 - 27th April
The Johnny Depp V Amber Heard case has been on my TV most evenings this past week.

118/365 - 28th April
My dad gave me a baking mix and some chocolate spread which tastes just like Nutella, he thinks they are the best he's even had so wanted me to try them too.

119/365 - 29th April
I had a delivery of some drinks that I am trying out. There will be a blog post next week.

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Friday 29 April 2022

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

This week my Word of the Week is:

Watching

We haven't had much going on this week. The kids are back into a routine with school and college after the Easter holidays and Ellie is doing well with her mock exams. I have felt at a bit of a loose end with what to do with my time but I have found something to occupy me.

I watch some TikTok every day, I have a scroll through and for the last couple of weeks I have been seeing clips and Johnny Depp. In case you have been living under a rock he is in the middle of a court case, suing his ex wife. Heard is being sued for defamation by Depp after she implied that he abused her in a 2018 column. She did not name him in the column but her allegations have made it difficult for him to land movie roles.

The trial is live each day, I first found it on CourtTV but the adverts and all the text on the screen was annoying so I have been watching it on YouTube through the xbox streamed onto the TV.

I know domestic violence is nothing to laugh and joke about but there has been plenty of moments to chuckle about so far. The mega pint of wine, Heard's lawyer objecting to a question he asked, asking the same questions over and over again, lot of eye rolls, the judge despairing when a witness was vaping and driving when giving his evidence and of course Johnny Depp giving evidence was hilarious especially when questioned by Heards lawyers, I think their favourite words are hearsay and objection.

Ellie has came in from school every day and said not this again but has still got interested in it because the video clips have drifted onto her "For You Page" on TikTok. Becky has told me that if Amber Heard starts giving evidence I have to let her know, no matter where she is. She said I even have to wake her up if she's sleeping for a night shift. lol

Becky has started watching Grey's Anatomy, the American medical drama about surgical interns. I watched it this time last year and loved it, she saw bits but never got into it until last week. She knows I know what happens and keeps asking does Derek and Meredith get together and Izzie and Alex. I am keeping my lips firmly shut. hehehe 

I am sat watching the chaos outside. The water company have decided to dig holes and do work on bin emptying day and the bin men don't look happy about it. Oops.

How has your week been? Do you have any plans for the bank holiday weekend?

Word of the week linky

Thursday 28 April 2022

The biggest drains on our time!

A big frustration of mine is waiting for things. I like to think I am a patient person but sometimes I really do hate waiting and when I am made to wait and it feels like such a drain on my time. A study of 2,000 adults found they typically spend one hour and 43 minutes every day waiting around. This amounts to 12 hours a week or more than 624 hours, nearly four whole weeks a year!

Stopwatches

I spend a lot of time waiting for things and then sometimes I just waste my time.

The biggest drains on our time!

Being on hold.
This doesn't bother me because if I ring and can't get straight though to whoever I am calling I will get Stu to ring up later on. He has more patience than I do and doesn't hate speaking on the phone as much as I do.

Waiting in a queue.
I hate queuing. I have walked into shops before seen a long queue and thought it just isn't worth my time. If I have to queue for something I will grumble about it and probably text someone to tell them how displeased I am. lol

Sitting in traffic.
I don't drive so don't often sit in traffic unless it's on the bus and that annoys me especially if I am wanting to get somewhere at a certain time or get home from a day out.

Trying to ring the Doctor’s surgery.
Ugh! I hate, hate, hate ringing our doctors. Up until recently they only had one phone line which was ridiculous for the people that it serves, you could be on hold for ages. The only good thing about ringing the doctors was they at least told us how far along in the queue we are.

Waiting for a delivery to arrive.
I spend a lot of my time waiting for parcels. If I am in the kitchen, bathroom or dining room I won't hear the knock so have to stay in the living room if I know a parcel is on it's way and you can guarantee that one minute that I run to the loo or to get a drink the delivery person will knock! Grr!

Commuting.
Thankfully I don't have to commute but Becky's biggest waste of time is going to and from college. This year there seems to be a real issue with the college buses. It's either really late or doesn't come at all. She finishes college at 4pm and a while ago it was 5:45pm when she got home because the bus didn't come and then she had to walk to get a different bus into town, then a bus from town home. Grr!

Scrolling social media / Amazon Prime and TV channels.
This has to be my biggest drain on time. I do find myself scrolling through social media, TikTok has to be my biggest time stealer. I pop on for 10 minutes and then half an hour has gone.

Waiting for laundry to finish.
My washing machine constantly lies to me, it tells me it has 1 minute until it is finished whatever it's doing but it is more like five and then another 30 seconds after it has finished until the door opens. The washing cycles are so long too, I know it takes time to wash clothes but our shortest proper wash is 59 minutes and on that setting it doesn't spin enough so I have to put it on for another 10 minutes to spin properly. It seems like a waste of time, why can't they just have that setting with a proper spin speed. 

Getting served in a restaurant.
When we eat out I am constantly watching the clock after we order our food, I get so hangry. I don't think I've been anywhere for years and had to wait more than 20 minutes, I am just impatient when it comes to food. I know food can't appear in an instant but I sure wish it did.

Waiting for a cup of tea to brew.
We got a new kettle a couple of months ago and it takes so long to boil so by the time I have poured the water out into the cup it feels like I've been waiting an age for a cuppa.

These things above are just the things mentioned in the study, there are so many other things which drain my time. My biggest 3 drains on time are:

My girls telling stories, sometimes they do waffle on and go around the houses in telling me something. They also like to tell me about games they are playing. Minecraft takes up so much of my time and I don't even play it. lol Ellie does.

 When we are going out somewhere and I am just putting my shoes on I will ask Stu if he's ready and he will say yes but then he will faff around for 10 minutes while I am sat twiddling my thumbs. Why? He knew I was nearly ready.

I really want a shower put in. Sometimes I just want to have a quick wash or just wash my hair but to do that I have to fill a bath which takes time, especially with our taps. They're very slow running.

What are your biggest drains on time?

Wednesday 27 April 2022

A Traditional Afternoon Tea for 2 from Kettle & Crumb.

I have been meaning to publish this blog post for ages but haven't got around to it until now. 

I do love an afternoon tea and personally I don't think we have them often enough. They are a special occasion/treat thing and I thought Stu and I deserved a treat for Valentine's day. I had been saving my money up from doing Prolific surveys and I got it into my head we were going to have an afternoon tea so I spent a good half hour looking for one online and came across the website Kettle and Crumb. I hadn't heard of it before but the reviews were good and the food looked nice so it was the one to try.

A Traditional Afternoon Tea for 2 from Kettle & Crumb.

I decided on the Traditional Afternoon Tea for 2 which was £49.50 but I found a discount code online and got 10% off. It arrived safely and was packaged so well with everything in cardboard trays and cooler packs keeping everything fresh. All of the packaging is either reusable, recyclable or compostable.

The afternoon tea included:

Afternoon Tea Finger Sandwiches (10 fingers).

Sandwiches

Scottish kiln smoked salmon with cracked black pepper cream cheese on rye.
British honey roast ham with lightly salted butter on classic white.
Roast chicken breast with tarragon mayonnaise & baby spinach on rye.
Free range egg mayonnaise with mustard cress on classic white.

Traditional British Savouries.

Savoury snacks

2 British pork & caramelised onion sausage rolls.
2 Smokey pork & chorizo sausage rolls.
2 Premium pork & Stilton sausage rolls.
4 Brie & sundried tomato quiche slices.

Scones.

Scones

2 Sultana scones.
2 Roddas Cornish clotted cream.
2 Tiptree strawberry jam.

Cakes.

Cakes.

4 Irresistible carrot cake slices.
4 Zesty lemon drizzle slices.
4 Indulgent squidgy chocolate brownie slices.

Award winning tea from the Tea Makers of London.
2 Exquisite English breakfast.
2 Luxury first flush darjeeling.
2 Ceylon Earl Grey supreme.

The first thing which struck me was that everything looked so tasty. We left the food out in the kitchen for a little while to get back to room temperature before tucking in. I was a bit wary about the sandwiches as I was putting them on the plates they felt a little hard but within half an hour they felt fresh and tasted it too. I think my favourite thing from the whole selection of food was the Brie & sundried tomato quiche. It just melted in my mouth. Stu was rather taken with the sausage rolls although he didn't know which he was eating. I think things like that should come with little labels. hehehe They were all delicious though.

There was more than enough for two of us in the afternoon tea. It was well worth the money. We had it as an early evening meal and then the leftovers for supper. It could have easily fed 3 people or 2 adults and 2 children.

This was my half of the afternoon tea.


Kettle & Crumb is a company that I will use again for sure. The kids were out while we ate most of our afternoon tea so they only saw the photos and I think they will be a great treat for their birthdays.

The prices might be a little higher than some other suppliers of afternoon tea but Kettle & Crumb offer free delivery when lots of other companies can charge at least £5+ for their delivery. 

Do you like an afternoon tea? Have you heard of Kettle & Crumb?

Tuesday 26 April 2022

Parenting teenagers is lonely.

 I loved my teenage years. I had a bit of freedom and no real responsibilities but if I was asked to go back and relive them I probably wouldn't. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Now I have teenagers I understand how my parents felt. I love my girls to bits but now they are both teenagers they are hard work and it feels like such a lonely part of parenting.

People in sunset

When our children are babies there are so many opportunities to meet other parents. People are drawn to babies. It’s not unusual to stop and exchange pleasantries with strangers when you have a baby or toddler in tow. Then there are all the toddler groups and activity groups in the early years and chats on the school run in primary school years. Then when our kids start secondary school the contact with other parents is lost, gone are all those opportunities for a chat with other parents in the school playground and at activity groups.

Yes you might still meet up with mums from primary school as the kids get older but the kids friendships might change in secondary school and it can become awkward. We have been there before. Becky was friends with a girl in primary school and I was friends with her mum. When they went to secondary school the drifted apart and had a few issues which made my friendship with the mum awkward.

Parenting teenagers throws so many new and difficult challenges and now that I have less parent friends I have less people to sound out to and ask advice. It does feel like the support isn't there compared to when they were little. You could talk to parent friends and a problem shared was a problem halved. Sharing your parenting problems was what kept you sane when you were at your most exhausted or most worried. There was a real feeling of all being in this together and all being able to get through it together.

The online world just sort of goes quiet for the parents of teenagers. Yes there are those offering tips and tricks to deal with acne, exams, university choices and things like that but I would much prefer to hear about the personal stories, not in great detail but those are not our stories and problems to share. As much as I blog about my girls there is a lot that I don't tell as their stories are not mine to tell. Years ago I could talk about potty training, tantrums and the problems they had but now I am more careful about what I talk about. I don't want to embarrass my girls. There are many times that I think I have messed up as a parent and don't want to share things with anyone but when they were younger it would have been a funny story to share online. 

The teenage years throw up many new challenges and issues that we can feel unsure how to face, it's hard but it’s also amazing, wonderful and rewarding. However it can be a shock to realise how lonely you can feel as a parent. The community spirit and support seems to be in short supply but always remember that if you feel like this as a parent that there will be countless others who feel the same way too. You’re not alone, I feel lonely when it comes to parenting advice/friends. Maybe just knowing this can make you feel a little bit less lonely.

Do you find parenting teenagers lonely?

Monday 25 April 2022

Our weekly meal plan! 25th April - 1st May. #MealPlanningMonday

Our weekly meal plan

Last weeks meal plan went really well. We ate just about everything and really enjoyed the salad on Tuesday when all we had done for a couple of days before is eat chocolate. We did change things on Saturday night because we were all craving a Chinese takeaway, the good thing was I got the weekly shop from Iceland so ordered everything to make our own instead of getting one from the takeaway shop and spending a small fortune.

I had a good sort out of the freezers during the week. We have the one under our fridge and a upright freezer. Usually I have lots of meat, fruit, veg and snacky things in it but the kids were complaining that there was only random boxes of leftovers and chips. They were right so it was time to restock and do an Iceland shop. I stocked up on everything including a ton of fruit for smoothies, it's that time of the year again where we get our Breville Blender back out. I also stocked up on the ice cream and ice lollies since we seem to be having a run of good weather, long may it last!

On the menu this week we have:

MondayHome made quiche, I don't know what type yet and salad.
TuesdayMeatballs and spaghetti.
WednesdayLeftover meatballs in buns covered in melted cheese, like a fake Subway.
Thursday - Creamy garlic mushrooms with added bacon, pasta and garlic bread.
Friday - Fish, chips and mushy peas.
Saturday - Pizza.
Sunday - A roast dinner of some sort.

What are you eating this week?

I am linking up with Karen over at Cat's, Kids, Chaos who is the host of the meal planning linky. If you blog about your meal plan do come and link up!

Sunday 24 April 2022

Plane Trails. #MySundaySnapshot

We always have a lot of planes flying overhead, we don't have any airports near but do have quite a few airfields and on Friday when I was out and about I noticed the planes had been busy with all of the trails left in the sky. They were criss-crossing each other and looked so good against the blue sky!

Plane Trails

My Sunday Snapshot linky

Saturday 23 April 2022

Week 16 of #Project365. 16th - 22nd April. A photo every day for a year!

We have had a good week. The sun has been shining and everything is sunny and bright. The kids enjoyed the last of their Easter holidays and are now back at school and college. With Becky it's the same old, same old but Ellie has mock exams and she is loving them so far.

Yesterday was the first day in a couple of weeks that it felt like the day it was supposed to be. I had a fabulous Friday. I went to our local auction for a look around there was nothing I fancied bidding on today but it was nice to have a few hours out and to see people.

We don't have much planned for the weekend apart from housework and watching TV. Pretty boring but we have had quite a busy week. The kids have been out with friends, Stu and I have got jobs done around the house and more gardening done so I think we can take a couple of days to relax.

Now for a photo every day.

Burgers and Easter eggs
Seeds
My girls
My eldest on her laptop and me

106/365 - 16th April
We got some burgers from the farm shop and as Ellie was out with her friend for tea there was an extra one and Stu didn't want it to go to waste (it could have gone in the freezer, lol) He ate it and all of the fries and onion rings. 

107/365 - 17th April
Our Easter eggs, so much for the kids just having one each. lol They have just about all been eaten, I still have some of my Reese's one left, it's so good.

108/365 - 18th April
I was looking through what seeds I had left, I thought I only had strawberries but found a load more. Oops.

109/365 - 19th April
The kids both went out with mutual friends for a picnic, they were gone for hours but came back with aching legs from all the walking they did and full bellies from all of the food they ate.

110/365 - 20th April
I had a change around of the furniture in the living room which was quite the job as Ellie suggested moving just about everything. She is now sat in the opposite corner of the room and likes it there but is missing looking out of the window.

111/365 - 21st April
The sofa being in front of the window is taking some getting used to, especially since Becky seems so far away.

112/365 - 22nd April
A moody looking me. I wasn't moody in the slightest, I just couldn't see anything for the sun. lol

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Friday 22 April 2022

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

This week my Word of the Week is:

Bright

I have been in such a bright and cheerful mood this past week. The sun has been shining, there has been a lot of chocolate to eat, I've done more gardening, got over the angriness of someone lying to me and my family and spent some quality one on one time with both of my girls.

We went into the Easter weekend with no plans but on Friday I had the bright idea to sort the front garden out and dragged Ellie and Stu off to the farm shop to buy some flowers to put in the planters. We got 40 plants for £10 and of course I couldn't help but buy some extras from the shop, mango chutney and some amazing burgers.

Planter in the front garden

Stu gave the planters a lick of paint to brighten them up and the flowers didn't look like much when I first put them in but by Saturday they were starting to bloom and they look so pretty now.

Becky decided on Sunday afternoon that she wanted to dye the ends of her hair. I always have pots of hair dye in and she chose the green of course, her favourite colour. It came out better than we could have imagined and it looks so bright.

The kids have had a really good week, any week where they get a pile of chocolate is a good one but they have both been out with friends separately and then on Monday they joined together and went for a picnic. It wasn't the brightest of days but it was at least still warm. I knew they were serious about picnicking when they asked where the picnic blanket was. They were gone for about 5 hours, came back full of food and with aching legs from all the walking they did.

Becky was back to college on Wednesday and I spent the day with Ellie. She is so needy when it's just me and her so I came up with a bright idea of keeping her busy and changing the living room around. I was just going to swap my armchair and the sofa over but she came up with the idea of moving the sofa in front of the radiator which was a great idea since we are at the point now where we're not putting the heating on. It took us a good few hours and it gave me chance to clean behind and under everything. She admitted she had fun and we really did.

Yesterday I spent the day with Becky, for the first time in weeks she isn't working a Thursday night so she didn't have to go to bed. We just pottered about the house, we sorted out the freezer and ended up watching Grey's Anatomy. I've seen it before but Becky hasn't watched it properly until now. She has just finished the first series and is hooked, I'm so happy but she has no idea what's to come. 

Ellie is feeling quite bright and clever at the moment. She had her first year 10 mock exam yesterday and thinks she did well, she said it was easier than she thought it would be. I am so glad she's feeling confident. Fingers crossed that she finds the rest just as easy!

How has your week been?

Word of the week linky

Thursday 21 April 2022

What I have been watching lately.

I love to watch TV. I have the TV on for most of the day as background noise. Sometimes I want something I can half watch and sometimes I want something that I can really get into.

We have normal TV, Disney+ and Netflix at the moment so I am not short of things to watch.

TV remote

This is what I have been watching lately and loving!

Emmerdale - ITV.
Out of all of the soaps I am loving Emmerdale the most at the moment. The aftermath of Marlon's stroke is heart breaking but is raising so much awareness about strokes in younger people and there is of course Meena. I am writing this blog post over the weekend but I am guessing her story is coming to an end with her sentencing this week. Her trial was brilliant and she is absolutely bonkers. I think I am going to miss her when she does leave. 

Turning Red - Disney+.
Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” introduces Mei Lee a confident, dorky 13-year-old torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming is never far from her daughter an unfortunate reality for the teenager. And as if changes to her interests, relationships and body weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited (which is practically ALWAYS), she “poofs” into a giant red panda!

I watched this with my girls and we loved it. I would say it's for older kids who can relate to being a tween/teenager but it's funny, cute and a lot of fun.

Free Guy - Disney+
When a bank teller discovers he's actually a background player in an open-world video game, he decides to become the hero of his own story, one that he can rewrite himself. In a world where there's no limits, he's determined to save the day his way before it's too late, and maybe find a little romance with the coder who conceived him.



The kids convinced me to watch this and I didn't think I would like it but I loved it. It was so funny, bonkers and Ryan Reynolds was brilliant! There are so many references to other films and games. The Matrix, The Truman Show, Avengers, Star Wars, Fortnite and Pop culture in general. Don't have a good day, have a great day! I laughed out load all of the way through.

Russian Doll - Netflix.
Russian Doll follows a young woman named Nadia. On her 36th birthday she is struck by a car and killed, only to find herself alive and back at her own birthday party earlier that night. When she dies again and her timeline resets, Nadia begins to question her own sanity as she strives to unravel the mystery of why and how this is all happening.

I watched this few years ago when it was first released and wanted to rewatch it before the 2nd season was released this week. It is a dark comedy and it is so easy to watch as there is only 8 half hour episodes. I watched it all again in one afternoon. There were points in it where I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, it's funny and also a little sad at the same time.

The Walking Dead - Disney+
In the wake of a zombie apocalypse, various survivors struggle to stay alive. As they search for safety and evade the undead, they are forced to grapple with rival groups and difficult choices.

I go through phases of loving and hating The Walking Dead but at the moment I am loving it. The latest part of the series has just finished and there are just 8 episodes left and then Rick will be back for his movies and there will be spin off shows. The one I am most interested about is the Maggie & Negan one. It made no sense to me until the last couple of episodes of The Walking Dead were shown.

Peaky Blinders - BBC1.
Peaky Blinders is an epic centered on a gangster family of Irish-Romani origin set in Birmingham, England, starting in 1919, several months after the end of the First World War in November 1918. It centres on the Peaky Blinders gang and their ambitious, cunning boss Tommy Shelby.

Peaky Blinders

I was so late in getting into Peaky Blinders, I only started watching it the Friday before the final episode was shown and even though it isn't my usual type of show to watch I was hooked from the first episode. There are only 6 series and 6 episodes per series so it doesn't take too long to watch but don't rush it, take your time and enjoy it. It is gritty, brutal and dark but the story is so good, the acting is top notch and even the soundtrack is something special. There are plenty of twists and sometimes I had no idea what was going to happen next. As much as it's about the gang, The Peaky Blinders the ladies in their lives are something special, they are not what I expected at all. They're strong, opinionated and you don't want to mess with them either. You should definitely watch it by order of the Peaky Blinders! hehehe

Prison Break - Disney+
Michael Scofield is a desperate man in a desperate situation. His brother, Lincoln Burrows, was convicted of a crime he didn't commit and put on Death Row. Michael holds up a bank to get himself incarcerated alongside his brother in Fox River State Penitentiary, then sets in motion a series of elaborate plans to break Lincoln out and prove his innocence. Once out of jail, their perils aren't over -- the brothers must flee to escape recapture and battle an intricate political conspiracy that puts everyone's life at risk.

I remember Prison Break being one of the first shows that Stu and I watched together and we were hooked on it. It ended in 2009 and then came back for another series in 2017. I decided to rewatch it, one of those easy to watch things as I had seen it all before but it turns out I didn't watch the last series at all so that was a treat. I do love the show, all the twists and turns.

What have you been watching on TV lately?

Wednesday 20 April 2022

Leftover Easter Chocolate Cookies - Recipe!

Easter is over and I know that we still have a ton of chocolate left over despite me only buying the girls 1 big Easter egg each much to their annoyance. I have spoilt them in the past buying several but this year I was the mean mam who said one large egg is more than enough. Other people didn't get the memo though and gave them eggs, hehehe We are grateful for them and it just means that we have plenty of chocolate left over to do some baking in the last day of the Easter holidays.

Leftover Easter Chocolate Cookies - Recipe

Leftover Easter Chocolate Cookies
Makes 10 Cookies

Ingredients

120g of unsalted butter, softened.
180g of demerara sugar.
1 egg.
300g of plain flour.
1 tea spoon of bicarbonate of soda.
Half a teaspoon of salt.
200g chopped Easter chocolate and extra for topping.

Equipment

Electric hand mixer.
Mixing bowl.
Baking tray, lined with parchment.
Teaspoon.
Cooling rack.

Method

Preheat your oven to 180°C (fan).

Cream together the butter and sugar in the mixing bowl before the adding the egg and mixing until combined.

Add in the flour, bicarbonate and salt. Mix together until a dough begins to form. At this stage, add in your chopped up Easter chocolate and continue to mix until the chocolate is evenly distributed. 

Weigh the dough into 80g balls and place on the lined baking tray (gently push some whole mini eggs into the dough balls now if you have them). If you only have one tray, bake these 4 or 5 at a time as they will need space to spread.

Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the tray and bake for a further 4-5 minutes until just golden. The cookies will continue to bake for a while as they cool.

Let the cookies rest on the cooling rack until warm to the touch before topping with any other leftover chocolate you have to hand. The chocolate will melt from the warmth and solidify again by the time the cookies are cool enough to eat.

Do you have any Easter chocolate left over?

This recipe is 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.

Tuesday 19 April 2022

Once a liar, always a liar!

I have always brought my girls up not to lie, they of course do still try to lie to me. Yes mam, I have tidied my room, no it wasn't me who left toothpaste in the sink and of course I've done my homework are a few examples of the little lies that they tell. Things like that are just silly lies which I let pass but they know not to tell big whoppers. They've been there, tried that and realise that lying to me usually ends up with them no better off. I always find out when they are lying, it might not be straight away when the lie is told but I do find out and they know how disappointed I am. Usually I am more angry about them lying rather than the thing they were lying about.

You are lying

My family know not to lie to me so when other people lie I get rather annoyed and I can't understand why they do it. Why do people lie? Do they not know they always get caught out eventually?

The way that I have brought my girls up, not to lie has made them have the same thoughts about people lying. Little white lies are OK but big black lies are just not on. They can't stand people who lie to them and have realised that those who tell big black lies are trouble and are not worth having in their lives.

Someone we know has been lying to us for months, it could be longer but we can only prove the lies over the last few months. I let the lies pass, sometimes thinking it was just a misunderstanding or that I was being silly but the lies being told got bigger and more ridiculous and finally to a point where I have said enough is enough. 

The lies have hurt people in my life and I will do what I can to protect my loved one's so cutting this person out of our life as much as we can is the way forward. The lies have caused arguments between my family and they could have split Becky and her girlfriend up but thankfully they are stronger than ever now, in fact realising the lies were lies has made them closer than ever.

From what I have been told the liar lies, get caught out, buries their head in the sand until the lie is forgotten about and the whole cycle starts again. Why has no one told them that they can't go through life like this and how have they got away with it for so long without anyone saying something to them?

At the moment the liar is avoiding me. When they found out that I knew about their latest lie they blocked me from ringing them and on all social media. It is inevitable that I will see them eventually and I will tell them how nasty and cruel their lies were, how messing with peoples heads is wrong and at their age they should really know better. At least if I have my say and try and get across to them that lying is wrong I can leave them to their life with a clear conscience. I won't be forgetting about it like they want me to, life doesn't work like that, once a liar, always a liar!

How do you deal with liars in your life? Do you let them get away with it or call them out for it?

Monday 18 April 2022

Our weekly meal plan! 18th - 24th April. #MealPlanningMonday

Our weekly meal plan

Last weeks meal plan went pretty well. I made the Beef and garlic mushroom En Croute's following the recipe over on Sticky Mud & Belly Laughs and they were so good. I would go as far to say they tasted even better than the one's I loved from Asda! They were so simple to make and I will be making them again. I made the sausage casserole mid-week but both the kids were eating out and half ended up in the freezer, it will get used up eventually. Stu and I had the most delicious pork and apple burgers from our local farm shop on Friday night and we will be back for more and then we ended up having burgers in buns on Saturday night along with onion rings and fries.

We don't have much on this week, in fact I can't think of anything that we have planned. Becky is back at college on Wednesday and Ellie is back to school on Thursday after their extra long Easter holidays. It's been a long time since Ellie got an extra day while her sister has been at college so she's very excited about it. Hooray for teacher training days. It makes it a short week, I've been confused with what day it is and next week is going to confuse me further.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Chicken fajitas. 
Tuesday - Ham salad.
Thursday - Fish fingers, chips and baked beans.
Friday - Pizza.
Sunday - A roast dinner of some sort.

What are you eating this week?

Sunday 17 April 2022

Hidden veg! #MySundaySnapshot

A few weeks ago Stu was messing about in the garden and found the carrots that I had planted last year. I had forgotten all about them and just thought they hadn't grown.

Carrots

Then on Monday when I was digging the garden I spotted some weeds which didn't look like the usual weeds and it turns out they weren't, they were parsnips. hahaha Not the biggest or the greatest one's but at least I know that I can grow vegetables now but I think I will stick to one's that I can grow above the ground so I don't forget about them or lose them in future.

Parsnips

My Sunday Snapshot linky

Saturday 16 April 2022

Week 15 of #Project365. 9th - 15th April. A photo every day for a year!

I hope you have all had a good week. We have, I have had a lot to be pleased about: Becky having new challenges at work, getting the back garden sorted, sorting presents for my dad's partners birthday and the weather is lovely! It is still grey most of the time but at least it's not raining and it's really warm.

Happy Easter! I hope you are all having a lovely long weekend. We went to the farm shop yesterday for some plants and flowers for the front garden and we ended up getting a few other things. Beef burgers, pork and apple burgers and the most delicious mango chutney. It tastes just like the one from the Indian takeaway.

Now for a photo every day!

My eldest eating an Easter egg and Haribo
The garden dug and my girls playing pool
A Bon Jovi print and my eldest and my fella
The planter in the front garden with new flowers in

99/365 - 9th April
Becky had bought an Easter egg for her girlfriend but decided on Saturday night she wanted some nice chocolate. She did buy her a replacement during the week. hehehe Now she knows how I feel every Easter and Christmas! I've lost count of all the Easter eggs and selection boxes I have had to replace.

100/365 - 10th April
HARIBO! We were sent a selection to feature here on my blog and I got around to taking the photos. They didn't last long afterwards.

101/365 - 11th April
I was out in the garden for most of the day, clearing the weeds, digging it up and putting some new plants in. I should have done it all over a few days instead of one, my back has ached for the rest of the week.

102/365 - 12th April
I dragged the girls out for a walk and we ended up at the pub playing pool. We filled ourselves with fizzy pop and crisps and had a fab time. Ellie is so good at pool, way better than I thought she would be!

103/365 - 13th April
I got this Bon Jovi print off ebay for my dad's partner. It really is fantastic, his face made up of song titles. She loved it and I am so tempted to buy one for myself.

104/365 - 14th April
We had a walk out and met up for Stu for lunch.

105/365 - 15th April
We decided to sort out the front garden. There are new plants and flowers in the planters and Stu gave them a lick of paint too.

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